Chapter 46: Out With the Old; In With the New, Part I

December 28, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

“Hi, Sweetheart!” I said, pulling Bethany into a hug.

“Hi, Steve!”

“Hi, Unca’ Steve!” Nicholas said.

“Hi, Nicholas!” Jesse called out before I could reply.

“Jesse!” Nicholas shrieked.

“Let’s put these two guys in the Indian room,” I said. “Jesse brought some of his toys over, and we put a few other things in there, too. I’ll take your bag upstairs. You guys are using the spare room up there.”

“I hear you have a full house,” she said.

“Only until tomorrow. All the grandparents except the Blocks are leaving by mid-day.”

“I haven’t seen Jennifer’s parents in years!”

“You know your way around,” I said. “Go on. We can talk after everyone leaves.”

She smiled, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and took Nicholas with her. I grabbed her bag and took it upstairs, then went back down to join the chaos.

December 29, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

Bethany and I were sitting in the Indian room drinking tea, having just bid farewell to the last of the grandparents, save the Blocks.

“Don’t you have karate this morning?” she asked.

“No. Sensei Jim closed the dōjō from Christmas Eve until the 2nd of January. I love karate, but it is nice to have some time off.”

“I hear you’re planning a trip to Sweden and Russia.”

“I’m working on it.”

“But it will be just you and Jesse?”

“Yes. Jess will be six months pregnant by then. It’s also the case the girls think we each need some time to ourselves.”

“Having Jesse along isn’t exactly time to yourself!” Bethany countered.

“True, but each of us agreed to do something without the other two once a year. Jessica is going to go to a medical conference at some resort, and Kara will go to a chemistry symposium.”

“That’s probably healthy for your relationship. And taking Jesse ensures he doesn’t kill you for not taking him to Russia!”

I chuckled, “He did have a great time there when he was two! And you’re right. He’d KILL me if I went without him.”

Bethany giggled, “The Adams men loose on the streets of Stockholm and Moscow? Look out!”

“Saint Petersburg, most likely. That’s where Vanya Voronin lives. He was elected to the Congress of People’s Deputies back in March. Tatyana still works for the Foreign Ministry, and Dmitry is still a Colonel in the 1st Guards Tank Army, though his unit is relocating from East Germany to Russia. In her last letter, Tanya told me he’s being given command of a tank regiment in the 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division starting in February.”

“It’s pretty amazing that you have friends in the KGB and Red Army!”

“Former KGB! You know Katya works for Patrick Shaughnessy now. How are things with you?”

“OK. I miss all my friends, but Milford is the right place for Nicholas and me.”

“You’re welcome here anytime. Just remember that!”

“I know. And I’m grateful to you and Kathy for everything you two have done for me.”

“What’s your opinion of Ed and my sister?” I asked.

“Probably the same as yours — wait and see. I know he’s being very cautious because of how volatile she can be, but I think she’s making progress. How’s Jorge?”

“He’s doing OK. I see him for breakfast and Guys’ Night, and we keep in touch. He’s dating, but nobody serious.”

“And Katy?”

“She’s OK, I think. She was pretty emotionally battered by what happened with Lauren, but going to Vermont seems to have helped her move on.”

“A new environment can do that. What’s she doing?”

“Working in a store in the small town where she lives and looking to open a bed-and-breakfast and grow apples. She may have found the place. She needs some financial help, so I’m going to Vermont on the 3rd to see the place. Assuming it checks out, I’ll provide financing.”

“Like your deal with Jackie Ferguson?”

“Similar, I suspect. That one is still a year or so off, at least according to Jackie’s latest plan.”

“Sorry to keep bouncing around subjects, but are Sofia, Alejandra, and Leila coming to the New Year’s party?”

“Yes. We’re starting early this year — everyone is welcome from noon on. At last count, we’ll have more than ninety people here.”

“Your parties are pretty popular! Is Jesse’s girlfriend coming?”

“Which one?” I asked with a smirk.

“Why am I not surprised?!” Bethany laughed. “Kathy did mention that Kristin was competing with Francesca.”

“And Jesse is loving every minute of it!”

“Just like his dad!”

“Birgit is probably going to be like Jesse, given who her parents are.”

“Promise me, Steve!” she said firmly.

“I don’t need to. There is no way anything like that is going to happen. I learned my lesson. And you know damned well that neither Jessica nor Kara would tolerate something like that.”

“Trust, but verify,” she said, using Reagan’s line that Nick had liked to quote.

“I understand.”

“Good.”

December 31, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

“Hi, Francesca!” Jesse said when Carol brought her to the house.

“Hi!” she said, hugging and kissing him.

Trouble started immediately. Kristin, who had been playing with Jesse, had followed him to the door. As soon as Francesca hugged and kissed him, Kristin did the same thing but didn’t let go of Jesse.

“Jesse!” Francesca complained.

“Why don’t you kids come with me,” Jessica said, taking the girls by the hand.

“How long has that been going on?” Carol asked quietly.

“A few months. Kristin saw Francesca kiss Jesse and decided to kiss him herself. It appears we have our own little love triangle!”

“Who’s watching the kids tonight?”

“April Henderson and her friend Sarah. Neither of them is twenty-one, so they don’t really want to go out.”

“Thanks for the gift certificate,” she said.

“You’ll love Alex’s place. He does a great job for New Year’s Eve. Enjoy yourselves, and don’t worry about your daughter. We’ll referee any spats between the girls!”

“I can’t believe they’re acting like this at age five!”

“Jesse isn’t quite five yet, and Kristin is only three-and-a-half!” I chuckled. “It’s good practice for later in life!”

“That’s my concern,” Carol replied sourly. “‘Practice’.”

“Let’s worry about that when they hit puberty. For now, it’s just little kid stuff.”

“I suppose,” she reluctantly agreed. “We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Have fun!” I said.

She left, and I went to find Jessica and the kids. I laughed when I saw Francesca and Kristin facing off with each other, both with their hands on their hips. Jessica had a wry smile on her face, and Jesse was looking smug as always.

“Everything OK here?” I asked.

“She can’t kiss my boyfriend!” Francesca declared.

I suppressed a laugh. Maybe Carol was right, and it WAS a concern.

“I kiss Kara and Jessica and Elyse,” I said. “And none of them get mad.”

“But he’s my boyfriend!” she protested.

“How about you guys go play with the other kids?” Jessica suggested. “They’re all in the sunroom.”

The girls ended their staring match and followed Jessica to the sunroom. She was back in the great room a minute later.

“That’s going to blow up very soon,” Jessica said quietly. “I hope Jesse is prepared!”

“I managed,” I grinned. “Maybe he will, too!”

“But how many girls did you run into that couldn’t handle your lifestyle? Many tried, but in the end, only Kara and I could commit to it for life.”

“I think right now he’s just mimicking his dad,” I said. “In the long run, he’ll figure out what he wants and then have to find someone who wants the same thing. He has a lot of time to figure that out.”

“He and Francesca have been an item for four years, right?”

“About that, yes,” I replied. “But obviously, Kristin doesn’t care!”

“True. The girls have a real advantage — there are way more boys in the group than girls at this point.”

“Then you’ll just have to have a girl!” I teased.

“It’s months before I can find out,” Jessica replied, “so for now, we’ll just have to wait to see!”

Our friends trickled in over the next several hours, and to my delight, none of them were missing except Marty and Tracey. Josh and Mary had flown to Ohio for Christmas, and then come to Chicago for the party. They’d be flying home late on New Year’s Day. Among the last to arrive were Al and Belinda Barton and their kids.

“Fawn, you’re eighteen, but no drinking. Do you hear me?” Belinda commanded.

“Yes, Mom,” Fawn sighed, rolling her eyes.

“And remember our rule about dancing.”

“Yes, Mom!” Fawn groaned. “Stop embarrassing me!”

I suppressed a laugh because I knew there would be at least five or six young Navy officers at the party. Karl had extended the invitation, with my urging, to most of his staff, plus a few other men he knew. My sister, Sofia, Alejandra, and Leila had invited a number of their school friends, which meant there would be quite a few eligible women at the party as well.

Fawn and Gerry went on into the house while Al gathered all their coats to put in my study, which was doubling as a cloakroom.

“She’s a handful,” Belinda said quietly as we walked to the great room. “And it drives Al to distraction. So I get to play the heavy so he doesn’t go overboard.”

“What’s he going to do when she goes to the conservatory?” I asked.

“Buy a chastity belt!” he said gruffly from behind me.

I turned and nodded gravely, “I understand your sentiment.”

“But you don’t agree with it, do you?” he stated quite sternly.

“No, I don’t. But that’s between you and your daughter. I have NOTHING to say about it.”

“Wise, Steve,” Belinda said. “Al can be a bit irrational on the topic.”

She was clearly needling him, and the last thing I needed to do was end up in the middle of such an exchange, so I just kept my mouth shut in that regard.

I smiled, “Welcome! And enjoy the party!”

Belinda laughed, and Al fought a smile but lost. The three of us walked from the foyer to the great room and joined the rest of our guests. I watched Fawn talking with some of the Navy guys, and Al’s eyes didn’t leave her for a second. I simply smiled again and walked over to where Jessica and Kara were sitting.

“Your mentor and his daughter are at odds,” I said.

“No kidding, Tiger! I see him watching her like a hawk. But I think that horse might have escaped the barn months ago!”

“Too much information!” I protested.

“You are STILL afraid of that little girl!” Kara teased.

“No, I’m afraid of her father! It’s like with Tatyana — I was never afraid of her, but I sure was concerned about Colonel Anisimova!”

“Not too many parents frightened you, did they?” Jessica asked.

“Not really,” I said. “I was usually on very good terms with them. Kara’s dad was one of the exceptions. It was one of the things that drove my mom absolutely nuts. She called me a fraud and a phony and insisted I had to be deceiving those parents to get them to like me.”

“Well, you didn’t exactly announce you were screwing their daughters, did you?”

Kara laughed, “I think he did, actually!”

I grinned, “Melanie’s parents knew. So did Jennifer’s. And if you’ll excuse the mention, so did Becky’s. And Karin’s. And Pia’s. And Sofia’s. And Katt’s. And Bethany’s. Well, you get the point.”

“No, THEY got the point,” Jessica giggled. “The girls, I mean!”

“I’m not sure that giggling is becoming a second-year Resident,” I said with a smirk.

“Tiger, if you aren’t careful, I’ll remove your balls. You don’t need them anymore, after all!”

“I like them right where they are, thank you very much!”

“On a serious note, did you think more about the vasectomy?”

“It probably makes sense,” I said. “Elyse had her tubes tied, but I think I should probably do it to reduce the risk of another situation like the one that caused our break-up.”

“You’ve been very lucky, Tiger. Only one unintended pregnancy with all those girls, and that one really was only unintended by you.”

“Once I decide for sure, do you have a urologist you’d recommend?” I asked.

“Yes, but let’s worry about that after the party!”

I nodded and kissed my wives, then went to find Sofia and Stavros. I found them in the great room.

“Are you planning to read your usual New Year’s poem?” I asked.

“Yes! Do you want to hold Alexa?”

“Sure!” I said, taking her six-month-old baby from her.

“How are your rotations going?” I asked.

“So far, so good! It’s a bit of a juggling act with Alexa, but we have help from Stavros’ family, and we have a regular babysitter from his grandma’s church.”

“The cathedral, right? Where Dave and Julia attend?”

“That’s right,” Stavros said. “We go for Christmas and Pascha, but that’s about it. We did have Alexa baptized. It keeps the peace in both families!”

“Are you still going to the Russian church occasionally?” Sofia asked.

“Occasionally, but you know very well that my family situation limits my participation. Not to mention not being sure what I believe.”

“The services are beautiful, no matter what,” Stavros said. “A bit of ritual is good for us.”

“That’s very true, especially in death.”

“You’ve seen too many young people die,” Sofia said.

“I have. How about we change the subject! Do you still hear from any friends back in Hovås?”

“Just Petra. She has two kids now. Otherwise, I’ve lost touch with everyone. I’ve been here six years now.”

“How’s Frederick? And your parents?”

“Good. They may come to visit during the Summer. I heard through the grapevine you’re taking a trip next Summer.”

“Probably. I’ll stop in Stockholm, then go on to Saint Petersburg.”

“You’ve been hanging out with those Russian émigrés!” she laughed. “It’s Leningrad and has been for a long time!”

“Want to make a bet the name changes back when the Soviet Union dissolves in the next few years?”

“No bet!” she laughed.

“I need to go check on the food,” I said. “Stavros, may I dance with your girlfriend later?”

“Fiancée,” he corrected.

“No way!” I laughed. “Sofia Katsaros getting married? Wow!”

“Oh, come on,” she protested. “I’m not as bad as Mary! And even she and Josh are engaged!”

“Say what?!” I asked, reeling.

“Yep. She told me when they arrived. You didn’t see the rock on her finger?”

“I wasn’t the one who let them in and haven’t had a chance to talk to them yet.”

“It just happened on Christmas Day. He proposed, and she accepted.”

“Very cool!”

I took a detour on the way to the kitchen to find Josh and Mary playing pool with Pete and Melanie.