Chapter 57: Changes of Direction

January 1, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Jesse

“Nicholas!” Stephie squealed and ran over to him.

He hugged her and Dad walked over to where the very pretty blonde flight attendant was standing next to Nicholas who Stephie had in a bear hug. Dad showed his ID to the flight attendant and thanked her, then Stephie grabbed Nicholas’ hand and Dad picked up Nicholas’ bag so the four of us could walk out to the car.

“How was your trip?” Dad asked Nicholas.

“Great! Dad taught me to cross-country ski, I got to go to the fire station where he works and meet all the firefighters. They have lots of girl firefighters, too!”

“How is your mom?” Dad asked.

Nicholas laughed, “She said I should tell you she hates you!”

Dad laughed, “That’s good!”

“Why?” Stephie asked.

“It means she’s discovering what I hoped she would discover in Sweden,” Dad replied.

We got into the car, with Stephie and Nicholas in the back seat and me in the driver’s seat. Dad put Nicholas’ bag in the trunk then got into the passenger seat. We left the parking lot, and dad handed me $2 to pay the parking fee. I handed it to the attendant, took the receipt from him, he opened the gate, and I headed towards I-190.

I had to pay attention to the traffic and the signs, but with Dad and Stephie talking to Nicholas, I had time to think about my situation. I had my ‘date’ planned with Macrina, which meant I had to decide what to do no later than tomorrow morning. And as I thought about it, the actual source of the problem was the cheerleader, Angelina. If I removed her from the equation, then it was a matter of having fun with Macrina, and dating Adi, though we weren’t a couple. And for all I knew, Macrina and I would hit it off besides her wanting me to use my ‘big, experienced stick’ to score on her.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that everything actually hinged on what I decided to do with Adi. I felt it would be a really bad idea to fool around with her if we weren’t a couple, so, really, I didn’t have to make that decision now. And as I thought about it further, I felt I needed to have another talk with her about the future. Fundamentally, if she wasn’t going to convert, then our relationship had no realistic chance of long-term success. She felt that could wait, but I was pretty sure it was best to have that conversation again, given she clearly wanted to fool around.

As for the cheerleader, I didn’t plan to call her, and if she hit on me at school, I could tell her, truthfully, that Adi and I were dating, so as to avoid any drama. I considered the circumstances of the party, and wondered if I had read more into her offer than she intended. It was entirely possible that her offer was simply for that time, and I had incorrectly taken it as a general offer, rather than a very specific one.

I had a strategy of sorts - have a conversation with Adi, discuss with Macrina what she was looking for, and assume that Angelina’s offer was ‘for a limited time only’. The only REAL question was whether I should have sex with Macrina, and almost laughed out loud because I knew that wasn’t REALLY a question!

I had one other concern with Macrina, and that was confession. I’d confessed having sex to Father Basil, and we’d had a long talk about it. He wasn’t happy about it, but, in the end, he didn’t tell me to stop receiving the Eucharist. I wondered how much my family situation had influenced his decision, but I got the idea that I wasn’t the first teenager to confess to having sex and not being sorry about it!

The thing that I wondered about was what Macrina would say. We weren’t supposed to name names, but Father Basil was smart, and he’d have seen her standing next to me. I had no idea how he’d handle that, and I didn’t think dad would have any idea. I thought about talking to Mr. Vasily because he’d been seeing a woman from the church for at least five years, and I didn’t think they’d ever get married, at least from things he had said.

“Jesse, when do you get your license?” Nicholas asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“Around my birthday,” I said. “I’ll have all the practice I need by then, but my license won’t let me drive more than one person under eighteen, and has other restrictions. Why?”

“No reason; I just wanted to know. Will you drive yourself to hockey practice?”

“It depends on cars being available. I’m sure I will sometimes.”

“Are you going to buy a car?”

“Only if you help me rob a bank!”

“Cool!” Nicholas exclaimed. “When?!”

“Nicholas Evans!” Stephie said firmly. “You are NOT robbing any banks!”

“You’re no fun!” Nicholas replied, causing both Dad and me to laugh.

I glanced over at dad and we both rolled our eyes at what Dad called ‘positive control’. It was Nicholas’ funeral, not mine! We made it safely home, and I went into the coach house to have dinner with my moms while Nicholas, Stephie, and Dad went into the main house.

🎤 Birgit

“I have an announcement,” Dad said after we started eating dinner. “You all know that Winter’s last day to work for us was yesterday, and we’re having a going-away party for her on Friday evening. Your moms and I discussed what to do, and we decided to make Birgit responsible for cleaning the entire house.”

“Hey!” I protested.

“Oh, wait, that wasn’t what we decided,” Dad replied with a silly grin. “We actually decided that we’re going to have a new domestic. Her name is Yuriko, and she’ll work for us while she completes her Master’s degree. That would be about five years from now. She won’t have set hours, though, and she’ll work around her class schedule. We think you kids are old enough to take care of yourselves...”

“Finally!” I declared.

“As I was saying before Birgit rudely interrupted me,” Dad said, “we think you kids are old enough to take care of yourselves and that we could defend that to DCFS if they were to complain for some reason. You all know Suzanne and Natalie are here during the day at times, and your moms are here during some afternoons, and Kara is only a few minutes away in an emergency.”

“Are you saying Birgit is in charge?” Albert asked apprehensively.

“Only in her own mind!” Dad said, causing everyone to laugh.

“Boys!” I exclaimed.

“I believe you can manage yourself just fine, Albert,” Dad said. “It’s really a question of what the government says.”

“Wait!” Ashley protested. “Is she in charge of ME?”

“She’s responsible for making sure you’re all safe and for calling me or one of your moms or 9-1-1 if necessary. Otherwise, you all will simply do your homework and your chores, and follow the house rules. I do not tolerate tattletales.”

I gave Dad a hard look because I knew he meant me.

“But,” he continued with a smirk, “you also know I’ll find out without tattletales! It’s my ‘Dad Superpower’!”

“Oh, please!” I groaned, rolling my eyes.

“I knew exactly what you were thinking the other day!” Dad countered.

“Never mind,” I replied.

“Do any of you have any other questions or objections?” Dad asked.

Everyone said ‘no’ or shook their head.

We finished dinner, and because it wasn’t my turn to help with dishes, I went up to my room and turned on my computer. I saw Katy was online so I messaged her.

DadsPumpkin: Dad is picking on me!!
AppleOrchardKaty: I need a violin emoji!
DadsPumpkin: Grrrrr!
AppleOrchardKaty: Oh, please! You have the best dad on the planet! What now?
DadsPumpkin: I don’t know. It just seems like he’s teasing me more.
AppleOrchardKaty: And you never tease him, of course.
DadsPumpkin: Why won’t anyone let me work up a good snit????
AppleOrchardKaty: Poor baby! Your life is SO terrible!
DadsPumpkin: See!
AppleOrchardKaty: What’s gotten into you? You used to be happy all the time!
DadsPumpkin: I don’t know.
AppleOrchardKaty: I’m going to call you. Are you someplace private?
DadsPumpkin: My room.
AppleOrchardKaty: Dialing now.

“Hi,” I said when I answered my phone.

“What’s bugging you?”

“I don’t know.”

“When does your period start?”

“Probably Friday. Why?”

“Because you’re extra moody today. It’s called PMS. Didn’t your mom talk to you about it?”

“Oh, please! My mom who loves everything about being a girl, including having a period, being pregnant, and labor and delivery?!”

“Then your other mom.”

“The Ice Queen?”

“Wow, you are really in a mood today! Go talk to your moms or Suzanne or even your dad and get some Midol. Your hormones are raging and your body isn’t dealing well with it.”

“Nobody lets me complain!”

“Oh, you complain plenty, but be honest, Birgit! Your life is better than just about any kid on the planet! What do you REALLY have to complain about?”

“Ugh. Not you too! You’re supposed to be my friend!”

“I am,” Katy said gently. “And your friend is telling you to get some Midol, take it, and then go to bed and get a good night’s sleep. I love you Birgit; I hope you know that.”

“I do,” I said grudgingly. “But what if I want to have a snit?”

“Have one, but don’t expect any sympathy from, say, a girl whose mom won’t let her come to your house or, say, a girl who was dragged to Iowa to keep her away from the boy she’s loved since she was six months old.”

“Ugh! Fine!”

“Trust me,” Katy said. “You’ll feel better in the morning. If you can’t go to CVS, then ask your Aunts. I bet Penny has some!”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “I forgot you knew her.”

“Do what I asked, please, and call me tomorrow.”

“Yes, Mom,” I replied flatly.

“And get some extra Dad cuddles. Those always cheer you up.”

“Maybe,” I allowed.

“Well, if those don’t work, then you probably need psychological help!”

“Hah! It’s the boys around here who are nuts!”

“I can’t argue with that!” Katy replied, laughing softly. “Now, go do what I said.”

“I will.”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I hung up. I decided to ask Aunt Jennifer because the last thing I wanted to do was have Mom ask a million dumb questions or my other mom want to do a check-up. Fortunately, Jesse wasn’t in the kitchen with Aunt Jennifer when I went in.

“Hi, Birgit! Jesse is in his room.”

“I was actually looking for you.”

“Me? What’s up?”

“Katy suggested I need Midol.”

Aunt Jennifer laughed, “Let me guess, you tried complaining to her about your terrible life!”

“What IS IT with grownups?!” I groused.

“Want to trade for my teenage years?” Aunt Jennifer asked.

“Uh, no,” I replied, remembering the stories I’d heard from Mom, Dad, and Aunt Jennifer.

But, I thought, there was ONE thing I would trade to get, even with all the other problems! Aunt Jennifer and Dad...

“Then if you go upstairs to my bedroom,” she said, “and into the bathroom, there is a bottle of Midol. We have a spare, so just take the bottle with you because you’ll probably need it for a few days. When is your period supposed to start?”

“Friday.”

“Then you’ll likely want to take it through Sunday. But just take some tonight and see how you feel in the morning, and go from there. I also suggest that you stop drinking pop a week before your period, because caffeine always made it worse for me.”

“How bad was it?”

“Not too bad, really, but I did get irritable. Of course, I was upset so often back then, it’s hard to say if it was struggling with my sexuality, hormones, the drama with your dad, or who knows what.”

“I’m not confused! I like boys! A lot!”

Aunt Jennifer laughed, “Then I strongly suggest you let Sofia or Doctor Robertson know you need to start taking the Pill.”

“I already talked to Dad about it and he said the same thing. I’ll talk to Doctor Robertson at my gyne check-up in March.”

“Good. You know if you have questions, I’ll answer them, though I’m sure you can ask your dad.”

I laughed, “Dad runs like a mouse from a cat when I ask certain kinds of questions!”

Jennifer laughed, “He’s such a boy, isn’t he?”

“Yes! He’ll talk to ANYONE about ANYTHING to do with sex except me!”

“That’s because he’s afraid you’re going to give him a ‘play-by-play’ account, and NO Dad is THAT enlightened! Did your dad tell you about Katt and her dad?”

“Katt told me! She told her dad that Dad curled her toes and he said there were some things a dad didn’t need to know!”

“Anyway, go get the Midol and let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

January 2, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Steve

After breakfast on Tuesday, I asked Estrella to come to my study so we could talk. I figured the sooner we had a conversation, the better, and I knew she was concerned and confused by the situation. I’d discussed the situation with my three wives the previous night, and we’d agreed on a strategy.

The first thought had been to take Estrella to Boca Raton with me, but that would have made our relationship public, and would have absolutely prevented Estrella from working at NIKA because Bob would be aware. I still had to deal with Liz, but I’d worry about that at some point in the future.

“First,” I said, after we sat down side-by-side in the leather chairs which faced my desk, “we can spend the night together tonight, if you wish.”

“Yes! I want to!” she replied excitedly. “But Birgit...”

“We’ll use the room off the kitchen. Nobody is there tonight.”

Estrella smiled, “Wonderful!”

“There is one important thing we need to talk about first,” I said. “And that’s your desire to work for NIKA.”

“What about that?”

“I know it might seem strange, but you need to decide between a long-term affair with me and working for my company. It’s against the rules for me to be involved with anyone who works for the company, and even hiring someone I was with in the past can present problems.”

“But who would know?” she asked.

“Well, among others, all the executives from my company who were at the party the other night, including the company’s attorney, the CEO, CTO, CFO, VP of Sales, and the VP of Software Development, not to mention other staff. They know you’re living here, and given my history, can do the math.”

“Oh!” Estrella gasped. “I didn’t think about that.”

“I can manage the situation, but you really do have to decide which you want more. It’s the same dilemma another person faced, and she chose to work for me.”

Estrella frowned, “How long could we be together?”

“The longer our physical relationship continues, the more difficult it will be. You moving into the dorms as planned will be a big help, though you’re certainly welcome to visit here and spend time with us. You’d be invited to Girls’ Night Out, our parties, and so on, and I’m sure Birgit will invite you to participate in her Girl Gang.”

Estrella laughed softly, “She’s more like a college student than an elementary student!”

“No kidding! We’d love to have you as part of our extended family, but as I said, sleeping together will create a serious impediment to working for me.”

Estrella was quiet for a moment then nodded.

“If you were single, I might have a different answer. But you aren’t, obviously. And you can’t have more children, either. I want to work for you.”

I nodded, “And while I can’t guarantee anything, if I mentor you, you’ll have an inside track. And I will happily mentor you and recommend you when the time comes.”

“But what about the rule?”

“I can handle that if it’s been four years, or more, from the time we were last together.”

“Perhaps we shouldn’t,” she said softly. “Then you could say it was in Argentina, but never here.”

She’d just given me an out, AND an argument for Liz, which I could make immediately.

“That might make the most sense,” I replied. “Let me think about it today, and we can discuss it when I arrive home from work.”

🎤 Jesse

On Wednesday morning I was up early and had breakfast with my moms. I had let them know where I was going, and they asked me to call when I got to Macrina’s house and then when I was leaving. I promised I would, and after they left I went to Dad’s study and got two boxes of condoms. I hadn’t needed them for a while because Libby had been on the Pill, so I didn’t have any in my room. Once I had them, I went to find Dad, who was in the kitchen.

“Ready when you are, Pops!” I said.

“I just need to brush my teeth and then I’ll be ready. Union Station, right?”

“Yes. I need to take the Burlington Northern to Downers Grove Main Street.”

“OK. Those platforms are on the south side of the station.

“If you use the Canal Street entrance, then you can just walk through the great hall, make a right, and find your train. Remember, they charge an additional fee to buy your ticket on the train, so buy it beforehand. The ticket windows have moved, and are to the left side when you exit the great hall, but not so far that you go to the north platform.”

“Got it! I’ll get the car keys.”

Dad went upstairs to brush his teeth, came back down, grabbed his bag, then we went out to the car.

“I’ll drive,” Dad said. “It’s too cumbersome to try to switch when we get downtown, and it’s easier to let you out from the passenger side on the sidewalk than get out of the driver’s side in traffic.”

“No problem, Pops! I understand.”

I handed him the keys and we got into his car for the drive into the Loop.

“Did you work out your conundrum?” Dad asked as we drove along 55th Street.

“I think so,” I replied. “The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was too focused on the fact that the girl at the party came on to me. She’s not someone I know or was interested in before that. Basically, I decided to wait to see if she even talks to me. The cheerleaders mostly don’t pay attention to hockey players, though I guess Lee has been dating one of them since school started.”