Chapter 21: “Steve? Steve Adams?”

November 4, 1995, Mason, Ohio

“Is everything really OK, Son?” my dad asked after we were seated.

“Yes. I check in with Doctor Mercer every so often. Usually it’s by telephone, but I like to sit down face-to-face on occasion. It’s something I’ll probably do for the rest of my life.”

“Well, most people would say you having seven kids is a reason to have your head examined!”

I laughed, “Don’t forget that it’s by four women, two of whom are part of a trio with me, and another one who is lesbian!”

“Even after all these years, and you having Jesse, I’m still amazed the two of you managed to work things out so you could be together. The betting line was very much the other way.”

“No kidding,” I agreed. “And I would have taken that action, too. Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles should look at Jennifer, Jesse, and me. Well, and Bethany, too.”

“How is she doing?”

“Great. She and Tom are doing fine, Nicholas is getting big, and Bobby just turned a year old. How is Mom?”

“She’s fine. I just wish your sister would cut her some slack the way you have. The modus vivendi may not be perfect, but it certainly reduces the tension.”

I shrugged, “I know. But despite all evidence to the contrary, Stephanie and I are two very different people.”

My dad nodded, “True. You two don’t seem quite as close, but I suspect that comes from her marrying and having a son.”

Which was true, in and of itself, but it wasn’t the REAL reason we weren’t as close. But that was a secret which my dad could never know.

“She’s happy working for Samantha, and she’s learning a lot, but she’s ready to come on board at NIKA and I’m sure as hell ready to get out of the big chair!”

“You’ve done an amazing job shepherding the company through a lot of turmoil,” my dad said.

“Yes, and let’s hope we’ve seen the last of it.”

“Have you had any more trouble with Dante?”

“None to speak of once I helped Melissa Mascioli negotiate the settlement with him. He even relented on the patent issue.”

“That’s an excellent partnership you’ve forged, first with Dante, and now with Melissa and her brother. And seeing off Dante as a troublemaker is a good thing.”

“It is. Melissa asked me for permission to draft someone to take a role similar at M&M to what Kimmy does for me.”

“Who?” Joyce asked warily.

“Based on Jennifer’s recommendation, Michelle York. If Michelle isn’t interested, then Keri Smalling.”

“Two very key people,” my dad observed.

“Which is why she targeted them,” I grinned.

“What did you tell her?” Joyce asked.

“I gave her permission to talk to them. I’ll never stand in the way of what might be a very nice raise and promotion. Honestly, there is nowhere for Michelle to go from her current position unless Kimmy were to leave, and that’s about as likely as Penny leaving!”

Both Joyce and my dad laughed. The waiter came and took our orders, and then hurried away to put them in with the cooks.

“How are things in that area?” my dad asked after the waiter left.

“The divorce will be final at the end of the year. You know what I told Terry and Skye about dating.”

“Keep an eye on that, Son.”

“I will. Barbara and Dave are fully engaged, and you know Dave won’t tolerate any shenanigans.”

“He’s turned out to be very conservative,” Joyce said.

“Yes, and that’s why we’re not nearly as close as we used to be. Things are just a bit too crazy at Chez Adams for the Kallas clan.”

“Back to Melissa’s request,” my dad said, by way of inquiry, “do you think either of them would say ‘yes’?”

“I’m not sure. Michelle is on vacation until tomorrow, so Melissa hasn’t talked to her. She’ll do that Monday or Tuesday. It could go either way.”

“And you’re prepared to lose them?”

“And be happy about it? No. But we have processes in place to deal with it. The Board of Directors, I’ll point out, insisted we have those kinds of contingency plans.”

Both my dad and Joyce laughed and nodded.

“Good point!” Dad exclaimed. “How are the wives and kids?”

“Everything is fine. The only difficulty is Jessica’s shift schedule, but we all knew what we were signing up for when we married. She’s doing well in her new position and everything is smooth. The kids are looking forward to seeing you at Christmas.”

“We might try to get up there the day after Thanksgiving, if that’s OK with you.”

“Sure. You’re always welcome.”

“If we do, we’ll stay in town for the Board meeting the following Tuesday. I haven’t been physically present at one in a while.”

“Were you coming back for the Christmas party?”

“Not this year. I figure we’ll do the big ones, so the next one would be fifteen. But we’ll be up after Christmas, as usual.”

“Great!”

“Tanya, Dima, and Larisa are visiting next weekend.”

“Jesse is in heaven, I take it?” Dad asked with a grin.

“Of course! He got to see her over the Summer, and he got to see Marta as well. And he has his groupies in Chicago, too!”

“He and Francesca are still together?”

“It waxes and wanes,” I said. “But she never lets him stray too far!”

“Sounds like a few of your girls when you were growing up,” he said with a smirk.

“Present company included!” I replied, earning a light smack on the arm from Joyce.

“Ancient history,” Joyce replied.

Our salads arrived and we began eating, which somewhat dampened the conversation. We’d covered the important points before being served, which also contributed to the reduced conversation. Our steaks arrived just as we finished our salads, and we all dug into the delicious ribeyes. I was about halfway done when I felt a strange tingle of the hairs on the back of my neck, then a hauntingly familiar voice.

“Steve? Steve Adams? Oh my God!”

I sprang from my chair, turned around and pulled Donna Woody into my arms for a hug where I did my best to make up for the previous twelve years. Donna was crying softly, and I stroked her hair, then noticed a fine-looking teenager who had to be about fifteen, and I was sure was her son, Marcus. Eventually, I loosened my arms just a bit, and she pulled back and looked me in the eyes and smiled.

“Hi,” she said shyly.

“Hi,” I replied, as old feelings overwhelmed me.

I was sure, from the tightness of the hug, the feel of her body against mine, the tears, and the soft voice, that she felt the same way. It might have been twelve years, but it was as if nothing had changed. She was just as beautiful as she had been at fourteen, though now she was a woman, instead of a girl.

“Is this Marcus?” I asked.

She smiled, “Yes. And he knows all about you!”

I smiled, then turned a bit, keeping my arm around her, “Dad, do you remember Donna Woody? She used to live at the end of the street when we lived on Overlook. And this is her son, Marcus.”

“I remember. Hello, Dear.”

“Hi, Mr. Adams! How are you?”

“Very good. And you?”

“So-so until about five minutes ago. Now? Ecstatic!”

Joyce rolled her eyes but smiled, “He does have that effect on women! I’m Joyce and I think I remember you from a few of Steve’s parties. You had two other girls who you were close with.”

Donna laughed, “Oh man, that was a long time ago. Debbie C and Debbie V. I still see Debbie C regularly, but I’ve lost touch with Debbie V.”

“How is Alexa?” I asked.

“She looks just like her mom did at fourteen!” Donna smirked.

“Look out world!” I grinned.

“We should let you finish your dinner. How long are you in town?”

“Just until tomorrow morning. What are you doing right now?”

“We just finished dinner and were heading home.”

“Why not join us for coffee and dessert?” I asked. “I’m sure my dad and Joyce won’t mind.”

“Not at all,” my dad said.

“We don’t want to intrude,” Donna replied.

“You aren’t,” Joyce said. “The table seats six, so please, sit with us.”

They sat down, and I took my chair and resumed eating. I silently wished I’d come to Cincinnati alone, but that really hadn’t been possible. I also didn’t know Donna’s situation, or what she was thinking. Heck, I didn’t know what I was thinking. So many old memories and feelings flooded into my brain, especially that day in March of 1979 when she’d given me the exquisite gift of her virginity on her fourteenth birthday. That thought had the expected reaction, which, fortunately, was hidden by the table.

“I see your wedding ring,” Donna said quietly. “Who did you eventually marry? That girl from Sweden or the one from Georgia? Or maybe the Russian girl?”

Joyce shook her head, “You have no idea, do you?”

“What?” Donna asked.

I smiled, “A lot has happened in the last twelve years. I think the last time I saw you, Kara and I had broken up.”

“Yes. That day you and your sister came to visit me. She played with Marcus, and ... uh, well...”

Joyce, my dad, and I all laughed, and Marcus blushed and looked as if he was going to be ill. I’d seen that reaction before with teenagers when they considered the idea of their parents having sex.

“Well, since then, Kara and I got back together. We have two daughters. But I also have a son with Jennifer.”

“The lesbian girl?” Donna interrupted.

“Why am I not surprised you knew that? Yes. She has a female partner and I helped them have a baby. But I also have two sons with my friend Elyse, and a son and daughter with my other wife, who’s a doctor.”

The looks on my dad’s and Joyce’s faces were priceless. Marcus looked confused, but Donna was more curious.

“Divorced and remarried? Who was the first wife? Kara?”

I chuckled, “It’s more complicated than that.”

“I told you, you have no idea,” Joyce interrupted.

“Ignore her,” I grinned. “Jessica, Kara, and I all consider ourselves married to each other, as a trio. Elyse and her boys live with us, and Jesse, that’s my son with Jennifer, lives with his moms in a coach house on the same property.”

Donna laughed softly, “So nothing has changed! Still making lots of girls VERY happy!”

“Mom!” Marcus whined in disgust.

“Shush,” Donna said, laughing. “I know about you and Alexa!”

“MOM!” he spat.

“I was fourteen once,” Donna said with a smirk.

“Weren’t we all?” my dad said, smiling and shaking his head, obviously getting a very clear picture.

My dad, Joyce, and I finished our steaks and then all five of us ordered dessert, with the adults ordering coffee as well. I wanted to ask Donna so many of questions, but I also didn’t want to embarrass her. The problem was I didn’t have my car with me, and Joyce’s house was on the other side of Cincinnati from where we were. Logistically, I couldn’t think of a way to manage it.

While we ate our dessert, I asked Marcus about school. He was in ninth grade, and was on the soccer team. He and Alexa had been seeing each other for about a year, though she lived near Eastgate Mall and he and his mom lived in Loveland. That made for logistical problems, but they managed to see each other a few times a month.

“Your birthday is in January, right?” I asked.

“The 3rd,” he replied. “How did you remember?”

“Your mom and I were pretty good friends, and I remembered her being pregnant when I came home from Sweden. For some reason, January stuck in my mind.”

“You really have all those kids?” he asked.

I nodded and pulled my wallet from the inside breast pocket of my jacket. I took out the plastic photo holder and handed it to him. He and his mom looked at the pictures.

“Jennifer looks a lot like she did back then,” Donna said. “And I remember this woman, but not her name.”

“Elyse.”

“And of course, Kara. This other woman, in the lab coat, is your other wife?”

“Doctor Jessica Adams,” I said. “She’s a Trauma Surgeon at University of Chicago Hospital.”

“Wow! How did you meet her?”

“You remember my friend Bethany?”

“Sure.”

“She was in a terrible accident and ended up being airlifted to a hospital in Indianapolis. Jessica was a medical student. I met her there.”

“Wow. Is Bethany OK?”

“Yes. She has two sons and is married to a Chicago Fire Department paramedic. Most of my old gang are in or around Chicago. The main exceptions are Josh and Mary, who are in the DC area. But Pete, Melanie, Bethany, Kathy, my sister, Jennifer, and Elyse are all there, and are good friends.”

“Wow, so like most of your friends moved with you?”

“Except for Larry, and as I said, Josh and Mary. Larry is still in Cincinnati. He’s a nurse.”

“I thought he was going to be a doctor?”

“He didn’t get into medical school.”

“Bummer. How is your sister?”

“Good. She’s married to Bethany’s brother Ed, and has a son named David.”

“I take it you’re doing stuff with computers?”

“I started a company right out of college with Elyse and four friends from Chicago. Joyce’s grandfather and my dad backed us. Joyce is our Chairman of the Board and my dad sits on the Board along with a friend from High School, Beth Pater. She lives near the University of Illinois, a couple of hours away.”

We finished our dessert and I asked Joyce and my dad if they would mind if I talked to Donna privately for a few minutes. They agreed, and Donna asked Marcus to stay with them while we walked outside and sat on a bench. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it.

“How are you?” I asked. “I mean, really?”

“I’m a manager at a UDF in Loveland, so I do OK. We don’t live in the lap of luxury, but we can take a vacation, buy a new car every five or six years, that kind of thing. I take it you’re really well off?”

“The business is successful, and Jessica is an Attending Physician. Kara is a chemistry professor at UofC.”

“I can’t believe how many kids you have!” Donna exclaimed.

“Some days, neither can I!” I laughed. “Is there a man in your life?”

“For the longest time, guys weren’t interested. You know, a girl with a young kid is a tough sale. I offered you an ‘instant family’, if you remember?”

“I do remember, and I said, ‘talk to me in a few years’ and then you disappeared.”

“Sorry. Things got crazy and I never got in touch with you.” She paused for a beat, “Do you think about me?”

“I do,” I said wistfully. “I have very fond memories. So, what about more recently? Now that Marcus is older?”

“There have been guys off and on, but nobody I would bring into our lives permanently. Marcus and I are a good team. It was just us for so long, you know?”

“Sure. And he and Alexa?”

Donna laughed, “He got a VERY nice fourteenth birthday present! He didn’t know I knew until tonight!”

“I recall YOU getting a very nice birthday present, but in reality, I was the one who got the great gift that day.”

She smiled, “That was amazing, but the real gift you gave me was making love to me when I was pregnant with Marcus and nobody wanted anything to do with me.”

“Fools,” I sighed.

“I remember your reaction. And oh, God, the feeling. Sex has been good other times, but that was the best.”

“I’m sorry we lost touch,” I said.

“It’s my fault,” she said quietly. “When you held me in your arms all those memories came crashing through.”

“For me, too.”

“Do you ever wonder?”

“I try to avoid playing ‘What if?’, but I have thought about it on occasion.”

“I remember the first time I saw you,” Donna said with a smile. “I was twelve and I thought you were to die for. I would have done it with you that first day! But I waited, and oh my God! You know what I wonder?”

“What?”

“If I hadn’t been lonely and stupid and slept with Jimmy Henderson, what might have happened.”

“You wouldn’t have Marcus, and I bet you anything you wouldn’t want to give him up for a chance at being with me.”

“No, I don’t think I would,” she said quietly.

“And that’s why I don’t like the whole ‘What if?’ idea.”

“So how did you manage to marry two girls?”

“It’s a really long story,” I said. “But in the end, I was never cut out for monogamy.”

Donna laughed, “No kidding! You had the three of us, all virgins, in a single week! And I know you got quite a few other cherries, including Debbie V’s little sister, Tracy!”

And a whole lot more, but Donna didn’t need to know that.

“True. But yours was very special.”

“Thanks. It’s just too bad,” she sighed.

“What?”

“That you’re married, and we can’t ... you know ... for old-time’s sake.”

I chuckled, “Seriously? You can’t say it?”

“I’m not sure how to put it. I don’t want to upset you.”

“So put it the way YOU would want it,” I replied.

“To have you make love to me for hours and then to fall asleep in your arms. We never did that, you know.”

“I know. Time and events went against us. But I would very much like to do that.”

“I don’t want you to cheat; it wouldn’t be right.”

“My situation provides quite a bit of freedom in that area.”

“Seriously?”

I squeezed her hand, “Seriously.”

“Do you, uhm, want to make love to me?”

“Very much so,” I said. “But there’s a complication.”

“Marcus?”

I chuckled, “Well, only if it’s an issue for you. No, the issue is that I’m staying with Joyce and her family and they live in Colerain Township. That’s where my car is. And I need to head back to Chicago early tomorrow morning.”

She sighed, “I can’t catch a break with you, can I?”

“Let’s exchange phone numbers,” I said. “I’ll do my best to come see you, or, if I can’t work it out, you can visit me in Chicago.”

“You’re serious?”

“As I said, I have some freedom in that area. Nobody will object.”

“Would you do something for me? Now?”