Chapter 56: Mind Over Matter

June 10, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Steve

“It’s weird having the Rap Session, sorry, Philosophy Club at 8:00am!” Leigh said as we showered. “And even weirder fooling around before breakfast!”

“That was your choice,” I chuckled. “Not that I’m objecting!”

“I only see you once every two weeks, so I don’t want to miss a chance! Will it be OK to visit more often once I move into the dorms at Northwestern?”

“You’re welcome here anytime,” I replied.

“I’m really psyched about going to Saint Martin! I just have to figure out what to tell my parents!”

“That you’re going with Suzanne and her four friends, along with Holly and her boyfriend, and Natalie and her boyfriend.”

“You?”

“As a fiction, yes. Your parents have met Suzanne and don’t need to know about her relationship with me any more than they need to know about yours with me!”

“Turning eighteen didn’t change much in their eyes.”

“Not uncommon these days. When I was growing up, a lot of my friends were given quite a bit more freedom. I wasn’t, but I didn’t turn eighteen until the end of April of my Senior year. And my dad ran a bit of interference for me, plus I had help from some very understanding parents or friends. I moved to Chicago as quickly as I could after graduation.”

“That’s why I want to live in the dorms instead of home.”

“You’re a responsible young woman.”

“My dad isn’t worried about the ‘responsible’ part of that phrase!” Leigh smirked as I shut off the shower.

“A common complaint amongst young women,” I replied with a grin, handing her a towel.

We dried off, then went back to Suzanne’s room to dress, then out to the kitchen where Suzanne was sitting at the island drinking tea.

“Only once?” she teased.

“Compressed timeframe,” I replied. “I promised Leigh I’d make it up to her! There will be plenty of opportunities over the Summer.”

I started on breakfast and when I had everything ready, I went to get Kara, Stephie, and Ashley. A few minutes later, Molly and Brett came into the kitchen and we all had breakfast together.

“How about Ray Bourque winning his first Cup last night with the Avalanche?” Brett asked.

“I’d say he made an excellent decision when he chose to leave Boston for a chance at winning the Cup!”

“I agree!” Brett replied.

“What do you think of all the flooding in Texas?” Molly asked.

“I think Mother Nature is stronger than humanity and will win every time,” I replied. “And that means we have to bow to her, not she to us! And, we can discuss this later at the Philosophy Club meeting if you want, but blaming the government for your choice to live in an area which is subject to natural disasters doesn’t carry any weight in my book. Here at the compound we’re prepared for pretty much any eventuality except a meteorite or the Yellowstone Caldera erupting, and have insurance to cover any losses. But let’s save that for later! Eat!”

Once we finished eating, Suzanne and I cleaned up, and we’d just put away the last dish when our Philosophy Club attendees began attending. We started promptly at 8:00am because of our plans later in the day.

“I want to welcome our new member, Alicija Czerwinski, who teaches at the local elementary school.”

“Hi!” Alicija said and everyone greeted her.

“Steve,” Ben asked, “what do you think about Jim Jeffords?”

“Why not just roll a hand grenade into the room?” Elizabeth asked, shaking her head.

I chuckled, “I think in a situation like this, he should resign and there should be a special election. My reasoning is that it’s likely a good number of people who voted for him did so to ensure a Republican Senate. This changes the balance of power, which is significant. Instead of a 50-50 mix with Vice President Cheney able to break ties, it’s now 51-49 for the Democrats. Of course, that said, this wouldn’t be a problem if Senators were appointed by the State legislatures, as party affiliation wouldn’t matter as much, nor would we see as many party-line votes.”

“You love to ride that hobby horse!” Elizabeth said, shaking her head.

“Nothing I said is false,” I replied. “The Senate is undemocratic and it’s supposed to be. As a programmer, I call it a feature, not a bug. But let’s forget politics, even though your husband chose to stir up trouble!”

[Montréal, Quebec, Canada] 🎤 Matthew

“Should be a fun race,” Eduardo said. “A Ferrari, a Williams, a McLaren, and a Jordan for the first four starting positions.”

“Why does that matter?” Chelsea asked.

“Because they are different teams and manufacturers. After those four it’s another Ferrari, then a British American Racing car, then another Williams, then a Sauber. It’s a good mix of teams.”

“And the front row is two brothers,” I said. “Michael is the older brother, and Ralf is the younger one.”

“Who’s the best driver, Matt?” Chelsea asked.

“Easily Michael Schumacher,” I replied. “But Rubens Barrichello is really good.”

“Who’s going to win?” she asked.

“I’d have to bet on Michael Schumacher,” I said. “What do you think, Eduardo?”

“Him or his brother, though Barrichello should finish well. He usually doesn’t win, because he’s paid to do whatever is best for the team, not himself.”

“When do we leave?” Michael asked.

“In about an hour,” Eduardo said. “The race is at 1:00pm. Let’s go have breakfast, then we’ll head to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.”

[Chicago, Illinois] 🎤 Steve

“Sorry to cut refreshment time short,” I said right at 10:30am, “but I have a wedding to officiate and need to be at the dojo at 11:30am.”

“Officiate?” Alicija asked. “You’re an ordained minister?”

“No, but that’s not required in Illinois. That said, I did, out of an abundance of caution, get credentials from the Universal Life Church.”

“What’s that?”

“Basically a mail-order ordination,” I replied. “But I applied over the internet! The thing is, Illinois law says quite clearly that the solemnization of a marriage is not invalidated by the fact that the person solemnizing the marriage was not legally qualified to solemnize it, if either party to the marriage believed him or her to be so qualified. Since both Darla and John agreed I’m qualified, I don’t even need the paperwork. But I decided to take the cautious approach.”

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” Sophie giggled.

“Do I LOOK like a Catholic priest?” I asked.

“No!” came the chorus from the Catholics, led by Patricia.

“I think the ‘First Church of Steve’ would have some VERY interesting theology and even MORE interesting rites!” Ben chuckled.

“Could be,” I replied, sporting an evil grin.

Everyone left, then Kara, my daughters, and I had a quick snack. When we finished our snacks, went upstairs to get our gi. I’d purchased a new red uniform with no dojo markings for the ceremony. Kara would sew on the patches in the next few weeks, but I wanted the plain one for the ceremony. Darla would be in her black gi and John, who was not a karateka, would be wearing a black pinstripe Nehru suit, a style which was common in Japan. When Darla had first told me, I’d laughed because several Bond villains, including Dr. No, Blofeld, Stromberg, and Kamal Khan, had all worn Nehru jackets. Under other circumstances, I’d have worn my tux and come as James Bond!

Kara had also purchased new uniforms for herself and the girls, but she’d sewn the appropriate patches onto them. Once Kara, who had chosen a black gi, and I were ready, we went downstairs. I got my boombox and when the girls came down a minute later, the four of us headed to the dojo. Suzanne wasn’t joining us, but was instead going to hang out with her friends because she didn’t know Darla. Molly and Brett would follow in about an hour.

At the dojo, I unlocked the doors and we went inside. Kara and the girls did some quick cleaning before the florist arrived. There was a regular cleaning service on Friday mornings, so there really wasn’t much to do. When the florist arrived, they had a drawing which Darla had given them for flower placement. The photographer arrived and began setting up after conferring with me. The florists had just left when Sensei Jim arrived with his wife, and other karateka began arriving just after him. Darla, John, Audrey, and Ted arrived about 12:30pm and the rest of the guests not long after.

“Hi, Sensei Steve!” Ailea said bowing.

I bowed to her and her grandfather.

“Welcome, Ichirou-san,” I said. “Welcome Ailea-chan.”

Right behind them were Iris, Kassidy, and Leigh, and behind them were Mitchell, Amy, Marissa, and Nikki from Molly’s dojo. Sensei Sharon and her husband were right behind them, along with two of her students. The dojo was packed, with karateka and Darla and John’s family and friends, to the point where some people would have to stand in the observation area. Just before 1:00pm I went to the front of the dojo and waited for Darla, John, Audrey, and Ted. Kara turned on the boombox and started the CD.

Darla, John, Audrey, and Ted came out of the office at precisely 1:00pm and walked towards the front of the dojo where I was waiting. When they reached me, Darla bowed to me and I returned the bow.

[Montréal, Quebec, Canada] 🎤 Matthew

We had our great seats in the 2nd turn, which also let us see the first turn and the front straight. As soon as the cars took the green flag, Michael Schumacher took off and held onto first with his brother who had the inside line, in second. After five laps, Michael was more than one second ahead of his brother.

“What do you think?” I asked Chelsea.

“The cars are LOUD!” she declared.

“The Ferrari has a V-10 engine,” Eduardo said when the last car cleared the second turn and things were a bit quieter. “That car is really fast!”

“How many races have you been to?” Chelsea asked.

“Me?” Eduardo asked. “About twenty. This is the sixth race I’ve brought the boys to. I plan to take them to the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis in September.”

“My dad likes Indy cars,” Chelsea said. “Matthew also likes NASCAR.”

“And we’re all going to the race on the 15th of July,” I said. “We fly to Cincinnati the day after.”

The cars came by again and we had to stop talking. Michael Schumacher was still in the lead, and it seemed as if it was going to be a contest between him and his little brother.

[Chicago, Illinois] 🎤 Steve

I greeted everyone and then began, and the photographer started snapping pictures.

“John, do you come here freely, of your own will, for the purpose of taking Darla as your wife?”

“I do.”

“Darla, do you come here freely, of your own will, for the purpose of taking John as your husband?”

“I do.”

“Please read your vows.”

They turned to face each other, and each read their vows.

“Darla, I take you to be my friend, my lover, the mother of my children, and my wife. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, to be faithful to you, and stay with you, for all eternity.”

“John, I take you to be my friend, my lover, the father of my children, and my husband. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, to be faithful to you, and stay with you, for all eternity.”

“The ring, please,” I requested.

Ted handed John Darla’s ring.

“John, please repeat after me - ‘With this ring, I thee wed; let it ever be to us a symbol of our love’.”

“With this ring, I thee wed; let it ever be to us a symbol of our love,” John said, slipping the ring onto Darla’s finger.

Audrey handed Darla John’s ring.

“Darla, please repeat after me - ‘With this ring, I thee wed; let it ever be to us a symbol of our love’.”

“With this ring, I thee wed; let it ever be to us a symbol of our love,” Darla said, slipping the ring onto John’s finger.

“Now that you, John, and you Darla, have consented to this union, and have pledged your faith in the exchange of rings, in the presence of these witnesses, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife! You may kiss the bride!”

They exchanged a kiss then turned to face the assembled guests.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. John Braun!”

Everyone broke into applause and John and Darla bowed and the karateka bowed in return.

“The reception starts at 3:00pm,” John announced. “We’ll see you at the banquet hall, which is just east of here.”

The next thirty minutes were spent with the photographer and the families. Kara took the girls home to change, and they’d meet us at the banquet hall. I’d decided to wear my gi to the reception, as Darla would be wearing hers. When the photographer said he was done, I locked up the dojo, then headed to the banquet hall, even though I’d be a bit early.

[Montréal, Quebec, Canada] 🎤 Matthew

A Safety Car and a series of pitstops reversed the running order of the front two, and Ralf began pulling away from Michael and in the end, beat him by twenty seconds, with Mika Häkkinen finishing third. Jos Verstappen, who we’d met a few times, finished tenth.

“Did you enjoy the race?” I asked Chelsea.

“It was fun. I just wish it was possible to see the whole course!”

“You can’t even do that on television,” Eduardo said. “Well, not all at once. Shall we head back to the hotel and then go to dinner?”

We got up and joined the other fans leaving the track. It took some time, but eventually, we got back to the InterContinental Hotel. My dad had booked us a family suite using his privileged status, and that meant Chelsea and I had a room with a king-size bed to ourselves. Eduardo and Michael shared a room with twin beds.

“I didn’t ask, but why didn’t your mom come?”

“She doesn’t like car racing of any kind. She’s a huge baseball fan and goes to games every year. She and my dad used to go to Reds games before Dad got upset over the World Series being canceled.”

“That’s right. You told me about that; the baseball I mean. We have tickets to two Reds games for when we’re in Ohio.”

“As long as I’m with you, it doesn’t matter what we do.”

Chelsea giggled, “Well, I know one thing I want to do!”

“Oh?” I asked with a smirk. “What’s that?”

“You brat!” she laughed. “You know exactly what I mean!”

“I want to do that, too!” I grinned.

“Good!”

[Chicago, Illinois] 🎤 Steve

“So,” I asked with a smirk as we danced to a moderate tempo song, “are you good?”

“Wouldn’t YOU like to know!” Audrey asked.

“I meant at volleyball!”

“Uh-huh. Sure you did!”

“Actually, I did,” I replied. “It was your mind that went there!”

She laughed, “I’ve been a starter since I was a Freshman, and I played in High School.”

“Then I’ll assume you’re very good!” I grinned. “Did you play in Junior High?”

“I started in eighth grade. Both as in started playing and I was a starter!”

“What position?”

“Front.”

“So you’re an expert at spiking into the gap?” I smirked.

Audrey laughed, “Is your tongue good for anything other than being a brat?”

“Wouldn’t YOU like to know?” I asked just as the song ended.

We went to the bar so she could get a glass of wine and I asked for sparkling water with a lime.

“Health nut?” she asked.

“Married to a doctor with a doctor as a father-in-law. I don’t really have a choice!”

“True! How long have you been practicing karate?”

“I started as a Freshman in college.”

“Darla says you’re very good!” she smirked, implying with her tone of voice something that had never happened, or, frankly, had even crossed my mind.

“I’m an instructor, and have achieved 6th Dan.”

“You’re in very good shape.”

“As are you,” I replied. “I’m guessing pretty light on the beer.”

“No bongs, some beer. And I like boys! And you very obviously like girls! Two wives? A girlfriend? Kids by two other women!”

“Living the dream!” I grinned.

“More like a fantasy! Dance again?”

“Sure.”

The song was slower and Audrey stepped close so that her dress rustled against my legs and her small breasts rubbed lightly against my chest.

“So, how good are you?” she asked.

“You first,” I chuckled.

“Are we dancing? Or are we dancing?”

“My dance card is open under the right circumstances.”

“And if I waltzed over to your wife and asked her, what would she say?”

I chuckled, “Something along the lines of ‘if you think you can handle it, little girl, then go for it’.”

“Riiiggghhht!”

“You’re free to test what I said, assuming you meet the basic requirements.”

“Female? Breathing?”

“I’m not a college boy! In my position, I can be VERY selective.”

“Uh-huh. What requirements?”

“A clean STD test is mandatory.”

“And if I have one, then I just walk up to your wife and say ‘Doctor Adams, I want to dance with your husband?”

I nodded, “Yes, though that’s the chemistry professor; the trauma surgeon is working.”

“Why do I have this nagging suspicion that my leg is being pulled or my chain is being yanked?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“Are you always this difficult?”

“Yes!”

“That doesn’t seem like a successful strategy.”

I chuckled, “And yet...”

“You’re that sure of yourself?”

“I had you at ‘Are you any good?’,” I replied smugly. “And that was yesterday! The rest is just, well, dancing!”

“Wow! You are just full of yourself!”

“And you want to be full of me, too!” I declared.

“If you were a college guy, I’d walk away from a bad line like that!”

“Good thing I’m not a college guy!”

“Can we be serious?”

“Sure,” I replied.

“College guys are easy to figure out; you aren’t. I can’t get a read on whether you’re just having fun or teasing with intent. It’s all flirting, but some flirting is with intent. And I can’t decide which this is.”

“I’ll let you in on a secret - all flirting is with intent. Whether or not that intent is acted on is a function of the two people.”

“So every time you flirt with a girl you intend to take it to, well, the logical conclusion?”

“Not intend, as I think you mean it, but certainly it’s the first step to that logical conclusion. Let me ask you this - would it be OK for your steady boyfriend or your husband to flirt with other girls?”

“No.”

“Why?”

Audrey laughed knowingly, “Because of where it might lead.”

“Exactly.”

“But you flirted with me.”

“Think back to how this started and ask yourself if that’s true.”

Audrey was quiet for a few seconds, then smiled.

“Yesterday, you asked, in context, if I was good at volleyball, and I twisted it in a way that it allowed you to ask again, when we had our first dance today.”