Chapter 24: Weird!

February 24, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Jesse

“Seriously?!” Mom One asked.

“Seriously!” I replied. “Just like you and Dad with ‘strip chess’!”

“You really did that, Mrs. Block?” Joy asked.

“Trust me,” Libby smirked. “If it’s crazy, Jesse’s parents probably did it! Well, Mom One and his dad. I think Mom Two was kind of boring during High School!”

“Careful!” Mom Two growled, but then she started laughing. “I don’t mind that my life wasn’t as crazy as Jennifer’s was!”

“Uhm, Jesse,” Joy said, “Nothing personal, but you STINK!”

“His little sister always gave him grief about that when he couldn’t shower at the rink! And can you imagine what his gear smells like?”

“Ugh!” Joy said, wrinkling her nose. “Why didn’t you shower?”

“They wouldn’t let us use the full locker room,” I said. “We can at our home rink, but not every rink where we play has showers.”

“And there isn’t much that smells worse than a bunch of hockey players who haven’t showered!” Mom Two said.

“What’s next?” Joy asked.

“We play two regional single-elimination games and then two single-elimination games for the State Championship, if we get there.”

“Has your school ever done that?”

“No. This was our first citywide championship.”

When we arrived home, Joy went to the main house but Libby came into the coach house with us. She helped me put my gear on the special rack in the basement, and after I turned on the fans, she followed me up to my bedroom.

“I think an outstanding performance in goal deserves a special reward!” she smirked as I began undressing.

She undressed as well and followed me to the shower where after I rinsed off she gave me a very, very nice blowjob before helping me wash with soap. When I was clean, we went back to my room and she pushed me onto the bed, straddled me and we kissed while she rubbed her pussy along my dick until it got hard again. She rode me until I blasted cum into her, then lay down on top of me.

“So, best friend,” she said. “You and Joy?”

“Maybe,” I replied.

“She seems to like you a lot.”

“I like her, too, but it’s kind of tough to have a girlfriend 350 miles away. And that might mean nothing happens.”

“You mean if she thinks sex means you’re a couple?”

“Yes. And I’ll find out before anything happens.”

“Would you try?”

“You’re worried about losing your afterschool fucks?” I teased.

“I can always go to Juliette’s house!” she teased back. “But you know I won’t be upset.”

“I don’t think I want a long-distance girlfriend.”

“You would for Francesca,” Libby said.

“That’s different,” I sighed.

“Nothing more happened, right?”

“No. Uncle Pete said that because I didn’t help her or even talk to her, the FBI won’t do anything, so none of us can get in any trouble. Aunt Melanie said the same thing.”

“We should probably take another shower then go downstairs for lunch.”

“True. What do I get if we win State?” I teased.

“I’ll bring three friends!” she giggled. “All cherry!”

“My dad would love it!”

“I can’t believe you aren’t interested! You know, one totally over-the-top, crazy fling!”

“It is tempting,” I replied.

It was, but I didn’t think it was a good idea. We got out of bed and headed back to the bathroom for another shower.

🎤 Steve

The Sarcus and Heaths came back to the house with us and would stay the afternoon because they were joining us for Guys’ Night and Girls’ Night Out. Kara, the girls, and I went to karate, leaving Suzanne and Maria Cristina to entertain our guests. We returned home for lunch, and after lunch, we all went to the sauna, but used the ‘Weekend Rules’ out of deference to our guests, which included Joy. Jesse and Libby joined us, as did Jesse’s moms. After we got out of the sauna, and everyone had showered, we all went to the sunroom to relax. Just before 3:00pm, the doorbell rang and Birgit scampered to answer it. She came back right away.

“Dad, there’s a girl who asked for you.”

“Shocking,” Jesse smirked.

“Watch it, Little Duck!” I threatened.

“Bring it, Penguin!” he replied causing everyone to laugh.

I got up and went to the foyer with Birgit following close behind. The girl was cute, and I guessed about eighteen.

“Hi,” I said. “How can I help you?”

“Hi! Are you Mr. Adams?”

“Yes. And you are?”

“Hope Schobert.”

Something in the back of my mind said that should mean something but I just couldn’t place it. The blank look on my face must have made it clear I had no idea who she was.

“You know my mom,” she said. “Well, my biological mom. Her name is Sandy and her last name used to be...”

“Van der Meer,” I said before she could say it. “The last time I saw you was when you were less than a day old! May I ask what you’re doing here?”

“Campus visits to UofC, IIT, and Loyola.”

“Is your mom with you?”

“My adopted mom, yes. She’s waiting in the car.”

“Do you want to ask her to come in?” I asked.

“No, it’s OK. My birth mom said I should look you up because she knew you were a successful businessman and that you would be a good person to know in Chicago.”

“After,” I thought for a minute, “almost eighteen years?”

“I guess she’s kept track of you.”

“You’ve caught me a bit off guard,” I said. “This is my daughter Birgit.”

“Hi!” Birgit said.

“Hi!” Hope replied. “My birth mom asked me to give you this card, Mr. Adams.”

She handed me a Hallmark card in a pink envelope.

“What do you want to major in?”

“Computers,” Hope said.

And suddenly everything fell into place, at least as much as it could for a random visit like this. Sandy was trying to help her daughter and had taken the chance of sending her to see me.

“Will your mom be OK waiting another minute?” I asked.

“Sure.”

“Pumpkin, go get your mom, please.”

Birgit hurried away and returned less than a minute later with Kara.

“Kara, this is Sandy Van der Meer’s daughter, Hope.”

“Whoa!” Kara gasped. “Hi!”

“Hi. You must be the girl from my birth mom’s church!”

“I am. Do you want to come in?”

“No. My adoptive mom is waiting in the car. My birth mom said I should stop by. Mr. Adams, I think her phone number is on the card.”

“OK,” I replied. “You’re sure you don’t want to ask your mom to come in?”

“She’s not thrilled with this idea, but I insisted.”

Which also made sense.

“Then thanks for stopping by. It was nice to see you again after almost eighteen years!”

I opened the door for her and watched as she walked down the steps and got into a waiting SUV. After they drove off, I shut the door.

“What was that?!” Kara asked.

“She’s making campus visits to UofC and Loyola. She’s going to study computers and I’m guessing Sandy wants me to help her. She sent a card that’s addressed to both of us.”

“What’s it say?”

I opened the envelope and extracted the card.

Dear Steve and Kara,

I know it must have been a surprise to have Hope simply come to your door, but it seemed like the best way to approach you. Steve treated me so well despite the foolish things I did, and despite how I tried to ruin his relationship with you, Kara. I’m sorry about that, and I hope you’ll both forgive me for the terrible way I tried to interfere.

Hope is planning to study computers, and I hope you’ll both be willing to help her. She doesn’t know anyone in Chicago, and I’d feel better if you could look out for her. Her adoptive mom isn’t happy about me telling her about you, but Hope is a very determined young woman and convinced her adoptive mom to let her contact you.

If you’re willing to help, I’d very much appreciate it. I’d also like to hear from you. My phone number is at the bottom of this letter.

Sincerely,
Sandy Caufield

“Talk about a wild shot in the dark!” Kara said.

“There’s a story I don’t know,” Birgit declared. “That girl is not my half-sister, right?”

“No,” I chuckled. “She’s not. Her grandfather thought she was, but he was mistaken.”

“Her grandfather was the pastor of the church I went to before your Grandpa Blanchard died.”

“Before I was born.”

“Yes.”

“That was the evil church with the evil pastor, right? The one who accused Grandpa Adams and Dad of causing your dad’s heart attack?”

“Yes.”

“Ugh! She doesn’t go to his church, does she?”

“I can’t imagine she does,” Kara replied. “He lost his job because she got pregnant and I’m sure as soon as she could she moved out of the house.”

“What am I missing?” Birgit asked.

“Nothing that is any of your business, young lady!” Kara said firmly.

Birgit giggled, “That means that Hope’s mom was ‘expertly deflowered’! That’s why her grandpa thought she was Dad’s daughter!”

“Way to go, Honey,” I chuckled.

“Oh, sure, blame ME for a certain precocious daughter?” Kara protested.

“You both love me!” Birgit declared.

“Which is how you’ve managed to live to be twelve!” I teased.

“Are you going to make the call now?” Kara asked.

“That makes sense,” I replied. “Birgit, go back to our guests. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

She scampered away and Kara and I went to my study.

“I think I know what’s going on,” Kara said after I closed the door.

“Oh?”

“Didn’t the family that adopted Hope attend Grace Church?”

“Yes.”

“That’s what it is, I bet,” Kara smirked. “An antidote, if you will.”

“She did NOT send her daughter to me for THAT!” I exclaimed.

Kara laughed, “That’s not what I meant! I meant to help reverse the brainwashing. Though we know what usually happens!”

I dialed the number and asked for Sandy.

“This is she! Steve?”

“Yes. Hope just left. Kara is here with me. OK to put the phone on speaker?”

“Sure! I’m sure she knows everything!”

I pressed the speaker button and put the handset back on the cradle.

“Hi, Sandy. It’s Kara!”

“Hi, Kara! How are you?”

“Great! I have two beautiful daughters by Steve.”

“I’m not surprised! Are you a homemaker?”

Kara laughed, “Oh, heavens no! I’m a professor of chemistry at UofC and Assistant Department Chair.”

“Whoa! That was not what your dad wanted at all!”

“No kidding! What do you do?”

“I manage a McDonald’s near Eastgate Mall.”

“Which is not what your dad wanted at all!”

“No, it’s not!”

“Are you married?”

“Divorced. Ruth is still married to Roger and they have four kids. They’re living in Southern California now. He works for the Angels and is their senior scout.”

“Hope said you’ve been following my company,” I said.

“I heard through a friend you had started your own company and once I got the internet I started checking out your company website. You seem to be doing really well.”

“We are. And you managing a McDonald’s tells me you’re pretty successful yourself.”

“From counter to manager! I went to Hamburger U out in Oak Brook.”

“You should have looked us up,” Kara said.

“I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure. But once Hope decided on college in Chicago, I decided to get in touch.”

“She said her adoptive mom wasn’t happy.”

“I bet you can guess why,” Sandy said.

“They go to Grace Church?” Kara asked.

“Yes.”

“So she knows who I am, then,” I said.

“Only in the barest way. I want Hope to have a real future. It was tough enough for her to convince the Schoberts about studying computers instead of going to Bible college.”

“Is your dad still pastoring a church?”

“Yes, over in Kentucky. It’s as fanatical as Grace Church ever was. I haven’t set foot in a church since I got pregnant with Hope. Bob and I went to a judge to marry.”

“Not to be indelicate...” Kara said.

“I never cared,” Sandy said. “The guys I was with were all losers. It was more about finding guys who would really make my dad angry than anything. Well, and being dumb about birth control. Dad is such an idiot because Steve was always a really nice guy and he’s very successful! I’m surprised you guys only have two kids, though I guess being a college professor kind of limited that.”

Kara laughed, “You don’t know?”

“Know what?” Sandy asked.

“Steve has seven kids!”

“What?!” Sandy gasped. “But...”

“Two by me,” Kara said. “Two by our wife Jessica...”

“Wait!” Sandy interrupted. “Your wife? As in both of you?”

“Yes!” Kara declared happily. “Steve, Jessica, and I all consider ourselves married to each other and yes, that means what you’re thinking it means. Steve also has two kids by his friend Elyse, who you met, and one by his High School girlfriend, Jennifer, who I don’t think you met.”

“Holy cow! Dad would have a heart attack! Oh, uhm, sorry.”

“It’s OK,” Kara replied. “I know what you meant. Did you have any other kids?”

“No. Bob and I tried, and saw a bunch of doctors, but nothing worked. That’s what caused the divorce. He wanted kids and despite both of us being fertile according to the doctors, I never could get pregnant. He remarried and has two kids.”

“Do you still want Hope to be around us?” I asked

Sandy laughed, “First of all, anything that would make my dad’s head explode is a good thing, and this would! Second, you’re very successful and I’m sure you can give Hope good advice. Third, she needs someone who can teach her about the real world. I’ve tried, but I had seriously limited contact with her until she could drive. I was allowed to see her once a month, and that was it. Now we hang out, though the Schoberts don’t like it very much.”

“Why would she bring Hope here, then?” Kara asked.

“I wrote in my letter that Hope is a very determined young woman. She argued that it was better to know a successful businessman in the field she was going to study and work in, and who was married to Kara. You remember the Schoberts, right, Kara?”

“Yes. They were really nice, and never quite as crazy as the families who followed your dad when he was fired.”

“They remember you, and they knew you went to the Free Church. Your mom still goes there, right?”

“Yes,” Kara replied, “but only occasionally. Would you like to come visit?”

“Sure!” Sandy said. “I have vacation time and can take it whenever I want because I’m the boss!”

I laughed, “If only it really worked that way!”

Sandy laughed as well, “True. I have to make sure my assistant manager is available. Kara, have you heard from Susie?”

“The last time I heard from her was over ten years ago,” Kara replied. “She and her husband moved to Phoenix. I’m sorry to cut this short, but we have a house full of guests. Let me give you our number and you can call me and we can plan your visit.”

Kara gave our home number, as well as her work number, and then they exchanged Instant Messenger IDs. We said ‘goodbye’ and hung up.

“I still don’t get why Hope’s adoptive mom would agree to let her come here,” I said.

“Maybe it’s just as Sandy said - Hope is determined and headstrong. Could you imagine trying to deny Birgit something she wanted when she gets to that age?”

“Yes,” I replied. “But only one thing.”

“Besides that?”

“Does the phrase ‘scorched earth’ mean anything to you?” I chuckled. “Or «Carthago delenda est»?”

Kara laughed, “Complete with turning salt into the fields so nothing could ever grow there again!”

“I was a bit surprised you asked Sandy to visit,” I said.

“You don’t approve?” Kara asked.

“It’s OK, Honey. I was just surprised.”

“I figured if she was going to ask us to look after Hope, it would be good to get reacquainted.”

“I agree. Shall we rejoin our friends?”

We left the study and went back to the sunroom.

🎤 Jesse

“How long does the poker game take?” Joy asked.

“It depends, but usually it’s done by 10:00pm or so.”

“And you win a lot?”

“Enough. Dad is really good, and so is my brother Matthew. Terry, he’s Amber’s dad, is really good, too. Lieutenant Nomura plays really well, but she can’t play with us.”

“Why?”

“She’s not a guy! It’s Guys’ Night! But there are a couple of ‘mixed’ nights when everyone is together and she does really well in those games.”

“Will you come get me when you’re done?”

“Absolutely! Don’t believe a word Birgit says about me!”

Joy laughed, “Now that sounds like something I SHOULD do!”

She went to find Birgit and I went to help Matthew set up the poker tables and count out the chips. It turned out to be a rare bad night for the Adams boys, with all of us going out fairly quickly.

“Bad beats all around,” I said to Dad when I got up from the table.

“How the heck did all three of us get rivered?” Matthew asked. “I think Commander Krennick was base dealing!”

“Tough to do with the bright green cut cards we have for the bottom of the deck!” I said. “But it was odd we all went out on hands when he was dealer! Matt, when’s your next play?”

“Dad has all the tickets; they’re for the 16th. It’s a Friday.”

“That works. I’m flying to Rochester on Saturday.”

“You have two games each of the next two weekends, right?”

“Yes. Well assuming we win. If we lose a game, we’re out.”

“That would suck. It’s too bad your trophy isn’t the size of the one the school received!”