Chapter 80: A Pair of Propositions and a Life-changing Decision

February 12, 1988, McKinley, Ohio

“I see you’ve met my little sister,” Kylie declared mirthfully from just behind me.

“I sense a disturbance in the Force,” I chuckled.

“Nothing like that!” Kylie declared. “I didn’t put her up to it!”

“She didn’t,” Kassie said.

“I wondered how you managed to score a ticket,” I said to Kylie.

“Connections!” she said with a smile. “By the way, I like the doctor image. Kind of like the guy in Prince’s band.”

“‘Doctor Fink’,” I replied. “Their keyboardist, though he wore a surgical mask.”

“I asked Mike to play doctor with me!” Kassie smirked. “But I have to get back to work! See you at 11:00pm!”

“And what fantasy just went through your head?” Kylie teased.

“Believe it or not,” I replied, “it didn’t until you implied it with your question!”

“Actually,” Kylie said, “I believe you. Most guys I’d call a liar, but I don’t get that vibe. Because we’re sisters?”

“I’ve been in two threesomes and while they were fun, it’s not really my thing. Just out of curiosity...”

“Invite us home and find out!” Kylie teased.

“And I’m going to reply by saying I don’t get that vibe.”

“And you’d be correct, at least with regard to being in the same bed at the same time.”

“So the three of us together on the rug in front of the fireplace would be OK?” I asked with a smirk.

Kylie laughed, “You have an awesome sense of humor! Will you do something for me?”

“I think you owe me the favors,” I countered with a smile. “But I wouldn’t call this part of your ‘anything’ offer.”

“Good call! Tell Kassie what you said about the three of us on the rug in front of the fire. I’d love to see her reaction!”

“Does she know about us?”

“I told her about our trade, obviously, and she knows I was at your house, so I’m going to guess she assumes we did the dirty deed.”

“We did shower afterwards,” I chuckled.

“And I still owe you that rain check!” Kylie said sexily, licking her lips.

Kim walked over just then, so Kylie moved over to the bar.

“The club has an open date on March 25th,” she said. “The band they had scheduled canceled and they haven’t filled the date yet. Do we want it?”

“Yes,” I replied. “The girl I was talking to is a fellow med student and she’ll cover for me, and if not, I’ll find someone. I might have to make a trade that sucks from my point of view, but it’ll be worth it.”

“Thanks!” Kim said, then went back to speak to the manager.

“Hi!” a really cute blonde girl said to me. “You were awesome!”

“Thanks.”

“My friends and I want to buy you a drink! Join us?”

“So long as it’s Sprite,” I replied. “I don’t drink except on special occasions because I’m in medical school.”

“Whoa! That’s not just a getup like Doctor Fink in The Revolution?!”

“No. I’m a Third Year medical student.”

“Then you def have to come have a drink with us! I’m Jo, well Johanna, but they call me Jo.”

I nodded and followed her to a table where three other cute girls were sitting, but there was only one empty chair.

“Mike, meet Leslie who goes by Les, Rebecca who goes by Becka, and Samantha who goes by Sammy! Mike is a medical student! Mike, sit!”

I sat down and, without warning, Jo plopped into my lap and called a waitress, not Kassie, to bring me a Sprite.

“You’re really a medical student?” Sammy, a brunette, asked.

“I really am a medical student. I’m a Third Year.”

“I could use a very thorough exam!” Jo declared, putting her arms around my neck and wiggling her butt, making it totally clear what she had in mind.

“What kind of doctor do you want to be?” Becka, who had strawberry blonde hair, asked.

“A trauma surgeon,” I replied.

“How long before you’re a doctor?” Les, who had black hair, asked.

“About fifteen months,” I replied.

“Will you work at Moore Memorial?” Jo asked.

“I hope to, but there’s a giant computer somewhere that Matches students to Residencies. It should work out the way I want, but it’s not guaranteed.”

“Jo, scoot off!” Les exclaimed. “My turn!”

“Finders keepers!” Jo declared.

“Don’t be a bitch, Jo!” Sammy said. “We all saw him at the same time!”

The short, thin Jo got up and was replaced by the taller, curvier Les, who put her arms around my neck and snuggled as close as she could.

“Are you students at Taft?” I asked.

“We’re all Juniors at Xavier,” Jo said, “but we’re all from McKinley.”

“You all went to Saint Augustine’s parochial school, right?”

“Good guess!” Jo declared. “Are you originally from McKinley?”

“No, I’m from West Monroe, it’s near Rutherford.”

“My turn!” Sammy exclaimed.

Les moved and was replaced by the short, solid, compact Sammy, who, as the previous girls had, wrapped her arms around me and snuggled close.

“Where did you go to college?” Les asked.

“Taft,” I replied. “What are you studying?”

“Becka and I are pre-law,” Sammy said. “Les is business, with a plan to get an MBA, and Jo is mechanical engineering.”

“Having fun, Petrovich?” Clarissa asked, coming to stand next to me.

“Hi, Lissa,” I replied with a grin.

“Uh-oh,” Jo uttered. “Busted by the girlfriend.”

Clarissa laughed and put her arm around Tessa.

“I’m the girlfriend, that’s true,” Clarissa declared, then tilted her head to Tessa. “But I’m her girlfriend!”

“Whew!” Jo exclaimed. “What did you call him?”

“Petrovich. He’s of Russian ancestry, and his Russian name is Mikhail Petrovich. Close friends in Russia call each other by their patronymic, which replaces their middle name.”

“But in my case, my legal name is Michael Peter, named for my grandfather and father. Clarissa, being my best friend, calls me Petrovich.”

“My turn!” Becka declared.

Sammy moved and was replaced by the Becka, the tallest of the girls, who I suspected played volleyball or basketball in High School, and maybe even at Xavier. She, too, put her arms around my neck and snuggled close.

“See you on Monday at the hospital,” Clarissa said to me, then moved away.

“Do you come home every weekend?” I asked.

“No,” Jo replied. “We heard about the gig, my brother is best friends with the bartender, and we scored tickets through him. We’re celebrating Becka’s twenty-first birthday today.”

“Happy birthday!” I said.

“Thanks!” Becka exclaimed.

“Mike,” Jo said, “You could make Becka’s birthday memorable and give her something she really wants!”

“Yeah, Mike, what do you say?” Les prompted.

“You should, Mike!” Sammy chimed in.

It seemed likely that the girls were serious, but Becka hadn’t said anything, which meant it might simply be them messing with me, teasing her, or even both. They all seemed to be having fun, and I didn’t want to kill the mood, no matter which way they meant it, or what I might decide to do. I felt the best approach was to make light of it, and if the girls were teasing, we’d all have a laugh, and if they were serious, a bit of silliness wouldn’t hurt.

“I don’t know,” I replied with a goofy smile. “Not five minutes before Jo asked me to join you, I was propositioned by sisters.”

“Do this for Becka, and we’ll make sure you forget those sisters even exist!” Jo declared.

“That’s a bold claim,” I declared, doing my best to keep the mood goofy.

“Catholic girls away at college?” Les said with a silly smiled. “I don’t think so!”

I couldn’t help but laugh, thinking both of Joe’s Garage as well as the stereotype of devout Catholic girls going wild when they went away to college. Of course, that was usually about Freshmen, and all of these girls were Juniors. There were other important considerations as well, but until I actually heard it from Becka, and was convinced it wasn’t just peer pressure, I’d continue to make light of it.

“Are any of you Frank Zappa fans?” I asked.

“Me!” Jo exclaimed. “Joe’s Garage, right?”

“Obviously! Code Blue will add a few Zappa songs to our repertoire in the future, though I think we have to be careful about Joe’s Garage or Bobby Brown!”

Jo laughed. “It all depends on the audience! You could go a bit tamer with I Have Been in You or Sex!”

I laughed at her suggestion, remembering the lyrics to Sex included the bigger the cushion, the better the pushin’. Given all four of the girls were in good shape, and none of them were voluptuous, like the girls who seemed to be attracted to José, it didn’t really apply.

“I’m not sure Sex is tamer,” I replied with a grin. “I mean, ‘Ladies, they need it just like the guys; Sex; Maybe you could use a protein surprise; Sex’ is pretty explicit! And if we’re on that track, I think Dinah-Moe Humm might be a good choice given what I said earlier.”

Jo laughed, “A girl who gets off watching her sister have sex!”

“How did you get to be a Zappa fan?” I asked.

“My uncle,” Jo replied. “My mom’s brother. He’s the rebel in the family. He quit going to church when he was ten, moved to California in the late 60s and lived in a commune. He has some stories to tell!”

“I bet!”

“He’s a huge fan of Zappa, the Dead, and Jimi Hendrix.”

“You pretty much can’t go wrong with them. I bet he’s a George Carlin fan, too.”

“Of course! So am I! But we’re WAY off topic!”

“Are we?” I asked with a silly grin.

“Becka?” Jo prompted.

Becka put her lips close to my ear and whispered, “I want to celebrate my birthday with you in private.”

There was no question in my mind about what she meant, nor about whether she was serious, and that meant other considerations came into play. The problem was, with her friends around, asking questions would be difficult, and I didn’t want a repeat of what had happened with Kari, even if that meant saying ‘no’ immediately.

The first question, though, was if I wanted to, and the second was if I should. Becka was about my height, had long legs, an athletic build, and strawberry blonde hair which reached the small of her back. She was absolutely desirable, and I didn’t have to think twice to know I wanted to be with her. But should I?

I quickly considered my situation, and the conversation I’d had with Lara about deciding soon. I also recalled what Clarissa had said about being spontaneous and her challenge, though that had been fulfilled with Lexie, and if not her, then Michelle. And I assessed what was going on with the four girls who were legitimate candidates.

Putting all of it together, if I was going to get serious with someone, I had to make the same change to how I was living my life as I had before I’d begun seeing Elizaveta, and that meant getting control of my hypersexuality. But, and I almost laughed out loud at the thought echoing Blessed Augustine of Hippo’s statement, ‘not yet’! But it would have to be soon.

That left the ultimate question — Kassie or Becka. It actually was a straightforward decision based on attraction, but I did have to consider if Kylie would be upset. I didn’t think so, and I seriously doubted she’d break our agreement about shifts and Residency. And if I was going to have a ‘last fling’, Becka seemed a better choice for any number of reasons, the primary ones being her long legs and full lips.

I had rubbers, so the only other question was my newfound concern about actually contracting an STD, rather than it just being theoretical, with AIDS being the primary concern, as it was, in effect, a death sentence. None of the girls fit the profile for IV drug users, and given they were all wearing short-sleeve blouses due to the very warm club, I was positive that was the case. Clear eyes, glossy hair, good teeth, and quick wit all argued in favor of being ‘clean’, and none of them were hyper or ‘up’.

That left risky behavior, and despite Jo’s comments about Catholic girls who go away to college, I didn’t get that vibe, either. I had a feeling there was something else going on, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I might be imagining things, and it was just what they’d all said — something Becka wanted to do to celebrate her birthday. And that raised the question ‘why me?’

“My singing is that good?” I asked with a silly smile.

All the girls laughed, which made it obvious that they knew what she had whispered in my ear, which put me a bit more at ease with the situation. I still wasn’t sure I’d do it, but I was certainly leaning in that direction. If I decided to do it, though, this was where it ended. It had to, especially given the direction Sara was taking things. I either had to stop doing anything but kissing her, or begin to clear the decks. I felt it unwise to ‘slide into home’ without being able to make the necessary commitment. I wasn’t sure she was the one, but if she was, then that meant getting things under control before we got to that point.

How I’d end it or wind it down was a serious question, and I had committed to Lara that we’d continue until such time as my relationship prevented it. The same was true for Kylie, though that was only going to be an occasional thing. What it did mean was ending things with Susana, Irina, and Kari, and the end of February seemed like a good time to do it, given my schedule would likely change and I had to make more time for the four young women who were my best options for the future.

“Yes!” Becka exclaimed. “I was at Milton Lake on Fourth of July and heard you there, and thought your band was awesome, which is why I said we should come here for my birthday!”

That put a slightly different spin on things, though at the time I’d been married. She’d said she ‘heard’ me, which I suspected meant she was some place at the Lake without a good view of the stage, which would mean she very likely hadn’t seen me with Elizaveta, and because I was wearing clerical robes except on stage, she might not have known who I was or remember seeing me.

I realized, too, that for the last week, I’d simply left my wedding ring on the chain around my neck, rather than put it back on at the end of my shifts. To me, that was an indication that I had taken the next step in being emotionally ready to make a commitment to someone, because I’d have to wear a new ring. How I dealt with the one around my neck once I asked someone to marry me was an open question, though I wasn’t ready to give up wearing it.

“You know you want to, Mike!” Sammy said impishly. “Forget the sisters and help Becka have an amazing twenty-first birthday!”

“You’re making a serious assumption,” I chuckled, using a bit of self-deprecating humor, which always seemed to work well.

“Anyone who can make me wet just by singing HAS to be good!” Jo exclaimed.

The other girls laughed, and I just shook my head as I was attracting the ‘eyes of the girls in the neighborhood’ as Zappa had sung in the title track to Joe’s Garage. Every single thing that I’d ever heard about guitar players and groupies seemed to be highly accurate, and if it weren’t for my sincere belief that Rachel needed a mom, I’d be inclined to test the theory as thoroughly as possible for as long as possible! But, instead, I’d have one last fling, one last visit from both Irina and Susana, and wind things down with Kari.

“Good to know!” I declared.

“I wasn’t kidding about making sure you forget about those sisters, either!” Jo declared.

“Also good to know!”

What she didn’t know was that threesomes were not my thing, and when I thought about it, the idea of two sisters, rather than being a fantasy, actually made my skin crawl. Of all the things that people could do, incest was beyond the pale, even if it was voluntary. The accusations against me with regard to Liz had made me physically ill, and even being with sisters serially in the same encounter felt terribly wrong.

“So, what do you say, Mike?” Les asked.

“I say I should pack up my instruments and music, and head home! Becka, if you want to come along, you’re welcome.”

“She wants to cum alright!” Jo teased.

All the girls laughed, and none of them blushed, which telegraphed that all of them were comfortable with what was happening, most importantly Becka. The only question was whether I should say anything to Kassie or not, and I decided that her invitation could simply be ignored. I might have to explain to Kylie, but I could do that, and I felt things would be OK.

Becka rose from my lap, I stood up, and we went to the stage where I put my guitar in its hard-sided case, my balalaika in its soft-sided case, and put my sheet music binders into my satchel. I retrieved my hat, coat, and gloves from the small room where I’d left them, put on my coat, then slung the balalaika over my back as I usually did, mimicking Tanya Komarova in Doctor Zhivago.

Next, I slung my satchel over my shoulder, picked up my guitar, and took Becka’s hand. I led her out the side door and to my Mustang. I put my instruments into the back, along with my satchel, then opened the passenger door for Becka. Once she was seated, I closed the door and went around to the driver’s side, got in, buckled my seat belt and started the car.

“It seems you and your friends are enjoying college,” I said as I pulled out onto Fifth Street to head for Elm Street.

“We are, but we’re actually all serious students. And we’re not quite as crazy as we seem. Jo likes to tease and flirt and pretend to be a party girl, but she has the best grades in the group, though only by a smidgen. Sammy, Les, and I all have a single B on our transcripts, but Jo has all A’s.

“What was your B?” I asked.

“Latin, second semester.”

“Probably the most difficult course I had at Taft, and that includes biochemistry and calculus! Father Clifton was our instructor.”

“Why did you take Latin? Is it required to be a doctor?”

“No. But I took it in High School because I felt it would help with medical terms. I also taught myself Biblical Greek because of church and medicine.”