Chapter 19: Cease and Desist

February 17, 2002, Buffalo New York

🎤 Albert

“Thank you for renting a car so we could drive to Niagara Falls,” I said to Aimee when we met for breakfast on Sunday morning. “Jesse, Nicholas, and Andy got to go when they went to the Hockey Hall of Fame.”

“Believe it or not, I’ve never been, either. That’s why I decided to fly here.”

“Dad said I should ask you about helping pay for fuel, in addition to my hotel room.”

“It’s not necessary, because I need to get my flight hours, anyway. But I’ll speak to him. You know, I didn’t ask you while we were flying, but how are things going with Scouts?”

“Great! Uncle Dave says I’m on target to make Eagle Scout before my seventeenth birthday, and I’m planning to apply to JROTC, as we discussed. And between Dad, Grandpa Albert, your dad, and Captain Schumacher, I think I have enough connections to get an appointment.”

“Dad would like you to come to visit, so maybe the next time I come out, we can fly to Cincinnati. You have friends there, right? I mean, besides your Grandpa Adams.”

“Yes. Aunt Joyce’s family, plus the sons of the lawyer who worked for my dad and her partner.”

“OK. Maybe Memorial Day weekend?”

“Sounds great!”

We ate our breakfast then headed out to see Niagara Falls, which we’d try to fly over on our way home, if Aimee could get clearance to do so.

[Chicago, Illinois] 🎤 Birgit

“I couldn’t see Jesse, so would you make sure to let him know he’s invited to hang out with us in Sweden?” Kjell asked when we came out of the theater.

“Sure,” I replied.

“Who all is coming with you?” he asked as we headed towards the exit so we could wait on the sidewalk for his parents.

“My moms, Suzanne, Jesse, and my sisters. Albert is going to visit Jane while we’re in Sweden, and Matthew and Michael have other stuff going on, so they decided not to come. Eduardo is taking them to a couple of Formula One races, and they’re going to see some soccer matches, too.”

“Which Formula One races?” Kjell asked, looking at Matthew.

“Canada and Indianapolis,” Matthew replied. “Do you follow F1?”

“Yes. I’ve been to races in Germany, England, and France. And you know I’m a fan of football.”

“We are, too,” Matthew said. “Most of our friends prefer European football to the NFL. We do watch the US teams, but they aren’t very good compared to teams like Real Madrid, Arsenal, or Ajax.”

“I’m a fan of Chelsea in the English Premier League.”

“We like Tottenham,” Matthew replied.

“There are your mom and dad,” I said to Kjell, seeing Kristian and Karin drive up next to the curb.

We walked over to the car, I hugged him, and he got in.

“«Vi ses i juli!»” Kjell said. (“See you in July!”)

“«Vi ses!»” I replied. (“See you!”)

I shut the door, and Karin rolled down her window to say ‘goodbye’. I said ‘goodbye’ back, and they pulled away.

🎤 Jesse

“Hi!” Brooke exclaimed when I arrived at her house early on Sunday afternoon. “Come in!”

I stepped into the house, Brooke closed the door, then gave me a tight hug.

“You ate, right?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Great!” she exclaimed, taking my hand and leading me upstairs.

Once we were in Brooke’s room, we quickly undressed and got into bed.

“Same as last time?” she asked.

“Sounds good to me!”

“We have enough time for four,” she declared. “Cum twice in my mouth, twice in my pussy?”

“If that’s what you want, I’m absolutely OK with it! Switch every time you orgasm?”

“Yes!” Brooke exclaimed.

Four hours later, after I had cum four times, and Brooke dozens of times, Brooke and I went to her shower.

“So, did we prove the equation?” I asked, soaping her shoulders.

“If I say ‘yes’, does that mean you won’t come over next Sunday?”

“I’m happy to integrate with you every Sunday!”

“What are you doing this Summer?”

“Going to hockey camp for two weeks, then going to Sweden and Russia with my dad,” I said as I soaped her butt.

“Must be nice! We’re going to visit my relatives in Texas, and that’s it. You wouldn’t be interested in integrating in the Fall, too, would you?”

“Let’s see what happens over the Summer, OK? I’m not saying ‘no’, but next school year is six months away.”

“Maybe we can see each other sometime during the Summer?”

“Sure. I’ll only be gone about half the Summer. But everything is cool from now until the end of the school year, unless I have hockey on Sunday afternoon.”

“Just let me know. I really, really like fooling around with you!”

“You’re lots of fun, too,” I replied.

Brooke rinsed off, then soaped me and I rinsed off. We dried off, got dressed, changed the sheets on her bed, and then she walked me to the door. We kissed, she let me out, and I walked home, going into the main house.

“Kjell said to say ‘goodbye’,” Birgit said. “And invited you to hang out with us when we’re in Sweden.”

“Cool! What’s the plan?”

“At least one day we’ll go sailing and maybe stay the night in tents on an island in the Archipelago.”

“That sounds like fun!” I agreed. “Are you inviting Ashley and Stephie?”

“No. It’s teenagers, I’ll actually be the youngest. Everyone else will be between fifteen and nineteen. We can probably invite them to some things, but I think they plan to hang out with Marta and Kristina.”

“I’m not looking forward to seeing Marta. She got really weird after the last time she was here.”

“You mean after you guys slept together?” Birgit asked.

“Yeah. It was strange because she asked her mom if it was OK if she slept with me, but then the next morning she already seemed like she regretted it.”

“That is weird.”

“So, you and Kjell?” I asked.

“We’ll see,” Birgit said with a sly smile that made her true feelings clear. “I like him a lot, and he’s not like most boys here.”

“You probably need a college guy, but the law makes that difficult.”

“The stupid old men should mind their own fucking business about fucking!”

I laughed, “TELL me about it!”

“How’s your math nerd?” Birgit asked with a sly smile.

“No longer convergent!” I declared with a grin.

“I take it that’s a math joke?”

“Yeah, sorry. You haven’t had Algebra II or trigonometry yet. And how do YOU know?”

Birgit laughed, “I went to look for you before, and Mom One told me you were hanging out with your math nerd!”

“Mom One talks too much!” I said, but I was laughing.

“Can I ask you who your first was?”

“You can NEVER say anything if I tell you.”

“I promise!” Birgit said firmly.

“April.”

Birgit laughed, “I should have guessed! Your fourteenth birthday, right?”

“Yes.”

“So you and Dad have both been with her and with Angelina?”

“I was a bit weirded out by Angelina, but after I thought about it, it didn’t bother me as much as I first thought. And it wasn’t like she was my friend when they did it.”

“All of my friends want him,” Birgit said. “And I don’t mind if they do. But I guess it’s different for you.”

“Yeah, he and I have an agreement. Mia was an exception that we discussed.”

“Libby wanted him, didn’t she?”

“Not enough to agree that we’d never have sex again!” I declared.

Birgit laughed, “Too funny! Should we go help Yuriko and Estrella with dinner?”

“Yes!”

February 18, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

“We’ll have Macrina home by 9:00pm,” Mom Two said to Mrs. Kennedy when she came to the door with Macrina on Monday morning.

“Thanks,” Mrs. Kennedy said.

She left and Macrina and I went to my rec room in the basement to hang out for fifteen minutes, to make sure her mom didn’t come back, then went up to my room so I could ‘poke her with my big stick’. An hour later, we showered and went to the main house to meet Matthew and Chelsea.

“I was thinking Ed Debevic’s,” I said to Matthew.

“Cool. Then the Shedd Aquarium? That’s what Chelsea wants to see.”

“You OK with that, Macrina?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“What time do we have to be back here?” I asked.

“Mom is coming to pick us up at 5:00pm. Chelsea’s flight is at 7:00pm.”

“OK. We have an hour before we can leave, because Ed Debevic’s doesn’t open until 11:00am.”

“Sauna?” Macrina asked.

“Chelsea?” I asked.

“If it’s just us four, then it’s fine.”

“Macrina, are you OK with no bathing suits?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

The four of us went to the basement, and I turned on the sauna and hung the ‘Privacy Please’ sign. We decided to play a game of pool while we waited for it to warm up, and Macrina and I barely beat Matthew and Chelsea. We covered the pool table, then after I made sure nobody else was around, we all undressed, grabbed towels, and went into the sauna. I ladled water onto the rocks to create steam, then spread my towel next to Macrina and sat down.

“So you two are ‘kissing cousins’?” Macrina asked Chelsea.

“First cousins, once removed,” Chelsea said. “But officially there’s no kissing because I’ll be eighteen soon.”

“The government needs to butt out of our sex lives!” Macrina declared.

“Nobody here is going to argue with you on that one!” Matthew declared. “It’s so stupid. We’re already a couple and while it’s not technically legal, nobody would really bother us. But the minute Chelsea turns eighteen, it’s considered illegal until I turn seventeen, because me going to Ohio would violate some federal law.”

“The Mann Act, I suspect,” I said. “What’s dumb about it is that two adults who go across state lines and have sex are technically in violation, unless they’re married to each other.”

“Macrina is right,” Chelsea declared. “The government REALLY needs to butt out!”

“When are you moving here, Chelsea?” I asked.

“As soon as school is out! Matthew is going to fly down for my graduation, then Mom and Dad will drive us here with my things. I’m going to live in Eduardo’s townhouse rather than in the Loyola dorms.”

“And I’ll stay there as much as I can,” Matthew said. “That way, on weekends, we don’t have to worry about a car, we can just take the L or a bus pretty much anywhere.”

“That’ll be cool,” I said. “We don’t get to hang out enough.”

“That was one reason,” Matthew said with a goofy smile.

Macrina, Chelsea, and I all laughed.

“Are you two a couple?” Chelsea asked.

“No,” Macrina said. “I’m not allowed to have a boyfriend until I turn sixteen, but that hasn’t stopped me from having Jesse poke me with his big stick!”

Everyone laughed again.

When we finished in the sauna, everyone took quick showers, and after we were dressed, we headed downtown to Ed Debevic’s.

[Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast] 🎤 Steve

“I am not ready to go home!” Kathy declared as the Jaegers and the Adams enjoyed a private sauna late on Monday morning.

“It is a nice getaway,” Kurt countered. “We’ll have two full weeks in Hawaii in July for our real vacation!”

“Just the two of you?” Jessica asked.

“Yes,” Kathy replied. “The kids will stay one week with my mom and then a week with Kurt’s parents. None of your boys except Jesse are going to Sweden and Russia with you, right, Steve?”

“Correct. Matthew and Michael are doing other things over the Summer. Eduardo is taking them to Spain, and they’ll see two Formula One races, and go to some soccer matches. They both have their special interest — Matthew is doing a Summer drama program and Michael is doing a Summer robotics program. And Albert is visiting Jane and her family while we’re in Sweden and Russia. Matthew will actually be in North Carolina next weekend for the NASCAR race, and to see Abbie.”

“I haven’t seen him dress goth in a long time.”

“He quit about when Abbie quit,” I said. “But the pictures will be shown to his children!”

Everyone laughed and a few minutes later, we left the sauna, and headed to our rooms for showers and to get dressed.

“While we were in the sauna, Katy and Amy told Davey that Amy has Stage 1 breast cancer,” I said when my wives and I had dressed, but were still in our room. “She’ll have a lumpectomy next week.”

“Oh, no!” Kara gasped.

“Did they grade the cells?” Jessica asked.

“Grade 1. They don’t expect her to need chemo, but that will depend on the margins of the mass.”

“That’s about the best diagnosis you can have, if you find a mass.”

“Clue in the newbie, please,” Suzanne said.

“I’m not an oncologist,” Jessica said, “But a ‘Grade 1’ tumor means well-differentiated cells, making it easier to remove the tumor. Stage 1 means that the tumor is small, less than two centimeters, and there is no involvement of lymph nodes. That means it has not spread and can be surgically removed. They’ll do tests to determine which of the thirty-odd types of tumor it is, and that, combined with the surgical assessment of the margins, which are the cells around the tumor, will determine if she needs chemo or radiation therapy. Beyond that, you’ll need to speak to an oncologist, because I’m not an expert and don’t keep up with the latest developments in that field.”

“Jess, do you know an overall survival rate?”

“I recall reading that the current five-year survival rate is over ninety percent, and the earlier it’s detected and treated, the higher the survival rate. I can’t say anything specific about Amy’s case because I haven’t examined her, and I don’t know her family history, but she seems to be in very good health, which is a good indicator. When did they find the mass?”

“Last week. She had an immediate biopsy, and they scheduled the surgery right away. As far as I’m aware, she sees her physician regularly.”

“Then, as frightening as it is, there are very strong odds she’ll have a good prognosis, but only the oncologist and surgeon can speak authoritatively once Amy has the lumpectomy.”

“How is Katy doing?” Kara asked.

“Worried, as you’d expect,” I replied, “but she’ll be fine. I suggested she and Amy both see counselors or go to support groups, and they brought in Sheriff Don to help them talk with Davey, as Don is Davey’s favorite ‘grandpa’.”

“Katy’s parents are still a problem?” Kara inquired.

“Yes, sadly.”

“Should we say anything?” Suzanne asked.

“Only if Amy or Katy does,” Jessica counseled. “Just treat them both normally, and let them decide how to handle it.”

We left the room and went downstairs.

[Chicago, Illinois] 🎤 Ashley

Aunt Penny borrowed Kara Mom’s SUV to drive Susie, Ellie, Jasmine, Veronica, Amber, and me to the Build-A-Bear store.

“What are you going to build?” Amber asked me.

“A Teddy Bear,” I replied. “You?”

“A bunny, I think. I already have a bear from this store.”

“My name is Alice!” a cute girl clerk said. “May I help you, young ladies?”

“Yes, please!” I said. “I’m Ashley, and I’d like this bear, overstuffed, with the black fedora, and the red and black shirt, please.”

“Follow me over to the machine, and you can watch me make him!”

I did that, while my other friends were still deciding what they wanted. I had gone onto the internet to see the options, so I knew exactly what I wanted. I watched as Alice filled the bear with stuffing until he bulged, then closed him up. She got the hat and shirt from the rack and dressed him for me.

“Perfect!” I declared when she showed me.

“Great! Let’s go put him in his carrier!”

I followed her to the register, and she put him in the special cardboard carriers, then rang up the total. I paid in cash, then went to watch while my friends picked out their animals and had them stuffed and dressed. When everyone had their bears, we voted to go to Portillo’s for lunch.

It was tough to decide what I wanted, because I loved their burgers, Chicago-style dogs, and Italian Beef sandwiches. I eventually decided on a burger, cheese fries, and a Sprite. I sat down between Jasmine and Veronica, and as soon as everyone had sat down, we started eating.

🎤 Matthew

“I’ll see you in just over a month,” I said to Chelsea after she got her boarding pass.

“I wish you could come to the gate,” she said. “But I asked, and they won’t let you.”

“It’s really silly,” I said. “I mean, I’d go through the scan and without a boarding pass, I wouldn’t be able to get on a plane.”

We exchanged a chaste hug, having kissed at my dad’s house before we had left for the airport.

“I’ll call when I get home,” she said.

“Talk to you then!”

She went through security, then turned, waved, and continued on down the concourse.

“Did you have a good weekend?” Mom asked once Chelsea was out of sight and we turned to leave the terminal.

“Yes. I really like staying at Dad’s house because it’s so much easier to do things if you don’t have a license.”

“Are you unhappy living where we do?”

“No, I like the Oswego schools, and the High School has a way better drama program than Kenwood Academy, and I really like my friends. I think staying with Chelsea on weekends in the city is a good compromise. And I like having my own room, too.”

“I bet!”

I laughed, “Not just for that!”

“I noticed you two were very careful to only hug lightly in public.”

“How I would hug my cousin,” I replied. “After the talks I had with you and Dad, it makes the most sense. It kind of sucks because we can’t really even hold hands in public without someone thinking the wrong thing just because she’s had a birthday!”

“I wish I could fix that for you,” Mom said.

“I don’t think anyone can fix it, because every day people seem more and more freaked-out about teens having sex when it’s a normal, biological thing to do! And even dumber, they try to keep information about sex from kids! All THAT is going to do is increase STIs and unplanned pregnancies!”

“Your dad, Eduardo, and I are all on the same page. And so are Aunt Jennie and Uncle Kent.”

“I can’t imagine what it would be like if all of you were like other parents!”

“Well, to start with, your dad would only have one wife!”

“Who?”

“That’s a VERY good question. If your dad were different, I might well have decided to sleep with him again after he came home from Sweden and before we moved to Chicago.”

“Well, given how biology works, I’m happy things went the way they did! But wasn’t he on the way to marrying Aunt Bethany?”

“I don’t think that would have ever happened. Even without your dad needing multiple women to keep him in line, there was always something broken about their relationship. You, on the other hand, only need one girl to keep you in line!”