Chapter 47: Surprise!

September 4, 2000, Chicago, Illinois

“Val Lancaster, meet Belinda Barton and Elizabeth Norton, the other two smartest women in the room.”

All three of them laughed. Elizabeth was VERY pregnant, due in about two weeks, but she’d insisted to Ben that they come to the party.

“Val is studying physics and astronomy at Northwestern,” I continued. “I thought she might benefit from knowing an astrophysicist and a high-energy physicist.”

“Nice to meet you, Val,” Belinda said.

“Same here,” Elizabeth said.

“I’m going to circulate while you get acquainted,” I said.

They began talking and I turned to go back into the house. I saw Maria Cristina who looked at me with a question on her face and I nodded. I went upstairs and knocked on Birgit’s door.

I was sitting on the floor of my room listening to everyone having a good time and feeling sad when someone knocked on my door. I wondered if one of my friends had come to say ‘hello’, but that would only make me sadder because being grounded meant no friends visiting. I got up and opened the door, and was surprised to see Dad.

“Hi, Pumpkin,” he said.

“Hi,” I replied.

“Can I come in?”

“Sure,” I replied.

I moved so he could come in and I shut the door behind him. He went to sit on the loveseat and when I went to sit next to him, he scooped me up and put me in his lap.

“Do you know what mercy is?” Dad asked.

“When you aren’t treated as harshly as you deserve to be?”

“Does it mean you didn’t do anything wrong?”

“No. Why are you asking?”

“Because someone asked me for mercy for you.”

“Who?”

“Someone who loves you. Would you like to be allowed to come to the party?”

I wanted to scream with joy, but I was afraid that might make Dad change his mind.

“Yes, I would. May I?”

“Yes.”

I put my arms around Dad’s neck and kissed him on his cheek, then put my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his strong arms around me and held me tight.

“Thank you,” I said. “I’m really sorry for what I did.”

“I know, Pumpkin. Shall we go downstairs?”

“Hold me for two minutes, please?”

I actually got three, which made me feel even more loved, because Dad gave me a bit of extra time. I didn’t want to get out of his lap, but I knew I had to. I wanted SO badly to show him how much I loved him, but it wasn’t the right time. I kissed him on the cheek, then slipped from his lap. He got up and we left my room together and went downstairs.

I wondered who had talked to Dad and knew it probably wasn’t my moms because they usually believed in stronger punishments than Dad. And none of my friends my age would be able to convince Dad to change his mind. I knew who it had to be, so I went to find her. She was talking with her Navy lieutenant and a woman I didn’t know, and when she stopped and knelt down to talk to me, I was sure she was the one.

“Thank you,” I said.

“You’re welcome,” Maria Cristina replied with a smile. “As the priest at church says, ‘go now, and sin no more’.”

“I was really dumb and I won’t do that again.”

“Good. Now, go have fun with your friends and ‘cousins’.”

I hugged her, then went by Rachel who was talking to Tiffany, Heather, Missy, and Sally.

“Birgit?” Rachel exclaimed. “I thought you were in prison!”

“The warden let me out because he loves me!”

“Cool!”

“I’m glad your mom decided you could hang out with us again, Heather,” I said.

“Me, too! I’m just not supposed to talk to Paul, but I don’t want to! What he said was SO gross!”

“Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it!” Rachel declared. “It’s fun and it feels awesome when it spurts. And I love how it tastes!”

“Ewwww!!!!!” Heather, Missy, and Sally squealed.

“I’d do it!” Tiffany declared.

“Ewwww!!!!!” Heather, Missy, and Sally squealed again.

“What has all of you so grossed out?” Kelly asked, coming over by us.

“You remember what Paul said?” Sally asked. “Rachel was saying she LIKES that!”

“Gross!”

I rolled my eyes because doing that was a normal part of sex and everyone I knew who’d had sex liked having sex and wanted to do it again. Katy had told me that what Rachel was talking about was a way to show a guy you really, really liked him.

“Let’s go do something,” Missy suggested.

“I see you freed your prisoner,” Kara said when I walked over to her after letting Birgit out of her room.

“Maria Cristina interceded on Birgit’s behalf and I decided to extend some mercy.”

“Would you do the same for your other kids?”

“I’d like to think so, but which of them have we had to punish?”

“None!” Kara said with a laugh. “Well, Jesse has had a few incidents, but you stay out of those and Josie handles the discipline. And SHE has no mercy!”

I chuckled, “She is the ‘Mama Bear’ in every way. Loki help anyone who does anything that’s not in Jesse’s best interest!”

“True.”

“Did you meet the new girl?” I asked slyly.

“Which new girl?”

“The one over there with the black hair and sunglasses, talking to Maria Cristina.”

“No, who is she?”

“Come on; I’ll introduce you.”

We walked over to where Maria Cristina, Lieutenant Knox, and Rebekah Brennan were talking.

“Rebekah Brennan, meet Kara Adams. Kara, Rebekah.”

“Hi!” Kara said. “Nice to meet you.”

“And you! Did Steve or Maria Cristina tell you we met in St. Martin?”

“No!”

“I manage Samantha’s properties for her and I ran into Steve when I went to check on the house and meet with the caretaker.”

“That must be a fun job. How long have you done it?”

“Her dad hired me in the early 80s, and when he was arrested Samantha kept me on. I’ve known her since she was about eight.”

“Hey Samantha!” I called across the yard. “Got a sec?”

She excused herself and walked over to where we were standing.

“What’s up?”

“There’s something you don’t know about your employee which is very, very interesting.”

“What’s that?”

Rebekah took off her sunglasses and removed her wig, freeing her blonde tresses. Kara gasped and Samantha’s eyes went wide.

“My maiden name is Blanchard!” Rebekah declared. “I’m Kara’s cousin.”

“What?!” Samantha gasped, obviously in shock.

“My dad had a falling out with his family and had no contact with them. I didn’t even know I had a cousin until I was in college, and I didn’t know any real details. By the time you and I met, I’d dyed my hair black. About eight months ago, I decided to stop that, and when I ran into Steve in St. Martin he saw the family resemblance and asked my maiden name.”

“Holy shit!” Samantha gasped. “That’s crazy! All this time and I didn’t know?”

“Nobody did,” Rebekah said. “I kept Pete’s name after he was killed in Iraq.”

Samantha nodded, “I remember going to his funeral almost ten years ago, maybe six months before I met Steve. But why dye your hair black? It’s gorgeous!”

“Too gorgeous!” Rebekah laughed. “I needed to look professional so I could be taken seriously, so I cut my hair short and dyed it black, and started wearing glasses with clear lenses. It worked.”

“I don’t even know what to say!” Kara finally said. “I knew my dad had a brother, but that was it. Grandma never said a word about him, not even after my dad died, which was in 1982.”

“I hear you’re the Assistant Chair for the Chemistry Department and you have a VERY interesting marriage!”

“You could say that!” Kara said with a smirk. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the family!”

They left and Lieutenant Knox shook his head and asked, “Can it get ANY crazier here?”

“Do NOT ask that question!” Samantha said, laughing. “Because the answer is ALWAYS ‘yes’!”

“Hi!” Sofia called out, walking over to us. “Sorry we’re late. Did we miss anything?”

I chuckled, “Only Kara finding out she had a cousin our age she never knew about!”

“What?!”

“Look over there and check out the matching blondes!”

“Holy...” Sofia gasped.

“Yeah.”

“«Kan jag prata med dig?»” she asked. (“Can I speak with you?”)

When Sofia spoke Swedish, it meant she had something important to talk to me about, so I nodded and we went inside and went into my study and I shut the door.

“What’s up?” I asked, continuing in Swedish.

“We’re late because there’s an issue with Laurel.”

“An issue with Laurel? What?”

“When we arrived to pick her up, she didn’t meet us where she was supposed to. We waited, and I thought maybe she was confused, so I called campus housing and got the number for her dorm. I called and her roommate answered. She said Laurel was just sitting in a chair, not talking or anything, and wouldn’t say what was wrong. I called campus security and they took her to the ER to get checked out. Stavros and I went there, which is why we were late. Steve, I’m pretty sure she got drunk and had sex, or maybe even was raped, depending on how drunk she was.”

“Shit!” I exclaimed. “I need to call her parents.”

“The hospital already did. They’re on their way. We left just after that call was made.”

“I take it Loyola has someone good on staff?”

“Yes, a doctor who did a rotation with Bethany during her last year of medical school.”

“OK. I should have seen that coming.”

“What do you mean?”

“Her dad had become really overbearing the last few months before they brought her to Loyola last weekend. I had dinner with them, and Laurel and her dad tangled a bit, and she asked me to drive her to campus, rather than have her parents do it. I thought Laurel was just blowing off steam about her parents, but I think she decided to go to a party, drink, and have sex to ‘prove’ she was in control. Or maybe she just got drunk and had sex without planning to. I’d guess it wasn’t rape, though it might not have been completely consensual, if you know what I mean.”

“I do. She wouldn’t be the first girl to lose her virginity after getting drunk at a college party.”

“No, she wouldn’t,” I agreed. “I’m wondering what I should do.”

“How well do you know her?”

“Somewhat. You know how I met her. Her family and I kept in touch but I’ve only actually seen her three times.”

“Then I think you should stay out of it unless they contact you. You are not responsible for what happened.”

“I know, but you know me.”

“You want to save every damsel in distress! And you did a good thing with Willow, and you’ve stayed appropriately at arm’s length. Do that here.”

“You’re right, of course.”

“Of course I am! I have been since the very first time I met you!”

“Shall we go see what kind of trouble your daughter is getting into with all of mine?”

Sofia laughed, “They are a bunch of goofballs!”

We left my study and went out to the backyard, where I joined Tom, Kurt, and Dave at the grill.

“Everything OK?” Tom asked.

“Sofia just needed a word with me, that’s all.”

“What’s up with the Kara clone?” Kurt asked.

“Rebekah? She’s Kara’s cousin.”

“Wait! What?!”

“Her dad’s brother was estranged from the family from age eighteen. I ran into her, saw the resemblance, and asked her maiden name. Imagine my surprise when she told me. She works for Samantha.”

“Every time I think it can’t get crazier here, you manage to find a way!”

“Me? I didn’t DO anything except run into her by accident!”

“How did Samantha not know?”

“Rebekah cut and dyed her hair when she went to work for Noel Spurgeon, and by the time Samantha knew her, she had married a Marine named Pete Brennan who was later killed in Iraq. She kept his name and so Samantha had no way to know. And I see that look, Kurt!”

“Two of them might kill me! But God, what a way to go!”

Tom and Dave both laughed.

“And you’d never do it,” Dave said. “You love your wife far too much!”

“True,” Kurt said, “but as we all like to say, fantasies are healthy as long as you don’t violate your commitments.”

“And THAT is a hell of a fantasy!” Tom agreed.

“Any word from Karl?” Dave asked.

“He put in for retirement as of July of next year,” I said. “I put him in touch with five big law firms with offices in Chicago. He can write his own ticket with them.”

“It’ll be good to have him back.”

“I’d like to say the same thing about you, Dave!”

“Ask me in July, OK?”

“Sure. I’m going to circulate.”

I left the grill and saw Val was in what appeared to be a deep conversation with Belinda and Elizabeth, so I didn’t bother her. Leigh was talking with Becka, Mattie, and Patricia, while Jorge Louis was playing with a ball at their feet. I spotted the Sarcus and Heaths, and went over to talk with them. We chatted for a bit then Nicole asked if we could talk privately, and with Elaine’s blessing we went around to the front of the house and sat down on the porch swing.

“What’s up?”

“I want to come to the Rap Session next Sunday.”

“Did you talk with your mom and dad?”

“Yes,” Nicole replied. “Natalie told them that I can handle it, and that she’ll be there, too.”

“Then yes, you’re welcome to come to the Rap Session.”

“Cool! Will you dance with me later? A nice slow dance?”

“As long as your mom and dad don’t object.”

“Natalie says they never come up to the dance floor.”

“True.”

“Did you sort out the other thing?” she asked hopefully.

“January 21st, complete with a visit to the locker room before the game.”

“No freaking way!”

“It’s all set.”

“Could we make it a date?”

“Dinner and hockey? Sure. I’ll talk to your parents to make sure it’s all OK.”

“Cool!”

We got up from the swing and went to the backyard to rejoin the party. I went to where Kara, Jessica, and Rebekah were standing with some other friends and put my arms around my wives.

“This is crazy, Tiger!” Jessica said.

“Along with everything else in my life!”

“BURGERS ARE READY!” Tom called out loudly.

“Excuse us,” Kara said. “We need to bring out the fixings.”

She and Jessica rounded up Birgit, Tiffany, and Rachel and went into the house to bring out the buns, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, cheese, and condiments, and a couple of minutes later everyone was lined up to get their food. Everyone ate, and afterwards, we served ice cream. I couldn’t have any, so I went upstairs and opened the attic room. I put in a CD, adjusted the volume, then adjusted the lights. I wasn’t surprised when Nicole came in a moment later. I changed the CD to one with slow songs and then went to the middle of the room and held out my arms. Nicole came over, I pulled her to me and we began slow dancing.

“The last time we were this close, we weren’t wearing clothes!” Nicole whispered, even though we were alone.

She tightened her arms and put her head on my chest as we swayed back and forth. I very much enjoyed the feeling of her firm body against me, and recalled the very enjoyable times I had been with her earlier in the year. That made blood flow and Nicole noticed, grinding her jean-covered mons against my hardening shaft.

“Remembering the non-stop sex?” she teased.

“It’s a very nice memory!”

I was sorely tempted to offer to take her somewhere private, but the last thing I wanted to do was make her parents suspicious. If Nicole was interested, she’d have to ask, and I wasn’t sure that she would. As the song was ending, we heard the elevator, so we finished our dance and went over to the stereo where I put the original disc back into the player. The elevator opened and Jesse and Kelly stepped out, just as Birgit and a big group of her friends came up the stairs. They all started dancing and I left the attic to head downstairs. I saw Val, Belinda, and Elizabeth sitting in the great room with drinks, so I walked out into the backyard where I found Leigh, Mattie, Claire, Becka, Sophie, and Holly.

“How’s it going?” I asked.

“Great!” Mattie replied. “Leigh is totally cool and I’m glad she’s going to be at the Rap Sessions!”

“I’m glad you approve!” I grinned.

“Oh, stop! You know what I meant!”

“Of course I did! Where’s Patrick?”

“He and Henry are playing pool with Julius and Lieutenant Knox. Liz and Maria Cristina are hanging out with the doctors’ and lawyers’ cabal in the sunroom.”

“I’ll stay out of THAT room! Have you seen Kara?”

“She, Rebekah, and Samantha went into the house about ten minutes ago. I guess that means we have you to ourselves! Shall we go dance?”

“The attic is overrun with teenyboppers at the moment,” I grinned.

“Who even uses that word anymore?” Claire, asked, shaking her head.

“I do!” I chuckled. “But it’s an accurate description of Jesse, Birgit, and their friends. Not to mention the younger siblings and ‘cousins’!”

“They won’t mind if we crash their party! In fact, Rachel, Tiffany, and Amber will ask you for dances!”

“True!”

The gaggle of girls and I went up to the attic room and I wasn’t surprised when the small clutch of young naval officers who had been drinking beer in the backyard followed us upstairs. I danced with Claire and Becka before I was besieged with requests from the female ‘cousins’ for dances while the older girls danced with the Navy men.

When the little girls had all had their turn, I asked Leigh to dance with me.

“Did you have a good time today?” I asked.

“Before the party started or after?”

“I have a pretty good idea about before!”

Leigh laughed, “I would hope so! I am having a good time. I really like everyone I’ve met, especially Mattie and Becka. And your kids are a trip!”

“That’s one way to put it!”

“OK if I show up a few hours early next Sunday?”

“Yes. We’re up early to walk Jessica to the hospital, so show up whenever you want. Did you arrange a ride home?”

“Yes. I’m leaving with Patricia and Henry in about an hour.”

“So it was an enjoyable birthday?”

“One I’ll never forget!”

We finished our dance and I asked Holly to dance. She agreed and we danced, though I was careful not to hold her too close. She had come a long way in the four years I’d known her, including the naked sauna earlier in the year, but as a college Junior, she was still squeamish about sex. We finished our dance and I asked Sophie to dance with me.

“Did you plan this song?” she asked when Dancing in the Sheets began playing.

She stepped close and put her hands on my shoulders, so I put mine on her hips.

“No, I didn’t,” I replied as we began dancing.