Chapter 66: A Peek in Your Journal

March 24, 1997, London and Woking, England

On Monday morning, I ran the same circuit I had when I’d been in London the previous time, then did my kata in the park with Pippa and Lawrence looking on. I talked with them for a few minutes, then headed back to the hotel for a shower. After my shower, I dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. I ate and read the International Herald Tribune. When I finished, I went upstairs to get my bag and headed for the Tube for the ride to Woking.

I read The Economist during the ride, changing to a train at Waterloo Station. When I arrived at Woking, I left the train and walked the short distance to the SPSS offices, and found Hans Oostrum waiting in reception for me. We shook hands and headed into the office to begin working on the server and email system upgrades.

“Do you have plans when you come to Amsterdam?” Hans asked after I started the UnixWare upgrade.

“I’m seeing my friend Karla,” I replied.

“Why don’t the two of you come to dinner in Zoetermeer on Wednesday evening?”

“We could do that,” I replied. “But we’d have to get Karla from Amsterdam.”

“You can either pick her up in Amsterdam, or she could take the train either to Gorinchem or Zoetermeer.”

“OK. I’ll talk to her tomorrow afternoon when I get to Amsterdam and I’ll let you know the plan on Wednesday morning. I’m renting a car because I want to stay in Amsterdam.”

“Same hotel? The Tulip Inn on Spuistraat?”

“Yes. Are you still seeing Wiepke?”

“She transferred to the Munich office, so we broke up.”

“A new girl?”

“No. My marriage needs a bit of attention.”

“Got it,” I replied. “I have your cigarettes and Bacardi. Do you want them here, or in the Netherlands?”

“One bottle and one carton here, the others in the Netherlands. That way Customs doesn’t give either of us trouble! I take it the Brits didn’t give you any issues?”

“No. I talked to them about a glucose meter and they didn’t bother checking my bags.”

“Your condition turned into diabetes?”

“No, but it is blood sugar related.”

“How is the family?”

“Everything is pretty good.”

“And your business?”

“Other than my long-term nemesis being a thorn in my side, things are going really well. We’re expanding like crazy, and a good friend of mine just opened a similar company in Moscow. She’s licensing our software, and has exclusive rights to Europe, minus firms headquartered in the US.”

“A Russian woman?”

“Yes. I’ve known her for about fourteen years. She has a Master’s from Stanford and worked for Sun Microsystems on the project to create Java before we struck a deal with some other Russian friends of mine to finance the startup. In fact, if you’re interested, I can put you in touch with her. I have no doubt she could make use of your skills and she’ll pay handsomely, too.”

“SPSS pays me pretty well.”

“Well, if you’re interested in an alternative, I’ll put you in touch with her.”

“Are you traveling to Russia on this trip?”

“No. She was going to fly to London to see me, but I’ll be going to Russia at the end of the Summer with my son and his hockey team, who were invited to play a bunch of Russian teams by another friend of mine.”

“How did you make so many Russian friends?”

“By dating the daughter of the Trade Attaché to the US after meeting her when I visited Austria when I was an exchange student in Sweden. Her dad is now a Deputy in the Russian Duma, and her husband is a former Soviet tank commander. I’m sure you’ve seen the picture of Yeltsin on the tank during the coup and counter-coup?”

“Who hasn’t?”

“That was one of my friend Dmitry’s tanks. He was a colonel then, and was promoted to general for his actions that day. My friend’s former KGB minder works as a security consultant in the US now.”

“I suspect you have some even more interesting stories!”

“Indeed.”

“What are you doing for dinner tonight?”

“I’m meeting Sir Danny Hunter, a fellow member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation. I figured you and I would get together in the Netherlands.”

“No worries!”

We finished the Unix server upgrade before lunch, then set about upgrading the Exchange server to version 5.5 and upgrading all the client PCs to Outlook 97. That took the entire afternoon, and we finished just in time for me to hurry to the train for the trip back to London. At the hotel I quickly changed into my suit, then walked to Buck’s Club on Clifford Street, and as I had on the previous trip, I used the ornate knocker to gain entrance to the club.

“Good evening, Sir Danny!” I said extending my hand.

“Good evening, Mr. Adams,” he replied. “Though I think ‘Danny’ and ‘Steve’ are better.”

“Thanks for inviting me to the club again.”

“You’re more than welcome. Drink?”

As we had before, we each had a glass of McClelland’s Highland Single Malt, then headed to the dining room for our meal. It was wonderful, and afterwards, we went back to the great room for cigars and brandy.

“Alec tells me you were instrumental in helping Lisa come home.”

“I did that for Alec, not for her,” I replied.

“He’s been a good friend to me for a long time, so whatever your motivation, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Business is good?”

I nodded, “Very. And you?”

“Good. I’m wondering if I can pick your brain about technology. I think there’s a lot of money to be made in the markets by betting on the correct horses.”

“Plastics,” I chuckled.

“If you think I look like ‘Mrs. Robinson’, I’ll have Nicholas take away the rest of that brandy!”

“I’m happy to give you as much insight as I’m able to.”

We spent the next forty-five minutes discussing current and potential future technologies, and then we said ‘good night’ and I headed back to the hotel. When I walked in, I saw Jiang hop up from a couch. She walked over to me, we exchanged a quick kiss, then headed for the elevators.

“You look very handsome in your suit,” Jiang said as the elevator doors closed.

“Thanks. I’m glad you decided to come back tonight.”

“Intellectual stimulation?” she asked.

“The other kind was pretty good, too.”

“I was a bit surprised at the amount of talking, but I enjoyed that, too.”

The elevator deposited us on the fifth floor and we walked to my suite where I used my key to let us in. I set down my bag, then turned and pulled Jiang into my arms for a proper kiss. She helped me remove my suit, then undressed and we climbed into the king-size bed. Forty-five minutes later, we lay cuddled together, her head on my shoulder and one arm and one leg draped over me.

“I think we have that perfected,” she said with a sigh.

“Start out very, very slow and finish frenetically?”

“That and how well you use your tongue and lips.”

“Do you have to go home again tonight?”

“It’s best, because it doesn’t lead to questions I don’t want to have to answer. This part of my life isn’t really any of my parents’ business.”

“An attitude I share, though my mom disagreed.”

“It’s actually my dad. He was upset when he discovered I’d been with the Australian guy. My mom was understanding and just encouraged me to make good choices.”

“Did she approve of the guy?”

“She thought he was a bit old, but she also felt I had the right to make that decision at sixteen. He was my only lover before you.”

“Nobody else who fit your tastes?”

“Not to go this far, no. I think most of the boys in my year at school are immature, so I tend to go out with men who are in uni or a bit older. But kissing them doesn’t make me feel the way I did with the Aussie guy, or you.”

“Did you ever try to get in touch with him again?”

“As much as I wanted to, I didn’t want to upset my dad any further, so I let it go. It was just a week-long love affair. I don’t think he was the guy I wanted to be with for the rest of my life, so I wasn’t too cross with my dad. I know he’s just trying to look out for me.”

“You have a good relationship with your parents?”

“Yes, and that’s why it’s better for me to go home tonight. I’ll say ‘goodbye’ the same way I did last night, if you want.”

She’d said ‘goodbye’ with a very slow, very sexy blowjob in the shower, and I looked forward to a similar one in a few hours.

“I enjoyed that very much, so yes, I’d like that.”

“Do you think you’ll be back in London soon?”

“I’m not sure, because it mostly depends on my clients.”

“That’s too bad; I really enjoy talking with you. The other stuff too, obviously, but like you, I like the intellectual stimulation.”

“Do you have access to a computer?”

“Yes, we have one in the house with a modem and a connection to the network.”

“If you get a copy of some software called ICQ, we could chat, and of course there’s email, too.”

“My dad has electronic mail for work, but I don’t have it. How does the other thing work.”

“You just need to know the other person’s user number. I’ll write mine down before you leave. It’s pretty simple to use, too. You just type back and forth.”

“I guess in the afternoon or evening my time?”

“Probably, yes.”

“Ready?”

“Always!”

March 25, 1997, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

“Hi!” Karla exclaimed when I walked into the arrivals hall at Schiphol Airport mid-afternoon on Tuesday.

I set my bags down and greeted her with a hug and a soft kiss.

“You didn’t have to come to the airport,” I said.

“I wanted to! How are you getting to the hotel?”

“I’m renting a car so I can easily go back and forth to Gorinchem. Also, we’re invited to dinner at my friend Hans’ house in Zoetermeer tomorrow night. You can either take the train to Gorinchem or Zoetermeer, or I can come back to Amsterdam to pick you up.”

“Football practice is over about 5:00pm, so I think you’ll need to pick me up. Do you have to work every day?”

“Just tomorrow,” I replied. “I’m taking Thursday as a vacation day because you said you don’t have any classes, and then flying home Friday just after noon.”

Which was a change in my original plan, but I decided to get home in time for dinner with Kara, Jessica, and Maria Cristina for Kara’s birthday celebration at Bucktown Bistro. It also would let me be at the dojo on Saturday, after missing quite a few days.

“Do you want me to skip practice on Thursday?”

“No. I’ll come watch you.”

“It’s boring to watch!”

I smiled, “But you’ll be there! Let’s go to the counter and get my rental car.”

We did, and about an hour later, I had checked into the hotel, and we were walking, hand-in-hand, along Spui heading towards Rancho Argentinian Grill. We had a nice dinner, and afterwards, I bought Karla ice cream, and then we walked back to the hotel and got into bed. Karla snuggled close and sighed deeply.

“I’ve missed you,” she said quietly.

I knew she’d been dating off and on, but she’d always said none of the guys were what she was looking for. Her letters and occasional phone calls had conveyed the fact that she was, in effect, looking for my clone, and I wasn’t sure she was going to find him. I really didn’t know how to help her in that regard. If she hadn’t been dating at all, or appeared to be fixated on me, I could have considered not seeing her, but that wasn’t it. It was simply that she hadn’t found exactly what she was looking for.

“How can I help?”

“Now? Just love me...”

We made love, slowly and sweetly, twice, before showering, then getting back into bed where we cuddled and fell asleep.

March 27, 1997, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Wednesday had been a busy day working with Hans, driving back to Amsterdam to get Karla, driving to Zoetermeer for an enjoyable dinner with Hans and his family, then driving back to Amsterdam where Karla joined me at the hotel for the night.

“Is there something special you want to do today?” Karla asked at breakfast on Thursday morning.

“Not really,” I replied. “What time is your practice?”

“3:00pm.”

“So we probably need to be at the university around 2:30pm?”

“Yes, I think that would be OK.”

“How about visiting a museum or two, then having lunch in Vondelpark, then taking the tram to the University. After practice, we can go to dinner.”

“That’s fine. How about the Rijksmuseum? There is a new wing with quite a few photographs from the 19th century.”

“Sounds good!”

“And no «frieten», right?”

“As much as I would enjoy them, no, because I have to be very strict.”

“I don’t know if I could give up ice cream!”

“That is something I miss, along with the occasional French fries, but until I have my new battery of tests at the end of the Summer, I have to follow the strict diet.”

We finished our breakfast, then took a leisurely stroll to the Rijksmuseum where we spent the entire morning. We had lunch, as planned, in Vondelpark, then strolled along the Singel canal to the «Bloemenmarkt», where I bought a single tulip for Karla, which, as she’d done on my first trip, she put in the ribbon which tied back her hair.

I checked my watch and saw it was time to make our way to the tram, and as planned we arrived at the university just before 2:30pm. I walked Karla to the locker room, then went to sit in the stands while she went to change. She and her teammates came out just before 3:00pm, and took the practice field for their warm-up exercises. Given that it was only about 10°C, I wasn’t surprised to see all the girls in sweatsuits, though I was disappointed because a field full of ‘Steve types’ in shorts and t-shirts would have truly been a thing to behold!

The practice would have been relatively boring except that several boyfriends or friends showed up as well, and we struck up a conversation. I’d found that being the one foreign guy in a group made me the center of attention, and I spent a lot of time answering questions about the US, about my travels, and about my work, while carefully deflecting questions about my relationship with Karla. I referred to her as a friend who’d guided me in museums during my first visit, and that seemed to mostly satisfy the questioners.

When practice finished, the girls went into the locker room and I briefly entertained the fantasy of being able to follow them and observe twenty lithe, small-breasted women shower. I put that notion into the memory cells intended for interesting but impossible fantasies, and continued my conversation with the other onlookers. About fifteen minutes later, Karla came my direction with four other girls in tow.

“Steve,” Karla said after giving me a quick hug, “these are my close friends and teammates - Emma, Sara, Kristiyani, and Nini.”

Two cute blondes and two VERY pretty girls I assumed to be Indonesian, their long, dark tresses now hanging down, rather than being in tight buns or tight ponytails during practice.

“It’s nice to meet all of you,” I said.

I shook hands with all four girls, each of whom smiled and said ‘hi’.

“Do you mind if they have dinner with us and we go dancing?” Karla asked.

“If that’s what you want, that’s fine with me,” I replied.

“Then shall we take the tram to the other side of town? We can go to the same club we went to a few years ago.”

Everyone agreed after Karla named the bistro and pub, so we headed for the tram for the trip across Amsterdam. As we rode, the girls all told me a bit about themselves. Karla, in her fourth year, was actually the oldest, with Emma and Sara being in their third year, Nini being in her second year, and Kristiyani being in her first. All-in-all, Karla’s college friends seemed to be a nicer group of girls than I’d met the first time, though her gay friend, Pim, had been totally cool.

Dinner was nice, and I ended up repeating much of what I’d said to the other spectators, and was also treated to stories about the soccer team, both on the pitch, and off. They sounded like a fun, but not wild, group of girls, who were both athletes and good students. Had any of them shown a scintilla of interest in computers, I’d have suggested they consider working for me, because all of them seemed to be completely free of the bad ideas I was fighting back home.

At the club, I danced with all the girls several times, both fast and slow dances, and the girls also danced with each other and other guys. I had a good time and the girls seemed to as well. Late in the evening, Karla and I had a slow dance.

“Want to know something funny?”

“Sure.”

“The girls are debating who you’ll ask to spend the night with you.”

“They don’t know about us?” I asked.

“No. Except for Pim and a couple of guys in his group, I don’t hang out with my old friends now. Mina and I just didn’t get along very well after everything that happened. These girls are much, much nicer.”

“I agree.”

“Which one would you want?” she asked.

“There is no way I’d do that to you,” I replied firmly. “I care far too much about you.”

“I know,” she said, looking up with a smile, “but you aren’t my boyfriend, and I’m curious.”

“You’re sure I won’t hurt your feelings?”

“I’m sure.”

“Remember, I don’t know them too well, so it’s a bit difficult, but I’d choose Kristiyani.”