Chapter 71: Discovered!

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

🎤 Birgit

Marcella and I kissed, first just a soft ‘lip kiss’, then a gentle French kiss. I wasn’t sure what she wanted, nor was I sure what I wanted. The ‘heat of the moment’ from that first kiss the previous night had subsided, and while the kiss was really nice, it didn’t create the same burning desire. I wondered what had changed, and as I thought about it, my first ‘real’ kiss with Ed had left me feeling the same way as the first ‘real’ kiss with Marcella. What I really needed to do was an experiment, but Ed’s family had left after breakfast, and I hadn’t been allowed to even say ‘goodbye’ to him.

We broke the kiss and lay back, side-by-side, our shoulders and hips touching.

“I liked that,” Marcella said dreamily.

“Me, too,” I agreed.

“It’s so nice to finally meet someone who lets me be who I am and not have to fake it.”

“You don’t have a friend who understands?”

“No,” Marcella sighed. “They all pretty much think like my parents and grandparents.”

“Where do your grandparents live?”

“My dad’s family is from Nashville, and my mom’s family is from Scranton, Pennsylvania. They met at Yale where they both were working on Master’s degrees. When they graduated, Dad got the job at Lehman, they moved to the City, got married, and about two years later I was born. Mom went to work for Lehman about three years ago after working at Arthur Andersen. Where are your grandparents from?”

“Cincinnati,” I replied. “Well, they all lived in Milford when Mom and Dad met in High School; that’s just east of Cincinnati. Dad moved to Chicago for college and Mom followed him a couple of years later. She was only one year behind him in High School, but my grandpa died and she took time off between High School and college to help her mom, who eventually remarried. Mom moved to Chicago for school, and the rest is history!”

“PhD, right?”

“Yes. Her area of focus is on polymers. Well, and teaching Freshman chemistry plus other classes.”

“Does your dad have a Master’s in Computer Science?”

“No, just a Bachelor’s. He says you don’t really even need a degree to be successful in the field. My brother’s moms both have Master’s, one in electrical engineering and one in civil engineering, I mentioned the trauma surgeon, and my other two brothers’ mom has an MBA. Dad is the only one who doesn’t have a graduate degree of some kind.”

“I really wish you lived closer,” Marcella said.

“Do you have instant messaging?”

“Yahoo! Messenger and email. Dad set it up and I know he looks at it, so I have to be careful.”

“My dad would never even think about looking at my computer!” I said. “Do you have spy software on yours?”

“You mean a program that logs everything I do on the internet?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes. It’s called Net Nanny. Dad checks it all the time.”

“Dad says that’s a violation of a teenager’s privacy,” I said.

“Do you look at X-rated stuff?” Marcella asked.

“No, but I could if I wanted to.”

“You really wouldn’t get in trouble for that?”

“No. Mom and Dad would probably talk to me about how unrealistic porn is, but otherwise, nothing would be said.”

“How do you know it’s unrealistic if you don’t look at it?”

“Because we talk about things like that in my house. Dad feels it’s super-important for teenagers to have all the information they need to make informed decisions and so long as we’re responsible, he basically allows us to do what we want when we want with who we want.”

“If I had parents like that, things would be so different. You’re really lucky, Birgit.”

“It’s not ALL perfect,” I countered. “My mom and I get into it at times, and I secretly call her the Wicked Witch of the West!”

“But why? She sounds perfect!”

I actually couldn’t tell Marcella why; Ashley was right that I’d blown my chances with Dad by not being circumspect.

“We just have different opinions on some things, and I think she sticks her nose in my business too much.”

“Seriously? From what you said? I don’t buy it! What do you want to do that you can’t do?”

‘Fuck my dad!’ I wanted to say, but again, I couldn’t.

“Nothing, really, I guess.”

“I think you just need something to complain about because your life sounds perfect!”

“Now you sound like Katy!” I protested.

“I wish I had parents like yours and friends like Katy.”

“I’m sure Katy would chat with you if you wanted. I’m curious, what do your parents say about Katy and Amy?”

“Dad referred to them as the ‘two dykes’, but he likes it here, so I guess he tolerates it. I’m not sure what he’d do if he knew I spoke with them, or worse, if he knew how I felt.”

“When did you realize?”

“A few months after I got my period. Before that, I didn’t even think about it. Most of my friends were girls, but that seems pretty normal. Then one day I realized that this girl in my class was really pretty and suddenly I was thinking about kissing her and stuff. I was confused at first, but then I felt that way about a couple more girls, but never any guys, and realized that I liked girls.”

“Was that when you were twelve?” I asked.

“Thirteen,” Marcella replied. “I got my period about a week after my thirteenth birthday. You?”

“Twelve. Do you want to have kids?”

“I’d like a baby, but I don’t know if I could let a guy put his thing in me, even for that.”

“There are other ways,” I said. “Adoption, which is how Katy and Amy got Davey, and artificial insemination, which can happen several ways, in utero and in vitro.”

“What are those?”

“For in vitro, they mix sperm with an egg in a test tube, then implant the embryo in your uterus a few days later. For in utero, there are several techniques for injecting sperm into your uterus, and one that doesn’t actually go that far, just depositing sperm in your vagina like would happen if you had penile-vaginal intercourse.”

“Did you swallow a medical textbook?’ Marcella asked.

I laughed, “No. All of that stuff is in the book I mentioned, and I’ve discussed those things with my dad and my OB/GYN.”

“We have to find a way to talk!” Marcella said. “And see each other. I mean, even if you have a boyfriend, I still want you as a friend.”

“You could come to visit any time,” I said. “My parents would be cool with it, and I have a spare bed in my room.”

Well, I would in about six weeks when Estrella moved into the dorms, and we’d be in Europe for more than half of July, anyway.

“I don’t know if my parents would be cool with that without meeting your parents.”

“Then I could come to visit you. Dad would let me fly out to see you for a long weekend, or whatever. Let’s exchange phone numbers, at least.”

We did, with me writing hers in my pocket address book and me writing mine on a scrap of paper.

“Would you kiss me again?” Marcella asked.

I rolled onto my left side so that half my body was pressed against Marcella. She turned her head, and I pressed my lips against hers. Marcella parted her lips, then our tongues touched and gently danced with each other. I moved my hand to cup her boob and gently rubbed her nipple with my thumb outside her blouse. I felt Marcella’s hand on my butt and she rubbed it as we kissed.

We kissed for several minutes, then I broke the kiss and lay on my back, our shoulders and hips still touching. Marcella sighed deeply but didn’t say anything, so I simply lay quietly next to her. I still wasn’t sure how far I wanted to go and thought it was best to let Marcella make the next move. I could always stop if I decided I didn’t want to do something she wanted to do.

I enjoyed the peaceful quiet of the clearing, with just the wind rustling the leaves on the trees and the occasional birdsong, things we didn’t often hear in the city. I wouldn’t want to live in a place like this permanently, but I totally understood why Dad liked to come here once a year for a few days. Well, besides wanting to be with Katy!

Marcella turned to her side, as I had before, so that half her body was on mine, and when we kissed, I felt her hand on my boob, and my nipples immediately hardened. When she ran her finger over my nipple, I felt a tingle between my legs, though it wasn’t quite as intense as the previous time.

Everything changed when Marcella broke our French kiss and kissed my collar bone, which was exposed by my unbuttoned polo. Suddenly, I was on fire again and had a burning desire for Marcella to touch me. She kissed my neck, my collar bone, and my upper chest, and I hoped she didn’t stop! If she wanted to take off my polo, that was not only fine, but I got even more exciting thinking about her lips on my nipple.

“OH MY GOD, MARCELLA!” a female voice shrieked. “YOU’RE A LEZZY!”

Marcella sat up quickly.

“Emily! Wait!” she called out.

But the girl, who I assumed was Marcella’s sister, ran off. Marcella jumped up and ran after her, and I didn’t even want to think about the consequences. The only thing I could think of to do was to go find Katy and warn her in advance of the appearance of a second irate set of parents in two days.

[Chicago, Illinois] 🎤 Steve

“Hi, Jesse! What’s up?” I asked after flipping open my mobile phone.

“Do you have some time to talk?”

I’d walked to my study as soon as the phone rang, and I shut the door behind me for privacy.

“Yes. I was just relaxing with my wives after the weekly dinner and Michael’s birthday party.”

“I’m sorry I missed it.”

“Michael understands. He was very happy with your gift. What’s going on?”

Jesse had bought Michael a computer game he’d wanted, which had made him very happy, and Jesse had also called him to wish him ‘happy birthday’ right before dinner.

“Nothing good,” Jesse replied. “You remember I told you about my roommate?”

“Hans Gruber?” I asked.

“Yeah, but instead of moving up to kidnapping, he decided to go for aggravated sexual assault.”

“Are you in any trouble at all?” I asked.

“No. Well, not over that. I might get talked to by the coaches because I was in a girl’s room.”

“Before you tell me about your roommate, what could happen to you?”

“Technically, I wasn’t violating curfew or any other rules, and Minnesota’s age of consent is sixteen, so being in her room likely isn’t a problem. If they find out I spent the night with her last night, I’ll probably get some kind of reprimand, but that’ll be it.”

“You know my take on that, though I would have suggested following curfew.”

“I was in bed before the curfew!” Jesse chuckled.

“I’m sure you were! What happened with your roommate?”

Jesse explained the situation, and then his interactions with the police detective.

“I felt,” he concluded, “in my judgment, that I had to talk to the police, especially because of Mom One and Aunt Bethany.”

“I agree,” I said. “Thank you for not taking matters into your own hands. I nearly made that mistake, but Bethany talked me out of it.”

“I remember,” Jesse said. “She wrote that in the book in the section about how partners respond, even though you weren’t friends when it happened. The same was true with Mom One.”

“Yes, but I didn’t find out until much, much later about Mom One. May I make a suggestion?”

“Sure,” Jesse agreed.

“I’d sleep in my own bed tonight, alone.”

“That was what I was thinking was the smart move,” Jesse replied.

“Not always the easy thing to do around hot strawberry blondes!”

Jesse laughed, “You mean Mom One?”

“Among others!” I replied.

“Somebody, most likely from the Prosecutor’s office, will call you to make sure I’ll be allowed to testify. I want to, Dad.”

“That’s up to you, so if that’s what you want, I’ll tell the Prosecutor it’s OK when he or she calls. How will this affect the camp?”

“I’m not sure. He’s one of the four goalies, so the other three of us should get more ice time. Coach called a team meeting for about ten minutes from now, so I’ll know more. I won’t call unless something changes.”

“Did you speak to your moms?”

“Not yet. I’ll do that tomorrow. You always handle interactions with law enforcement!”

“I’m not going to bother your moms now, but make sure you speak to them tomorrow morning.”

“Will do, Pops!”

“Good night, Little Duck!”

He laughed, we said ‘goodbye’ and I disconnected the call. I snapped the phone shut and was just about to go back to the ‘Indian’ room when the phone rang with Birgit’s special ringtone — Does Your Mother Know by ABBA. I’d been reluctant to use it, but I’d cleared with Kara and Jessica who had no problem with it.

“Hi, Pumpkin,” I said. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t call to tell you I love you?”

“You most certainly may, but it’s after 11:00pm there, so something must be wrong.”

“Have I said parents are stupid?” Birgit asked, sounding more than a bit annoyed.

“On occasion,” I allowed. “What happened?”

“Keep this between you and me? No matter what?”

“You know I can’t make a blanket promise like that, Pumpkin, but I will do my best to respect your privacy.”

“It’s important to me, Dad. Honest.”

“I understand, but there are some things that have to be shared with your mom.”

“Not this, please. It’s important that it just be between you and me.”

I considered her request and decided that it was highly unlikely to be one of the things I’d have to share — a health concern or something that would become public. If I didn’t keep her confidences about relationships, which is what I suspected this was, she’d stop trusting and respecting me, so barring some kind of true danger, I could agree to her request.

“OK. What happened?”

“First, to prevent twenty questions, I have not had sex with anyone.”

“I’ll just listen,” I said. “You tell me what you want to tell me, and we’ll take it from there.”

“I met a guy here who is around my age, and we hung out and eventually started kissing, you know, good kisses, not just pecks on the lips. I liked it and he obviously did, too. A bit too much, I guess, because when I pressed my body against him, he had an accident. He was totally embarrassed, and I tried to tell him it wasn’t a big deal and that I still wanted to kiss him, and stuff, but he wouldn’t even talk to me. I called Jesse to get advice and then waited a day before I tried to talk to the guy again.

“He was acting strange, so I let it go, then tried one more time, asking him to hang out. He must have said something to his brother or his parents, because his mom complained to Katy that I was ‘sexually aggressive’ and ‘acting inappropriately for a child’. She demanded I stay away from her son, which I agreed with Katy I would. They left early this morning, and I didn’t even try to say goodbye.

“Katy suggested that even though he was fifteen, he was scared of what happened, and wasn’t ready for what I obviously wanted. I’m pretty sure he didn’t have any more experience than I do, which was basically none until that French kiss. Jesse said that what happened was normal, and that it happened to both you and him, but in a slightly different way.”

“Jesse talks too much!” I declared, but I kept my voice light.

Birgit laughed, “Come on, Dad! That information is important! Sure, it was in Bethany’s book, but knowing that it really is common makes it easier to understand.”

“I’ll agree that’s true, but you two need to be careful about what you share.”

“Just with each other, Dad!”

“OK. What happened?”

“Nothing, really, other than his mom talking to Katy. They left, and didn’t cancel their reservation for next year, so Katy thinks nothing will come of it, though she suggested not visiting when they’re here just to avoid any trouble.”

“That makes sense. If that’s it, obviously I don’t need to share, and it could have waited until you came home.”

“There’s more,” Birgit said. “And this is the part you can’t share with anyone, no matter what. Well, Katy knows, but nobody else.”

“Everything you said about this boy is true and you didn’t leave anything out?”

“No. Well, I did imply very strongly that I would make sure he didn’t make a mess in his pants if he would hang out with me. But honestly, that’s all there is to tell about him.”

“I have to ask — did he have an STI test?”

“I don’t know, and it never moved beyond that one serious kiss.”

“Then I don’t see a problem. Tell me the other thing.”

“Last night, after the boy’s mom spoke with Katy, I went to that secluded clearing that’s on the hill past the apple orchard. I had my iPod and was looking at the stars and the new moon and thinking about what I’d hoped to do, and needed to take the edge off, if you get my drift.”

“Got it,” I said. “I don’t need details.”

“Bummer!” Birgit giggled. “But I understand. Anyway, while I was listening to Shakira’s Under Your Clothes, and doing a bit of what Cyndi Lauper sang about, someone was watching. I didn’t realize until my iPod died because I hadn’t charged it, and I heard movement. The person really couldn’t have seen anything because I had my jeans unbuttoned and unzipped, but not pulled down or anything.”

“I got the picture,” I said, not wanting that picture in my mind.

“Hah!” Birgit giggled. “Anyway, it turned out to be a teenage girl, one grade ahead of me. She apologized for watching, but she hadn’t been stalking me or anything. She’s from New York City and had found the clearing. and likes to sit there and look at the stars because she can’t see them in New York any better than we can see them in Chicago.