Chapter 5: Blowback

March 4, 2000, Chicago, Illinois

“Good morning, Sensei Steve!” Miyu said when I walked into the dojo on Saturday morning.

“Good morning, Miyu. Are you ready for your final test?”

“The final test is when we pass from this world to the next,” she replied.

“Your lessons with Kaito seem to be going well.”

“They are. You were right about that, too.”

“You were very much off balance in every way, Miyu-chan. Now you are centered, and I’m pleased to call you my friend, in addition to my student. And today, you’ll earn your black belt. Will your sister be here?”

“Yes. She and Neil should be here any moment, and they’re bringing Koichi with them.”

“My daughters will love to see him! We haven’t been out to see them yet, but it’s only been six weeks.”

“My mom is still there! Stay away!”

“You and your mom get along well now.”

“Yes, but she’s guarding the baby like she’s a ninja!”

I chuckled, “Japanese grandmothers are scary! I’d have crossed «Shihan» Hiro before I even THOUGHT about crossing his wife!”

“Very wise, Sensei!” Miyu said.

“Words never spoken about my dad by ANYONE!” Birgit teased.

“Miyu, I think you’ll spar with Birgit for your test, sine missione!”

“What’s that?” Miyu asked.

“No mercy!” Birgit giggled. “But it’s against the rules, because I’m only a purple belt!”

“Go line up, Pumpkin!”

She smirked and moved into the main training room. Miyu followed her and I was about to, when I saw someone I hadn’t seen in several months come into the dojo.

“Hi, Misty,” I said. “Can I talk you into a karate lesson?”

She laughed, “You always ask that.”

“I am an instructor here and you keep showing up to watch!”

“I like watching, but like I said, I could never do that stuff. Do you remember what you told me a couple of years ago?”

I nodded, “I do.”

“I’m seventeen. Any chance that offer is still available?”

She was still tiny, barely five feet tall and I couldn’t imagine she weighed more than a hundred pounds with her clothes on. Despite understanding physiology, I was still concerned about doing what she was asking for.

“You’ve been showing up consistently for the past two-and-a-half years because of THAT?”

She laughed, “You think I’m a stalker?”

I grinned, “The thought had crossed my mind. But why me?”

“I think you’re hot, and Liv said that you were without question the best fuck she’s had, bar none.”

“And that’s enough?”

Misty laughed, “Sex is for fun, right? I mean, obviously you and Liv didn’t get married or anything!”

“True. We can discuss it, but not today. Come by the dojo any evening at 7:00pm this week, except Friday, and I’ll have a bit of time to talk.”

“Cool!” she replied.

As I turned to go into the training room for class, Mitsuko and Neil came into the dojo, with Mitsuko carrying Koichi.

“«Ohayō gozaimas», Mitsuko!” (“Good morning”)

“«Ohayō gozaimas, Shihan»!”

“Hi, Neil!” I said, switching to English.

“Steve, how are you?”

“Good. I see you two brought your little bundle of joy!”

“I don’t think of him that way at 3:00am!” Neil laughed.

“I hear you! I’m sorry to cut this short, but class is starting. Come by the house afterwards, please.”

“We’d love to,” Neil replied.

I went into the training room just as Sensei Jim was starting class. I quickly took my place and as was tradition, Miyu, who was being tested, was called on to lead our warm-up exercises. When those were finished, Sensei Jim, Sensei Molly, and I conducted Miyu’s final test, which she passed with flying colors. In a slight violation of protocol, I was allowed to present her with her new belt as I was her «Shihan», despite not being the «Shihan» of the dojo.

When class finished, Mitsuko, Neil, Koichi, Miyu, Molly, and Brett joined us for lunch. We’d just finished when the doorbell rang and Winter went to answer it. She was back about thirty seconds later.

“Steve?”

“Yes?”

“Got a sec?”

“Sure.”

I got up from the dining room table and we stepped into my study.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Carol is on the front porch and she’s irate!”

“Well, shit. I suspect I know what this is about, and Jennifer and Josie should be here, but they just left for Jesse’s game right before we sat down for lunch. I’ll go talk to her. Ask Kara to come to my study, please.”

“Will do!”

She went back to the dining room to get Kara and I went to the front door and opened it.

“Hi, Carol,” I said. “What’s up?”

“I need to speak to you THIS INSTANT!”

“You are speaking to me,” I replied.

“Don’t be smart with me!”

“Come into the house, please.”

She stepped inside and I offered to take her coat but she took it off and hung it up herself. I just shrugged and had her follow me to my study where Kara was waiting.

“This is about Jesse,” Carol said. “Is his mom home?”

“His moms are at his hockey game this afternoon. I couldn’t go because I was teaching karate at the dojo. What’s up?”

“Your son is not to go anywhere NEAR my daughter!”

“And why is that?” I asked.

“I received a call from the school yesterday afternoon. They were kissing at lunch!”

I nearly burst out laughing and I could tell that Kara had the same reaction. If Carol was worried about Jesse and Francesca kissing, she was about three bases too late, to use the terms I’d used back in High School.

“I didn’t get a call from the school,” I said. “And neither did Jesse’s moms, or I would have known about it. The school office has our cell phone numbers, so that tells me it wasn’t the office who called.”

“Does it matter? Your son was kissing my daughter!”

“It does matter, because if you’re asking teachers to spy on MY son, I’m going to take that up with the school. Not to mention the fact that two fourteen-year-olds kissing isn’t exactly an earth-shattering development when they’ve known each other pretty much from birth.”

“You’re not hearing me. Your son is not to go anywhere near my daughter. Period.”

“All because they kissed?” I asked.

“Don’t give me that crap! You of all people know where that leads, and it is NOT happening. My innocent little girl is NOT going to be corrupted by a fourteen-year-old version of Steve Adams!”

“What you do with Francesca is up to you, but I am going to take this up with the school and you are going to stop asking teachers to spy on my son.”

“And YOU are going to tell him to stay away from her.”

“No, I’m not. You are free to tell Francesca to stay away from Jesse and deal with her however you like, but if she talks to Jesse or wants to hang out with him or wants to kiss him, that is THEIR business, not mine.”

“Well, it’s MY business!”

“Then deal with your daughter,” I replied.

Carol glowered, then turned, yanked open the door of the study, and stormed to the front of the house. I didn’t bother following her because I was sure she would leave, and that was confirmed fifteen seconds later when the door slammed behind her.

“I think she’s a day late and a dollar short,” Kara smirked. “Or is that a dick late and a hymen short?”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “Nice. I need to call Jen and then I’ll have a word with Jesse. I’ll actually leave the spying issue to Josie.”

“Who will leave scorched earth and dismembered bodies in her wake if they don’t put a stop to it immediately.”

“Pretty much. She is the ‘Mama Bear’ here. But if you think about it, the way so many people react to her and Jennifer raising Jesse, and treat her as some sort of ‘unperson’ with regard to Jesse, I totally get it. She’s as much his mom as Jennifer is, but so many people don’t accept or acknowledge it. That would certainly piss ME off!”

I picked up the phone on my desk and dialed Jennifer’s cell phone. She answered, and I could hear rink noises in the background.

“I had a visit from Carol today,” I said.

“Uh-oh,” Jennifer said.

‘What?‘ I heard Josie ask.

“She said someone at the school told her they saw Jesse and Francesca kissing.”

Jennifer started laughing and it was a few seconds before she could answer.

“I think she might be short some key information!”

“You think?” I chuckled. “Anyway, she demanded that we keep Jesse away from Francesca. I basically told her to drop dead and that if she wanted to tell Francesca to stay away from Jesse, that was HER business, but I wasn’t going to interfere. I did say that I would have a word with the school about whoever she has spying on Jesse, because none of us got a report from the school office about inappropriate behavior.”

“Let me tell Josie; one sec.”

I heard a hushed conversation and then Josie had the phone.

“I’m going to fucking kill her!” she growled. “Do you know who the spy is?”

“I’d guess a teacher,” I replied. “Obviously it wasn’t reported to the office.”

“I’ll deal with that, Steve!” she said fiercely.

I chuckled, “I figured. Do me a favor and send Jesse to me when you get home. I know you and Jen are protective of your relationship with him, but this one needs a father’s touch.”

Josie laughed, “I know all about your ‘touch’, Mr. Steve Adams! I was there when Jesse came into existence!”

“Oh, I remember! Just please let me handle this specific thing.”

“Fine. But the teacher is mine!”

“Understood.”

“Here’s Jenny.”

“Anything else?” Jennifer asked.

“No. I just asked Josie to send Jesse to me when you guys get home, and let me deal with him. It needs a dad’s touch.

“OK. See you in about an hour.”

“Thanks, Jen.”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I hung up.

“What are you going to say to Jesse?”

“That so long as Francesca comes to see HIM, he’s free to behave as he sees fit. And unless I miss my guess, my son accounted quite well for himself and she WILL come back!”

Kara laughed softly, “They always do! May I ask about Misty? That doesn’t seem to fit your pattern.”

“No, it doesn’t, but I figure any girl with the determination to bide her time for nearly three years at least deserves a conversation!”

“Shall we go spend time with the girls until Jesse gets here?”

“Sounds good!”

“Is something wrong, Mom One?”

“Just go see your dad,” she replied. “He needs to talk to you.”

I shrugged and went out the back door. I didn’t bother with a coat even though it was cold because I was only walking through the backyard. That annoyed my moms, which was fine with me, and it was something Dad was OK with because HE did it. I went into the house, looked at Birgit, which made her slam her book shut, then found my dad. We went to his study.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“You and Francesca have been kissing at school?”

I didn’t like where this might be going, but telling Dad the truth was the way to make sure I didn’t get in any real trouble.

“At lunch. But we never got called to the office!”

I nodded, “I know. Somebody at school called Francesca’s mom.”

“Mr. Edwards!” Jesse said. “He saw us kissing and told us to stop.”

“When was that?”

“Before.”

“Have you kissed at school since?”

“Sure. At lunch. There’s a spot by the lockers where nobody really can see us unless they walk right up.”

“And it’s just kissing?” Dad asked.

“No, we got naked and did it on the floor in the hallway with the whole eighth grade watching and taking notes for the quiz,” I said sarcastically.

Dad smiled the way he always did when I said stuff like that.

“Sorry,” he said. “I guess that was a silly question, but you know I meant touching or anything that might get you in real trouble.”

“No. Just kissing and hugging. Does her mom know about our, uhm, Saturday visits?”

“I’m pretty sure she doesn’t because she just mentioned kissing at school. She did say she doesn’t want you anywhere near Francesca.”

“That’s bullshit, Dad!” I declared, knowing he was OK with that word if it was accurate.

“It is.”

“What did you say?”

“That what you and Francesca do together isn’t any of my business and I’m not going to tell you to stay away from her. I said it was up to Francesca. If she wants to talk to you or kiss you, that’s her business, and her mom could talk with her.”

I smirked, “She keeps inviting me to her house on Saturdays and keeps insisting that we kiss at lunchtime!”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Dad chuckled. “Her mom is going to try to keep you apart because she doesn’t want anything to happen.”

“I think you would say ‘too late!’, right?”

“I would. I would suggest you not kiss at school because it’s against the rules.”

“And Saturdays?”

“I suggest you have a word with Mom One and Mom Two about inviting Francesca to your house. If you were caught in Francesca’s house, it could cause a real problem.”

“Do you think it’s a good idea?”

Dad shrugged, “Only you can decide that, Jesse. Because you’re both fourteen, and it’s consensual, nothing really bad can happen.”

“Could April get in trouble for what we did?”

Dad nodded, “Yes. And that is something you have to think about in the future. Neither your moms nor I are going to report her, but if the ages were reversed, an angry parent might.”

“What do you think I should do?”

“I think you need to consider the fact that Francesca’s mom isn’t going to let you two date, possibly ever, and that she’s going to do everything she can to keep Francesca away from you. It’s three-and-a-half years before Francesca is eighteen and can truly make her own decisions. Are you ready for a nearly four-year struggle?”

“This sucks, Dad! I like Francesca more than any of the other girls! I want her for my girlfriend. I mean, she IS my girlfriend, and I want to keep it that way. But her mom is being a...”

“Word your moms don’t like,” Dad grinned. “It’s OK to say it to me, as I said, but I understand not wanting to get used to saying it and making a mistake.”

“Did you have a problem like this?” I asked.

Dad smiled, “Not really. My problem was mostly my mom. Mom One’s mom and dad let us spend the night together at her house when we were in High School and so did Aunt Melanie’s mom and dad. The only real trouble I had, if you even want to call it that, was with one girl when I actually was caught in bed, but we weren’t doing anything and hadn’t done anything. And her dad was upset, but not angry. Your grandmother on the other hand...”

“I thought Aunt Kara’s dad was a real jerk.”

“He was, but when her mom let us know that they had been to bed together before they married, it kind of limited what he could say or do.”

“I hate hypocrites! And I know from Francesca her mom was having sex with Stan before they got married. They think Francesca doesn’t know!”

Dad smiled, “I know. So what do you think?”

“I’m not sure. I think I need to talk to my moms, and maybe write in my journal to figure it out.”

“Good choice.”

“Thanks, Dad. Sorry for the trouble.”

“This is no different from the dumb parents who objected to you having two moms, or to me having two wives.”

“Or whoever complained about us walking to school!”

“Next year, you can walk with Rachel. Nobody is complaining about High School kids.”

“Yet,” I sighed.

I got up and left my dad’s study, looked at Birgit who made a face and snapped her book shut, then left the house to walk across the back yard to my house.

“Dad told me,” I said to Mom One.

“Let’s go talk to Mom Two,” she said.

We went into the living room and sat down - me in the comfy chair and my moms on the couch.

“Why are adults so dumb?” I sighed.

“Part of it is because they think they are protecting you from making mistakes.”

“But we didn’t!” I protested. “We both wanted to do it and we both liked doing it and we want to keep doing it!”

Mom Two laughed, “You are your dad’s son! I think Francesca’s mom believes it would be a mistake for you to have sex. And that’s where your problem lies.”

“I know,” I sighed. “Dad basically told me we have to stop. I mean, he didn’t say that, but Francesca’s mom is never going to let us date. Dad did suggest I invite her here, if that was OK with you.”

“It is,” Mom One said. “We prefer you to be safe and we know you make good decisions. What else did your dad say?”

“That Francesca’s mom would do everything she could to stop us from seeing each other and I’d have to put up with all her BS for years, and have to sneak around. I hate that! Why can’t she just leave us alone?! I’m not hurting Francesca! She LIKES sex!”

Both my moms laughed.

“I think that’s exactly what her mom is afraid of,” Mom Two said. “I agree with Mom One - it’s OK if she comes here, but you have to think about the problems it might cause.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I want to go write in my journal.”

“Go ahead,” Mom Two said.

I got up from the comfy chair and went up to my room. I opened my iBook, opened my journal, typed the long password, and started typing. I was super annoyed with Francesca’s mom, and I didn’t want to stop having sex with Francesca. She was fun, she made me feel really good, and she had figured out how to get my dick completely into her mouth and she LIKED doing that as much as I liked licking her pussy. I wanted Francesca to keep being my girlfriend like she had since I met her when I wasn’t even a year old, but her stupid mom didn’t want that.