Chapter 7: Ninjas?

September 15, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Steve

“That was different,” Suzanne declared as we stretched on the porch before our run.

We’d left Leigh and Natalie in Suzanne’s bed, where the four of us had slept together. There hadn’t been any fooling around, and I’d slept between Natalie and Suzanne, with Leigh on Suzanne’s other side. It had been a tight fit in the queen-size bed, but we’d all enjoyed the closeness. Regular Saturday runs were a new thing, but the extra exercise seemed to help me keep my equilibrium.

“Was it?” I asked. “Really? Or are you referring to Natalie?”

“I was surprised when she asked for all four of us to sleep together, but now that I think about it, it makes sense, given we’re all part of the Inner Circle. And it totally confirmed the point that was made last night about cuddling. Did Elsa ask you?”

“Yes. I’m guessing she spoke to you first?”

“Just to make sure she wasn’t breaking any rules. You know, what happens in Saint Martin stays in Saint Martin. She wasn’t sure if there were different rules there.”

“You’ve been circumspect in what you’ve revealed to your friends.”

“I figure it’s a ‘need to know’ basis and after our talks about when you were in Junior High, I don’t want to encourage any of the girls or make it seem like I was ‘procuring’.”

I chuckled, “I think you’ve noticed that girls seem to find me!”

“That happened in High School and college, right? Just by word of mouth?”

“Yes, it did. Granted, Melanie and Jennifer went out of their way to bring me girls, but there were plenty to whom word got around from other girls. And there were quite a few girls like you who I met and things developed naturally, if you will.”

“Before I forget, I received a text message from Holly saying she and Jackson are bringing someone new tomorrow.”

“Guy or girl?”

“Guy. His name is Fred Stanton. He’s a biochemistry major at IIT with a plan to go to medical school.”

“Cool.”

We finished stretching and started out at a modest pace, heading for Washington Park. About an hour later, we returned home, showered in the basement, and I went to the sunroom to cuddle Birgit.

🎤 Birgit

Dad came back from running and after he showered, he came to the sunroom where I was waiting for him. We got into the chaise, I snuggled close, and Dad wrapped his arms around me. He smelled SO good!

“Pumpkin,” Dad said, “it was a really bad idea for Rachel to be here last night.”

“Her mom is in Milwaukee!” I protested.

“Yes, but if Carla were to find out, it could cause all kinds of problems, not just for Rachel, but for me, too.”

“I can’t believe how much of a bitch she is!”

“Knowing that, was it a good idea to have Rachel here?”

“She’s our friend! And nobody else has a space big enough for everyone!”

“I know, Pumpkin, but you’ll have to figure something out, because it’s just too risky to have her here.”

Somebody needed to put a hit on Rachel’s mom! And if I could find someone, then on Francesca’s, too!

“Dad,” I giggled, “does Aunt Joyce have any connections?”

Dad laughed, “Not every Sicilian is in the Mafia!”

“She doesn’t have to be IN the Mafia, Dad, just know someone! Rachel’s mom, Francesca’s mom, Joy’s dad...”

“Just how long is your list?” Dad asked.

I giggled again, “It all depends on the day and who’s pissed me off!”

“Me?”

“Not usually,” I teased.

“One of these days, Pumpkin...” Dad said, trying to sound threatening.

“You love me, Dad!”

“Which doesn’t appear to help with regard to you putting out a hit contract on me!”

“I’d never do that!” I protested. “I was teasing! Now, Rachel’s and Francesca’s moms...”

“You have to be careful about joking that way. If something were to happen to them, and someone overheard you say it, it could make your life very uncomfortable.”

“I know,” I sighed. “But it’s not right how they’re treated!”

“No, it’s not, but until the girls turn eighteen, their moms get to make most of the decisions.”

“But you let us make our own decision.”

“We do, but you know that’s not true for most of your friends.”

“Why are people like that?”

“Because they’re scared. And people who don’t like the way we live do their best to scare everyone into behaving more like Rachel’s mom or Grandma A. And it’s very effective. You watch; they’ll use the terrorist attacks to try to take away more of our freedoms. It’ll be worse than the ‘War on Drugs’.”

“Ugh!” I groaned. “Dad, do you think I could come to the Philosophy Club?”

“You aren’t even fourteen yet, Pumpkin.”

“So! I’m a woman!”

“A young woman,” Dad replied. “And we limited attendance to college kids and older.”

“But I’m YOUR daughter! It’s not like you or mom are going to complain!”

“No, but we have to be consistent. You and Jesse could have your own group. I know Libby would be interested for sure.”

“I suppose,” I agreed.

“Breakfast!” Mom called from the door to the sunroom.

“Swedish lesson after breakfast?” I asked.

“Absolutely, though I need to go to Jesse’s game. «Ska vi gå och äta?»” (“Should we go eat?”)

“«Ja, visst!»” I replied. (“Absolutely!”)

🎤 Jesse

“Congrats on getting moved up to the first line!” I said to Lee when we took the ice for our game.

“Thanks! Is your dad going to be here?”

“Yes, but he might not be able to stay for the whole game because he has to teach karate. In fact, there he is, sitting down next to your dad and my Uncle Terry. Terry is going to film in case my dad has to leave.”

“You never took karate?” Lee asked.

“No. I started learning to skate when I was two and started playing hockey when I was five. My sisters all go to karate, and so do my aunts.”

“You guys ready?” Freddy, a new defenseman from the private school asked, skating over to us.

“If you guys do your job, we’ll win,” I said. “We beat these guys both times last year, and they lost their goalie. The new one is their old backup and he wasn’t very good. I played against him this Summer in the ‘fun’ league and he wasn’t even trying, but he’s weak high on the stick side.”

“I’ll tell Jack and Tim,” Lee said, skating away towards the forwards.

He was back quickly, as the referee was ready to drop the puck. He did, and less than two minutes into the game, it was clear we completely outclassed the team from Lincoln Park. We kept control of the puck and they only got into our zone twice during the entire period, getting off one weak shot which I caught in my glove and played to Lee. Jack, Tim, and Kwame all scored, and we went to the bench for the five-minute break with a 3-0 lead.

“We’re looking good!” Coach Carlson exclaimed. “But don’t let up. Keep your foot on the gas and let’s put them away!”

We did, and I ended up only needing to make eight saves for the entire game, while we put four more in their net for a crushing 7-0 win for our first game. When the horn sounded at the end, I saw Dad hurry from his seat, and by the clock on the wall, I thought he might be a few minutes late to karate. I followed the team off the ice and into our locker room so we could shower and dress.

“Great game, men!” Coach Carlson exclaimed. “Game puck goes to Kwame for his two goals and two assists. Honorable mention to Jesse for his shutout, but it’s not like he was actually challenged today!”

I laughed, “A bunch of those kids played in the Park District League and developed bad habits!”

“The Summer ‘fun leagues’ are a travesty!” Coach declared. “Men, no resting our your laurels; we have St. Rita next Sunday, and they’re going to be WAY tougher than Lincoln Park! See you guys at 0430 on Monday for practice!”

A bunch of the players groaned, but there wasn’t any way to avoid having at least some early practices, and I’d much rather have those than practice in the evening after dinner. When I was dressed, I said ‘goodbye’ to my teammates, then went to find my moms and Libby.

“Great game, Jesse!” Libby squealed, giving me a hug and a nice kiss.

I laughed, “I could have mailed this one in! Next week will be a tough game, but this one was like practice!”

“I could take back the hug and kiss...” Libby threatened.

“It was a tough, hard-fought game and I know just how to relax afterwards!” I declared, causing my moms to laugh.

We went out to Mom One’s Lexus, I put my gear in the trunk, and then Libby and I got into the back seat. I couldn’t wait to get my permit, though it would be a long time before I could drive alone because I had to have fifty hours of supervised driving, and even after I got my license, I was only allowed one person under eighteen in the car until I turned eighteen. Fortunately, we lived in the city, so it wasn’t going to be nearly as bad as it would for Matthew and Michael who lived out in the burbs.

🎤 Steve

I was a few minutes late getting to the dojo, something I truly hated, but I’d missed so many of Jesse’s games over the years that I felt it was worth it. I took my place in the ‘disciplinary’ spot, behind the last row of white belts, and joined the warm-up exercises. I’d called Sensei Jim when I’d left the rink, so I wasn’t in any trouble, but that didn’t relieve me from the obligation of being on time if I wanted to stand in my rightful place as the second-most senior member of the dojo.

When we finished our warm-ups, I worked with the brown belts, which now included my eldest daughter. She was still miffed at not having heard personally from Felipe, but Sensei Jim had reported that Felipe would be back at the dojo on Tuesday. I worked the brown belts hard on their sparring, and they were all sweaty and exhausted by the end of the class. When we finished, my wives, daughters, and I headed home for showers and lunch, which included Leigh, Natalie, and Hope Schobert.

“I’m bored in my CS class,” Hope announced when we went to my study after lunch for her mentoring session.

“I’m not really surprised,” I replied. “If IIT had made me take CS100, I’d have been bored and frustrated. All I can say is do the assignments and get an A.”

“They aren’t challenging at all,” she protested. “They really should have two classes - one for the clueless kids who decided on computers because they think they can make a ton of money, and the rest of us who have serious programming skills!”

“You’re that good?” I asked.

“At programming? Yes! Though I’m sure you can teach me a lot.”

“The dilemma you have is that the more I teach you now, the more likely you are to be bored in your next class. I’m not saying I won’t, just that you could end up bored to tears for the next four years.”

“Well. Mom did say there was a lot you could teach me besides computers.”

“How do you distinguish between your biological and adoptive moms?”

“Usually I call my biological mom my ‘birth mom’, but I figured in context you’d know I obviously didn’t mean my adoptive mom who thinks you’re going to corrupt me!”

“If having an open mind and being a skeptic is ‘corruption’, that’s a good thing, though I know your church certainly would object to both of those concepts.”

“Let’s just say I couldn’t possibly care less. Mom was pretty clear that Grandpa is a judgmental a-hole who teaches people to be judgmental a-holes.”

“Pretty much the exact opposite of Jesus Christ, who only really castigated people like your grandfather.”

“Did Mom ever share with you that she told her dad she’d given you her virginity in her bed?”

“No, but he obviously knew because he accused me of making her pregnant, but that was impossible based on the timing.”

“She told me; two periods between the time you and she were together and when she got pregnant. And that’s something I want help with, please.”

“Finding your biological dad?”

“Yes. Mom wrote down the names of most of the guys for me, though she says a few are missing because she doesn’t remember.”

“You know the problems, right? First, without all the names, you can’t be sure your biological dad is in the pool of known candidates. Second, you’d need DNA and I can’t imagine too many of them would be willing to give you samples.”

“Even with them not owing child support or alimony?”

“Think about the fact that they may have their own families, and the uproar something like this might cause, even if they wanted to know about you.”

Hope frowned. “I see your point, but I really would like to know.”

It was the same thing Rachel had said, but her situation was much simpler, given Carla had only been with one guy and Rachel had enough information that Patrick’s team would be able to find him.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t try, just that you shouldn’t get your hopes up.”

Hope smiled wanly, “Hope’s hopes are hopeless?”

“Cute. So, computers or...?”

“I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Bang!” she said with a smirk.

“A silly sense of humor is a good thing! What’s your question?”

“So, setting aside, for the moment, how my mom and her friend Ruth cast off their shackles, where do we start?”

“Where did you go to High School?”

“Cincinnati Christian Schools; it’s a private non-denominational school. The last thing my adoptive parents wanted was for a hot, ‘reprobate’ guy to sit next to me in chemistry class.”

I laughed and shook my head at her sense of humor, but there was also a ring of truth to what she said.

“One question which will tell me everything I need to know - did they teach God created the world in seven literal days?”

“Yes, though the official statement of faith says ‘God directly created man as described in the Book of Genesis’.”

“Do you believe that?”

“It seems a bit far-fetched.”

“Just a bit,” I replied with a wry smile. “We can discuss it later, but there are two Creation stories in Genesis. I think the best place for you to start is for you to read Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein.”

“Why that one?”

“Because understanding that book, especially the idea of being a ‘water brother’, as well as the critiques of religion and society, and the persecution of those who are counter-cultural. You’ll also find a lot of things which you’ll discover parallel my life, or, perhaps, my life parallels Heinlein’s story. There’s a copy on the shelf behind you if you want to borrow it.”

“I think I’ll get my own copy; I’m sure the bookstore near campus will have it.”

“It’s about four hundred pages.”

“I read quickly. Second, Mom said I should ask you about your Sunday afternoon discussion groups.”

“You’re welcome to join, but I’d strongly suggest you read the book first, and we discuss it.”

“Why?”

“To give you a foundation from which to participate. Your life experience hasn’t really prepared you for this.”

“My mom’s and Ruth’s solution?”

“I think your situation is sufficiently different that the book is a better approach. You’ve already done the one thing they couldn’t do.”

“Escape?”

“That’s one way to put it; I’d call it asserting control over their lives with a decisive act that is a traditional rite of passage for teens. Well, used to be, anyway.”

“What happened?”

“AIDS, for one, though I think the attempt to keep kids from growing up is the real reason, and all the things that teens used to do have been made much more difficult, illegal, or demonized.”

“Why?”

“A combination of things, but mostly fear due to manipulation, and most people’s inability to accurately assess risk. Do you know about something called the ‘gambler’s fallacy’?”

“It won’t surprise you that gambling wasn’t taught at my school!”

I chuckled, “It wasn’t at mine, either, though we did learn about it in psychology class.”

“It also won’t surprise you my adoptive parents have a low opinion of psychology.”

“Given my relationship with Kara, no, it won’t. Anyway, the fallacy is the idea that a specific outcome is ‘due’ because of a misunderstanding of probability. It’s true, in an infinite series, that the numbers on a roulette wheel will each come up 2.632% of the time because there are 38 total numbers on the wheel. But in a finite series, things do not ‘even out’. Let’s take a simple example - if I flip a coin ten times, what are the odds I’ll get ten heads in a row?”

She thought for a second, then answered, “It would be two to the tenth power, which is 1024; so one out of 1024.”

“Now, if I flip nine heads in a row, what are the chances the tenth flip will be heads?”

“Fifty-fifty.”

“Most people do not understand the difference in those two probabilities, which is why casinos win in the long run. Yes, the odds are always set in their favor, but skilled play of certain games can seriously reduce those odds.”

“Do you gamble?”

I chuckled, “Most people I know would say that I don’t. I play Texas Hold ‘Em poker, which is a game of skill, but I also win far more than I lose, so it’s not ‘gambling’ any more than the stock market is, if you have good knowledge of the game and know how to read people at the poker table.”

“I thought it was all about luck.”

“In certain kinds of poker, the luck factor can be significantly reduced. If you understand the odds, and understand people, you’ll do very, very well. And you learn valuable skills that you can use elsewhere.”

“I think I’ll add that to the list of things I want you to teach me.”

“I’d be happy to. Let’s start with you reading the book and take it from there. Once you’ve read it, we’ll discuss it, and you can begin coming to the Philosophy Club. Then we can start working on your list. I take it you have things on it already? I mean besides computers and poker?”