Chapter 31: Winston Cup Champion

November 14, 1992, Milford, Ohio

“How did you meet Mary and Josh?” Samantha asked as we drove from Donna Grossi’s house to Milford where Josh and Mary were getting married.

“I met Mary through the chess team. She was in eighth grade and I was in ninth. She invited me to play strip chess after Jennifer invented it!”

“Strip chess?” Samantha giggled. “That’s awesome!”

“I thought so! Anyway, we played strip chess and became occasional sex partners. I met Josh when I was a Senior, Mary was a Junior, and Josh was a Sophomore. That was after I came back from Sweden. He went to Kara’s church, and I introduced him to Mary. And she introduced him to wild sex!”

Abbie, sitting in the back seat, laughed hard.

“After you introduced her to it?” she asked.

“No way! Mary was already well-versed in wild sex when I met her! Though she did have her disposition against certain activities.”

Abbie laughed, “Yeah, not every girl is into that!”

“What?” Samantha asked.

“‘Wonder Woman’,” I chuckled.

“Oh! Yeah, well, that was interesting, and I’ll do it for you because I love you, but it really didn’t do anything for me.”

“You have to use your fingers or his fingers!” Abbie said.

“Yeah, but it feels SO much better in the front!” Samantha protested.

“The only girl I was with where I really liked it was Katt Sundström,” I chuckled. “She STILL teases me about that, over ten years later!”

“The Swedish girl who was here in August? The ice skater?”

“Yes. I think I told you we dated for about six months in Sweden, and then I saw her a bunch when she came to the US to train.”

“You did tell me. Abbie, may I ask a personal question?”

“Sure. Anything.”

“Was Steve your first?”

Abbie laughed, “Closer to twenty-first! My first was my friend Aidan. He was an exchange student from the UK. He was a Senior and I was a Freshman; he was 18 and I was 14. There were quite a few guys between then and when I met Steve at age 17.”

“Why did you come to Chicago?”

“For the same reasons you moved in with Steve. To grow up. To figure out who I was. To find what I needed.”

“How did you know when it was time to, uh, move on?”

Abbie laughed, “I didn’t! I had NO intention of doing anything but being Steve’s lover! Then I had the chance to become the kids’ nanny, and planned to do that until they were old enough not to need one. And even then, I planned to stay with him. HE introduced me to Jason and I cannot explain what happened!”

“I can,” I chuckled. “Abbie, who doesn’t believe in love, marriage, or kids, fell in love with Jason, agreed to marry him, and is going to have his children!”

“I still say I need to check myself into a mental hospital,” Abbie sighed.

“Yes, but not for THAT reason,” I teased.

“So how is it going to work with Jason traveling so much?” Samantha asked.

“We don’t know yet,” Abbie said. “That’s part of the issue. But he’ll be here for about two months and we’ll have plenty of time to talk about it. Why did you ask about how I knew?”

“Steve can’t be my husband, for obvious reasons, so I was just kind of trying to figure out the future.”

“Don’t try to plan that far in advance,” Abbie said. “Live life one day at a time, have fun, be happy, and let things play out. I sure didn’t plan for my life to turn out the way it did! Not that I’m complaining!”

“I think that’s good advice,” I said. “You should do SOME planning, as you are with UofC and your plans to go to work for your dad, but other stuff? Just have fun. You’re a Senior in High School. You should be having fun!”

“I am having fun! I have new friends, school is going well, I had a fun party, and I have you!”

“And you’re happy?”

“I used to think I was happy, but I realize I wasn’t. Now I am.”

“Are you staying with us for Thanksgiving?”

“Yes. Christmas and my birthday will be tricky because my mom would like me to be home. Would you come to my house for my birthday?”

“Yes. Just let me know the plans. For Christmas, I do three different celebrations, one on Christmas Eve and two on Christmas Day. I’m sure we can work things out. Do you know what your parents want to do?”

“They usually go to our house in the Hamptons for a week. I don’t want to go away for that long, but that does pretty much mean not celebrating with you guys at all, even if I just go for a few days.”

“House in the Hamptons?” Abbie asked.

“We have one in Boca as well, and a house in St. Martin which is not far from the beach.”

“You’re kidding?!”

“No, not at all. We also own part of the condo in Monaco where I was last summer, and a chalet on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.”

“And you gave all of that up to be with Steve?”

“Put it on hold is probably a better way to say it,” Samantha said. “Other than the Christmas thing, I probably won’t visit any of those places again until after I graduate from college, at the earliest. It’s part of my agreement with Steve.”

“To live like us commoners?” Abbie laughed.

“I have my first real friends, ever. And they don’t know. And they can’t know! At least not yet.”

“I’m not going to tell,” Abbie said. “It’s like Jeri not telling Howard until she was sure he loved her.”

“Something like that,” Samantha agreed. “I’ve learned quite a few things by giving up all of that, at least for the short term.”

We pulled into the parking lot at the banquet hall where the wedding and reception were being held. We made it just in time, and only because Sensei Ichirou had allowed me to leave at the end of class, rather than come to his house for lunch. He felt I had made sufficient progress in my learning of basic Japanese etiquette that I would only need a short refresher course in the Spring before I left.

Mary and Josh had decided to have a purely civil ceremony, though the officiant was a licensed minister. He’d agreed to use a script they’d provided, which sounded exactly like what Mark Agnini had done for Jessica, Kara, and me. The ceremony was quick, and there were no attendants, and less than an hour after we’d arrived, we were drinking from an open bar.

“No honeymoon?” Jessica asked.

I chuckled, “I think that happened when Josh was a Sophomore and Mary was a Junior,” I chuckled. “But they both need to be at work on Monday. They’re taking two weeks at Christmas when school’s out. They’re going to Key West.”

“Mary had a LOT of fun teaching Josh,” Kara giggled. “A LOT of fun!”

“Then he went to Sweden for a year and for about six months shared his newly learned skills with a wide variety of Swedish beauties, then settled down with Anne-Marie for the last six months. Unfortunately, he barely speaks a word of Swedish at this point.”

“Unlike you!” Sofia said from behind me.

I turned and hugged her, and then shook hands with Stavros, who had Alexa in his arms.

“He hasn’t even been back,” I said.

“How are things at Loyola?” Jessica asked.

“So far, so good. You know how it is when you’re PGY1.”

Jessica nodded, “All scut!”

“Fortunately, it’s not as bad in Pediatrics as it is in trauma or surgery.”

“How long is your internship and Residency, Sofia?” Kara asked.

“Three years, which is nothing compared to Jessica’s. Then I’ll start seeing all of your kids!”

“We’re looking forward to it!” I said.

Mary and Josh came into the banquet room and everyone sat down to have dinner. After dinner was the usual dancing, drinking, and cutting of the cake. We didn’t stay late because we had to get back to Chicago early in the morning so Jessica could make it to work, but I did get a dance with Mary and a brief chance to talk to Josh. They promised to visit as soon as they were able to.

November 15, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“How are you doing, Babe?” I asked as we walked to the hospital on Sunday morning.

“Tired. But I slept while Kara drove so it’s not too bad. Getting up at 4:00am is NOT my idea of a good time!”

“Three of our four kids agree with you!” I said. “Birgit was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as usual!”

“Just like her dad,” Kara said. “I’m taking a nap when we get home!”

“That’s fine, Honey,” I said. “Abbie and I will take care of the kids. Jesse and his moms won’t be back until late this afternoon, and Elyse isn’t coming home until tomorrow. Matthew will miss a day of kindergarten, but that’s not really a big deal. And the Rap Session doesn’t start until 1:00pm.”

After we left Jessica at the hospital, Kara and I walked home, and she went straight up to bed to nap. Abbie had three of the kids down already, with only Birgit sitting with her in the sunroom.

“Do you mind if I watch the race ‘live’ today?” Abbie asked.

“Not at all. We’ll be in the great room, but the new TV in the basement has a cable hook-up.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep it all to myself so you can watch the tape.”

“I can’t believe six drivers have a chance to win the championship at this point!” I said. “Davey just has to finish sixth or better and nobody can beat him.”

“Alan and Bill still have a good chance!” Abbie said. “It was Bill’s until his engine trouble in Phoenix.”

“True! If you have a good hand on Birgit, I’m going to my study.”

“Sure,” she said.

I went to my study and turned on my Mac and wrote in my journal. About twenty-five minutes later, Samantha came to the door.

“Because almost everyone else is in bed, I wondered if you might like to join me in mine!” she said with a hungry look in her eyes.

Without a word, but with a smile, I saved my work, shut down the computer, and followed her upstairs to her room where we quickly undressed and climbed into the queen-size bed. Our foreplay was soft and gentle, our lovemaking was slow and sweet, and our cuddling peaceful.

“Are you happy with what we do?” Samantha asked, twirling a finger in my chest hair.

“Yes, very much so. Why do you think I might not be?”

“You know I watched those movies and I thought you might think this was boring. I’ll do any of that stuff you want!”

“Samantha, what we just did is EXACTLY what I want. If you don’t believe me, ask Abbie or Elyse. If YOU want me to do something else, just tell me and we will. I even have toys!”

“You do? Like what?”

“Vibrators, dildos, soft ropes, blindfolds, a flogger, that kind of thing.”

And a strap-on, but I wasn’t going to mention that to my seventeen-year-old lover!

“Do you like to play with them?”

“Sometimes, but not too often. Did you want me to bring them sometime?”

“Only if you want to. I like what you do with me and how you make me feel. You could do it again before lunch if you wanted!”

We started, and ended, with a soft kiss, before showering and heading downstairs for lunch.

After lunch we had the Rap Session, though most of my friends and family who were originally from Milford hadn’t returned. The conversation was relatively tame, and focused mostly on current events. Kara kept her word to me and didn’t tease, and given the topic, there really wasn’t a chance for anyone to tease or joke about sex. Just as we finished, I heard Abbie shriek from the basement and wondered what it meant, but I’d watch the tape later. I reminded everyone that we’d meet once more, on December 6th, but then not again until January 10th.

One thing that I’d noticed during the entire session, was furtive glances from both Wanda and Lena, but neither of them had made direct eye contact. When the session ended, they hung around, and talked with Elizabeth. I went over to Jorge to remind him that he, Trish, Henry, and Gaby were invited for Thanksgiving. They all agreed, which made me happy. Samantha was going to join us, but Bethany, Nicholas, Ed, and Stephanie were going to Milford to celebrate with Harry and Nora. When they left, I went over to the TV and pressed ‘Rewind’ on the VCR and turned on the TV.

“I’ll start making dinner,” Kara said, and she left for the kitchen.

“NASCAR?” Elizabeth said with disdain.

“Yep. Last race of the season, and from Abbie’s shriek, something interesting must have happened!”

“In a NASCAR race? That’ll be the day!” she laughed, and then turned to the girls next to her, “Go on, Lena, ask!”

Lena’s eyes darted but she didn’t make eye contact. I smiled, amused. I wasn’t sure what she was going to ask for, but I saw Samantha with a silly smile on her face just a few feet away. She’d promised not to instigate anything, and I trusted her. I wasn’t sure if this was Elizabeth’s doing, or if the girls had confided in her, but it didn’t really matter.

“She wants another kiss!” Wanda said quietly.

“She does?” I grinned. “Or you do?”

“I, uh, wouldn’t mind one, I guess!” she said, blushing slightly.

I smiled broadly and held out my arms. She stepped up, we embraced, and our lips touched. Wanda parted her lips and our tongues twirled in a deep French kiss. I held it until Wanda decided to stop, and she stepped back, breathing hard.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Wow!”

I turned to Lena, smiled, and held out my arms, though low, and non-threatening. She stepped forward and into my arms. This time, I pulled her tightly to me and her arms tightened around me as well. I lowered my head and kissed her. The kiss, like the previous one, started soft but quickly intensified, and her arms tightened, so I tightened mine until I could feel her body pressing hard into mine. We kissed for nearly two minutes before Lena shuddered, broke the kiss, and gasped hard for breath, but clung tightly to me.

“It gets better,” I whispered in her ear.

“It does?” she whispered back.

“Follow the rules, and I’ll show you,” I said quietly.

I released her and Wanda grabbed her arm and walked her towards the front door as she had the previous time. Lena looked, well, stunned, by the kisses.

“I swear, she came when you kissed her,” Elizabeth said quietly. “She’ll be back; and so will her friend.”

The tape finished rewinding and I pressed play. Elizabeth said goodbye, I fast-forwarded to the start of the race, and then let the tape play at normal speed. Samantha sat with me to watch the race. Bill Elliott was starting 11th, Alan Kulwicki was starting 14th, and Davey Allison was starting 17th. It gave me some hope for Bill overcoming the gap and catching Davey for the Championship.

The green flag dropped and the race got underway. Abbie came upstairs and asked me to call her when we got to the last fifty laps of the race. I promised and Samantha and I watched Bill move up to the lead on lap 62, with Kulwicki behind him in second. Things looked good for both of them, but unfortunately on lap 96 Richard Petty was involved in a crash and his car was severely damaged.

“Did he just say that on national TV?” Samantha gasped.

“It’s ESPN, but he certainly did!” I laughed. “BRING THE FUCKING FIRE EXTINGUISHER! But he doesn’t seem like he’s hurt!”

Bill, Alan, and Davey all traded the lead until lap 254 when Ernie Irvan blew a tire in turn four, and spun into the path of Davey Allison. Unable to avoid the spinning car, Allison t-boned Irvan and the two cars slid to the inside wall. Allison managed to restart his engine, but the car wouldn’t move. That effectively ended his chance of winning the Winston Cup. The other possible contenders, Mark Martin, Harry Gant, and Richard Petty’s son Kyle, had fallen back far enough that it had come down to a two-man race.

We called Abbie into the room with us as she’d asked and we watch Bill and Alan battle for the lead. I was annoyed when it became obvious that Elliott could win the race and Kulwicki could win the Championship simply by leading one more lap than Elliott.

“Now THAT sucks,” I said. “I hated those bonus points before. I REALLY hate them now!”

In the end, Bill did win the race, but lost the Championship because Kulwicki got the extra five bonus points for leading the most laps. That made Kulwicki the Winston Cup champion.

“Now I know what the shriek was about!” I grinned. “I’m happy for you and Jason, even if I’m annoyed with NASCAR! But, Bill just needed to finish a few positions higher at Daytona or Phoenix, and he’d have won.”