Chapter 52: Fourth of July Weekend, Part II

July 3, 1988, Chicago, Illinois

"Have fun!" Jessica said.

"You're sure you're OK with this?" I asked.

"Yes. You said yourself that the reality of these things is way tamer than what people imply. I think you might shock a few people with answers to 'truth' questions!"

"Maybe," I chuckled.

"And remember, they're likely to be a lot less experienced than you are, so be careful about the dares. And you know the rules."

I nodded, "I added one — nobody who uses drugs. And I don't just mean at this get-together. That little shitshow here during Stephanie's party was more than enough for me."

"We were all lucky. It's hard to truly police it. We can't even prevent doctors from using drugs. One of the Residents just checked himself into rehab in Colorado for addiction to painkillers. It's not an uncommon thing with the stress and easy access to drugs."

"Wonderful," I sighed.

"Drug abuse, alcoholism, and mental or physical breakdowns are all pretty common in the medical field, and not just among students and residents. And it can be really hard to detect. And we already talked about the divorce rate. There's also suicide."

"Physician, heal thyself?"

"Pretty much," she replied.

"I invited Jolene and her daughter for tomorrow's party," I said.

"OK. I'll let Elyse know."

"What are you guys doing this afternoon?" I asked.

"Josie and Jennifer suggested that we go to the beach. We're taking all the kids. Karl and Ginny are meeting us there, and bringing a large umbrella so the kids can hide from the Sun. We'll make sure your Pumpkin doesn't burn!"

"You like that nickname?" I asked.

"It's as good as any, I guess. It's not quite as stereotypical as 'Princess' and I guess 'Sweetheart' is already taken."

"And so is 'Peaches'," I said.

"Go have fun, Tiger. I hope you're not disappointed!"

"With no expectations? How could I be?"

I kissed Jessica and Kara, then kissed Birgit on the forehead and went upstairs to take a quick shower. I dressed, grabbed a few rubbers just in case, and then headed out of the house and south towards the UofC dorms. I checked the address and found the correct building. I stopped at the desk to check in and they called up to make sure I was invited. Once Melody gave the OK, the student at the desk directed me to the elevators and I went up to the third floor. I walked down the brightly lit hallway to Melody's room and knocked on the door.

"Hi!" she said happily, opening the door to let me in.

"Hi!" I responded.

I walked into a neatly kept suite that had a modest common room with a couch, a chair and a TV set, and doors that led to a shared bathroom and two smallish bedrooms. I didn't see anyone else, which surprised me. There were snacks on the table, and I saw several cartons with bottles of soda near the sink of the small kitchenette that had a warming plate, sink, and small refrigerator.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"They'll be here in about thirty minutes. I wanted some time alone with you!"

"To talk about karate?" I asked, deadpan.

"No!" she giggled. "Of course not! Do you want something to drink?"

"Dr Pepper if you have it, Coke if not."

"Coke it is then," she said, getting a bottle from the fridge and replacing it with one from a carton on the counter.

She handed me the Coke, and we sat on the couch.

"Were you serious about what you said to me outside the ER?" she asked.

"About having enough freedom to screw you until your eyes rolled back in your head and you passed out?"

"Yes."

"If I was so inclined," I smirked.

"Can I ask you a serious question, no joking?"

"Yes, of course."

"Is that even possible? I mean, to have sex until you're unconscious?"

"That's a good question. I suppose it depends on what you mean. Certainly enough so that you basically collapse from exhaustion. I've had my head spinning and felt like I was going to faint or pass out, but I don't think I've ACTUALLY passed out. Collapsed out of exhaustion though? Sure."

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Shouldn't we wait for 'Truth or Dare'?" I said with a grin.

"Actually, that's what I want to ask about. Do you have any limits?"

"Other than the ones I told you about? Everyone tested for STDs, and using a rubber to prevent pregnancy, and no drugs? No."

"None?"

"Well, I won't do anything with guys," I said.

She laughed, "That won't be a problem! That's just gross!"

"My turn for a question, then. What do you think about Jennifer and Josie?"

"The women who have your son Jesse?"

"Yes."

"It doesn't bother me, really. But two guys together just grosses me out! I mean, they can do whatever they want, you know, but yuck!"

"So you'd kiss a girl on a dare?" I smirked.

"I thought you said we had to wait for the game to ask those questions!"

"I did," I agreed. "What are your rules?"

"Well, X-rated, as I said. But I want to make sure everyone is cool with stuff, so if you get a dare you don't want, you don't have to do it. BUT, if the person who dared you will do it, and actually does, then you get one strike. On the third strike, you're out of the game and have to leave. That kind of keeps things under control, because nobody is going to dare someone to do something totally insane, because then they'd have to do it if the person refused it. And the usual rule that you can't take more than two 'Truth' options in a row."

"That makes a lot of sense," I said. "Have you done this before?"

"In High School, but the rules said it had to be stuff you could do with your clothes on. Now that I think about it, in High School, the 'Truth' part was scarier than the 'Dare' part. Who wants to admit, in public, some of the things they did?"

I nodded, "But in college it's different?"

"Because at this point, we've all done crazy stuff! In High School, some kids are still virgins, or not very experienced, or afraid to do a lot of stuff like drinking or toking or whatever. Or if they have, they're afraid to admit it. You know, like the girl who has to admit she gave blowjobs to football players after a game, or the guy who never had sex having to admit it."

"It sounds like you thought this through. Did you tell the others?"

"Yes. They all agreed to those rules. I made sure they knew exactly where this could lead if it gets to that point."

"OK. How are you liking karate?" I asked.

"It's fun. And I already lost two pounds without changing how I eat! Are you going to help Jacquelyn?"

"I'm going to try. I guess you saw me talking to her after class?"

"Yes. What's her story, if you can tell me?"

"Let's just say that she needs friends and leave it at that. She moved from Pittsburgh and has had a hard time getting adjusted."

"At least that's a big city! I moved from Casper, Wyoming, population six!"

I laughed, "I know it's not that small!"

"No, it's not. It's about 50,000 people. But compared to Chicago, it's like flyspeck! There are a hundred times as many people in Greater Chicago!"

"True. But she came from a suburb. It's kind of like me being from Milford, Ohio. Population 5,000. But it's close to Cincinnati, which has a few hundred thousand. It's all in perspective. I lived in a rural area before I moved to Hyde Park. My parents had more land than a lot of parks in Chicago!"

"Same here. We actually lived outside the city limits and had about 20 acres. That's what was left of my grandfather's cattle farm when he died. The rest of the land went to the bank or was sold to pay taxes. That's why I have to struggle for tuition, and work to get even a little spending money. I'm guessing you didn't."

"Well, yes and no. I paid my way by starting a computer software company and then selling it. I also saved a lot of money that I made from it before I sold it, and I had a couple of generous gifts from friends."

"I need friends like that! I'll be paying my loans until I'm 40! But back to Jacquelyn, I could try to be her friend, too."

"Right now, just talking to her probably would help. I don't know her family or her well enough to know what her parents would think of her hanging out with college kids. But please, talk to her after class or before class. It'll help."

We talked for a bit more about karate, school, and her hometown, and then there was a knock at the door. Melody got up to answer it and in came Peggy, Lisa, and Nancy, all girls I recognized from the party. Because they had just knocked, I assumed they lived in this dorm.

"You're all taking Summer classes?" I asked after greeting them.

"No way!" Lisa laughed. "We all live in Chicago, so we're not in the dorm."

"How'd you get in?"

"A school ID is all it takes during the Summer."

Melody offered them drinks, and a few minutes later, there was another knock at the door. This time it was Cheryl and another girl I didn't recognize who introduced herself as Jenna. She was the one who had babysat, but who I'd not seen. At the rate things were going, there were going to be ten or twelve people crammed into the small dorm room.

"Everyone's here! We can start!" Melody said.

I laughed, "You're kidding, right? No guys?"

"You're a guy!" Lisa said with a smirk. "I know because I saw you naked in the sauna!"

"I meant other guys," I said with a smirk.

"There was a trust issue," Cheryl said. "We couldn't agree on which guys we could invite. The pickings were slim because it's Summer break. Len and Bob would have been agreeable, but they both went home for the Summer. Are you complaining?"

"No way!" I grinned.

Melody got everyone drinks and went over the rules. I was more comfortable now, because I felt I could control things and keep them from getting too far out of hand. Of course, MY definition of out of hand was probably way past the experience of any of these girls. Then again, I could be totally wrong about that.

"Did everyone bring their paper from the clinic?"

They all pulled folded papers from their pockets or purses and handed them to Melody.

"I can't believe you made me get tested for VD!" Cheryl objected.

"I didn't MAKE you do anything," I said. "It was just a prerequisite for me playing the game, like buying a ticket to get into Wrigley Field for a Cubs game. You're here, so I'll assume you wanted to play badly enough that it was worth it."

"We'll see," she said.

The game started with Melody, and she chose Lisa. As I expected, Lisa said 'Truth' and was asked a fairly tame question: Where she'd had her first time. Her answer was the backseat of her boyfriend's Plymouth Fury. I chuckled to myself, having had a fun experience in a Plymouth Fury with Cassie Schneider when I was fifteen. I smiled as the game continued and the girls asked each other questions along the same line. It wasn't until the sixth round that Cheryl called on me and I chose 'Truth'.

"How old were you for your first time?"

"Fourteen." I said to several shocked looks.

I felt turnabout was fair play, and called on Cheryl, who chose her second 'Truth', which meant her next time would have to be 'Dare'.

"How old were you for your first time?"

She looked down and muttered something under her breath, then said, "Nineteen."

Peggy started laughing. "So much for screwing under the stands at a football game when you were a Sophomore in High School!"

"Wait!" I chuckled. "I thought only guys lied about stuff like that!"

I knew that wasn't true, but I felt it was a funny thing to say.

"Yeah, well, now you know better!" Peggy said.

Unsurprisingly, Cheryl called on Peggy and asked the same question. Peggy didn't mutter, she said 'Bitch' aloud before she answered.

"Twelve."

"Twelve?!" Melody gasped. "Holy shit! Really?"

"Really. He was thirteen, and it lasted about five seconds! He never got any better, either," she groused. "I dumped him when he was fourteen and I found a Senior who had at least a basic idea of how to fuck!"

All the girls laughed, and I did my best not to, but failed.

A few more rounds passed with 'Truth' selected, leaving me as the only one with the ability to say 'Truth' when Jenna called on me.

"Truth," I said.

"How old was the girl you were with?"

I smirked, "Twenty-three."

"No way!" Cheryl said. "He's lying! No twenty-three-year-old is going to screw a fourteen-year-old!"

"And yet it happened," I said. "If you don't believe me, we can stop the game and walk over to my house and you can ask someone who's known me since then!"

"You dog!" Lisa smirked.

Now I had to call on someone, and everyone was on 'Dare'. I knew I was going to call on Cheryl, but the question was what the dare could be. It had to be something I would do, which actually made it interesting. I could do something like dare her to go down on one of the other girls and if she didn't, I'd have to do it. Of course, it would require agreement of the person I picked, so it was risky. But I'd start a bit easier.

"Cheryl," I said.

"Well, I have to take 'Dare'. What is it?"

"I dare you to play the game for the next ten minutes bare-chested."

The other girls laughed.

"Oh sure! YOU could do that without showing anything!"

"Be happy I didn't pick something even more risqué!" I said smugly. "So, either lose your t-shirt and bra or take a strike."

She glared at me, but I had her. She quickly stripped off her t-shirt and then her bra, revealing a very ample chest. Larger than I preferred, but certainly nice to look at. I thought she might be bigger than Kara, though she wasn't as big as Cindi.

"Happy?" she asked. "I call on Steve!"

"Go on, dare me!" I smirked.

"I dare you to play the next ten minutes buck naked!" she smirked.

I looked her directly in the eyes, stood up, kicked off my shoes, stripped off my polo and pushed my shorts and underwear down. I tossed them aside, then sat down and removed my socks, all without breaking eye contact or covering up.

"Jesus," Jenna whispered.

"That was hardly a dare," Melody laughed. "Lisa and I saw him naked in the sauna. He's been doing that since he was fourteen. And he's in damned good shape from karate, so he has nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I think he's gay," Cheryl said, then pointed to her chest. "No reaction to these?"

"Nah, I've seen enough of those to not get excited about them," I said smoothly.