Chapter 15: And She's Right!

August 24, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Ashley

"Happy birthday, Cinderella!" Dad exclaimed when I came into the sunroom on Saturday morning.

Birgit gave me an evil look but got up from the chaise. I was positive Dad had told her she had to let me have some time with him, but that didn't mean she liked giving up what she considered 'her' time. That was just too bad for her because he was my dad, too! I walked over and got into the chaise and snuggled, but not the way Birgit did when she draped her body over Dad the way a girlfriend would.

"How does it feel to be eleven?" Dad asked.

"The same as it did to be ten!" I giggled. "Ask me when I turn sixteen and can have my driver's license!"

"I think the world can wait for that," Dad chuckled.

"Oh, please! Everyone else will have their license by then! And that includes Birgit! Talk about scary! That's even scarier than Jesse!"

"Jesse is a good, careful driver," Dad countered. "But I think you're right to be worried about Birgit!"

"I HEARD THAT!" Birgit exclaimed from where she was sitting in a chair.

"You were meant to!" I giggled. "You're so easy to wind up!"

"Did you take lessons from Jesse?" Dad asked me.

"No! But I know everyone in this house better than they know themselves!"

"Speaking of scary," Dad chuckled.

"I know, right?" I giggled.

"Who all is going to be at your party this afternoon?" Dad asked.

"All the girls," I replied. "Twenty-six girls and no boys!"

"I'm glad I'll be at the dojo with my students!" Dad declared.

I laughed, "And if they were all High School girls?"

"No comment," Dad replied with a grin.

"Uh-huh," I replied flatly.

"You know my rules," Dad said. "Your friends are off limits. The same is true for Stephie's friends."

"But not Birgit's!" I declared. "They all want you! Well, most of them. And she's OK with it! She tried to give away tickets!"

"How do you know about that?" Dad asked.

"I know everything!" I giggled. "There are no secrets in this house or the coach house!"

"You, young lady, are a menace!"

"Thank you!" I exclaimed happily.

"Breakfast!" Kara Mom called out from the door to the sunroom.

"Coming!" I replied.

We got up and went to the dining room for breakfast, joined by the rest of the family except Mom, who was at work at the hospital.

"Happy birthday, Ashley-chan!" Yuriko said as she helped Suzanne serve breakfast.

"Thank you! Are you coming to the party this afternoon?"

"I wouldn't miss it!" Yuriko exclaimed.

I was happy that she, Natalie, and Estrella would be there, along with all of my friends, Stephie's friends, Birgit's friends, and Chelsea. It was going to be a great party, and then I'd have another one with the extended family on Sunday evening.

🎤 Steve

After lunch, I returned to the dojo with Suzanne and Avanti, with Birgit electing to attend Ashley's party rather than participate in the usual Saturday session with my private karate students. I was very happy that Avanti had returned from her lengthy Summer trip to India with her family, and she'd join me at the house after the session.

"We're going to do something new today," I said. "After Miyu leads us in our meditation and exercises, I'll spar with each of you for three minutes."

"Uh-oh," Neil chuckled.

"You don't think your brown belt is just for show, do you?" Molly asked.

"No," Neil replied, "but I have a strong suspicion that despite not sparring for a decade or so, Steve's skills are better than anyone here, except perhaps Miyu."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence!" Molly declared.

"Will there be restrictions?" Miyu asked.

"Other than you not being permitted to participate because you're almost six months pregnant, no."

"A year from now, I want a full, no-holds-barred challenge, Sensei!"

"And you'll have it!" I replied.

"And to think Birgit is missing out!" Suzanne declared mirthfully. "She is not going to be happy!"

"I'm positive she'll make a challenge similar to the one Miyu just made," I replied. "Miyu? Please begin."

"Yes, Sensei!" she exclaimed.

She moved to the front of the dojo, lit incense before the shrine, which contained Hiro-san's ashes, and clapped her hands loudly. After two minutes of silent meditation, she led our exercises, which were not strenuous but about stretching.

"I think Neil should be first," Molly declared. "Given his impertinence!"

Everyone laughed, and I nodded. Neil and I went to the lockers and retrieved sparring gear, which we quickly donned. Miyu acted as referee, had us bow, then called out, 'Begin!'

I was rusty, but kata were an excellent way to practice the necessary moves without contact, and my regular practice served me well, easily defeating Neil by connecting three strikes, then pinning him, while only receiving one glancing blow to the hip in return.

"That does not bode well for the rest of us," Rachel Kealty said.

"He won't use the same techniques on you," Molly said. "He'll limit himself to those through green belt for anyone who isn't a brown belt."

"I'm not sure how much that helps," Rachel countered. "I'll go next."

She put on gear, and we sparred, with me doing as Molly had suggested and limiting myself to things Rachel knew, even if she hadn't necessarily perfected them. I won easily, but she accounted well for an orange belt. The matches with the others were equally easy until Molly's turn, which was the final bout.

She was very good and actually gave me a run for my money, connecting two strong strikes, one to my chest and one to my stomach, and almost managed to sweep my leg. I managed to avoid that, reverse, and pin her to the mat to win the match.

"You're very good," I said to Molly.

"Thanks to your training! How do I beat you?"

"You have to out-think me," I replied. "Your skills are good enough, but I was ready for the sweep and turned it around on you."

"How did you know it was coming?"

"Your eyes and your hips," I replied. "Your eyes flitted down for a second, and you shifted your weight. We can work on that, as I've worked with others in the past. The key is not to telegraph what you're going to do and to be able to strike from an off-balance or awkward position. Surprise is the key, or if not a surprise, then a bit of deception. You know the saying 'fake left, move right'? But you have to sell it."

"Who can beat you?" Rachel asked.

"Sensei Jim felt he could, but we never had the chance. If I ever visit Japan, I'm sure that now that I'm permitted to spar, we'll find out! Will is probably evenly matched. Miyu is probably better because she has experience from competition. Once she has her baby, we'll find out if she's as good as I think she is."

"Better!" Miyu declared.

I laughed, "Now you sound like my daughters!"

"They do have your number, Sensei!" she exclaimed.

Molly and I removed our gear, then everyone sat in a circle to have a philosophy lesson.

🎤 Jesse

After lunch on Saturday, Scarlett and I took the L into the Loop to meet Matthew, Chelsea, and some of their friends. I'd had a really good week with Scarlett, and Angelina had been totally cool about hanging out with us and not acting jealous.

"Jesse, you remember Maggie and Mark, I'm sure," Matthew said. "And guys, this is Jesse's friend Scarlett from Minnesota."

"Are you a Junior?" Maggie asked.

"No," Scarlett replied. "I'll start my Sophomore year at U of M next week."

"Whoa!" Mark exclaimed. "You're in college?"

"Yes."

Mark looked at me, and I just smiled smugly, causing him to laugh and shake his head.

"Bacino's for dinner and One Hour Photo?" Matthew suggested. "It stars Robin Williams and is supposed to be really good."

"You can get in to see an R-rated movie?" Scarlett asked.

"Chelsea is my cousin and can act as my guardian! But if she buys all the tickets, nobody will ask or care. We've done it before. The theatre is happy to sell the tickets, and the Chicago cops couldn't possibly care less about stuff like that. So long as we don't cause trouble, nobody bothers us."

I wondered about Mark and Maggie because they went to an evangelical church, but that was their business, not mine, and if they were cool with it, I wasn't going to say a word.

"Your cousin?" Scarlett asked.

"First cousins, once removed," Matthew said. "Illinois doesn't have a problem with it, and neither do we, obviously."

"Genetics?" Scarlett asked.

"Mostly myth," Matthew countered. "I mean, if we were the Habsburgs and married relatives for generations, sure, but not for something like this."

"Every time I think it can't get any weirder..."

Maggie laughed, "Never, ever say that around Matt or his family because it can always get weirder!"

🎤 Birgit

"What!" I exclaimed in outrage when Suzanne told me about sparring with Dad.

"Hey, you chose to come to Ashley's party instead of your dad's session!" Suzanne declared. "You only have yourself to blame!"

"Grrrr," I growled. "He and I are going to have words!"

Suzanne laughed, "He fully expects you to challenge him to a no-holds-barred sparring competition."

"Maybe I can get him to pin me to the mat!" I giggled. "Repeatedly!"

"I thought you gave up on that?" Suzanne countered.

"A girl can dream, can't she?" I asked with a smirk. "I have to think about someone when I use my personal massager!"

"You are bad, Birgit!"

"I know!" I giggled. "It's WAY more fun to be bad than to be good, though when I'm really bad, I'm really good!"

"At fourteen?" Suzanne asked, but it was clear she was teasing.

"Not my fault you waited until you were eighteen!" I declared.

"Yes, but I got to be deflowered by your dad!"

"Grrrr, I growled again. "That's not f ... nice!"

"Let's join the party again!"

We went from the kitchen, where I had been getting a bottle of Sprite, and rejoined all the girls in the great room.

🎤 Steve

"You could have joined the party," I said to Avanti as we went into the sauna. "I wouldn't be upset."

"I'd much rather spend time with you," she said. "I haven't seen you since before you left for Europe. I'll hang out with Birgit and her friends another time. Does that bother you?"

"Not at all, and I'm pleased you want to spend time with me."

"I do. And I am very much looking forward to January. What are we working on today?"

"We'll practice our breathing techniques," I replied. "I hadn't really done those from when your mom began seeing your dad until you and I did them earlier this year. But first, let's just relax in the steam."

We sat down and were quiet for a few minutes before I spoke.

"Which High School are you attending?" I asked.

"Fenwick in Oak Park. Mom and Dad think it's a better choice than the public schools despite it being Roman Catholic. I went to All Saints Catholic Academy in Naperville for K through 8th."

"That's co-ed, right?"

"Yes, since 1992. I prefer being at a school with both boys and girls, though I think Dad would prefer if I were at one of the schools that only admitted girls."

"Your dad is very conservative."

"So is Mom, but in a different way. And, to be honest, so am I. It's just that Mom's sexual ethics are Eastern, not Western, and I agree with them. Otherwise, she's probably the most conservative female friend you have. Well, that's what she says."

"I'd say that's a reasonable assessment, so long as you understand it in the context of Eastern thought, not Western. The word 'conservative' here tends to indicate prudishness."

"Yes, because it's tied to the Christian faith," Avanti declared. "And that tends to be very narrow-minded, especially with regard to nudity and sex, but also to science, as demonstrated many times in the past by the Roman Catholic Church and now by evangelical Protestants."

"Your mom has certainly instilled her thinking into you."

"The same as you have to your kids, but each one has a different expression of that thinking. Birgit and Albert are quite different!"

I chuckled, "No kidding."

August 25, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Jesse

"You're only going to marry an Orthodox girl, right?" Scarlett asked as we headed from the church to Midway for her flight back to Rochester.

"Or someone who is willing to convert," I replied. "I think it's important to attend church together as a family. I remember you saying you don't go to church."

"Not since I was sixteen," Scarlett replied. "Mom and Dad go, but it didn't do anything for me, and I have better use of an hour on Sunday morning than sitting in church."

"Standing three or four hours in church?" I asked.

"I actually don't mind your church, but it's a bit over the top, don't you think?"

"A bit?" I asked with a grin. "More like WAY over-the-top. But I like the rituals, or what my friend Brooke, who's Episcopalian, calls 'smells and bells'. I think the services are beautiful, and they help me stay on an even keel. Everything else about my life is totally crazy, and a bit of stability is a good thing!"

"I have to agree with you on the crazy! I have a question, but I'm not sure I should ask."

"What?"

"Does Chelsea know that Maggie is in love with Matthew?"

"I have no idea. I don't really pay attention to stuff like that. How do you know?"

"The way she looks at him. She doesn't look at her own boyfriend that way."

"Well, I don't think it matters. Matthew and Chelsea have been a couple for ten years! Well, in her mind, anyway. Matthew figured it out when he hit puberty! He'd never, ever cheat on her. If there is one rule upon which everyone in the family agrees, it's 'no cheating, ever'. That means we don't cheat, and we don't help anyone else cheat. That's as firm as the STI testing and birth control rules."

"They're in drama together, right?"

"Yes, and Matthew and Maggie are the two thespians who don't fit the stereotype."

"You never know," Scarlett replied.

"Actually, I do," I said firmly.

"Sorry," Scarlett said. "It was just an observation."

"It's OK."

"Would it be possible for me to visit sometime during Christmas vacation?"

"Probably," I replied. "But let's discuss it in November when we have a better idea of what's going on. OK?"

"Sure. It's OK to call you?"

"Of course."

At Midway, I walked Scarlett to security, but with the 9/11 security rules in place, that was as far as I could go. We hugged, exchanged a kiss, and then she got in line. I waited until she'd cleared security, then headed home so we could celebrate Ashley's birthday.

🎤 Ashley

"Happy birthday!" everyone exclaimed once they'd sung to me after we'd finished dinner.

"Thank you!"

"You're growing up so fast," Grandpa Al said to me. "It seems like just yesterday you were born."

"Eleven years is my entire life! It's only what? A sixth of yours?"

"A bit less, but you make a good point about relative time. It was over fifty years ago I had my eleventh birthday. I lived in Anaheim, California then. My dad, your great-grandpa, was an aeronautical engineer who worked for Lockheed during World War II. He was involved with the P-38 Lightning project."

"Those are totally cool!" Albert interjected. "Did you ever ride in one?"

"No," Grandpa Al replied. "I was five when the war ended, and there was no way, because of security, that I could have gone into that facility. You know they interned all the Japanese from the West Coast in concentration camps."

"Yes," Albert replied. "Dad arranged for Sensei Ichirō to speak at my school about that."

"So, unfortunately, I couldn't fly in one. On the other hand, we lived about three miles from where Disneyland eventually opened, which was when I was fifteen. I went to college in Texas, then returned to California for medical school at UCLA. I was there when your dad was born, not far from where I lived."

"Was that before you had your affair with Grandma Angela?"

"No, it was after," he replied. "That happened when I was at UT Austin doing my undergraduate work. Your grandmother told me she was pregnant, but she decided to stay with her husband. I didn't see your mom until 1978 when she went to UCLA for a campus visit. I used my connections to ensure she could go to medical school there, but she instead chose to come to Indiana University. And that's a good thing because if she'd gone to UCLA, no Albert and no Ashley!"

"Hmm," Jesse said with a grin.

"Hey!" I protested. "You love me!"

"But sisters..." he teased. "Well, you know!"

I rolled my eyes, "What-ever! We can't possibly be worse than brothers!"

"How about we have cake and ice cream?" Dad suggested.

"You can have some?" I asked.

"Kara-san made your cake," Yuriko interjected, "and I made one from almond flour your dad can eat. The ice cream is from the churn, which Kara-san says is OK for him to eat."

Stephie, Birgit, and Yuriko went to the kitchen and came back with two cakes and a tub of homemade ice cream. Dad lit the candles on my cake, which was white cake with strawberry frosting, and I blew out the candles. Kara Mom cut the cakes while Dad served ice cream, and once we'd all had our dessert, I opened my presents. I was very happy with what everyone gave me, and the best gifts were a necklace from Grandpa Al and a cute dress from Dad, Mom, and Kara Mom. I also really liked the two Japanese scarves Yuriko gave me, which would go nicely with the dress.

All in all, it was a great birthday.

August 26, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Jesse

On Monday afternoon, Libby and I were playing video games in the Duck's nest when I heard a knock at the door. I paused the game and went upstairs to answer the door.

"Hi, Jesse!" Robin exclaimed.

"Hi," I said non-committally.

"Can I come in?"

"I have a friend here, playing video games."

"Oh," she said, pouting. "I was hoping we could ... you know."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," I replied.

She pouted again, "Why? Didn't you like it?"

I wondered if I should be totally honest with her and decided it was best if I was, as I really wasn't interested in being with her again because sex with her had been mundane at best, and I didn't want to have her thinking there was more to what we'd done than just screwing.

"Honestly? You behaved like a little girl, not like a woman."

"What?!" she gasped. "Why would you say that?"

"Did you read the book I suggested?"

"You're unhappy because I wouldn't let you put your mouth between my legs?"

"You think that's gross, and it's something I enjoy doing."

"Because you want me to put your thing in my mouth!"