Chapter 36: Peaches

December 12, 1986, Indianapolis, Indiana

"How are you doing, Tiger?" Jessica asked after greeting Kara and me on Friday evening with hugs and kisses.

"Shitty," I said. "But I had a good talk with Bethany after Red called me."

Jessica smiled, "And THAT is exactly why I had to let you take her away to Wisconsin for a weekend. Granted, I didn't know what the circumstance would be, but I knew you'd need Bethany eventually. And you would need her in a way that could only happen if you two repaired your relationship. Really repaired it."

"You are brilliant, future Doctor Adams!" I grinned.

"I am, aren't I?" she smirked. "When are you going to go see Stephie?"

"I don't know yet. I was thinking about calling her on Sunday, and figure it out from there. But you can be absolutely sure that I'm going to go to Georgia as soon as I can arrange things with Jason."

"That's an interesting way to put it," Jessica said.

"I can't come between them any more than Stephanie or Bethany or any other girl can come between the three of us. So Jason needs to be on board. I know him well enough that he's not going to try to prevent me from seeing her, and he also won't let her refuse to see me, if that was her inclination."

"I see you've learned a bit about death and dying."

"I know more about it than I want to," I sighed. "And about near death, too. I don't know how you doctors do it."

"I'm not going to say that you get used to it, but you're developing coping mechanisms. The key is not to use a destructive behavior to cope. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and serial infidelity are all responses to the pressure of being a doctor, with death being just one of the bigger causes of stress and depression."

"Lovely," I said.

"I told you that doctors had the highest rates of divorce and substance abuse. I think you're starting to see why."

"Yeah," I sighed.

"What can we do for you, Tiger?"

"Just love me," I sighed.

"That we can easily do!" Jessica said, taking my hand and leading me to the bedroom.

Kara followed us, and my wives loved me like I needed to be loved. It didn't take away the pain, but it made it more bearable.

December 13, 1986, Indianapolis, Indiana

It was two days early, but to accommodate our schedules, we celebrated our anniversary two days early.

"Happy Anniversary!" Jessica said as we raised our glasses on Saturday evening.

"Happy Anniversary!" Kara and I replied.

Jessica was having her one glass of champagne that she'd said she would allow herself. We'd ordered a bottle of wine to go with dinner, but Kara and I would drink that together.

"We've made one year!" I chuckled. "What do you think? Sixty or seventy to go?"

"I'll be 95!" Jessica gasped.

"And I'll be 93, and Kara will be 92. Think anyone would pay for THAT video?" I chuckled.

"Ewww! That's just gross!" Jessica laughed.

"So, no sex for us when we're nonagenarians?" I smirked.

"You'll STILL be after fifteen-year-olds, you dirty old man!" Jessica teased.

"Somehow, I think that might be seen as more than a bit creepy!" I said with a grin. "And, as of right now, I'm a dirty YOUNG man!"

"Is that all you think about, Tiger?"

"You're the one who always has sex on the brain when we're together, Babe!"

"Are you complaining?"

"No way! No man in his right mind would complain about my situation!"

"But we've already established that you aren't in your right mind," Jessica teased.

"All the better to pleasure you, my dear!" I said, trying to mimic Snidely Whiplash.

"You don't have the mustache for that voice. And he didn't have a beard."

"You know, you've never said anything about the beard after I started growing it."

"Why? It looks nice, you keep it trimmed, and it's not scratchy. But wow, does it have a lot of red in it! From the photo album your sister showed me, I know that your hair has gotten darker overall since you were younger. There's a tinge of red in it, but nothing like that beard!"

"Should I grow it out fuller? Or do you like the close-cropped beard?"

"I don't think you should go Grizzly Adams on us."

"I agree, Snuggle Bear. It's nice how it is. I actually like how it feels on the insides of my thighs!" Kara giggled.

"You are SO bad!" Jessica said to Kara.

"Oh, like YOU complain when he does that to you?"

Jessica smiled primly, "Our husband is quite expert at cunnilingus!"

"At what?" Kara asked.

"Sorry, that's the technical term for eating pussy!" Jessica giggled. "Like fellatio for blowjobs."

"Did you just use that word?" I chuckled. "In public, even?"

"What can I say? Kara's rubbing off on me!"

"I like it when we rub against Steve!" Kara giggled. "That's even better!"

"Perhaps we should save this conversation for later," I said. "We haven't even ordered yet!"

We had our wonderful Italian dinner at Iaria's, the small neighborhood restaurant that we frequented when we were in Indianapolis, including Italian ice for dessert. When we finished, we walked back to Jessica's small apartment and quickly got into bed.

"Tomorrow night, we'll reenact our wedding night," Jessica said. "Tonight, let's just make love!"

And that's what we did.

December 15, 1986, Indianapolis, Indiana

"What are we doing next weekend?" I asked as we ate breakfast on Monday morning.

"I think I'll come up to Chicago. I know that I'm coming up on Wednesday for Christmas, and then you guys are coming back here with me, but I really, really prefer being in our house than in this apartment."

"The king-size bed does make things a bit easier!" Kara giggled. "Last night was a bit cramped, but it worked out!"

"I'll say," Jessica sighed. "It was just like our wedding night, but without being nervous. And without Elyse putting a white sheet on the bed to prove my virginity!"

"But now, a year later, you totally get why she did that, right?" I asked.

"I do. It's just part of your three-ring circus! The girls told me that they had a good laugh about it. And you didn't tell me that Sofia saw you walk naked into the hall with the sheet!"

"I didn't think it was important," I said. "And it's not like she hadn't seen me naked before."

"Did Alejandra give Len his walking papers?"

"Of course she did," I said. "What an idiot! I just feel bad for Jay, because Leila won't go out with him again, because he and Len are best friends. But it's not like either of those girls is lacking for male companionship."

"That little Turkish Delight would like YOUR companionship, Tiger. And she has no compunctions about married men!"

"She was fun, Babe, but with her living in the house, it's a bad idea, even if I was interested."

"Oh, you're interested. You're just exercising self-control. Just as you do with Penny and that little flirt, Fawn!"

"Leave Fawn out of this," I said. "That's an innocent game that is going nowhere."

"Effy will try again in the Spring," Kara smirked.

"She can try all she wants," I said. "I am singularly uninterested."

"That's why she's going to try," Kara said. "She can't believe anyone would say 'no' to her."

"Well, then she's in Michelle Bateman territory!" I declared.

"Who?" Jessica asked.

I looked at Kara to let her know that she should tell the tale.

"A Milford cheerleader who had such a high opinion of her pussy that nobody got close to it, not even football players. Then, when Steve agreed to go to a turnabout dance with Tracey Jones, a plain, slightly pudgy girl instead of with Michelle, who was smoking hot, it really bugged Michelle. She offered Steve anything and everything if he'd dump Tracey, including her virginity."

"Wait! She'd give up her virginity to hurt this other girl?"

"Yes," Kara said. "But as it turns out, Steve reports that Tracey was one of the best lays he ever had!"

"Kara!" I huffed.

"Oh stop, Snuggle Bear. Tracey wouldn't object to me saying that! And she makes you look tame at this point! You got all her cherries, but only the conventional ones!"

I chuckled, "I suppose that's true. She and Marty are into swapping and multiple partners in just about every configuration, including orgies. She wanted a threesome with me and Marty, but I turned her down."

"True, but not before you teased Melanie incessantly about possibly agreeing!"

"Melanie was easy to tease," I said. "She had a seriously wild streak in High School, and Pete was too tame for her at that point. But that's more or less gone now and all that's left is the crazy French kisses that she gives me."

"But after her suicide attempt, you took her to her Senior Prom. I thought you sent her back to Pete."

"I did. That was part of her recovery, if you will. That was the last time she and I were together. She's been with Pete ever since."

"I'm curious about how that all came about," Jessica said.

"After Jennifer and I figured out why Melanie tried to kill herself, I promised Melanie that I'd take her to her Prom once she recovered, as a way to encourage her, and to show her that I understood my part in the whole thing. I can't go into the exact details of what happened, but suffice it to say that something I did and something I didn't do contributed to Melanie's state of mind. And, looking back, should have provided me some clues about other things that happened much later."

"You're being a bit obtuse, Tiger."

"I know. There are some confidences here that I just can't reveal."

"I know. We agreed that what was in the past was in the past."

"You know, Babe, we don't know all that much about your past. What deep dark secrets are you hiding from us?" I asked with a grin.

Jessica looked at me and I realized immediately that she did have something in her past that she hadn't told us about. Or at least hadn't told me. I didn't know if she told Kara things that she didn't tell me. That idea didn't bother me, because I was sure that there were things girls needed to talk about privately, and I'd had plenty of private conversations with both of my wives, as well as with others.

"There isn't enough time to tell you now, because I have to leave for work in ten minutes. I'll tell you next weekend."

"OK," I agreed.

While Jessica dressed for work, Kara and I did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. The three of us hugged and exchanged kisses, and Jessica left for the clinic. Kara and I packed up our things, locked up the apartment, and walked to my car for the drive back to Chicago.

"Do you have any idea what she's going to tell us?" I asked.

Kara shook her head, "No. I have no clue. But I wouldn't worry too much about it. It can't have been too bad, given everything we know about her."

"I suppose not," I said.

December 15, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

"What did I miss this morning?" I asked Julia when I arrived at the office after lunch on Monday.

"Cindi decided to hire Barbara after she talked to your sister and Charlie."

I nodded, "Good. That was the right choice. When does she start?"

"January 5th. It's just easier that way. Your sister signed the offer letter this morning. I did need to check your schedule for interviewing Heather Masterson, the programmer from the Quad Cities. Are you here the rest of the week?"

"I am. Did you have a day in mind?"

"Friday afternoon works best for her."

"Then set that up, assuming Dave is going to be here."

"He is. He won't go back up to Waukesha until after the 1st. We have the PO, by the way. It arrived this morning."

"Excellent. I see that Tasha is here. Penny will be here for two weeks starting Monday, minus the holidays, of course. Who's covering the support line on the 26th?"

"Charlie offered to do it. She said that she's not going home for Christmas."

"Elyse mentioned that the other day, so I knew that Charlie would be around for Christmas dinner. I don't expect many calls, so she'll be able to get some programming done. She's most likely going to be the only one here."

"She knows. She's OK with that. I told Kaitlin that she could come in if she wanted to, but that it wasn't necessary."

"She might, because she'll get paid for the day if she does," I said. "Anything else?"

"Elyse had something for you. She needs to assign employee numbers because we're growing and the payroll module for the accounting software requires it."

I chuckled, "I'll take zero!"

"Zero?"

"Supposedly, Steve Jobs had a fit when Steve Wozniak was given employee number one. He demanded to be zero."

"Even YOUR ego isn't that big," Julia said.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Honestly, just assign them in the order people were hired. Me, Dave, you, Cindi, Penny, Mario, and so on. That way, there are no arguments."

"What about the ones we let go?"

"I think Elyse has to keep records on them for some time, so just put them in the sequence. I hate to say it, but it's going to happen again. Any OTHER life-changing decisions that I need to make? Or can I get back to work, Boss?"

Julia laughed, "Go on. I'm working on the design for the bidding software that Charlie is going to write. Dave is up to his eyeballs in some issue with the medical software, Tasha is doing some testing for him, and Charlie is handling a change request from Purina."

"Good. Idle hands are the devil's workshop!"

"You sure must have had a lot of idle time, then!" she smirked.

I laughed and went to my office to get to work. I finished just after 5:00pm, and as soon as I arrived home, Kara and I walked across the backyard to the coach house.

"Happy birthday, Jen!" I said as we walked in.

"Hap' Birf'day, Mama!" Jesse said.

"He's been saying that every time someone wishes Jenny that," Josie said.

"Thanks," Jennifer said, giving me a hug and a rare soft kiss on the lips.

"None of that stuff, you two!" Josie teased.

"Mama kiss Dada!" Jesse gurgled.

"Watch it buster! Mama and Dada do NOT kiss like Mama and Mama!" Josie said mirthfully.

"Francesca kiss Jesse!" he giggled.

"You wish, you little turkey!" Josie said. "She's not here. Maybe we'll have her here for your birthday."

"Yes! Birf'day! Kiss!" he affirmed.

"When did THIS start?" Kara asked with a laugh.

"Just today. I kissed Jenny and wished her, well, you know, and he just went to town on kissing and Francesca and celebrations of a certain day."

"Birf'day!" Jesse said.

"OK. I give up!" Josie said. "This is your fault, Steve. You, you, MAN!"

Everyone laughed.

"What do you expect?" Jennifer asked. "He's a guy! I mean, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Oh, I noticed. He's just a little too smart for his own good!"

"Kind of like his dad?" Kara teased.

"Dada!" Jesse said. "Read Fox Socks!"

"Is it OK, Jen? Do I have enough time before dinner?"

"Ask your sister. She's in there cooking."

I walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Squirt!" I said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Oooh! Does that mean the same thing as when Penny kisses you?" she whispered.

"Even if it does, it's going exactly nowhere, and you know it!" I whispered back, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. "How long until dinner?"

"Twenty minutes. Go read to your son. I heard his demand."

"Thanks!" I said.