Chapter 54: End of the Summer, Part II

August, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

On Sunday morning when Jackie and I woke up, we cuddled for about twenty minutes, then I got dressed and went out for my run. When I got back, Jackie had changed the sheets on the bed. I showered and then we took the dirty sheets and towels down to the washer. I made breakfast and just as I was getting it on the table, Cindi came in wearing a tiny robe that barely covered her babydoll nighty.

"Damn," Jackie said. "You do like to flaunt it!"

"I can't wear this at home. My dad and brother would both have a stroke!"

"I can see why!" I said.

Cindi sat down to eat with us and I let her know she and Jackie would have to fend for themselves as Anala would be having a private dinner with me. I also let them know that Anala and I would be using the Indian room and the sauna, but otherwise, they were free to do whatever they wanted. I did ask them both to refrain from any teasing or overt sex jokes while Anala was here.

Just before lunch, I received a call from Julia saying that she and her parents would be arriving on Monday afternoon. She wondered if it would be OK for her parents to use one of the guest rooms for one night and I told her that was absolutely OK. She said they expected to arrive around 3:00pm.

"Julia will be here with her parents around 3:00pm tomorrow," I announced after I'd hung up. "Also, I know Elyse will be arriving sometime tomorrow, because she has to meet Eduardo at O'Hare. I have no clue what time his flight is, so it's possible she might show up today. And Bethany will be here tomorrow as well."

"When is Katy coming back?" Cindi asked.

"Tuesday," I said. "Kurt and Kathy are both coming in this week sometime and should be here on Saturday. I haven't heard from Dave, but I'm sure he'll show up soon. Julia will know for sure. What's the scoop with Jamie, Jackie?"

"He gets into town Tuesday. He's supposed to call so I can go meet him. Not sure what the plan is after that."

"Have you and Chris kept in touch?" I asked Cindi.

"We have; I might go see him over Labor Day, but I'm not sure. It's tough to do the long-distance thing."

When we finished breakfast, I went to my room and made my call to Karin, and then called Tina Hoff. I made a mental note to call my sister and Jennifer before I went to get Anala and went back downstairs. I grabbed the Sunday paper from the porch and sat in the sunroom to read it. Jackie and Cindi were somewhere in the house, but I wasn't paying attention to what they were doing.

About 11:00am the phone rang. It was Bethany calling to let me know that she would arrive around 11:00am the next day. She said she'd talked to Elyse, who was actually driving up late this afternoon because Eduardo's flight was getting in to O'Hare about 10:00am. I let her know about Julia's parents, and that Anala would be at the house when she arrived, so she'd have a chance to meet her. Bethany also reminded me to call and check on Kara.

I took the opportunity to put the sheets in the dryer, then made myself some lunch. I finished my sandwich, then went back up to my room to make my phone calls. I started by calling the Blanchards. I spoke to Nancy for a bit and she said that Kara was basically back to where she'd been before her breakdown, but there were some positive signs. She said Kara had gone to Susie's house for dinner, which was the first thing other than work, church, or lunch with me that Kara had done outside the house since December.

Kara came to the phone, and we talked for about five minutes. To me, she seemed to have improved a bit. She wasn't talking in the same monotone, but she certainly wasn't close to her old self. I feared that Bethany was right and it might take years for Kara to get better.

When I hung up with Kara, I called my little sister and we talked for about ten minutes, catching up. There really wasn't a lot to tell each other, and we commiserated about not seeing each other until Thanksgiving. School would start in a couple of weeks for her and she was really looking forward to being a Junior.

After my call to Stephanie, I called Jennifer. She was feeling relaxed and ready to start school. She'd already made her reservations for Chicago for late December and was looking forward to seeing me. When she asked about the situation with Stephie, I told her about the call, but that I still felt that it was probably over.

"So what did you decide to do?" she asked.

"I haven't decided on anything, really. I mean, I don't plan to get seriously involved with anyone. Nobody is going to live with me the way Stephie did any time soon."

"You're not going to try to be chaste, are you?" she asked.

I chuckled, "No. Are you?"

"We'll see. There are some girls at Stanford who would be interesting. The vibrator gets boring, and it's no substitute for lips, tongues, or fingers. Or in your case, a dick."

"Still only me for that one, huh?" I asked.

"There was one other. You know what happened there. I'll stick to girls if I can't have yours. You know that's my preference."

"I do. I actually asked Bethany about why you were OK with me, but nobody else. She asked me if I could pick who I was attracted to and I told her 'no'."

"Exactly. Though you do have some utility, Steve. I need SOMEONE with one of those to have babies the normal way, and I guess you'll do," she giggled.

"I'll do? Humph! We'll see what you get at Pete and Melanie's wedding, missy!"

"I better get that dick of yours in me or you're not going to have it to put in anyone else ever again!" she growled.

I laughed, "I did promise you, Jennifer. I'll keep that promise."

"If you don't, you'll be able to change your name to Stephanie!" she giggled. "And then I could really have you all to myself!"

"OK, I don't even know how to respond to that!" I chuckled.

"I'll call you when I get to school. It'll be later this week."

"I love you, Jen. Talk to you then."

"I love you, Steve."

We hung up. For me, things were moving along at a proper pace. I could sense Jennifer's frustration, and that was really my fault, but I had to get myself right before I could be with her. If I didn't, I'd hurt her again, and worse than the last time. The clock was ticking on me getting my shit together though, because Pete and Melanie would be getting married in late May or early June, most likely.

My final call of the day was to Tatyana. I gave her the flight information that I'd received from the travel agent and she confirmed that she'd be at National Airport to meet the flight, which was now less than three weeks away. She was leaving for Boston in the morning and would fly back for Labor Day weekend.

By the time I got off the phone, my laundry was finished, so I folded it and put everything away. I double-checked that I had everything I needed for dinner with Anala, then went to take a quick shower and dress. I moved the boombox back into the Indian room and lit some cedar incense. I closed the doors to the room to keep the incense in and then went out to my car to drive to Bridgeport.

Anala was waiting for me and we quickly got back into the car and drove to Woodlawn. I grabbed her bag, and we took it up to my room. We changed into our Indian clothing and went down to the incense-filled room. Anala had a small box with her and handed it to me.

"Tea and spices, from my father. The same as we drank at my place. Let me show you how to make it," she said.

We went to the kitchen, and I put the kettle on. While we were there, both Jackie and Cindi came in and introduced themselves. They made small talk with Anala while she demonstrated how to properly make the Masala chai tea. Once the kettle was boiling, she steeped the black tea in the water for several minutes, then combined the spices, milk, and sugar and let it sit for another few minutes. She strained everything into the teapot and we took it and two cups back to the room. Anala poured tea for both of us.

"Your friends seem nice. Are both of them renting rooms?"

"Yes. You'll meet Bethany tomorrow, and possibly Julia and Elyse, depending on when everyone arrives. Bethany goes to school in Madison, if you remember."

"It's hard to keep track of all your friends. How have you been since our last dinner?"

"Good. No emotional outbursts, no flying off the handle. Just calm and peaceful."

"But nothing bad has happened that you might have reacted poorly to."

"True. But I feel like I'm at peace."

"Good. Did you have a plan for tonight?"

"I figured dinner and a sauna as usual, and sleeping in the same bed."

"And?" she smiled, taking a sip of her tea.

"I thought we might do a bit of kissing."

She smiled, "I'd like that."

"I have an important question for you. What about birth control?"

"I'm taking birth control pills, though you know they have a failure rate of around 0.3 percent, right? So three women in one thousand would get pregnant even with the Pill."

"And you're pointing that out because?" I asked, sipping some of the sweet tea.

"No intercourse is risk free, Steve. You and I both accept the risk the moment you penetrate me. I do not believe in abortion."

"Neither do I. Are you suggesting I use a condom as well?"

"I'd prefer you don't, given the lack of sensation and the fact that it acts to contain your essence, which should be shared. But you must accept the risks, as must I."

"I've been with quite a few girls who have been on the Pill and never had a problem. I think we'll be fine, WHEN we get to that point."

"Not today, then, despite your asking about birth control?"

"It's better to be prepared in advance," I said.

She nodded, and we continued drinking our tea. After our second cup of tea, we went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. An hour later, when it was ready, we made a couple of trips between the kitchen and the Indian room to put everything on the low table. While we ate, we talked about the upcoming school year. This would be Anala's final year, after which she'd be looking for a job.

"Do you plan to stay in Chicago?" I asked.

"Most likely, though my plans could change. Of course, your decisions might affect mine."

"How so?" I asked.

"If you choose to continue our relationship, in some form, then I would, of course, stay in Chicago."

"If I choose?" I asked, slightly bewildered. "What about you?"

"I intend to continue this as long as possible."

"And your parents?"

"Will have to deal with it if it comes to that. You aren't asking me to marry you, so for the moment at least, we can ignore their feelings!"

"The same as I do for mine," I agreed.

"And Steve, do not ask permission from me. I told you that I've given you control over my body. I meant that. I will do anything you wish. When the time is right, simply take me however you desire."

"Ever the dutiful, submissive wife!" I grinned.

"In this matter, yes!" she exclaimed.

When we finished eating, we took everything back to the kitchen and washed the dishes. Jackie and Cindi were sitting at the table in the breakfast nook eating what looked like spaghetti and meatballs. Anala and I finished cleaning up and then went to the basement. I adjusted the temperature of the sauna and we removed our clothes and went in. I added enough water to the stones to make the desired amount of steam and then sat very close to Anala on the bench.

After about ten minutes, I stood and extended my hand to Anala to help her up. I pulled her tightly to me and she raised her face so that I could place my lips on hers. We kissed softly and allowed our tongues to dance while we hugged tightly. It didn't take long for my erection to start and I felt Anala grasp me and shift slightly so that my hardening dick was between her legs. Because she was shorter, my shaft was angled down, but gently pressing upward onto her labia.

I broke the kiss after about five minutes, then sat on the edge of the bench and pulled Anala to me. She straddled me, with my dick trapped between us as we kissed deeply. Anala squeezed her arms and legs tightly around me, rubbing her mons against me in a slow, rhythmic fashion. I finally broke the kiss again, and we both gasped for breath.

I released my grip on her, and she got up and sat next to me. I took her hand in mine and our fingers interlaced. We sat quietly for another ten minutes, which allowed my raging erection to subside. I wondered if the torture was worth it, then decided that it most definitely was. When we finally coupled, the pleasure was going to be intense and the orgasms mind-blowing.

I filled the tub and adjusted the temperature of the sauna, then helped Anala into the whirlpool. I started the water jets, and we relaxed, with Anala reclined against me.

"When does Stephie come back?" Anala asked.

"Thursday. I'm still not sure how that's all going to play out."

"Most likely, as you have said — she'll be with her lifelong friend. You know that is a good basis for a happy, healthy, long-term relationship? Far more so than romantic love?"

I sighed, "Yes. And that's why I'm working so hard on fixing things with Jennifer. I keep coming back to the fact that despite all the problems she and I had, she's probably the person I'm best suited to be with."

"Think about everything you've told me. Is there anything about the two of you that is not compatible?"

"Not that I can think of," I said. "She's not only OK with the idea of a group relationship, she's encouraged it. She's told me on many occasions that even if we married, she'd be happy to bring other girls into bed with us. Of course, that's to her advantage because she's mostly lesbian."

"In other words, what all your friends have been telling you points in exactly one direction."

"Yes. I admitted that to Bethany when I was in Ohio the last time."

"Have you told Jennifer?"

"Not yet. I still need to work on my own problems. And that's what it is at this point. My problems."