Chapter 6

[Saturday, June 21st, 1986]

As we started up the stairs I warned Kim that my room was in the attic and that there was no A/C up there. I also told her, “We probably should have brought some water to help us avoid heatstroke.” Sadly, I wasn’t kidding much. It gets damn hot up there during a summer day.

When we got there she said, “Nice room, but you weren’t kidding, wow it’s hot. We better do this quickly.” She asked me to pull out any clothes I had in dresser drawers that weren’t socks or underwear and make them visible on the bed while she started going through the closet.

If I came across anything I wouldn’t wear anymore, I should just toss it aside for now. She would do the same for the closet. I could veto and save anything I wanted from the pile she made. It seemed like the best plan so we got started.

I got done before her and started working on the other end of the closet. We got it all done in about 20 minutes. I didn’t find anything I cared to veto in her pile from the closet. She added a few things from my pile of keepers on the bed to the pile on the floor, and I didn’t care enough to argue about that either.

After getting a good look at everything she said, “Okay, let’s consolidate the floor piles. I’m guessing your Mom will want to go through them before they head to wherever you guys send your old clothes.” I agreed with the concept but said “I can get everything on the bed put away later, same with the floor piles. Let’s get out of here before we melt.”

We were both sweating pretty hard when we got down to the kitchen. I offered her some lemonade and she readily agreed. Fortunately, Mom had refilled the pitcher. Two tall glasses with lots of ice were quickly filled and consumed. I left the pitcher out on the table with us and we used it again in short order.

I told her that once the sun went down that the attic cooled off pretty well, of course, I usually didn’t go up there until after 9 pm to give it plenty of time. Mom joined us in the kitchen after a bit and we let her know about the culling of clothing going on. She said that she would take care of the discard piles for me while I was out.

Mom and Kim started chatting about future plans, Kim told her she was planning on going to UConn in the fall. She wasn’t sure about a course load yet, but there were a lot of general classes she needed to get through regardless, so she wasn’t too worried about it at this point. When Mom started telling embarrassing stories about my childhood I excused myself to use the bathroom.

I took my time in there, but they were still showing no signs of stopping anytime soon when I got out. I asked Kim if she wanted to go too before we headed out. She took the hint and agreed it would be a good idea. We said goodbye to Mom and left soon after she was done.

When we got in the car Kim mentioned, “I got the impression your Mom didn’t know about your little windfall. Was I right not to mention it?”. While she was talking I had started the car and pulled to the end of the driveway.

As I pulled out into the street I replied, “Well, you’re right, I hadn’t mentioned it to her. It’s not so much that I’m hiding it, as it is that I’m trying to keep some of my life private.”

“I guess we are both still getting used to the idea that I’m pretty much all grown up now. I love her a lot, and I don’t mind living here for now, but we’re both getting used to new boundaries if you know what I mean.”

She said, “Oh yeah, I understand. We’re going through the same sort of thing in my house. Mom and Dad are great, but I can’t wait until the fall and I get a little bit of breathing room. They try to understand and usually give me the space I want, but it’s hard for them to change I guess.”

We spoke about people we knew, and while I had no information to share about what they might be doing, she had lots of info and kept the conversation going smoothly. I had been just wandering about town, without really having a destination for a while. I asked her if she had any place, in particular, she wanted to go.

She said she wouldn’t mind hitting the mall and doing a little scouting for our upcoming excursion. I said that sounded like a good plan. “Crystal Mall? Or do you have somewhere else in mind?” She replied, “Yeah, The Crystal Mall is probably the best bet.”

The Crystal Mall was the largest in the area. About 30 miles south of us on Interstate 395, just outside of New London CT. It was a popular destination and every teenager in this part of the state had spent some significant time wandering its halls. We made it there without running into any traffic issues.

We spent several hours wandering the mall, really more interested in each other than in the specific surroundings. We did visit a lot of clothing stores, and I was able to give her a good idea of what I was thinking about new clothes. I even bought a few small things, one of them being a pair of shorts that had legs that reached close to my knees.

I noticed it was getting close to dinner time, around 5:30 pm, so I suggested Chinese food. I knew a very good restaurant. It was a little out of the way, but not too bad. I ate there often the first time through this timeline. Kim said, “Sounds great.”

We loaded our few purchases into the back seat of the car and headed back onto the highway. About 40 minutes later we pulled into the parking lot at the Jade Garden. We were seated quickly in a booth.

I opted for a favorite combo platter of mine from the past. It’s almost a sampler platter. Item D3 from their menu, it included Sweet & Sour Chicken, BBQ ribs, Chicken Wings, and Beef Teriyaki skewers served with a bunch of fried rice. More than I could eat really, but the leftovers would not be going to waste.

Kim opted for General Tso’s Chicken, which I don’t think I had ever tried from here. I did enjoy it later in life from many other places though, so I was pretty sure she would be enjoying their version. We held hands again and chatted pleasantly for a while. At one point she wanted to know what it was like to have so many siblings.

I answered, “Well, it’s all I have ever known, so it’s hard to compare. Like everything in life I would say it’s a matter of trade-offs. You learn quickly to grab the food you want off the table before it disappears. The brothers and sisters are fun to play with sometimes, but a major pain in the butt other times.”

“There was always someone to help you do something, but there was also always someone messing with whatever you were trying to do. It is almost impossible to keep anything private or a secret. Someone is always in your business as if it’s their divine right or something. But it’s also a blast sharing birthdays with so many people and having everyone opening presents at Christmas time.”

Kim said, “As an only child I have to say that I envy your situation. It seems to me that all of the negatives don’t come close to the positives.” I smiled and told her, “That’s just because you haven’t had to live with those negatives. You are welcome to your opinion about it. Heck, you’re welcome to have any of them ... I’m sure I could get Mom to agree to farm some of them out.”

We were both still laughing about that when the food arrived. My food was every bit as good as I remembered. I shared bites of everything on my plate with Kim, and she shared hers as well. All of it was fabulous and we had a wonderful meal. Kim agreed with me that this was the best Chinese food she’d ever had too.

Both of us had to get to-go boxes for leftovers, they certainly didn’t skimp on the serving sizes at that place. I left a nice tip on the table and we paid our bill on the way out. We thanked our hostess for the great dinner and headed out to the car.

On the drive home I took a little detour and stopped in front of a Miniature Golf course, and challenged Kim to a round. She said, “You’re on. Loser buys the Ice Cream cones on our next date.”

I said, “Oh, someone feels froggy. I don’t see how I can lose on that bet, so I’d be a fool to say no.” She gave me a great smile and we both headed to the entrance booth to get started. I have decent skills in these kinds of games, my hand-eye coordination has always been very good.

Kim kicked my ass. It was not even close. We both had a great time. I’ve never been one of those guys who get hyper-competitive or can’t lose to a girl. Don’t get me wrong. I like competing, and unless I’m distracted by something I will always give it all I’ve got. But I never forget that it’s a game and if I’m playing it, I want to enjoy myself playing it.

If you’re not an asshole about it, I’ll cheer you on while you kick my butt. It doesn’t matter if you are a guy, or a girl, or a kangaroo. Same with Black, White, Brown, or Green. Oh, I’m sure I have some prejudices, everyone does, but I at least try to be the same me to everyone.

After my shameful humiliation on the minigolf course, we turned in our putters and got in the car. It was now approaching 9 pm so I headed toward her home. It wasn’t far away, she often played at that minigolf course. The girl in the booth called her by name and they chatted for a while. I was pretty sure I was going to lose before we started.

We pulled into her driveway and I parked while we were still bantering about my loss. I asked her if she wanted to come with me to the Lotto HQ on Monday. She was very interested. I got out and opened her door then walked her to her porch.

I told her I had a lot of fun today and that I was looking forward to seeing her again Monday. She told me she had a great time too and was also looking forward to it. I asked if 10 am would be good and she agreed. Then we shared a reasonably chaste kiss goodnight and she headed inside.

I had enjoyed the kiss and felt it was appropriate. As much as I was looking for much more than chaste eventually, I didn’t mind starting slow. I was glad to see it even. I got back in my car and headed home.

[Monday, June 23rd, 1986]

I was right on time picking Kim up on Monday morning. On Sunday I had been able to dig out a large Rand McNally road atlas of Connecticut and Rhode Island. I poured over it to find the road that the Lotto HQ was on in Rocky Hill. Only a few miles south of Hartford.

I was not familiar with the area, and there was no GPS to help out. I showed Kim what I had found on the map and she claimed she was comfortable playing navigator for me. Time would tell. Before we left, she told me her Dad traveled into Hartford a lot and it might be worth a call to see if he had suggestions.

Do you see why I like smart girls yet? I told her I liked that idea so we headed into her house. Kim’s Mom greeted us as we entered her kitchen. Kim introduced me formally, though we had met in passing the other night. Claire had a friendly smile and welcomed me to her home and to please call her “Claire”.

Claire was a good looking woman, and while it’s a cliche, she did look like she could be Kim’s older sister. They shared the same strawberry blonde wavy hair, slim build, modest chest, and long legs. Okay, the family resemblance was indeed strong, especially in facial features. However, Kim looked like a lovely 18-year-old woman, and Claire looked like the attractive woman in her mid to late 30s that she was. Saying they looked like sisters might be a bit disingenuous. Still, Hubba Hubba.

I explained what we were doing, “I managed to win a little money from the Lotto this weekend, but I have to go to the Lotto HQ outside of Hartford to cash it in. Kim mentioned your husband might have some tips for us in getting there or finding the place, so we thought we should call and ask him.”

She said, “Congratulations, Sean does know his way around there pretty well. Good luck.” Kim got on the phone and called her Dad at work. His secretary told Kim he was getting out of a meeting soon and she’d make sure he called home when he could. Kim thanked her and we waited for the callback.

Claire offered us some coffee. “The pot should still be reasonably fresh.” She told us “I made it less than an hour ago”. I told her, “I’d love a cup, Thank you.” Kim had one too. It didn’t take very long for the return call to come. Perhaps 20 minutes.

Kim answered it, “Hi Dad, Thanks for calling us back. The reason we called you is that John recently got 5 out of 6 correct in the Lotto drawing and he needs to go to the Lotto HQ outside of Hartford to cash it in. I know you travel there a lot, and I wondered if you might have some suggestions for getting us there.”

“Yes”

“Uh Huh”

“Just over 2 grand”

“I’ll tell him”

She picked up the pencil and paper she had handy and said, “Okay, I’m ready”. Then she started writing about a dozen direction steps and following along on the street atlas I had brought. It looked like it was following what I expected, but I felt good having it come from someone who had been there.

“Got it. Thanks, Daddy. I Love you. Bye”

Kim said, “Daddy knew exactly where it was. He’s been right by there a few times. He told me to pass along his Congrats, and that it will take about an hour to drive there from here. Considering what time it is we can’t avoid the lunch traffic around Hartford. It probably would have been better to leave an hour or two ago, but we can’t go back and change it.”

I smiled and said, “I’m sure it will be fine.” I thought to myself: It wouldn’t be worth changing even though I can.

We thanked Claire for everything, cleaned up our mess, and headed back to the car. I got us on the road while Kim got the atlas and additional directions from her Dad handy and everything situated for easy access.

As we moved through town, before hitting the highway, I asked Kim, “Do you want to stop anywhere or grab anything before we get underway?” She shook her head and said, “Nope, I’m good. Ready to roll.”

I told her, “Good. Okay, Road Rules #1. Navigators get overall control of the music, but the driver gets volume override and generous veto powers on individual songs. There are some tapes in the glove box, I think ‘Bat out of Hell’ is in the tape deck right now. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.”