Chapter 52: Rules and Exceptions

April 14, 1995, Chicago, Illinois

“Do you mind if I ask why your gun is gone?”

“You haven’t been around long enough to know the whole story, but a lawyer who was a nemesis of mine retired out of the blue and moved to San Antonio. He was murdered, and the San Antonio cops are out of leads. I have an airtight alibi, which the FBI checked into, but the San Antonio cops are desperate to solve this case, so they’re even following wild goose chases. The FBI has my gun, they’ll test it, find the striations on the rounds do not match, and then return the gun. But it could take weeks.”

“I may regret asking this,” Eve said, “but why carry? I’m not objecting mind you, I’m just curious.”

“Credible threats, according to our security firm. How much of my story do you know?”

“I’ve talked to Penny and Charlie.”

I chuckled, “Now I’m afraid!”

“They told me about your rather unique situation.”

“That’s a polite way to put it. But that ‘unique situation’ means our household has incomes from two engineers, a trauma surgeon, a doctoral candidate chemistry professor, the CFO and Office manager of NIKA, and me. Not to mention our houseguest, a trauma surgeon from the UK. And seven kids.”

“But you’re also a licensed karate instructor, right?”

“Sure. And all things being equal, that’s the first thing I’d use. That’s perfect for close combat. The firearm provides a ranged option. I’ve been training with my friends up at Great Lakes. One’s a Navy firearms instructor, and the other is a US Marshal who used to be an NIS agent at Great Lakes. He won the base pistol competition five straight years when he was there.”

“You seem to have very interesting friends, too. A US Marshal? A Navy firearms instructor? And I hear you have an ex-girlfriend who is a Russian diplomat and are friends with her husband, a General in the Soviet Red, well, Russian now, Army?”

“I’ve certainly had an interesting life, that’s for sure!”

“You, Dave, Julia, Cindi, Elyse, and Penny started NIKA when you were all twenty-two?”

“Penny was sixteen, but yes.”

“Sixteen? Holy cow! I thought she went to college with the rest of you.”

“No. She was in High School and worked during the summers, on weekends, and on her breaks. She didn’t tell you that?”

“She said ‘school’, and I thought she meant college. She said you taught her how to program. That was when she was in High School?”

“Yes. She stuck her head over the fence one day, not long after I bought my house, and said ‘hello’. We took it from there.”

“That’s all pretty amazing stuff.”

“Do you mind if I ask what you were doing in Amsterdam?”

Eve laughed, “What do you THINK? And no, I wasn’t earning money for college!”

“So ‘no’ to the Red Light district and ‘yes’ to the «coffeeshops»?” I asked with a smirk.

“I had to check them out and do some comparative research!”

“Me, too,” I chuckled. “The «coffeeshops», that is. But my research was limited to walking into one and seeing for myself that you could buy weed legally.”

“Have you seen Pulp Fiction?” she asked.

I nodded, “About a dozen times. I’m going to wear out the videotape.”

“What do you think of mayonnaise on French fries?”

“I prefer it to catsup, but I’m on a heavily carbohydrate-restricted diet.”

“Diabetes?”

“That’s what most people guess, but no. I have some very weird problem with my hypothalamus that creates a hormone imbalance. It’s exacerbated by sugar of any kind. It causes mood swings and syncopal events. That’s fainting.”

“My mom is a nurse, so I know that word. Can they treat it?”

I shook my head, “Not really. I’ve been to the Mayo clinic a few times, and I’ll go back at the end of the summer. There’s a doctor who is going to make me her life’s work, I guess. She’ll have to outlive me, though, because according to the best doctors around, only post-mortem examination will have any chance of finding whatever congenital defect it is that causes my problems.”

“So it’s not a tumor or anything like that?”

“No. Trust me; I’ve had just about every test known to man. I’m otherwise healthy as a horse, but my metabolism is messed up. A ketogenic diet, along with serious exercise and enough sleep seems to keep everything under control.”

“May I ask a question without getting in trouble?”

“Sure. But I may not answer.”

“Is it true that your arrangement with your wife lets you fool around?”

“This is dangerous territory, but I’ll answer. It’s a bit more complicated than that. Didn’t Penny or Charlie tell you that I have two wives?”

“Sure, but only one of them is legal.”

“Forget what the state says; Jessica, Kara, and I all consider ourselves married to each other, with no distinction between the ones who have the legal paperwork and the ones who don’t.”

“Why dangerous territory?”

“Because of NIKA. You read the employee handbook, right?”

“Sure.”

“The rules are in place to protect all of us. If you’ve talked to Penny and Charlie, I’m sure they’ve hinted, or maybe even outright told you, about our relationships.”

Eve nodded, “Let’s just say that I’ve pieced together quite a bit of information from things people have said and the way they behave. Not to mention I know Ms. Clark has two children by you.”

“Ms. Clark?” I laughed. “Seriously? We ONLY use first names at NIKA. She’s ‘Elyse’. And if I hear you call me ‘Mr. Adams’, I’ll write you up for insubordination!”

“Sorry,” Eve said, laughing with me. “My dad is a stickler for that kind of thing. I don’t really talk to, uh, Elyse, so she’s never given me permission to call her that.”

“You don’t need it, at least not for anyone at NIKA. I tend to be very informal, though I usually refer to my Navy friends by their rank and call my friend Pete ‘Marshal Carston’ in many situations. So I get it. But please, informal.”

“Got it!” she replied. “So what are the rules about, well, I suppose ‘fraternization’ is the right term. And I’m just talking about being friendly.”

“They’re flexible. Why?”

“I thought maybe we could shoot together, I mean, if it won’t cause any trouble.”

“It shouldn’t, so long as you understand the rules.”

Eve laughed, “‘No screwing the boss’, as Charlie put it.”

“And that’s ANY boss; dating is cool amongst staff, but if there’s a supervisory relationship, there are all kinds of potential issues. We don’t pry, but we have to keep things kosher.”

“Have you had trouble like that in the past?”

“There have been several instances where we’ve dodged bullets, yes. That’s what led to the rules. There are some exceptions, obviously, which the Board approved. Dave and Julia, but I hired them knowing full well they were going to marry. And obviously Elyse and I were together because we had kids after NIKA was founded. But as I said, those are written exceptions to the policy.”

“There are WAY too many uptight people in the world causing trouble for the rest of us!”

“Ain’t THAT the truth,” I chuckled. “Which exit?”

“Route 59,” she replied. “Head south to New York Street, then west.”

About fifteen minutes later we arrived at KS Shooting Sports and she introduced me to her father, Kerry. Eve had arranged everything, so it was simply a matter of producing my FOID and CCL cards, along with my driver’s license, and filling out a form. Once that was done, I paid for the new gun with cash, ensured the receipt contained all the necessary information including the correct serial number, and then put the unloaded pistol into my holster.

I bought a box of ammunition, but per store rules, I couldn’t load the firearm until I was outside, or in the shooting range. I shook hands with Eve’s dad, and we went back outside. I loaded the magazine with thirteen rounds, and chambered one. I returned the safed gun to my holster, put the box it had come in into the trunk, and Eve and I headed back into the city.

I had less than an hour left in the day, so I spent some time walking around and talking to the staff, before Elyse, Michelle, and I left the office so we could pick up Jessica.

“Welcome back!” I said to Karen when I arrived home.

“Thanks for allowing us to visit.”

“Where are the kids?”

“Mark is upstairs with your boys playing some video game. Jane is cuddling with Albert in the room with the Indian and Japanese decor.”

“He moves fast,” I grinned.

“It was my daughter,” Jon said. “She practically dragged him there.”

“Ah, a budding romance! Are you joining us for dinner?”

“The kids are,” Karen said. “Jon, Amanda, and I are going out to dinner.”

I nodded knowingly and then went to help Kara in the kitchen.

“Hi, Honey,” I said, kissing her.

“Hi! Did you have a good day?”

“Other than having to turn my gun into the FBI and go out to Naperville to replace it, sure.”

“What?!”

“The San Antonio PD wants it tested to see if it was used to kill Brandon Littleton. It appears the gun they’re looking for was used in three other unsolved murders, here in Chicago.”

“If you had wanted to kill him, you could have done it without leaving bullets in his body!”

“No kidding. Anyway, the San Antonio PD got in touch with the FBI and Chicago PD once they discovered the match to the local murders. In order to keep the Chicago PD from executing a search warrant and having all our guns disappear into the black hole that is the evidence locker, I called Sam Kassan and he arranged for me to surrender the gun to the FBI for testing, with a written agreement to return it once they discover it doesn’t match.”

“You bought a new one?”

“Yes. Eve Falvey’s dad is a firearms instructor and works at a combination store and shooting range in Naperville. She called him and I replaced my Beretta with a similar one.”

“Does it ever end?”

I shook my head, “Probably not in this lifetime.”

“Did Jon and Karen tell you they’re going out tonight?”

I grinned, “With Amanda. Maybe I made a mistake!”

Kara laughed, “She was yours for the taking but you chose not to partake!”

“All kidding aside, keeping to the rules made sense.”

“And Melissa?”

I chuckled, “She’s teasing a lot. I made a flip remark to her in response that we needed to focus on preventing Dante from fucking us, and once we’d accomplished that, THEN we could worry about fucking each other. She took that as an offer.”

“In all honesty, making an exception for her wouldn’t be an issue; not the way it would with Eve.”

“That’s a non-starter. I know she’s interested, but there can be NO deviation from the rules at NIKA. I’m already taking a small risk in hiring Claire, given what Jamie and the Board have said. The same will happen with Jodie in a few years. I can’t even THINK about that kind of thing.”

“But Melissa?”

“You know I’ve thought about it, but I’m worried about wrecking a business relationship if things go sour.”

“Couldn’t she be like your friend Elena? A proper adult love affair?”

“If I was sure she had the right attitude. She might, but I wasn’t kidding about resolving the Dante stuff before I even think about something like that.”

“Have you heard from Elena or Karla?”

“Elena called a few weeks ago to say she’d be in Vancouver, but there was no way I could get there to meet her, and she couldn’t make it to Chicago. Someday our paths will cross, but you know I’m limiting my travel until after we go to Sweden and Russia. As for Karla, just her most recent letter. She doesn’t have the resources to travel to the US and I don’t have plans to go to the Netherlands anytime soon. She is dating, though, so it’s not like she’s pining for me.”

“Oh, I almost forgot, there’s a card from Sakurako in your mail slot.”

I went into the short hallway that led to the pantry and got the envelope with the cherry blossom on it, and opened the card. As usual, it was simply a short note. She was doing well and adjusting to married life. And she included a picture of her and Hideki in their formal kimono.

“Are they planning to have children soon?” Kara asked, looking at the photograph.

“I don’t know for sure. Her grandmother was pregnant at seventeen, if I recall correctly, but Sakurako’s mom was in her late 20s. Given how traditional Sakurako is, I’d bet she’ll be pregnant sometime in the next year or so.”

“They look really sharp in those outfits. Maybe Jess and I should get our own kimono and you could wear yours.”

“We can ask Ailea or Mitsuko for the name of a Japanese seamstress if you want. A store-bought kimono just won’t cut it. It has to be authentic.”

“That sounds like fun! We should wear our wedding clothes more often than just on our anniversary.”

“I’m game.”

“Did you hear about the serious romance?”

I chuckled, “Jane and Albert? Karen and Jon told me those two are cuddling in the ‘Indian’ room. I heard Mark ignored all the cute, young female flesh for the company of young men!”

Kara laughed, “Matthew, Michael, and Jesse are all upstairs with him playing SEGA. We’ll need dynamite to get the controllers from their hands!”

“Speaking of ‘disobedient’ children, did you talk with Birgit?”

“Your Pumpkin has some VERY particular views of the world, Snuggle Bear!”

“No kidding! Do I need to talk with her?”

“No. We had a meeting of the minds.”

I shook my head, “Negotiating with that kid is worse than negotiating with Jesse!”

“You’re the one who insisted we treat them as independent people! And they know it! The others are fine, but Jesse and Birgit both take full advantage of the fact that Dad lets them make most of their own decisions.”

“Just wait,” I chuckled. “The other ones will, too. Matthew just hasn’t felt the need. He loves flying down to see Jason and Abbie, and he loves his monthly ‘Goth’ dates with Henry, Gaby, and Trish. That’s pretty much what makes him happy.”

“That’s the only time Trish goes ‘Goth’ now, isn’t it?”

“Yes. She’s ‘Patricia’, ace civil rights attorney, otherwise. But for Matthew, she makes an exception.”

“He just loves dressing up that way. Think he’ll do it for real as a teen?”

I shook my head, “No. It’s just something he’s had fun with. He’s the one who’ll end up wearing button-down shirts and nice khakis as a teen. Mr. GQ.”

“He is a good looking kid. Not that any of the kids aren’t, but he certainly looks more like you than any of the other boys.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, I think!”

“Silly boy! It was meant as a compliment! I think everything is ready. Shall we call everyone to dinner?”

“Let’s!”

Samantha and Brian joined us so we could celebrate her twentieth birthday.

April 15, 1995, Chicago, Illinois

“Poor Tiger,” Jessica teased as we walked to the dojo on Saturday morning.

“Oh stop!” I laughed. “Let someone else have some fun!”

“But that kiss, Tiger!”

“So? I’ve seen better kisses than that! You and Kara!”

“You do have to admit it was hot, though,” Kara smirked.

“Yes, fine. Karen and Amanda sharing a deep, sexy kiss was hot. But you do know that was as much theatrics as Melanie’s kisses with me!”

“Spoilsport!”

“Daddy?” Birgit asked.

“Yes, Pumpkin?”

“Is Amanda going to leave?”

“Why do you say that?”

“She loves Jon. Veronica loved John. Abbie loved Jason. They left.”

“I don’t think so, Pumpkin. I think they’re just having a love affair.”

“A dall-yance?”

Jessica, Kara, Michelle, and I all broke up laughing.

“Yes, Pumpkin, a dalliance,” I said, laughing, then turned to Kara, “Who told her THAT word?”

“Jennifer,” Kara said, still laughing.

“And here I thought Penny was number one of my list of people to eliminate!” I grinned. “How did THAT come up?”

“I asked Aunt Jennifer about Aunt Melanie kissing you!” Birgit answered, despite the question being directed to her mom.

“Ah, now it all becomes clear! Aunt Melanie was my girlfriend when I was in High School. I was fourteen. That was before Aunt Jennifer was my girlfriend. It was a long time ago, Pumpkin. Melanie kisses me because she wants to bug Uncle Pete!”

“That’s what Aunt Jennifer said.”

“I think I’m going to have words with ‘Aunt Jennifer’,” I said sotto voce.

“Birgit, Sweetie,” Kara said gently, “remember, we don’t talk about those things with anyone who isn’t part of the family.”

“Daddy said I could talk to Aunt Bethany about anything I wanted. And Katy!”

“I did,” I said. “But they’re special, Pumpkin. Otherwise it’s only people in the family. Not your friends or other adults.”

“To keep us safe?”

“Yes. Lots of people don’t like how we live our lives.”

“Fuck ‘em!” Birgit declared, causing all of us to laugh hard.

“Did Aunt Elyse or Aunt Jennifer say that, Pumpkin?”

“Both!” she giggled. “And Daddy!”

She was certainly right about that. And her sentiments were on target. But there were quite a few people who would take exception to my precocious almost seven-year-old using that word.

“We want to be careful where we use that word, OK? Most people think it’s not a nice word. You could get in real trouble using it at school.”

“OK.”

“Well, at least she didn’t tell you to ‘eff off’,” Kara said quietly.

“That will be one of the boys,” I grinned.

We arrived at the dojo and managed to compose ourselves by the time we had to line up for warm-up exercises. After Kara led exercises, Therese and I worked with Marcia on sparring while Will worked with the white and yellow belts. I was pleased with Marcia’s progress and in the remaining weeks before the competition, we’d practice both sparring and her kata, with the goal of winning both the sparring and kata competitions. When time was up, we reassembled in the main training room to be dismissed.

“Sensei Steve?”

“Yes, Dyani?”

“What time should I be here tomorrow?”

“9:00am. I take it you don’t celebrate Easter, either?”

She shook her head, “No. We follow our ancient beliefs.”

“OK. See you tomorrow morning, then.”

She bowed and left, and then my wives, Michelle, Birgit, and I walked home.

“What are you going to do about Dyani?” Kara asked as we took turns showering.

“Teach her karate,” I said with a smirk. “Look, it’s clear she has some kind of interest, but I can’t imagine Mitsuko revealing ANYTHING to her, so she knows only what she’s seen at the dojo, which is the two of you, Michelle, and Birgit arriving and leaving together with me. We leave our jewelry at home so it doesn’t get lost, so she might not even know we’re married. But in the end, does any of that matter? Disrespecting Sensei Jim and the dojo would be a serious affront to him.”