Chapter 66: Fawn and Georg

July 22, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

“You’re sure Jessica and Kara are OK with you being with me?” Michelle asked as we undressed for bed.

“I’m sure. In Kara’s usual way, she reminded me that I belonged here tonight. I think we probably have a lot to talk about.”

She stopped just as she was removing her bra, “Is there an issue?”

“Only if you don’t take off that bra and let me see those wonderful breasts of yours, so that I may rejoice in them!”

Michelle laughed, “Only YOU would use the Bible to get a girl’s clothes off!”

“You mean the way I did with Kara?” I grinned.

“She told me about that!” Michelle laughed, removing her bra and exposing her gorgeous breasts.

“Thank you. Panties, next, please, that I may delight in the blended wine which flows from your ‘navel’!”

Michelle stuck her tongue out at me and slipped off her panties.

“Don’t stick that out unless you’re going to use it!” I grinned.

“You first,” she giggled.

“Don’t mind if I do!” I laughed, grabbing her around the waist and throwing her playfully onto the bed.

Ten minutes later, she clutched handfuls of sheet, arched her back hard, and groaned loudly as a huge orgasm crashed over her.

“Missed me, did you?” I chuckled.

“All of you,” she gasped.

I moved up and in one firm thrust buried myself in her warm, wet, and waiting folds. Michelle wrapped her arms around me and we began the dance we’d learned to do together very well, ending with a hard driving, grunting, gasping fuck that threw us both over the cliff into the depths of pleasure.

“Yeah,” she sighed ten minutes later, “all of you.”

I moved from atop her and we cuddled a bit, before she enthusiastically brought me off with her mouth, playfully keeping some of my cum in her mouth to share with me.

“A bit different from that first night together,” she giggled as we cuddled afterwards.

“A bit; but that night was very special and was exactly what we both needed from each other.”

“So what do we need to talk about,” she asked, twirling her finger in my chest hair.

“I completely understand what you were seeking at the monastery, what you found, and why you came back.”

“All from your trip to Japan?”

“I spent a lot of time being quiet,” I said. “It’s amazing what you see and hear when you keep your mouth shut.”

“One of the secrets of monasticism. Silence is the way to knowledge.”

“Indeed. I had an interesting talk with a Buddhist monk. Well, three interesting talks.”

“And?”

“He strongly suggested I find a Russian Orthodox monk to serve as my spiritual advisor.”

“He what?!” she gasped.

“You heard me! He has a reasonable point.”

“Does he know about your ‘impediment’?”

“Not specifically, but you know how Father Basil treats me. And the bishop.”

“So whom?”

“I’m going to call Vladyka fairly soon and speak with him. We’ll see what happens from there. How was your trip to Ellwood City?”

“Very good. I spent five days in quiet prayer, doing chores, and speaking with Mother Christophora.”

“Sounds a lot like what I was doing in Japan. So?”

“So nothing. I needed some time away, some time to think, and some time to pray in peace. And I didn’t have to give up time with you to do it! Thanks for letting me take your car.”

“It was just going to sit in the driveway, otherwise. It’s not like Jesse, Matthew, or Birgit are driving just yet!”

“That’s going to be very interesting to say the least!”

“No kidding.”

“So besides talking to the monk, what did you do?”

“Lots of work, some karate training, and a lot of thinking and meditating. I realized that I was completely burnt out and didn’t know it, and I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Most of all, though, it was a spiritual journey.”

“I keep telling you, Steve, you have more faith than you know or are willing to admit.”

“I think the monk Yoshiro would agree with you, but he had a slightly different twist. He agrees with my agnosticism, but turns it on its head pointing out that not knowing is not the same as it not being true. In other words, where I’ve always used it in the skeptical sense, he uses in the sense of having wonderment at the hidden mysteries of the universe that can be discovered.”

“Good. Will you do something for me?”

“What’s that?”

“Explore MY mysteries for an hour or so before we go to sleep!”

“I would love to!” I said, slipping down to suckle one of her breasts.

July 23, 1994, Chicago, Illinois

“What the fuck?” Aaron gasped when I walked into Bucktown Bistro on Saturday morning.

“What?” I asked.

“The kamikaze scarf! Seriously? With all the Navy guys here? Especially your dad!”

“This is not a kamikaze scarf,” I said gently. “It’s a «hachimaki», and it was a gift from a new friend I made at the karate school in Japan. It’s a symbol of courage and perseverance. The symbols on this one say «Nippon Ichi», which is ‘The best of Japan’. The kamikaze one would have the symbols for ‘divine wind’.”

“But still,” he protested.

“Come sit down and I’ll tell you the story of how I got it and why I’m wearing it.”

There were other reactions, though not as strong as Aaron’s which turned out to be because his uncle, Theodore Nowosacki, had died aboard the USS Arizona.

“Your uncle was Teddy Nowosacki?” my dad asked.

“Yeah, how did you know he went by ‘Teddy’?”

“He was a friend of mine in High School,” my dad said. “He was a good man.”

“A lot of good men died that day, Chief,” Karl said, shaking his head. “Steve, you had to have known that was going to be offensive.”

I nodded, “I did. And that’s what we’ll talk about this morning. I learned a lot in Japan, including respect for a culture of which I had no understanding.”

“And one which attacked us without a declaration of war,” Aaron said.

“Taking that as a given, none of these men or boys participated in the attack,” I said. “Do you want to be personally held responsible for the fact that some white men kept slaves in the past?”

“That’s different!” he protested.

“How so?” I asked. “In the US, we don’t believe guilt passes from fathers to sons, and in fact, the US Constitution forbids it. Why blame these young men, all of whom are younger than you, for something that was, possibly, done by their fathers or grandfathers. And even so, who is to blame? The men in the military? Or the political leaders who sent them to war?”

“He has a point,” my dad said quietly. “Do any of us blame the men who fought in Vietnam for what happened there?”

“It was the REMFs in DC that were responsible for that Charlie Foxtrot,” Howard said.

“REMFs?” Kurt asked.

“Rear-Echelon Mother Fuckers,” Howard said. “Basically top brass, and by extension, politicians, who aren’t at the pointed end of the stick the way we are.”

“That’s right,” my dad said. “Yet it was the troops who were spat on, pelted with garbage, and treated terribly when they came home from doing something they were ordered to do by politicians, under threat of imprisonment, or worse.”

“Sometimes, I think the real enemy is the Pentagon,” Clayton said. “Or the Congress.”

“You’re preaching to the choir,” I said. “Shall I tell you how I came to receive this gift?”

There were nods of agreement, and after Pam took our orders, I explained about the cultural differences, the run-in with Mitsuo and his friends, and what happened afterwards, including what amounted to an exchange of headgear.

“There’s a lesson there,” Karl said thoughtfully. “Steve carefully evaluated the situation and defused something that could have been very explosive by applying minimal, targeted force, mercy, understanding, and diplomacy.”

“When you make Admiral, remember that,” Aaron laughed.

“Yeah, right,” Karl laughed. “I’ll make Admiral about the same time Steve does!”

“So they gave you that scarf because you kicked their asses?”

“No, because of what happened afterwards. And because I didn’t run from the challenge. Of course, they didn’t see it that way those two mornings, but later, they learned lessons just as I did.”

“Yeah,” Howard laughed, “Only losers worry about a ‘fair fight’!”

“There’s another lesson there, too,” Pete said. “If you start the fight, you don’t get to dictate the response.”

“Which is exactly what Sensei Hiro said. And that’s why, for example, I would say the Japanese have no right to complain about Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”

“Wait!” Ed exclaimed. “I know you oppose the use of nuclear weapons and want to get rid of them. How can you say that?”

I grinned, “I didn’t say I didn’t have a right to complain, I said the Japanese don’t. Look, it’s simple for me sitting here, drinking coffee, eating sausage, bacon, and eggs in Alex’s fine establishment, to say we shouldn’t have nuked Japan. But I wasn’t the one dodging torpedoes from U-Boats in the Atlantic, or sleeping below-decks on the Arizona. And I sure as hell wasn’t the one looking at the casualty projections for an invasion of the home islands of Japan.

“I can quibble all I want from the safety of my study at home, protected by all you guys in uniform, over a bunch of decisions made fifty years ago. But, I can also see my dad’s perspective. I believe he’s made clear his opinion of the Japanese political leadership at the time. Something about hanging all of them publicly. Well, we did it privately, and again, I can object to that thanks to you guys in the Navy, but guess who has no right to object, even if he could? Tojo!”

“What about the civilians in those two cities?” Ed asked.

“Or Dresden?” I asked. “Nobody ever raises that one. But, if your political leadership starts a war, bad shit is going to happen. I don’t like the idea of targeting civilians, but damn it Ed, I wasn’t in a tin can chasing guys who were hell-bent on trying to kill me or suffocating in the Arizona because nobody could cut through the plate steel of her hull. You know me, I’m a pacifist and want everyone to get along. But when they don’t? Well you all know my favorite quote in that regard.”

“The Untouchables,” Kurt said.

“Exactly. Leave me alone and I’ll leave you alone. Fuck with me, and I’ll put you in the ground, either figuratively or literally, depending on the offense.”

“You sure do have interesting ways of starting conversations,” Eduardo said. “I’ll give you that.”

“Yeah, but usually they lead to very good places,” Jamie said. “One thing for sure, hanging around Steve will make you think.”

“And will make you wonder what the fuck you could possibly have done that was so bad in a past life to deserve it!” Pete grinned.

Everyone, including me, laughed hard at that comment.

The conversation calmed down at that point and we finished our breakfast. I said ‘goodbye’ to my dad, and headed towards my car. Karl caught up with me.

“That was pretty damned provocative,” he said.

“I know. But look where it led. I didn’t think it was going to lead to fisticuffs. I’m sorry about Aaron’s uncle, and I’ll call him to have lunch so I can apologize for disrespecting his uncle. But not for making my point.”

“Something’s changed about you,” Karl said. “And I’m trying to figure out if it’s good or bad.”

“I think you’ll find it’s good. I’m taking some advice Kara gave me, and mixing in what I learned in Japan. This country, and what it stands for, is worth fighting for. I know you agree, you put on the uniform every day to go to work. Well, there are other ways to fight for the country, and other things that need to be done. If we don’t, we’re going to lose everything. And I mean to do my level best to stop that. At Guys’ Night we can talk about the problems and what we can do to fix them.”

“Then I’ll see you next Saturday!”

We shook hands and I headed home, where I changed into my red gi and put on my new belt. Jessica, Kara, and Michelle met me at the foot of the stairs, with Birgit and Stephie with them.

“Birgit is starting today,” Kara said. “Stephie is coming to watch. Are you going to say anything to Jim?”

“I’ll just walk into his office with Birgit and say she needs her uniform. I figure he’ll notice.”

Everyone laughed, and we set off for the dojo. I was just opening the door when there was as shriek from behind me.

“What the fuck?!” Jolene said.

“Hi, Jolene,” I grinned.

She violated protocol in a major way, grasping the end of my belt and holding it up.

“What the fuck, Steve?”

I shrugged, “In the opinion of Sensei Hiro, this is my appropriate rank.”

“5th Fucking Dan?”

“Hmm,” I chuckled. “I don’t think they give out belts for that!”

“If they did, Steve would be a 10th Dan master!” Kara giggled. “And then some!”

Jolene shook her head and stormed past me into the dojo.

“Kittens or a cow?” I asked with a grin.

“Size-wise?” Jessica laughed, “A blue whale!”

We went into the dojo and I took Birgit with me into Sensei Jim’s office.

“Good morning, «Shihan»,” I said with a smile. “My daughter will need her first uniform.”

“Kara told me. Welcome home!”

“Thank you, Sensei.”

“How was it?” he asked going to the cabinet where he kept the kids uniforms.

He got out a package and white belt, turned to hand them to me, and stopped dead in his tracks.

“Is there something you need to share with me?” he asked.

I shook my head, “Nothing I can think of.”

“Just answer a question seriously for me, please.”

“Sure.”

“Did Robert Powers put you up to this?”

I shook my head, “No, Sensei. He made me sand the deck, paint the fence, and wax his car, but the belt is real.”

Sensei Jim laughed at the joke, then shook his head, “Congratulations. I’m stunned.”

“Major Powers said I should have a heart-to-heart talk with you. Something about you not really knowing me.”

“If that gold stripe is real, he’s right. I was afraid you’d come back still «sandan». How you came back «godan» is mind-boggling.”

I grinned, “Oh, I don’t know. From one insufferable git to another, I’d say it’s not THAT mind-boggling.”

Sensei Jim started laughing hard, “I knew I never should have sent you to Japan! Birgit, honey, take your uniform to your mom so she can help you get dressed.”

He handed Birgit her uniform, and she left to go find Kara to help her put it on.

“Look at it this way,” I said. “I have my license, so when you eventually retire, I can be the actual master of the dojo and you won’t need to find someone to supervise me, Jolene, Therese, and Will.”

“What was all that commotion outside?”

“Jolene seeing my belt and her forcing me to reconsider a conversation I had with Robert-san.”

“I think you see my point now, and quite clearly.”

“I do. I thought I’d had some success with her, but her lack of promotion is STILL grating on her.”

“Which is exactly why she can’t have it.”

“To gain it, you have to not want it.”

“Which, despite all your OTHER issues,” he grinned, “has never been an issue.”

“I have a lot to talk with you about,” I said. “But one thing I’d like to do right away.”

“What’s that?”

“I’d like your permission to suggest that Will look at making a trip when he’s 17 or 18. He’ll be at least «nidan» at that point. I know you don’t like to advance anyone past 2nd Dan before they’re eighteen because of the maturity factor, and I understand the reasoning, but he’ll benefit from it, even if he’s not a Sensei at that point.”

Sensei Jim nodded, “A reasonable point. It would be much easier to spend three months there during a summer before he graduated college. It’ll give him something to work towards, and save money from whatever job he gets when he turns sixteen. Go ahead.”

“Thanks. There is one other thing I should share with you about this belt.”

“Which is?”

“Sensei Hiro allowed me to teach in his dojo for the final two weeks.”

Sensei Jim sat quietly, obviously contemplating what I’d just said. It was a good two minutes before he spoke.

“We should probably go out there, I think we have students waiting.”