Chapter 33: Thanksgiving

November 25, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

"The board approved the budget with consulting, rather than full-time staff," Dave said as soon as I'd said 'hello' when I answered the phone.

"Excellent!" I said. "Did the budget request cover both programmers for the whole year?"

"It did. They did approve an additional position, but that's for supervising the computer operators and managing the Prime Computer systems, not for a programmer. That's exactly what Mr. Forster had in his original budget request."

"So they went against the department head?" I asked.

"It seems like he's on his way out. Someone mentioned that he's retiring soon."

"Interesting. But that's great news, Dave! Have a safe drive back. I'll see you in the office tomorrow!"

I hung up the phone and yelled 'Yes!' and pumped my fist. We'd more or less locked in another hugely profitable year for NIKA Consulting.

November 27, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

My dad and I were sitting in my study talking. My parents and brother had arrived the previous night and had stayed at a hotel. The turkey was in the oven and I had some time before I needed to start making the mashed potatoes, corn, and other dishes that we'd serve at 5:00pm. Although that was a bit later than I preferred, we had to accommodate to Jessica's work schedule. She'd be home about 4:00pm, and I wanted her to have time to shower and change without feeling rushed.

"What do you think about the Attorney General's announcement that the profits from covert weapons sales to Iran were illegally diverted to the anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua?" I asked.

"I'm not surprised. This has Agency written all over it, and honestly, arming the Contras is good policy. Congress was wrong to block funding anti-communists in the Americas. The Monroe Doctrine isn't dead, and it shouldn't be. I do think appointing retired Senator John Tower was a good move."

"Do you believe that Reagan didn't know?" I asked.

"If this went down the way I suspect it did, then he probably didn't. I know this was the National Security Agency, but a spook is a spook!"

I nodded, "You wouldn't want to tell me more about what you did, would you?"

"I can't just yet," he said. "I have you in private for a few minutes, so I want to ask how things are going with your marriage? It's been about a year now."

"Everything is fine," I said. "It's actually tougher on Jessica than it is on me, because I have Kara with me all the time. I miss Jess when she isn't here, but I keep busy with work, karate, and Jesse."

"When is Elyse due?" he asked.

"Late in May or early June. Kathy's due around the same time."

"I sure hope that's Kurt's baby," he chuckled.

"Dad, if there is one firm rule that I have, it's that I do NOT mess with another man's wife, or even his steady girlfriend."

"A wise policy, Son. It avoids being shot by a jealous husband, or worse!"

"What are you going to do now that you've sold your businesses?" I asked.

"Well, I have a consulting agreement with the new owners for a year, and after that, I'll probably look for a clerical job. Something that's not too demanding but keeps me occupied. It's not as if I'll need the income!"

I was thinking that it was also a way to stay out of the house all day, but I knew my dad wouldn't tolerate an insolent comment such as that from me, and if I was honest with myself, he shouldn't. The terms of his relationship with my mom were no more any of my business than the terms of my relationships with Jessica and Kara were any of his.

"I never saw you sitting on the beach sipping Mai Tais," I said. "What about traveling?"

"Long flights are not in the cards, given my hips. Speaking of which, I have replacement surgery scheduled for August."

"Why August?" I asked, surprised that he'd postpone the procedure that far into the future.

He smiled, "That's when my consulting agreement runs out."

"Where are you having the surgery done?"

"At the University of Cincinnati," he answered.

"Keep us posted," I nodded. "Are you spending time with Stephanie while you're here?"

"Yes, we're taking her to breakfast before we leave tomorrow."

"OK. We should probably get back to the rest of the guests," I said.

We hung out with our friends, waiting for Jessica, as well as the sailors from RTC Great Lakes. They arrived just before 2:00pm.

"Welcome!" I said to four young men in dress blues who stood outside my door. "I'm Steve, and this is one of my wives, Kara!"

There were four stunned expressions before one of the men spoke up.

"Did you say 'wives'?" he asked.

"Yes. It's complicated, but I have two wives."

"You'll have to explain that one!" he said.

"Oh, he will," I heard Nick call out from behind me.

All four recruits snapped to attention when they saw him.

"Relax," I said with a smile. "Once you pass through this door, there are no issues of rank. We're all just friends! Come inside and meet Lieutenant JG Nicholas Evans. Nick, tell these poor kids to relax, please!"

"At ease!" he grinned. "I'm a JAG lawyer, not a line officer. And I promise, nothing that happens here today will be reported to anyone! Steve would kick me out of the house and Bethany would never speak to me again if I did anything like that!"

"You heard him!" I said. "Now, what are your names? And if any of you call me 'sir', I'm going to be offended. My dad is a retired Chief, not an officer! I'm Steve."

"Patrick O'Leary."

"John Fordham."

"Gale Matthews."

"Monty Dale."

"Nice to meet all of you," I said, shaking their hands. "Come in and relax. I'm working on dinner right now."

"He cooks, too?" John asked Kara.

"He's an excellent cook. You'll be stuffed full of good food before you leave here tonight!"

We ushered the sailors into the great room and introduced them to everyone, and then I had to go back to the kitchen to check on things. I'd need to peel potatoes soon, but I had a bit of time, so I joined everyone in the great room to talk and get better acquainted with our visitors. The four young men were talking to my dad about his time in the Navy during WWII. I listened and learned a few more things about his service that I hadn't known. He'd earned a Purple Heart as well as a Navy Cross for gallantry when their destroyer was torpedoed in the North Atlantic.

I excused myself because I had to go back to the kitchen, and Sofia and Kara came with me to help. I had just put the potatoes in the pot to boil when Jessica came into the kitchen. Kara and I each greeted her with a hug and kiss, and she went straight upstairs to shower and change out of her scrubs. Twenty minutes later, she was back in the kitchen. She offered to help, but I told her to go to the great room and relax with our guests.

Just before 5:00pm, we called everyone to the dining room. We had put the extra leaves into the table and set up two folding tables to accommodate everyone. I'd had to make some tough decisions as to who would sit where, but in the end, all of my housemates had agreed that the main table should be for me, my wives, my parents, the Navy recruits, Bethany, Nick, Jennifer, Josie, and Jesse. That relegated Sofia and Stavros, Alejandra and Leila and their dates, my brother, my sister and Jorge, and Prajesh and Anala to the other tables. Elyse had decided to go home, because her grandmother was ill, rather than stay in Chicago as she had originally planned.

"We don't stand on ceremony here, and unless someone insists, we don't usually pray. So, Happy Thanksgiving and dig in!"

Our visiting sailors ate with gusto, having their first home-cooked meal in over four weeks. Institutional cooking wasn't the best, and I couldn't imagine that the food at RTC Great Lakes was anything more than passable. The conversation was lively, and I found out quite a bit more about the recruits. Patrick was from Arizona and had never even seen the ocean. John was from New York and loved to sail. Gale was from Texas and had grown up on a ranch. Monty was from Alabama and was a NASCAR fan.

"Who do you root for, Monty?" I asked casually.

"It's a trap!" Bethany giggled. "Steve's a HUGE fan and is friends with a guy named Bill Elliott!"

"Bethany!" I said in mock outrage.

"You know Bill Elliott?" Monty asked.

"Sure. I've been in his garage, his pits, and had dinner at his house several times. A very good friend of mine is from Dawsonville. She introduced us. In fact, she and her husband were just married at the track in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. I was there."

"The one where Alan Kulwicki was best man and Davey Allison and Kyle Petty were there?" he asked, with a surprised look on his face.

"That's the one. How did you know about it?"

"It got a write-up in my hometown paper. I'm from a small town just outside of Birmingham. You might have heard of it — Hueytown."

I laughed, "Then I know who you root for! The home city of the Alabama Gang! My friend's new husband, Jason Stuart, who they call 'Red', is a big fan of Bobby Allison, though he works the pits for Kulwicki now."

"Can we change topics?" Jessica teased.

"She doesn't like 'Go Fast! Turn Left!" I chuckled.

"That's a shame," Monty said with a smile.

"Patrick, you joined the Navy and have never seen the ocean?" Kara asked.

"The biggest body of water I ever saw before Lake Michigan is Lake Mead, which is behind Hoover Dam. I've never been on a boat. Ever."

"Then why join the Navy?"

"To see the world! Haven't you seen the commercials? But, seriously, because the training is the best, and it beats going to college for four years. This way, I get trained and get paid, and hopefully I get to some ports overseas."

"Do you know what your assignment is?" I asked.

"Avionics is what I'm signed up for. Hopefully, I'll be assigned to a carrier. But I won't know until I actually get my orders after 'A' school."

"What about the rest of you?" I asked.

"Electronics," John said.

"Administration or logistics," Gale said.

"Mechanic," Monty said. "I used to work in a speed shop and love taking things apart and putting them back together."

"You seem to have a lot of Navy friends," Patty said.

"I do. In addition to Nick, here, there's my friend Pete who's an NIS agent, my friend Aimee who's at the Academy, my friend Napoleon McCallum who's going to play for the Raiders while serving in the Navy, and about a dozen ROTC students, a bunch of whom have just graduated."

"Wow! How did you get so involved?" she asked.

"I tutored a couple of ROTC men five years ago. I met Nick and another officer, Karl, through Pete. I met Aimee through her father, and I went to High School with Napoleon and he lived less than a mile away."

"Did you ever think of joining the Navy?" Monty asked.

"Not seriously. I had a partial scholarship to IIT and quite a bit of money that I earned from a business I ran in High School, so I didn't need ROTC. By the time I graduated, I was ready to start my own business again. If we're going to be a Navy family, it'll have to be one of my kids."

We finished the main course, and then my wives and I went to the kitchen to bring out apple, pecan, and pumpkin pies, along with hand-packed ice cream from Oberweis. Sofia and Stephanie brought out coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. Everyone appreciated the excellent ice cream, and I was glad that I'd gone out of my way to get it.

We'd just finished our dessert and coffee when the doorbell rang.

"Good timing! That will be our ride back to base," Monty said.

"We're really glad you were all here," I said. "Keep in touch! And if you're back in Chicago, give me a call. You're always welcome here!"

Everyone shook hands, and then Nick and I walked to the front door with the four recruits. A civilian driver was waiting for them with a van that was double-parked on Woodlawn Avenue. We said 'goodbye', shook hands again, and watched them walk out to the van.

"It's too bad they have to be back so early," I said.

"True, but did you see how happy they were? That's the last home-cooked meal they'll see until several weeks into 'A' school, and that's if they're lucky! It's quite a few weeks before they get leave of any kind."

We went back into the dining room to have another cup of coffee, and then a bunch of us pitched in to clean up and do the dishes. Prajesh and Anala left almost immediately, which didn't surprise me. I was glad to see them and reminded myself to invite them over for a more private meal in the near future.

After dinner, my dad and I were once again sitting in my study talking, but this time about business. There was a knock at the door of the study.

"Yes?" I called out.

The door opened to reveal Sofia with a very worried look.

"Steve, you need to come to the great room right now!" she said hurriedly.

"What's up?" I asked, getting up to follow her.

"Your sister and mom!"

"Shit," I sighed. "Dad, I guess you should come, too."

We walked into the great room to see my sister standing right in front of my mom, and Kara, with a firm grip on Stephanie's right arm. Jessica was, for some reason, standing in front of Jennifer, who was holding Jesse, and it looked like Jessica was a lioness guarding a cub. Bethany was right next to her, with Nick at her side.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"The pervert tried to pick up your son," Stephanie growled. "And Mom said we had to let him!"

"Mom," I said, "there was one ground rule for Jeff being here. He is NOT to touch Jesse. Period."

"He's your brother and Jesse's uncle," my mom protested.

"And a convicted child molester!" my sister growled, trying to shake her arm free from Kara's grasp.

"Stephanie, stay calm," Kara said gently. "Steve, Jessica, and I have this under control."

"Mom, I don't care what his relationship is," I said firmly but gently. "You know what happened. And Jennifer, Josie, and I all agree on this. Jeff is not to touch any of my children. Ever. He's not even to be alone in the same room with them."

Bethany spoke up, "Mrs. Adams, it's a well-known fact that the incidence of repeat offenses amongst pedophiles is very high. In fact, it's amongst the highest for any mental illness. I suggest you reconsider your demand."

"He didn't do it!" my mom screeched. "He was falsely accused!"

"That tired story?" I said testily, but then spoke calmly. "The first time we know about was when you paid the parents of the kids to drop the charges and have their kids recant! Joe Caldwell had no reason to lie about that. And that's just the ones we know about. Payoffs didn't work the second time."

"You're just trying to deflect attention from your perverted lifestyle!"

"Really, Mrs. Adams?" Jessica said. "Didn't we have this conversation once already? Do we need to have it again? Or do you wish to never see your grandchildren? I'm sure Jennifer, Josie, Elyse, and Kara agree with me on this. You can act like a reasonable human being or not. It's your decision. But one thing I won't tolerate, any more than any of the other women in this house will, is allowing a convicted sex offender to touch a child when he's KNOWN to have exposed himself to pre-pubescent girls. This is as much my house now as it is anyone's, and I'll forbid you from coming here. And I know that Steve will back me up on this."