Chapter 30: Sand in the Gears

March 9, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Steve

Liz escorted the contingent of law enforcement to the front door and returned after they had left. Trish came into the kitchen right behind Liz.

“They did their best to get her to agree to return to Ohio,” Trish said, “but she steadfastly refused. They also encouraged her to call home, and she also refused.”

“What did they ask her?”

“What you would expect. She was adamant that she initiated sex, and that she begged you to bring her to Chicago.”

“The FBI Agent tried to trap Steve into something for which he could be charged under the ‘lying to the government’ statute,” Liz said.

“Typical,” Trish said, shaking her head.

“I thank my Dream Team!” I declared.

“Julius spoke privately to the detective and I think that’s the main reason they gave up,” Trish said. “They SO wanted to find something to pin on you, but the fact that the local Sheriff backed your version of events made that tough.”

“Is Tabitha OK?” I inquired.

“Yes, I think so,” Trish said. “She was forthright and adamant. I did suggest she call home, but she refused. You might suggest that, or have Hope suggest it.”

“OK. I need to grab something to eat, then get to the ice rink. I’m pretty sure that I’ll have missed the first period of the game.”

I went to the dining room, got my half-eaten wrap, then went to find Natalie so she could accompany me to the rink. Unsurprisingly, Hope and Tabitha asked to tag along, and I agreed. That meant we needed to take two cars because Suzanne and Birgit were joining us. I asked everyone but Tabitha to ride in the other car so she and I could have a private conversation, and they agreed.

“Are you OK?” I asked once Tabitha, and I were in my BMW.

“Yes. You warned me they were going to show up, so I wasn’t surprised. They wanted me to go home, but I said I wanted to stay. Then they tried to get me to call my parents, but I don’t want to talk to them.”

I felt it was better if Hope discussed calling home, so I let it be.

“Did you call Lou?” I asked.

“Yes. This morning while you were at breakfast. I just told him I had a falling out with my parents and was moving to be with a friend.”

The sequence of events, and the fact that the players all knew each other, might mean I would have to apologize to Lou, and I felt that would be sufficient to not cause any real problems between Lou and me.

“I’m happy you could get a job right away,” I said.

“It was a little difficult because I don’t have an Illinois driver’s license or anything with my new address, but they could work around that. How do I get a new license?”

“You go to the Secretary of State’s facility,” I said. “You just need your Ohio license and proof of your new address. I’ll create a pro forma lease that you can show them. You’ll need a local bank account, too. We can work out the logistics tonight or tomorrow.”

“I’m with Bank One in Ohio. I saw a branch here.”

“OK. That should be easy once you get your license — you can just go to a branch and do a change of address. That really should be all you need, because you don’t have a car.”

“Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Hope gave me a copy of Smart Teens; Smart Choices this morning.”

“That’s good.”

“I want to read it when we get home. Would it be OK with Kara if you spent the night with me?”

“I cleared it with my wives to be with you the next three nights. We can do whatever you want, any way you want, as much as you want. But you know it’s just fucking, right?”

Tabitha nodded, “That’s what I want. Lots of it. Lots and lots of it!”

🎤 Jesse

“What the heck?” I asked as we went into the locker room between the first and second periods.

“Dumb penalties,” Kwame said. “Really dumb penalties.”

“Two separate five-on-three powerplays for them?” Lee said, shaking his head. “We’re lucky it’s only 1-0! Jesse saved our asses!”

“You got that right, Mr. Edwards!” Coach Nelson declared. “By all rights, we should be down by four or five goals. Men, this is the eighth seed! You’re playing like a bunch of mites! If you don’t want to win the citywide championship, keep it up and we can go home after this game and ‘wait until next year’. Or you can get off your butts and play some hockey!”

“Yes, Coach!” we all exclaimed.

“Get hydrated, change your t-shirts if you need to, use the john, and get your heads out of your butts!”

Everyone responded again, but I didn’t have a good feeling about the game. I wasn’t sure what it was, but something was off with the team for some reason. When we hit the ice for the second period, I saw Dad had arrived, and part of me was glad he’d missed the disastrous first period, but that meant he also missed me making nineteen saves, which was usually the number for an entire game.

“No fucking around, guys,” I said to Lee and Freddy before they took their places for the faceoff.

The second period was better, but we couldn’t get any offense going. The other team was playing a modified trap and was doing a good job of getting to pucks when we dumped in. The only positive thing was that meant they got very few shots, but they didn’t need them unless we could score, which we didn’t do in the second period.

🎤 Steve

“What’s wrong with them, Josie?” I asked when the second period ended. “They don’t look like themselves.”

“I have no clue!” she groused. “They’re half a step slow and out of sync. They know how to beat the trap, but they’re not getting to the puck the way they should.”

“I wonder if defending two five-on-three powerplays tired them out and psyched them out.”

“Possibly,” Jennifer said. “Jesse was a stone wall in the first period, but you can’t survive those kinds of situations, even if you’re playing like Patrick Roy!”

I laughed, “Not the example I’d use because of his penchant to make risky plays! More Ed Belfour or Dominik Hašek!”

“Roy won the Stanley Cup last year!”

“He did, but that doesn’t mean he made no ‘Patrick Roy’ moves! We need a goal.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious!” Josie said flatly.

“Where’s General Dmitry when we need him?” Nicole asked.

“Unfortunately, he couldn’t get away this weekend,” I replied. “He’s planning to be here next Saturday for the finals.”

“Not if the kids don’t get their poop in one group!” Josie declared.

I laughed, “Don’t want a ‘Yellow Jacket’ to kick you out for swearing?”

“You’ll hear me swear like a sailor if they don’t get a bleeping goal!” she said fiercely.

“Maybe you should ask CeCe to go to the locker room and tell the guys the softball team will fu ... have sex with them if they win!” Mikey suggested.

“I dare YOU to do that,” Nicole said. “In fact, I double-dog dare you!”

“That might not be the wisest course of action if you want to leave the rink alive, Mikey,” I chuckled.

“Mikey wishes someone would make that offer to HIM!” Libby teased.

“Mikey knows I’d cut it off, fry it on a grill in front of him, and feed it to him if he took them up on that offer!” Nicole said primly.

I cringed, “That image!”

The kids came back onto the ice for the third period, so we all turned our attention to the game.

🎤 Jesse

Things didn’t go much better in the third period. We had some good chances, but the puck just wouldn’t go in. They didn’t get many chances, so we just needed the next goal to tie, and then it was a completely new game. Our best chance came on a breakaway, but the opposing goalie got his blocker just enough in the way that it deflected the puck to the crossbar, and we didn’t get the rebound.

The clock was ticking down, and I watched coach from the corner of my eye. With seventy-three seconds to go, we had complete control of the puck in their end, and he signaled to me. I made a beeline for the bench, skating as hard as I could, and when I was within the permitted distance, Neil came over the boards and skated hard across the red and blue lines to get in on the play.

We had a couple of good chances with six-on-five, but nothing went in. With twelve seconds left, a clearing attempt by the other team resulted in icing. Coach wanted to call a timeout, but if he did that, the opposing team would get to rest, which he didn’t want. He changed the defensemen, but left the same four forwards on the ice, sending the play in with Kwame.

Tim won the faceoff and executed a perfect pass to Kwame, who fired the puck at the net as everyone else crashed, hoping for a rebound if the shot didn’t go in. It didn’t, and one of their defensemen slapped the puck to the corner. Three seconds later, the horn sounded and we were out of the playoffs.

We dejectedly lined up for the ‘handshake skate’ and once that was done, we skated to the gate and headed for the locker room. Nobody said anything because nobody needed to say anything. We’d blown it by getting off to a bad start and had never recovered.

“Team meeting Monday after school,” Coach Nelson said, looking very angry.

After showers, we dressed, and walked silently from the locker room. I found my moms, and just shook my head, because I didn’t want to talk about it.

“Jesse?” CeCe called from behind me.

I stopped and waited for her to catch up.

“OK if I come over?”

Having sex with CeCe wouldn’t improve my mood, but it would feel good, and I was sure she wouldn’t give me grief about the game.

“Sure. See you in a bit.”

🎤 Steve

“That was just awful,” I said as Suzanne, Natalie, Birgit, Hope, Tabitha, and I left the rink.

“They stunk!” Birgit declared. “And I don’t mean like Jesse’s gear!”

“Of all the days to have an ‘off’ day,” Natalie said. “This was NOT the day.”

“They were champions last year, right?” Tabitha asked. “I heard someone say that.”

“They were,” I said. “They apparently had a meltdown in the first period. Nicole told me they took a series of dumb penalties and Jesse kept them in the game, but it wasn’t enough because the team just didn’t look right. I’ll talk to Jesse once a few days pass.”

“Not before?” Tabitha asked.

“Oh, I’ll talk to him, but I won’t bring up the game. He’s already beating himself up, I’m sure. And not that I’d criticize him, but he needs time to process. That’s true of most situations where you have a big disappointment or letdown.”

“Shotgun!” Birgit declared.

“Who said you’re riding with me?” I asked.

“I did!” Birgit declared. “In the front seat!”

Tabitha and Natalie got into the backseat, and Suzanne and Hope got into Jessica’s BMW, with Suzanne driving. We headed home, and I was surprised to find Jesse waiting in the driveway for us.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Is it OK if I drive to church in the morning? That way I can see Macrina.”

“Sure,” I agreed. “Make sure you call Mr. Vasily so he knows he doesn’t have to pick you up.”

“On it, Pops! Which car should I take?”

“Mine. I can use Jessica’s if I need to go anywhere.”

“Awesome!”

CeCe walked up as we were going into the house, and I was sure she’d soothe Jesse’s ego, along with anything else that needed soothing.

“You look unhappy, Snuggle Bear,” Kara said when she saw me.

“They lost. They had two, two-man disadvantage powerplays in the first period.”

“Ouch!”

“Yeah. Jesse isn’t happy, but CeCe just showed up, so I suspect he’ll feel better shortly.”

“Tall, cute blonde athlete?” Kara smirked. “She’s yummy! Jesse’s moms think so, too!”

Everyone laughed except Tabitha, who I suspected was overwhelmed again. She’d get used to it, but Kara could overwhelm pretty much anyone with her sexuality, including ME, on occasion.

“I’m going to read the book,” Tabitha announced.

“OK. Dinner is at 6:20,” I said. “As soon as Kara, Suzanne, and I return with Jess.”

“Steve-sama?” Yuriko called out, “could you come to the kitchen, please?”

“Sure,” I replied, walking quickly in that direction.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I wanted to let you know I plan to go to Florida on Spring Break with Suzanne, Natalie, Tessa, Nickie, Elsa, and Kim.”

Suzanne had mentioned she might go on a trip, and Yuriko had just confirmed it. Visions of Saint Martin flashed through my head, and I imagined all the fun I could have if I went to Florida with them, but I was already missing too much work as it was.

“That sounds like a fun trip,” I said.

“I’ve never been! We’re going to go to the beach, and to Disney World.”

“Are you flying or driving?”

“Driving. Natalie is borrowing her parents’ minivan. We’ll leave on Friday and come back the Sunday of the next week.”

“OK. Enjoy!”

“Would you have time tomorrow?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.”

“Actually, I would. Jesse’s team lost today, so there’s no game tomorrow.”

“That’s sad, but I’m happy!”

“After lunch?” I asked.

“Perfect!”

🎤 Jesse

CeCe and I cuddled together after twenty-five minutes of me working out my frustration, which had been to her benefit, as she’d had six good orgasms before I had mine. I was enjoying the quiet when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I said.

The door opened and Mom One stuck her head in.

“Cover up!” she said, shaking her head.

“YOU opened the door!” I retorted.

I laughed and pulled the sheet so it covered my exposed groin and CeCe’s butt.

“What’s up?” I asked once that was done.

“Francesca is downstairs.”

“She was supposed to call,” I said.

“She wanted to surprise you.”

“Did you tell her I was with CeCe?”

“No,” Mom One said, “I told her you were resting after your hockey game.”

“What do you think?” I asked CeCe.

“I think if we shower and go downstairs, she’s going to be upset. I think if you send her away, she’s going to be upset. I think if you have Mom One send her up, she’s going to be homicidal.”

That was about the size of it, I thought, and no matter what I did, Francesca was going to be upset.

“Tell her I’ll be down in a few minutes,” I said.

“OK,” Mom One said, closing the door.

CeCe and I put on robes and went across the hall to take a quick shower, then back to my room to dress. Once we were dressed, we went downstairs to the living room.

“Hi,” I said.

“Hi!” Francesca said, her happy face turning sour when she saw CeCe following me down the stairs.

“This is CeCe,” I said.

“Hi,” CeCe said.

Francesca’s face turned from sour to dark, and she bolted from the living room and out the front door.

“Well, that went well,” I sighed.

“Are you going to go after her?” CeCe asked.

“And do what?” I asked. “Francesca obviously wants to get back together. I don’t want to stop seeing you and you don’t want to stop seeing me. What Francesca wants and what we want aren’t compatible.”

“You’re choosing me over her?” CeCe asked.

I actually didn’t want to have this conversation in front of my moms, though I was sure they’d ask me about it later.

“Let’s go use the sauna,” I said. “We can talk there.”

“OK.”

We left the coach house and went to the main house, and down to the basement.

“The sauna is on,” I said. “But there’s no ‘Privacy Please’ sign. Let me see who’s in there.”

I opened the door and looked in and saw Dad with Aunt Kara, Suzanne, and Natalie.

“It’s OK to come in, Jesse,” Dad said.

“CeCe is with me.”

“She’s seventeen, right?”

“Yes. She’ll be eighteen in May.”

“Then it’s up to her,” Dad replied.

I shut the door and turned to CeCe.

“My dad, Aunt Kara, Suzanne, and Natalie are in there. What do you want to do?”

“Well,” she smirked, “I guess screwing in the sauna is out!”

“Pretty much! If you aren’t comfortable, we can wait.”

“I think I can handle it. I mean, your dad is cool, right?”

“I think it’s my Aunt Kara you need to worry about!” I declared with a grin.

“Seriously?”

“No,” I chuckled. “But Dad and I have an agreement that he doesn’t even flirt with my friends. Aunt Kara is basically the most sexually uninhibited woman Dad knows.”

“And how do you know that?” CeCe asked.

I laughed, “Because Aunt Kara does NOT hide that from anyone!”

“Can we use the tub?”

“Sure. Right away? Or after?”

“After.”

Because Dad had a guest in the bedroom next to the sauna, CeCe and I undressed in the bathroom, put on robes, then went to the closet by the sauna to get towels. We went in, hung our robes on hooks, then put our towels on the opposite end of the bench from where Dad and the girls were sitting.

“Hi, CeCe,” Aunt Kara said.

“Hi!” CeCe responded.

That was the extent of the conversation, and about ten minutes later, they stood up.

“Want me to put up the privacy sign?” Dad asked.

“Yes, please,” I replied.

Dad, Aunt Kara, Suzanne, and Natalie left the sauna, and I got up to turn on the tap for the whirlpool.

“Is it OK to say something about your dad?”

“Sure.”

“It was weird because he didn’t even really look at me. I kind of expected at least a bit of staring.”

I laughed, hard. “You did see the three gorgeous women he was sitting with, right?”

“Sure, but I still would have expected at least being checked out!”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, please, but Dad has probably seen two hundred women naked in this sauna, alone. He’s not going to be rude, nor is he going to violate our agreement. And, in this family, seeing people naked in the sauna is just another normal day at the Compound! That said, I am sure he took note of your beauty, he was just polite about it.”

I sat back down while the water flowed into the tub.

“Actually, now that I think about it, you weren’t really trying to get your eyes full when the softball team was here.”

“Well,” I chuckled, “when it’s wall-to-wall naked girls, you don’t HAVE to try!”

“How old are your dad and your aunt?”

“Dad turns thirty-nine next month, and Aunt Kara turns thirty-eight at the end of this month.”

“Wow! They’re in great shape and look awesome!”