Chapter 64: A Long Weekend in Vermont

March 11, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“I think he’s got it sewn up,” I said as Elyse and I walked to the office.

“You don’t think Jerry Brown can keep Clinton from getting enough votes to win the nomination outright?” Elyse asked.

“I think he COULD, because of California, but even then, Clinton is far enough ahead, and as a center-right Democrat, he’s probably their best bet given the whole Perot thing. Clinton would win at the convention.”

“And the affairs?”

“Nobody seems to care,” I said. “Which makes me VERY happy!”

“It should prevent any serious blowup with regard to NIKA. If a philanderer can get nominated and is likely to be elected, then someone who isn’t cheating really can’t be taken to task, can he?”

“No. Jeri suggested the reason the gossip columnist didn’t run anything about me and Kara is because of Clintons going on 60 Minutes. That kind of overwhelmed any silly story about a software company in Hyde Park.”

“Fortuitous! Are you taking Abbie and Matthew to the airport?”

“Yes. I’m going back home about 9:30am, then taking them to Midway. Once they’re through security, I’ll come back to the office.”

“You have your lunch date with the artist?” Elyse smirked.

“Yes. I’m curious which painting she’ll want to do.”

“I think Kara is rubbing off on you!” Elyse laughed.

“You know I’ve never been shy about being naked. It’s just I have a more limited set of venues than my wife!”

“Or your daughter!” Elyse laughed.

“She’d go naked all the time if we let her! She simply doesn’t care. And thanks again for letting Matthew go with Abbie.”

“You’re welcome. It’s tough for a mom; even a business executive mom who leaves her kids with a nanny all day.”

“Are you regretting your choices?” I asked.

“No, just trying to figure out the right balance.”

“Do you think the kids feel neglected in any way?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Elyse said after a moment’s thought. “They’re more or less used to being ‘group parented’.”

“Which is why we have those family meetings every few months to try to sort out what the rules ought to be. It’s a good thing we all are in general agreement!”

“I don’t know that you would have invited any of us into the inner circle if we weren’t. I guess you didn’t have much choice with Josie, but since Jennifer was comfortable with her, that was a pretty good sign you would be, too.”

“Exactly. That dynamic is going to change a bit, I think.”

“Her desire to get pregnant? I was shocked when they dropped that bomb after Sunday dinner! You obviously knew.”

“Jennifer came to talk to me. It will be different from Nicholas, who is clearly a ‘nephew’ in the extended family view that I have. What would Josie’s kid be? The same? But if he’s also Jennifer’s kid, like Jesse is Josie’s, doesn’t that kind of make him my kid, too? It’s a bit weird. But I’m not sure how to even approach that with them.”

“I think you have to let them define it,” Elyse said. “You and Jennifer had an agreement about Jesse before he was conceived, and that made sense since you two were going to make him the normal way. This is very different.”

“I know. What I don’t want is conflict. It was something I thought about before I agreed to let Bethany move in. If Nicholas didn’t have the same basic set of rules the rest of the kids did, it wasn’t going to work. But Bethany is close enough to the rest of us in her views on child rearing that it’ll be fine.”

“Not to mention Jesse would have taken out a hit contract on you if you’d have said ‘no’!”

“True. Those two have bonded very tightly. And that’s a good thing. My concern is that the day will come when Bethany will move out. Hopefully, Jesse will be reasonable about it!”

“Riiiiiggggghhhhhtttt!” Elyse laughed. “Jesse reasonable? About as reasonable as his mom and dad!”

“Next Tuesday, I’m using the flogger on YOU, Elyse Clarke!” I teased.

She smirked and gave me a quick kiss as we walked into the office. As planned, I worked until it was time to take Abbie and Matthew to the airport. Matthew was hyped and chattered incessantly on the way to Midway Airport.

“You have to be happy about the season so far,” Abbie said when she finally got a word in.

“I am. Back-to-back wins by Bill. And beating Kulwicki by about a foot on a short track was impressive. It looks like it’s going to be a tough three-way race between the two of them and Davey Allison.”

“You know who I have to root for, right?” Abbie grinned.

“I like Alan!” Matthew said from the backseat.

“Another traitor!” I chuckled. “This is supposed to be a Bill Elliott household!”

“I’ll say ‘hi’ to him for you. You’ll be in Michigan this year, right?”

“Absolutely!”

I went with them to security, and when they’d cleared the metal detectors and x-ray machines, they turned and waved and I headed back to Hyde Park. It was close enough to lunch time that I simply walked straight to Siobhán’s studio. When I walked in the door she nearly bowled me over. She threw her arms around my neck and gave me a fierce French kiss. When she finally decided to come up for air, I laughed.

“You heard from Jackie, I take it?”

“She was here this morning. She’s totally cool! She and her partner are doing a design to convert two huge warehouses into lofts. They want to do ceramic tile behind the appliances in the kitchens, you know, like you have behind your sink. Well, instead of just colored tile, they want unique designs in each flat, and they want them hand painted. It’ll be a fun project working with them on the designs and color schemes. And a TON of work. I’ll end up closing the shop in the mornings so I can do that.”

“Won’t that cause a problem?”

“Not really. I do most of my business in the afternoon and evenings. I’ve done it before when I had a big project and it didn’t cause a problem. But even better, I heard from your construction friend, Mr. Brown. He has a remodeling contract for an older house on Michigan Avenue. It has some very intricate borders and other painting that is seriously damaged. He wants me to look at it and see if I can repair it. You know, match the faded colors and fix the spots that are chipped, or cracked or whatever. I’ve never done that, so it’ll be a real challenge. I’ll have to look at it before I know if I can do the job or not.”

“I’m glad I could help!”

“Those kinds of things pay the bills better than commissioned work, that’s for sure. And it lets me focus on my real art.”

“The abstract stuff?”

“Yes. So get in there and get your clothes off!”

I chuckled, “Music to any guy’s ears when said by cute redheads! Which pose?”

“The less explicit one. It makes it easier to show someone. A lot of guys get squirrelly around pictures of nude guys.”

I laughed, “I can imagine.”

“Actually, I have sandwiches for us. I got pitas because you said you wanted less carbohydrates.”

“Thanks!”

We ate and then I posed for her. It was actually more uncomfortable than the karate pose had been, though because I wasn’t standing on one leg, it was easier to hold the pose for a longer time. When the hour was over, I dressed and headed back to the office. It was a busy afternoon, including a follow-up phone call from Computerworld. The reporter wasn’t sure when the article would run, but he expected it to be sometime in April.

“How were the kids?” I asked Nancy when our trio arrived home that evening.

“Angels!” she said.

I chuckled, “Of course they were! Jesse is in school and Matthew is in Atlanta! That leaves the field clear for Birgit to get her way!”

Nancy laughed, “True! Also, Bethany called earlier. She’s having dinner with some nurses tonight, so she won’t be home until late.”

“We really appreciate you coming up to help out so Abbie can take her vacation.”

“Anytime! It’s always great to see my granddaughters, and my OTHER grandkids!”

“It is a weird setup!” I observed.

“Yes, it is,” she said with a small laugh. “You’re leaving Friday afternoon?”

“Yes. One of Jessica’s friends took four hours from her on Friday afternoon so we can get out of here at a reasonable time. It’s a fairly long drive at the other end to Katy’s place in Vermont.”

Other than Abbie and Matthew being gone, and Nancy being there, it was a normal Wednesday night of dinner, karate, and relaxation.

March 13, 1992, Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast near Montpelier, Vermont

“Katy!” Birgit squealed despite being VERY tired when we arrived at the bed-and-breakfast.

“Birgit!” Katy squealed right back at her.

“Aren’t you afraid of waking the guests?” I chuckled.

“That’s why I came OUTSIDE to meet you! I knew she’d do that.”

“Katy! Hug!” Birgit demanded.

Kara laughed and handed Birgit to Katy. They went inside while the three of us got our bags and took them up to the Ethan Allen suite. We came back down to find Katy, Birgit, and another young woman sitting in the great room by the fireplace.

“Jessica, Kara, Steve, this is Amy. Amy, these are my friends. Well, Steve’s an investor here, as well!”

“Nice to meet you!” Amy said.

“Nice to meet you,” I said, and my wives greeted her as well.

Amy was about as unlike Lauren as I could imagine. She was trim, had well-defined muscles as if she lifted weights, and close-cropped hair. She was what some of my friends would have referred to as ‘butch’ but I didn’t get that kind of vibe from her. As we talked, I felt my first impression was confirmed. She’d been a nurse for about six years, which put her at about Katy’s age, and she did indeed lift weights for exercise, but not to a crazy extent. She even referred to her short hair, commenting that hair like Katy’s just got in the way at work.

“Daddy? May I sleep with Katy?” Birgit asked.

“That’s up to Katy and Amy,” I said. “Ask Katy, please.”

“Katy? May I sleep in the small bed in your room?” Birgit asked.

“I think we can do that!” Katy said with a smile. “Amy likes kids!”

“As long as they aren’t mine!” Amy laughed. “Diapers are NOT my thing!”

“I wear Pull Ups!” Birgit said adamantly. “Not diapers!”

“Careful, Amy,” Katy laughed. “This one is a real pistol!”

“Which of my kids isn’t?” I asked.

“How’s Jesse doing?”

“He’s in Kindergarten,” I said.

“I’m getting OLD,” Katy groaned. “Is Bethany all settled?”

“In the house,” I said, “but work is going to take months, I suspect. She’s doing everything herself at the moment. I need to put the arm on a few more lawyer or doctor friends for donations so she can at least hire a part-time counselor to help her.”

“She’s doing that much?”

“It’s not just rape,” I said. “Any kind of sexual abuse, unwanted pregnancy, STDs, birth control, all of that kind of stuff. The psych staff was doing rape counseling, but the rest kind of fell to doctors or nurses on a catch-as-catch-can basis, right Babe?”

“Yes,” Jessica said. “And it was really spotty. Bethany’s working to try to improve knowledge and skills among the nursing staff now, and then she’ll work on doctors.”

“I hate to be a spoilsport,” Kara said. “But I’m ready for bed!”

“We have the whole weekend and half of Monday,” I said. “Bed is just fine.”

We hugged, I kissed Birgit, and my wives and I headed up to our room.

“I like how the kids are each developing adult friends,” I said.

“But Jesse hasn’t seen his for some time,” Jessica replied.

“I know. Pascha is April 26th. We’ll go to church then. But I haven’t even seen Father Basil in months. He’s called, but I’ve been too busy to meet with him.”

“Is that it? Or is it how we felt last year at Pascha?”

“Probably some of both,” I said. “We still maintain all the software for ROCOR and we did bring the Antiochians on board as well. Jeri mentioned that the Bishop asked about me a couple of months ago, but I didn’t do anything about that, either. But these talks with Michelle have got me thinking again.”

“About church, too?”

“Not so much church as about spirituality in general. Along with all the other stuff. She’s an almost perfect analog of Anala.”

“Minus the hot sex!” Jessica laughed.

“Very true. Did you finish Volume 6?”

“I did. Obviously you didn’t punch that man in the nose.”

“Obviously,” I chuckled. “Despite the fact that he deserved it!”

“Steve didn’t REALLY try to hit him, though,” Kara said. “If he would have used a karate strike, Kent van der Meer would have been in a hospital bed, or worse. He just threw a lazy roundhouse punch that his dad stopped by grabbing his arm.”

“You’re giving away plot points, Kara!” I chuckled. “Don’t spoil it!”

“How bad is Volume 7?” Jessica asked.

“It’s pretty good right up until the end,” I said. “And not too many new girls. But you’ll start to get a picture of Kara’s struggles and then see it blow up in our faces.”

“Now who’s giving away plot points, hmm?” Kara demanded.

“You’re right. Shall we get to bed?”

“I think it was very convenient for your Pumpkin to ask to sleep in Katy’s room,” Jessica smirked. “That way Mommy and Mommy and Daddy can kiss!”

“And Katy and Amy can’t!” I chuckled.

March 14, 1992, Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast near Montpelier, Vermont

I’d made the mistake of asking Katy what I could do to help and once again found myself in the barn splitting wood for the fire. This time, I was alone, because Birgit was glued to Katy’s side. She seemed to take to Amy as well, which made me feel pretty good about Katy and Amy. I really hoped it worked out. Katy deserved to be happy, and perhaps THIS relationship would be the one.

“Steve?”

“Hey, Katy! Where’s your shadow?”

“With her mom. I wanted to come talk to you.”

“How are things?”

“Very, very good. Amy is living here, but I told you about me asking her at New Year’s. She helps with the place when she’s not on shift at the hospital.”

“Birgit seems to like her! And from what I’ve seen of Amy so far, Birgit’s judgment is sound in that matter!”

“How are things with you and your wives?”

“I’d say things are going well. We’ve had more than a few bumps in the road, and some pretty big ones at that. But we’re together, and we’re slowly working through it all.”

“I can’t imagine what it must be like for three. It’s hard enough with two! And it’s not really three when it comes right down to it. Elyse is there. And Jennifer. And now Bethany. And Abbie! What a zoo!”

“Circus, Katy. Circus!” I chuckled. “How about you? Things seem to be moving along nicely since the scare we had last summer. No ill effects?”

“Not on me, and you’ve seen the bookings and financials. We’re 90% booked for the next six months, and 50% booked for the three months after that. We’ll start getting winter bookings soon, so I expect to fill up. Once I pay you back, and put the extra money to paying down the mortgage, I’ll be in excellent shape.”

“You know I’m not going to make any claims. Pay your mortgage down. I know you want the place free and clear, and title fully in your name, but pay the bank first. Get THEM out of the picture. It’s the smart move financially.”

“But we agreed on a fixed repayment schedule! That would lower your effective interest rate.”

“So? I want you to be as financially sound as possible. I didn’t invest in this building, Katy, I invested in YOU. My payoff is seeing you happy and successful.”

“You are unbelievable. It’s too bad you aren’t a girl!”

“You like boys, too, Katy O’Connor!” I laughed. “Just not as much!”

“No, I like ONE boy. But he’s off limits to me and I’m off limits to him. That doesn’t mean I love him any less!”

“Nor I you! I STILL haven’t found anyone with perfect breasts with perfect freckles like yours!”