Chapter 18: One Of The Lucky Ones?

February 16, 2002, Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast near Montpelier, Vermont

🎤 Steve

“Morning, Katy!” I said, coming into the kitchen after my morning run with Suzanne.

“Go shower!” Katy ordered. “I can smell you from here!”

“Don’t like my manly scent?” I asked with a grin.

She came closer and whispered, “Only if I’m the one who works up the sweat!”

I laughed, “Which is NOT our style! I’ll go get a shower and be back down for breakfast.”

She winked, and I headed upstairs to the Ethan Allen Suite, which Kara, Jessica, Suzanne, and I were sharing. Kara and Jess were cuddled in bed, apparently asleep, so I quietly opened the bathroom door, went in, and closed it. I stripped off my running gear and climbed into the large shower stall with Suzanne.

“We should do this every morning after we run!” she exclaimed, turning to kiss me.

“Birgit would put out a contract on you for taking away cuddle time!” I chuckled. “I love long, warm showers, but when she’s waiting to cuddle, I make them quick.”

“If she weren’t your daughter, I’d say you were whipped!”

I chuckled, “Oh, I am, but not that way.”

“She’s going to ask on her birthday, mark my words.”

“That won’t surprise me,” I said.

“Obviously, you can’t, though I wonder if it’s as obvious as Jessica thinks it is.”

“Have you been talking to Kara?”

“And Natalie. The taboo aside, Birgit can’t actually have what she wants, because she could never displace Kara and Jessica.”

“Nor you,” I added. “And, as you say, taboo aside, the fact that I know that would make it horribly abusive. She can’t consent precisely because what she actually wants is off the table. Again, taboo aside. Fundamentally, it’s a non-starter, and Birgit will have to deal with it. She’ll be cross with me for a few days, or maybe even longer, but it’ll pass, and in the end, she’ll realize the problem with it.”

“She’ll just have to get it vicariously from her friends! You know Rachel has given them VERY detailed descriptions, right?”

“And in other news, water is wet!” I declared.

“Several of the Girl Gang and Fluffle have their eyes on you, but they’re biding their time because they have to wait until they’re fifteen.”

“At least fifteen,” I countered. “And I have to take into account how my daughters would feel about it, not to mention account for potential parental reaction.”

“Kristin?”

“Yes. Kathy and I discussed it, and Kathy is supportive of Kristin’s request.”

“Kara told me that you and Katy often get together while you’re here.”

“That’s up to Katy,” I replied. “She’ll ask, if she’s interested, and if Amy is still OK with it.”

We finished our showers, dried off, and went back into the bedroom where Kara and Jessica were sitting up in bed, snuggled together.

“Morning, beautiful wives!” I exclaimed.

“Have fun in the shower, Tiger?” Jessica asked.

“Just getting clean,” I said. “No fooling around.”

“Saving your energy for Katy?” Kara asked with a smirk.

“We’ll see,” I said. “I’m ready for breakfast.”

“I suppose we have to get out of bed, Jess,” Kara said.

“Those two are WAY too happy for this early in the morning on a day off!” Jessica complained.

“You don’t usually complain about me being ‘up’!” I teased. “And you certainly didn’t last night!”

“Did you bring the floggers, Kara?” Jessica asked.

“No.”

“I did!” Suzanne declared.

“Traitor!” I countered.

“YOU invited me to be your wife, and wives stick together!”

“Great,” I replied flatly. “I’m going downstairs to see Katy.”

“She’ll lick your wounds for you if you ask!” Kara teased.

I rolled my eyes and left my three wives in the bedroom to conspire against me and went down to the kitchen again, finding Kathy with Katy.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite redhead!” I grinned.

“I bet THAT doesn’t last,” she said accusingly.

“Hey, I am NOT the one with the razor, so don’t look at me!”

“Jesus, Steve!” Katy laughed. “It’s been almost twenty years and you’re STILL complaining!”

“Steve will complain about that until his dying breath,” Kathy laughed.

“Help me get breakfast on the table, please,” Katy requested.

[Chicago, Illinois] 🎤 Matthew

“Chelsea, this is my dad’s friend, Yuriko, from Japan,” Birgit said to Chelsea when we came into the kitchen from the nanny room. “She’s studying at UofC.”

“Hello, Chelsea,” Yuriko said, giving a slight bow.

“Hi,” Chelsea replied.

“Breakfast is ready — American style, with bacon, eggs, and waffles.”

“It’s different in Japan?” Chelsea asked.

“Yes. It would include fish, rice, and soup.”

We sat down at the island and helped ourselves to food.

“Kjell will be here in a bit,” Birgit said. “Do you guys want to hang out with us today?”

“Sure. What did you guys plan to do?”

“Go downtown and check out the stores on Michigan Avenue, have pizza, and see a movie.”

“What movie?” I asked.

“Peter Pan: Return to Neverland.”

“Cool!” I exclaimed. “Is that OK with you, Chelsea?”

“Yes! I am really glad we’re staying here because there’s so much more to do.”

“I’m sure you could find a way to entertain yourselves!” Birgit smirked.

“We did that last night and this morning!” Chelsea declared. “There are other things to do besides that!”

“Uh-huh,” Birgit teased.

“Stephie, where’s Nicholas?” Chelsea asked.

“Dead, for all I care!” she growled.

“Whoa!” Chelsea exclaimed. “What happened?”

“He’s a boy!” Stephie declared angrily. “That’s what!”

“Oops,” Chelsea said quietly to me.

I shrugged because I had no idea what had happened. I figured we could ask Birgit while we were out. I had noticed Nicholas wasn’t at the house, but I assumed he was with Albert and Dave’s boys, who we were going to see on Sunday. We finished our breakfast just before Kjell’s parents dropped him off. After helping with the dishes, Birgit, Kjell, Chelsea, and I put on our coats, hats, and gloves and headed for the train station.

“What happened with Stephie and Nicholas?” I asked.

“Stephie got her period and turned into a major bitch overnight!” Birgit declared. “And Nicholas wasn’t having any of it! He let her boss him around before, but Stephie became worse than ME!”

I laughed, “That’s pretty bad!”

“I know, right?” Birgit smirked. “But Midol, at that time of the month, helps.”

“Amen, Sister!” Chelsea declared.

“What about the REST of the month?” I asked.

“Ha-ha, Matthew,” Birgit replied flatly. “Very funny.”

“I love you, Birgit!” I declared.

“Uh-huh,” she replied, but she bumped my shoulder with hers to show she loved me, too.

🎤 Albert

“Tell me about the pre-flight check,” Aimee said as we walked up to the Twin Beech at Meigs.

“Has it been fueled?” I asked.

“Yes. The truck came as soon as I landed, and before Terry dropped you off.”

“Are the registration and airworthiness certificate up to date?”

“Of course, but I know you had to ask.”

I opened the door and checked the switches.

“Ignition is off; master power is on. Permission to check the controls.”

“Granted.”

I got in and visibly checked that the flight surfaces moved when I moved the yoke and pedals, checked the dials and gauges, then performed a radio check. Once that was done, I got out and walked around the plane, looking for any damage, loose bolts, or fluid. I didn’t find anything, and the tires appeared to be in good shape and properly inflated.

“Everything looks good,” I said. “You don’t seem to have damaged the plane flying in!”

Aimee laughed, “Remove the chocks and get into the co-pilot seat, Commander Smart Ass!”

“Yes, Ma’am! Right away, Ma’am!” I said, saluting sharply.

I removed the wheel chocks, then climbed into the plane. Aimee got in and we both buckled our safety belts. She nodded to me and I called for clearance to taxi, which was given, and once we were at the end of the runway, I called for takeoff clearance, which was also given, along with climb-out instructions.

“We’re five hundred miles from Buffalo, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of gum, it’s light out, and we’re wearing sunglasses,” Aimee smirked.

“Hit it!” I exclaimed.

[Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast] 🎤 Steve

“My usual chore?” I asked Katy when we finished breakfast.

“You do NOT think that’s a chore, Snuggle Bear!” Kara exclaimed, causing everyone in the private dining room to laugh.

“I meant splitting and carrying wood!” I declared.

“Or splitting WITH wood?” Kara smirked.

“Is she not getting enough?” Amy asked.

“The word ‘enough’ is not in Kara’s vocabulary!” Jessica declared mirthfully. “She can wear out both Steve and me!”

“And Suzanne?” Amy asked.

“No,” Jessica said. “That’s the small difference in our relationship. Only Kara and I make love to each other or with Steve at the same time.”

“May I ask why?” Amy inquired.

“Part of it has to do with the way the relationships evolved,” Kara said. “Jess and I agreed with each other that we’d only be with each other and with Steve. And all of that was discussed with Suzanne before she and Steve agreed to be married, and we agreed to accept her into our family as a wife.”

“Don’t try to make ANY sense of it,” Kurt said with a grin. “We’re close friends and I can’t make any sense of it!”

“And a fourth?”

“No,” I said firmly. “Three is the right number, and Kathy can confirm it was pretty much always three girls who kept me in line growing up, and that developed into various configurations until it finally settled with Kara, Jessica, and Suzanne.”

“‘In line’,” Kathy tittered. “As if!”

“OK, tried to keep me in line!” I countered.

“Do you ever get jealous, Kurt?” Amy asked.

Kurt laughed, “Why would I? I have the one he wants!”

“Bullshit!” I countered. “Now, if Kathy loses her razor, then you might have a point!”

“We don’t say that word, Uncle Steve,” Davey corrected.

“I’m sorry, Davey,” I said.

“He’s picked up a very interesting vocabulary from our guests,” Amy said by way of explanation. “And most people don’t deal well with an eight-year-old cursing.”

“The only word banned in Steve’s house is the worst word in the dictionary,” Katy said. “And it starts with ‘F’.”

“We do NOT say that word! Ever!” Davey declared.

“Fair?” I chuckled.

“What?!” Davey asked. “No, it’s, uhm, I’m not allowed to say it.”

“I’ll explain later,” Amy said. “We can talk while Uncle Steve splits the wood.”

We finished breakfast and while the girls helped clean up, Kurt and I set about our chores. Kara came out to the shed about twenty minutes later.

“There’s something I wanted to tell you in private,” she said. “And I haven’t had a chance until now.”

“What’s that?”

“After Birgit’s appointment with Sofia, we had a very, very good talk. Beyond mother and daughter. She actually treated me as a friend, or even a peer. The same way she treats you.”

“Not a chance!” I chuckled. “I am a ‘man in waiting’ for Her Majesty, the Empress of the Universe!”

“True,” Kara replied with a smile. “But also not true.”

“Did anything else happen to cause this discussion?”

“Not beyond her asking Sofia for birth control pills, as you strongly suggested she do.”

“Because she’s YOUR daughter!”

“And yours!”

“All I can say is whichever young man, or older man, is invited into her bed is going to have his mind blown!”

“Along with something else!” Kara tittered.

“I think you are the only mom on the planet who finds the idea of her daughter giving a blowjob at thirteen or fourteen amusing!”

“Oh, right, because you’re an overprotective, controlling parent who believes his daughter has to be a virgin when she marries!”

“Well, no,” I chuckled. “My money is on Kjell.”

“And mine is on her giving you a very detailed description!”

“I know we’ve joked about that, but I believe Birgit’s personality is shifting just a bit. I mean, she wants to be your friend and I’m pretty sure she hasn’t had a blow to the head!”

“Men!” Kara huffed.

“You love me anyway!”

“I do!”

[Chicago, Illinois] 🎤 Jesse

“Luna asked me to talk to you about a date when the softball team could come for a sauna,” CeCe said when we went up to my room.

“I’m not sure if I should be happy or afraid!” I chuckled. “What do you think?”

“I’m not convinced they’ll go through with it. I mean, it’s one thing to tease each other and joke about it, it’s another thing to actually do it.”

We both began undressing.

“True,” I replied. “And honestly, it would have to be during Spring Break. Things are really busy until then because of hockey playoffs. which start next week.”

“That was what Luna thought, so one day that week?”

“Monday or Tuesday would work, I think. We can check my dad’s calendar before you leave. Remember, I’m not promising anything other than a sauna. I’m still not sure it’s a good idea, assuming they’re serious.”

“I think one or two of them might be, but there are girls I can’t imagine going along with that.”

“Make sure you talk to Luna and Shelly, given she was really the ringleader.”

“I will. Is everything still good for two weeks from today at my house?”

“Yes!” I declared as we climbed into bed.

“I am SO psyched! My parents are leaving right after breakfast that morning, so instead of me coming here, you can come to my house. Well, I guess that depends on hockey, right?”

“Yes. We won’t know our schedule for that weekend until after this weekend, but we can certainly work around it.”

“Excellent! I plan to be at all your games, and so will some of the other girls.”

“When do you guys start your season?”

“The last week in March and it goes until the last week of school in June. We play two games a week, one after school during the week, and one on Saturday.”

“I’ll see if I can get some of the guys from the hockey team to come to your games.”

“That would be cool. You know what else would be cool?”

“What?”

“You and me fucking like bunny rabbits!”

[Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast] 🎤 Steve

“All done,” I said to Katy.

“Do you still have the freedom to keep me company for a few hours?” she asked.

“Yes. Do you still have the freedom for me to do that?”

“I wouldn’t ask otherwise, but I know you have to check. I double-checked with Amy ten minutes ago. She’s happy for me to get my desire out of my system with you.”

“Except we both know your desire isn’t for male anatomy, but to be intimate with me, which we could do without having sex.”

“You’re pretty empathic, for a guy!”

“I never really liked Counselor Troi.”

“Smoking hot, red-headed doctors on the other hand...”

“Perhaps, but I would have had to be restrained from beating the snot out of Wesley!”

“Right, because you don’t EVER play the smug know-it-all.”

“I can back it up!” I declared. “Not to mention I can actually get laid! He managed to receive the death penalty for trampling flowers on the planet where they make love at the drop of a hat!”

“Well, Mr. Computer Guy, shall we go up to my room and test if you’re fully functional and capable of multiple techniques?”

“You know I am!”

“Oh, shut up, Steve!”

“At least you didn’t call me Wesley!”

“I think you’ll manage to get laid in the next few minutes! And you won’t even have to beg!”

I laughed and allowed her to take my hand and lead me up to her room. We undressed and got into bed, made gentle love, then cuddled with Katy resting her head on my chest, one arm and one leg thrown over me, and her soft pubic hair tickling my hip.

“How are things going?” I asked.

“I send you monthly financial statements and your cut is transferred on the fifth of every month.”

“All true, but not the question I asked.”

“Amy and I are doing great, Davey is growing like a weed, and he’s a wonderful son. I do miss Birgit, but I’ll see her in June before you guys go to Europe. Things with my family are, well, they are what they are. My sister has two kids, and they’re the ‘grandkids’. Davey is ‘my son’ or something similar.”

“That’s cruel,” I replied. “Downright cruel.”

“We don’t see them very often, but Amy’s family has been great from the beginning. Davey has made some friends at school, and Sheriff Don is his favorite ‘grandpa’.”

“He’s a good man. How’s he doing?”

“We should all be in the shape he’s in at sixty-five! He and Davey ride horses, go on hikes, go camping, and that kind of thing. Don brings his son and grandson sometimes as well. He also taught Davey to shoot, but don’t talk about that, because it’s a sore spot with Amy.”

“My lips are sealed!”

“Want mine sealed around you?”

“We don’t normally do that,” I replied.

“I actually want to, for you. And not sixty-nine. Just me making love to you with my mouth.”

“I won’t object,” I replied.

“And then make love to me once more?”

“Of course.”

🎤 Jesse

After CeCe left, I went to Adi’s house to have lunch with her and her parents. She greeted me with a chaste hug as her parents were able to see us in the foyer. We went into the front room to greet them, then the four of us went to the dining room to have lunch.

“Adi tells me you’re going to win the hockey tournament,” Mussa said.

“I think we have a very good chance,” I replied. “But we have to play hard and stick to our game.”

“You were champions last year, right?” he asked.

“Citywide, but we lost in regionals. Our goal is the statewide championship.”

“And your grades are good?”

I nodded, realizing I was being interviewed for the position of ‘boyfriend’ by Adi’s dad.

“Yes, Sir,” I replied. “All A’s.”

“And you plan to go to college?”

“Yes, and I’ll probably study business. If things work out, I’d go to work for an NHL team. Otherwise, I’ll find another job, or get a Master’s degree. I also plan to play or coach hockey.”

“You’re a Sophomore now, right?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to obtain a driving license?”

“Yes, next Friday.”

“I’d like to have dinner with your parents, please.”

“My moms and my dad?” I asked, wondering how I could get out of this.