Chapter 82: Three Down, One To Go

May 6, 1984, Rutherford, Ohio

"I'm curious," Clarissa asked quietly, "but what about a patronymic in this case?"

"Sasha hasn't said," Tasha replied. "Technically, it would be some form of Timothy because Timmy Aston is the baby's father, but I don't think she'll do that. She really could pick anything."

"What happened with the baby's father?" Clarissa asked.

"My dad, Timmy's dad, and two attorneys worked out the deal. Timmy's going to college and really can't afford to pay child support, so his parents will pay until he can. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to go to college and would have to work full-time."

I saw a doctor coming down the hall, and Tasha and her mom both jumped up and hurried to meet him. Tasha's squeal told me everything I needed to know.

"Healthy baby," I said.

"Obviously!" Clarissa agreed.

Tasha came back to us while her mom went to talk to the others. We all stood up.

"A healthy baby girl! Her name is Viktoriya Alexandra."

"Neatly resolving the potential conflict!" I replied. "And Sasha?"

"Other than being cut open and stitched back together, fine!" Tasha said with a silly smile.

"That's fantastic news all around," I replied. "When can you see the baby?"

"In about an hour. They need to monitor Viktoriya closely for an hour to make sure there are no complications, and then Mom and I can see her. Sasha should be back in her room in about two hours, but visitors are limited until tomorrow."

"Do you want us to stay?" I asked.

"No, I think everything is OK now. I really appreciate you rushing here. And Clarissa, thanks for sitting with me and holding my hand!"

Lara, who was out of Tasha's line of sight, smirked and winked, and I had to fight not to laugh out loud.

"You're welcome!" Clarissa replied. "I'm looking forward to you being in McKinley."

'I bet!' Lara mouthed.

I couldn't help it and laughed.

"What's so funny, Mishka?" Tasha demanded.

"Ignore me," I chuckled.

The three of us hugged Tasha, I spoke briefly to Deacon Vasily and Father Herman, and after receiving his blessing, we headed out to my car.

"A&W for lunch?" I asked.

"Sure!" Clarissa and Lara agreed.

"So what were you laughing at, Petrovich?"

"It started when we went for coffee, and Lara asked if Tasha 'swung both ways', then she smirked and winked when Tasha thanked you for holding her hand, and then mouthed 'I bet' when you said you were looking forward to Tasha moving to McKinley."

Clarissa laughed and shook her head.

"She's yummy, but she's as straight as the two of you are!"

"I think Mike's head was about to explode when I first teased him and put that image into his brain!"

"Which head?" Clarissa teased. "Big or little?"

"Both!" Lara replied mirthfully.

"Is this what my life is going to be like?" I asked.

"Worse!" Clarissa replied. "Jocelyn will be there, too!"

"Kill me now!" I growled.

"You love it, and you know it!"

We got into my Mustang and drove the short distance to A&W, where we all ordered burgers, fries, and root beer floats. When our food was ready, we took it to a picnic table outside and sat down to eat. I prayed, and all three of us dug in.

"I liked the name choice," Lara said. "As you said, using her given name for the baby's middle name was a very nice solution to a tricky problem. I take it that was the future husband, not the baby's biological father?"

"Yes," I replied. "That's Yaroslav. I don't think Deacon Vasily would tolerate Timmy being there. And I'm not sure Timmy wants to be within reach of Deacon Vasily's hands!"

"Why does the guy get the blame?" Lara asked. "I mean, she willingly had sex, right?"

"Yes, but in Deacon Vasily's mind, his innocent daughter was corrupted by a lecherous High School boy! I don't agree with his assessment for what I think are obvious reasons, but that is how he sees it. My dad has the same ideas. He actually tried to make that point with me about Jocelyn — that I had stolen something from her future husband."

"OH GIVE ME A BREAK!" Lara exclaimed loudly. "My virginity was mine to give to whomever I pleased! Neither of my dads had ANYTHING to say about that!"

"Yes, but what does your biological dad think of that idea?"

Lara laughed softly, "He might agree with your dad and the deacon."

"Thought so," I replied smugly.

"My stepdad does not have that opinion. He'd counsel against me being a wanton slut, but not against having sex if I'd considered it properly and the guy and I respected each other and used birth control."

"Being a 'wanton slut' sounds like fun," Clarissa teased.

"Don't you think it would lose all meaning at that point?" I asked. "I've struggled with that idea, and while I've had a number of partners, I wouldn't call it being a 'wanton stud'!"

Both girls laughed.

"Kidding aside, I think you're probably right," Clarissa said.

"I think so, too," Lara said. "At some point, it wouldn't mean anything no matter who you were with, and I think that would harm your marriage. And don't ask me when that line would be crossed because I have no idea. But I also know that's why Mike is being very careful about that in our relationship."

"He's handling it exactly how I expected him to," Clarissa said. "If it had been one of the other girls at church or one of his sister's friends, he'd have handled it the same way. And I'm not trying to diminish what you guys are working on, just that it's exactly how I would expect Petrovich to handle himself with a girl he might spend the rest of his life with."

"Have you made any mistakes, Mike?" Lara asked.

"A few," I replied. "But with help from Jocelyn and Clarissa, I worked through them. And Milena helped as well."

"You two were really close, right?"

"Yes. But we've had to be very careful this semester because I'm in her class, not to mention she married her childhood sweetheart on New Year's Eve."

"May I ask a very blunt and direct question?"

"I'd say this is the time to do that."

"Is there a risk of Jocelyn stealing you away at the last second?"

I took a deep breath and let it out, "No. You don't know most of what happened early on; I think you should hear it from Jocelyn's side, not mine."

"That bad?"

"With the caveat that we're each responsible for our own actions, I made her suicidal."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. But do me a favor, please. Let her tell you what happened. I think you need her perspective, and I think it's important."

"Do you know, Clarissa?"

"The whole disgusting saga," Clarissa replied, shaking her head. "I don't mean to imply by that comment that Mike is in any way responsible for the events which overtook them. Neither of them did anything outrageously wrong, but because of what started in kindergarten, when things went south, they went so far south they ended up amongst the penguins in Antarctica. It took two years, and Mike nearly becoming suicidal, before they managed to even be friends again."

"I'm not sure what to say to that."

"That deep down, Mike is a good man, a very good man. But even the best men have what our literature teachers would call their 'fatal flaw'. But he's right, let Jocelyn tell you about it. The female perspective will make all the difference in the world, and you'll understand how much they loved each other."

"Loved?" Lara asked.

"Everything changed on a curved stretch of road just outside McKinley," I sighed. "It's never been the same since."

"She won't be back until after I go home, will she?"

"Unfortunately," I replied.

"Maybe we can arrange to get together after I come back from my vacation. She'll be in McKinley, right?"

"Yes. A week after this semester ends. She's enrolled in the Summer semester."

"OK. We'll do it sometime in July."

"You'll like her a lot, Lara," Clarissa said. "I think you, Tasha, Jocelyn, and I will be great friends."

"I hope so," Lara said.

May 15, 1984, McKinley, Ohio

On Tuesday afternoon of the following week, after my guitar lesson, Clarissa and I left campus so that I could buy gifts for Lara. We headed to the mall so I could browse in different stores, as I didn't have any firm ideas as to what to get her.

The first thing we did was go to Hallmark, where I looked for a card that navigated the line between 'mushy' and 'friendly' and found one that fit the bill. It wasn't that I was opposed to expressing the sentiment; I just hated 'mushy' cards because, after all, they were mass-produced, which sort of lessened the impact. I'd write a short note to express my feelings along with the words in the card.

As we walked around the mall looking in every store, I had a completely goofy idea and, in the toy store, bought a small, black stuffed cat. I didn't say anything to Clarissa about why I chose that particular stuffed animal, but I would tell Lara if she didn't figure it out for herself. I managed to keep a completely straight face so Clarissa didn't ask.

"I still need a main gift," I said, "and I'm just not sure what. She specifically said not to spend a lot of money."

"What are you trying to convey to her?" Clarissa asked.

"That I'm interested, that I want things to work out, but not in a way that conveys it's a done deal."

"Who are you kidding?! Other than me suddenly waking up straight one morning, I can't imagine what might happen to prevent it!"

"Mile marker 111 on US Route 50," I replied quietly.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault, Lissa; it's just a reminder not to be absolutely sure of any future event."

"I have an idea if you're interested."

"What's that?"

"It would take some work and would cost you a bit of money, but it wouldn't violate her rule about not spending too much now."

"Go on."

"The crystal vase we saw in the store next to Hallmark. You give it to her, with a single flower in it, and then buy a fresh flower every day until she goes home."

"You're a genius, Lissa!" I exclaimed, turning immediately to head back to the store.

"I am, aren't I?" she said impishly.

"You really are!" I chuckled, rolling my eyes.

We returned to the store, and I bought the tall, thin crystal vase and had the clerk wrap it in gold paper for me. We went from there back to Hallmark where I bought a box and some wrapping paper for the stuffed animal, and then Clarissa and I left the mall to head back to campus, where we managed to get into my room without Lara seeing us.

"I'm not the best at doing this," I said as I put the cat in the box.

"There are a few tricks I can teach you!" Clarissa replied.

"I bet," I chuckled.

"Please! You know how to eat pussy, and you did a GREAT job! There's nothing to teach!"

"I am pretty good at that, aren't I?" I teased.

Clarissa laughed, "I deserved that!"

Clarissa showed me how to cut the paper, wrap it, and properly fold the edges to neatly wrap the small box. I set the two boxes on the shelf in my wardrobe and closed the door. I signed the card, wrote a short note, then sealed it in the envelope. I put it in my desk drawer, then put away the scissors, tape, and leftover wrapping paper.

"I need to leave for karate in a couple of minutes," I said. "If Lara comes looking for me, let her know I'll be back for dinner."

"Will do!"

I hugged her, changed into my gi, then went out to the lounge to wait for Robby and Lee so we could head to karate.

May 17, 1984, McKinley and Columbus, Ohio

"Where are we going for dinner?" Lara asked as we walked out to my car.

"I wanted something special, so unless you object, there's a fantastic Japanese place near Columbus I want to take you to."

"Did Kimiko tell you about it?"

"No," I replied. "It was Katy Malenkov from church."

"How long did you and Katy date?"

"I'd say off-and-on for about two years. It was effectively over when she decided to go to Stanford to study computers. We've kept in touch, and I saw her when she was home for Christmas break. We decided that a serious relationship of any kind was completely impractical because she's planning to get her Master's from Stanford and then work in the area. I decided against even applying to Stanford Medical School because I don't really want to leave Southern Ohio."

"You guys were compatible?"

"Pretty much, though that was before the whole issue of ordination was pushed front and center because of Deacon Grigory's heart attack. I'm not sure Katy could have handled being married to a deacon."

"But marriage on that timeframe would have been possible?"

"Not at that point, but before she left for California, yes. We discussed moving in together if she went to Ohio State."

"Whoa! That was pretty serious, then."

"It was, but in the end, I think there were enough impediments that we made the correct decision."

"Similar to you and Tasha?"

"Yes."

We got into my car, and a minute later, we were on our way north.

"Jocelyn, Tasha, Angie, and Katy. Was there anyone else who was a very serious candidate?"

"Those are the four," I replied. "And barring Jocelyn's accident, it probably would have stopped with her. You know the story with Angie. The other two were pragmatic, I guess."

"So, you're looking for your MR degree just as much as I'm looking for my MRS?"

"I suppose you could say that. Being a doctor has always been my top priority, but finding someone to spend my life with has always been close behind."

"But always behind, right?"

"Yes."

"I hear that's typical for doctors, and with everything you, Clarissa, and Sandy have told me, I can see why. It's a difficult life, at least for the next six or seven years."

"It is. And that's what I want you to really think about over the Summer. There are no do-overs on this one for me. Once I'm ordained, I'm locked in."

"You don't believe in divorce, do you?"

"No, but I also understand it happens. The Church, in her wisdom, provides a solution to that, though not for clergy, and I think for obvious reasons. Can you imagine the potential scandal? And could you imagine a priest or deacon trying to date?"

"An interesting point I hadn't considered. Are you concerned because my parents divorced?"

"No, I'm concerned because of the stress I'm going to put you through. And that's what I need you to seriously consider. A tough thing for someone your age."

"Do I act like any other sixteen-year-old you've ever met?"

"No, actually, you don't. And you're seventeen today! There are days I think you're more mature than I am."

"Which means all your experience with me is from when I was sixteen! And there ARE days when I'm more mature than you are!"

"Sadly, probably true."

"Blame or credit my stepdad. Remember what I told you about his parenting style? Well, my maturity is the product of that."

"And your superior intellect, of course."

"Of course! And speaking of that, how is your review going for your exams?"

"This semester has been fairly easy. With two humanities and no labs, the science workload is much more manageable. We actually agreed to a shortened session tonight so you and I could have more time together."

"That won't cause any problems?"

"No. We're in good shape for our exams. Milena's is a listening exam, and while those can be tricky, I'm pretty good at hearing music."

"I bet! What's a listening exam?"

"Ever watch Name That Tune!?"

"Sure."

"She plays excerpts from recorded pieces, and we have to identify the song or the instrument or some other feature. I was perfect on my midterm, so I'm not worried at all. And our World Religions exam is a hundred fill-in-the-blank, matching, and multiple-guess questions."

"Do you even have to study for that?"

"Not really. I've been reviewing my notes on the non-Abrahamic religions when I've had free time, but we're focusing on the science classes, and that's why we can take time off tonight."

When we were seated at the Japanese restaurant about an hour after leaving Taft, I received the reaction I expected.

"Mike, this is WAY too expensive for your budget!" Lara protested. "Let me help pay."

"I specifically saved for this," I replied gently. "Please let me cover it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'll get Clark to help me knock over a liquor store if I run short of cash!"

Lara laughed, "He's about the least likely person at Taft to commit armed robbery!"

"You and I both know that, but the cops don't. He's been rousted a few times here in McKinley."

"People are just flat-out stupid."

"Tell me about it," I replied. "I didn't tell you about my friend Emmy's dad, did I?"

"No."

"A racist and white supremacist whose dad was in the Klan."

"No way!"

"Yes. She's totally cool, but her dad and his friends are basically using oxygen that ought to be reserved for the sane people on the planet. My dad told me a story about how Emmy's dad and his friends basically ran the first ever black teacher out of town when the Harding County School Board tried to hire him."

"What the ... in Ohio?"

"Yes. My dad said the Klan was very active in Ohio when I was little, but they've pretty much been run to the ground now."

"And good riddance to those assholes!"

"Amen to that! Did you decide?"

"Yes."

We put our menus down, and a kimono-clad waitress immediately appeared to take our orders. We had a very nice meal, and when we'd finished eating, and I'd paid the check, we headed back to McKinley to go to Verner's for ice cream sundaes for dessert.

"I'd ask if you want my cherry, but you got it already!" Lara teased. "Well, metaphorically, anyway."