Chapter 10: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

May 2, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

"I missed you, Snuggle Bear!" Kara said, throwing her arms around me as Jessica and I walked into the house in Hyde Park.

Kara and I kissed and then she hugged Jessica and they exchanged a kiss as well.

"How were things here in Chicago?" I asked.

"Quiet. I studied, went to class, and hung out with Effy. How was Indianapolis?"

"The same," I said. "I worked and hung out with Jess."

Kara smiled, "Jess, what did you think?"

"It was nice!" she grinned. "It was different having Tiger in bed, just the two of us. He cuddles really, really well!"

"Cuddles? That's what you did?" Kara teased.

"Well, he did perform his husbandly duties adequately!" Jessica smirked.

"Did you guys eat?" Kara asked.

"Of course!" Jessica giggled. "I had to keep up his strength!"

"I think she meant this evening," I chuckled.

"Oh! Well, yes, we stopped in West Lafayette and ate at Denny's," Jessica said. "Not exactly haute cuisine but we'll get plenty of great food tomorrow!"

"Kara, is everything set for Jess' birthday?" I asked.

"Yes. Because of the birthday, the wedding, and Pascha, Elyse and I decided to cancel study group and the Sunday gathering this week."

"That makes sense," I said. "How about we put our stuff upstairs and we head to the sauna?"

"Yes!" Kara said. "Everyone is out for the evening except Josie, Jennifer, and Jesse."

"I should go see him before the sauna. Would you mind?"

"No, of course not!" Kara said. "Go see your son."

Jessica nodded and she and Kara picked up the bags; and then held hands as they walked up the stairs. I went out the back of the house and knocked on the door to the coach house, then let myself in, as Josie and Jennifer had agreed I should. The two of them were cuddled on the couch with Jesse.

"How's my son?" I asked.

"Growing like a weed!" Josie said. "But there's been a development."

"Oh?" I asked.

"Your son is tired of nursing. He's demanding table food!" Jennifer laughed.

"There's something wrong with that kid if he doesn't want to suck tit!" Josie teased.

"Demanding table food?" I asked. "How? The kid can't even talk!"

"No, but when he sits in his baby seat at the table, you know, the one where you can adjust it so that he's close to a sitting position? He holds his hand out and begs, and when I feed him at the table, he takes his mouth away from my nipple and tries to grasp pieces of bread, that kind of thing."

"At ten weeks? Isn't that a bit advanced?"

"He's your kid!" Jennifer laughed. "I talked to the pediatrician today who said to buy mini bagels and let him try to gnaw on them. Or Cheerios. We tried the bagel today, and he loved it. He can't really do more than kind of gum it, but he was happy. And after I did that, he was happy to nurse."

"Mind if I hold him for a bit?" I asked.

Jennifer handed Jesse to me and I sat in an easy chair. The girls had been watching Jeopardy, so we continued to watch. Jesse settled into my arms and closed his eyes. When Jeopardy ended about ten minutes later, I gave Jesse back to Jennifer and went to find my wives, who were cuddled close on the loveseat in our bedroom.

"How's the baby?" Jessica asked.

"Great!" I chuckled. "Jennifer said he's insisting on table food, so he's started gnawing on bagels today."

"Jennifer goes back to work on Monday, doesn't she?" she asked.

"Yes. I met the babysitter a couple of weeks ago. A nice middle-age lady named Beverly who'll take care of Jesse from 7:00am to 5:00pm. I'll take him then and keep him until the girls get home around 6:00pm."

"Is Jennifer expressing milk or is Jesse getting formula and juice?" Jessica asked.

"Both at first, I guess," I said. "I'm leaving that decision up to Jennifer. Shall we head to the sauna?"

"Yes!" both girls exclaimed.

We headed to the basement and were soon engulfed in steam.

"Is everything OK with the three of us?" I asked a few minutes later.

"I think so," Jessica said. "Is something bothering you?"

"No," I said. "I just thought there'd be some kind of conflict by this point."

"Over what?" Kara asked. "I think Jessica and I have pretty clear ideas about our roles in your life and they don't conflict."

"I don't know," I said. "I guess I expected some kind of disagreement. Don't get me wrong — I'm happy we haven't had any. And even though I want to keep it that way, something is going to come up. I just hope we're prepared for it."

"We love each other," Jessica said. "We'll work out whatever it is when it happens."

"On that, we all agree," I said.

"Jess, how much time do you have off at the end of this semester?" Kara asked.

"Two weeks, and then it starts again," she sighed. "I'll be here on May 23rd and go back to Indy on June 8th."

"Oh cool!" Kara giggled. "I'm done with school a week earlier. You and I can spend lots of time together while Snuggle Bear is working."

"I'd like that!" Jessica said.

May 3, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

"It's going to be a long day," Jessica sighed, slowly crawling out of bed.

"Happy birthday, Babe," I said, coming out of the bathroom.

"Yes, Happy birthday, Jessica!" Kara said brightly.

"How can you two be so cheery at 6:15am on a Saturday morning?" Jessica asked.

"I'm a morning person," I said. "And except for her meltdown, Kara's always been cheery all the time."

"It's sick, you know? You two are nuts!" Jessica groaned, dragging herself into the bathroom.

"She'll be fine once she gets her shower," Kara giggled. "She always is."

"True," I agreed. "That usually is all it takes."

Jessica was indeed in a better mood after her shower.

"Sorry," she said. "You know from the last week how much sleep I like to get."

"I do," I said sympathetically. "It's OK. Your birthday party is planned for noon, and the wedding starts at 4:00pm. We'll leave the reception about 10:00pm to go to Carol Stream."

"Where are Cindi and Chris getting married?" Jessica asked.

"Berkeley-Hillside Presbyterian Church," I said. "The pastor there is a friend of Cindi's."

"Chris and Cindi don't go to church, do they?" Kara asked.

"No," I said. "But her friend is cool with doing the wedding."

"And the reception?" Kara asked.

"At The Carlisle in Lombard. It's on Butterfield, not too far from Nuvatec. What's nice is that it's a straight shot north from there to Carol Stream to go to Saint Innocent of Moscow."

"That's convenient!" Jessica agreed. "Let's get some breakfast!"

We had breakfast downstairs and afterwards, I went to get Jesse so we could go for a walk. The temperature was in the low 40s, so I bundled Jesse in warm clothes, put him in the stroller/buggy, covered him with a warm blanket and set off with my wives following close behind.

"I guess we'll cramp your style in the park today," Kara teased.

"I was planning to walk around the UofC campus, and then we have a stop to make before we go back to the house."

"A stop? For what?" Jessica asked.

"A surprise. You'll see," I said with a grin.

We walked around the campus for about thirty minutes before making our way back north to Doctor Barton's house. Kara helped me carry the buggy up to the porch, and we rang the bell. Doctor Barton answered and let us in.

"Happy birthday, Jessica!" He exclaimed, ushering us into their sitting room where coffee, a small cake, and a couple of presents were set out.

"Thanks, Doctor Barton!" she said.

Belinda, Fawn, and Gerry joined us and we sang Happy Birthday to Jessica and then had coffee and cake. She opened her presents from the Bartons — a pocket tape recorder and a dozen tapes.

"For when you dictate orders, notes, and that kind of thing," Doctor Barton smiled. "You'll need it soon enough!"

"Thanks!" she said. "I'm sure it will come in handy."

Fawn was totally enamored with Jesse and asked to hold him, which she did until it was time for us to leave about forty-five minutes after we'd arrived. We all thanked the Bartons and then headed back to our house. I returned Jesse to his mom, and then Jessica, Kara, and I went to hang out in the Indian room until lunch time.

Elyse and Sofia had volunteered to cook the meal, and Kara had baked a cake before Jessica and I arrived home on Friday. At noon, they knocked on the door to the room and began bringing in our food. When they'd served us, they left the room, saying that I should call them when we were ready for dessert.

"I think we can get all the dessert we need in here by ourselves!" Kara giggled.

"THAT is absolutely true!" Elyse said. "But we'll bring the cake when you're ready!"

When we finished eating dinner, I let Elyse know, and all of our housemates came into the room and we all sang Happy Birthday to Jessica. After we sang, Elyse and Sofia served cake and ice cream to everyone. When we finished the cake and ice cream, Jessica opened her gifts, and then Sofia and Elyse brought us some tea before removing the dirty dishes.

"They take good care of you," Jessica said.

"It's mostly Elyse, but she's always had some willing helpers. She's done that pretty much since we moved in together five years ago, after Jennifer decided to go to Stanford."

"From everything I've seen, that was probably one of the best decisions you ever made," Jessica said.

I nodded, "Absolutely. I would have been lost several times over the past five years without Elyse here to help me. Kathy's been a rock, too. Bethany and Kara made sure I had a good support team here."

"We asked them to help take care of Steve when I was still going to be in Milford and Bethany was going to be in Madison. Kathy met Kurt, which changed things a bit, but the two of them have been solid friends for Steve the entire time he's been here."

We talked for another hour or so before we went up to our room to dress for Chris and Cindi's wedding. When we were ready, Elyse joined us for the drive to Hillside. She'd ride home with Stephanie, because Jessica, Kara, and I were going to church after the reception. The original plan had been for Sofia to go with us, but she and Stavros were going to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral with Dave and Julia.

We parked in the lot next to the church and went inside, and immediately had a dilemma — should we sit on the bride's side, or the groom's? I felt we should sit on Cindi's side because she'd been my housemate for a long time, and the girls agreed. We found seats about a third of the way back from the altar and sat down. A few minutes later, Dave and Julia joined us in our pew, and Josie, Jennifer, Stephanie, and Jesse sat behind us. Guests continued filtering in until just before 4:00pm.

"Welcome, friends!" Pastor Janet van Lear said, greeting everyone. "Chris and Cindi have chosen to have a traditional ceremony, though we won't be celebrating communion. Please join me in this celebration of love!"

She nodded to the organist, who began playing as Cindi's bridesmaids were escorted up the aisle. When they were assembled, the organist began playing The Bridal Chorus, the familiar Wagner tune that my wives and I had eschewed at our wedding. Chris and his four tuxedo-clad groomsmen were waiting at the front of the church as Cindi, clad in a traditional white wedding gown with a long train, walked down the aisle, escorted by her father.

At every step, the wedding followed the traditional pattern, right down to the exchange of vows. As I watched, I was more and more convinced that my wives and I had done the right thing in creating a unique ceremony, something I would have wanted to do even if it had only been two, not three, getting married. But, this was clearly what Cindi wanted, and as such, it didn't matter what I thought.

Just over two hours later, I was standing with Pete, Jamie, Kurt, Dave, and Nick having a drink while we waited for Cindi and Chris to arrive. I'd brought cigars, but we decided to save those until after dinner.

"You know, we should all get together like this on a regular basis," Kurt suggested.

"Maybe a Saturday breakfast every other week?" Jamie suggested.

"Or a guys' night?" Pete said. "Some of the NIS guys do that now, but mostly they go to bars, which isn't my thing."

"Why not both?" I asked. "One weekend, we do a Saturday breakfast and the other week a Friday or Saturday night?"

"I'd vote for Saturday," Dave said. "Friday is our date night."

"Ours, too," Kurt said.

"This sounds like a great idea," Nick said. "At your place?"

"I'm happy to host," I said. "None of the rest of you have houses just yet."

"Who all would we invite?" Dave asked. "Obviously, the six of us, plus Chris. And Kenneth."

"I'd say that's a good group to start with," Pete said. "We can always invite more guys later on."

"Do we want to pick a place for breakfast? Or different places each week?"

"What about Lou Mitchell's on Jackson?" Pete suggested.

"I trust your judgment on diners, Pete!" I grinned. "We'd need to meet around 7:00am so that I can be to karate at 10:00am. I'll either miss some breakfasts or guys' nights when I'm in Indianapolis, but that won't be a concern a year from now."

"I like this," Kurt said. "It'll be good for all of us."

"Looks like they're ready for Chris and Cindi to make their entrance," Dave observed.

Chris' brother announced the couple, and they walked in to loud cheering and applause, and took their places at the head table. Once they were seated, we all found our wives, or in Nick's case, his date, and took our seats. Dinner was quickly served, and we listened to Chris' brother and then his best friend, speak and make toasts. When dinner was finished, Cindi and Chris danced, and then she had the traditional dance with her father.

Once the dance floor was opened, I danced with my wives and several of my close female friends, and eventually with Cindi. I was careful to keep the dance chaste, though Cindi did her best to tease me.

"It's your wedding day!" I chuckled.

"So it is! But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop teasing you!" she laughed.

"No, of course not!" I agreed. "When do you leave for Cancún?"

"In the morning. We're staying at the Hyatt by O'Hare so we can just walk over to the terminal and get on the plane. Chris should have just enough energy to do that in the morning!"

I chuckled, "I'm sure he'll perform adequately! How did things work out with your friends?"

She smiled, "You were right, you know. Three of the four decided not to do it and the fourth one isn't engaged yet."

"I'm not surprised. I'm glad that you're all still friends. I assume it's the four girls who stood up with you?"

"Yes. We all agreed to be each other's bridesmaids. I'm sorry that Chris didn't ask you to stand up with him."

"Why? Those are his best friends and that's who he should choose. I don't take it as an affront or anything like that. Besides, you know that I need to cut out by 10:00pm, because Jessica, Kara, and I are going to church."

"Thanks again for letting me take two weeks off," Cindi said, as the song ended.

"You're welcome! Have fun in Cancún and I'll see you in two weeks!"

Cindi gave me a quick kiss and then went back to sit at the head table and rest. My sister, who had been dancing with Jorge, gave him a quick kiss and came over to me. We danced chastely, though I could tell that she would have strongly preferred a very close, very intimate slow dance. When the song finished, I went to sit with my wives, Kurt, Kathy, Pete, Melanie, Jackie, and Jamie. We all talked and occasionally danced until it was time for Chris and Cindi to cut the cake. Once that was done, we got our cake and coffee, and when we finished, the guys went outside to smoke cigars.

"How did you manage to get away?" Dave asked Chris.

"Cindi was gabbing with her friends, so I don't think she even noticed when I came outside!"

I passed out Cuban cigars that Joyce had provided for me, and we all cut and lit them.

"More contraband stogies?" Jamie asked.

"Damned straight!" I grinned.

"Where does Joyce get these?" Pete asked. "And I am NOT investigating, just curious."

"Canada," I said. "Her grandfather had a friend in Toronto who sent them to him. He wrote the guy a letter and asked him to continue to send them to me. I have no idea how they get them into the country. And I don't care!"

"Don't you usually smoke a pipe?" Kurt asked.

"I do, but none of you have one, so I brought the cigars. I have my pipe in the car for later, though."

"Later?" Nick asked.

"My wives and I are going to an Orthodox Easter service and there's a heck of a party afterwards. At some point, the men will be smoking and drinking, and cigarettes just don't cut it for me."

"One of your wives is going to be a doctor — isn't she giving you shit about smoking?" he asked.

"Not yet, but I'm sure that will come at some point!" I grinned.

"She's smart," Kurt said. "She's making small changes in our friend's behavior, but she's doing it like the old adage of the frog in the pot on the stove!"

All the guys chuckled. There was some truth to that, of course, as I'd realized some time ago. But as I'd told my sister, Jessica wasn't becoming a ball and chain, and the things she wanted to change were actually good.

"She's pretty good about it, too. It's not like she's trying to make radical changes, but she's made some good suggestions. And you all know about Kara, well, maybe not Nick, but the rest of you."

"She's an amazing woman," Pete said. "We were a bit worried about her a few years ago, but I'd say things turned out really well."

I puffed my cigar and nodded, "I wholeheartedly agree."

We finished our cigars and went back inside, where I went to get my wives so we could head to church.

"Off to our third party of the day!" Kara said with a smile as we walked out to my car.

"Don't forget that there's a four-hour church service first!" I teased.