Chapter 29: Summer Vacation, Part II

May, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

On Friday morning, after a good night's sleep, we ate breakfast and packed the last of our things. We loaded as much as we could into the cars and drove it over to the house. After unloading everything, Stephie and Elyse went back for a second load while I met with Gerald Brown.

"The electrical inspector is here and the plumbing inspector will be here later this morning. I don't foresee any concerns, but I have both a Master plumber and a Master electrician available if we need them. Let's take our final walk-through."

We went downstairs, and I saw the completely transformed basement. The doors had been hung, and the floor was gleaming under the overhead lights. I noticed that the lamps over the pool table area were tied up to the drop ceiling, and I'd have to let them down once I bought the table. I checked the light switches, faucets, the shower and the tub in the sauna, and finally walked around, checking the floor and walls. I didn't see anything amiss — not a speck of paint on the floor and not a ding on the walls.

We went back upstairs and went out to the backyard and checked the barbecue grill and it, too, showed the same craftsmanship and attention to detail. We walked back into the house and stood by the work table that was the only remaining sign of construction, and I wrote out the final check to Brown Construction including the promised bonus. As I handed it over and Mr. Brown and I shook hands, the inspector came up the stairs and handed us a certificate of inspection.

"I'll wait until the plumbing inspector gets here, but really, all he needs to do is check the tub in the sauna."

"Thanks," I said. "Let me know when you need those references and when your photographer is coming."

"I can have him here this afternoon so I can get some shots before you put the furniture in. Once it's all set up, I'd like to have him come back."

"Absolutely," I said. "That would most likely be in July, because I'm heading to Sweden for a few weeks in June."

We shook hands again, and I headed for the door. When I opened it, I saw an Illinois Bell technician coming up the walk. I showed him where I wanted my line — both my bedroom and my private study. I also showed him where to add the three extensions for the other phone line — one in the basement by the wet bar, one in the attic, and one in the sunroom. I figured those locations, plus the kitchen, were fine. He checked the external box and informed me that the wiring in the house would support two more lines if someone else wanted their own phone.

I left him to his work and headed back to the apartment. The movers had arrived and were carrying our furniture out to their van. Stephie and Elyse had moved several boxes we wanted the movers to take — books, dishes, pots and pans and a few other heavier items — next to the door. It took the movers less than an hour to get everything out of the apartment and we double-checked that there were no heavy items left, then we followed the van to the house.

The easy decisions were for bedroom furniture and my desk, as well as the kitchen items. The more difficult question came as to what to do with the living room furniture and the entertainment center, including the stereo, TV and VCR. After a short debate between the three of us, we decided to put everything in the great room. The movers quickly and efficiently unloaded the truck and after I paid them cash for their time, they headed out.

"I had an idea," Elyse said.

"Go on," I responded.

"What if we make the library into a study room? Put some desks, comfortable chairs, and most of the computers in there. You keep your new Apple IIe in your study, but the other two go in here. The Atari obviously goes with the TV because we mostly use it for video games."

"That's an outstanding idea," I said. "The built-in bookshelves are perfect, and there's lots of light. Let's do that."

We moved two of the desks from my study into the library and set up the computers. While we were working on that, the doorbell rang and I let the cable TV installer in. He quickly hooked up the single TV that we had and left, just as the plumbing inspector arrived. We passed that inspection and after another handshake with Gerald Brown, Elyse, Stephie, and I set about the task of re-assembling the beds, unpacking boxes and generally getting things in order.

That afternoon, the items I'd purchased were delivered, and we had a dining room table with a nice area rug under it, wardrobes and beds for the guest rooms and stools for the wet bar. The house still seemed pretty empty, but we'd solve that over time.

"We have to go out and buy one thing right away," I said. "Before we use the sauna, we need a dehumidifier unit. I also want to look for the pool table, because we didn't do that earlier in the week. We just need to wait for the photographer."

"Lunch would be good, too, Steve. It's almost 2:00pm!" Stephie said.

I chuckled, and we went to the kitchen and made ourselves sandwiches. While we were eating, the photographer arrived and I showed him to the basement. He spent about an hour setting up and taking pictures, then came back upstairs.

"Here's my card. Mr. Brown asked that you call me when you have the pool table installed so I can shoot the final photos. I have some from before construction started as well. And I need you to sign this release."

I read over the release, signed it, and handed it back. I put his card in my pocket, shook his hand, and he was on his way.

"We need a chalk board and a cork board for the kitchen," I said. "Places to leave notes, that kind of thing."

"What about one of those new boards you can write on with a special marker and wipe off?" Elyse offered.

"That would be cool, but I don't know how expensive they are," I said. "We'll check it out."

We checked the Yellow Pages, found a couple of places that sold pool tables as well as a couple of office supply stores, and headed out. We spent a couple of hours between the two stores and I selected a regulation pool table, six cues, a rack for the cues, and two sets of balls. I decided to add a removable two-piece ping-pong top that was offered as a relatively inexpensive add-on. That meant buying a net, paddles, and balls as well. I paid for the purchase and arranged for delivery and set up. Once everything was set, we headed to the closest office supply store.

"Forget my idea," Elyse said when we looked at our options. "The chalkboard is about $7. The 'white board' as it's called is about $50 and it's heavy. And the markers aren't cheap, either."

"Yeah, it would be cool, but I can buy a lifetime supply of colored chalk for the cost of that board!"

We bought the chalkboard, two boxes of chalk, the cork board, and a box of pins for a total of about $22.00, less than half the cost of just the cool erasable board, not counting the markers! We put the stuff in the back of the Trans Am and headed back towards the apartment.

"We have a few more things to move, plus we need to clean the apartment top-to-bottom so I get all of my deposit back," I said.

"Are they going to make you pay the June and July rent?" Stephie asked.

"I signed a one-year lease, so I'm obligated to pay. I don't see any ethical way out of that."

She nodded, and we got to work sweeping, then washing the floors, cleaning every nook and cranny, and then ensuring that the bathroom and kitchen were spotless. Elyse suggested washing the windows, so she did that while I went to the Post Office to hand in our 'Change of Address' forms. When I got back, we carried everything down to the cars and Elyse and Stephie headed to the house while I drove to the leasing office. I arranged with the leasing manager to do the move-out inspection in the morning, then headed to meet the girls at the house.

"We need some more sets of keys, Steve!" Elyse said.

"True. And it just dawned on me that Kara has a key to the apartment. I can't get it back today, but I can call her mom and have her mail it to me. As long as I drop it off by the end of July, there won't be a problem, but I'll have it before we head to Milford next Thursday if she can mail it right away."

We unloaded the cars, then drove in Elyse's car to Venture to get the dehumidifier. We brought it back, carried it to the basement, and hooked it up. I turned it on and it began humming. I decided to get a combination thermometer and hygrometer to mount on the wall to make sure the basement didn't get too dry or too wet.

"Sauna anyone?" I asked with a grin.

"Sure!" both girls said.

I adjusted the temperature controls on the outside, then we went upstairs to get towels. I made a mental note to buy a bunch of large, plain white towels for the sauna so that we had plenty for guests. We all changed into robes and went back to the basement. We removed our robes and hung them on hooks outside the sauna, then went in. Stephie spread the towels on the benches where I indicated while I filled the oak bucket with water from the faucet for the tub, then ladled some onto the rocks. It would take some time to figure out the right amount for the new sauna, but I slowly added water until I had the level of steam I liked.

I sat down on the middle towel with the girls on either side of me and sighed deeply. I had missed having regular access to a sauna, and it was just what I needed to help me stay calm and relaxed.

"That sounded like a very contented sigh, Yankee," Stephie said.

"Very much so!" I replied. "Have either of you been in a sauna before?"

"Nope!" they said in unison.

"Well, I tend to like more steam than most people, so the temperature isn't quite as hot as it would be if the sauna were drier. Even so, you have to be careful about how long you stay in so you don't overheat. Usually twenty to thirty minutes is the most I stay in. If you use less steam and make it hotter, you want to be super careful. Also, it's best to remove any metal jewelry because it can get super hot, and whatever you do, don't drink a lot of alcohol before you come in."

"And we can use it anytime?" Elyse asked.

"Guys, you live here. I feel that this is as much your house as it is mine. I think that the only rule I'm going to insist on are that nobody, including me, goes into someone's bedroom without express permission, unless it's an obvious emergency, and that includes my study, now that the computers are out of there. I don't think of either of you as just renters, so it's OK for you two to be in the study whenever you want; we have too much of a history as a threesome to change how we live together at this point."

"Damn, Steve. I may never move out!" Elyse said with a huge smile. "And that was a cute double entendre!"

"That idea is NEVER far from the Yankee's warped mind, is it?" Stephie asked, smiling and shaking her head.

I chuckled, "Of course not! Anyway, I'm assuming both of you are here for at least four more years while you finish your degrees. After that, well, we'll see what the future holds!"

"Your future could hold having sex with two hot girls in a hot sauna!" Stephie giggled.

"Now there's a fantastic idea!" Elyse said.

I smiled, "You know, it may seem out of character for me, but I'd rather just relax in here right now. With everything that's gone on for the past couple of weeks, this sauna is something I really need. And something I've really been looking forward to."

We sat quietly in the sauna, hearing only the sound of the hissing steam and our own breathing. After about twenty minutes, I suggested we test the whirlpool tub, and the girls agreed. I adjusted the sauna temperature down, then filled the tub with warm water. We got in with Stephie leaning back against me and Elyse sitting facing us. I pressed the button to turn on the water jets, and both girls squealed.

"Talk about a way to relax!" Elyse said.

"You know, I may never leave this room!" Stephie declared.

"I think we could easily fit one more person, two if people didn't mind bodies touching," I said.

"Katy and Cindi!" Elyse teased.

"Yankee would be in heaven!" Stephie said with a laugh.

We sat in the swirling water for about fifteen minutes, then shut everything off and drained the water from the tub. We got our robes from the hooks, and I closed the door to the sauna and turned the exhaust fan timer to thirty minutes. We walked over to the bathroom and quickly showered.

"The shower's too small, Steve!" Stephie teased.

"Ours is plenty big, and so is Elyse's. It'll be Kathy and Kurt who complain about this one!" I grinned.

When we finished, we went upstairs and got dressed, and decided to go to the neighborhood Italian restaurant for dinner. After dinner, we got ice cream and then headed back to the house. I called Kara's house and told her mom what I needed, and she said it would probably be best if I asked Kara myself. I suddenly dreaded Kara's reaction, but I needed to do it.

"Hi, Steve," she said. "Mom said you needed to ask me something."

"Yes, Honey, but how are you?" I asked.

"Fine, I guess. Are you in your new house?"

"Yes."

"Maybe I can see it someday," she said.

"Yes, I'm sure. When you're better."

"OK. What did you need?"

"I'm sorry that I have to ask, but I need the key to the apartment back so I can give it to the people who manage the building."

"Oh," she said, and I heard her sob quietly.

I had been afraid of that reaction, but I didn't really know what else to do. Offering her a key to the new house in trade would send the wrong message.

"Honey, I had to give them back my keys, too. I'm just asking you to do the same thing I did."

"OK. What should I do?"

"Give it to your mom, please. I'll see you in a week or so, OK?"

"Yes," she said, still sobbing softly.

I felt like a total cad and wondered if I should just eat the cost of the apartment complex changing the locks. But it was too late to do anything about that now. When Nancy came back on the line, I gave her my new address and asked her to mail the key the next morning so that I'd have it before I came back to Milford, then said 'goodbye'.