Chapter 46: Love Your Neighbor

January 17, 1985, McKinley, Ohio

"My parents were kicked out of the church because they wouldn't make me stop coming to Saint Michael the Archangel," Mark said when I greeted him and Alyssa on Thursday afternoon.

"Are they going to the Lutheran Church?"

"Starting on Sunday, yes."

"What about yours, Alyssa?"

"They're supposed to have a meeting with the elders on Saturday morning. I invited them to Saint Michael, and Mark's parents suggested they go to the Lutheran church."

"But it's not causing either of you any problems with your friends, right?"

"Just one couple who go to our old church. They won't hang out with us any longer, but we have plenty of other friends."

"I'm really sorry this has happened."

"What would happen if the situation was reversed?" Alyssa asked.

"We'd never kick someone out of the church for something their kids had done, nor would we treat anyone who left voluntarily like a pariah. Most of the time, it's because they marry outside the Church. As for those who leave for other reasons, they usually cut themselves off from us, not the other way around. That said, there are some fundamentalists, especially Greek Old Calendarists, who not only reject non-Orthodox but most other Orthodox Christians and would never enter their churches or allow any Orthodox clergy to enter theirs. But by their very nature, they're schismatic, which makes them not Orthodox, despite claims to the contrary. Anyway, shall we get started?"

Our hour together was spent discussing the Second, Third, and Fourth Ecumenical Councils, focusing on the proclamation of Mary as Theotokos, the addition of the clause about the Holy Spirit to the Creed, the rejection of monophysitism, and the hypostatic union of the two natures of Christ. It was a lot to cover in an hour, but we had a lot of material to cover before Pascha, which was just over ten weeks away, and time seemed accelerated ever since Elizaveta and I had started seeing each other.

"I think my head is going to explode!" Mark said.

"We'll review next week, but you don't have to know this well enough to teach it, and there won't be a quiz!"

"Something for which we are eternally grateful!" Alyssa said with a soft laugh.

"You're making good progress. How are you doing with your prayer and fasting rules?"

"Fine," Mark said. "Our parents are supportive, so we don't have trouble at home."

"Good. Is there anything you want to ask at this point?"

"No," they both said.

I nodded and walked them to the door. We said 'goodbye', and I went upstairs to get my balalaika. I brought it down to the music room to practice the things which Doctor Blahnik had taught me at my lesson earlier in the day. When I finished, I headed back to campus to join the gang for dinner and then spent the evening studying and doing homework.

January 18, 1985, McKinley, Ohio

"You're coming with us," I said firmly.

"But I don't have a date!" Jocelyn protested. "I'll be like a fifth wheel!"

"You will not!" Clarissa declared. "Robby, Lee, and Sophia will be there, in addition to José, Dona, Abby, and Elizaveta."

"But I'm still the only one without a date!" she protested.

"Interested in robbing the cradle?" I asked with a smirk.

"Why am I suddenly afraid?" Jocelyn asked.

"Trust me?"

"Implicitly, but that doesn't mean that smirk doesn't worry me!"

"Wait here!"

I left my room and walked down the hall to Gene's room and knocked on his door.

"Hey, Mike! What's up?"

"What are you doing tonight?"

"I was going to grab dinner and then watch TV; why?"

"Come out with us," I said. "We're going to have dinner and then go see a band that my friend Milena recommended."

"I'd be the only one without a date, wouldn't I?"

"No; Jocelyn Mills broke up with her boyfriend, so she doesn't have a date, either."

"She's an upperclassman!" he protested. "And gorgeous!"

"So? She's as much of a nerd as you and I are, just law instead of physics or pre-med. And I've known that she's gorgeous since we were fourteen!"

"Are you setting us up?"

"No, but she's sweet, and if you're nice to her, I'll bet she says 'yes' if you ask her out. I've known her since we were five, so I have a pretty good idea of what she likes."

"You're sure?"

I smirked, "Just don't mention the Playboy magazines."

He laughed, "Yeah, that probably wouldn't be a good idea!"

I knew Jocelyn wouldn't care, but it was also not the first thing she should know about Gene.

"Then let's go. I have to go pick up my fiancée, but you can ride with Jocelyn, Clarissa, and Abby to the restaurant."

"Who all will be there?"

"Besides Elizaveta, Jocelyn, Abby, and me? Robby, Lee, Sophia, José, Dona, Lara, Jack, Brandon, and Kimiko."

"You're including me with your gang?"

"Yes, if you want to join us."

"Sure!"

"Then grab your coat and come down to my room. As I said, I'm going to get Elizaveta, but Clarissa is there waiting."

"Cool!"

I turned and left and went back to my room.

"Gene is going to join us," I said.

"The Freshman who just moved rooms?" Clarissa asked.

"Yes."

Jocelyn rolled her eyes, "Seriously?"

"Jos, cut him some slack, please. I'm not arranging an assignation! If you don't like him, you don't like him. If you do..."

"I'm going to kill you, Mik!" she growled.

"Shall I mention that threat to Elizaveta?" I asked with an arched eyebrow.

Clarissa laughed, "Hell hath no fury like a «бабушка» (babushka) scorned?"

"Trust me," I grinned. "I fear for my life every time I talk to one! And both of you should, too!"

"Tasha is the truly frightening one," Jocelyn said soberly. "I can just see her with a scalpel and putting it to use, then keeping the gonads in a jar next to her bed!"

"She'd need a shelf," I chuckled.

"I wouldn't want to cross his pussy ... cat," Clarissa teased.

"On that note, I'm going to get my betrothed. I'll see you guys at the restaurant."

I put on my jacket, hat, and gloves and left the room, passing Gene as he came to the door. I took the elevator down, walked to the lot, got into my car, and headed for Elizaveta's house. Twenty-five minutes later, we met everyone at the Chinese restaurant.

"Where are Sandy and Pete?" Sophia asked.

"They went to Cincinnati for the weekend with Jason and Fran," I replied. "Lara, where's Sarah tonight?"

"She and Al went to his parents' house for dinner."

"Sounds serious!" Clarissa said.

"It's his birthday tomorrow," Lara explained. "So it's not like 'come meet my parents' because the relationship is serious. They're just having fun."

"Aren't we all?" Robby asked. "That is what college is for!"

"Says the man who has a boyfriend AND a girlfriend!" Jocelyn teased.

During their ski trip, Robby and Sophia decided to become a couple, while Robby and Lee remained a couple. It was one of the weirder things I'd ever heard, but if they were happy, I wasn't going to interfere, and it certainly fits their history, as well as their feelings for each other. I hadn't said anything to Elizaveta, and I could see in her eyes that she was uncomfortable with the idea, but she didn't say anything.

"Can the guy who just got called up from the minors have a scorecard, please?" Gene asked.

Sophia gave me a quick glance, which told me that she'd seen the look on Elizaveta's face.

"We'll explain later," Sophia quickly said. "It's something which is better for a private conversation rather than here at the restaurant. OK?"

"Sure. Sorry."

"It's not a problem," she replied.

"Are we doing the 'group' menu deal?" José asked.

"That seems like the best option," Abby replied. "We get six large dishes, rice, a choice of soup, and ice cream at the end."

"That's the key!" Jocelyn said. "Ice cream!"

"You have to clean your plate before you get dessert, Jocelyn Theresa!" I said in my best 'dad' voice.

"Oh, shut up!" she exclaimed, but she was laughing. "How many times did you hear my dad say that?"

"Basically, every meal at your house from the time we were five!"

"He STILL says that!" she groused. "Ugh!"

"Maybe if you hadn't asked for dessert first so often, he wouldn't!"

"Oh, shut up!" she replied, causing everyone to laugh.

"Mike, I assume you'd prefer a couple of vegetarian or shrimp dishes?" Abby asked.

"Yes, please."

"Any other requests?"

"Something spicy," José said.

"The Szechuan Beef with the dried peppers?"

"Perfect!"

The waitress came to the table just then.

"Green tea?" she asked.

"Three pots, please," Abby said.

"OK. I'll be back with the tea and to take your orders."

"What does the band we're going to see play?" Gene asked when the waitress walked away.

"Mostly 60s and 70s rock covers, but they have a few songs of their own," I replied. "Milena says they're pretty good."

"She's a professor, right?"

"A lecturer; she's working on her PhD. When she finishes it, she'll be a professor. Her mom is Doctor Blahnik in the music department."

"She's teaching a literature class, right?" he asked.

"Russian literature," I replied. "She decided the school needed a bit of proper culture!"

Everyone laughed.

"You're Russian, I take it?"

"Half," I replied. "But it's the dominant half."

"The REAL dominant half is sitting on his right!" Clarissa declared.

"And he better not forget it!" Elizaveta exclaimed with a huge smile.

"Are you really sixteen?" Gene asked.

"Fifteen. I won't be sixteen until April. We get married in May."

"Crazy," he replied, then quickly added, "Uhm, sorry."

"It's OK," I said in a friendly voice. "Quite a few people have that reaction. The situation is a bit strange, but it's basically due to the fact that the Orthodox Church doesn't allow deacons or priests to marry after ordination."

"But you can have married priests? I thought you guys were like the Roman Catholics, just not with the Pope."

"Not really," I replied. "There are big theological differences. With regard to clergy, most of our parish priests are married and have kids. That's the norm. Our bishops have to be celibate, and as I said, once a man is ordained a priest or deacon, he's not permitted to marry."

"Mike will be ordained a deacon in July after we come back from Europe," Elizaveta said. "So he needs to marry before then."

"This isn't a normal situation," I said. "Most deacons are ordained later in life, but our deacon passed away, and my bishop asked if I was willing to be ordained. I could have put it off, but I elected not to, and Elizaveta decided I was going to marry her."

Everyone laughed. The waitress brought our tea, and we stopped talking so Abby could place our main dish orders, and then everyone selected their own soup.

"Where are you from, Gene?" Sophia asked once the orders were placed.

"Sandusky," he replied. "It's on the lake, halfway between Toledo and Cleveland. How about all of you?"

"Lima for the three of us," Sophia said.

"West Monroe, which is about forty-five minutes west of here, for Jocelyn and me," I said. "Elizaveta is from McKinley, and so is Abby."

"Sylvania," Clarissa said.

"Columbus for me," Brandon said. "Kimiko is living in Columbus, but she's from Oguni, which is in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan."

"Just outside of Pittsburgh for me," Lara said. "Jack is from Youngstown."

"Milford, near Cincinnati," Dona said. "José is originally from Buenos Aires, but his family eventually moved to Cincinnati."

"How did you end up in a relatively small state school in Ohio, Lara?" Gene asked.

"My grandfather is from this area and graduated from Taft. I go to the same church Mike and Elizaveta do. Sophia is Greek, and she comes to church with us on feast days."

Our soup arrived and that limited the conversation as everyone ate, and just as we finished our soup, the main dishes arrived, accompanied by several large bowls of rice. Everyone helped themselves to one or more dishes, and we all began eating.

"So you all met here?" Gene asked.

"Except for Jos and me, and Sophia, Robby, and Lee, yes," I replied.

"Mike, are we going to do a concert this semester?" José asked.

"You mean one for the dorm or a public one?"

"Public. I figured we'd do our usual one or two in the dorm."

"You should," Robby quickly interjected. "It's your last chance before graduation."

"And before the ball and chain is attached!" Sophia teased.

"Somehow, I don't see being 'attached' to Elizaveta as a BAD thing in Mike's mind," José replied with a smirk, causing everyone to laugh and Elizaveta to blush.

When we finished the meal, Abby worked out each of our shares and I contributed for myself and Elizaveta. After we settled the bill, we left the restaurant and drove to the club where the band was playing. Fortunately, they allowed people under twenty-one, though they segregated the 'drinking' and 'non-drinking' areas. None of us was interested in drinking, so we all went to the 'underage' side. We could order food and soft drinks there, just not beer or liquor.

The band was pretty good and played a good mix of songs, including six of their own, which we all liked. They played three sets, and when they finished, we left and headed for Verner's for ice cream. When we finished our ice cream, I took Elizaveta home and wasn't surprised to find Jocelyn waiting for me at the dorm. We went into my room, I closed the door partway and put on Centerfield, a new album by John Fogerty.

"The title track isn't first?" Jocelyn asked.

"No, it's actually on the 'B' side," I replied. "So, Gene?"

She laughed softly and shook her head, "A total nerd who reminds me of you and Dale in High School. But he seems like a nice guy."

"So you'll go out with him if he asks?"

"Sure; I need a babysitting gig!"

It was my turn to laugh, "He's only three years younger! It's not like he's six!"

"I know. It's fine, Mik. It's not like I'll be ready for a permanent relationship anytime soon."

"There's no need to rush into anything."

"You mean like you?"

"My circumstances are pretty unique, don't you think?"

"Obviously. But they aren't out of character for you. Of the girls I know who were potential mates, Elizaveta is really the only one who seems ready to take on the challenge despite only being fifteen. I'm curious about something."

"What?"

"Does that little girl know what's in store for her on her wedding night?"

"Clarissa is convinced that Elizaveta is going to be wound so tight by our wedding night that she's going to fuck me to death!"

"That blush at dinner says something different."

I shook my head, "Not really. She's just not used to teasing, especially not in public. And she's very conservative in public, similar to how Tasha was. You saw Tasha during that brief period between her eighteenth birthday and getting engaged to Nik — she was WAY more risqué than I ever was before Sophomore year. And you were here when Kimiko and I were dating. She's even more conservative in public than Elizaveta or Tasha."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What changed?"

"What do you mean?"

"That you could just casually have sex."

"You DO remember how Dale and I behaved during High School, right?" I asked with a grin.

"Dale, I understood, but I thought you were different. And neither of you actually did anything."

"I was different; I am different. But there was a period where I just let my libido take control."

"With me?"

"You were, and are, special."

"So it wasn't just fucking?"

"Not with you," I said firmly. "Never. It couldn't be."

"I'm still amazed that you no longer flinch at that word."

"I've grown up, I guess."

"Do you remember what I told you when I planned to go to Purdue?"

"That I had to become a man you could marry, by which you meant I needed to grow up."

"Do you ever wonder what might have happened without the accident?"

"A lot when we were estranged, but not so much lately. I take it you do?"

"Not as much as I did before. And now you've gone down a path I could never have walked, not even for you."

"You do realize I could have said 'no' to the bishop, right?"

"Could you? Really? And how would you have felt if I basically kept you from being ordained?"

"I didn't seek to walk this path, Jos."

"No, but I know you well enough to know that you value obedience to your bishop over everything except becoming a doctor."

"Maybe," I replied. "If Elizaveta hadn't asserted herself, I might well still be looking, and the ordination would still be just the bishop's intent."

"Did you ever hear anything at all from Maggie?"

"No. I haven't even seen her around town, not that I go to too many places besides the Quick Mart, Doctor Blahnik's house, Verners's, and our usual restaurant hangouts. And Liz hasn't heard from her, either. The last I heard, she was dating Mike Palmer."

"That was so weird."

"I know, but you also know that Tasha was correct — Elizaveta is the right girl for me. I just didn't like how things ended with Maggie."

"Which fits your personality, but I wouldn't try to reconcile."

"I don't intend to seek her out. If I run into her, I will apologize, but from the standpoint of asking her forgiveness, not trying to start a friendship."

"Good. See you in the morning?"

"Yes."

We hugged, and she left. I shut the door, said my prayers, brushed my teeth, undressed, and got into bed.

January 19, 1985, McKinley, Ohio

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Lee growled as we walked through the snow to the cafeteria for breakfast on Saturday morning.

"What?" I asked.

"The students there with the sign that says 'Exodus International'. It's a group which claims gays can be 'cured' through 'conversion therapy'."