Chapter 8: Tentative Steps

April 6, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

It had been a wonderful ten days with Jessica in Chicago, and both Kara and I were sad to see her packing her things for her trip back to Indianapolis. We'd had a very good taste of what life would be like once Jessica was in Chicago full time, but that was still more than a year away. Between now and then, we'd be apart more than we were together.

"We'll miss you, Babe," I said as I put her bag into the back seat of her car.

"I'll miss you both! I'll see you in two weeks."

"Thanks for understanding," I said.

"Bethany's birthday is important, and the fact that Kathy got Bethany to agree to come here is a good thing. Take care of your friend, Tiger."

"I will," I said.

Kara and I each gave Jessica a soft kiss, and she got into her car and drove off with a wave. As we usually did, Kara and I waited until her car turned the corner before we turned to go back into the house. Jorge and Stephanie were just coming out, so we stopped to chat for a moment, and then went inside. Kathy and Kurt were waiting for us in the Indian room, so we went in and sat down.

"How is she doing?" I asked.

"OK, I think," Kathy said. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it's good for her to be away from here."

"I know," I sighed. "It was the right thing to do, even if it hurt. Is she still seeing Nick?"

"Yes," she said. "Once a week. They decided they'd have lunch on Saturdays; it's less pressure than a regular date. Both of them are hurting pretty badly, and both are skittish."

"Good," I said. "I mean, on the seeing each other, not on the hurting and skittish! You guys up for a sauna?"

"Always!" Kathy smirked. "Can we go see your son first?"

"Sure. I saw Jennifer and Josie in the great room, so he's probably in his playpen in my room."

We went upstairs and when I saw Jesse stirring, I picked him up. I regretted it immediately when I smelled him, but knew that I'd get no end of grief from Jennifer and Josie if I didn't change him myself. Kathy laughed when she saw me get out the clean diaper and a container of pre-wetted towels that Josie had bought. They were made by a company in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and intended for use in the car, but she found that they did a great job for wiping Jesse's butt.

"Remind me why I want to do this in the future?" Kurt laughed.

"Because you love me and you'll love our kids, silly!" Kathy answered.

I got Jesse cleaned up and handed him to Kathy while I went downstairs to dispose of the dirty diaper in the garbage can behind the house. Josie laughed when she saw me, but I just ignored her. I'd done it, so she couldn't really tease me about being afraid of dirty diapers. I headed back upstairs without acknowledging Josie's laughter.

"He's a good baby," Kathy said, rocking him in her arms.

"I agree, but then again, I'm biased!" I said. "I'd say he's hungry by the way he's going for your chest!"

Kathy laughed, "Nothing there for him at this point! I suppose we need to take him to his mommy."

"I am NOT sharing!" Kurt chuckled. "At least not with Steve's kid!"

We all laughed, and we went downstairs to deliver Jesse to Jennifer so that she could feed him. She took Jesse from Kathy and, as usual, unbuttoned her blouse, opened her nursing bra, and let him start to suck. The first time she'd done that with some of the college guys around, they'd freaked out, but by now, everyone was used to it. Kathy, Kurt, Kara, and I left the great room and went to the sauna. Kathy put up the 'Weekday Rules' sign, and we went in.

"Are you baking the cake or am I?" I asked Kathy as steam filled the sauna.

"I will," Kathy said. "You take care of the meal. There should be about a dozen of us. Nick is going to be here for sure."

"Good," I nodded.

"It was sweet of Jessica to let you do this for Bethany," Kathy said.

"It was. She encouraged me to fix my relationship with Bethany, at least as far as it can be fixed. At this point, it's up to Bethany."

"Just give her time," Kathy said. "I think eventually she'll work through it and it won't be so painful for her to see you."

"And Saturday?" I asked.

"Just tread carefully," she said.

"I promise. What kind of gift do you suggest?"

"Something completely functional. What about a Cross pen and pencil set? One of those nice desk sets that she'll be able to use in her office when she starts her practice?"

"Perfect!" I said. "I'll get a gold set and have it engraved with her name as well."

"Is everything else going OK?" Kathy asked.

"Yes," Kara interjected. "Between work, karate, and his baby, he's keeping busy, which helps him not miss Jess too much."

I smiled, "And it certainly doesn't hurt to have Kara here with me!"

"Well, Elyse still gets him one night a week," Kara smirked. "You know, practice for the Fall when they need to make a baby!"

"Steve needs practice?" Kurt laughed. "That'll be the day!"

When we finished in the sauna, we went to hang out with our friends and housemates in the sunroom, because it wasn't quite warm enough out to hang out in the back yard without light jackets. The main topic of discussion was the bombing of a disco in Berlin the previous night. It wasn't clear who was responsible for the bombing, but the club was a place where American servicemen liked to hang out.

"Add in the TWA bombing the other day when those four people were blown out of the plane, and it's shaping up to be another bad month," I said. "And if you go back just a day into March, there was that Mexicana flight that crashed, killing 170 people or so."

"Bad month?" Elyse said. "With the plane crashes and terrorist attacks, it's more like a bad few years! And after the Marine Barracks bombing, the whole Middle East has just gone crazy because of the revolution in Iran."

There was a consensus that things were probably going to get worse before they got better, and pretty much everyone agreed that in the end, US troops would be fighting somewhere in the Middle East. I certainly didn't relish that thought, especially with so many friends in the military.

Everyone except Kurt and Kathy left just before dinner, but they stayed to eat with Kara and me. They left after dinner and I went to my study to call Stephie.

"Better," she said in response to my question about how she was feeling.

"Great! We're really looking forward to seeing you and Red for Talladega!"

"LeAnn was fit to be tied when she heard you got married. She was looking for another roll in the hay! She said that High School boys just didn't measure up! And Emily said to say 'hello' and she got your tickets for Michigan."

"Tell her thanks. Have she and Walter set a date yet?"

"Not yet, but I think they will soon. Red and I set a date sooner than we originally planned."

"Awesome! When?" I asked.

"November 2nd. At Atlanta Motor Speedway!"

"Isn't that a race day?" I asked.

"Yes! We're getting married at the track. Jason talked to the chaplain and he'll do the wedding early in the morning before the race. We got infield tickets for everyone so we can barbecue and drink!"

I chuckled, "I am so not surprised that you two would get married at a race!"

"Oh, you don't even know the half of it! Alan Kulwicki is Jason's Best Man and Martha Elliott is going to be my Matron of Honor!"

"No way!"

"I'm not funnin' with you, Yankee. 8:00am on November 2nd. At the track. In Bill's garage area! Can I assume you'll be there?"

"Are you kidding?" I said, laughing. "Of course we'll be there!"

We spoke for a few more minutes and when I hung up, I was much, much happier about Stephie's situation. I didn't think she was fully out of the woods, because Jessica had warned me about how cancer could easily come back, but all the signs seemed positive. I wrote the dates for the races and the wedding in my day book, and then fired up my Macintosh to write in my journal.

April 12, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

" ... Happy birthday, dear Bethany! Happy birthday to you!" we finished singing.

Bethany blew out the candles on her cake and I dished out ice cream as Kathy cut and served cake. I'd made a special trip to Oberweis to get the good stuff, and it was greatly appreciated. When we finished the cake and ice cream, Bethany opened her presents. Her fingers moved nervously over the paper as she unwrapped the box I handed her, but she broke into a big smile when she opened it and saw the Cross pen and pencil set.

"Thanks," she said softly.

"You're welcome," I answered.

When we finished with the gifts, Kara, Kathy, and Kurt cleaned up while the rest of us went to the sunroom to hang out. Kathy, Kurt, and Kara came into the room from finishing dishes, and Bethany asked if she could talk to me. She motioned to Kathy, and the three of us went to the Indian room.

"I'm sorry I haven't been here for a while," Bethany said.

"Don't worry about that," I said. "I totally understand. When you're ready, come back. I'll be here."

She frowned, "I know. That's part of the problem. I promised that I'd always be your best friend, no matter what! And I reneged on that promise."

"It's OK, Bethany," I said soothingly. "I'm here for you when you need me. On your timing."

Kathy smiled and nodded. We'd discussed the best way to respond to what she knew Bethany was going to say to me. I was the one who suggested that Kathy sit with us when we talked, and Kathy had quickly agreed with me.

"Thanks. Can I have a hug?"

I looked to Kathy, who shrugged, then nodded. I stood up and Bethany came to me. I held my arms out, waiting to see what she would do. She surprised me by wrapping her arms around me in a fierce bear hug. I closed my arms around her and held her gently until she finally released me.

"Just let me know what you need from me," I said.

"I will," she said.

We went back to join all of our friends to finish celebrating Bethany's birthday. Later that evening, when everyone had left, Kara and I used my speaker phone to call Jessica.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"Good, I think," I said. "Bethany seemed happy, and we talked briefly. She asked for a hug, which I thought was a good sign."

"And Nick was at the party?"

"Yes, though she's being very careful with that situation. Overall, she's doing better."

"Good. Remember what I told you — do whatever you need to do to fix things with her."

"I know. The ball's in her court, and it has to stay there. But today was promising. How was your first week on pediatrics?"

Jessica sighed, "One baby, like Jesse, is cute. A hundred babies is a nightmare! I prefer my patients anesthetized!"

"It does make for fewer complaints and a quieter work environment!" I teased.

"True! How are we going to handle your birthday?" she asked.

"Elyse, Sofia, and Kathy know you can't be here on Tuesday, so they're planning a party for Saturday."

"They do take good care of you!" Jessica said.

"That they do. Penny invited me to dinner on Tuesday. She'll have some of her friends there, too."

Jessica giggled, "What did Kara say?"

"She said it was fine because the two of you would celebrate privately with me Saturday evening."

"Is Penny still trying to get her claws into you?" Jessica teased.

"She's already got them in me, but it's about programming, not sex. She'll just have to find another guy for that!"

Jessica laughed, "You'd do it with her in a heartbeat if you had permission and she didn't work for you!"

"Those are pretty big 'ifs', Babe. Penny's been dating a guy named Jonathan. She told me she kissed him goodnight last night, and I got the drift that she gave him one of THOSE kisses."

"Good. Perhaps the little sexpot will forget about you!"

"Never!" I said. "She and I are going to be joined at the hip for the rest of our lives. For programming."

"Speaking of that, did your new person start?" Jessica asked.

"Casey starts tomorrow. He'll work with Tom and Charlie to finish the Purina work, which is mostly bug fixes at that point. Charlie will support Purina going forward and Casey and Tom will move on to the Waukesha project. We worked it out so that I'll only need to be up there two days a week. Dave will be there one day a week for the next eighteen months. Julia and I will go up as needed for meetings."

"I'm glad you worked it out so you don't have to travel as much."

"Actually, Julia and I are flying out to Los Angeles on May 6th to meet with a law firm there. They already use Novell and WordPerfect, and they are interested in our legal software."

"Wow! That's great, Tiger! How has school been this week, Kara?"

"The usual. It's a good thing I don't have a gun because I'd shoot my Organic Chemistry TA!"

I chuckled, "You have a key to my safe deposit box. The Beretta is in there, along with a couple of boxes of ammo!"

"You have a gun?" Jessica asked, sounding astonished.

"Hey, I grew up in Ohio. We like guns just as much as Texans!" I chuckled. "Chicago frowns on them, though."

"Keep it away from our wife, Tiger! We don't need THAT problem!" Jessica laughed.

"I wouldn't do it, Jess!" Kara laughed. "But it's fun to think about!"

April 19, 1986, Chicago, Illinois

"I want to dance with you later!" Penny said when she came in to work on Saturday morning.

"Me too!" Charlie said.

"You both may have your dances at the party!" I said.

"Horizontal?" Charlie teased.

"Yes!" Penny quickly agreed.

"Riiiiiggghht!" I chuckled. "Like my wives would permit THAT!"

"Back when we were seeing each other, I heard that for your 20th birthday all the girls took turns with you!" Charlie laughed.

"I also wasn't married, young lady. Besides, both of you work for my company!"

"He's a big meanie, isn't he?" Penny giggled.

"Yes, he is!" Charlie agreed, barely restraining her own giggles.

A couple of hours later, Kara, Stephanie, and Sofia came to the door to let me know it was time for our karate class. Penny gave me a kiss on the cheek like she usually did, and I went up to my room to put on my gi and brown belt. I was leading the class, so the girls had come to the door in plenty of time to make sure that we weren't late. When we lined up, I stood in my normal spot in the front row, to the left of the three black belts, until Sensei Jim called me to the front.

I ran the class through the usual warm-up exercises, then through the basic punch and kick combinations. When we finished, I took the white and yellow belts aside and taught them their next kata, and worked with them on their punching techniques. Sensei Jim spent about half his time with the black belts and the other half monitoring my progress. I saw him smile and nod several times as I corrected small errors in techniques.

"You're watching carefully," Sensei Jim said at the end of class. "And you're showing good patience when you teach. I'm happy with your progress. If you continue in this same way, I'll give you your first test in June."