Chapter 47: The Ghost of Christmas Past

December 23, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Matthew

“I hate that you have to go home!” I said as Chelsea and I lay in bed late on Sunday morning.

“Me, too! But I’ll see you on Wednesday evening!”

“True.”

“Why are you getting in so late?”

“Because I want to go to the memorial service for Doctor Al’s wife. I told you about her.”

“That was so sad! Can you imagine being on one of those planes? Or worse, on a floor above where they hit?”

“I hope she didn’t know,” I said. “Just flying along and then you’re dead instantly in an explosion, rather than knowing what was going to happen.”

“Either way, you’re still dead,” Chelsea said.

“True.”

“And what about that terrorist attack yesterday?”

“A bomb in a shoe is pretty strange, but I guess you don’t need much of an explosion to make a hole in a plane and have everything in the cabin blown out.”

“Do you think they would really shoot down a passenger plane full of people?”

“In a heartbeat!” I replied. “Better to shoot it down over the ocean and kill just the people on the plane than let it fly to the White House or Capitol Building like in the Tom Clancy book.”

“What happened?”

“A Japanese pilot flew a 747 into the Capitol Building during a joint session of Congress where they were swearing in a new Vice President. Nearly all of the Senators and Representatives were killed, along with the President, most of his cabinet, and most Supreme Court justices.”

“Sounds like your fantasy!” Chelsea teased.

I laughed, “One of them. The best one is next to me!”

“You’re so sweet! Do we have time to fool around again before we have to leave?”

“Absolutely!”

Twenty minutes later, we got out of bed, put on robes, then went to the bathroom to shower. After our shower we dressed, Chelsea packed, and we went downstairs so Mom could drive us to Midway airport. We’d go straight to Dad’s from there, and Eduardo would bring Michael, who was at the robotics lab putting the finishing touches on their ‘battlebot’ for a friendly competition on Monday morning to see if they were ready for the tournament in January.

When we arrived at the airport, we went into the terminal with Chelsea. She was lucky, because, at seventeen, she could travel by herself, while I’d still need to fly as an ‘unaccompanied minor’ despite having flown dozens of times. Fortunately, I’d be fifteen next Summer and that meant I could travel by myself. Once she had her boarding pass, we hugged and kissed, and after she went through security, Mom and I headed to the car.

“There’s something we need to talk about,” Mom said as she pulled out onto Cicero Avenue.

“What’s that?”

“In May, after Chelsea turns eighteen, it will be illegal for you two to have sex in Illinois. Well, it’s technically illegal now, but nobody prosecutes teenagers who are under eighteen if parents don’t complain.”

“Do you know how dumb that is?” I asked.

“Ohio’s age of consent is sixteen, so same problem there until you turn sixteen.”

“Are you saying we have to stop having sex?” I asked.

“No, but nobody, and I mean nobody, should know about it.”

“Fucking government,” I groused. “But some of my friends are sure we’re fooling around.”

“I’m more concerned about teachers or deans at the school.”

“We don’t go to the same school, so they’ll have no clue we’re even dating. Why can’t the government mind its own business?”

“They think this IS their business!”

“They’re wrong,” I said tersely.

“I agree, as do your dad and Eduardo, but we can’t do much about it. Just keep it to yourself, and everything will be fine.”

“What would happen?”

“If some overzealous prosecutor decided to charge Chelsea she could go to jail for a long time.”

“Oh, right because I’m a victim? Please! I want to have sex!”

“Yes, but YOU don’t get to decide according to the government. And it wouldn’t matter if you stood up in court and said you initiated it and wanted it. She’d still be guilty.”

“That’s bullshit!”

“Yes, but it’s also true.”

“What if we both denied it? Said it never happened? And everyone else said it never happened?”

“That would make it difficult for them, but not impossible.”

“Then as far as anyone outside the family knows, it never happened. Period. ‘No officer. A kiss or two, but nothing else. Never. Ever.’ That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

“No texts, emails, or IM mentions, either.”

“Got it, Mom. Handled. May I blow up the state capitol and governor’s mansion? Please?”

“You’ll have to take that up with your dad!”

🎤 Jesse

“Seriously?” Libby asked, barely able to get the words out because she was laughing so hard.

“I certainly didn’t expect it!”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Poke her with my big stick, just as she requested!”

“You’ve changed your mind?”

“Tell me the truth - you’re going to be with Karli and stop fooling around with me, aren’t you.”

“Probably. Are you upset?”

“It was always going to come to this because of what we both want in the future, so, no, I’m not upset. I think, if you’re going to be with Karli, that we should decide to be best friends, and only best friends.”

“No more sex?”

“Not after Michigan.”

“You’re probably right because of Karli.”

“Is she Jewish?”

“Yes. Her given name is Shoshana; Karli is a nickname she prefers. So you’ve decided to throw off the shackles of your dad and Francesca?”

“I think I can’t let either of them control who I am. I’m positive I want a traditional family with one wife and some kids, and we raise our kids Orthodox. But before then, I don’t need to wear shackles or a straitjacket.”

“You realize that if you play your cards right, you could probably deflower half the school!”

I chuckled, “Less than, because I’m not going to fuck Neil or any other guys!”

“I meant half the girls, you goofball!”

“You need to be more precise in your language if you don’t want to be misunderstood.”

“I’ll precisely clock you over the head!”

“You can try! But wouldn’t you rather spend an hour in bed before my family dinner?”

“Yes!”

🎤 Birgit

“Ugh! How much longer?” I asked.

We’d been at the airport for forty minutes, and the plane had been late landing. In the end, we had basically rushed through our family dinner for no good reason, and I was very annoyed at whoever ran the air traffic control!

“As long as it takes, Pumpkin,” Dad replied. “Airport operations are slower because of all the security measures, and I’m sure the attempted shoe bombing yesterday slowed things.”

“But it’s been twenty-two minutes since the board showed landed! They came from Miami! It’s not like they came from South America!”

“You could have stayed home,” Dad replied.

“Hmph!”

“Look at it this way - you get extra Dad time!”

“I suppose,” I replied grudgingly.

“Patience is not one of your strong points.”

I was plenty patient about the most important thing I wanted, but he was probably right about everything else. Two minutes later passengers began coming down the escalator.

“There she is,” Dad said.

“Where?”

“She just got on the escalator; black hair, yellow blouse, blue jeans.”

“She’s pretty! You have good taste, Dad! She’s eighteen?”

“Last month, yes.”

“And she just graduated from High School? Early, like Suzanne?”

“No. It’s Summer in Argentina right now, so she graduated on time.”

“It’s strange that it’s Summer there, but I know from astronomy why that is.”

Estrella saw Dad and waved to him and he waved back. When she reached the bottom of the escalator, she hurried over to where we were, set her carry-on bag on the floor, and threw her arms around Dad who hugged her back.

“Hi!” she exclaimed, then gave Dad a kiss.

“Hi!” Dad replied. “Estrella, this is my eldest daughter, Birgit.”

“Ah, «la calabaza»!” Estrella exclaimed, “It’s nice to meet you, Birgit.”

“And you,” I said. “What did you say in Spanish?”

Dad laughed, “She said ‘the pumpkin’!”

“You told?” I asked Dad.

“Everyone knows that’s your nickname! Shall we go get your bags, Estrella?”

“Yes.”

“How were your flights?” Dad asked.

“Long! Things were scary trying to get away from Buenos Aires, but once we were about forty kilometers outside the city it was much safer. The riots are stopped, but nobody knows for sure what’s going on and people are forming civilian committees to try to take over for themselves.”

“How is your family?”

“My parents are OK. My sister is in Spain on holiday. She was there when the unrest began, so she’s safe. I do need to call my father.”

Dad pulled his mobile phone from his pocket and handed it to her.

“Just dial +, then the country code, city code, and subscriber number, but leave off any starting zeros. Then press the green button.”

Estrella made the call and spoke very quickly in Spanish. I knew a few words but didn’t understand anything she was saying. I knew Dad spoke Spanish, so I was sure he understood. She only spoke for about two minutes, then gave the phone back to dad who closed the phone which disconnected the call.

“Everything is OK,” Estrella said. “Dad reminded me to get your banking information.”

“We’ll do that after Christmas,” Dad said.

We arrived at the baggage carousel and I was happy it only took five minutes for Estrella’s bags to arrive. Dad put them on a cart and we headed for the parking lot where we got into his BMW. I wanted to get in the front seat, but Dad pointed to the back seat and Estrella got into the front seat.

I listened as they talked on the way home, and decided Estrella really was a nice girl, and I decided I wanted her to share my room. She’d be like an older sister, which would be cool, because MC wasn’t around as much because she was married and studying all the time.

When we arrived home, Dad let Estrella know about our rule that we didn’t wear shoes in the house, just like he learned in Sweden, then introduced Estrella to everyone. While everyone else was talking to her, I asked dad to go to his study.

“She can sleep in my room,” I said. “I like her and it’ll be fun!”

“Then we’ll put her in the nanny room for tonight,” Dad said. “Tomorrow we’ll assemble the bed.”

We went back to the sunroom where everyone else was talking with Estrella.

“We’re going to put you in the nanny room tonight,” Dad said.

“And tomorrow you move into my room,” I said.

Dad picked up her bags and took them to the nanny room and Estrella followed him.

🎤 Steve

“Are these the servant’s quarters?” Estrella asked.

“Yes. We used it for our nannies when the kids were younger, then our domestic. When she married, she moved out, and now we use it as a guest room. A young woman I’ve been mentoring for four years uses it most weekends.”

“I want to help in any way I am able. I can cook, clean, sew, and do laundry. And I can watch the kids, too.”

I laughed, “Don’t say that last bit around the kids. They all feel they’re old enough to watch themselves. The only reason Winter is always here when the kids arrive home from school is because the government doesn’t think Birgit is old enough to watch her little sisters and brother.”

“That’s silly. She’s very mature.”

“We agree, but the government doesn’t. Shall I give you a tour of the house?”

“Yes, please.”

I led her around the ground floor, then to the basement, then upstairs, first to the bedrooms, then finally to the attic room. We took the elevator back down to the ground floor.

“This is such an amazing house! You really bought this when you were in college?”

“Together with my dad, yes.”

“You are the most amazing man I know! Will we be able to be together soon?”

I’d given that question serious thought since the IM she’d sent which had started the current sequence of events. I’d also take the time to read my journal entries about her to help me decide. I hadn’t really factored her into my decision on my New Year’s resolution, because the plan had been for her to live at IIT and spend time with Alejandra, and it would have been easy to keep separation by limiting how often I saw her.

The question which had never been resolved was exactly what Estrella wanted. She’d spoken of a long-term affair, but I hadn’t committed to that, or anything other than the possibility that we might be together again. My original plan had been to have a discussion with her when she moved to Chicago in July, and was living in the dorms. That had all gone out the window due to her dad’s desire to get her out of Argentina, a plan with which Alejandra wholeheartedly agreed.

I couldn’t argue with Alejandra’s decision to accept the role at Mayo, and wouldn’t have even if I could. It was perfect for her, and they’d helped Trent find a good job close to the medical campus, so there really was no reason for her not to take it. She’d developed a very close relationship with Mary, and Trent and Don got along great, and with the addition of Naomi and her fiancé Greg, there was a nice little group forming. But that meant Alejandra wasn’t living close, so our original plan of encouraging Estrella to spend more time with them had gone out the window.

One thing that had helped the current situation was Birgit’s offer to share a room. As Suzanne had observed, that would limit the opportunities Estrella had, though given there were three guest rooms available, it wasn’t REALLY a limiting factor except for Friday through Sunday nights. And, as had been pointed out many times over the years, both by me, and others, beds were not a requirement for sex.

In thinking through my plans, I was sure that both Sarah and Hope would find boyfriends and end the physical intimacy, though not the true intimacy we had. The question in my mind was whether or not an occasional tryst with Estrella would violate the basic principle behind my resolution. In the final analysis, I didn’t think so, as the hard and fast limit I’d set was about new girls, with the exception of Kristin and, if it were to happen, some of the other cousins. But that was years away, and I’d contemplated pushing the age limit to sixteen rather than fifteen, which would push things even further out, AND, in my mind, make them even less likely.

There was one possible flaw in the plan.

“When was the last time you had an STI test?” I asked.

“Before your visit. I haven’t been with anyone since. You’re the only man I’ve ever been with that way.”

Which was a confirmation of something of which I hadn’t been sure, but which I also hadn’t given much thought.

“Jessica made it clear that she wanted a recent STI test,” I said. “Kara can take you first thing in the morning.”

“But why, if I haven’t been with anyone?”

“There are innumerable ways to get various diseases, including hepatitis B and C, which have numerous transmission paths, including sharing things like razors or pedicure or manicure equipment. The same is true for HPV.”

“HPV?”

“Human papillomavirus; I think it’s VPH in Spanish, if I recall correctly.”

“Ah, yes, OK. The clinic tested for that when I had my last exam by my «ginecóloga» because I’d had sex in the past. But not for other things.”

“If you have the test tomorrow, because of the holidays, you probably won’t get the results until after New Year’s.”

Estrella pouted, “I suppose there is nothing to do, as your wife is in control.”

I nodded and we went back to the sunroom to spend time with my family. The kids were up later than usual because it wasn’t a school night, and right after we got them to bed, my three wives and I said ‘good night’ to Estrella, and went upstairs.

“Decided against it?” Jessica asked when we stopped outside the master bedroom.

“No recent STI test,” I said. “She said she hadn’t been with anyone since we were together, but given what you warned me about with regard to hep-C last week, and the fact that it’s incurable, we can’t take that chance.”

“That’s the one that really scares me,” Jessica affirmed. “And no offense, but we have no idea what the situation is in Argentina.”

“Understood. She’s going to ask you to take her to the clinic tomorrow, Kara,” I said.

“Confirm that they mark the hep-C box,” Jessica advised. “They don’t always do that even when you ask for a full spectrum.”

“HPV, too, right?”

“Yes. That’s not a blood test, so she’ll need a smear.”

“I mentioned both of those,” I said. “Obviously, the virgin girls don’t get that test.”

“They don’t do it on anyone who hasn’t had sex,” Jessica said. “Just as they don’t do routine pap smears unless there is a serious family history or a girl is sexually active.”

“Mattie’s friends’ tests results showed they’d had the hepatitis B tests, which doesn’t surprise me, given how careful Becka, Mattie, Claire, and their friends are. The cheerleaders had their tests done either at UofC or the free clinic, and had hep-B results.”

“UofC does that regularly, and we get tested at least four times a year, in addition to after any needle sticks or torn gloves.”

“This kind of takes all the sexiness out of sex,” Suzanne protested.

“And without it, it takes all the sex out of sex!” Jessica countered.

“True,” Suzanne agreed.

I kissed and hugged Kara and Jessica, then Suzanne hugged both of them, and she and I went to her room, brushed our teeth, used the bathroom, then undressed and got into bed.

“Estrella seems sweet and she’s completely smitten with you.”

“She is, and unfortunately, with Alejandra moving to Rochester next month, my plans kind of went out the window. Had Alejandra not taken the job with Mayo, I’d have strongly pushed Estrella to stay with Alejandra and Trent. But, in the end, we’ll figure it out.”

“What do you hope will happen?”