Chapter 13: Intervention

May 8, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

“How are you, Katy?” I asked when she arrived home.

“Depressed. I guess that sounds strange.”

“No it doesn’t. You told us before that it wasn’t a cause for celebration. And it’s not. The death of any relationship is hard. How was he?”

“Angry and confused, just as he’s been since I first told him about my sexuality.”

“Where’s Lauren?” I asked.

“Studying. She has finals next week, just as Kara does. I guess Kara’s studying?”

“Yes, with her ‘Chemistry Mafia’. And so is Jess, actually. She decided to take her Emergency Medicine certification exam in June.”

“That explains why you’re sitting in your study alone, playing some video game!”

“Elyse and Abbie haven’t come home from work yet and Veronica is with the kids. Normally, you wouldn’t be here yet, but I guess you decided not to go back to the office after the hearing.”

“Correct. Can I ask you a question?”

“Always.”

“If I can convince Lauren to come out to her parents, can she move in with me?”

“Yes, of course. But are you sure that’s wise? They’re paying for school, and all.”

“She received a grant that covers a good part of her tuition for her Junior and Senior years, and if she moved in here, I’d just increase what I’m paying you to cover for her. And I’d help her pay for her last two years of college.”

“This is sounding serious,” I said.

Katy nodded, “I love her. I’m sure of it. She says she loves me. I guess we’ll find out.”

“Are you sure it’s wise to do this now?”

“Is there ever a good time to blow up your relationship with your parents? The stress of the dual-life is eating her alive. I think this is the right solution. So does her best friend. It was Kylie who suggested to Lauren that it would be best to just get it over with. That’s when the three of us talked about my solution.”

“And long term?” I asked.

“Vermont, I think. Both of us want to live there. Maybe we’ll run a bed-and-breakfast and grow apples. We’ve talked about that. I’ve been saving a good chunk of my salary, and I have enough that we could do that.”

“I’d miss you, Katy O’Connor!” I said.

“I’d hope you would consider being our first guest, and that you would bring your wives there to get away every year.”

“I’d like that,” I said.

“Are you alone all night?” Katy asked.

I smiled, “Abbie already asked Kara and Jessica if she could have me once dinner is over given they’ll both be studying until bedtime.”

Katy smirked, “I wasn’t talking about sex, I just meant for company!”

“I’m sure we can work something out; I’m spending the night with Abbie.”

“Lucky girl!” Katy grinned.

“I’m the lucky one. And I remember that every single day!”

After dinner, Abbie, Katy, Elyse, and I spent some time together in the ‘Indian’ room while my wives studied. We had a good talk about Katy’s plans, and, in the end, the four of us agreed it probably was the best course of action. Katy did take our advice to wait until after finals to formally ask Lauren to move in.

“When is Veronica moving out?” Katy asked.

“The last day of the month,” I said. “That works out easiest with salary because we pay her by the month. You received your wedding invitation, right?”

“Yes,” Katy said. “And I checked to make sure my ‘plus guest’ could be my girlfriend. Catholics could have an issue with that.”

“Jennifer and Josie are going, so you’ll have good company in that regard!” I said. “And unless you’re planning to make out in the church, nobody will really notice. Abbie, on the other hand, will be quite obvious!”

Abbie smiled, “No, I won’t. I’m going as a blonde. In what all of you would call ‘normal’ clothes and normal makeup.”

“What?! Why?” I asked.

“Because as your nanny, I think there will be times when I need to take the kids places and don’t want to cause a stir.”

“But it’s not you! And none of us is going to give a damn about it.”

“Not me? You don’t think I’ve changed? You don’t think living here has had an influence on me?”

“I’m sure it has, but you changing like that doesn’t strike me as a good thing, necessarily.”

“I’m not the same person who came here a year ago,” Abbie said. “I’m not the fourteen-year-old-girl who decided to dress this way. All of you have shown me something very important.”

“What’s that?”

“That I belong here. With all of you. And if you think I’m feeling pressured to conform, I’m not. Really, those Sunday Rap Sessions combined with all the love, have really changed me.”

“You have one major impediment,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

Abbie smiled, “My little goth buddy.”

“He’s not going to take it too well,” Elyse said.

“I didn’t say I’d lost my mind and was going to dress the way all of you do all the time!” she laughed. “Just on certain occasions. I’ll explain it to him as being similar to how he’s allowed to dress the way I do on certain occasions. We already talked about it two months ago when I took him to Wendy’s for lunch. You’ve seen me without the makeup and in sweat pants and a t-shirt since then. He’s still little, obviously, but I told him he’d see me dressed the way I was at Halloween sometimes. I’ve just decided to do it outside the house occasionally.”

“As long as you’re doing it because you want to, not because you think we want you to,” I said.

“Are you going to be like Trish?” Katy asked.

Abbie shook her head, “No. I’m not hiding anything from anyone. Sure, maybe some people will be surprised, but that’s their problem, not mine. And I still plan to go to the club on Friday nights with Henry, Gaby, Trish, and Jorge.”

“When’s your last day at the record store?” Elyse asked.

“Friday of next week,” Abbie said. “Then I’ll spend time with Veronica and the kids. Kind of a transition. It shouldn’t be too bad because they know me.”

“Matthew has talked about nothing else,” Elyse said. “He’s totally psyched that you’re going to be his nanny.”

“Jesse is going to miss Veronica, but I think he’ll be much happier with Abbie’s more liberal attitudes.”

“Somebody has to keep that little turkey in check!” Katy laughed.

Elyse, Abbie, and I all answered simultaneously, “Birgit!”

“What is with that girl?” Katy asked.

“The boys simply accept that she’s in charge,” Elyse smirked. “As it should be!”

“We’ll see if it lasts,” I said. “I sense a rebellion brewing!”

Everyone laughed, and Abbie and I finished our tea. I went to my study where my wives were sitting with their study material and kissed them goodnight. I told Jess that I’d see her in the morning for our walk to work, and was promptly told to stay with Abbie, because Kara would walk with her. I hugged and kissed them both, then went upstairs with Abbie to her room.

Abbie went into her private bathroom and shut the door. I sat on the loveseat to wait, and about ten minutes later, Abbie came out, wearing a black teddy and her blonde wig.

“I thought you might like to make love to a blonde girl!” she giggled. “One who’s never, ever made love before!”

“I’d like that very much!” I smiled.

For the next hour, we role-played, with Abbie pretending to be completely innocent and unsure, and asking me to teach her. It was slow, sexy, and a lot of fun. She had several good orgasms, and I came hard as well.

“Did you like that?” she asked, as we cuddled afterwards.

“I liked the role-playing. You did a great job of pretending to be an innocent little virgin!”

“I could get other color wigs and we could do this again!”

“I think that’s a grand idea!” I replied happily.

“I’m going to stop dying my hair with permanent dye, so you’ll also get to do it with me au naturel eventually.”

“As long as you’re happy and comfortable with yourself.”

“I am. Thanks to you, your kids, and all your girls.”

May 12, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

“She’s ready to talk to you, I think,” Melody whispered. “Ask her at the end of class.”

I nodded. Melody had been slowly working on Stephanie to try to get her to at least talk to me. I hadn’t held out much hope, but it seemed like she’d had some success, though how much remained to be seen. I took my place in the front row next to Jolene and waited for Sensei Jim to start class. All I could think about was Stephanie, and I had to be extra careful during class to ensure I didn’t lose my focus on what I was supposed to be doing. The class seemed to drag, and when it finally finished, I went over to my sister.

“Hi,” I said.

“Hi,” Stephanie said flatly.

That was a good sign, in that the previous times I’d tried to talk to her she’d simply turned on her heel and walked away. Well, that wasn’t quite true. The first time I’d said ‘hi’ to her a few days after I’d seen Jorge’s injuries, she’d said ‘fuck you’. After that, it was the silent treatment.

“So?” I asked.

“Ed told me I had to talk to you before he’ll come visit me again.”

“If that’s what it takes, I won’t complain. How are you?”

“Like you really care?”

“Walk with me, Squirt,” I said.

We walked out of the dojo and I decided to head towards the house, rather than her dorm.

“No matter what you think, I do care,” I said.

“That’s why you ruined my whole life?” she spat.

“Ruined? What the heck are you talking about?”

“Are you stupid?” she asked angrily. “Kicked out of your house, kicked out of a job, and kicked out of your life!”

“None of those are true,” I said gently. “Especially that last one. You’re excluding yourself from my life. As for the others, living apart from me is a good thing for you, even if you don’t recognize it. And as for the job, it’s still yours! Dad, Joyce, and the rest of the board think you need some seasoning first.”

“Bullshit! This is all because I broke up with the family pet!”

“No, it’s not. And beating him up was completely out of line, Squirt. You’re fortunate I decided to put myself at risk by not telling Sensei Jim.”

“Fuck you!” she spat. “Listen to yourself! You’re more worried about how this affects you and the dojo and your business than how it affects me! So just fuck you!”

“Squirt...”

“Don’t you DARE call me that, you ASSHOLE!”

“Fine,” I sighed. “Shall I just go throw myself in the lake and kill myself to atone for all my sins?”

“Yes!” she said angrily.

“If you feel that way, why are we talking?”

“Because Ed told me I had to if I wanted to see him again!”

“And you think telling me to kill myself is what he had in mind?”

“Fuck it!” she screeched. “I don’t need him. Or you. Or Dad. Or anyone! Fuck all of you!”

She turned and started walking away. I knew that if I let her, or if I got dramatic, I’d lose her forever. This had to end now, and she had to get some help. I moved quickly and got in front of her and turned to face her, blocking her way. She tried to sidestep and I anticipated her move and she bumped into me.

“Out of my way, asshole!” she growled.

“No,” I said calmly. “We’re putting an end to this. Right here. Right now. You’re going to calm down, be rational, and get the help you need. And I’m going to make sure it happens.”

I knew what was coming next, and deftly blocked a jab that would easily have broken my nose had it connected. That enraged my sister even more, and she began lashing out wildly, just as Jolene had that day in the dojo. Unfortunately, we were standing on a public sidewalk. But it had to be done. Stephanie connected a few glancing blows on my shoulders, but otherwise I blocked, deflected, or dodged all of her strikes, including a couple of roundhouse kicks.

“What’s going on here?” I heard a gruff voice ask from behind me.

Keeping a wary eye on my sister, I looked behind me and saw two uniformed Chicago police officers.

“Everything is fine, officers. My little sister is upset and blowing off steam.”

“Step away from her, please,” he said.

“Yes, officer,” I agreed.

I backpedaled and she lunged for me. She missed, but that set the police officers into action. The one who’d been silent stepped up quickly and grabbed my sister’s arm. All I could do was watch helplessly as she flailed, trying to get past him to me.

“Miss, stop!” he ordered.

She didn’t pay him any heed.

“Stephanie!” I said sharply. “Stop!”

She continued to struggle and I knew right then things were going to end very badly.

“Miss, you are under arrest!” the first officer said, stepping past me.

“Stephanie! Stop! Just obey them!” I begged.

She struggled as they moved to handcuff her. When they finally had her cuffed, they moved her to their squad car, opened the back door, and manhandled her into the seat.

“Sir, may I see some ID please?” the first cop said to me.

I carefully reached into my pocket and withdrew the slim wallet I carried when I was running or at karate. I removed my Driver’s License and handed it to the officer.

“Mr. Adams, can you explain what happened?” he asked.

I wondered if I should call Melanie before talking to him, but I knew there was a chance that they’d let her go if I refused to press charges and explained things. They could still get her for resisting arrest, but I suspected that could also go away with an explanation.

“My sister and I have had a falling out. Her boyfriend and another friend encouraged her to talk to me. I thought we were going to try to work it out, but she was so upset that she lashed out at me. We both practice karate at JM Martial Arts, and if you noticed, I was simply blocking everything she did. Honestly, officers, I am not interested in pressing charges under any circumstances. She’s upset and she didn’t hurt me in any way.”

“You’re a black belt?” the second officer asked.

I almost made a smart-ass remark about the belt I was wearing, but managed to control my tongue.

“Yes. And she’s a brown belt. But again, officers, this is something she and I can handle between us. I should have waited until we were inside to try to talk to her, rather than do it on the public sidewalk.”

“That would have been smarter,” he said.

It seemed like I was making progress when my sister threw everything down the drain by lying on her back and kicking hard at the door of the squad car and screaming to be let out.

“Stay here!” the first cop ordered.

I sighed and muttered ‘fuck’ under my breath. The cop went to the car, opened the front passenger door and admonished my sister to stop. And that’s when it went right off the cliff.

“Fuck you, you cock sucking pig!” she screamed.

“Sir,” the second cop said, “We’re going to have to take her in. She’ll be at Grand Central. After she calms down, you can probably bail her out.”

There wasn’t much I could do except agree.

“OK, Officer. Thank you.”

He handed me my ID back and I stood helplessly on the sidewalk as they got into their squad car and drove away. As soon as they turned the corner, I set out for the house at a full sprint. I charged into the house, went straight to my study, and dialed Pete and Melanie’s apartment. She answered on the third ring.

“Stephanie’s been arrested!” I said without even a greeting.

“Shit!” Melanie replied. “For what?”

“At a minimum, resisting a police officer. I don’t know what else.”

“Give me the short version, then I’ll come to you.”

I ran through what had happened this morning, starting with Melody telling me that Stephanie was ready to talk and concluding with Stephanie calling the police officer a ‘cock sucking pig’.

“That does tend to ensure you’ll be arrested,” Melanie said. “Where did they take her?”

“Grand Central,” I said.

“OK. Just wait at home for me. Do you have cash on hand?”

“Yes. There’s nearly always a couple of thousand bucks in the safe in the basement.”

“OK. You shouldn’t need that much for bond. I bet they charge her with disorderly conduct in addition to resisting arrest. Both are probably misdemeanors, so bond should be easy to make. See you in about an hour.”

“Thanks, Melanie.”

“What’s going on?” Kara asked from the door of my study. “Why the call to Melanie?”

“Stephanie managed to get herself arrested because she lashed out at me when I was trying to talk to her.”

“Oh, no!”

“Oh, yes,” I sighed. “Ed told her she had to talk to me if she wanted to see him again. I think he’s deduced, probably with Bethany’s help, that my sister is highly volatile and needs help. I guess they all hoped that she and I could bury the hatchet and that would start things on the right path. She decided to bury it in my back.”

“What did she do?”

“Besides telling me I needed to kill myself to atone for my sins? She tried to beat me up on a public sidewalk. I’m not sure if someone called 9-1-1 or not. I think it was just a patrol car. When they told her to stop, she didn’t, then struggled with the cops when they restrained her. They cuffed her and put her in the car, and then she started kicking at the inside of the squad car and called the cops ‘cock sucking pigs’. That pretty much did her in.”