Chapter 21: An Error in Judgment

August 24, 1981, West Monroe, Ohio

"Whoa!" I gasped.

"It fits, Mike," Mom said. "And it explains everything that happened afterwards."

"Mom, Abby exhibits the same behavior. She basically offered to have sex with me when she said hello the first day, and Becky implied Abby has been doing that since she was twelve."

"Stay out of that, Mike. That's an issue for the van Dorns."

"Is it? Emmy told me that Abby was here earlier and that Liz and Abby were acting crazy, so she left and went home."

"You think they were doing drugs together?"

"The way Liz was acting? If she wasn't high on something, she's in even worse shape than I thought."

"Is Emmy waiting for you in your car?"

"Yes."

"Go on your date. Let your dad and me deal with this after dinner. Please stay out until your usual time. You can't help right now. You CAN help afterwards."

"Mom..." I pleaded.

"Mike, your dad and I have to handle this. And I'll speak to Mrs. van Dorn, probably tomorrow evening. Please do NOT try to talk to your friend Becky about this. We have no idea what's going on."

I sighed, "OK."

"You did good, Mike. I mean that. Now let us take the next steps."

"Yes, Mom."

"Go have fun with Emmy!"

"I'll try."

Mom laughed, "You always come home with a smile on your face when you're with her."

"I do, don't I?"

"Yes! Now go!"

I hugged her and went back out to the car, got in, and pulled out of the driveway, heading for Ponderosa.

"So?"

"It's something for my parents to deal with, but Liz will need both of us once they do. Promise you'll be there for her?"

"You know I will, Mike! But that Abby girl..."

"I think Mom will deal with that, too. I'm concerned, but my mom was right — I have to wait for my parents to deal with it."

"So what are we doing tonight?"

"You only ever want to do one thing these days!" I grinned.

"And you NEVER try anything!"

"I thought you were happy with just kissing for now."

"Don't you want to do more?"

"The question is whether you want to," I said.

"DUH!" she laughed. "What do you think telling you I wanted to have sex meant? If that didn't make it clear, I'm not sure what would have!"

"Sorry, that's not what I meant. We kind of talked about limits before, and we never talked about them again."

"You know, you're right. We did do that. I guess it's partly my fault."

"It's not about fault; it's about not taking things too far, too fast, especially knowing there are specific limits before your birthday."

"Yeah," she sighed.

"Let's have dinner and worry about making out when we can actually make out!"

"Jackson Lake?"

"Yes. I haven't taken you there on purpose."

"Because you didn't want to imply anything."

"Exactly."

"Mike?"

"What?"

"Let's push a little, please?"

"OK."

We had our meal at Ponderosa and then headed to Jackson Lake. It wasn't quite dark out, so we mostly cuddled and kissed despite being in a relatively secluded spot. As the Sun sank below the trees and dusk overtook us, our kissing became just a bit more urgent, and for the first time, I slipped my hand over Emmy's small breast. She broke the kiss and sighed deeply, then traced her hand down my side to my hip.

"OK?" she whispered.

"Yes."

I felt her hand move over my jeans until it rested on my erection. Emmy sucked in her breath as she ran her fingers along its length.

"Mike?" she whispered.

I knew what she wanted and moved my hand from her breast and gently slid it over her jeans, running my finger along the seam. Emmy gasped and closed her hand softly around my jean-covered shaft and began gently stroking me. I applied a bit more pressure with my finger, and Emmy sighed deeply. She moved her hips just a bit, and I pulled her to me so we could kiss while we gently stroked each other. That went on for a few minutes, but I knew I had to stop, or I was going to have a terrible mess in my pants. I broke the kiss.

"Emmy," I whispered, "you need to stop, or it'll make a real mess."

She giggled, "And?"

"And if my mom is up or I walk you to the door, somebody might figure it out!"

"I could..."

That unspoken offer made me twitch and get even harder. The question was, did we want to do that tonight at Jackson Lake? Or did we want to save it for her birthday? I had no idea what the correct answer was.

"Is that what you want to do? Now?"

"No! I want you to take my jeans off and put this insanely huge thing inside of me! But we can't. Not yet. You'll go to jail!"

"I think I'd go to jail if you did what you suggested before."

"Argh!" Emmy groaned. "What IDIOT made those laws?"

"The same idiot who didn't want twenty-four-year-olds having sex with fourteen-year-olds. They made it sixteen. Two months."

"I'll die! And you'll explode!"

Oh, I would, later. There was a sock with my name on it at home.

"I think we'll both be OK," I soothed. "I can wait if you can."

"I don't have a choice, really," she sighed. "Would you let me touch it?"

"Yes."

"And would you touch me?"

"Yes."

I felt her hand slip under the waist of my jeans, and her fingers search out the waistband of my briefs. I nearly exploded at the first touch of her fingers but managed, just, to control myself. She traced her fingers along my shaft until she reached the base, then back up to the tip. She giggled and squeezed me once, then removed her hand.

"That feels so cool," she said. "I felt it pulse, and it's soft and hard at the same time."

I took a few deep breaths to calm down, then slipped my hand under Emmy's T-shirt. I felt her soft, smooth skin and then a lace bra. Emmy rolled a bit to me.

"Unhook it in the back," she whispered.

It took me a couple of minutes and several false starts to unhook the three eye hooks with one hand, but eventually, the bra hung loose, and I could slip my hand under it to cup her small, firm breast. I ran my finger over her nipple and gently tweaked it between my thumb and forefinger. Emmy moaned softly, so I did it again, then slipped my hand down over her stomach. She sucked in her breath, and I pushed down under her jeans and found cotton panties. I gently slipped my fingers under the elastic and encountered soft, curly pubic hair, then extreme heat and copious juices. From my experience with Jocelyn, I knew what to do next, and after running my finger along Emmy's labia, I carefully put pressure on her clit.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" she moaned and then shuddered.

I pulled my hand from her pants and brought my fingers up to my lips. I smelled her strong, coppery scent, and as she watched, I licked her juices from my fingers.

"You like that?" she asked, eyes wide.

I nodded, "It's better direct from the source."

"You would?" she gasped.

"Yes."

"Now I WILL die!" she sighed.

I kissed her softly, and then we cuddled together.

"Are you going to be OK?" she asked about ten minutes later.

"Yes," I said, squeezing my arm around her.

We cuddled and kissed, and just before it was time to go home, I gave Emmy another small orgasm. We adjusted our clothes, walked back to the car, and I took her home. We exchanged a final kiss on her front porch, and after she went inside, I headed home. There were lights on in the house, and I walked up to the front door with trepidation, wondering what I might find. I unlocked the door and walked inside.

"Hi," I said to my mom and dad, who were sitting in the living room.

"Hi, Mike," Mom said. "Did you have a nice time?"

"Yes."

"Good. We'll talk in the morning."

I nodded, "Good night."

I went upstairs, brushed my teeth, emptied my bladder, and then went to my room. As I planned, I got a very soft sock from the drawer, undressed, and got into bed. I imagined what it was going to be like with Emmy three times before I finally fell asleep.

August 25, 1981, West Monroe, Ohio

I was up early on Tuesday morning and had showered and was dressed when the newspaper arrived at 6:00am. I got it from the front porch and took it to the kitchen to read while the tea steeped. Once it was done steeping, I took a cup and the newspaper out to the patio.

"Morning, Mike," I heard my mom say.

She came out and sat down with her own cup of tea.

"How is she?" I asked.

"You were right, I think, but she denied it up and down. She said she'd been crying, but I don't buy it."

"So, what?"

"I'm concerned about her being alone. You're going to see Jocelyn today, right?"

"She's supposed to move out of the ICU today. As soon as Mr. Mills calls, I'll be on my way. I'd guess I'll leave no later than 1:00pm."

"Then I'll get Liz from work today. I don't want her here alone until I can talk with Mrs. van Dorn. Are you seeing Becky today?"

"She's supposed to come over this morning, why?"

"I think you should avoid Abby until I speak with her mom."

"But Becky is OK?"

"Does she act crazy?"

"No more than any other typical teenage female of the species!" I chuckled.

"Mikhail Petrovich!" Mom scolded, but she was laughing. "Please be serious!"

"Sorry. But I was only half-jesting. She's pretty normal. Out of sorts from moving, but otherwise, I like her."

"That was obvious from day one!" my mom laughed. "You aren't as opaque as you like to think you are!"

"I don't think I can be opaque to you; we're too much alike. So what are you going to do?"

"Take Liz to the doctor and have them do a drug test."

"She'll have a fit."

"Be that as it may, it has to be done, and I'm not going to lie to her about it. If she's clean, she has nothing to worry about."

"Is that what the lawyer you work for says about letting the cops search your house or car?"

"Don't be smart with me, Mike! This is not anything like that, and you know it."

"I know," I admitted. "So then what?"

"I guess it depends on what she's taking and how much. At a minimum, she'll need to see a counselor. I'm afraid she might need treatment."

"You mean like a clinic?"

"Yes. They can get her off whatever it is she's taking and hopefully find out what really happened."

"She's going to lose it," I said. "Completely."

"Don't you think she already has? I think so, based on what you said last night. She must have really said something shocking to get you to react the way you did."

"She did. And I hope you'll just let it go, please."

"I want you to tell me, but I won't force you to."

"Compromise?" I asked.

"What?"

"I'll tell her counselor everything."

"I suppose that will have to do. You're obviously VERY uncomfortable with what she said. Let me ask this: was it about someone I need to worry about?"

"No. Not at all. Trust me on that, please."

"You're sure? I mean, absolutely sure?"

She suspected something, but I couldn't decide what it was. I thought about it for a few seconds, and my mind reeled. There was NO WAY that had happened. It couldn't have.

"It wasn't about Dad," I said carefully.

"I'm sorry, Mike. But you can't believe the things people do. Even people you think you know."

"Mom, this is NUTS," I said.

"Yes, it is. And those are the questions a counselor is going to ask."

"Wait! You've been through this before!"

She nodded, "Yes. I can't tell you who with, but it was her father, Mike."

I bit off the Russian version of 'Holy shit' before I said it, fortunately.

"I don't even know what to say."

"I need you to answer me completely honestly now. Can you do that?"

"Of course."

"Did you and your sister EVER play any games where you were naked together? Or touch each other? Or anything like that?"

I didn't know whether to scream or cry. Even a Russian swear word didn't fit. I took several deep breaths before I answered.

"No way, Mom! I've never seen Liz naked, and I have NO desire to!"

"You're sure about that?"

"Positive! The closest we've come to anything like that was when you let her sleep in my bed the other night!"

"In hindsight, perhaps a severe error. Certainly, it was bad judgment. I'm sorry, Mike, but I had to ask."

"I know," I said, shaking my head in utter disbelief.

"Are there any teachers you think might be capable of that kind of thing?"

"I've never even heard any rumors like that," I said. "The only stuff I hear is about the new Freshman English teacher that started last year. She's twenty-four and smoking hot! But it's all about the guys who want her, not about her doing anything with them."

"Every teenage boy's wet dream," Mom said. "But a bad idea, nonetheless."

"Mrs. Robinson?" I grinned.

"When did you see that movie?"

"The UHF station shows old movies all the time. I watched Casablanca with Liz the other night."

"Don't get any ideas, Mike. Seriously. Those relationships with huge age gaps are fraught with danger."

"I do have self-control, Mom."

"Sorry, I know. I'm just a bit out of sorts about your sister."

She wasn't kidding if she was asking ME if I'd abused Liz, even unintentionally!

"What are you going to do about the rest of the week until you can get her in to see the doctor?"

"I already have a vacation day tomorrow to see you off, so it'll be fine. I'm going to call the doctor's office this morning to get her in this afternoon after work if at all possible. Otherwise, tomorrow."

"How long do the tests take?"

"It can be a week or more. We sometimes have to have clients take drug tests. You know, like if they were busted for possession and are out on bond or on probation or parole. School starts next Monday, and she'll be working after school. I'll work out a way to make sure she's not alone. And you're going to McKinley as planned. She'll need you once this all shakes out."

I sighed, "I doubt she'd listen to me right now, anyway."

"I agree. I'm going to make breakfast. Remember, stay away from Abby, please."

"I will. Becky doesn't like her being around, so that won't be a problem."

"And don't discuss it with Becky, either."

"I got it, Mom. I promise I'll let you handle this. I've learned my lesson."

She smiled and went back into the house. I stayed out for a few more minutes, then went inside. My dad and Liz came down for breakfast, and other than a mumbled 'Good Morning', Liz didn't say anything. Just before 8:00am, Nate came to get my car, and then both my parents left for work, leaving me alone in the house. I went up to my room and began organizing the things I was going to take with me to McKinley. I was mostly done when I heard a knock at the front door. I went downstairs and opened it.

"Hi!" Becky said.

"Hi. I have tea ready, so we can go in the backyard."

"Cool!"

We walked to the kitchen, where I got the stuff, and we went out to the patio. I poured tea for each of us, and we sipped.

"I'm bummed you're leaving tomorrow," she said. "But my mom did say I could come for breakfast at 5:30am if I wanted to. I just have to be home at 6:00am on the dot."

"Cool. I'll make sure I have breakfast ready for then."

"What are we having?"

"It's a Wednesday, so I'll be having fruit and bread. I could make you bacon and eggs."

"What does Wednesday have to do with anything?"

"If I follow the fasting guidelines, I don't eat any animal products on most Wednesdays and Fridays."

"Why?"

"It's all about self-control and moderation. It helps you think about eating and understand that food is a blessing from God."

"I can just have what you're having."

"OK. It's not a big deal, really. It never bothered me to see the other kids eat meat and cheese and stuff at school. It's just something we do, and we don't talk about it much. I only mentioned it because you're coming for breakfast and because of the talk we had."

Her reply was interrupted by the phone. I sprang up and ran inside and answered.

"Hi, Mike. This is Mr. Mills. They're going to move Jocelyn soon, and she can have visitors at 2:00pm."

"Tell her I'll be there! How long can I stay?"

"The doctor said fifteen minutes, but I do believe she's going to object to that!"

"I suspect you're right!" I said happily. "What do you think?"

"I think you'll know when you should let her rest, Mike. I trust you. The doctor or nurse may try to shoo you away, though."

"OK. We'll worry about that if it happens. I'll be there at 2:00pm."

"Thanks, Mike. She really wants to see you."

"And I want to see her. Thanks, Mr. Mills."

"You're welcome, Mike. See you at 2:00pm."

We said 'goodbye', and I hung up. I turned to see Becky standing inside the kitchen door and her sister standing outside.

"She's being a pain," Becky said.

"Won't you get in trouble for being inside?"

"My parents aren't home this morning. I wish you had your car!"

"Me, too. You know what? Just close the blinds on the sliding door. We'll sit at the kitchen table."

Becky smiled broadly and turned and closed the blinds. I heard Abby yell something, but it was muffled.

"What did she say?"

"That she was going to tell. At this point, I don't care. Let her."

"You're sure?"

"Yes," Becky said.

I got some fresh mugs and poured some tea into them. I'd get the ones from outside later. We sat down at the kitchen table.

"She never let you have any guy friends?" I said.

Becky shook her head, "No. The minute she found out I liked a guy, or he liked me, she basically threw herself at him."

"Well, she could strip naked and beg me, and I'd laugh and walk away," I said.

"Seriously?"

"You think I find that attractive or at all enticing?"

"Obviously, you don't. Where have you been all my life?"

"West Monroe. Well, until tomorrow, anyway."