Chapter 6: The Game Begins

Sunday, July 17, 2011 6:45am

Jesse was a creature of habit. It didn’t matter whether it was a school day or not, he was awake and up at six in the morning and ready to start the day. It wasn’t that he was especially enthused with going to school or work, but just that as a “morning person” he was at his most alert and active. Therefore, if he was going to use the exercise facility, early morning was the ideal time.

It didn’t take him long to discover that Kirsten Gustafson was a morning person as well ... or so it seemed. She too was a creature of habit, usually appearing around six-forty five in the room if no hockey practice was scheduled. On weekdays, there were two or three other people in the room, usually there from forty minutes to an hour. The others were usually gone between seven and seven-thirty, likely to work. Jesse had time on his hands and stayed until he was either finished or too tired to continue.

Kirsten’s workout was very aggressive and Jesse couldn’t help but notice how much time she put into weight training. He was unfamiliar with women using weights and wondered if it was healthy. He tried to watch her without being obvious about it. She worked hard, both with weights and using the treadmill. There was a device that simulated climbing stairs and she spent some time on that as well. There was no question after having watched her that, despite her size, she was in amazing physical condition. Her body was statuesque.

While Jesse rode a stationary bike, Kirsten passed him on the way to another station. He took the opportunity to engage her.

“Good morning, Kirsten.”

She looked briefly at him, nodded, and said, “Good morning, Jeremy.”

“It’s Jesse,” he said with a hint of irritation. She didn’t respond.

“Well, I guess I still haven’t made much of an impression on her,” he thought. However, they’d be seeing each other fairly often, so he was confident she’d get it right sooner or later.

Kirsten smiled secretly to herself. She enjoyed teasing this boy, but not too boldly. She didn’t encourage unwanted advances, the teasing being more a way of putting him on the defensive. Jesse was quite good looking and so far he appeared to be polite. Nevertheless, a little fun with him was just a diversion – something to amuse herself.

As the days of July wore on, bits and pieces of Jesse Peterson’s new life began to come together. The birth certificate was issued by the province, and that set in motion the paperwork needed to apply for a Social Insurance Card (Federal), Care Card (Provincial Ministry of Health), and ultimately, a driver’s license (Provincial). Each step along the way brought Jesse closer to being acknowledged as a legal citizen of Canada and British Columbia. And as each of these steps fell into place, Jesse felt more and more like he might survive in this new world.

It took him a couple of weeks to realize Kirsten Gustafson was deliberately choosing to substitute other names for him. He began to address her as Miss Gustafson, hopefully hinting that two could play her harmless little game. She looked at him strangely the first time or two, then, unexpectedly, she used his proper name one morning, offering him a smile and a wink. It was big boost to his ego. A hot babe like Kirsten Gustafson now acknowledged him, and better yet, she appeared to have a sense of humour.

“I kept a count of how many times you did that, you know,” he told her one morning.

“I am not surprised, but it did take you some time to catch on.”

“I’m a little slow sometimes,” he admitted.

“I am not so sure about that. You do not look anything like a dumb jock,” she noted.

“That’s a relief. However, your method was quite unique and it took me some time to realize your intent.”

“Oh ... and just what did you assume my intent was?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.

“You’re a tease,” Jesse smiled, leaning back on the seat of his stationary bike. “You know you’re very attractive and you like to make sure all the boys realize it. So ... you tease them. I’m just the latest in what I would guess is a long line of victims.”

“Is that it?” she asked, her face now portraying irritation, if not anger. “You think I am just an empty-headed blonde who likes to tease boys?”

“I said nothing whatsoever to denigrate your intelligence, just your social attitude,” he replied, a grin fixed firmly on his face.

“My social attitude? What does that mean?” she growled.

“How you like to appear to your peers and acquaintances,” he said simply.

“You are very arrogant for someone who does not know a thing about me,” she said, a scowl now fixed on her face. “And why do you use fancy language?”

“It’s not arrogance. It’s just an observation. I apologize if I’ve offended you. That wasn’t my intention. Somehow we went from having a bit of innocent fun to ... this. Again, I apologize.”

She appeared to be somewhat mollified by his apology and turned away, returning to her routine. Jesse, on the other hand, was upset with himself and his outspoken opinion of her. Every once in a while, his mouth ran away from his brain and got him into trouble. The very last thing he wanted to do was to upset Kirsten. He would spend a good part of the day mentally kicking himself for his stupidity.

Kirsten was intrigued by Jesse Peterson. He was interesting because he was different. He used big words, but they didn’t seem contrived or designed to impress. They came naturally, she thought. She wondered how she could find out more about him before she realized there was a very simple way. She would ask Eve ... Doctor Mikeska.

Saturday, July 30, 2011 10am

“Hi, Kirsten. How are you today?” Eve asked as she entered the Gustafson’s apartment.

“Fine, thank you. It is such beautiful weather that it is easy to be in a good mood,” Kirsten said as she led the woman to their usual meeting place in the living room. The room was furnished in typical Scandinavian modern fashion with light birch or pine trim with comfortable chairs and cushions. The fabrics were all solid colour in subtle tones. Eve mentally referred to it as upscale Ikea.

“So, how has life been for you this past four weeks?” Eve asked as their monthly session began.

“Not very different,” Kirsten said thoughtfully. “I am thinking about the hockey team again. I wonder if I am trying to make the team for the right reasons.”

“Okay,” Eve nodded. “We’ve talked about this before. Tell me what you are thinking.”

“I have been wondering about that question you asked me some time ago. Am I doing this because I really want to play hockey, or ... am I doing this to satisfy someone else.”

“Go on,” Eve encouraged her.

“My father was a professional hockey player, but not just an ordinary player. He excelled ... won many awards. He played for the Swedish National Team in the Olympics and Internationally. He has been a star in the NHL. He made much money for doing that and retired a hero. Am I trying to be like him?”

“What do you think?” Eve asked. “At your age, you have to be set in your mind that it is something you truly want. To make the UBC team is just a first step. You are almost twenty years old, so you don’t have a long time to prepare for it. You have to ask yourself if it’s something that is incredibly important to you, or just something that would be nice to have.”

“That is the question I am not able to answer,” the girl said in frustration.

“Okay, well, let’s not dwell on that. That’s not really why we decided to have these talks, is it?”

“No ... it is not ... but it is bothering me,” Kirsten admitted.

“What about the big thing that you’re dealing with?”

Kirsten sighed. “I suppose it is getting easier to be around boys. I am still very nervous about this fall and university. There will be so many boys and men on that campus. I am not as frightened as I was, but I am going to be very careful.

“You were right about Jesse. He is okay. He is a little strange, but I do not feel frightened around him. I even teased him like you suggested and he was not upset. He teased me when he realized what I was doing to him. He did say some things he apologized for, but his words were not aggressive or mean.”

“Okay, that’s not unexpected. Jesse is still only eighteen, so I’m not surprised if his actions toward you seem odd. You’re a very beautiful young woman and he’s bound to be a little tongue-tied around you.”

“Oh ... no ... he is not tongue-tied. I think he talks like an older person. He uses big words, but he knows what they mean. I suppose I do not understand him or know him very well.”

Eve smiled. “Jesse has been encouraged to be a writer. His teachers felt he had the skill to be very good. He has a very large vocabulary for his age, and he knows how to use it. It sounds like he was trying to impress you. He doesn’t use that technique around me. He’s my patient too, so like you, I can’t discuss his situation without his permission. However, I think he’s a very upright and moral young man.”

“Oh ... I suppose that explains it ... the language I mean,” Kirsten said before pausing. “He is nice, otherwise. If you trust him, I can trust him too. But I do not think I am ready for a boyfriend.”

“It will take time, Kirsten, but you can’t rule out what tomorrow will bring. I will do everything I can to help you put what happened behind you, but you have to be willing to take some chances too. You have to learn to trust people and not feel threatened by them ... especially men. If they are too aggressive toward you, just walk away. You aren’t obligated to be friendly to them, but you want to be reasonable and not overreact to someone genuinely trying to be friendly or helpful. It could be a store clerk, or a teacher, or a bus driver. You have to learn to separate honest courtesy from other motives.”

“In my head, I know that,” Kirsten admitted, “but I keep thinking about what happened to me when I was careless, and it still frightens me.”

“Well, you know my recommendation is to team up with one or more friends and stay as a group. Don’t be on your own if you can help it. You may be completely safe, but right now, you can’t quite accept that. It will come with time.”

“Thank you, Eve. You are a big help to me. I am glad you are my doctor. We can meet here in my own home ... just the two of us. I feel I can talk to you and not worry about anything.”