Chapter 40: Caroline’s Confessions

January 9, 1993, Chicago, Illinois

“Uncle Steve, are you staying?” Nicholas asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Your mom invited me to stay tonight.”

“Will you tuck me in?”

I glanced over to Bethany who nodded.

“Of course!” I said, getting up.

He kissed and hugged his mom, then I took him to his room, and helped him into bed. At his request I read Ten Apples Up On Top to him. When I finished the book, I kissed his forehead, turned off the light, and then went back to the living room. I sat down on the couch next to Bethany who cuddled close.

“How are you doing?” I asked.

“Good. I’m busy, which is a good thing and a bad thing.”

“I can imagine.”

“The University asked me to do a series of seminars on ‘date rape’ and sexual assault. I’ll do two each quarter for the rest of the year, and then we’ll reevaluate.”

“That’s cool,” I said.

“Did Jason leave today?”

“Yes. Abbie was pretty bummed, but she’ll go see him in March. That’s when they race in Atlanta, so Jason can go home for the night.”

“Have you heard from Michelle?”

“Every three to four weeks or so I get a postcard that says basically the same thing - that’s she’s doing fine, that she’s praying for me, and that I should continue to pray for her.”

“You won’t see her when you go to Pittsburgh next month?”

“No. I won’t see her until the abbess tells her it’s OK. She told the abbess everything. That’s why she was sent back to ‘put her affairs in order’, so to speak.”

“Were you tempted at all?”

“Tempted? Sure. Was it something I would ever have acted on? No way. I told Michelle it would be a grave sin for me to do that. And I mean that.”

“Because you would take her from her true calling.”

“Yes.”

“What’s going to happen after March 1st?”

I chuckled, “Good question. I don’t think Elyse knows at this point. She’s become much more aggressive in bed.”

“Interesting. She hasn’t really been like that since the apartment.”

“Before Eduardo,” I said. “Maybe she’s just working it out of her system before he gets here.”

“You’re still going to be with her, right?”

“Occasionally. Probably about like you and me. This is what? The fourth time since October?”

“Are you counting?” Bethany smirked.

“If I was counting, I wouldn’t have asked!” I chuckled.

“I have some interesting news.”

“What’s that?”

“I have a date on Friday night. A paramedic.”

“Doctor Jessica approved?” I asked.

Bethany laughed, “Yes. When he asked me out, I told him I’d think about it and talked to Jessica and a couple of nurses. They gave him high marks for being a really nice guy. It doesn’t hurt that he’s good looking and muscular!”

“Never married?”

“Divorced. According to the nurses, his ex couldn’t handle his work schedule. No kids.”

“I know I’m getting WAY ahead of the game, but have you thought about a little brother or sister for Nicholas?”

“I’m not opposed to the idea, but that is way ahead of the game.”

“I wish you the best,” I said.

“Shall we go to bed?”

“You don’t have to ask twice!” I grinned.

“I owe Jessica and Kara a big thanks for tonight!”

“Jess has her period, which means Kara will get hers by tomorrow!”

Bethany laughed, “I don’t think that’s ever stopped you before!”

“No, but it’s a bit messy! And oral sex during a period isn’t my cup of tea.”

“Says the man who will kiss a girl with her mouth full of his cum or shove his tongue into her freshly fucked pussy!”

“I don’t like coconut, caviar, or pâté either. What’s your point?”

Bethany giggled, “Tonight I’m going to give you a fantastic blowjob and a mouthful of your own cum!”

“Maybe I’ll go home,” I chuckled as we climbed into her bed.

“Only if you want to die, Mr. Adams!” she growled. “Slowly and painfully!”

January 13, 1993, Chicago, Illinois

“Steve! You have to see this!” Elyse called out.

I got up from my study and went to the great room.

“What’s up?”

“Mario Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma!”

“Oh, shit,” I sighed. “How bad?”

“It’s not clear. They said he’s going to undergo aggressive radiation treatment.”

“Shit. I’ll have to ask Jess about that.”

When Kara and I met Jessica at the hospital, I immediately asked her about it.

“Survival rates are pretty good, and given he’s an athlete in generally good health, I’d say his chances are excellent. He may never play hockey again, though.”

“That would suck,” I said. “But being alive is a bit more important than a hockey career.”

“And a NASCAR career?” she asked.

“Jess, don’t start, please,” I sighed. “You can’t compare the two things.”

I was glad when she dropped the issue and our trio simply walked home hand-in-hand.

January 15, 1993, Chicago, Illinois

“A quiet week? How did THAT happen?” Elyse asked as we walked out of the building on Friday afternoon.

“Other than the news about Lemieux’s cancer, it happens! Have you heard anything from Cindi or Charlie about hiring?”

“Not beyond what was said at Monday’s staff meeting. They’re gathering candidates. I’m hoping we can interview when we go to Pittsburgh and then out west.”

“Still planning to travel with me?”

“Absolutely!” she said with a huge smile.

We got into my car for the drive home. We’d taken to carpooling most days, unless I had someplace to go after work which wasn’t very often.

“Even the first Rap Session last Sunday was quiet. They seem to be dying out.”

“Every year they’re great for the first semester, but not so great the second. Michelle made a huge difference because she brought such a different perspective. I still haven’t figured out the best approach.”

“Getting naked seemed to really kick things into gear.”

I laughed, “It did, but I’m not sure we can pull that same stunt twice, especially given that about two thirds of the kids were here for that last time. And don’t forget Samantha isn’t eighteen until April, which could present a problem.”

“I’d say unless we figure something out, kids will stop showing up.”

I sighed, “I think you’re right. I’ll have to keep thinking about it. Have you figured out what to do after March 1st?”

“No. I figure Eduardo needs to get settled in a place, get his bearings in the office, and then we’ll figure it out. You don’t have a problem with him spending time at the house, do you?”

“I’m the wrong man in your life to ask THAT question of. I think two young men have opinions far more important than mine!”

“I am totally not sure how Matthew and Michael are going to respond.”

“I can’t provide any insight to that one. Our little guys don’t really pay much attention to who I sleep with and when. Not like Jesse and Birgit.”

“NOBODY is like Birgit!” Elyse laughed. “I think she has a notebook!”

“I’ve called her the ‘Neighborhood Watch’ a few times,” I chuckled. “She’s the only one of the kids that knows about Michelle and me.”

“So what do you think?”

“I think you invite Eduardo to the house to meet everyone, but I wouldn’t invite him to spend the night, at least at first. You go out with your friends on Friday nights sometimes, and the kids are in bed when you get home, so I don’t think they’d really notice if you stayed over at his place if you wanted to.”

Elyse shook her head, “No, I shouldn’t do that until I can tell the boys. I THINK they’ll be OK with it. I just have to make sure they know I’m not trying to replace you.”

“Catch Matthew on a day when I’ve taken away his SEGA and you might get a different answer on whether that would be a good thing or not!”

“That doesn’t happen all that often! I suppose I’ll start by inviting him to our Saturday family dinners. I assume he’s welcome at breakfast and Guys’ Night?”

“Definitely. Eduardo and I always got along really well.”

“And you’re OK with this? Really OK?”

“This was what we expected to happen all along after we had Matthew and Michael. We just didn’t know it would be Eduardo!”

“As long as you’re OK with it.”

“I am,” I said. “You have to do what makes you happy. I’ve had almost three bonus years that I didn’t expect!”

Elyse laughed, “That’s how I see it, too! And now that you’ve agreed that the rules don’t apply to me, I suppose I have forty or fifty more years!”

“You think we’ll still be making love when we’re 80?”

“Unless one of us is dead!” Elyse said quite firmly.

January 20, 1993, Chicago, Illinois

“I’m going to turn on the inauguration in the main conference room,” Elyse said.

“Go on. Anyone who wants to watch is welcome to watch if their supervisor agrees. I don’t plan to watch. I’ll read the highlights of Clinton’s speech in the paper tomorrow.”

“Have you ever watched the speech?”

“Reagan in ‘81 and ‘85,” I said. “I know my parents always watched when I was little, but I don’t remember. The first political thing I really remember was Nixon’s resignation speech in ‘74. I was at Marydale when that happened.”

“I wasn’t a news junkie back then.”

“Me either,” I agreed. “Though I prefer my news from the Tribune or The Economist to TV. CNN is OK, but at times it drives me nuts because the reporting is so shallow.”

“That’s the price for basically an eighteen-minute global newscast.”

“Let me know if anything exciting happens. I suspect it won’t.”

“I suspect you’re right.”

January 22, 1993, Chicago, Illinois

“You’re absolutely sure about this?” I asked Samantha after dinner.

“Yes. I want to. It might only be this time and never again, but tonight I want to.”

“OK,” I said.

“Can we use the sauna? And this time without the bikinis?”

“I thought you both were super sexy in those bikinis!”

“We could wear them if you wanted.”

“I will get to see everything, eventually!”

Twenty minutes later, Samantha, Ellie, and I were sitting close together in the sauna wearing bathing suits.

“Are Mary and Liz going to be here tomorrow?” I asked.

“Why?” Samantha giggled. “Aren’t the two of us enough for you?”

“You know,” I chuckled, “one of these days, I’m going to do the same thing I’ve done to Elyse and call you on that!”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Samantha teased.

“Try, me, little girl!” I said with a big grin.

“You’d actually do something like that?” Ellie asked.

“Four girls? Back when I was your age, I did it a few times, and the girls even did stuff with each other. On my twentieth birthday, I had five girls, but they were one after the other and I was only in bed with one at a time.”

“Did stuff with each other?” Ellie asked.

“Yes.”

“Seriously?”

“Ellie,” I said gently. “Jesse’s moms are married to each other. Think about that!”

“Oh!” she gasped. “I uh, never thought about it! They teach us that it’s a terrible sin!”

“Yeah, well, I happen to disagree. So do Jennifer and Josie.”

“Do your wives, uh, you know?”

“Yes. The three of us make love together, in every way. Not like with you and Samantha one at a time.”

“Why?”

“Because we all love each other,” I said.

“They like girls?”

“No, they love each other. They don’t want to be with other girls. Or other guys.”

“But they’re obviously OK with you being with other girls.”

“Yes. The three of us talked about all of this before we got married. Just like I talked it all through with Samantha before she and I were together the first time, and like Samantha and I talked to you. So long as everyone understands, and everyone agrees, then whatever people want to do is OK.”

“Anything?”

“Anything that’s within the rules you make for yourself or the people you’re with, so long as everyone agrees.”

“So your rules let you be with anyone you want?”

I chuckled, “Not anymore! Samantha reined me in! But even before that, there were people I couldn’t be with. The rules kind of developed over time, but started with nobody who was in a committed relationship. Then nobody at work and later nobody where my wives work. Then as I got older, no girls under the age of consent. And of course, the STD test. Samantha’s rules said I couldn’t flirt with or hit on her friends. And she wants me to limit myself to her, besides the other girls who live here.”

“So that’s why you can’t have Liz or Mary?”

“Yes, but it’s not quite that simple. I’ve been pretty crazy in the past, like I said, and I’m trying to be more controlled.”

“So you really WOULDN’T call Samantha on it!”

I laughed, “I will always hold out the possibility just to keep her in line! So you never know! And I can be just as bad at teasing as she can!”

“He can,” Samantha laughed. “Be careful!”

“Back to the question that you never answered, are your friends coming tomorrow?”

Samantha smirked, “That depends on you, doesn’t it?”

I laughed, “Good one! You keep teasing me about that, so I’ll tell you what. If those two girls show up tomorrow with clean STD tests, I’ll fuck their little brains out! On one condition.”

“What’s that?” Samantha asked, laughing almost as hard as I was.

“That the three of us make love. Together. Tonight.”

“Ewwwww!” both girls exclaimed in unison, each making a face that showed disgust.

“That’s what I thought!” I grinned, putting my arms around both girls.

“Yes, they’ll be here tomorrow,” Samantha said.

When it was time to get out of the sauna, Samantha asked if we could use the whirlpool and I agreed. I filled the tub, adjusted the sauna controls and got in. The girls giggled, stripped off their bikinis and climbed into the swirling water with me. They were both small enough that we could manage with them turned slightly towards me and my arms around them.

When we got out of the tub, we put on robes and went up to Samantha’s room where I made love to the girls, one at a time, and then we snuggled and slept together.

January 23, 1993, Chicago, Illinois

On Saturday morning, I made love to both of them, individually, again, and then we showered and I dressed to head to breakfast with the guys. Howard had a shiny new ensign with him, fresh from the Academy, Brian Frost. He introduced him to everyone, and I let everyone know that in just over a month, Eduardo would join us. A few people remembered him, especially Kurt and Dave, but none of our Navy friends knew him, nor anyone who’d joined our group after he’d left for Wharton.

After breakfast, I drove home, and then my wives and I headed to karate.

“Is Ellie a permanent fixture?” Jessica asked as our trio walked hand-in-hand-in-hand down Woodlawn.

“That’s a good question,” I said. “I think Samantha is trying to adapt herself to being with me.”

“Do they... ?” Kara asked.

I laughed, “No way! They’re like Elyse, I suppose. Last night, Samantha was teasing me about Liz and Mary, and I offered to, quote, ‘fuck their little brains out’, unquote, on one condition - that Samantha, Ellie, and I make love; together. Their immediate response, in unison, mind you, was ‘Ewwwww!’. And they had looks of disgust on their face.”