Chapter 70: We Talk Way Too Much

October, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

"What?!" chorused several of the other girls at Stephie's surprise announcement of her impending transfer.

"It's a long story," Stephie replied, "but I discussed it with Steve and I called the registrar at Georgia Tech on Monday and kicked things off. All of my core classes should transfer, but only one class can transfer from 300 level, so I need to do it next semester if I want to graduate on time."

"Are you not happy here?" Kathy asked.

"I love it here with you guys, but Red is in Georgia," she replied. "And it's home."

Several nods from the girls.

"We'll miss you, Stephie," Elyse said. "When will you know?"

"By Thanksgiving, most likely. I'm kinda late, but there's just enough time and I can get a recommendation from a friend of mine who has some pull with the engineering department and is heavily involved with the ROTC detachment there."

"Wow," Cindi said. "I suppose if Jason is important enough, you have to do it."

I knew also that it was being around me, but it was neither the time nor the place to say it. I was sure that Elyse would ask me about it at some point.

"Yeah, I do," Stephie said. "It makes me sad to leave all y'all, but it's what I have to do."

"And we're all going to miss you," Kathy interjected, then turned to Cindi, "Speaking of guys, Cindi, what's up with you and Jorge?"

"You noticed?" she smiled.

"Kind of hard not to notice him hanging on you the way he did last night!"

"He seems like a nice guy, a bit inexperienced, I think. He's an amazing dancer, and oh my God, his hands! The neck and shoulder massages are out of this world!"

"Cindi, he's a bit young," Katy observed. "He's only seventeen. You'll turn twenty-one during Thanksgiving break."

"Hang on a second!" Elyse protested. "Are you trying to say that it's OK for Steve to be with a girl who's just out of High School and it's not OK for Cindi? Isn't that a double standard?"

"Uhm, well, uh," Katy stammered. "It's almost a four-year gap. Jorge is still pretty young, and if he's inexperienced, that should make you cautious."

"Here we go again," I sighed. "I was fourteen and my first lover was twenty-three. I was THRILLED to have an older woman teach me about sex!"

"I'll let Aunt Jennie know you think of her as an older woman, Steve!" Elyse teased.

"You know, you really shouldn't name names, dear heart," Stephie said.

"Oops," Elyse responded. "Sorry about that. Anyway, why get bent out of shape about Jorge? He's a college Freshman, for Pete's sake."

"Which is about the time you think guys and girls should be doing it, too, Katy," Stephie said. "Remember that conversation? You thought fourteen was too young. Let's say for a moment it is. Jorge is seventeen."

"But he just seems so, innocent, I guess."

"There isn't ANYTHING innocent about those neck and shoulder rubs!" Kathy declared. "If that's not an invitation to get frisky, I don't know what is! If a guy touched me like that, I'd know exactly what he wanted!"

Kurt put his hands on Kathy's shoulders and starred massaging them, causing everyone in the room, including Katy, to laugh.

"You got that last night," Kathy teased. "And again this morning. Isn't that enough for you?"

"I know you extremely well, Kathy," I chuckled, "which means I know it wasn't enough for YOU!"

"Jerk!" she said with a huge smile.

"You really think he's too young?" Cindi asked.

"Yes, at least in Jorge's case; you need to be careful," Katy said. "Seriously. I watch how he acts with us on Sundays, and he's not nearly as open and free as most of the rest of us are."

"You know, he does remind me of Warren a bit," Kathy said. "Even more conservative and reserved."

"Warren?" Cindi asked.

"My boyfriend the first year here," Elyse said. "And yeah, he makes Eduardo look like a libertine."

That caused everyone to laugh, including Eduardo.

"Just don't tell my mother!" Eduardo replied with a grin. "She'd have a heart attack because I'm positive she thinks I'm still a virgin!"

"I can vouch for 'not', many, many times over!" Elyse smirked.

"Let's dial this back just a bit, please," Kathy said. "I guess I almost have to agree with Katy, Cindi. Not because he's seventeen, but because of his personality. I'd advise taking it slower."

"I have to disagree, quite strongly, actually," I stated firmly. "How the hell is he supposed to get experience if you deny him the chance to get experience? He's not a baby. Maybe he just needs his horizons broadened. I've seen it before with my friend Josh and my friend Mary. She's older and very experienced, probably like Cindi in many ways, though Mary certainly is NOT 'the girl with the most exciting mammalian protuberances' like Cindi!"

Everyone except Katy laughed.

"What?" Katy asked.

"That's Frank Zappa," I said, laughing. "The Album is Joe's Garage, and if you want your horizons expanded, listen to THAT! Anyway, Mary and Josh are a couple and are living together in an apartment while they're going to Ohio State."

"How much older?" Katy asked.

"A year. But he came from a super-conservative, evangelical Christian family and wasn't even allowed to go to sex ed class. I lent him a book that was written for teenagers and that was really the first information he'd received. He was sixteen. He and Mary got involved, then he went to Sweden for a year. He's turned out just fine. I'm just saying I think it's bullshit that we're having the discussion when nobody said 'boo' to me about Charlie.

"And I'll go you one better! Anala is nearly four years older than I am. Is anyone complaining about that? No! I haven't heard a single peep about it. So, if you want my considered, thoughtful, and correct," I grinned, "opinion, this is none of our fucking business. The only person whose business it is are the two people who are going to be fucking!"

"That's a non sequitur, Steve," Katy said. "You were WAY more experienced than Anala, so it's not even close enough to be relevant."

"Don't be so sure about that," I countered. "Don't consider only the number of times I've done it or she's done it. But let's assume some random Freshman runs into me on campus and one thing leads to another and she's here and we boff. I'm probably two, if not three, years older than she is. Is anyone here going to raise a concern? And if so, on what grounds? That she's a virgin? If that's the objection, then nobody could ever have sex! That she's younger than I am? That creates another problem because Charlie's younger than I am, and so is Kara, for that matter. Come off it!"

"I guess I have to concede," Katy said. "I don't have a good argument; I'm just concerned for the kid. Cindi, I'm sorry I stuck my nose in your business."

"It's OK," Cindi said. "It is something to think about. But honestly, I'm more or less letting him set the pace. He kissed me first, and he offered the massages, so it's not like I'm pressuring him or anything."

"Nobody can resist Cindi's charms!" I grinned.

"Except you!" she laughed. "But as I said in the sauna that day, if you've got it, flaunt it! It's good to be hot; it's good to be smart; being smart AND hot is unstoppable!"

Everyone laughed at that, and it was a good way to end the conversation on a positive note. I checked my watch and decided that I had enough time for a sauna before lunch. A few people joined me, including George and Charlie. It was nice and relaxing and when we finished, we all went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for lunch. Our friends began arriving, and we gathered in the great room for our usual discussion. I was surprised that I didn't see Jorge, and around 2:00pm I mentioned it to Cindi, who was sitting near me.

"He said he'd be here," she said. "I'll go call him."

She got up and left the room.

"Steve, I saw him earlier," Charlie said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Yeah, he was here, and then I saw him leave."

"When?"

"Around 10:30am, I guess."

Oh fuck, I thought to myself. He overheard us talking about him! I couldn't imagine another reason for him to take the El out to Hyde Park and then leave. I excused myself and went to find Cindi. She was in the kitchen with the phone to her ear.

"Well, please leave a message saying that I called. Thanks," she said, then hung up.

"Did you find him?" I asked.

"No. They knocked on his door and he didn't answer. Maybe he's just late."

"Charlie told me that he was here earlier, but left. Cindi, he was here when we were talking about him!"

"Oh no! Oh, shit! You think he overheard us?"

"Yeah, I suspect that he did. Why else would he leave not long after he got here? According to Charlie, it was right about when we were talking about it."

"Fuck!" she spat. "Fucking Katy and her fucking stupid fucking morals!"

"Cindi, come with me," I said, taking her arm and leading her up the stairs and into my room.

"OK, now you can vent," I said, shutting the door.

"Why the fuck did she interfere? It's none of her God-damned business!"

"And she admitted that. You know she's the one who's most concerned about the, propriety, I guess, of who we are with. She had a real fit about our conversation about being fourteen, remember?"

Cindi sighed, "Yeah. She has her mind pretty much made up on these topics and it's hard to move her off her position. She's going to end up being the only girl to live with you who never gets into bed with you."

"And that's her prerogative," I said. "And Cindi, that's no more your business than who you sleep with is hers. Don't be the pot calling the kettle black. Let's worry about Jorge."

"I left him a message. I guess I'll try him later. Otherwise, I'll see if I can find him on campus tomorrow."

"I should see him in my American Government class at 10:00am. I'll encourage him to talk to you."

"Thanks. You're a good friend, Steve. Want to pinch hit?" she asked with a smile.

"I thought we were waiting for that one last fling! And besides, Jackie's already planning on sleeping in my room tonight."

Cindi sighed, "I was teasing. Well, mostly. I know we should wait."

I gave her a hug and felt the press of her large, firm breasts into my chest and realized that Jorge had been a goner with the first close dance. We went back downstairs to the great room the hang out with our friends for the rest of the afternoon.

After dinner that evening, I took Katy aside and let her know what had happened. She was chagrined and said that she'd go talk to Cindi. Jorge never did call, so at bedtime I promised Cindi I'd talk to him in the morning. I was heading to my room when Stephie got my attention.

"Steve! Some terrorists blew up a Marine barracks in Lebanon! They probably killed over two hundred Marines!"

"Holy crap! Reagan will have to respond in some way. Did anyone claim responsibility?"

"They said some group called 'Islamic Jihad' that nobody has ever heard of before. Reagan said the military is staying and called it 'despicable'."

"You think?" I sighed. "What a freaking mess. Two hundred dead Marines can't just be ignored. Well, all we can do is wait and see what the President decides to do."

It was indeed a mess, and the implications of any reaction could be world-shattering and lead to war. If some country was behind this 'Islamic Jihad' group, then it could get messy very quickly. Of course, there wasn't much I could do about it, so I said 'good night' and went upstairs.

Before Jackie came to my room, I made several phone calls. I called Bethany, Jennifer, Stephanie, and Tatyana, and talked to each of them for a few minutes. When Jackie came in, we made love once before falling asleep spooned together. For both of us, it had turned out that the closeness was more important than the actual sex, though we thoroughly enjoyed the sex.

On Monday, Stephie, Julia, and I left early so that I could be sure to catch Jorge before class. I waited outside the room until the professor walked in and then I took my seat. The seat to my right was still empty when the lecture started. I hoped that we hadn't hurt Jorge so badly that he was going to skip class, or that he was embarrassed to see us.

About halfway through class, I heard his voice. He was sitting in the back of the room, in a seat that had been vacated by someone who had dropped the class a few weeks earlier. Stephie and I exchanged a look, and I leaned over to whisper that I was going to get up the second class ended and try to catch him before he left. She said she'd grab my books for me. At the end of class, I did just that, catching Jorge in the hallway.

"Jorge, stop, please," I said, lightly grabbing his arm.

"What?" he asked, his eyes darting nervously.

"Come on, let's talk. The classroom will be empty in a minute."

I led him back to the classroom just as the last of the students were leaving. Stephie said she'd meet me at The Bog and left the room.

"I know you were at my house on Sunday," I said. "You showed up and then left before lunch. Did you overhear us talking?"

"Uh," he stammered. "I just needed to get back to campus."

"You didn't return Cindi's calls. I know she called you twice. She was looking forward to seeing you."

"Why bother? I'm just a kid, Steve. I'm not even close to being in the same league as you and your friends. I'm too young, I get it. I'm like the group pet or something. You know, nice to have around, but not really part of the family. Just forget it. I'm used to it. It was like that in High School."

I was absolutely sure that he'd overheard us now, but to solve it, I had to get it out on the table.

"Jorge, did you overhear Katy talking to Cindi?" I asked, gently.

He shrugged, averted his eyes again, "I just had to get back to campus, that's all. I had something to do."

"You took the El, walked to my house, hung around for a few minutes without saying 'hello', then walked back to the El and rode back to campus. Come on, Jorge, I'm your friend. Talk to me, please."

"There's nothing really to talk about. I need to get to lunch."

"Jorge, I know you overheard Katy and Kathy, but I'm guessing you left before you heard what I said."

"It doesn't matter. I'll get over it. I need to go!"

"It does matter!" I said firmly. "I pointed out that they were wrong. And, in the end, they agreed with me. And I wasn't the only one. Please, don't do this."

"I think it's better if I don't participate," he said.

"Will you at least keep coming to study group? I knew that Stephie and Cindi were helping. Your grades are improving. Why throw that away? And please, please, come to the Halloween party."

"I'll think about it, OK?" he said, and walked away.

I shook my head. We'd managed to really, really hurt the guy, and it should never have happened. I partly blamed myself for not recognizing that he might not be ready for the kinds of interactions we had as a group. I'd met plenty of people who I felt were not right, including the young Chinese girl, Wen. She was very quiet, very reserved, and very proper. Inviting her would be like inviting Kara when we'd first met in chemistry class. Inviting Carla was a non-starter as well, for different reasons.

I started walking to The Bog to meet Stephie.

There was a flip-side to the situation as well. There were some people who were just too free, like Candace, who might take things too far, and who might not listen to the moderating voices like Kathy's. I knew some other guys that would have taken the opportunity to hit on the girls and wouldn't have been able to have serious conversations. I'd have to be careful who I invited on Sundays in the future.

"How'd it go?" Stephie asked when I got my lunch and sat down with her.

"Badly, of course. He won't admit it, but I'm sure he overheard the first part of the conversation. He's a good kid, but a bit immature. Hell, all of us were when we came to school. So he hadn't been exposed to as much as I had, but then again, neither had you. And yet, in many ways, you were more mature than I was."