Chapter 62: Looks Like We Made It

May 7, 1985, McKinley, Ohio

On Tuesday morning, I went to Chancellor Evans' office for a 9:00am appointment, which had been scheduled by his secretary when she called me on Monday afternoon.

"Overall, I like it," he said. "I half expected to find a note that said you were going to play your guitar! I very much enjoyed the concert, and I was surprised that you're forming a band."

"José is the driving force, and Elizaveta encouraged me to do it as a way to relax and take my mind off my studies for a few hours each week."

"But you were playing either solo or with Milena Blahnik, sorry, Greene, before, right?"

"Yes, that's true, and that was at the encouragement of both Doctor Blahnik and Milena. As I said, I'm not big on public speaking or performances."

"Well, you could have fooled me! And your two friends did a great job as MCs. Anyway, back to your speech. I made a few notes in blue, some things for you to consider. That said, you are absolutely free to give the speech as written. Don't think of the blue pencil as corrections, please; consider them to be suggestions for edits. I'm assuming you had someone read this over before you handed it in?"

"Clarissa and Robby both read it and made suggestions, which I incorporated."

"I think what I wrote is self-explanatory, but if you have any questions, please call. I look forward to hearing you deliver this speech."

"Thank you!"

We shook hands, and I headed back to the dorm. I made some tea and sat down to review the notations which Chancellor Evans had made on the pages. His comments and suggested edits were mostly good, though there were one or two where he tried to correct a Biblical idiom to 'proper' English. There were a few places where he asked questions for clarification, and I made some notes on how to say what it was I wanted to say more clearly. I looked at the clock and decided I had more than enough time to go to the computer lab so I could edit my document. Kristin had impressed on me the need to have an original and a backup, so I grabbed the two floppy disks, which really were rigid, not floppy, and headed to the computer lab.

I completed my changes and printed out two copies, and when I went back to the dorm, I gave one to Clarissa and one to Robby so they could proofread. Once they had their copies, we headed to lunch with the gang. After lunch, Clarissa and I walked to the clinic where Abby worked so I could have my pre-marital blood test. Abby promised the results no later than Friday afternoon. We walked back to campus and I read for an hour, then headed to the Country Club for a round of golf with Viktor and a nice dinner in the Clubhouse dining room.

May 10, 1985, McKinley, Ohio

The week after the concert had flown by, and I had my first free Friday evening in a long time. I couldn't spend it with Clarissa because she was at the bridal shower the girls were throwing for Elizaveta at Doctor Blahnik's, from which I had been firmly but tactfully asked to stay away. The chances I'd cross a collection of budding members of the «съборъ бабушек» (sobor babushki) were near zero, as it would make the next seventy or eighty years my own personal hell on earth! ("Grandmothers Cabal")

"So, what are we doing tonight, just us boys?" Robby asked as he, Lee, José, Gene, Pete, Jason, Brandon, Jack, and I walked to dinner.

"It is pretty strange not having any of the girls around!" Jack said. "But I was warned that if I came within a hundred feet of Doctor Blahnik's house, I'd regret it for the rest of my very short life!"

All the guys laughed.

"Hey, YOU chose to date a Russian girl!" Robby countered.

"I think we ALL got that same speech!" Brandon said. "Though Kimiko was a bit more circumspect about asking me to stay away."

"What exactly happens at a bridal shower?" Jason asked.

"Nobody knows," I replied piously. "It appears to be a very closely held secret!"

"Unlike bachelor parties," Pete added. "Everyone knows what happens at those!"

"Not Mike's," Robby said. "I received clear instructions from Sophia about what was, and what wasn't, acceptable for a future 'man of the cloth'!"

"This group is the least likely to get arrested of ANY group you could name at Taft!" José declared.

"So, what are we doing?" Lee asked.

"There's a Jazz group playing at Milton Lake," José said. "They serve beer."

"Sounds like a winner," I said. "Dinner and Jazz."

There was agreement from the other guys, so after we ate dinner in the cafeteria, we got into three cars and headed for Milton Lake. When we arrived, we got in line to get drinks, then found places to sit on the grass not too far from the stage.

"Anybody know how late this party is going to run?" Jack asked.

"Sophia's comment was, 'Do not wait up'," Robby replied.

"That's what Jocelyn said to me, too," Gene added. "I have a feeling they're going to stumble in around 3:00am!"

"Most of Elizaveta's friends can't legally drink," I said. "So I doubt anyone will be drunk. Doctor Blahnik will let them drink responsibly, though."

"She's been playing mom to you for a long time now," Brandon said.

"Yeah, if your mom wanted to sleep with you!" José said.

"What did I miss?"

"Nothing!" I said quickly.

"She's had the hots for Mike for years," Robby said with a sly grin. "But she's a professor, and he's getting married the day after graduation!"

"She's smoking hot!" Brandon declared. "And so is her daughter!"

"Guys," I said firmly, "please do NOT mention Doctor Blahnik flirting with me. It could get her in trouble and would really upset Elizaveta."

"Sorry, man," José said. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"I trust everyone here," I said. "But it's safer to just leave it unsaid."

About fifteen minutes after we'd sat down, the concert began. The group was really good, and José and I exchanged looks which communicated our thoughts — when we jammed, it was nothing like this. At the first break we got another round of drinks, though I opted for Coke rather than beer, and did the same after the second set. When the concert finished, we headed back to Taft, and the guys came to my room to hang out. We listened to music and talked until just after 1:00am. The girls hadn't returned, so the guys all headed to bed.

May 11, 1985, McKinley, Ohio

On Saturday morning, I called Liz, my grandparents, and my parents to remind them about our family dinner with the Kozlovs at the Country Club on Sunday afternoon.

"How are things between Paul and Dad?" I asked when I spoke to Liz, whom I called first.

"No change, really. Mostly, I just visit with Mom because Dad still can't accept that I married Paul. Mom said Dad promised to be polite and not cause a scene at dinner. And you know Paul; he's a sweetheart."

A 'sweetheart' who cheated on his wife with a fourteen-year-old girl, I thought, but didn't say. And really, I needed to get past those kinds of thoughts. Paul was my brother-in-law, and he obviously loved Liz, no matter what mistakes he'd made in the past.

"I'm not sure I'd call a male friend a sweetheart, so I'll take your word for it!"

"Fine! He treats me right!"

"Which is all that matters when it comes right down to it. Mom is OK with him?"

"I wouldn't go THAT far, but she's sociable and doesn't treat him like a leper. I heard Mindy is coming to the wedding."

"I hadn't even thought to invite her," I said. "We rarely see each other. Who is Emmy bringing?"

"John Rivers. He's a dispatcher at the Sheriff's Department. You didn't invite Maggie, did you?"

"No. I told you I ran into her at the mall. Mindy says she's dating Mike Palmer."

"I'm pretty sure they're engaged."

"That was quick," I replied.

"Says my brother, who went from barely knowing Elizaveta to being betrothed in a few months!"

"Not everyone is as big an idiot as I am!"

Liz laughed, "Marrying a sexy sixteen-year-old? No. Agreeing to be ordained? Yes!"

"Neither of those makes me an idiot, despite your feelings to the contrary about church. It was the whirlwind romance."

"Which was only necessary because you were dumb enough to agree to let the bishop ordain you!"

"At the specific request of the Parish Council."

"You do know there's this word in the English language — 'no' — right? And that it's possible to say to a bishop just as you can to anyone else?"

"Can we just agree to disagree, please? I'm not going to change in that regard, and even though I hope you do, I'm not expecting it."

"Don't hold your breath! Anyway, we'll see you tomorrow!"

"Thanks, Liz. See you!"

We said 'goodbye', and I hung up and made the other two calls. Once I finished, I sat down with Robby and Clarissa to go over my revised commencement speech. They both felt that it was in a state where changes wouldn't really improve it, other than noting one typographical error, which I would correct for the final copy from which I'd read at the graduation ceremony. I hoped the weather was nice on graduation day because rain would mean a change of venue, and that would mean tickets would be necessary, and nobody was allowed more than four.

That would exclude everyone except my parents, my sister, and Elizaveta, and would seriously disappoint my grandparents, Elizaveta's parents, Father Nicholas and his wife, and my friends who weren't Seniors. I'd already arranged with Clarissa for Jocelyn to have her fourth ticket if it came to that because Clarissa was only inviting her parents and Abby. Dale would get a ticket from José, if necessary, as he was only inviting his parents and Dona.

Lee, Sophia, Jocelyn, José, and Dona came into the room once we opened the door.

"Has it sunk in that two weeks from tomorrow, you'll be married?" José asked.

"That's when he'll finally get to 'sink in' to his pussy cat," Clarissa tittered.

"Ignore her!" I said firmly, then switched to a teasing voice, "She's just jealous!"

"Me, too!" Lee declared, then paused for a beat before adding, "Of Elizaveta!"

Everyone laughed.

"Rumor has it that Clark is jealous of Mike!" Jocelyn said with a smirk.

"Now I really AM jealous of Elizaveta!" Lee smirked.

"Great," Robby answered with a silly grin, "my boyfriend has become a 'size queen'."

"You guys are BAD!" Dona said, shaking her head.

"Why do I suddenly feel inadequate?" José asked with a grin, indicating he was teasing.

"You boys and your dicks!" Sophia laughed, shaking her head. "If Dona isn't complaining, then don't worry about it!!"

"Where's Gene?" I asked Jocelyn, hoping to change the subject.

"In the computer lab. He's setting up some kind of fluid dynamics program he has to run on the mainframe. He's doing it today because computer time is cheaper on the weekend."

"How does that work?"

"He's allocated a certain amount of money towards mainframe usage. If he goes over that, he has to pay it himself if he's not done with all of his work. He's under his budget, but just barely, so he's setting it up to run overnight tonight."

"Did he write the program?" Robby asked.

"Yeah, it's part of the class. It's in FORTRAN, which is big in the scientific community, and Taft requires you learn it to complete the physics program."

"We had to write a couple of FORTRAN programs in our CS class," I replied. "And I remember Kristin mentioning other languages called 'Pascal' and 'C'," I said. "But it's all effectively Greek to me!"

"Do I get to say it's all Russian to me?" Sophia asked, causing everyone to laugh.

"So," José said, "back to my question before Clarissa totally derailed the conversation..."

"Yes and no," I replied. "I mean, I know it's happening, and I'm looking forward to it, but it doesn't seem real yet. «Закрой свой рот» (Zakroy svoy rot), Svetlana Yakovovna! I see that smirk!" ("Shut your mouth!")

"Wow," she snickered. "You are just NO fun! But at least you didn't call me a «сука»!"

"That's what Tasha said to Janey, right?" Jocelyn asked.

"How do YOU know?" I inquired.

"Girls talk! I asked her about it. She told me the other thing she said to Janey, too!"

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Dona said.

"That her «пизда» (pizda) must be pretty rotten because after Mike had it, he went back to Tasha, and Tasha was still a virgin!" ("pussy")

"I rue the day I introduced all of you," I said, shaking my head.

"You know we won't say anything in front of Elizaveta or anyone who might take it the wrong way," Jocelyn replied. "But come on, Mik, you and Tasha have changed significantly from when you were in High School, and these stories show just how far both of you have come. That's especially true about both of you being able to talk this way in front of others."

"Says the woman who had hissy fits when Dale, Karl, and I said anything even SLIGHTLY risqué!"

"I've changed, too!"

"True," I replied. "And that's the basic theme of my commencement speech. Not you personally, but about growth and maturity and change."

"That's going to be a heck of a weekend!" she replied. "Two parties, graduation, your wedding, and the reception. Then a trip to Niagara Falls and your trip to Europe."

"I'll sleep on the plane!" I chuckled.

"Rebekah told me about the 'Mile-High Club'," José said.

"That might work in a private plane," Robby said. "But on a passenger jet? Where? The lavatory? That's disgusting!"

"I have to agree," Sophia said. "Mike, have you flown before?"

"Nope. First time. It'll be my first time out of the country and my first time on a train once we get to Europe."

"Have any of you been to Europe?" Sophia asked.

"I know Pete went to England when he was little," I replied, "but I don't know about Abby."

"She went to France and Italy the Summer after she graduated from High School," Clarissa said.

"How is she getting the time off?" Sophia asked.

"She's saved up enough vacation time," Clarissa replied. "And there are nurses from the hospital who are always looking for hours, so the clinic has no trouble finding people to cover shifts."

"What are the rest of you doing over the Summer?" I asked.

"Being bums in Lima!" Sophia laughed. "All three of us."

"Gene and I are going to Myrtle Beach with his parents in July," Jocelyn said. "Otherwise, just being a bum like Robby, Lee, and Sophia!"

"I'm taking Dona to visit my grandparents in Buenos Aires," José said.

"It's Winter there during our Summer, right?" I asked.

"Yes, but the normal temperature ranges between about 45°F and 60°F. It can be as much as twenty degrees warmer, and it can drop for a few days when cold air moves in from Antarctica. The last major snowfall was in 1918 when they had the coldest day on record, which was 22°F."

"That's a freaking heatwave for January here!" Dona said, shaking her head. "I wouldn't mind living someplace where it never got below freezing!"

"Not never, but rarely," José said. "The further north you go, the warmer it gets. But Buenos Aires is really nice."

"The name means 'fair winds', right?" Sophia asked.

"Yes, though like Los Angeles, it has a very long original name — «Ciudad de la Santísima Trinidad y Puerto de Santa María del Buen Aire»; 'City of the Most Holy Trinity and Port of Holy Mary of the Fair Winds'. That's Mary, the Mother of God, who was a patron for the sailors who first founded the city."

"What is Los Angeles' full name?" Dona asked.

"It's also named for Mary, the Mother of God — «El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles»; 'The Village of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels'."

"So not 'The City of Angels', Jocelyn asked."

"No, but modern usage is just 'Los Angeles', so it makes sense. Quite a few cities in California have really long original names; Texas and New Mexico, too. For example, San Jose is «Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe», or 'Village of Saint Joseph of Guadalupe'. Santa Fe, New Mexico, is «La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís», or 'The Royal Village of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi', which means it's actually the same as San Francisco, which was also named after Saint Francis of Assisi."

"Were you born in Argentina?" Robby asked.

"No. My parents moved to the US before I was born. My dad worked for Grumman Aerospace, eventually as part of the team designing and building the Lunar Module. After that program ended, and Rockwell won the Space Shuttle contract, he took a job with GE out east, then was transferred to Cincinnati three years ago."

"What does he work on?"

"Mostly turbine engines for military helicopters, though there are versions for civilian aircraft."

"Dona, what does your dad do?"

"He's a machine tool operator at GE. He and José's dad didn't know each other before we started dating."

Gene came into the room just then and plopped down on the couch next to Jocelyn.

"All set?" Jocelyn asked.

"The test ran OK, so I scheduled the main run for tonight. I won't know if it's OK until tomorrow morning."

"How will you know?" I asked.

"My results have to match the ones the professor obtained. He gave us a small test set, and my results matched, so it should be OK with the full data set. I'll compare the results he provided for the full set in the morning."

"That seems pretty advanced for a Freshman."

"Honors," he replied. "I had a couple of computer classes in my High School and worked in the computer lab. We had Apple IIs, TRS-80s, and Commodore PETs. Dad bought me a computer when I was fifteen, after my first computer class. That let me skip the computer class here. I also tested out of first-semester physics and first-semester calculus."

"Damn!" Lee replied. "Can I ask about your SAT and ACT scores?"