Chapter 17: Kobayashi Maru

August 16, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“That was WAY better than driving!” Dave said as we got out of the limo at the VIP entrance to the track.

“Jeri has taken me to New York for the weekend a few times in that jet,” Howard said. “Skipping the whole airport rigmarole is so nice! And it sure beats a MAC flight!”

“MAC?” Julia asked.

“Military Airlift Command,” Howard said. “You can hitch rides on a space-available basis almost anywhere in the world. But mostly that’s on jump seats or in transport aircraft. Not luxury jets like that Gulfstream!”

“It would be VERY easy to get used to this,” Dave laughed.

“No kidding!” Howard said. “My fiancée is spoiling me!”

“About a month, right?” I asked.

“September 19th, and she’ll make an honest man out of me!”

“And a wealthy one!” Jeri said with a grin.

She’d mostly been quiet since we’d met at Meigs Field earlier that morning. She’d been very careful with everything she’d said and done since our confrontation, and at Samantha’s urging, I was doing my best to find a way to make things work.

“Did Tom say anything to you on the way home from breakfast yesterday?” Howard asked.

I smiled, “He apologized for all the bad things he’d thought about me and my family. He said he fully understood that we were trying our best to honor Nick, that the way Jesse had taken Nicholas under his wing, so to speak, and the way we all cared for Bethany was what should happen. He’s obviously uncomfortable with our situation, but I think Bethany getting her own place helped allay his concerns about Jennifer and Josie, and me and my wives.”

“As weird as it is, it works. He has to acknowledge that.”

“He did, in his own way. He was really worried that I was trying to supplant Nick and bring Bethany into my harem, though he didn’t use those words.”

“Harem, hmm...” Howard smirked.

“Forget it, Lieutenant Commander!” Jeri said firmly.

Everyone laughed.

“Let’s go see some racecars!” I said.

“Who all do you know?” Samantha asked.

“A lot of drivers by sight, and they know us, but really, only Bill Elliott is a friend. I’ve spoken some with Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison. And some with Richard Petty. Jason works for Kulwicki. Jesse knows Dale Earnhardt, right Jesse?”

“The Intimidator! Yes!”

“I’ve failed as a father, as you can see,” I grinned. “We’re going to see Bill and then Jason, and then you can go see Ironhead!”

We found Bill’s garage, and I asked Tim Brewer where Bill was, and he directed us to the motor coach.

“Steve! Kara! Jesse! And friends! Come in!”

“Hi Bill! These new friends are Jeri Lundgren, her fiancé Lieutenant Commander Howard Pointe, and Samantha Spurgeon. You remember Dave and Julia, I’m sure.”

“I do. Pleased to meet all of you. Commander, thank you for your service! Y’all grab yourselves a Coke from the fridge.”

“Thank you!” Howard replied.

“How are things going, Bill?” I asked.

“Great. We’re leading in points and we’ve won a bunch of races. We’re starting 7th today, which isn’t too bad. Your friend’s car is on the pole!”

“Abbie, that’s Jason’s girlfriend and our nanny, called and told me!”

“It’s good to see him date again, even if it’s a Yankee!” he grinned.

He knew that was the pet name Stephie had used for me.

“I agree. It’s a bit tough during racing season, but he’s coming to visit once the season ends. How are things in Dawsonville?”

“Things are good,” he said. “I assume Jason told you about Cindy.”

When Bill’s divorce from Martha had been finalized, Jason had told me about Bill and Cindy.

“He did! I wish you the best! We don’t want to take too much of your time, and I have a young guy here itching to see the ‘Man in Black’!”

Bill laughed, “Thanks for stopping by. It’s always good to see you! And nice meeting y’all!”

We left his coach and headed for Kulwicki’s garage where we saw Abbie in a racing uniform.

“Seriously?” I laughed.

“I hear you have one Stephie sent you!”

“I do. From Bill Elliott back in ‘82! I have to say that looks WAY better on you than mine does on me!”

“How are things at home?”

“Samantha is doing great with the kids and Bethany’s in-laws seem to have relaxed about the situation. How are things here?”

“A bit down because of Davey’s brother, but everyone has work to do, so you know how it is. There’s Jason!”

He came over to us, wiping his hands on a rag.

“Hey Jesse!” he said, squatting down and holding up his hand.

Jesse ‘high-fived’ him and Jason picked him up.

“You’re getting BIG!” he said.

“I start first grade soon!” Jesse said.

“Good! How are the rest of you?”

“Great!” I said, then introduced the people he didn’t know.

We spent about ten minutes talking before he had to go back to work. Alan Kulwicki did come over to say ‘hello’, but in his usual way, that was it, and then he went back to working on the car. Dave and Julia left us at that point, and the rest of us took Jesse to Dale Earnhardt’s garage. I was surprised, but Dale recognized Jesse, and even remembered his name. Jesse got to sit in the black #3 for a minute, and got another autographed picture.

When we left Ironhead’s garage, we walked around the garage area, stopping to see as many cars as we could. Even though I had met Davey Allison, it didn’t feel right to intrude on his space, and we simply stood by the open doors and watched his team prepare the Havoline car.

“That’s the car of the guy whose brother died on Thursday?” Jeri asked quietly.

“Yes. He’s been hurt in some bad wrecks himself this year.”

We found our way to Richard Petty’s garage, and we had a chance to shake his hand and talk with him for a moment about what was the last season in his racing career. Eventually, it was time to head to the stands for the race. When the green flag flew, Alan jumped out into the lead and led for the first 37 laps. He yielded to Mark Martin for seven laps, then took the lead back for another eight. Of those 45 laps, eight had been under two cautions, but when the green flag flew after the second one, Bill jumped to the lead. He traded the lead with several other drivers due to pit stops and cautions, and ended up leading a total of 72 laps.

In the end, Bill didn’t have quite enough to beat Harry Gant and Darrell Waltrip, and finished third. Alan had faded after leading early, and finished 14th, the first car one lap down. Davey Allison had gutted out a fifth, and much to Jesse’s displeasure, Ironhead had finished sixteenth, two spots ahead of Richard Petty. Overall, it was a very good result, as Bill now led the points by 37 over Allison, 135 over Gant, and 143 over Kulwicki. What had looked like a three-way race for the Championship now looked like it was going to come down to Bill and Davey, but there were still quite a few races to go.

We made our way out of the stadium and found the limo, and unlike previous years when we were just exiting the parking lot an hour after the race, we were just crossing the Lake Michigan shoreline in the Gulfstream.

“Interested in joining the ‘Mile High Club’?” Samantha whispered into my ear.

“You’re about thirteen years too late!” I chuckled. “I was younger than you are!”

“Really?”

“Yes. On a 747 back from Sweden when I was an exchange student. My friend Pam and I managed it! Now, if you want to join, we might arrange that sometime! But there are too many people on the plane! And there’s the other issue.”

“Someday!” she giggled.

We landed at Meigs and after thanking the pilots, everyone made their way home. It was nice to be home at a reasonable hour, and Kara and I would even be able to walk to get Jessica from the hospital. We arrived home and delivered Jesse to his moms, then went back to the house to relax. I was surprised to see Caroline there with Bethany. She asked to talk to me and we went to my study.

“I won’t see you tomorrow,” Caroline said softly. “I just wanted to say thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” I said. “I hope I helped you, even a little bit. Will you try to write in your diary?”

She sighed deeply, “I don’t know.”

“Just try,” I said. “See what happens. And talk to your friends. I’m sure one of them will let you cry, too.”

She nodded, and held her arms out for a hug. I hugged her, and she squeezed tightly against me. She held the hug for a moment, then loosened her arms and gave me another kiss like the one the day before. This one was a clear invitation, but I dropped my arms and stepped back.

She didn’t protest; she just smiled, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. How are you getting to the hotel?”

“Bethany will take me.”

“Good. Come visit any time. I’m sure Nicholas would love to see his aunt, and if you visit him, stop in and say ‘hi’.”

“OK.”

We left my study and she and Bethany left. Bethany was back a few minutes before Kara and I needed to leave to get Jessica at the hospital.

“You helped her, a lot,” Bethany said. “Just letting her cry. I encouraged her to rebuild her friendships. Maybe, just maybe, she’ll snap out of this.”

“She kissed me again,” I chuckled.

Bethany laughed, “And you immediately thought about fucking her back to normal!”

“No, I thought about how to ensure that DIDN’T happen. That’s somebody else’s job. Not mine.”

“Save your strength!” Bethany smirked.

August 18, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“«Hej»!” I said as Katt and Mikael came out of the secure part of the terminal at O’Hare.

“«Hej, Steve»!” Mikael exclaimed.

Katt didn’t say anything; she just grabbed me and hugged me. I hugged back, and felt a slight bulge in her stomach.

“«Är du med barn»?” I asked hopefully. (“Are you pregnant?”)

“«Ja»!” she giggled.

I hugged her again, and then shook Mikael’s hand.

“Treatments?” I asked Katt, continuing in Swedish.

“Sort of. There’s a technique that collects sperm, concentrates it somehow, and introduces it by instrument. It worked! I’m nearly five months along!”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked.

“We wanted to surprise you, but also we wanted to wait to make sure everything was OK.”

“I’m really happy. How was Vermont?”

“Amazing! Katy was like a little girl again!”

I laughed, “Of course she was! Just as she was in Milwaukee. Let’s get to the house and get you settled.”

We headed for my car, and an hour later I introduced them to Abbie, Samantha, and Michelle. Samantha would be going home after dinner, so Katt and Mikael would use the guest room she was vacating. She’d come back on Friday and Sunday as she had, but wouldn’t stay the night.

“Hi Katt!” Jesse said when he saw her. “Are you having a baby?”

She laughed, “Yes, I am! How was your trip to Russia?”

“I loved it! I want to go back!”

“What about Sweden?”

“It was OK. Russia is better!”

“What about Marta?”

“She was nice! I like Larisa, too!”

“He’s as bad as his dad!” Mikael laughed.

“You guys make yourselves comfortable! I need to make dinner! We’re having a guest tonight. A skating fan who saw you skate in Indianapolis when she was six!”

“Wow! But we didn’t do so well there!”

“«Nej, men jag hade jätte kul»,” I chuckled. (“No, but I had lots of fun.”)

“What did you say, Dad?” Jesse asked.

“That I had fun in Indianapolis,” I grinned.

“With Katt?” he said with a silly grin.

“Yes!” Katt giggled. “Your dad and I were boyfriend and girlfriend when he was in Sweden and when Mikael and I were here to skate.”

“Dad has lots of girlfriends!” Jesse declared, causing everyone to laugh.

I went to the kitchen to prepare dinner and just before it was ready, Fawn came in to say ‘hello’. We exchanged a quick, chaste hug.

“You never came back to New York,” she said quietly.

“And you found yourself a future lawyer,” I grinned.

“He’s super nice. I think you’ll like him!”

“Does your dad?” I asked.

She laughed, “My dad doesn’t like ANY guy who is interested in me. I think he expected me to die a virgin, though I’m not quite sure how I was supposed to have grandkids for him that way!”

I laughed, “A medical miracle!”

“I’m going to go meet your Swedish ice-skating friends!” she exclaimed with a touch of Katy-like giddiness.

She left the kitchen and I finished preparing dinner. Kara helped me get everything to the table and we had a wonderful meal.

August 22, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“Guys, this is Mikael Westberg, a friend of mine from Sweden!”

Everyone greeted him and we sat down to a rare second-week-in-a-row breakfast. We’d actually have three in a row, because we weren’t changing our plans. The girls were going out later, but the guys were not gathering at my house. We spent most of breakfast with Mikael talking about what it was like to be an ice dancer, and how he and Katt had first met when they were both young skaters and had been paired up by Johanna, Katt’s coach.

“So you’re ANOTHER guy who married one of Steve’s ex-girlfriends?” Pete teased.

“You too, Pete!” Karl laughed. “I am NOT part of that cabal!”

“Me either, for VERY obvious reasons!” Ed said.

Which was just as true as when Jorge had said it when HE was dating my sister.

“I’m just a recipient of his matchmaking skills,” Howard laughed.

Which was all he would ever know. Neither Jeri nor I were going to say a word to him about what had transpired between us.

“And to think I missed out!” Sam Saunders laughed, having come to the table to stand next to her husband.

“It just took Katt some time to come to grips with dating her skating partner,” Mikael said. “She saw me as a brother for so long, it was kind of weird for her, but Steve convinced her to see past that.”

“He was madly in love with her,” I said. “And could meet all of her needs! And, they’re having a kid in about four months!”

Everyone congratulated Mikael and we had a nice breakfast with great conversation. When we finished, we walked out of the bistro and Karl, Pete, and Kurt stopped me.

“I CAN NOT believe you agreed to Melanie’s plan!” Pete groused.

“Penny had a part of it,” I chuckled.

“Yes, she did!” Terry laughed from behind us.

“They felt it would be nice for us to stay home and take care of the kids in our own places. Well, except Nicholas. Bethany will drop him by the house.”

“But to agree we couldn’t get together?” Kurt complained. “Seriously?”

“Hey, I’m going to have EIGHT kids! None of the rest of you have more than two! And the single guys are free agents tonight!”

“Eight,” Karl laughed. “How are you going to handle that?”

“Sedatives,” I grinned. “Good sedatives! I have connections!”

“For you? Or for the kids?” Karl laughed.

“I was thinking the kids, but maybe you’re on to something. But bourbon will work for me!”

“Not for Jesse,” Karl laughed. “He’ll spit it out and wipe off his tongue!”

“Kind of like a first High School girlfriend,” Zeke, who was standing with Terry, laughed.

All of us cracked up, then shook hands and headed for our homes.

August 23, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“I guess things will calm down for two weeks,” Jessica said as Kara and I walked her to work on Sunday morning.

“As if,” I chuckled. “Michelle wants to talk this afternoon after lunch.”

“And?”

“I’m actually not sure. She’s been reading, going to church, praying, and mostly keeping to herself. She’s been, cordial, I guess is the word. She’s been extremely careful.”

“I think that makes sense,” Jessica said. “She’s trying to avoid acting on emotions or feelings. So she needs to keep you at a distance.”

“Unlike Samantha,” Kara smirked, “who has been overtly flirting with you almost non-stop since the Michigan trip.”

“But she’s been careful not to do too much of it around Michelle,” I said.

“Those two are very wary of each other,” Jessica said. “It’s like you said, they each know that the other one is in love with you and aren’t quite sure what to make of it.”

“I think something will change one way or the other this afternoon,” I said. “I’m just not sure which way it will go.”