Chapter 3: Three (1982) – Jamie

Jamie came over to our house in the morning. We pulled our dirt bikes from under the porch, and after the four of us– George, Ethan, Jamie, and I– stopped across the street to collect Claire, we rode along the trail to school. The school was all pissy about us parking our 48 cc “motor bikes” on school property, so we chained them up at the public library. Claire and Ethan walked across the street to eat breakfast in the garden.

The school campus consisted of three buildings– the elementary school, the auditorium and cafeteria, and the high school– a vegetable garden, a greenhouse, and a playground occupying a city block. The field house and stadium shared the next block with the town library. George, Jamie, and I met up with the rest of the cross country team in front of the field house.

(You don’t have to remember all the names, but together with Joey’s 19-year-old brother Earl, Paul and Kristin’s 20-year-old brother Kevin, and 19-year-old Meiko who had already graduated, these are “my people,” and they each play a significant role in future chapters.)

Besides us, the team consisted of Paul, Eve’s boyfriend and my father’s sister’s son, an 18-year-old senior; his 16-year-old sophomore sister, Kristin; Christopher, a senior, my father’s older brother’s son; his sophomore sister Diane; Steve, a senior; Joey and Wendy, two juniors; Mave and Darcy, two sophomores; Lillian, Eve’s freshman sister; and Lydia, another freshman.

Our coach was a guy. So us gals had lots of fun messing around in the locker room before and after ... we weren’t all bi-sexual back then ... oh ... wait a minute ... yes we were ... some more than others. The only thing that I regret is that some of the girls have forgotten that it all happened and how much fun we had.

My cousin, Jamie, was my “second” best friend, by chronology– not significance. Our birth dates are days apart and we’ve done just about everything imaginable together– often together with Lillian. With Eve leading the way– since my “first” best friend is a couple years older than the rest of us.

Probably like all young girls we had sleepovers, and probably like all sleepovers made up of young girls, the discussion turned to boys. Eve led some of the talks and actively participated in all of them.

Confirmation in the faith, becoming a member of the community, was important to us. It was a milestone saying that we were independent moral actors. The church we belonged to– Eve’s father’s church– confirmed supplicants at fourteen. Our talks took a more serious turn after that point in our lives.

Eve read, she understood ... but more than that she could show you what it said where ... how this passage interacted with that one ... how it all made sense ... and she could teach what she knew and how to look for independent confirmation.

We understood that we had a duty to the community to continue on, to nurture, raise, and educate the next generation. But that didn’t mean that we could not have a wonderful time doing it. In fact we owed it to the next generation that we have a great time doing it– that they be a joy not a burden on us. That we love one another physically as well as spiritually.

Eve showed us where King Solomon had told us to enjoy our own ... our wives ... plural ... our husbands ... those of our tribe ... and much, much more. She showed us where the Apostle Paul told us not to ever deny our lovers ... lest evil take hold in our hearts. How Jesus himself spoke about the sexual obligations of one husband to more than one wife.