Chapter 34: A Multitude of Offers

December 5, 1982, Chicago, Illinois

“This was the most amazing weekend of my life!” Juliette declared as we dressed after she, Bianca, and I had showered together.

“I would never have guessed you were a virgin,” I replied.

Juliette laughed, “Inexperienced does not mean ignorant! There are books, magazines, and very well informed friends! And it’s not like it’s all that difficult to figure out!”

“True,” I replied. “My friend and I figured it out on our own in High School without any research!”

“I’d say that’s pretty common!” Juliette declared. “Would you two want to get together again?”

“I sure would!” Bianca declared.

“Yes,” I replied. “You two work out the timing; Bianca knows my schedule.”

We finished dressing, then went downstairs to have a late breakfast, as we’d slept until nearly 10:00am after fooling around until after 3:00am. We’d tried every configuration and position we could imagine, and we’d all been worn out when we had finally fallen asleep in a sweaty, sticky pile.

We ate, then Juliette left, and Bianca offered to change the sheets on my bed and put them in the washing machine while I ran to the White Hen for ice for our Sunday football gathering. I arrived home just as Jack and Kristy came in the front door. Jack helped me get the beer and pop on ice, and Kristy helped Bianca and Shelly put out the snacks. It was nice enough out that we could grill, so we’d do that after the Bears game.

Everyone arrived by the time the game began, and surprisingly, the Bears got out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and easily held the lead through the game, defeating the New England Patriots 26–13. Jim McMahon had a good game, completing 15 of 21 passes for 192 yards, though he was intercepted once. Walter Payton had a decent game, carrying the ball 13 times for 70 yards and catching 3 passes for 24 yards.

Jack and I grilled burgers and brats, and everyone enjoyed the meal while we watched the Seattle Seahawks play the Los Angeles Raiders. The Raiders controlled the game, though they gave up 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, and held on for a 28–23 win. When everyone was leaving, Kristy pulled me aside.

“Clara’s birthday is on January 7th. What are you doing on Saturday, January 8th?”

“She’s still interested?”

“She asked for your phone number, so I’d say it’s a sure thing! I wanted to check with you first before I gave her your number.”

“And she doesn’t think you’ll tell Allyson?”

“I promised not to, and I won’t, though I’m positive Clara will brag to Allyson once it happens!”

I chuckled, “If it happens, I’m positive she would, given what she said to me.”

“OK to give her your phone number?”

“Sure. Though I’m not committing to anything.”

“I wasn’t asking you to! Just whether I could give her your phone number.”

“OK for the phone number, as I said. As for doing it, I’ll think about it.”

“See you next Friday?”

“Absolutely.”

“Who are you bringing? I heard Lily say she has plans for Friday.”

“Her grandparents are visiting. I’ll decide and invite someone.”

“Cool!”

We exchanged a quick hug, she and Jack left, and I went to my room to call Bev. Nothing had changed with regard to Heather since I’d spoken to her earlier in the week, and after we chatted for about five minutes, she promised to call me as soon as the hearing ended. That would require a call at work, but a short inbound call wouldn’t create any problems for me.

When I finished the call, I hung out with Bianca and Shelly until bed time, then went to bed alone.

December 6, 1982, Chicago, Illinois

Monday was a typical day at work, and when the phone rang after dinner, I wasn’t surprised at who was calling.

“Hi, Jonathan! It’s Clara Crowley!”

“Hi, Clara.”

“Do you remember what I showed you and what I offered?”

“It would be hard to forget!”

Clara laughed softly, “I know, right? My cherry is still yours if you want it! I’ll do anything you want, and I promise it’ll be really, really good! Better than my sister, for sure!”

“A bold claim,” I replied.

“It’s true! And if you doubt me, then you have to let me prove it!”

“What if I said I believed you?”

“Then you’d absolutely want to do it! I’d invite you to my party, but I don’t think my dad would understand if I dragged you to my room so you could have Cherry a la Clara for dessert!”

“Not that I’m not flattered, but why me?”

“You’re hot, you’re cool, and you aren’t a High School boy!”

“And afterwards?” I asked.

“That’s up to you. I’m sure you’ll like it, and I hope you’ll ask me out again!”

“Just out of curiosity, what will your dad say?”

“I was allowed to date when I turned sixteen, and it’s not like you’re old or anything. You’re twenty, right?”

“Yes.”

“So about three years older, and my dad won’t be any more upset about that than any other guy I might date! I think he thinks Allyson and I will have kids without having sex!”

“I doubt that,” I chuckled.

“OK, he wishes that were true! Most of my friends’ dads are like that. Only Marie’s dad is cool.”

That was Kristy’s dad, which didn’t surprise me, given he’d paid for her European and Australian vacations and, from what I could tell, had decided she could live her life however she chose. That was my attitude, and it was an area of conflict between Mr. Newton and Bev, just as it was between Clara and her dad. That thought did put one possible fly in the ointment — if Bev and I came to a decision that precluded me from seeing Clara, I’d have to cancel, and that was OK in my mind.

“What did you want to do?” I asked.

“I thought that was obvious!” she exclaimed.

“I meant go out to dinner? See a movie?”

“I want YOU! We can order pizza or whatever!”

“And where would this happen?”

“Wherever you want, though, I don’t think you could spend the night here.”

“But you could here?”

“A Saturday night? Sure. Kristy would cover for me. I’d just say I was coming into the city to hang out with her and staying in her dorm room. Nobody would question it.”

She was going to be seventeen, which eliminated any legal trouble, and there wasn’t really anything about her family situation that gave me pause. I did recall the sexy body she’d shown me, and I couldn’t think of a reason to say ‘no’, with the caveat of my relationship with Bev.

“Saturday, January 8th?” I asked.

“Yes! I could take the train into the city and be there any time after 11:00am.”

“OK,” I agreed. “How about 1:00pm?”

“YES!” she squealed.

“Call me to let me know what time you’ll arrive.”

“I will! And I’ll call Kristy to cover for me, as I said.”

“Then I’ll see you next month.”

“Cool!”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I hung up.

“Who was that?” Bianca asked. “I mean, if it’s OK to ask.”

“Allyson’s little sister, Clara.”

Bianca laughed, “I was positive she’d call you. Let me guess, she saved it for you, right?”

I chuckled, “So it would seem, though you know I don’t put any value on that one way or the other.”

“Obviously! You’ve initiated a bunch of my friends!”

Which reminded me I needed a date for Friday, so I excused myself and picked up the phone and called Ellie, who immediately agreed to join Kristy, Jack, and me on Friday night.

“No Lily?” Bianca asked.

“Her grandparents are in town and she felt it was better to spend time with them, and I can’t argue with that.”

“No, you can’t. Family is super important; well, for me, anyway.”

“And her. One day, it will be for me. I mean, besides my mom and uncle, of course.”

“What are you doing tonight?”

“I need to review for my exam on Wednesday.”

“OK if Shelly and I join you in bed?”

“Always!”

December 7, 1982, Chicago, Illinois

On Tuesday, the electrical inspector returned and, just as Marcus had predicted, he signed off on the electrical work, which meant that the drywall could go up, and then the painters and finish carpenters would be in. The furniture was scheduled for delivery in a week, and so far, everything was going according to plan. I returned to 30 and filled Mr. Nelson in on the inspection, then headed back to the mailroom.

Just before lunch, the phone rang.

“Mailroom, Kane.”

“Jonathan, it’s Bev.”

“Hi. What happened at the hearing?”

“What we expected would happen — the judge ordered Family Services to conduct interviews and present a report and recommendation by January 14th.”

“Then what happens?”

“The judge will hold a hearing and make a decision. There’s one complication, though.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m not allowed to take Heather out of Ohio without permission from the judge.”

“OK. That’s not a problem, really, is it?”

“Not right now, but according to Mr. Chojnicki, Bob could prevent me from taking Heather from Ohio at any time before she turns eighteen if he gains visitation.”

“That can’t be right!” I protested. “What about vacations? What if we get married? And what if you get a job in, say, Kentucky?”

“I’d have to go to court to petition for permission,” Bev said.

“That just seems wrong on every level,” I replied.

“On the positive side, I have sole physical and legal custody, so requests would normally be approved, though I’d have to make arrangements for visitation.”

“OK, so it’s not too bad, just inconvenient. I mean the rules, not him having visitation rights.”

“He’s such an ass,” she sighed. “It’s clear it’s his parents who want access to the granddaughter. But he has to make the claim because grandparents have no rights.”

“Interesting. Is that something that can help you?”

“Maybe. If the social worker decides Bob isn’t serious or is simply acting as a proxy for his parents.”

“Just be smart when they do the interview,” I counseled.

“Mr. Chojnicki spoke to me about it, and to Mom and Dad. Dad is pretty pissed, as you can imagine.”

“I can!”

“Talk to you on Sunday?”

“Yes.”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I hung up, then let Jack know I was taking my lunch break. I went to the break room, got my lunch from the fridge, and sat down to eat.

“OK to join you?” Haley asked, coming into the break room.

“Sure,” I replied.

She sat down across from me and opened her lunch bag and began eating.

“It’s after Thanksgiving,” Haley said a minute later. “I waited for you to talk to me, which you said you would.”

I nodded, “I did, and I apologize. You know my concern.”

“I do, and I totally understand, but I’m not like that. I’m not looking for a short-term fling or trying to gain an advantage. Why not at least go on one date? What’s the worst thing that can happen?”

“Upsetting Mrs. Peterson, I suppose, which would be a very bad idea.”

“And would you do anything that would upset her?”

“Not intentionally, but it’s not like I intentionally set out to cause the problems with Rachel Kealty.”

“May I comment on that?”

“If you can without breaking any rules.”

“I can because what I know isn’t from anything in Personnel. I don’t know too much about you, but you do not strike me as a Jesus-freak or a devout Catholic, so it was never going to work out. I’m not sure there was anything you could have done to have things turn out differently.”

“It’s probably more complicated than you realize,” I replied. “And I can’t violate Rachel’s confidence or her privacy, so I think we should just let it go.”

“What I was trying to communicate,” Haley said with a smile, “is that I’m not fanatical about anything and can compromise on most things.”

“You’re working awfully hard for a date!” I chuckled.

“I think you’re worth the effort,” she said with another smile. “You’re intelligent, aggressive, a self-starter, logical, and good looking. What’s not to like? Kristy Benton has had only good things to say about you. And your only objection is that I work here. Tell me honestly that if you met me anywhere else, you wouldn’t be interested.”

I hadn’t realized she and Kristy were friends, but that didn’t totally surprise me, given Kristy’s dad worked at Spurgeon.

“I can’t,” I replied.

“May I offer a compromise on the rain check?”

“You may.”

“Let’s go to the Christmas Party together. We’ll meet there, and the date ends at the end of the party. After that, you decide to ask me out or not.”

“A reasonable compromise, but don’t you think my position on dating people at Spurgeon is logical and reasonable?”

“Yes, of course, but every rule has an exception! I’m not saying this is the case, but would you pass up the perfect mate simply because of where she worked?”

“You’re already thinking that far in advance?” I asked with a sly smile.

Haley laughed, “It was a thought experiment, you dope!”

“Does Mrs. Peterson sanction calling co-workers ‘dopes’?” I asked casually.

“In this case? She certainly would!” Haley replied with a soft laugh. “But I’m on break, not officially working.”

“I suppose it would be foolish to exclude someone for that reason, but it would present potential problems.”

“You mean, like, a conflict of interest? Or that it didn’t work out, and I turned into a psycho bitch?”

I chuckled, “This is where, if I didn’t value my life, I’d say ‘turn into’?”

Haley laughed, which was what I’d hoped would happen.

“I like your sense of humor! I can’t imagine you saying that for real.”

“No, I wouldn’t, but I would tease.”

“Let me say this, and it’s obviously speculative, that if we really did hit it off and became a serious couple, I’d find a new job.”

“Just like that?” I asked.

“Yes and no. I would, but not for the reason you’re thinking. Mrs. Peterson is not going anywhere for at least ten years, and there are no promotions available that would interest me. There is no chance I’m going to be a secretary for a trader because you couldn’t pay me enough to prostitute myself that way!”

“I’m surprised you said that out loud.”

“It’s true, isn’t it? I mean, if that’s what they want to do. It’s a free country. Nobody makes them take the job, and the job requirements are made fairly clear, if only euphemistically.”

“And I return to my comment that Mrs. Peterson shouldn’t tolerate that.”

“I don’t see YOU quitting because you object. You just won’t do that.”

“A reasonable point,” I replied. “And something I thought about when we spoke the last time.”

“It really is a matter of timing on when I try to find a new job, and Mrs. Peterson knows that. The experience I’ve had here is excellent, but there really is nowhere to go, so long as she’s here.”

“May I ask how old you are?”

“Twenty-two. I’ve been here two years after finishing my Associate’s degree in business.”

“And you’re OK with a younger guy?” I asked.

“Those stupid stereotypes need to die! And if you think about actuarial tables, women live longer than men, so being a few years older makes perfect sense. And it’s barely two years, anyway. Your birthday was at the beginning of November, and mine was at the end of October. Is that a problem for you?”

“No, of course not, but I know some girls who see it as a problem.”

“As I said, a silly stereotype, along with the ‘little woman’ bringing her husband his pipe and Scotch!”

I chuckled, “I’ve seen reproductions of those 1950s magazine ads. Some of them are downright hilarious.”

“I actually should have asked, but do you have a date for the Christmas party?”

“No.”

“Then say ‘yes’,” she said with a winning smile.

She had made a good argument, and as I’d noticed before, she was the hottest girl at Spurgeon, bar none. She was absolutely correct that if I’d met her anywhere except Spurgeon, I’d have been more than happy to ask her on a date. The question was whether or not I should make an exception to the rule. I couldn’t think of a safer date than one with a set start and end time, and in a specific place.

Bev was another consideration, but a single date at the Spurgeon Christmas party wasn’t any kind of commitment, and Haley had made that clear. I was still struggling with my ‘two minds’ problem, in that how I felt when I was with Bev in Goshen was different from how I felt when I was in Chicago. I needed to resolve that, probably by way of a deep conversation with Bev when I was in Ohio for Christmas.

On balance, I felt everything weighed in favor of accepting Haley’s offer.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Great!” she exclaimed. “As I said, we’ll meet there, and the date ends when the party ends.”

December 8, 1982, Chicago, Illinois

On Wednesday, rather than heading to the office, I went to the building in the Loop where the Series 7 exam was being given. The format was basically identical to that of the Series 3 exam, with multiple-choice questions divided into two sections. I was supremely confident in my understanding of the law and of best practices, and I’d reviewed my notes the previous evening after class.

I had no trouble with the exam, and when we finished just before noon, I felt I had easily scored at least 70%, which was all that was necessary to pass, and that I’d be issued my second license in January. That would put me in a position to fulfill any future role at Spurgeon, except for managing other licensed individuals. For that, I’d need to take the Branch Manager’s exam, which would require sponsorship from Spurgeon. I was positive I could obtain that when the time came, most likely in two to three years.

“How’d it go?” Jack asked when I arrived at the office after a quick lunch at Mr. Submarine.

“I’m pretty sure I aced it,” I replied. “But with a C being sufficient to pass, that doesn’t matter. Heck, they don’t even tell you how you scored, just pass or fail, so I’ll never actually know how well I did.”

“Why is that?” Bob asked.

“No clue. I asked during class and the instructor could only speculate that it was to not have people decide the grades mattered, only if you passed or not.”

“So to not make it like the SAT or ACT?”

“Something like that. He also suggested that it limits the challenges from people who missed by one question.”