Chapter 13: Expansion

May 20, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

"We stink!" Elyse declared, wrinkling her nose.

"What do you expect?" I chuckled. "I came four times, you came at least twenty, and we were sweaty when we fell asleep!"

"We haven't done that in a long, long time," she said.

"That's been by your choice! For the last year or so, you've just asked me to make love to you, and usually only once."

"Yeah, I know. And that's what I want tonight. But last night I just had this urge to get fucked senseless, and you're the guy to do that! Let's change the sheets and open a window. And then we NEED a shower!"

Elyse turned on the shower and we got in, holding each other tight under the warm spray.

"So, what's the deal with our baby?" I asked.

"I don't want him born before June, so I figure we start around September 1st. I want to quit taking my pills for a couple of months beforehand, so as much as I hate to say it, we'll use rubbers starting in July. I'll work out a plan with Jessica and Kara so that I don't monopolize you too much!"

I laughed, "Jennifer's solution was just fucking each other silly morning and night for a week!"

"That seemed to work, but you weren't married then, you big oaf!"

"True!" I said, taking the soap to begin washing Elyse's back.

"And the second one would be about two years after the first, so I'd get pregnant the second time in September or October of '88. And I guess at that point, you and I are done."

"With sex, perhaps, but not with each other. We're going to have a couple of kids and you plan to stay here, at least for the time being."

"I do. I'll probably move out at some point. As much as I like living with you, I want to live in the suburbs, eventually. The city just isn't for me."

"There are a lot of good 'burbs here. I just want to make sure I don't lose touch with my kids."

"You won't. I know you well enough!"

I soaped her firm butt and teased her by running a finger between her cheeks. She laughed.

"You think that's funny?" I teased.

"I was just thinking that we haven't done THAT in years. Not since I gave up on the toys."

"You've moved on from all that stuff and become very conventional," I said.

"Is that a code word for boring, Mister Adams?"

"No way! You know exactly what I like. It's the same thing I've always liked."

She nodded, "True. You only did those things because we girls asked, or, in Jackie's case, to make a point!"

"All you have to do is ask, Elyse," I said.

"I know. But let's not ruin the moment. I like you washing me like this."

I took my time and made sure I soaped every inch of Elyse's skin and then helped her rinse off. Then she did the same for me, expressing her deep love for me as she carefully ran her hands and the soap over my body. After I rinsed off, she shut off the water, and we grabbed towels and dried ourselves. I kissed her and went back to my room to dress for the day.

"Hey, Big Brother," Stephanie greeted me when I came into the kitchen.

"Hey, Squirt. Ready for breakfast?" I asked.

"You bet!"

I made bacon, eggs, and waffles for Stephanie, Elyse, and Sofia, and the four of us sat together to eat.

"Are your parents coming to visit Sofia?" I asked.

"In July, when they have their vacation. They're flying to Chicago and they'll stay here for a week or so, then we're going to New York for a few days, and then Florida for a week."

"Disney World?" Elyse asked.

"Of course!" Sofia said. "And the beach, too. I really haven't seen much of the US, and it'll be fun to be with them."

"Is Frederick coming with them?" I asked.

"He is. It'll be good to see them. They're still trying to get used to the idea that I'm not going back to Sweden, except perhaps for the occasional vacation."

"You really like it here?" Stephanie asked.

"Absolutely. And honestly, I can make in a year here what it would take five years to make in Sweden, and I'll pay lower taxes to boot!"

"Ah, the Greek businesswoman in you comes out!" I teased.

"Hey, my grandfather always wanted my dad to come to America, but he followed my mom to Sweden. So, I'm bringing the family here!"

"How are things with you and Stavros?" Stephanie asked.

"Good. We get along really well, and he's a nice guy. He's a philosophy major and an English minor. He wants to teach college, so he'll start on his Master's in the Fall."

"Elyse, before I forget, the Reds are in town next Monday and Tuesday. Monday is Memorial Day, so we'll never get tickets, but Tuesday we can get seats for sure."

"You're going to play hooky from work?" she smirked.

"Sure. Jess is going to be here, so I was already going to alter my work schedule to spend time with her."

"Just you and me?" she asked.

"Anyone who wants to go. Worst case, we can get bleacher seats on the day of the game. I'll ask Jess and Kara on Friday."

"It'll be good to go to a baseball game!" Elyse said.

We finished breakfast, and Elyse, Stephanie, and I went to find Julia so we could talk about how we were going to handle the Summer. Elyse and Stephanie would take over doing all the administrative work, leaving Julia to focus on clients, and to spend some time programming. Neither Elyse nor Stephanie would need to work full time, but even part-time would take a load off Julia's shoulders that she was handling out of necessity.

"I arranged both interviews for tomorrow," Julia said. "One in the morning and one in the afternoon. Also, the '800' number is active as of today. Our problem will be that we'll need more phone lines soon."

"Call the phone company and set it up," I said. "We'll have to have some wiring done, because there are only four pairs of wires that come up to the attic."

"Rather than doing stuff here that would be wasted in the long-run, maybe we should consider office space after all," Elyse said. "What did Mr. Wyatt suggest?"

"He suggested the Near West Side. There are some old factory buildings that are being converted to offices and condos. We could get a loft with about 3,000 square feet that would easily accommodate all of us and have room for growth. It's an easy drive or we could take the El or the bus. The prices are reasonable because it's outside the Loop.

"The problem is how much it would cost to outfit the space. It's bare brick walls and bare cement floors. He's estimating several thousand dollars just to get it up to snuff for office space and an occupancy permit. I asked about other options, and he said there are places in Hyde Park that would be easier for us to use, but the cost per square foot would be a lot higher. I just don't think we're ready for that yet."

"I was afraid that was the case," Elyse said. "Given our income, we could probably swing it, but if anything at all went wrong, we'd be in deep trouble with a long-term lease. So I guess it's premature."

"The other option is the suburbs," I said. "We could get some really nice space without spending a lot of money, but it would be the commute from hell for all of us to go there every day."

"So we stay," Julia said. "I'll call the phone company."

May 21, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

"What did you think?" Julia asked, following the afternoon interview.

"No objection to either one," I said. "It's up to Cindi."

"I think Zeke is the better choice," Cindi said.

I chuckled, "He sure made it clear that he does not like the name Jethro! I guess he got teased a little too much about the Beverly Hillbillies. And I guess the nickname works for him. Like I said — no objection to either one."

"I'll call him and make the offer tonight," Julia said. "He can start June 9th, which is good timing. We can get him up to speed before Mario flies out to install the software at Ford, Jackson, and Finch in Los Angeles."

"Charlie's been fielding two or three support calls per day," I said. "Zeke won't be super-busy at first, so maybe we can have him work on revising some of the documentation."

"I already thought of that!" Cindi said. "Of course, it's almost Summer so we can throw more work Jorge's way. He's sticking around all Summer and asked me about it. I think he can do the new stuff, and Zeke can revise the stuff we already have."

"Sounds like you have it under control," I said. "I'm going to get to work; I have quite a bit to do before I head to Ohio tomorrow."

May 22, 1986, Cincinnati, Ohio

"What time do you need your sister tomorrow?" my dad asked as we sat down for lunch.

"If you could have her at Carew Tower at noon, that would be perfect," I said. "We'll eat lunch on the way out of town."

Stephanie shot me a dirty look. She didn't want to stay at my parents' house, but she really didn't have a choice.

"I'll do that," he said.

We ordered our lunch and my dad, Joyce, and I talked about the business. I included Mario in the conversation by asking him to talk about some of our key customers and the new business that he and Cindi were working on. We now had ten full-time employees, counting Zeke, and we were profitable. Everyone but me was earning a normal salary, and I'd increased mine slightly.

"Your plan was to be profitable with five employees by the end of the first year, so I'd say that you're way ahead of schedule," Joyce said.

"True, but remember, the Waukesha deal is only for eighteen months. On the plus side, because Tom is working in Waukesha, our new guy, Zeke, will do the support for Purina Mills and he's a lot cheaper, so that contract instantly becomes more profitable. That said, we can't let up on our business development. We really need to get the medical software out."

"When do you think it will be ready?" my dad asked.

"Penny comes back to work in a week, and between her, Charlie, and me, we're on target for a beta release by the end of the Summer. Once that's out, we'll have three different markets — legal, medical, and construction. We also do Novell support, which is bringing in a bit of money as well. All in all, I'm happy."

"How are your expansion efforts going?" Joyce asked.

"Milwaukee is good, but we don't have much in St. Louis or Indianapolis yet. Mario's cold-calling and sending flyers to get leads. Hopefully we'll get this deal with Volstead and Braun, where Mr. van Hoek is a partner, and we'll get referrals from them here. Obviously, we're hoping for the same thing with Ford, Jackson, and Finch in Los Angeles."

When lunch was finished, I said 'goodbye' to my dad, and then Mario and I headed for Colerain Township to Donna Grossi's house. She greeted us and invited us in for coffee. Joyce wanted to spend some time with me, so she joined us. When we finished our coffee, Donna Grossi showed Mario to the guest house and Joyce and I went to sit in the backyard. A few minutes later, Mario came out in his swim trunks and jumped into the pool.

"Do you remember that first day here?" Joyce asked.

"June of '77," I said. "You, your sister, plus your cousins! I remember splashing the four of you. And flirting with you!"

"It's hard to believe that we've known each other for nearly nine years! So much has happened since then. I remember you impressing Grandfather with your bocce skills."

I nodded, "Who knew that being taught that game by my dad's friend Ken Dugan in California would lead all the way here?"

"Anthony called me," Joyce said. "He's pissed beyond belief."

"That doesn't surprise me," I said. "Chicago doesn't respect him. Your grandfather did business with them as a partner and friend. Anthony is trying to use muscle and they think he's a joke."

"Promise me that you won't get too deeply involved and that you won't cause trouble for Anthony."

"As long as Anthony leaves me, my family, and Becky alone, then there's nothing to worry about. Tell him to stick to Cincinnati and not use muscle the way he's threatening. I don't want to cause you any trouble, and I don't want to cause him any trouble. I just want the deal with your grandfather to remain intact. If Anthony backs down, I don't have to get involved in Chicago."

Joyce sighed, "I don't think he'll back down. He's a hothead. But he's afraid of Chicago, which is probably enough to keep him from bothering you or anyone you care about. But I'm not sure."

"OK," I sighed. "I'm seeing Becky tonight when I have dinner with Ben van Hoek."

"How is she?"

"I haven't talked to her since August, and I didn't ask her dad about her when we arranged dinner. I'm actually not completely sure that she'll be there, but I can't imagine that she'd pass up a chance to see me. Last I heard was that she was finishing her student teaching in Madeira. She ought to have her license by now."

"You still care for her, don't you?"

"As a human being? Of course. As someone that I once loved? Certainly. But I don't know that Becky could handle even a simple friendship with me, even now. That was my last mistake — thinking that she and I could be friends. By the time I figured out that she couldn't handle it, it was too late."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Have dinner. And tell her that I'm married."

"She doesn't know?" Joyce asked.

"The last time I talked to her or her dad was the afternoon before Dave and Julia's wedding, and at that moment, I thought Bethany and I were on a path to get married. You know what happened that night. Well, I talked to him to arrange dinner tonight, but that's all we talked about."

"Do you think she can handle it?"

"I have no idea, but she needs to know."

"I do NOT envy you," Joyce said. "Will this cause problems for our business deal?"

"No. Her dad knows everything about Becky and me, and knows how things went south. He won't make an issue of it."

"Just tread lightly."

"It'll be fine. Should we go swimming?"

"You could help me into my suit!" Joyce teased.

"I thought you were going to ask permission when we hit our numbers years from now!" I chuckled.

"Your wives are NEVER going to allow that, and you know it!"

"You might be surprised!" I said.

"Let's swim before I decide to call and ask and get us both in serious trouble!"

We both changed separately, and jumped into the pool with Mario. We spent about an hour horsing around like we had that first Summer before I had to get out so I could shower and dress for my dinner with the van Hoeks.

"Hi, Steve!" Becky said when she opened the door.

"Hi! How are you?"

"Good. Daddy said it was OK if we played chess before dinner. Is that OK?"

"Sure," I agreed.

We went to her father's study where the chess board was set up, with two bottles of Dr Pepper on the table next to it. Becky offered me the white pieces, so I sat down in the chair next to them and she sat down opposite me. We began playing, and I waited for an opportunity to tell her about everything that had happened since I last saw her. I should have realized that she would see the obvious evidence.

"I think you need to explain the rings," she said after shifting her knight on her third move.

"I got married in December," I said.

She nodded, "I knew that would eventually happen. Bethany?"

I shook my head, "No. You remember I was going to a wedding after I left your house last August, right?"

"Yes. But you and Bethany were ready to get engaged! What happened?"

"That night, after that wedding, she told me that another guy had proposed to her, and that she was going to accept his proposal."

"What?!" she gasped in protest. "That makes no sense!"

I had to tread carefully because I didn't want Becky to feel that I blamed her for my relationship with Bethany falling apart. I didn't — I was the one who had cheated, and I should have resisted Becky's advances no matter how I was feeling. I'd failed and paid the price for it.

"I know. But a long sequence of events led to Bethany feeling that she couldn't be my wife. It's complicated and I can't really go into it in detail, but she ended up not marrying the guy after all."

"But you didn't take her back?"

I sighed, "As I said, it was complicated. That really wasn't a possibility for several reasons. The core issue was one that couldn't be overcome."

"It can't be Jennifer, because you said she has a girl for a partner. Karin?"

I shook my head, "No. You won't guess, because it's a girl you don't know about. And that's just the ring on my left hand."

"OK. I'll stop guessing. Who did you marry?"

"A medical student named Jessica Wilton from Indianapolis. She's in her third year now. The ring on my right hand has two rubies and a spinel. The spinel is me. The rubies are for Jessica and Kara."