Chapter 76: Boys and Girls, Part I

June 25, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Birgit

Peter Kallas and I walked to the Metra Electric line for the ride into the city on Tuesday evening. Even though we lived in Chicago, we’d say we were going ‘into the city’ if we were going someplace downtown that wasn’t in the Loop. We chatted as we walked, but I also thought about why he had barely spoken to me since we were toddlers. He mostly hung out with my brothers, and there were no girls in their group, though Matthew obviously had a girlfriend and Jesse was, according to all the gossip, which I totally believed, the school stud.

I almost laughed at that, because that’s what Mom had said about Dad, and despite Jesse wanting to get Dad out of his head, he was absolutely following in Dad’s footsteps in that regard. Matthew and Albert had basically already settled on their wives, but I wanted nothing to do with a situation like that! Not even close! Maybe when I was twenty-eight, but that was as far in the future as being born was in the past!

Peter had always seemed nice, but because he’d ignored me, I hadn’t paid much attention to him, either. His dad was pretty good looking — tall, dark, and handsome, as the cliché went, and Peter looked a lot like his dad, though at fourteen he had barely started turning into a man. Girls matured faster, both our bodies AND our minds, which meant I had to expect Peter to act like a ‘dumb boy’.

I wondered, briefly, if he’d had a girlfriend or ever kissed, though I doubted it because Uncle Dave was way more conservative than Dad. Not crazy like Francesca’s mom or Rachel’s mom, or worse, like Grandma Adams, but the Kallas family went to church every Sunday morning. Uncle Dave was more serious about it than Jesse was, and Jesse was pretty serious. There was no way I was ever signing up for something like that, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t have a good time with Peter.

“Have you been on a date before?” Peter asked, as if he was reading my mind.

“No. Have you?”

“No. Dad would never have allowed it before I turned fourteen, and I think the only reason he said yes is because he and your dad are friends and he knows you.”

I giggled, “I think that might actually be a reason for him to say ‘no’!”

“Why?”

“I guess my brothers don’t say anything about me?”

“We never talk about girls, really. I mean, sure, Matthew has Chelsea, Albert has Jane, and Jesse has an entire army of girls, but we don’t really talk about them. And I think the last thing your brothers want to talk about is their sisters!”

“Despite how awesome we are?” I asked.

Peter laughed nervously, “I’m not sure they agree! And Nicholas ... well, never mind. I shouldn’t say that.”

“Oh, you can say it. Stephie is being a total bitch. Everyone knows it. I’m SO glad she’s not going to Sweden with us.”

“Where is she going?”

“To stay with Grandma Nancy, my mom’s mom.”

“You mean Aunt Kara’s mom?”

“Yes. If I say ‘my mom’ I almost always mean her. Dad says you can figure it out from context!”

“It’s bad enough having one mom! I can’t imagine having two!”

“It’s actually OK. Dad keeps them in line!”

Peter laughed and shook his head, “Mom is in charge at home and at work!”

“Your mom seems reasonable.”

“She is, but she’s still a mom! Ugh!”

I laughed, “That’s what Jesse says sometimes! Even Matthew complains about his mom. I think it’s just the way things are. I complain to Dad about my mom ... well, I used to. Then he basically told me I was fortunate to have her as my mom and that he had chosen her, so I might want to think about the war I was having with her.”

“A war?” he asked as we walked onto the platform.

“Dad says it was normal teenage rebellion.”

“What do YOU need to rebel against? Seriously, Birgit, you and your brothers and sisters can do anything you want and not get in trouble!”

Except for handing out coupons for ‘expert deflowering’, I thought, though I couldn’t say that to Peter.

“That’s not totally true,” I said. “I can’t give any details, but I have gotten into trouble with my dad before. Can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Why did you barely talk to me for the past ten years?”

“Because you were a girl!”

“Then why ask me to dinner and a movie?”

“Because you’re a girl!” he declared with a grin.

I laughed, then corrected him, “A woman!”

“You’re fourteen!”

“So? I’m not a little kid, which you just confirmed by saying you noticed I was a girl, which I’m pretty sure means you noticed I have boobs!”

“Uhm, er, uhm ... yeah,” Peter stammered.

“That’s not even my most interesting part!” I smirked.

“Er, uhm, OK,” he stammered again.

“If your dad would let you use the sauna the way the other cousins do, you’d have seen it already!”

“I don’t think I could be naked in front of a bunch of people,” Peter said. “And certainly not my mom!”

“It’s no big deal,” I replied.

The train arrived, and we got on, paying the conductor our fare. Because we were close to other people now, we had to change the topic of our conversation.

“Where are we going to eat?” I asked.

“Where do you want to go? I’m OK with anything.”

“I was thinking Bacino’s or Ed Debevic’s, but Maxim’s would be OK, too. I’ll pay for my half from my allowance.”

“I haven’t been to Ed Debevic’s,” Peter said.

“They have great burgers, fantastic fries, and awesome milkshakes.”

“That sounds good.”

When the train arrived downtown, we took a bus to get to River North, had a great dinner, and then headed to Water Tower Place to see The Bourne Identity.

🎤 Jesse

“Your family is WAY different from any I’ve ever met,” Scarlett said as we walked towards Giordano’s with Matthew and Chelsea. “And you weren’t exactly forthcoming about some things I’ve seen!”

“There’s a reason for that,” Matthew interjected. “There are far too many busybodies and government agents who would just love to cause us trouble, so it’s better if we ‘fly under the radar’, as Mom calls it. Can you imagine what DCFS would say about me living in the townhouse without Mom or Eduardo there?”

“And when I was younger,” I said, “they flipped out about Dad having two wives. They’d really lose it with the current situation. Not to mention what they’d do about Matthew and me being underage, or Birgit being on the Pill at fourteen. Not to mention what they’d do if they found out my moms let me have you sleep in my room with me.”

“It’s just easier,” Matthew said, “to answer questions in ways that are technically correct, and can be understood to follow social convention.”

“And you know what most people would say about our time in the sauna today!” I declared.

“I can’t believe I did that!” Scarlett declared.

“Why?” I asked. “You absolutely have nothing to be ashamed of!”

“True!” Matthew agreed. “Oomph!”

Chelsea had good-naturedly elbowed him in the side.

“What’s wrong with observing the natural beauty of God’s creation?” I asked with a grin. “And besides, you have nothing to be ashamed of, either!”

“Do you guys want to hang out with our friends from Ohio tomorrow?” Matthew asked.

“Sure,” I replied. “What did you plan to do?”

“They want to visit the Art Museum, so we figured that was a good start. We’ll probably go up the Sears Tower, but I know you just did that.”

“I won’t object to doing that again,” Scarlett said.

“How about dinner at the 95th?” I suggested.

“What’s that?” Chelsea asked.

“A restaurant on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building. It’s not overly fancy, so khakis and polos are OK. What time will your friends arrive?”

“They’re driving, so sometime around noon,” Chelsea replied. “You’ll like them. Pavel is a priest’s son, and Larisa is the granddaughter of a deacon, though he died not long after she was born.”

We arrived at Giordano’s, and because it was a Tuesday, were seated right away.

🎤 Steve

“Is everything set for Sunday?” Will asked when Jessica, Stephie, Ashley, and I arrived at dojo on Tuesday evening.

“Yes,” I replied. “All the other Senseis accepted their invitations, and all the black belts from all six dojos did as well. Molly should have her entire group here. I also received a videotape from Leigh with a greeting for Sensei Jim, as well as one from François in Paris. I’m going to combine the tapes on Saturday, put them on a DVD and that way I can just play it from my laptop on a monitor at the banquet hall.”

“Perfect,” Will replied.

“Everything is also set for the handover ceremony on Saturday morning before class. Molly and her students will be here for that as well.”

“And the gift?”

“I received it from Sakurako last week. I just hope it fits!”

“She sent both, right?” Will asked.

“Yes.”

“Excellent. I thought Birgit was back from Vermont.”

“She is,” I replied. “She’s on her very first date with the son of a close friend.”

“You have my sympathy!”

I laughed, “You know Birgit! I think it’s Peter and his family who should be worried!”

Will laughed, “So true!”

“She called Sensei Jim earlier to let him know she wouldn’t be here tonight.”

“Alright. Let’s go line up.”

We moved into the main training area and took our positions.

🎤 Birgit

I really enjoyed the movie, and it seemed as if Peter did as well. I’d hoped he’d put his arm around me or at least hold my hand, but he hadn’t. I decided I’d have to take matters into my own hands, so to speak, so I grabbed his hand as we walked out of the theater. I almost laughed because his palm was sweaty and I wondered if he’d gotten hard just from that bit of contact, and I suspected he had! The thing the girls at school said about boys getting hard in a light breeze sure seemed to be true!

I reminded myself to be careful, so that Peter didn’t have a reason to be embarrassed, but I was positive he’d read Aunt Bethany’s book, so he’d know it happened to a lot of guys. The only question in my mind was if he’d freak out if we kissed, and I didn’t think that was the case. But that would be later, assuming he wanted a ‘good night’ kiss.

“Oberweis for ice cream?” I asked.

“Sure!” Peter agreed, so we walked hand in hand towards the escalators, which would take us to the lobby of Water Tower Place. We exited the building onto Michigan Avenue and walked to Oberweis, where we each got a single-scoop cone. Peter ordered chocolate, but I ordered vanilla because that would let me tease him!

We sat down and I suggestively licked my ice cream, made sure Peter saw the ice cream on my tongue, swallowed, then suggestively licked my lips. My concerns proved to be completely unfounded.

“Is that an offer?” Peter asked, though he blushed slightly.

Now THAT was a proper response! I still couldn’t believe Ed had refused my offer of a blowjob! Boys at school would do anything to get one! Peter responding that way made me WANT to do it, though I wasn’t going to make it too easy on him. But even then, there was a potential complication.

“Maybe,” I replied coyly. “Have you had an STI test?”

“Er, no,” he replied. “I didn’t, uhm, expect to need one. At least not yet.”

Which was probably the case with Ed, but I never had a chance to find out.

“If you go tomorrow morning, you can have the results by Friday afternoon at the latest,” I suggested.

“And if I do?” he asked.

“Well, if you don’t have one, then it can’t be an offer! If you do ... well, you’ll have to wait to find out!”

I made a point of eating my ice cream suggestively, licking my lips, and Peter obviously got the point. I was certain he’d be at the clinic in the morning the minute they opened! We finished our ice cream, then held hands while we walked to the train. Once we arrived in Kenwood, Peter walked me home and we walked up the steps to the front porch.

“Would you like a ‘good night’ kiss?” I asked.

“Yes!” Peter exclaimed.

I gave him a soft kiss, though it was barely more than a peck, because the last thing I wanted to do was get even more hot and bothered when Peter hadn’t had an STI test!

“Do you want to do something on Friday?” I asked.

“How about we see Minority Report?” he suggested. “We could ask Jesse, Matthew, and their girlfriends.”

“I think Matthew and Chelsea will have friends here from Cincinnati, so we’d have to invite them, too.”

“Pizza and a movie?”

“I’ll let them know,” I promised.

“I need to check with my parents.”

“OK. If there’s a problem, let me know. Dad can talk to your dad.”

“See you Friday!”

“See you Friday!”

June 26, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Matthew

“Jesse, Scarlett, these are our friends Pavel and Larisa. Pavel and Larisa, this is my brother Jesse, and this is his friend Scarlett from Minnesota.”

They’d arrived just after 1:00pm on Wednesday.

“You’re Orthodox, right, Jesse?” Pavel asked.

“Yes, in ROCOR. You’re OCA, right?”

“Yes. My dad is the priest at Saint George in Loveland. Where do you attend?”

“I was at Saint Innocent of Moscow out in Carol Stream, but now I’m attending services at Holy Virgin Protection cathedral in Des Plaines. Do you both go to Saint George?”

“No,” Larisa replied, “I’m at Holy Transfiguration in Rutherford. We met at church functions, but weren’t allowed to date until we turned sixteen.”

“What’s the plan for today?” Pavel asked.

“Nothing for today,” I replied, “but we have a ton of movies on DVD, plus HBO and Showtime, a pool table, games, and the sauna. We can order Chinese for dinner and get some vegetarian dishes for Pavel and Larisa.”

“Shrimp is OK,” Pavel said. “But we can eat chicken, too, because we’re traveling.”

“OK,” I said. “Tomorrow is the Art Museum, so we have the whole day. Friday is the Sears Tower, pizza, and Minority Report with Birgit, Peter, Albert, Nicholas, and the six of us.”

“Let’s give them a tour of the house,” Jesse suggested. “And they can put their stuff in their rooms.

“Are any parents home?” Larisa asked.

“No,” I said. “My dad and Aunt Jess are at work and Aunt Kara is in California with her research team. Mom is at work, but you know she doesn’t live here, and Eduardo is in Miami until Friday. But even if they were here, they wouldn’t bother us. Natalie, Estrella, and Suzanne are around, though, because they’re all college students and it’s Summer break.”

“Jesse, you don’t live in this house, right?” Pavel asked.

“That’s right. I live with my moms in the coach house across the backyard.”

“Let’s start with the basement,” I suggested.

We went downstairs and Larisa and Pavel put their things in separate rooms for plausible deniability, based on what Chelsea had said about Larisa officially being a ‘good girl’.

🎤 Birgit

“My mom is acting really strange,” Tiffany said as we walked to the train station on our way to Samantha’s condo to see Rachel and Javon.

“How so?” I asked cautiously, because I was pretty sure I knew why.

“Just over a week ago she suddenly seemed, I don’t know, happier and less uptight.”

I almost laughed, but managed not to. That made me absolutely certain that what I’d suspected was true — Dad had fucked Tiffany’s mom, and probably fucked her silly!

“That’s a good thing, right?” I asked.

“But it’s weird!” Tiffany declared. “And it got weirder last night when she wanted to have a ‘mother-daughter’ talk about sex. That was just totally strange, because in the past, all she’s ever done is make sure I knew how to deal with my period and tell me not to have sex!”

“What did she say?”

“She read Doctor Bethany’s book, told me she had sex when she was fifteen, and that when I turned fifteen, she’d take me to get the Pill if I wanted.”

“What’s weird about that?”

“It was my mom! She’s never been like that in her entire life. I know she and my dad fought about sex, but I’m not sure why, and she didn’t let on.”

“I wouldn’t complain if I were you! She just gave you permission to fuck when you turn fifteen!”

“OK, but it’s weird! She hasn’t even been on a date since she divorced my dad! Well, there was one night she was gone, but she said she was hanging out with a friend.”

“What if that was a guy friend?” I suggested. “And she didn’t want you to know?”

“My mom hooking up? No way!”

“OK, but you said her attitude changed, and it was after that night, right?”

“Holy shit! My mom got laid!”

“Don’t complain! My mom is always happier after she and Dad have sex! I bet you will be, too!”

“I just wish I didn’t have to wait until I was fifteen! You know what I want!”

I did, and I wanted that, too, but Dad had some reason other than my moms for not doing it, and I had no idea what that might be. He didn’t care what society thought, so it had to be something else.

“I do,” I replied. “Suzanne told you the rules and you have to stick to them, including not talking about it, even to me.”

“I remember. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“It’s OK,” I replied. “I won’t rat you out. Just be careful.”

“What about you?”

“I went on my first date last night!”

“NO WAY! YOU DIDN’T CALL ME!”

“I’m telling you now!”

“Who?” Tiffany asked.

“Peter Kallas. He totally surprised me by asking me to have dinner and see a movie.”

“AAAANNNDDDD?!”

“And I kissed him ‘good night’! Just lips, nothing fancy.”

“Are you going to see him again?”

“We’re going out on Friday with Jesse, Matthew, their girlfriends, and some friends of Matthew’s from Cincinnati.”

“Jesse has a girlfriend?”

“Well, not sure what you would call her, but she came home from Rochester with him.”

“He has his pick of all the girls at the High School from what I hear.”