Chapter 23: Interesting Developments

February, 1985, Chicago, Illinois

When the plane touched down at Meigs, I thanked Patrick Shaughnessy and let him know that I'd see him on the 16th. I walked to my car and fired up the engine. Before I backed out of the spot, I went over in my mind what I was going to say to Cindi when I saw her. I'd thought about the conversation during the flight back from Blue Ash and had concluded that there was no way to avoid upsetting her.

I backed out of the parking spot carefully, then moved to first gear and slowly pulled away. I took Lake Shore Drive south to Hyde Park and parked in the driveway by the coach house. I saw Patience through the window and we waved to each other. The girls had mostly kept to themselves this semester, only joining us once or twice on Saturday nights. The fling between Bert and Prudence seemed to have been short-lived, and he and Charlie were hanging out more and more together.

I took my bag to my room, saying 'hello' as I passed by to Julia, Dave, Katy, and Kenneth, who were sitting in the great room. When I came back downstairs, I found Cindi in the study room and asked her to come to my study to talk. She followed me and I shut the door behind us. We both sat down in wingback chairs.

"I'm just going to tell it straight. I can't do it, Cindi. Having sex with an engaged woman is a line I simply can't cross."

She sighed, "I knew that was what you were going to say. But you gave me your word, Steve!"

"I did. And I was wrong to do that. I had the rule back then, as we discussed, and I foolishly pushed it aside. This isn't the first time I've thought about it, either. I've struggled with the concept several times, but eventually just putting it off as something to worry about later. Now it's later. Do you at least understand the bind that I'm in?"

"But what about my promise to my friends?" she asked.

"I'm not preventing you from keeping it, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if you should keep it. Think about what they're asking you to do — to violate the faith Chris put in you by asking you to marry him. Is that the way to start off a relationship? By violating the trust before you even really get started? Is that how you want to define yourself? And what if Chris were to find out? Then what? You might well flush your entire relationship and your future happiness down the toilet for a meaningless fling. If I were you, I'd simply forget the deal with your friends."

"And what do I tell them?"

"Nothing. Just don't bring it up," I said.

"They'll ask," she said.

"So? Lie to them if you have to, but I think you should tell them what I just told you about faith and trust. If they don't agree, maybe you want a different class of friends. Could you see Elyse, Julia, Jackie, Katy, Kara, Stephie, or Sofia making that kind of pact? Or Jackie? Or Charlie or George?"

Cindi sighed, "No. I guess not."

"And here's the thing — how do you know that your friends will actually do it? Are you going to ask for evidence?"

"No, I suppose I'd just have to believe them."

"This whole thing sounds like something a bunch of teenagers would cook up when they were drunk, high, or both."

Cindi laughed, "We might have been smoking pot."

"Might?" I said with an arched eyebrow.

"OK. We WERE smoking pot!" she laughed again.

"Cindi, if circumstances were different, and it was Dave you were going to marry, do you think I would have done it?"

She was silent for a minute, "No, you wouldn't have. Just like you wouldn't violate Kurt's trust."

"I couldn't do that to Chris, either. He's not as close as those two are. They're my two best guy friends, though Pete's close. He's just too straitlaced for me to be as open with him as I am with Kurt, or to a slightly lesser extent, Dave."

And that reminded me that I hadn't talked to Josh Richards in a LONG time. Nor Mary Harrison, for that matter. I made a quick mental note to call them as soon as I could.

"I suppose I should have taken the chance when I had it before I got engaged. From what I hear, I'm missing out on something pretty special."

"No, Cindi. You're getting something special — Chris. And his love for you. And that beats the hell out of a one-night-stand."

She smirked, "True. And here I was looking forward to a tit-fuck where you came on my face."

I groaned, "That's fighting dirty!"

She smiled, "You can have me right now if you want. No rings yet."

"But he asked. And you said 'yes'. And despite the extreme discomfort I'm experiencing at the moment, it'll have to remain a fantasy."

She got up and carefully sat in my lap, then cupped her hand around my erection.

"So THAT's what it's like at full mast. Nice!"

She gave me a soft kiss, then got up.

"Thanks for letting me off the hook so easily," I said.

"When you put it in terms of trust and faith, it kind of hit home. I wouldn't want Chris to do to me what I was going to do to him."

"That's perhaps the best way to think about it. If you wouldn't like it done to you, don't do it to someone else."

I stood up, and we hugged tightly.

"You're a good man, Steve. One of these girls is going to be very, very lucky someday."

"Chris is lucky too, Cindi."

She left the study, and I picked up the phone to call some old friends in Columbus, Ohio.

"I thought you'd fallen off the face of the earth!" Mary said when I said hello.

"I owe you a huge apology for not keeping in touch. How are things going?"

"I'm finishing my Junior year, and Josh is finishing his Sophomore. We've managed to take a bunch of classes together with me in political science and him in international relations. How are you doing?"

"Getting ready to graduate!" I said, then continued. "I was in Milford this weekend visiting Bethany."

"How is she? We heard through the grapevine about her accident. You should have called us!"

"I know. As crazy as it was, I had my sister make all the calls for me. I should have had her call you directly. But Bethany is doing OK, she's recovering pretty much on schedule."

"Are you going to be in Milford this Summer at all?" Mary asked.

"In June for Kurt and Kathy's wedding, and then probably in August, for a wedding between my friends Dave and Julia. Otherwise, probably not. I'm starting my new company once school is out."

"Maybe Josh and I will visit you in Chicago. He's wanted to see Sofia since she moved to Chicago last Summer. What if we came up during Spring Break?"

"You're more than welcome. I take it things are going really well between you?"

"He gets fucked within an inch of his life anytime he wants," she declared mirthfully. "What do you think?"

"I was thinking more about everything else. There really was no doubt about that with you!"

"We could play chess when we're there," she teased.

"You know my rule quite well, Mary."

"Oh, poo!" she giggled.

"Just let me know when you guys will be here. I'll make sure the guest room is free."

"Our break is the week before Easter. Is that when yours is?"

"Yes. Jennifer will be here, too."

"Oh cool. So you guys are still working on things?"

"It's complicated. We can explain when you're here! Say 'Hi' to Josh for me."

"Will do. See you in a month or so!"

We hung up, and I took the disk with my paper on in from my bag, put it in the computer and printed out a copy of my paper, then headed up to bed, accompanied by Kara. After we made love, we cuddled, and she asked about Bethany.

"She's doing better," I said. "In fact, I'd say she's pretty much back to her old self. She's planning on coming to Chicago mid-April so she can be closer to Madison than she is in Milford. She doesn't want to go back to the dorms, which I understand. And given that she's moving here in May, she thought it was best just to come here, then drive up to Madison for her project review with her professors."

"Cool," Kara said. "I guess she'll stay in one of the guest rooms until we switch all the rooms around?"

"That's the plan," I agreed. "Once Patience and Prudence move out of the guest house, Stephanie, Jennifer, and Josie will move in there. Cindi will move in with Chris once she graduates. I think that Katy will move in with Kenneth as soon as she graduates, so we'll be able to rearrange the rooms. I just need to find out if George and Charlie are confirmed."

"They were both talking about it today like it's a done deal with their parents."

"Cool. Everything is coming together then. It's just a matter of finishing school and making the road trip to get Jennifer and Josie."

"Is someone going with you on that long drive to California?"

"Stephanie, most likely. She's moving here the day after she graduates, which is the same day as our commencement here. It's a real dilemma for me as to which one to go to."

"Are you kidding?!" Kara said, looking askance. "You can't miss your commencement ceremony! All your friends will be there!"

"And my sister won't. And how about my dad? That's a heck of a choice for him to make."

"What time is hers?" Kara asked.

"7:00pm at Riverfront Coliseum, why?" I asked.

"Your commencement is at 11:30am. Why don't you ask the guy who flies you back and forth to bring your dad and sister, they come to your commencement, then you fly back to Milford to go to hers, and then he brings you back."

I laughed, "I hadn't even considered it. I'll ask Mr. Shaughnessy when I see him in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the idea!"

"You're welcome, Snuggle Bear. Would it be OK for me to invite some new friends next weekend?"

"Absolutely. Freshmen?"

"One. Elizabeth, who everyone calls Effy, and her brother Tony. And their friends Sid and Cassie."

"What are their majors?"

"Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, and Biology."

"Where'd you meet them?"

"I met Effy in chemistry class. She's the Freshman. The other three are Juniors. All four of them are from Bristol, Tennessee. Effy and I have lunch together on Tuesdays."

"Cool. You know that you don't have to ask to invite friends over, right?"

"Sure, but four at once seemed like a lot. That's why I asked."

"We've had some people stop coming regularly. I haven't seen Jamal at all this semester, not even on campus. I'm going to see if I can track him down. He was closest to Stephie, so I wonder if her not being here discouraged him from coming. He wasn't a regular, but we used to see him every few weeks."

"How will it work in the Fall with no study room?" she asked.

"I was going to put a couple of desks in the far end of the great room, next to the doors that open to the back yard. If people need computers, that's a bit trickier, but we'll work something out. I can set up the Apple II and TRS-80 in the great room as well. It's not as if there isn't enough room. If people want to socialize, they can use the basement, attic room, sunroom, or the backyard. It'll work out."

"It's going to be even crazier here, isn't it?"

I chuckled, "Yes, but that's the way it seems to be around me. Dave and Julia will move out once we get the business off the ground. And Charlie and George graduate next year. Things will start to calm down then, I think."

"Until you start having your kids!" Kara teased. "I could stop taking my birth control pills if you want!"

"Not yet, Honey. You have three years of school to go just for your undergrad degree, and then grad school."

"I can manage a baby and school. But not just yet. You need to graduate and get the business started so you can support all your wives and kids!"

I laughed hard, "What am I, an Arab sheikh?"

"As long as I'm in your harem, that's fine with me!" she giggled.

I pulled her close, and we fell asleep with Kara snuggled in my arms.

March, 1985, Chicago, Illinois

Mercifully, I had a quiet week at work and school — no drama, no lawyers, no new scandals, and no problems. By Friday morning, I was feeling calm and relaxed. I hadn't felt so relaxed since before Christmas, and it was nice to not be stressed. I couldn't say the same for Friday afternoon. For some reason, my upcoming date with Jessica was making me antsy, and I wasn't completely sure why that was.

There was something different about her that I couldn't put my finger on. It wasn't her strong personality — I was around girls like that all the time. It wasn't that she was outrageously beautiful — Kara still held that crown and probably always would, short of a super-model showing up at my door, which wasn't likely. It wasn't that she was intelligent — Beth Pater was probably the smartest person I knew, and she could easily give Jessica a run for her money. It wasn't her drive — most of the girls I hung out with all were overachievers in some way. But there was something very special about Jessica.

I finished my last class and spent a few minutes talking to Wen. She had some questions about the assignment for our microcomputer class and wanted some help. I let her know that I'd be around the next two weekends, so we could work on it at my house.

"I might want to check out your Macintosh, if you don't mind," she said as we parted.

"I think that can be arranged," I replied with a smile, knowing that meant, at a minimum, she wanted to make out.

The exchange with Wen lightened my mood as I walked to my car to head home to change. Jessica and I weren't meeting until 6:00pm, so I could even get in a quick shower. As I drove south along Michigan Avenue, I began mentally preparing myself for the verbal sparring match that was sure to come. It dawned on me that perhaps that was what was different. It wasn't a 'what', it was a 'how'. The more I thought about, the more I was sure that's what was simultaneously exciting and threatening. I felt with her that every sentence I spoke could take the relationship in a different direction, and some of those directions would lead to dead-ends.

I parked in the driveway, walked into the house, and went straight up to my room. Nobody was cooking dinner because everyone was going out and the house would be empty until at least 10:00pm. I took a quick shower, dressed in black slacks and a royal blue polo, grabbed my jacket and black fedora, then walked out to the car for the drive to Connie's on 26th street. When I arrived, I parked in the same lot and walked inside and got a table, leaving my name and Jessica's name with the hostess.

Jessica arrived a few minutes before 6:00pm wearing a steel grey skirt and a navy blue sweater. I saw her walk in and stood up as the hostess brought her to the table. I moved to pull her chair out for her, and after she sat down, I went back to my seat.

"A perfect gentleman," she said. "How are you?"

"Just fine. And you?"

"School's insane, but I'm sure you knew that. You're ready to graduate, right?"