Chapter 16: Jackie and Jamie

June 2, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

"Tom and Dave are in Waukesha this morning," Julia said at the start of our staff meeting. "And Steve is taking afternoons off for the rest of the week because Jessica is here. He'll also leave once this meeting is over to spend some time with Tatyana before she leaves for Russia. Penny, did you get your mom's permission to work extra hours?"

"I did. She said it was OK to work two extra hours each day so I can help cover for Steve spending time with his wives."

"Thanks. And thank your mom, too. Zeke starts a week from today, and the extra phone lines will be in by Thursday. Mario, do you have your reservations for California set?"

"I do. I also talked with Volstead and Braun in Cincinnati. Their computers were ordered and will arrive on the 16th. I think we have a conflict between California and them, unless we put them off."

"Let's you, Cindi, and me talk after this meeting. We can't take any of the programmers away from their work to help with this, so we'll have to sort out your time. I can do presentations, make sales calls, or even help with installs, given that Elyse and Stephanie are handling the administrative stuff starting today."

When the meeting ended, I left the attic room to go to the Indian room and hang out with Tanya, Jessica, and Kara. We spent an hour together, drinking tea from my Russian tea set before it was time to take Tanya to O'Hare for her flight to Moscow. She was actually flying to Amsterdam on KLM and connecting with an Aeroflot flight to Moscow. The four of us walked out to my car, and as usual, my wives got into the back seat and held hands. After I put Tanya's bags in the hatch, I got in and started the car.

"It's been a wonderful six years," I said.

"It seems like so long ago we met in Austria," Tanya said. "But time has gone quickly, too. It is very strange."

"Do you think that you'll come back soon, Tanya?" Jessica asked.

"Probably not for some time. I have to finish my schooling, and then I will receive an assignment. Most likely in an embassy in one of our fraternal socialist allies. This is normal for a new person, though with the fact I had permission to study in America, perhaps I will get a better assignment! All of you must come to visit me and my parents in Russia someday soon."

"That would be cool!" Kara said. "Do you think that's possible, Steve?"

"I think so. It'll just be a matter of timing. Let's see how things go for the next year and figure it out. The biggest issue will be Jessica's Residency."

"The Soviet Union can always use good doctors, chemists, and computer scientists!" Tanya teased.

"And the US can use professors with a deep knowledge of the Soviet Union!" I chuckled.

"Yes, Stepa, but given we all know that world socialism will triumph, you must stop fighting against it!"

All three girls laughed, and I joined them. This was the same old debate, and Tanya was having fun with it.

"Will world socialism be OK with me having two wives and children by two others, or is that «некультурный»?" I chuckled.

"You know very well that it is Stephen Rayevich!" she said firmly.

"So Russian leaders with their dachas and mistresses are OK, but my solution is not?"

Tanya smiled, "The leaders are too old to worry about mistresses!"

"I don't think Steve will ever be too old to worry about that!" Kara teased.

"This is not my business, as he is not my husband!" Tanya said firmly.

By the time we got to O'Hare, the girls were talking about life in Russia, instead of teasing about my escapades, which I was sure made Tanya much more comfortable. We parked in the short-term lot and walked to Terminal 4, which was still temporarily located on the ground floor of the parking structure. Tanya checked in, and then the four of us sat down to wait for the bus that would take her to the boarding area. It arrived about thirty minutes later.

"I will miss you, Stepa," Tanya said softly.

"And I you, Tanya. May I hug you properly?"

She smiled, "With permission from your wives, yes. A hug would be OK."

Jessica and Kara both laughed and nodded, so I pulled Tanya into a very tight hug. We exchanged Russian-style kisses and then broke the hug. Tanya lightly hugged both of my wives, thanked them for their hospitality and friendship, and then picked up her carry-on bag. She walked over to the bus, turned, waved one last time, and then climbed aboard. She sat by a window so she could see us, and when the bus pulled away, we all waved to Tanya and she waved back.

We walked back to the car and headed home.

"No proper kiss?" Jessica asked. "Not even on this occasion?"

"No way," I said. "Tanya would never, ever do such a thing. Even that tight hug was pushing the limits, and she made an exception because of the circumstances."

"Why is she so different from Lyudmila?" Kara asked.

"I think the question is why Lyudmila is so different from all the other Russians I know!" I chuckled. "All of them, from Minister Voronin to Colonel Anisimova to Tanya, are very conservative, almost to a point of prudishness. That's quite common amongst the Communist Party leadership in the East bloc and China. Lyudmila, on the other hand, is almost the opposite extreme. But she came to the US when she was eleven or twelve, and fell under the influence of movies, TV, and rock music. You know, all those evil things Kent van der Meer condemned."

Kara laughed, "Good point. So I guess Tanya would say that Lyudmila was corrupted by the decadent capitalist system?"

"Exactly," I said. "There's no way that Lyudmila will go home when she finishes her degree at Stanford unless there are some serious changes in Russia. And I'm not talking about the minor changes that Gorbachev is making. It would have to be a full-scale revolution. And even then, the Russian people tend to be very conservative, so it's not clear how much would change if they threw out the Communist Party. There's a long history in Russia of conservative traditionalism. You can see that in the Orthodox faith, too. So, barring a complete overturning of the status quo and history, Lyudmila is going to stay in the US."

"Interesting," Jessica said. "Won't that cause trouble for her mom, the KGB officer?"

"Potentially, yes. But if you figure that Lyudmila is almost certainly going to get a PhD, that's seven or eight years. So it's a moot point, at least until then."

"So, what's the plan for the rest of the day? Are you taking the afternoon off?"

"I am. I'll work from 7:00am to noon the rest of the week so you ladies can get your beauty sleep or shop or do whatever it is wives do when their husbands work!"

"Watch soap operas!" Kara teased.

"And eat bonbons!" Jessica added.

"Just no housecoats and curlers, please!" I grinned.

"Your mom did that, too?" Jessica laughed.

"I think all moms did it in the 70s!" I chuckled. "It had to be a federal law of some kind, I think!"

"Did your mom have one of those hair driers that had a hose and a hat like thing she wore?"

I laughed harder, "She did! What about your mom, Kara?"

"No. She didn't curl her hair; my dad always liked it straight. But the housecoat? Yes! I am SO glad Steve bought me the robe!"

"You can't wear that in public!" Jessica declared. "Your butt would be visible!"

"Jess, did Kara tell you about the pizza delivery on my birthday?"

"No. What happened?"

Kara quickly answered.

"Well, Elyse organized a birthday party for Steve with just the girls. Everyone had to be naked the whole time. When the pizzas were delivered, Elyse went to the front door naked to get it. Cindi and I decided to help!"

"No way! What happened?"

"The pizza guy was about nineteen and I think he almost had a stroke!" Kara laughed. "Cindi predicted fist fights at Connie's the next time we called for delivery!"

"It seems like every day there's something new and over-the-top with you and your friends, Tiger!"

"I promised it wouldn't be boring!" I said. "Though I suppose all of this stuff has to get toned down now that we're married."

"A naked birthday party is just fine with me!" Jessica giggled. "So long as I get to decide who attends! You didn't invite Penny to this debauchery, did you?"

"No way!" Kara said. "Steve would never involve her in something like that at her age," Kara said. "Penny had her own celebration with Steve. Her mom let her spend the night. That was the last time they were together."

"Of course!" Jessica smirked. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Their relationship lasted exactly one year — she gave him her virginity on her fifteenth birthday and they made love for the last time on her sixteenth."

"You do like your young girls, Tiger," Jessica said with a smile.

"I do, but as Bethany pointed out, I have to be careful about age of consent laws. And I am getting a bit old to be with fifteen-year-olds."

"True, though Kathy had some interesting things to say on Saturday night!"

"As I've said, that all stems from a conversation in my apartment four years ago. I'll worry about that if and when Kathy has a daughter, and that daughter is old enough to do something like that."

"Somehow, I suspect that she will. And something tells me that in some ways, you'll never change."

"But Steve will never do anything without your permission, Jess. Never," Kara said. "He knows what that would mean. He's been through that before. With me."

"How much have you two talked about that situation?" I asked.

"Quite a bit, actually," Kara said. "I thought Jess needed to know about it before you two got engaged, and we've talked about it several times since. I told you about my concerns."

"You did," I said and turned to Jess to explain. "And that is one promise I will never break, Babe. If I wanted complete freedom, I could have married Elyse. I didn't want that."

"What's the plan for the rest of the week?" Jessica asked.

"That's up to you girls," I said. "But first, we need to rescue Jesse from Stephanie; Kara's supposed to be watching him."

"Rescue?" Jessica laughed. "She dotes on him. Heck, all the girls do. He's such a cute baby!"

"That's why!" I laughed. "That poor kid needs some male companionship!"

"Afraid he's going to turn out like you, Tiger?"

"I'm SURE he'll turn out like Steve!" Kara laughed. "Though hopefully with a bit less drama!"

"With all the estrogen in that house, a good dose of testosterone will serve him well!" I declared.

When we arrived home, we went to the coach house and retrieved Jesse from Stephanie, and took him with us back to the Indian room.

June 8, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

"Do you need me to come to Indianapolis with you?" I asked as Jessica was packing her bags.

"No. I'll be fine. With the volunteer work and the hospital, I'll keep busy. And besides, I'll see you and Kara on Friday."

"If you feel depressed, even for one second, call us right away," Kara counseled.

"I will, but it's only five days. And I'll be here Friday night, because we're going to Jamie and Jackie's wedding on Saturday."

"Are you able to get the day off to go to my mom's wedding?" Kara asked.

"No, there are no days off in medical school. Even if you get sick, if you miss more than a couple of days, you can fail and have to retake the Clerkship. I can be at the dinner at 6:30pm, though. Want me to come for that?"

"Absolutely!" Kara said. "We're staying at Melanie's house, so we even have access to a sauna!"

"I love you both so much," Jessica said.

"And we love you too, Jess," I said.

The three of us shared a joint hug, and then Kara and I each kissed Jessica goodbye. We waited until she drove out of sight before heading back into the house.

"Do you think that she'll be OK?" I asked.

"I do. I'll talk to her on Tuesday like usual, and I'll see how she's doing."

"Maybe I should talk to her during the week, too. I stopped calling her for my own reasons and I think I'm in a place where I can handle it. That's especially true now that I know she'll be here about half the time between now and this time next year."

"If you're OK with doing that, it certainly can't hurt. But I honestly think she misses the physical closeness more than anything. Jessica never, ever had that before, with anyone, and didn't realize how much it would affect her. You were the first person to ever even kiss her, let alone everything else. Our wedding night and honeymoon profoundly changed her. Now she has to deal with that, and it's tough."

"I am so glad I talked to Sofia about it! I think it will make all the difference in the world."

"I agree. So what shall we do for the evening?"

"I'm up for a sauna, then maybe some HBO and some popcorn," I suggested.

Fifteen minutes later we were relaxing naked in a hot steamy sauna, when the door opened and Jennifer and Josie came in with Jesse.

"Should he be in here?" I asked.

"I asked the pediatrician, and he said that it'll be fine for a few minutes, especially given you keep it cooler than a normal sauna because of all the steam."

"Why is that?" Josie asked.

"If I put this much steam in the air at 180 degrees, we'd scald ourselves," I said. "The hotter you make it, the less steam you can use. And I like the steam."

"Ah, I guess I didn't know any different; this is the only sauna I've ever been in."

"Looks like you've lost all the baby weight!" I said to Jennifer.

"She has!" Josie smirked. "But her boobs are still big! It's awesome!"

We all laughed, then sat quietly for about five minutes before Josie wrapped Jesse in a towel and carried him out. She was back two minutes later.

"He's with Aunt Stephanie," she said. "I guess she and Jorge are playing house!"

I chuckled, "I hope you don't mean that like we meant in Junior High!"

"I suspect that kid will see more naked flesh than just about any human alive!" Josie giggled. "But your sister and Jorge were fully clothed and watching TV."

"How's work going, Jen?"

"Great! I'm working on modifications to the Brunswick system. Wen's working on the software you helped write. She accepted a full-time job offer from Scott."

"I was positive that she would. She told me that she had the offer right before finals."

"Who's that cute brunette that's been hanging around on Saturdays and sometimes during the week?" Jennifer asked.

"Natalya Zhukov. She's my friend Andrei's little sister. She's a CS major and I've been helping her with her coursework."

"Like you helped Wen?" Jennifer smirked.

"Absolutely not! I don't think she's interested in married guys, and I'm content with my situation."

Jennifer laughed, "I've seen the way she looks at you and how she dances with you. You could have her in a heartbeat!"

"Jen, that's not up to you. Back in High School, I listened to you on stuff like that. Now I'm keeping my own counsel with Kara and Jess. Please drop it."

"Sorry," she said, clearly chagrined.

"It's OK," I said. "We're all getting used to the new relationships and our new selves."

"Jennifer, he's pushed back on me, too," Kara said. "And that's a good thing. We're all used to controlling him, one way or another, and that does have to change. He needs to be his own man."

"But that doesn't mean I won't listen to advice," I said. "Or talk things through with Jess and Kara. But some things need to stay between us, just like they do with you and Josie. And in the end, I have to make my own decisions."

"Is it OK to ask about Bethany?" Jennifer asked.

"Sure," I said.

"She seemed to be a lot happier on Saturday night than she's been since last Summer. Are you two friends again?"

"We were never not friends," I said. "But she had real problems being around me because of all the emotional issues that came from last August's disaster. She just needed to get away, and living with Kathy and Kurt seems to have helped."

"Do you think she'll move back in with you?"

"That's up to her. We can sort that out if she wants to. But I'm not going to ask, and I honestly think it's better for her to be away until she's really ready. If she rushes it, it could bring back some of the emotional pain."

"How are you doing?" Jennifer asked.

"It hurts to not have her as my best friend, but I have to let her work through everything. She's been seeing Nick for a while, but they're keeping it very mellow right now. How are you two doing?"

"Great!" Jennifer said. "We both like our jobs, we're both happy with living here, and having Jesse is awesome!"

"Kara's enjoying her babysitting job," I grinned. "She's getting some practice for a few years from now when we have our first kid."