Chapter 1: Home Again

While this story was inspired by actual persons and events, certain characters, characterizations, incidents, locations, and dialog were fictionalized or invented for the purposes of dramatization.

May 28, 1982, West Monroe, Ohio

"Why the long face, Mike?" Mom asked. "You've been home less than two hours."

"On the drive back, I was thinking about the Fall."

"I thought that would make you happy. Jocelyn will be at Taft with you."

"What's the phrase?" I asked with a sigh. "A curse and a blessing?"

"What could possibly be wrong that would cause you to say THAT about Jocelyn?"

"I get up on weekday mornings and run with Angie, then we say morning prayers. Lunch is with the gang, as is dinner. Angie goes to karate with me on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, as well as Saturday mornings. I meet after dinner with my study group, which goes until around 11:00pm. Then Angie and I say our evening prayers. I go out with Katy on Fridays, the gang on Saturdays, and Melody on Sundays. Melody and I hang out in our free time, and she spends a couple of nights a week with me."

"So you have no time for Jocelyn," Mom said matter-of-factly.

"So I have no time for Jocelyn," I sighed.

"You have no free time?"

"Six hours on Saturday when I used to work. Otherwise, I have to take time from Melody."

"That was an interesting revelation about her just a few seconds ago. Especially with the fact you're dating Katy and Tasha."

"It's complicated," I sighed. "If I could mix Angie and Melody into one person, I'd have the person I needed for the rest of my life."

"I believe you know it doesn't work that way."

"I do."

"I'll ask a question which I believe is impossible to answer — if you had to pick just one girl to live the rest of your life with, who would she be?"

"I have no idea. And that's why I'm dating Katy and seeing Tasha when I'm home."

"Is Melody your girlfriend?"

"She thinks she is."

"But you don't?"

"We're not exclusive, so I'm not sure I should use that word."

"Then what do you call her?"

"I usually call her Melody," I replied with a grin.

"Smart aleck! What do you tell other people?"

"That we're dating, but not exclusive. She knows I see Katy and Tasha. She's not worried. She's also not worried about Angie."

"She's either seriously overconfident, or you haven't been honest with her."

"I have been totally honest!" I protested. "Melody is the one who pushed me to sort out my relationship with Jocelyn."

"And have you done that? With finality?"

"And here I thought this was going to be a nice, relaxing, drama-free Summer."

"I almost hate to say this, but you've made your bed..." Mom said with a semi-smirk.

"Now who's the smart aleck?" I asked. "And I STILL have no idea what to do."

"I suggest you start talking. To everyone."

"Wonderful," I sighed.

"What plans did you have for tonight?"

"None, actually. Jocelyn has something to do, and Dale isn't coming to West Monroe this Summer. I was just going to hang out at home. Why?"

"Dad and I are going out. Mindy is coming over to hang out with Liz."

"Then I think I'll stay in my room and read while I listen to music."

"Would you cook dinner for the girls?"

"I suppose I can do that," I said. "What ingredients do you have?"

"We're still in the Paschal feast, so you can make chicken; there are fresh chicken breasts in the fridge. We also have corn on the cob and salad."

"OK. I'm going to set up my stereo, then read for a bit. I'll start dinner after that. Where are you and Dad going?"

"To dinner and a movie. We're going to see Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid."

I left the kitchen and went to my room. I set up the stereo and then put away the rest of the things I'd brought home from school. I put on Combat Rock by The Clash and pulled out a book to read. I flipped the album when Side A finished, and after Side B finished with Death is a Star, I went back downstairs to start making dinner. While I was making dinner, Mindy arrived, and she and Liz immediately went to the basement. When I had everything ready, I called them to the table.

"This is REALLY good!" Mindy declared about halfway through the meal.

"Thanks."

"When did you learn to cook?"

"My mom has been teaching me for a few years, and I enjoy cooking, though I'm far from an expert, and it's not something I'd want to do all the time."

"Not interested in being a 'house husband'?" Mindy teased.

"No way!" I replied.

"Well, they do say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I think it works the other way, too!"

"Yuck!" Liz said, making a gagging sound.

"Just for that, YOU can do the dishes!" I said in mock outrage.

"I was going to do them anyway!" Liz replied.

When we finished, we had some ice cream that I'd found in the freezer, and then I went back to my room to listen to music while Liz and Mindy did the dishes. I put on Marshall Crenshaw's studio album of the same name. It had been recommended by the guy at the record store in McKinley, and, as usual, his recommendation had been spot on. I picked up my book but then put it down a few minutes later because the issues I'd talked with Mom about earlier were swirling around my mind.

My priority HAD to be the new study group that Clarissa had organized. I simply could not take my eyes off my ultimate goal. I felt I needed to continue to go to church, do my daily prayers, practice karate, and run in the mornings. That meant time with Melody, and Katy had to yield to Jocelyn. How that would happen, I had no idea, but I honestly didn't need to decide until the end of August. For the Summer, I could just do what I had planned — work, karate, hang out with Jocelyn, see Katy, and visit both Angie and Melody.

I pushed the thoughts from my mind and picked up my book. I read through both sides of Marshall Crenshaw and John Cougar's American Fool. It had just finished when Mindy appeared in the open doorway.

"Do you like Jack and Diane?" she asked.

"Sure! And Hurts So Good. Both have been on the radio pretty often. The other songs on the album are good, too."

"What are you doing?"

"Just hanging out. Where's my sister?"

"Making popcorn. Do you want some?"

"Sure," I said, getting up from the bed where I'd been reading.

I followed Mindy down to the kitchen, where Liz was heating the 'Jiffy Pop' popcorn on the stove. I strongly preferred popping my popcorn in a large, covered skillet, but Liz preferred the 'lazy' solution. When the popcorn was ready, she tore open the foil and set the popcorn on the table. She got three Cokes from the fridge, and we sat down to have our snack.

"Do you have any Jimmy Buffett?" Mindy asked.

"Sure. I have Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes and A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean."

Mindy giggled, then sang, slightly off-key, "Why don't we get drunk and screw..."

"Ugh!" Liz spat. "Not you, too!"

"What?" Mindy asked. "I was just being goofy! My dad listens to Jimmy Buffett all the time. He's been to a couple of his concerts and has all of his albums. It's a funny song!"

I decided that I would play along because it annoyed Liz, and I hadn't had much of a chance to do that since I'd left for school.

"That's too bad," I said.

"What? That my dad has all his albums?"

"No," I said soberly, "that you were just being goofy. I thought it sounded like a great idea!"

"Cut it out, Mikey!" Liz insisted.

"Or what?" I smirked. "And besides, YOU teased ME about Mindy back in April! In fact, you even suggested I offer!"

"SHUT UP!" Liz growled.

I grabbed a handful of popcorn and my bottle of Coke, and went back to my room. Liz was sufficiently annoyed, but I didn't want to push it TOO far. I put on The Beatles' Yellow Submarine and sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed. I finished my popcorn and Coke, then pulled out my book to read. About an hour later, Liz came to the door of my room.

"Why do you have to be such a jerk?" she asked, sounding very annoyed.

"Oh, come on, Liz. I was just being silly. And so was Mindy."

"Bull! You're going to screw another one of my friends, aren't you?"

"Nothing is going to happen between Mindy and me. Period. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep."

"Famous last words," she muttered, turning to go to her own room.

May 29, 1982, West Monroe, Ohio

"Thanks for taking me to breakfast!" Jocelyn said as we sat down at IHOP in Rutherford.

"You're welcome," I replied.

"What's the plan for today?" she asked.

"I really didn't have one," I said. "The only real plan I had was going to Vespers tonight."

"Lunch at my house? And then dinner at Ponderosa after church?"

I could do that without causing any problems because Tasha and her family were away for the weekend.

"Sure!"

We ate our breakfast and then headed back to West Monroe. At Jocelyn's house, she made a pot of coffee and put on some music, and then we sat on the couch.

"What did you and Melody decide to do about the Summer?"

Did I want to bare everything to Jocelyn now? Or did I want to wait until August? I didn't want to upset her and have her worry all Summer, which meant keeping the status quo, at least until later in the Summer.

"We'll talk on the phone, and I'll try to go see her in Youngstown. I'm planning to go see Angie in Cincinnati over Fourth of July."

"Are you still planning on seeing Katy every couple of weeks?"

"That's the plan," I said. "They have a family vacation to Europe in July for two weeks, but otherwise, I'll probably go up and see her every other Friday."

"What are your hours at the hardware store?"

"7:00am to 3:30pm, with thirty minutes for lunch. That lets me make it to karate at 4:00pm three days a week, so by 5:30pm, I'm free for the evening. With Dale in Wisconsin, I guess it's a duo instead of a trio for the Summer."

"It sucks, doesn't it?" Jocelyn sighed.

"Totally. Even though we had over a year to prepare for it, it's just not the same without him here; no offense."

Jocelyn smiled, "None taken. You and I are special together, but Dale was the perfect addition. As I said last Summer, I didn't realize how important it was that we be together. And I'm not just talking about our failed love affair."

"Failed?"

"What would you call it?"

"I don't know," I sighed. "I just don't want to think about anything between you and me that I would call 'failed'. Do you think things are different now between us? And are they better or worse?"

Jocelyn cocked her head to the side, "Different? Yes. Better? In most ways, I suppose. And on the plus side, neither of us are virgins!"

I chuckled, "And it was FAR more meaningful than Dale's fling with that girl in Madison. But I always thought you felt that Dale and I were far too focused on losing our virginity."

"You WERE!" Jocelyn laughed. "You'd have gone with any girl who offered!"

I shook my head, "No, I wouldn't have. You know that. April? Carol? No."

Jocelyn smiled, "I was waiting for the right man to come along. He did. And, truthfully, you and Dale were different. He was what I said; you, on the other hand, were waiting for the right girl."

"I suppose that's true. I haven't exactly been a monk since, though."

"I wouldn't have expected you to be a monk, at least once you got past your mental block."

"And you?" I asked.

Jocelyn smirked, "I'll take you upstairs right now if you want!"

"So 'failed' isn't the correct term after all?" I grinned.

"Not in THAT regard! But Melody more or less put an end to that, didn't she?"

"I suppose so," I sighed.

"What's bugging you, Mik? I can tell something is."

I nodded, "I'm trying to figure out how to balance things in August."

"You're afraid I'll come between you and Melody?"

I shook my head, "At first, but now I'm pretty sure the fear is that Melody and Angie will come between us."

"But not Katy or Tasha?"

"I see Katy once a week and Tasha only when I'm home, and that's limited by her dad."

"I don't think Angie will be a problem, not at least from everything you've said about her. You know I'll go to church with you if you ask, and I don't think she'd object. You two are very close spiritual friends, but that's it, right?"

I nodded, "Yes. Very much so. At first, I thought we'd end up as a couple, but that's not something she can contemplate at this point. We're the closest of friends, well, except you and me."

"She's filled in for me, at least somewhat, I guess?"

"I guess, but nobody can replace you. I suppose my real concern is having enough time for you and me. Our new study group is for pre-med, though a couple of our friends who are majoring in biochem are going to join us. Not hardly something that fits your pre-law curriculum."

"Maybe I'll have some classes with Melody; she's pre-law, right?"

"Yes. She's majoring in political science, the same as you are. But I'm not sure..."

"You don't want your girlfriend and your best friend to be friends?"

"Is it that simple?" I asked.

"Why not? You, Dale, and I did just fine."

"But you weren't sleeping with Dale!" I objected.

"No, but would you and I sleeping together have changed things with Dale?"

"I think it might have," I said. "Us as a couple and Dale with a girlfriend would have changed the dynamic."

She cocked her head and smirked, "Then I'd have had to sleep with him, too, to keep the trio a trio?"

Jocelyn couldn't keep a straight face, and we both broke up laughing.

"I do love him dearly," she managed to say through her laughter, "but not THAT much."

I just nodded.

"Certainly not to drive a wedge between us like that," she said softly.

"But you'd consider it otherwise?" I asked.

Jocelyn shook her head, "Dale? No chance. He is NOT my type. I'd have been a notch in his belt, nothing more. With you? It was something altogether different."

"Was?" I asked.

"Don't toy with me, Mik," Jocelyn warned. "Melody won't accept THAT, and you aren't going to give up on Melody, are you?"

"I'm not sure," I sighed. "It's, well..."

"Complicated?" Jocelyn asked.

"Yes."

"At this point in your life, that's pretty much what I'd expect."

"Jos, I love you with every fibre of my being, and I'll never, ever let anyone come between us."

"Your wife will," Jocelyn said. "She HAS to."

"A fair point," I said. "The problem is, at least as I see it, Melody will see you as a threat."

"Because you love me."

"Yes. I suppose she's going to have to get used to us spending time together. I just have to figure out when that's going to be."

"Because you're so busy with class, studying, and karate?"

There was no point in denying it now, only to raise it later. The conversation hadn't gone anything like I'd expected it to, but it didn't seem to have caused any issues between Jocelyn and me.

"Yes," I agreed. "We'll work it out. It's just a new dynamic."

"Jos and Mik, the Dynamic Duo!" Jocelyn replied contentedly.

May 31, 1982, West Monroe, Ohio

"Thank you for agreeing to work on the holiday, Mikhail Petrovich!" Mr. Orlov said on Monday morning. "It's the best day to do a complete inventory."

"You're welcome. Where do you want me to start?"

"Work with Amelia on the power tools. One of you work the floor, the other the stock room."

"Amelia?" I asked.

"A young woman from a new family in our church. They were Roman Catholic but chose to be received into the Church. She'll be here any moment now."

"OK. I'll get right on it. I'll start in the stock room."

I picked up a clipboard and an inventory sheet, then headed to the stock room. About five minutes later, a girl who looked to be around my age came in and introduced herself as Amelia Riley.

"I just finished my Junior year at Ohio State," she said. "I'm a physics major."

"I just finished my Freshman year at Taft. I'm a biochemistry major planning to go to medical school."

"I don't remember you from High School. You went to Harding High, right?"

"Yes. But you were two years ahead, so I'm not surprised. I wasn't involved in much of anything except the chess club."

"Marching band. I played euphonium. Anyway, I guess we're doing inventory."

"Yep. I'll start in here. If you count the items on the shelves and the floor, then we'll add everything up and compare it with the count. Once we're done, I'm sure Mr. Orlov has more for us to do."

"I bet!" she laughed.

She left, and I began counting the power tools. When we finished, we added up the totals and compared them to the list Mr. Orlov had and found several discrepancies. We noted them, then moved on to begin counting the gardening items, which included hand tools, fertilizer, grass seed, flower seeds, and a number of other items. That took us until lunch, which Mrs. Orlova provided.

"What are you going to do with your degree in physics?" I asked as we ate sandwiches in the break room.