Chapter 11: Last Day

August 18, 1982, West Monroe, Ohio

"And you'll come home and see me, Mishka?"

"Of course, Tasha!" I replied. "On breaks for sure, and I promise to try to come home at least one weekend a month, though I can't guarantee it."

"Dad said I'm allowed to come see you, but I have to bring Sasha with me, and Sasha has to be with us the entire time!"

I chuckled, "I don't think he trusts you to be in my dorm room!"

"I think you're right!" she giggled. "He's afraid we will make passionate love together!"

I suppressed a smirk at a thought which popped, unbidden, into my head. All the teasing I'd done with Amelia and Janey came back to haunt me, and I had a brief vision of having BOTH Tasha and Sasha in my bed. I quickly banished that 'impure' thought to the dark recesses of my mind.

"I think your dad knows exactly what's going on," I grinned. "And he's being VERY careful."

"As mom said, Dad was a teenage boy at one time, so he knows how teenage boys think! So does Mom!"

I chuckled, "Some of my friends have made the point that it's not too difficult to figure out teenage boys!"

Tasha laughed, "Men are very simple. Make sure they go to church, keep them well-fed, keep them happy in bed, and everything will be fine!"

"Did your mom tell you THAT?" I asked, aghast.

She shook her head, "Of course not! Mrs. Orlova did!"

"You're joking!" I gasped.

"No, I am not! She was concerned that my mother, as a Matushka, could not speak plainly with me about marriage."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," I said warily.

"What?" Tasha smirked. "She explained many things, though I knew some of them from health class! It's one of the most important jobs a «бабушка» (babushka) has! To pass on the secrets from one woman to the next!"

"And you're not going to tell me those secrets, are you?" I asked with a silly smile on my face.

"Of course not! Then they wouldn't be secrets! But I did tell you what she said about men being simple!"

"Church, food, and sex? In that order?"

Tasha smiled impishly, "According to her, yes! Not according to me!"

"And kids?"

"I think you know very well how to make babies, Mikhail Petrovich! It's on the list!"

I laughed, "Yes, but aren't kids important?"

"Very much so! But the marriage comes before the kids! Well, so long as you keep things in the right order! And speaking of that, do you know how April and her baby are doing?"

"Only from what Liz or Emmy have told me, which isn't much."

"Do you want to make a baby with me, Mishka?" she asked coquettishly.

"Here? In the diner? We'd get in REAL trouble!"

Tasha laughed, "You are funny! I meant privately!"

"I think we're too young, and I'm in no position to support a wife, let alone a child."

"Perhaps some practice?" she teased.

"And you think that's a good idea?" I asked.

Tasha sighed, "It's something I want, but no, it's probably not a good idea."

"I feel the same way."

We finished our dinner and, as we had permission to do whatever we wanted, within certain limits, we went to Grant Park to walk and talk. I'd considered taking her to Jackson Lake, where we'd have more privacy, but I knew where that would lead us, and neither of us was genuinely ready to go there. Instead, we simply held hands and walked along the path that led around the small man-made lake in Grant Park.

"I know it's soon, but could you come home for my birthday? Mom said we could have dinner late if necessary."

"My Western Civ class ends at 4:00pm, so I can easily be in West Monroe by 6:00pm for dinner."

"Will you come?"

"Sure."

"Great! I'll tell Mom!"

She stopped and tugged on my hand, pulling me towards her for a hug. She melted against me and kissed my neck several times, squeezing me tightly in her arms, her breasts firm against my chest, and I thought I could feel her hard nipples through our clothes. My mind quickly returned to the conversation at the diner, and I imagined what it would be like to be with Tasha. The only word which formed in my addled brain was 'amazing'.

I more or less completely short-circuited and lost all track of time. I had no idea if it was seconds, minutes, or even hours later when she finally released me. I took a deep breath and let it out, confident I'd made the right decision about not going to Jackson Lake and damning myself for not doing it at the same time.

"Are you OK, Mishka?" Tasha asked with a silly smile.

"I think so," I said, taking her hand so we could start walking.

"You liked that?"

"Very much!" I sighed.

"Me, too!" she replied, sounding almost smug.

We walked another fifteen minutes in silence, winding up back at my car. Tasha gave me a searing French kiss, and then we got in so I could take her home. At her door, I received a chaste kiss, and then Tasha went into the house, turning to wink as she closed the door. I, and my thoroughly addled brain, went back to my car and drove home.

August 19, 1982, West Monroe, Ohio

By Thursday morning, I'd mostly recovered from my date with Tasha. I thought back to things some of the girls had said about using sex as a trap, but I simply didn't get that feeling from Tasha. It was, I suspected, a defensive action on her part. Not that she didn't want to do it, but that she was showing me that she could 'compete', as it were, with the older girls. Or she was just horny. Or both.

"I have the day off tomorrow, Mike," Dad said when I went down to breakfast. "I can drive the station wagon to help you move during the day rather than driving up after work."

"Thanks. I had planned to leave by 8:30am, if that's OK. I'll be back from saying 'goodbye' to Jocelyn by then."

"It's fine. This is even earlier than last year, though."

"They changed the schedule, and orientation is today and tomorrow for Freshmen. We get the whole week of Thanksgiving, and we're done on December 17th. School starts again after that on January 10th."

"Are you home for dinner tonight?" Mom asked.

"No. I thought I told you I was taking Janey Riley out tonight."

"You probably did," Mom replied.

"It's on the calendar, too," I grinned.

She walked over to the bulletin board next to the fridge.

"So it is. Well, never mind!"

"I didn't know you and the Riley girl were dating," Dad said. "I thought you just hung out with them."

"She asked me to take her to dinner and a movie. I'm a 'free agent' at the moment, so I agreed."

"You decided not to get back together with Melody?"

"I don't plan to date anyone seriously, at least not anytime soon. And Melody and I have what amount to irreconcilable differences."

"Well, if you want my opinion..."

"No!" I interrupted, speaking firmly. "No opinions on my love life."

"Michael," Mom said firmly.

She didn't use Russian, or three names, or even my middle name, so it was a very mild rebuke.

"Right now, I'm not doing ANYTHING other than focusing on school, spending time with my friends, and seeing Tasha and Katy. And I'm not getting serious with either of them anytime soon. Period. There's no point in talking about it, really. In fact, the less I think about it and talk about it, the better. I'll worry about it down the road."

"Even so, Mike, you shouldn't respond that way."

"What way, Mom? Firmly? With conviction?"

"He has a point, Dear," Dad said before she could respond.

"But rejecting advice out of hand? Without hearing it?"

"Right now," I said, "anything which could be said would only serve to cause confusion or push me in a direction I do not want to go and which I think would be detrimental to me and any girl involved. Dad and I have had several talks about Jocelyn and about not leaping before looking, so to speak. Well, I'd like some time to look. On my own. Or do you intend to set up an arranged marriage?"

"I am not old enough to be a «бабушка» (babushka)!" Mom protested. "And I don't agree with their methods."

"For now," I teased.

"Are you referring to her age or her attitude?" Dad asked with a smirk.

"Yes!" I chuckled.

"You two MEN better watch it!" Mom threatened, but she was laughing now.

"I think that's my cue to head to work," I said.

I got up, gave my mom a quick hug, and went up to brush my teeth. It was one of the few things which I hadn't packed since Saturday. Everything else was in boxes, bags, or suitcases, ready to be put in my car and the station wagon for the trip back to McKinley. I finished in the bathroom, then headed out to my car for the drive to the hardware store.

"Last day?" Amelia asked when we greeted each other in the parking lot.

"Not even close, Jessica 6!" I laughed.

"You lost me."

"Did you see Logan's Run?"

"The science fiction TV show?"

"I was referring to the movie, but sure. Logan 5 was the guy, and Jessica 6 was the girl who escaped with him."

"Eleven years, then, right?" she laughed.

"Yep. 'Carousel' was on your 30th birthday. Until then, it was pure hedonism!"

"I'm not sure if I would sign up for that."

"Me either. Kids were all grown in test tubes, and nobody knew who their parents were. I don't like that idea."

"I'm not so sure," she laughed. "YOU don't have to carry the kid for nine months, then go through labor!"

"True. And I thank God for that!"

"I BET you do! Five minutes, and you're done. Nine months for us!"

"Five?" I chuckled. "That's kind of short!"

"Maybe I made a mistake about that threesome!" Amelia replied, then paused a beat. "Not!"

We both laughed and walked into the hardware store for what would be my last day of work until the following Summer. It was, as usual, a busy day, and at quitting time, Mr. and Mrs. Orlov wished me well and confirmed I would, indeed, have a job the following Summer. I thanked them for everything, accepted my final paycheck, then headed to karate class, and finally home for a shower before my date with Janey.

"So, about that threesome," I teased when Amelia opened the door.

"NOT! HAPPENING!" she laughed, then turned, "JANEY! HE'S HERE!"

A few seconds later, Janey appeared dressed in a light blue, knee-length skirt and white blouse rather than her usual blue jeans and a T-shirt. I was glad Amelia had tipped me off, and I'd worn a pair of navy blue slacks and a light blue button-down shirt.

"Hi!" she said.

"Ready?"

"For anything!" she said with a soft laugh.

Amelia rolled her eyes, shook her head, and went back into the house. Janey pulled the door shut behind her, and I walked her to the car and helped her into the passenger seat, then got into the driver's seat and started the car.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Italian?"

"Good choice!"

"And after dinner?" Janey asked.

"I was kind of leaving that up to you."

"So, you'll do whatever I want?"

"I wouldn't go quite THAT far," I chuckled.

"How far WILL you go?" she teased.

"I think Rutherford is about the limit!" I replied, trying to sound serious.

Janey laughed, "I'm glad you have a good sense of humor."

"It's something I've been working on. A year ago, I didn't really understand how to do it, but my friends helped me out."

"Uh-huh," she smirked.

It took me a second to realize, but then I laughed, "Cute."

"A bit slow on the uptake, are we?"

"I believe you've accused me of that before."

"I've noticed how easily you get fixated on something, and it's difficult to move you from that position."

"Just because I didn't ask you out?"

"I swear, I could have stripped naked, and you would have just told me to get dressed!"

"Care to test that theory?" I chuckled.

"It's not the same after I told you! You'd gawk just to prove me wrong!"

"So now we have an unfalsifiable hypothesis! There would be no way for me to prove why I looked!"

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours!" Janey laughed.

"What are we?" I chuckled. "Six?"

"Is that a 'yes' or a 'no'?" she asked petulantly.

"Neither! It was a question."

"We are NOT six," she laughed. "Does a six-year-old have THESE?"

She thrust her chest forward, making her ample breasts even more obvious.

"No!" I laughed. "Is this entire night going to be innuendo?"

"We can tease about it or do it!"

"One or the other? Not both?"

"Really?" she asked, suddenly sounding serious.

"What happened to teasing?" I asked warily.

"Are you really that dense?" she sighed.

I was. In her mind, all the teasing had been, well, foreplay. The entire point of the teasing had been to get to the point where I suggested we make out or fool around or whatever. I'd walked right into it cluelessly. She had figured out that a direct approach wouldn't work from the things I'd said about Mindy and from what had happened in the theatre. She'd only resorted to the direct approach when I hadn't asked her out.

"Yes, I guess I am," I sighed. "I'm sorry if I ruined your evening."

"It's not ruined just yet," she said.

"What can I do to not ruin it?" I asked, realizing a split-second too late what her answer most certainly would be.

"Take me for ice cream after dinner, then take me back to my house and have sex with me in my bed!"

"Your parents might object to that!" I protested.

"They're playing bridge with their friends; they won't be home until well after midnight."

"What about your sister?"

Janey laughed, "You'll have to ask her if she wants to join us, but I think she'll say 'no'!"

"That is NOT what I meant!" I laughed.

"Isn't it? You were teasing her something fierce about it!"

"Because I knew it would never happen. That makes it easier to tease."

"Oh," Janey said, sounding dejected and slumping back in her seat.

"I just stepped in it again, didn't I?"

"You were never going to do it with me, so you felt safe teasing," she said, sounding sad.

She had me there because that was EXACTLY my thinking. I'd asked Amelia to have Janey dial things back because I didn't want things to get out of hand. And yet, when Janey teased me, I teased her right back.

"Can we just agree I'm an idiot and start over?" I asked.

"I didn't think there was ever any disagreement about that!" she laughed.

"Obviously. So when you started teasing me that very first night..."

"I was interested! Duh! But I knew you had a girlfriend back at school, and you and Jocelyn were trying to sort out your problems, so I was careful. But then, when you broke up with your girlfriend, I was hoping you'd ask me out. It didn't work out that way, obviously."

"And that's because I had my mind made up beforehand. Honestly, right now, I'm not looking for a new girlfriend."

"I know that. Did I ask you to be my boyfriend? Or go steady? Heck, I couldn't get you to ask me on an effing date!"

I almost asked if that was the kind of date she was looking for, but given the circumstances, teasing about that probably wasn't the best idea.

"I'm sorry I upset you," I said. "Maybe I should just take you home."

"Oh, come on! This is the guy who wasn't going to date 'immature' High School girls? Talk about immature!"

"I'll concede that point if you'll admit you've put me in a very difficult spot."

"What spot? Mike, you're totally reading WAY too much into this! YOU put yourself in a difficult spot. All I did was show you and tell you I like you. You worked yourself into this tizzy."

"Because of all the teasing."

"Oh, for Pete's sake!" she growled, sounding completely exasperated. "Do you know how to have fun without trying to analyze it from every angle?"

I didn't answer right away, and the silence was deafening.

"Maybe not," I allowed.

"Can you name a single, crazy, spur-of-the-moment thing you've done? Just one?"

"I doubt it," I said. "I don't do 'spur-of-the-moment'."

"No kidding," Janey said flatly. "You have 'Doctor Mike' on the brain, and it's keeping you from having fun!"

"I do have fun!" I protested.

"Yes, you do. Ordered, regular, analyzed fun. Whoop-de-do! I swear, your life is as regimented as an Orthodox church service!"

"I don't see that as a bad thing," I replied.

"No, of course not. You have every single step in your life mapped out, step-by-step. If you have the slightest inkling that something might interfere, however slightly, with your plan, you eliminate it."

"I'm not that bad!"

"No? You yourself said you couldn't think of any spontaneous thing you've ever done."

"But I'm pretty happy," I said.

"No, you aren't, and you know it! You did your best to create a perfect situation and look what happened."

"Janey, where are you getting all of this? We've never talked about it."

"No, but you talked to my sister. She's worried about you."

"Worried about me?"

"That your obsession with mapping out your future is going to run head-on into a brick wall at some point, and you're going to be so bullheaded that you'll destroy yourself trying to break through it when if you took a step back, you'd see you could simply walk around it. I realize I'm only seventeen, but I've never met anyone so obsessed before. Amelia thinks you might need psychological help. I think you just need to lighten up."