Chapter 50: You Can\'t Hurry Love

August, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

Becky arrived at 6:30pm as promised, and I had dinner ready and waiting when she walked in. We sat at the table in the breakfast nook because it was far cozier than the huge dining room would be for two people. We'd certainly need to use the larger room during the school year when everyone was here, as well as on the weekends, but the breakfast nook table seated four comfortably and was good for intimate meals, quick snacks, or, as the room implied, breakfast. I also used it when I ate alone, though I could also sit at the island on one of the stools.

"I talked to Theo today," I said. "There are going to be some changes. My boss in Cincinnati called Frank and arranged everything. We're getting out of the direct computer stuff. It's going to be handled through a union electrician and I'm going to be a paid consultant to the unions. I'll do everything through one of the union electricians."

"What about me?" she asked.

"You're out of the computer stuff, but they're taking care of you as well. There's a union hall near Rosary. You have to go in on Fridays from 11:00am to 1:00pm to answer phones while they're all at lunch. You'll get $100 per week. During the Summer, you'll cover for the office manager while she takes her vacation."

"$100 a week for two hours of work? Plus two weeks in the Summer? Wow! And I don't have to deal with any mob guys?"

"Correct. And neither do I. Well, except for the union officials and occasionally Theo. But otherwise, we're out of anything that can really get us in any kind of trouble or expose us to any danger."

"Tell your friend in Cinci that I'm grateful. You know how scared I was. But, I really liked working with you. And what about our lunches?"

"We can still have lunch, but no business."

"I talked to my dad yesterday, and he was super happy that you visited. He told me to tell you that he'd really like you to visit for Thanksgiving."

"He would?" I asked. "Or you would?"

"Both! Daddy really likes you, Steve. He always has. Think about how he talked to you and how he treated you even after we made love that first time. And he let you come to my bed several times after that!"

"That's true. We'll see," I replied, without committing. "You know where I stand."

"I do," Becky replied. "I know you've got Stephie living with you, and I know Jennifer is always waiting in the wings, so to speak."

"Well, the second is true. The first; probably not."

"You broke up with her?" Becky asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

"We talked about it. She has a guy she's known forever that she's probably going to start seeing."

"So she's moving out?"

"No, but she probably won't be sleeping in my bed. The room I use for my study will be hers. It's that room over there that's like Lois' room back at your parents' house. I'll move the computer and desk up to my room and find a place for the other stuff."

"If you need a roommate, I'll apply for the position!" she offered with a happy smile.

"It's a bit far from Rosary, don't you think?" I asked with a soft smile.

"For a chance to be with you? It could be three hours each way and I'd drive it."

"I'm not going to make any kind of permanent arrangements any time soon," I said. "And you know the concerns I have."

"I know," she sighed. "Is there any way you can ever get past them?"

"You mean, is there any way you can get back into my bed?" I asked with a small smile.

"That, too. But I'm actually asking if we could date. Just occasionally go to dinner, or a movie, or something."

"It's a trust issue," I replied. "You know that."

"Isn't it possible to regain your trust?" Becky asked. "I don't mean tomorrow. Or even next month. Maybe not even next year. Won't you let me try? You and Jennifer seemed to have worked it out."

"Actually, that's not true. We're still working on it after two years. You remember what we did at that hotel? Bethany still doesn't fully trust me because of that. It's difficult. It really is."

"Please think about it," Becky pleaded. "Oh, before I forget, I'm going to see Alyson next Wednesday. Would you like to go along? She really wants to see you."

"Sure. What time do I need to be at your place?"

"Is 7:00am too early for you?"

"Nope. 7:00am it is."

We finished dinner and Becky helped me clean up. We decided to get some ice cream for dessert and then walked back to the house. I remembered the laundry and moved the load from the washer to the dryer and put another load in the washer.

"Want to play some chess?" Becky asked.

"Sure. Let me get the set your dad gave me. I need to get a table still, but we can sit in the Indian room and play."

I got the set, and we played a couple of games with Becky beating me handily.

"You need to practice. Or maybe some encouragement!" she teased. "Same rules as our very first game?"

"That would only lead to trouble," I replied, suppressing a sigh.

"Why? I've changed, Steve. I'm not 'Becky the Bitch' any more. I learned my lessons. Making love with you would be awesome. I want to. You always seemed to enjoy it with me before we had all our problems."

"I did. But I'm not sure I can deal with all the baggage we have."

"You won't know until you try," she said softly.

"And if it all goes wrong? Then what?" I asked. "I'll tell you what. I'll take you on a date next week. How about next Friday? But to be clear, I'll pick you up, we'll go to dinner, see a movie, and I'll drop you off. Nothing more than that. And you have to agree not to push things."

"I won't!" she said excitedly. "I accept!"

"Don't get too excited. Remember what I said about trust with Jennifer and Bethany."

"I know."

"And don't go telling your dad that we're a couple, or even implying it, OK?"

"Yes. I got it."

"One date. I'm not promising a second one right now."

"I'll take it!" she declared.

We played a few more games of chess, then I asked her to help me move the computer and desk from my office up to my room. Fortunately, the desk fit in the elevator by standing it on its end, so we finished up quickly because we didn't have to navigate the stairs. She helped me move my books into the library that we were using for a study room and put them on the built-in bookcases. We swept the floor and took the last few things out. Lastly, I moved the answering machine to my room and disconnected the extension.

"Thanks for all the help, Becky. I think I'm going to take a shower and turn in. I'll see you on Wednesday at 7:00am."

"I'm looking forward to it. And to next Friday!" she exclaimed.

I walked her out to her car, and she gave me a quick hug, then got in and drove away. I went back inside and changed the laundry load. I folded the clean laundry and put it away, then went up to my room and took a long, hot shower. After I dried off, I went downstairs to take the last of the clothes from the dryer, and after I had put them away, I climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep.

On Friday morning, I was up early to run, practiced my karate for the first time in a couple of weeks, showered, and ate breakfast. While I was reading the paper, I saw an ad for the local IBM store in the Loop and decided I'd head down there once they opened. I did a few things around the house, then drove down to the IBM store in the Loop.

I talked with a salesman about an IBM PC/XT which came with 128KB of RAM, a 10MB hard drive, a double-sided 360KB floppy drive, and a 4.77MHz 8088 processor. I opted for the 8087 math co-processor and he wrote up the order. I was shocked at the price, compared to what I'd paid for my TRS-80 and Apple computers, but Theo had given me enough money to pay for it. I was about to pull out my checkbook when the salesman printed out the order sheet and said I could probably expect delivery in five to six weeks, but that it could take as long as three months!

"You know, for this price, I could walk to the computer store on Michigan Avenue and buy three Apple IIe computers and walk out of the store with them, right?"

"You could," he acknowledged, "but these are IBM!"

As if that meant anything to me! IBM was a big company with a reputation in business, but Apple seemed to have the PC market well in hand, with no signs of slowing down. I wondered how IBM thought such an expensive computer could win the day, but I doubted the salesman had any clue about that. I signed the order and wrote out a check for $200 as a deposit and headed out. When I arrived home, I walked to Theo's and told him what I'd discovered.

"No problem, kid. You got the order in, right?" he asked.

"Yep. I put down the deposit."

"You'll hear from them long before five or six weeks," he promised.

I thanked him and headed home. I had no idea how he was going to make that happen, but I never doubted the ability of my Italian friends to accomplish what they set out to do. When I arrived home, I changed into shorts and a t-shirt and got my push mower from the shed. About thirty minutes later, I was finished and sweaty, but I still needed to rake the grass clippings. I went inside to get a Coke and came back out and got the rake and began raking.

"Hey there," I heard a young female voice say.

I stopped and turned and saw a cute face with blonde hair and blue eyes watching me over the fence between my yard and the neighbors'. I realized that I hadn't met any of the neighbors and it might actually be a good idea to do so before everyone moved in. I made a mental note to do that.

"Hi. You must be one of my neighbors," I said.

"Oh, you live here? I thought you were just cutting the lawn for the Waltons."

"I guess that was the older couple who owned the house before me. I bought it from them back in April. I haven't been here very much. I didn't move in until May and then was away for most of June and a good part of August."

"I'm Penny. Penny O'Neil. I live here with my mom and stepdad. Well, most of the time. Sometimes, I'm in Florida with my dad and his new wife. Maybe that's why I didn't see you move in and stuff."

"I'm Steve Adams. I moved to Chicago from near Cincinnati about two years ago to go to college. I lived in an apartment until May."

I went back to raking while she talked to me.

"You go to the University of Chicago?"

"No Illinois Institute of Technology. I'm studying computers. I guess you're in High School?"

"I'll be a Freshman next month!" she said with a big smile.

"Where do you go to school?" I asked.

"I'll be going to Maria High School. It's an all-girls Catholic school on California. It's like 20 minutes from here if we drive, but like an hour if I take the CTA. Wait, before, did you say you bought this house? You're in college, so you're like 20?"

"My dad and I bought it together, so I own half of it."

"And you live in that huge house by yourself?"

I chuckled, "No. I have a bunch of friends who are going to rent rooms from me during the school year."

"That sounds like fun. So you'll have lots of parties and stuff?" she asked.

"Not like you mean. My friends are pretty quiet, just like me. We study a lot and our idea of a party is to sit around and talk philosophy."

"Boring!" she giggled. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

The words from Lost in Space echoed through my head — 'Danger, Will Robinson!'. I had to answer this one carefully.

"I'm dating, but right now, I don't have a steady girlfriend."

"You're cute!" she giggled. "You should have a girlfriend."

I tried to remember if Jennifer, Bethany, Kathy, or any of the girls I hung out with were like this when they were fourteen. They probably were, and I just didn't remember. Birgit sure wasn't, and neither was Stephanie, but I did remember girls who talked and acted like this from Freshman year in High School.

"Right now, that's not at the top of my priority list," I said. "I have school, work, and friends and they take up a lot of time."

"Oh," she said. "Can we be friends?"

More danger signals flashed. She was only a year younger than Tina, but I felt Tina was way more mature — light years, in fact. Even Sandy van der Meer had been more mature, even if she was seriously naïve.

"I suppose so," I said. "Are your parents home? I need to meet my neighbors."

"My mom is. She's inside. Want me to get her?"

"Yes, please," I said.

I kept raking, and a couple of minutes later, a woman who was basically an older version of Penny came to the fence. Like Penny, all I could see was her face, but she was blonde and had the same features as her daughter.

"Hi, I'm Alice Nichols, your neighbor. Penny says you wanted to talk to me."

Nichols must be her name from her new marriage because it didn't match Penny's name and Penny had said her dad was in Florida.

"Yes, Ma'am. She struck up a conversation, and I realized that I hadn't met any of my new neighbors yet. I'm Steve Adams."

"You own this house?" she asked, incredulous.

"Half of it, anyway. I bought it with my dad. I'm a student at IIT."

"How the heck can a college student afford a house in Kenwood? Did you inherit a lot from your grandparents or something?"

"No. I started a computer software company in High School and I sold it after I graduated. I do some computer consulting work here for a bunch of businesses."

"Computers seem to be the big thing these days. I told Penny she should study computers. I don't know a thing about them, but I hear all the time about people making a lot of money if they know computers."

"It's possible, if you work hard."

"Maybe you could teach me!" Penny said.

I chuckled, "I'm not sure about that. You'd have to ask your mom first, and I'm pretty busy during the school year."

"Mom? Would it be OK? Please?"

I silently willed her mom to turn down the offer that I probably shouldn't have made.

"I suppose it would be OK, but Bart and I would need to talk to Mr. Adams first. Steve, are you free for dinner in the next few days?"

Well, I thought, that went in the completely wrong direction.

"Not tonight, but tomorrow or Sunday are good," I said.

"Come to dinner on Sunday. Are you living here alone?"

"No, I'll have some classmates living with me, and a friend from Ohio who's at the University of Chicago."

"Are any of them here now?"

"No, but my friend Jackie arrives on Sunday."

"Bring her along, then."

"You have a girl living with you?" Penny asked.

I chuckled, and sensed an escape, "Six girls, actually. All my housemates are girls."