Chapter 90: Sex, Politics, and Power

July 20, 1997, Chicago, Illinois

“Seriously?” Claire protested, when I spoke with her before the Sunday Rap Session.

“I’m not asking you to stop coming,” I replied.

“I’d like to, with you,” she smirked. “Well, start that is!”

“I walked right into that one!”

“Sorry. So what are you saying?”

“You can come as often as you want, just keep it under the covers!”

Claire laughed, “Nice. What’s Bob’s concern?”

“That you’re ‘staff’ and I’m ‘management’ and you could feel unduly pressured to participate in things you otherwise wouldn’t.”

“Oh give me a fucking break!” she growled. “What did I ask you for?”

I grinned, “To just push it in and fuck you really, really hard for as long as I could.”

“Does that SOUND like I was being pressured?”

“No, of course not. I didn’t say you were, I just said that’s Bob’s concern.”

“We’re all adults. What’s his problem?”

“Monica freaked out about the bawdy talk with Clayton at the Fourth of July party.”

“Nobody else did! Jodie was laughing with me, Mattie, and Becka. And I saw Penny was almost in tears!”

“Yes, but he’s worried about sexual harassment claims.”

“Would you sexually harass me? Please?”

“It’s not harassment if you WANT the attention.”

“Oh,” she replied, winking. “What did you tell him?”

“That I wasn’t going to change anything with regard to the people I knew before they came to work at NIKA.”

“Good. You know we all have your back.”

“I do. The Club is very effective. The problem is, Monica is not, and never will be, in the Club.”

“She’s WAY too uptight to be one of your lovers! You like girls who are relaxed and cool.”

“I wouldn’t describe ANYTHING about what you and I did as ‘relaxed’!”

“Speaking of which, you bastard, you let Mattie do THAT to you? The same day she lost her virginity?”

“You never asked!” I chuckled.

“How the hell did SHE know to ask?”

“She asked what kinds of things two girls do together if there’s not a guy participating. I told her. She asked if I had let the girls do that and I said ‘yes’.”

“And now she can hold that over me for the rest of my life!”

“Poor baby.”

“Uh-huh. Anyway, what about the Fourth of July, New Year’s, and other parties?”

“Keep coming.”

“I did when you fucked me!”

We both laughed and left my study to join everyone else for the Rap Session. Ally, Sean, and Nelson were on vacation, and Henry and Patricia had confirmed they’d rejoin us in September, but everyone else was in attendance. I decided to cover the same basic material I had with Monica that day in the dojo, making a special point to engage Holly on the concept of having an ‘open mind’.

“But how can you insist on having an open mind about things which are just wrong?” Holly protested.

“Because you might be wrong about them being wrong,” Elizabeth countered. “Are you THAT sure that what you think is correct that you can simply refuse to consider alternatives?”

“Some things are just wrong and I don’t need to think about it to know it!”

“You’ve never changed your mind?” Elizabeth challenged.

“Yes, but not about what I think is right or wrong!”

“I think you’re going to miss out on a lot of things in life with that attitude,” Becka said. “I used to think that way. Then I realized I had put on a straitjacket. Nobody is telling you to DO things you think are wrong, just to be willing to consider you might be mistaken.”

“It’s like science,” Elizabeth said. “Anyone who tells you that some scientific theory is unchallengeable doesn’t understand science. The entire point of the scientific method is that anything and everything not only can be challenged, but SHOULD be challenged. Every time you challenge some theory, you strengthen or weaken it, but no matter how strong the evidence for something is, you can still challenge it.”

“But right and wrong aren’t the result of tests!”

“So you say,” Elizabeth said. “You declare them a priori and refuse to look at any evidence to the contrary. No matter how much evidence I produce, you won’t even LOOK at it, let alone use it to re-evaluate your position.”

“Why is everyone picking on me?” she complained.

“Nobody is picking on you,” Claire said. “We’re challenging you, which is something that is going to happen a lot in college. I don’t think anyone is trying to force you to change your mind, just get you to consider that other alternatives are out there. And if you think you ARE right, to get you to defend your positions with logic, rather than what amounts to ‘because I said so’.”

“I truly hated my parents when they said that,” Ben said. “And now I know it’s a total cop out! I’ve seen Steve and his kids debate things, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard Steve say ‘because I said so’. He explains his reasons to the kids, with the understanding that even if he might agree with them, sometimes he has to say ‘no’ because adults, usually, are better at assessing risks.”

“Not always,” Kara said. “Men, famously, are very bad at assessing certain kinds of risks!”

Becka laughed, “‘Hold my beer’?”

“Yes!” Kara replied. “Though I do agree, generally, with Steve on adults versus kids in their thinking. Holly, I was taught to think like you, and so was Becka. We both struggled with adapting to the world because of that. I’m not saying you need to change anything other than understanding that there are other options, and that you don’t have a monopoly on truth that applies to everyone.”

“Everyone will get mad if I say why that’s wrong,” Holly protested.

“Here’s my question,” I said gently, “and you don’t have to answer, but did God specifically tell you those things, and if so, how do you know it was God speaking to you and not Satan or a demon?”

She didn’t reply, and I felt that was a good place to stop. Kara and I brought out refreshments and I went to talk with Becka, Mattie, and Claire.

“If there was ever a girl who needed a good, hard fucking, it’s her!” Becka declared.

“Speaking from experience?” Claire asked with a smirk.

“Definitely!”

“She’d curl up in a ball and die of embarrassment if she even thought of being naked with a guy,” Mattie interjected, “let alone swapping spit! Or anything else!”

“Remember, she did go into the sauna with us,” I said. “And honestly, if we just nudge her to a place where she’s not judgmental, and can openly discuss things she would never do, I’ll consider it successful.”

“Why not push her like you did me?” Becka asked.

“Because she’s a different person,” I replied. “She’s not ‘in your face’ the way you were, and she is WAY more fragile than you were.”

“So you did what you did with me because you knew I could take it?”

“Yes. The key is evaluating the person and adapting your style and what you say to what they can handle. We’re at the very limit of how hard we can push her. But as I said, just nudging her towards being able to discuss things will be success.”

“When are you leaving for Russia?”

“Albert and I fly to London tomorrow evening,” I replied. “Doctor Jon will meet us at King’s Cross and take Albert north with him. I’ll spend a couple of days in London then fly to Moscow and arrive about the same time as Jesse and his team.”

“When will you be back?” Leah asked, coming up next to me.

“August 5th. As I said when we started, we’ll have one Rap Session in August, then start up again with the regular schedule in September.”

“Can I talk to you privately for a sec?”

“Sure,” I replied, then excused myself and Leah and I walked to my study.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I just wanted to tell you again how much I enjoyed being with you and how awesome you made it for me.”

“You’re welcome!”

“Would you like to do it again? I want to, if you do.”

“Will you be upset if I say we can talk about it when I get back from a trip to Mayo Clinic? I’m going there pretty much right after my trip to Europe.”

“You can’t just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’?”

“I want to talk to you about how you’re feeling,” I said. “I think that’s important.”

“Are you afraid I might fall in love with you?”

“That is something I do worry about.”

She smiled, “I could see that being a problem, because you’re like the perfect guy in my mind. The problem is, Kara and Jessica got to you first!”

“You were only a year old when I met Kara!” I replied with a grin.

“That might be a problem! But I was right about wanting to be with an older guy, and I want to meet someone who is about your age.”

“There were some eligible sailors here at the party.”

“I danced with some, but then I thought about what happened with Charlie and Clayton and I’m not sure I could handle being away from my husband for that long. I know I don’t want to not have sex for that long!”

“You won’t get an argument from me on that! I do know a couple of single lawyers who are in their late twenties. Are they too young?”

“Oh yes, that would be robbing the cradle!” Leah laughed. “No, I think ten years is OK. By that time they’ve grown up enough.”

“You hope,” I chuckled. “But what would your parents say about you dating someone that old?”

“My parents are actually willing to listen. They aren’t as open-minded as you are, but I can talk to them about stuff.”

“OK. We’ll have a Halloween party. Would you be able to be here?”

“Yes. And I turn eighteen in the middle of October.”

“OK. I’ll invite one of the lawyers I know and you can meet him. If you don’t like him, no big deal. If you do, then it’s up to you.”

“Thanks!”

She hugged me and gave me a peck, “Talk to you when you get back?”

“Yes.”

July 21, 1997, Chicago, Illinois

“Still going in today?” Elyse asked.

“No, I decided I don’t need the six hours in the office. I spoke with Kimmy on Friday and she said there was nothing pressing. I’ll make a few calls from home and check my email, but Kimmy scanned it and said there were only one or two things which needed my immediate attention.”

“OK. I guess I’ll see you when you get back!”

We hugged and I walked her out to her car.

“It’s OK to call if anything comes up,” I said.

“I will. Say ‘hi’ to Lyudmila for me.”

“Will do,” I said.

We hugged again and I went back into the house.

“When do we leave?” Albert asked.

“About 3:30pm. Aunt Kara is driving us to the airport.”

After Al had been revealed as Albert’s grandpa, he’d taken to calling Kara ‘Aunt’ rather than ‘Mom’, though Ashley still called Kara ‘Mom’. For Albert, the direct tie to his grandfather was supremely important for some reason, but that reason wasn’t clear.

“OK. Mom helped me pack last night after dinner. My bags are by the back door.”

“I saw them.”

“Jesse isn’t flying with us, is he?”

“Nope. Just you and me. He’s flying with his team, and they’re going straight to Moscow.”

“I’d rather go to England!”

“Obviously!”

“Amanda will have her baby when I’m there.”

“That’s what Doctor Jon thinks.”

“Can I sleep in the same bed as Jane?” Albert asked with a sly grin.

“That’s up to Doctor Jon and Miss Karen,” I replied. “You have to obey them the way you do your mom and me here. They’re going to be like your parents for a month.”

“OK. I’m going to play.”

“And I’m going to find Aunt Kara!”

I went to the kitchen where Kara and Winter were drinking tea. I poured myself a cup and sat down at the table with them.

“You know,” I said, “I just realized, I didn’t get the videotapes!”

Winter laughed, “You wish! But alas, there was no orgy.”

“Couldn’t talk your friends into it?”

“I didn’t really try. Somehow, I just can’t see them having sex with some random guy who isn’t their boyfriend. Or me doing that, for that matter.”

“I told you what happened with my friends who were into that kind of scene.”

“Yeah. Not worth dying for, that’s for sure. Don’t forget to call the company that refinished the floors to let them know everything is OK.”

“Brown Construction,” I said. “They’ve done all the work on the house, except the interior painting. I’ll call Gerald Brown later this morning. Thanks for overseeing that. And thanks for suffering with not running the air conditioning so the house could air out before we got home.”

“I stayed at Kendall’s place two nights because of the smell. But there was no rain forecast, so I could leave the upstairs windows open.”

“I appreciate it.”

“It’s part of what you pay me for! Do you need me to do anything before you leave or while you’re gone?”

“Just your usual tasks. If something comes up, Kara or Jessica will let you know.”

We finished our tea, I made a fresh pot, and Kara and I went to the ‘Indian’ room to relax.

“I’m glad you took the day off,” I said.

“It was easy enough given I took five days last week. This just added one more. Did you hear from Sari?”

“Yes. She’s going take a ‘Cityhopper’ flight and meet me in London tomorrow afternoon.”

“And?”

“And I have a suite with two bedrooms. I make zero assumptions and you know she was on the fence about the whole ‘married guy’ thing.”

“Will you see Jiang?”

“For lunch. She’s dating someone seriously enough that we can’t fool around.”

“What about Lyudmila?”

“She has a boyfriend,” I replied. “She struggled mightily with THAT decision!”

“Oh I bet! She wanted to fuck you when she was thirteen! Five years of pent up demand can drive a woman crazy!”

“And with Lyusya, it was a VERY short drive!”

“Do you know anything about him?”

“His name is Yuri, he’s a mid-level bureaucrat in the Interior Ministry. But he has good patrons, so you know he’ll move up quickly.”

“Your friend Vanya?”

“Among others, yes. And having a boyfriend in that ministry is important for her, given what we know about the situation in Russia.”

“Corrupt?”

“It gives Chicago a run for its money,” I replied. “But the Russian Mafia is still in the brutality stage. They’ll figure out killing is bad for business the way the Mafia in the US mostly did. Well, they still whack their own people, but killing ‘civilians’ as they call them, really gets the public up in arms. Nobody is surprised, or all that upset, when gangsters kill gangsters.”

“So I guess that means you stay in the hotel with the hockey team.”

“Yes. I’m having dinner in Moscow with Vanya, Anya, Lyusya, and Yuri, in addition I have a meeting with Vanya and Lyusya to discuss business. And of course, Jesse’s friends from the Army are coming to all the games. His only complaint is that Larisa is staying with Tanya, instead of flying to Russia with Dima.”

“Any cute hockey moms?” Kara smirked.

“Most of them are married. It seems as if hockey produces stable families. The moms show up to the practices, but both the moms and dads go to the games. I think, but I don’t know for sure, there’s only one divorced woman in the group.”

“Is it mostly moms who are traveling?”

“About a third of the dads are going, but only one of them is going stag. His wife has some sort of inner ear disorder that prevents her from flying. She gets carsick very easily, too. From what Jen says, she loads up on Dramamine just to be able to get to the games here in the city. She didn’t make the Minnesota trip.”

“That sucks.”

“They don’t have a cure for it that doesn’t risk serious hearing loss, and she’s not willing to make that trade, even if the risk is relatively low. I don’t think I would.”

“Are you taking your computer?”

“Yes. I have a power adapter that can handle Russian electrical system. It converts the Cyrillic electrons to Latin electrons, so there isn’t a problem. Or so I understand.”

Kara rolled her eyes, “Stick to computers, Snuggle Bear!”

I chuckled, “It auto-senses between 110/220 and can handle 50/60 Hertz! I did double-check with Sam, because she’s our tech expert. She also provided me with an adapter so I can plug in my modem if I want to check my email, but I don’t plan to do that unless there’s some kind of serious problem.”

“I never asked - what activities do they have planned for the kids?”

“A tour of the Kremlin, and Jesse and I are taking a special church tour that Lyusya’s boyfriend arranged for us. We’ll have two deacons as guides. And the hockey games work out that Jesse and I can go to church on Sunday morning. He’s almost as psyched for that as he is playing hockey!”

I heard the doorbell ring, and didn’t move because I knew Winter would answer it. A minute later she was at the door of the ‘Indian’ room.

“It’s Amelia Gerhardt,” Winter said. “She wants to talk to you.”

“Me?” Kara asked. “Or Steve?”

“You. I don’t think she knows Steve is home today. I didn’t tell her he was.”

“Bring her in,” Kara said.

“I’ll go to my study and make my calls,” I said, standing up.

Kara nodded and I quickly went to my study and close the door most of the way. I wasn’t hiding, per se, but I wanted Amelia to feel she could talk to Kara without worrying about me. I fired up my computer and dialed into the office network. I checked my email, responded to a few items, then made the three calls I needed to make. I had just hung up when Kara came to the door.

“OK to come in?” she asked.

“Sure. How is she?”

“Upset with her mom. She’d like to talk to you, if that’s OK.”

“Sure. You should probably stay.”

Kara agreed then went to get Amelia. They came into my study, Kara shut the door, and they sat in the leather chairs across from my desk.

“Hi,” I said.

“I’m sorry I missed the classes. Mom is being impossible.”

“I got that idea,” I said, realizing I needed to stay somewhat neutral.

“She thinks you’re dangerous to be around.”

“I believe she thought that when we first met,” I said. “And the jokes my friends were making didn’t help.”

“I didn’t even understand them at first, but when I talked to Hannah, I asked her and she explained and I realized how funny they were. Dirty, but funny.”