Chapter 50: Getting Reacquainted

April 11, 1995, Chicago, Illinois

“Steve, Ailea is here,” Kimmy said. “Tea?”

“Yes, please. Whatever she wants. We’ll take it at the low table.”

I got up from my desk and went to greet Ailea. She removed her shoes and joined me on the «zabuton».

“How is school going?” I asked.

“Really well. As I told you before Christmas, the study habits my mom instilled in me have really paid off.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t had a lot of time for you.”

“I know you’re really busy. But you always take my phone calls when I want to say ‘hello’ or get advice.”

“I’ll try to do better, but a lot of stuff is going down here at work that’s going to keep me tied up. I will see you over Memorial Day, though.”

“Judging again?”

“No. I have a student who is going to compete. I’ll be there as her Sensei.”

“Wow! Your dojo doesn’t usually compete.”

“More like ‘never’! The last time was over fifteen years ago.”

“I’ll be there helping my grandfather. He said he sees you at the ISKC meetings. He’s happy you’re participating more. He really respects you.”

“And I respect him. Do you still clean for him on Sundays?”

Ailea laughed, “Why? Did you want to come for lunch?”

“I thought you and Marco were a couple?”

“Sort of. Grandfather doesn’t like him, which causes a bit of tension.”

“I didn’t think you cared what he thought. You didn’t when we were together.”

Ailea laughed again, “Grandfather loves you. He would simply have objected to the two of us forgetting you were married!”

“We didn’t forget! We just have different opinions about the topic from your grandfather.”

“Which is funny when you think about the traditional Japanese views on that kind of thing. If a married man has permission from his wife, he is committing no offense, and it is no offense for a girl to not be a virgin on her wedding night. In that way, he seems more American.”

“Or, perhaps, he was simply looking out for your best interest. That it wasn’t about sex, but about him being concerned that you would fall in love with a married man. He did give you a «furisode», after all.”

“I hadn’t considered that,” Ailea said. “The «furisode» acknowledges I am a woman and free to select a mate. Or a lover, if I choose.”

“What’s his problem with Marco?”

Ailea smiled, “Grandfather called him a slacker, a good-for-nothing layabout, and said he was undisciplined.”

“That last one is the kiss of death from your grandfather,” I said. “Is it true?”

“Marco likes his video games, and other than studying and going to class, he doesn’t do much. He’s never held a job and his parents are paying for school.”

“You’ve never held a job and YOUR parents are paying for school.”

“And would you say any of those things are true about me?”

“Not at all. Let me guess, Marco doesn’t treat your grandfather with the respect an older Japanese man would expect.”

“He doesn’t have much respect for anyone over age 30.”

“That’s the real source of the problem,” I said. “If Marco can’t see his way fit to show your grandfather the respect he deserves, then you’re in for a lifetime of conflict. I suspect your mom agrees with me.”

Ailea smiled, “She does, but she’s wise enough not to say anything. My dad likes Marco. They watch Bears games together.”

“And what do you do?”

“Watch. I’m not a huge fan, but I like football enough. We cuddle on the loveseat at least part of the time.”

“You saying ‘sort of’ when I asked about being a couple tells me you agree, at least in part, with your grandfather.”

She nodded, “I do. And I’m sure you agree with him as well.”

“Yes, but I’d be more circumspect about it, the way your mom is. Telling a teenager not to do something is the surest way to get them to do it. That seems to apply to my nine-year-old son as well!”

“Do you think I should break up with Marco?”

“What did I just say?” I chuckled.

“You aren’t my dad or my grandfather. You give good advice.”

“I think you have to consider the long-term conflict. Is this boy worth the long-term conflict? If he is, then by all means, stay with him; marry him, even. But if he’s not worth that long-term conflict, then I’m sure a girl as smart and sexy as you are can find a more suitable life partner.”

“God, not yet!” she laughed. “Well, unless you’re making yourself available!”

“I have one or two prior commitments,” I grinned. “But the first step to finding that proper life partner is meeting a young man and exploring a relationship. You don’t have to answer, but are you and Marco...”

Ailea shook her head, “No. He wants to, but I don’t.”

“I think that right there probably answers your question. I’m not implying you HAVE to, or even should, sleep with your boyfriend, but if you’ve ruled it out after, what, six months? That should tell you something. If you told me you weren’t ready, that would be one thing. But you said you don’t want to. That’s a VERY different thing altogether.”

“You’re right. What I need to find is a twenty-year-old Steve Adams!”

“You would NOT have liked the twenty-year-old Steve Adams! Did I ever tell you what my Sensei called me?”

“No.”

“He called me an immature, self-centered, unteachable, insufferable git. And he was right.”

“What happened?”

“Several deaths, a marriage, quite a few births, founding a company, and too many other things to count. And, ultimately, that gold stripe on my «obi».”

“Oh, yes, Master!” she teased, sticking out her tongue.

I laughed hard, “When I was younger, my response was don’t stick it out unless you intend to use it!”

She smiled, “We really can’t go backwards, can we?”

“No. Only forwards. And speaking of that, do you have your schedule mapped out for the Fall?”

“Yes. I met with my counselor last Friday. Everything is on target.”

“Good. Six years to go, right?”

“That sounds like a prison sentence,” Ailea said, shaking her head. “But yes. Three undergrad and three in law school.”

“Remember, when you’re ready to intern or clerk over a summer, I can put you in touch with the right people.”

“I will. Thanks for taking time to see me this morning.”

“Thanks for understanding my crazy schedule.”

“I suppose I should get going. I’m having lunch with Marco. Probably the last one.”

“If you need to talk, just call.”

We got up and hugged, then I walked her to the lobby before returning to my desk. I worked for about ninety minutes before I had to leave for my second lunch in a row at Takumi, though I was meeting Mitsuko rather than Melissa. We arrived at almost the same time, and were seated in the Japanese room.

“I’m sorry we’ve missed so many Sundays and lunches,” I said after we placed our orders.

“I understand,” Mitsuko said. “I’ve been busy with my Senior year!”

“How are things at home?”

“No better and no worse,” Mitsuko said. “My little sister is still impossible, finding the worst possible boys to date in order to insult and offend my parents.”

“She’s doing that on purpose, which I’m sure you know.”

“Yes, but I don’t understand why she risks disease and pregnancy to insult my parents. It makes no sense.”

“It’s the complete rejection of everything they stand for,” I said. “And she is so utterly offended by their beliefs and lifestyle, that she’s willing to put herself at grave risk. And yes, I’m sure she understands the risks. She struck me as a very intelligent young woman.”

“I think my parents have given up, and will simply tell her to leave once she graduates High School. I am sure they will refuse to pay for college, too.”

“That’s harsh,” I said. “But I can understand the dishonor they feel and why they might decide to do that. I think it’s a mistake, but that’s simply my opinion as an outsider.”

“I believe a sensei like you or Jim probably would have been able to keep her in line. I told you about her sensei, right?”

“Yes. It’s unfortunate that a man such as that should be a sensei.”

“I agree. Are you going to be able to teach Dyani, «Shihan» Steve?”

I nodded, “Sensei Jim approved. Are you sharing our time on Sunday mornings?”

Mitsuko smiled, “Dyani asked if I would let her have that time, at least for the rest of the semester.”

Which fit what my wives had said about Dyani watching me whenever I was in view, and her request for ‘private’ lessons. She was certainly attractive, but she was a member of the dojo. Mitsuko had not been, which provided just enough separation to not create a rules violation on my part.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I said.

“You taught me, and then once you were injured, we did our workouts together. You can train Dyani because she’s not ready to spar.”

“That’s true. But it would probably be better if you were there with us.”

“You’re concerned about how it might look? You weren’t, with me.”

“I am. May I ask a very personal question? One you needn’t answer.”

“Of course.”

“When did you decide you wanted to go to bed with me?”

Mitsuko smiled, cocked her head to the side, and answered in a soft voice, “When you kissed my hand in the diner. The same time you decided you wished to go to bed with me.”

I smiled, suppressing a chuckle which would have spoiled the moment, “You knew?”

“I think girls always know!” she said playfully. “You didn’t know?”

I shook my head slowly, “I don’t think guys know until the girl is ready to actually go to bed. They might think it’s true, but they can’t ever be sure. And sometimes girls do it because the guy wants to, not because they want to.”

“That makes no sense! Why do something you don’t want to do?”

“To keep a guy, for example.”

“But a guy who requires sex without concern for what the girl wants is not a guy I think is worth dating.”

“I would agree with you. Are you still seeing the same young man?”

“Neil? Yes. My parents like him. He’s very polite and shows them proper respect.”

“Good.”

“And he behaves properly. He would never ask me to do something I wasn’t ready to do.”

“A sign of a mature man,” I said. “Is he a student?”

“A graduate student in the physics department. He’s been working part-time at Argonne National Laboratory on the Advanced Photon Source project. They had their first successful test a few weeks ago. It produces the brightest X-ray beams available, which they use for research. He’ll likely work full-time for them when he completes his PhD. He’s one of the top students of Doctor Alan Schriesheim, who’s a professor at UofC and also Director of Argonne Labs.”

“So WAY smarter than me,” I chuckled.

Mitsuko shook her head, “There are many types of intelligence. Neil could not run a business nor be a sensei. Nor could he have been my first lover.”

“If it’s not too personal to ask, what makes you say that?”

“For you, I can answer. You have a unique nature, Steve-chan. At once gentle and strong; patient and urgent; tender and forceful; respectful and sensual; teacher and student. A man any woman could open herself to, if she was so inclined. The type of man my sister SHOULD have sought out.”

Her use of ‘Steve-chan’ was extremely intimate, coming right to a line we couldn’t cross. Where I could tease and joke with Ailea, that wasn’t appropriate with Mitsuko. I saw in her what Sakurako might be at age twenty-one, living in the big city rather than in Oguni. It would take compromises - ones Mitsuko had made, but which Sakurako probably would not.

“Thank you, Mitsuko-chan. I appreciate you sharing your innermost thoughts with me.”

“It is fitting to share them with the man with whom I shared myself, and who shared himself with me.”

Our food arrived, and after I gave the Japanese blessing, we began eating.

“How serious are things with Neil?” I asked.

Mitsuko smiled, “I believe once he receives his doctorate and begins working full time, he will ask me to marry him. And I will say yes.”

“Then I would very much like to meet this young man.”

“Are you free on Sunday afternoon?”

“Yes. It’s Western Easter, but we observe the Orthodox calendar, so it’s a week later, though I’m not sure I’m going to go to church.”

Mitsuko smiled, “Then we’ll come by on Sunday afternoon. And Buddhism fits you better, Steve.”

I nodded in acknowledgement, smiling as I thought that she was one more person who felt Buddhism was the proper path for me.

We finished our lunch, and exchanged a chaste hug. Once I’d settled the bill, I walked her to the L and then walked back to the office.

“Run out of Japanese girls?” Penny teased.

“I needed some time to get reacquainted with some friends I hadn’t spent enough time with.”

“Yes, please!” Penny teased.

“Not THAT kind of reacquainted! Things are very different now, Penny.”

“You’ve totally given that up? It’s just you and your wives?”

“I’m not going to answer directly; I’m just going to say what I said before - things are different.”

“And you’re happy?”

“Yes. I could ask you the same thing, you know?”

Penny shook her head, “No. You never cheated. I did. And made a huge mess.”

“Penny, remember what I told you about Kara and me in High School; I know exactly what it is to cheat. We’ve learned our lessons. You and Terry are doing OK, right?”

“Yes. The counseling has been interesting, but I’m sure you know about that from experience.”

“I do.”

“I know this isn’t my place, but did anything happen to Keri?”

I shook my head, “No. That was a private situation between her and Terry, and neither of them were supervisors. I chose to ignore the situation with Tasha for the good of NIKA, but she was given a stern talking-to. And that’s why you can’t tease me about girls here, no matter what. And if you’re aware someone is going to ask, warn them off. The results of asking that question directly will be immediate and severe. They have to be. Even teasing will be dealt with severely, if it continues past a warning.”

“And you and me?”

“Have a history. Just as Kimmy and I do. And Elyse and I do. And Michelle and I do. There are allowances for that, but even in those cases, we have to be careful what is said or done at work. Do you recall me EVER kissing Elyse in the office?”

“Now that you mention it, no. Nor Michelle. And of course you were hiding what was going on with Kimmy. And I was before NIKA started.”

“Exactly. Nobody has complained about the kisses on the cheek you and I share. If they do, I’ll deal with it. For everyone else, it’s purely a business relationship.”

“Except you undressing Kimmy with your eyes every time you see her!” Penny said quietly.

“Something I’ve been working on, in case you haven’t noticed. It was a game we played, but it wasn’t and isn’t appropriate.”

“So how are the kisses on the cheek different?”

I chuckled, “Because anyone who knows you understands their life would be at severe risk if they tried to stop it!”

Penny laughed, “Am I that bad?”

“Yes!” I laughed.

“Steve?” Kimmy called. “You have a fax.”

I got up and walked out to her office where she handed me five sheets of paper which constituted a red-lined memorandum of understanding and a brief note from Karl. I quickly scanned them, then changed shoes and went to Elyse’s office. I shut the door and sat down.

“I have a red-lined version of the memorandum. I just read through it and I only see one thing I think will be an issue. Would you read it, please? Then we can call Karl.”

Elyse read through the faxed documents, then put them back down on her desk.

“I can’t imagine they’ll agree to providing a valuation up front. That would in effect set an asking price. Obviously, we’d love to know that, but why would they want to tell us?”

“I agree. Let’s call Karl and see what he’s thinking.”

Elyse dialed Karl’s direct line and he answered.

“Commander Schumacher.”

“Commander, it’s Steve and Elyse,” I said.

“You received the fax?”

“Yes. We’re wondering what you’re thinking about with requiring them to provide a valuation before Stephanie flies down.”

“I spoke to a friend of mine in the Pentagon about this situation, without names or cities or anything. His job is weapons systems procurement, but he’s a CPA as well admitted to practice in Federal Court. When I explained your suspicions, he came up with the idea of insisting on a valuation which would serve as an asking price.”

“Right,” Elyse said. “We got the point. But why would they agree and what does he suspect?”

“They’ll agree because they don’t have a choice. We refuse to move forward unless they set an asking price. As to what my friend suspects, it’s probably the same thing Steve’s sister will - cooked books. Or some kind of strange accounting. You do everything according to GAAP and if you have a choice, you always select the simplest solution, even if it costs you a small amount of extra taxes or leaves a bit of profit on the table. It means your books are almost literally textbook. We saw that with that BS audit by the IRS. What did they find? A single transcription error in a double-entry ledger that cost you $400 in taxes. The government spent at least $25,000 on the audit!”

“Nobody said government employees were smart,” I teased, goading my friend.

“Remember, I know guys who drive Tomcats for a living and I know where you live and work and your route between home and the office!”

“True! What did their attorney say?” I asked.

“Nothing yet. I sent you a red-line copy that I want to propose to them. I think that provision is the only one that will raise any questions. They’ll bitch about the selection-of-law provision, but in the immortal words of Nick Evans, fuck ‘em. We’re in the superior position!”