Chapter 64: It’s A Wrap!

May 17, 1985, McKinley, Ohio

"Last Day!" Clarissa exclaimed when she came to my room on Friday morning before breakfast.

"If you think I'm going to 'Carrousel' because my life clock has gone red eight years early, Jessica 6, you're nuts!" I declared.

"I thought that was a foregone conclusion, Logan 5!"

"Well, yeah!" I chuckled. "You're my friend, so that does call your sanity into question!"

"Can you believe it's been four years?"

"No. There never really was a time when it felt like the days were dragging by, and looking back, it seems as if time has flown by!"

"So true. Shall we get breakfast? The entire gang is assembling, even the lazy bums who don't have their first class until 11:00am!"

We left my room to head to the cafeteria.

"Some people are in love with sleep," I replied. "Something we future doctors know is silly!"

"Have you always been a morning person?"

"Pretty much. It gave me more hours in the day when I had an early curfew or early bedtime, or there were evening church services. When I was living at home, I'd get the newspaper and do the chess puzzle before breakfast. It was a good way to start the day."

"How exciting!" Clarissa declared sarcastically.

"Well, sex wasn't really an option as a teenager!" I chuckled.

"Nor for the last ten months or so, either!"

"The difference was in High School, it was for lack of opportunity!"

"Nobody really hit on you once you started seeing Elizaveta regularly."

"No, but it was fairly obvious which girls would have been more than happy to keep me warm at night if I wanted."

"Including a certain professor!" Clarissa teased.

"That was a warm bath and glass of white wine!"

"I have to say that is the one thing I'm sorry didn't happen. I would have LOVED the conversation with you the day after!"

"What? Nuclear annihilation?" I asked with a smirk, referencing a TV show from a few years earlier.

"The reactions to that movie in the dorm were interesting."

"The network forced the producers of The Day After to cut the most graphic stuff," I replied. "All because the network censors were afraid people might be disturbed! Well, Golly Gee Wilikers, maybe people SHOULD be disturbed by the thought of nuclear war! I'm not about to surrender to the Soviets, but nuclear war would have exactly zero winners and effectively infinite losers! Sadly, we can't un-invent the things."

"So, no Red Dawn for you? Got it!" Clarissa replied with a laugh. "But that's the most political thing I think I've heard you say."

"What politics?" I asked. "The idea of a 'winnable' nuclear war is the very definition of insanity, and anyone who thinks that a nuclear war could be 'won' needs to be locked up in an asylum! In fact, that's a good way for us to safely use up the supply of psychoactive drugs! Maybe, just maybe, something will come of President Reagan's START proposal, and we can start putting the «djinn» back in the bottle! Sadly, it'll never go all the way back in, but any nuclear weapon taken out of service is a win for the world. And now I've said my piece. Let's go in and eat!"

We joined the extended gang for breakfast, spreading out across a second table from our usual one. Given exam schedules, this was probably the last time we'd all eat together as students. It was bittersweet but necessary, as it was time to continue to the next stage of our journey. The person I was going to miss the most was Clark, and I hoped he was going to be both happy and successful in Chicago.

"We set a date," Fran announced. "Well, my mom did, anyway!"

"And you're eloping to Vegas the week before?" Sandy asked.

"We should," Fran said, shaking her head. "But no. July 27th."

"Where?"

"Wapakoneta. I did talk her out of a minister, so we'll just have a judge do the ceremony. The reception is at a park. And it's casual."

"Sounds like you did some serious negotiating!" Sophia said.

"More like threatening to do exactly what Sandy suggested!"

"The timing will be tricky for Elizaveta and me," I said. "My ordination is that Sunday, and we absolutely have to be at Vespers."

"The wedding is at noon, and we'll understand if you can't stay for the entire reception. We plan to come to your ordination. We'll leave for Vancouver on Monday."

"Pete, did you guys find an apartment?" Clark asked.

"Last weekend," he said. "It's in that complex just south of the hospital. We figured it was better to be closer to the medical school than to Taft. We'll move in when we come back from Europe."

When we finished breakfast, we all headed back to the dorms, and Clarissa, Sandy, and I gathered our books for our last day of classes at William Howard Taft. In our Abnormal Psych class, we handed in our papers, filled out a course evaluation, and then were dismissed early. We took the opportunity to have coffee in the Student Union, then headed to our Physical chemistry class, where we had our last in-class review before the comprehensive final exam we'd take on Monday afternoon.

We had lunch with a smaller group, then headed to our stats class, which was another review session for a comprehensive exam we'd take on Tuesday morning, and then ended our four years of classes at Taft in Doctor Blahnik's classroom for Russian Literature. We handed in our papers and had a lively discussion about the themes and philosophies of the Russian authors we'd studied, and then at 2:50pm on May 17th, we left the classroom having completed our undergraduate studies. All that remained were two exams, and then it was on to graduation.

"Mike? Clarissa?" Doctor Blahnik called out from behind us.

We turned and walked back to her.

"If you two aren't doing anything tonight, come to the house for dinner. Bring Elizaveta and Abby."

"We had planned to go out tonight," I said. "But I think dinner at your house sounds wonderful. The only caveat is that we were having dinner with Mark and Alyssa."

"They're welcome, if that doesn't mess up your plans."

"It doesn't," I replied. "Lissa?"

"We'd love to!"

"Then I'll see you later. Dinner is at 7:00pm; arrive any time after 5:30pm."

"Thanks, Doctor Blahnik," I replied.

"You're welcome!"

We turned around and walked back to where Sandy was waiting for us.

"Teacher's pets!" she teased.

"Don't look at me!" Clarissa exclaimed. "I was just along for the ride! Mike is Doctor Blahnik's pet student!"

"I'm not even in the music department," I protested.

"That didn't seem to matter for her!" Sandy said. "Not to mention her REAL desire!"

I chuckled, "Elizaveta made sure that didn't happen!"

"As did your promise to Lara!" Clarissa replied.

"Yes, but that was only intended to be in force until we figured it out. And given her concerns about living under a microscope as the wife of a deacon, it probably could have worked out in Doctor Blahnik's favor."

"Talk about a complete change! When I first met you, even the idea that Doctor Blahnik was interested would have freaked you out! Now you're implying you would have done it!"

"He's not implying anything!" Sandy declared. "He's saying he would have banged her like a drum!"

"No, I'd have enjoyed a nice warm bath, a glass of wine, and some very enjoyable lovemaking," I replied.

"Uh-huh!" Sandy smirked.

"You were quite clear which YOU preferred!" Clarissa declared with a smirk. "Not everyone likes the same thing!"

"Oh, shut up!" Sandy ordered, but she was laughing.

Kristin had liked slow dances; Sandy, on the other hand, had usually preferred 'stress relief', which was anything but a slow dance!

"Are you going to get Elizaveta right away?" Clarissa asked.

"No. I planned to pick her up at 5:30pm, so I'll just stick with that. Music?"

"Absolutely!"

"I'll leave you two to the music," Sandy announced. "I'm going to go find Pete so we can get an early start on the weekend!"

When we arrived back at the dorm, Clarissa put her books in her room while I called Mark to let him know that he and Alyssa should meet us at Doctor Blahnik's house. Clarissa came in just as I hung up and sat down on the couch. I put on Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits, then sat down next to Clarissa. She moved very close, so our knees, hips, and shoulders touched, the closest we could come to cuddling without crossing any lines which might upset Elizaveta.

"Any idea why the short notice on dinner?" Clarissa asked.

I shrugged, "No, but you know Doctor Blahnik. She can be fairly spontaneous."

"May I ask a completely inappropriate question?"

"Right, because you've never done THAT before without asking!"

"The rules have changed."

I shook my head, "No, they haven't, with the exception of whatever privacy Elizaveta needs."

"Do you regret not waiting until after school is out to get engaged?"

"As enticing as that might be, I'm not sure there's any way it could have ever happened. Without the chastity pledge, I'd have ended up disqualifying myself from ordination, and I'd have missed out on finding the girl who is my perfect 'partner in crime', given you had to take yourself off the table."

"I thought you didn't want to be a deacon!"

"But the bishop wants me to, and I would have failed him if I couldn't get that part of my life under control. Lara was instrumental in that, and I owe her a debt of gratitude on behalf of the bishop, Father Nicholas, my grandfather, the Parish Council, and myself."

"And Elizaveta!"

"I thought that went without saying from the 'partner in crime' comment!"

"And it wasn't the table I took myself from!" Clarissa said. "It was the bed. I just couldn't."

"I know, and I understand. We both knew that was the likely outcome of our experiment. And I'm glad we did because it ensures no regrets and no 'what might have beens'."

"I was afraid, at least for a time, that I had hurt you."

I smiled, "We love each other far too much for that to have happened! We talked about it at length and took each step in a considered way. Now, if you asked me if I hoped it might turn out differently, the answer is 'yes', and I believe that would be your answer as well."

"It would."

"And yet, you absolutely had to be true to yourself. Anything else would have ended in disaster. So, here we are, best friends, colleagues, and former lovers with a special, lifelong bond. To me, that is the best outcome we could have reasonably hoped for."

"Setting aside what was pure fantasy, the way you did with Tasha?"

I chuckled, "I believe I actually lived that fantasy for several months! And I VERY much enjoyed it!"

"Between you and me and invoking my 'Lissa' privilege, was she the best?"

I was about to contradict myself because, on further thinking about it, I had been wrong about Jocelyn, though I wouldn't change what I'd told her. There was something very special about Jocelyn because she was first, and because of 'Mik and Jos', but one person transcended Jocelyn.

I shook my head, "No. That was you, Lissa, because of what it meant and what we mean to each other. Tasha and I love each other, but not the same way I love you, and neither of those is the same as I love and will love Elizaveta."

"But come on, the sex between us wasn't THAT good!"

"Emotionally, it sure was," I countered. "And in the end, that's what really counts. It's not about the number of orgasms or how pleasurable those orgasms are. Sure, I like them, but in the end, it's the closeness that matters more than anything."

"Your feminine side coming through again?"

"If you want to call it that, yes. Do you remember what I said when Dean Parker resigned, and you teased me about being a pig but then teased me about a fivesome with Teri, Melody, Jeannette, and Marie?"

"That the 'time of your life' would be if you and I made love," she replied quietly. "And that even if you and I could only do it once, it would be worth more than a month with the five of them."

"Q.E.D."

"So, most physically pleasurable, then?"

"Tasha. Hands down. No contest! Though I expect to surpass that in about a week!"

Clarissa laughed, "I would hope so! So, where would you put Milena?"

"In the same category as you and Jocelyn, though you still win easily."

"You have no idea how much I love you, Petrovich!"

"I think I do," I replied. "I'm the one man you could make love with. And you know how much I love you."

"I do."

"And everything is going exactly according to plan. We're going to medical school together, which is the next step on the path."

"So, besides Tasha?" Clarissa asked.

I chuckled, "You want a complete system of ratings?"

She laughed, "I'll stop with second place on the pure physical pleasure scale."

"I'm going to have to go with Kimiko because she was so focused on giving me maximum pleasure."

"The dutiful Japanese girl who lived purely to please you?"

"Something like that. I'd really prefer we didn't keep going down this path. I don't particularly like comparing, and I only did it for you."

"Sorry. I probably shouldn't have asked, but I was extremely curious."

"And for you, I answered; I wouldn't do that for anyone else, and I really do try to avoid thinking that way. It could only ever hurt someone."

"Elizaveta?"

I chuckled, "While she may be concerned about living up to some imaginary standard, I would say she has absolutely nothing to worry about in that regard!"

Clarissa laughed, "But the question remains — who is going to fuck whom senseless?"

"Either way works for me!" I said with a huge grin.

"It's been close to a year, now that I think about it, hasn't it?"

"Just under a year. I made the promise to Lara on July 6th of last year. The Sunday I get married will be about five weeks short of a year."

"It really hasn't affected you in any way I can discern."

I shrugged, "Once I'd made the promise, real temptation basically dried up. Sure, there were offers, but not the way things were before. Everyone knew Lara and I were a couple, and it was only about a month after we decided it wasn't going to work that I asked Elizaveta to marry me. The girls backed off because of Lara, and it just stayed that way."

"You're blaming the girls for your rampage?" Clarissa asked with an arched eyebrow.

I laughed, "No way! You know I didn't usually seek out sex, but I had a very difficult time saying 'no' to girls who made themselves available, with a few exceptions."

"Those Jezebels!" Clarissa teased.

"Yes, but who took them up on their offer? Me! I was in complete control! Well, I wasn't, but you know what I mean!"

"That you are responsible for your own actions, no matter what anyone else does, but that you were VERY weak when it comes to an offer of sex! That seems to be a common thread with guys. That said, you were very good at keeping your word to Tasha, even when she tried to release you from your promise."

"We had to grow up to do what we did," I replied. "Any sooner, and both of us would have believed it required us to get married, even if that wasn't the right thing for the two of us."

"And it let you figure things out with Lara without any drama, too."

"Yes. The only real drama was being browbeaten by a certain very determined fifteen-year-old!"

"Poor baby! 'Coërced' into marrying a gorgeous Orthodox girl who wants to be his wife, can handle being the wife of a deacon, wants to be a doctor's wife, and is probably dripping in anticipation of having him fuck her silly in just over a week!"

"I wasn't complaining! I was simply acknowledging that I was being a blockhead, which she had to overcome."

"No more Russian?"

"Rarely," I said. "I'm reasonably sure that was all part of my infatuation and lust for Tasha. Before she hit puberty, I had really cut down on how much Russian I used. I'd learned when I was little and spoke to my grandparents and my mom, but then once I was in school full time, I stopped using it for the most part. About the time I noticed that Tasha had developed into a gorgeous young woman, I started using more Russian. It wasn't conscious, but I'm sure she's the reason. Liz was right in that regard.

"Elizaveta and I talked about it, and we don't plan to teach our kids Russian, though we wouldn't interfere if our grandparents chose to do that. But having spoken with all of them, I think they're all on the same basic page that I am — we're Americans at this point. That means we keep some of our ethnic traditions, but we speak English, which, if you think about it, is what my mom's parents did. Tasha's family was something of an anomaly, though ROCOR has families like that who long to return to Russia and might, once they see off the Communists."

"You think that'll happen?"

"I think the Church will outlive the government, yes. If Stalin couldn't destroy the Russian Orthodox Church, nobody could. Even he worried about the grandmas!"

"Wow! You didn't even use the Russian there!"

"I will, occasionally, for effect, but no, I didn't. Mike and Elizaveta Loucks are Americans. Period."

"Your sister must be jumping for joy!"

I chuckled, "I won't go quite as far as she did — rejecting anything even remotely Russian, and I certainly am not going to leave the Church. Saint Michael the Archangel is fairly typical of the OCA now, being mostly American. Holy Transfiguration is moving that way and, within a decade, will only be vaguely Russian, mostly because of the Slavic names and a few traditions from the Old Country. But, there is one thing I don't want to change."

"What's that?"

"I'd like you to keep calling me Petrovich!"

"So, your non-Russian friend is the one person who'll use your Russian name?"

"The bishop will use 'Mischa'. Normally, the married men would start calling me 'Petrovich', but I'll be a deacon, so nobody could really use that unless I gave them permission, and even then, only in private."

"What do your parents call you? I mean, after ordination?"

"Anything they want!" I chuckled. "But seriously, it'll depend on context. Privately, they and my in-laws will call me Mike. In public, 'Father Deacon' or 'Father Deacon Michael', though the 'Father' part is somewhat optional. And that's the usual way I'll be referred to and addressed, though some of the teens will probably opt for 'Deacon Mike', which is OK by me. And the bishop will only call me 'Mischa' in private. In public, he'll use my title, just as everyone else will. That's the tradition."

"So you'll be 'Doctor Loucks' in the hospital, Deacon Michael in the church. What about everywhere else?"

"That'll depend on context, too. Anyone who is Orthodox would call me 'Deacon', as would most other ordained clergy. Anyone who knows me outside of church will call me 'Doctor Loucks' or what I think I prefer, 'Doctor Mike'."

"And Elizaveta?"

"Husband!" I chuckled. "But for real, as of a week from Sunday!"

"Mike, otherwise, right?"

"Yes. And I will keep calling her «Котёнок» (katyonak) as her pet name and «Зайчик» (zaychyk) when I want to rile her up!" ("Kitten"; "bunny rabbit")

"Because you want her to fuck like one?" Clarissa teased.