Chapter 17: Necessary Changes

August 31, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Birgit

"Well, that stunk," I said to Dad as we left the Fieldhouse.

"What did you in?"

"He was more than a foot taller, and I couldn't get close to him no matter what I tried."

"We'll work on that when we spar," I replied. "You just have to move like a cat!"

"It's always about the pu..."

"DO NOT SAY IT!" Dad ordered, but he was laughing.

"You're just no fun, Dad!"

"And you need to be careful about how much you tease, especially outside the house. I know nobody is in earshot, but all it takes is one mistake."

"Sorry."

"How did you do with your kata?"

"No mistakes that I'm aware of. I think I have a good shot at getting a medal."

"You're absolutely ready for your black belt," Dad said.

"Do you mean all-around?" I asked.

"You're mature and disciplined, even when you're a scamp!"

"I have to have fun, Dad!"

"I know! Anyway, you can discuss convening a black belt board with «Shihan» Will whenever you're ready."

"I'll talk to him next weekend," I said. "Who will be on the board?"

"Sensei Molly, for sure, and someone from Sensei Ichirō's dojo."

"I need you to work with me on the black belt kata as well as on sparring," I said. "So I think I'll ask for sometime in November."

"Whenever you're ready," Dad said. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Peter and I are hanging out with Rachel and Javon. Rachel is sending a car to get us."

"Sounds good!"

🎤 Steve

I arrived home just in time to walk with Kara and Suzanne to get Jessica from the hospital.

"What's the plan for tonight?" Jessica asked.

"Just relaxing at home," I said. "There really isn't anything interesting playing at the theatre, and the kids will all be out doing one thing or another."

"Did Albert make it safely to Cincinnati?"

"Yes. He called around 3:30pm from my dad's house."

He told me he'd handled the entire flight, but I decided it was better if he told Jess after he came home rather than have her worry about him all weekend.

"How did Birgit do?"

"Won her first two matches but lost her third one to a guy who was more than a foot taller. I'll work with her on techniques as she's not going to be six feet tall like Jesse and like we expect Albert to be."

"Anything else happen today?"

"No. How about at the hospital?"

"Just a usual Saturday for us. I'm looking forward to teaching in the classroom again starting next week."

"And I'm looking forward to the seminars!"

"What's for dinner?" Jessica asked.

"Something Japanese," I replied. "Yuriko has taken over the kitchen again!"

"Sounds yummy!"

"She certainly is!" I declared, causing my wives to laugh.

September 1, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Birgit

"Morning, Dad!" I exclaimed, coming into the sunroom on Sunday morning.

"Morning, Pumpkin! We'll leave about 7:30am for the tournament."

I really didn't want to go to the second day of the tournament because I wasn't competing, but I had to because there was an excellent chance I'd receive a medal for kata. What made it worse was that I couldn't hang out with Dad because he was the Tournament Director, and nobody was allowed to stand near his lectern. That said, I got to ride with him, and we would have lunch together, which added to my time with him.

"OK. It's going to be kind of boring."

"You're there supporting the others who are competing, including Jolene and Sarah."

"I know."

"And you have a good chance of winning a medal," Dad said. "You were still in first place at the end of yesterday, and there are only about a dozen competitors today."

"I'm just that good!" I giggled. "I have ALL the moves!"

"For kata, I agree! For the other stuff, I'll take your word for it!"

"I am my mom's daughter!" I declared.

"That would frighten mere mortals," Dad said. "Fortunately, I am not a mere mortal!"

"The girls do all say 'Oh God!' to you!" I giggled.

"Pumpkin..." Dad warned.

"Sorry," I said. "It's fun to tease you."

"You are NOT sorry!" Dad exclaimed. "But you do need to dial it back."

"I'm careful to only tease when we're alone," I protested.

"Yes, but you have a history of not having a filter between your brain and your mouth. All it would take is one slip-up, and DCFS would be investigating our family."

"I know," I sighed. "I'll do better."

"You're a wonderful daughter, Pumpkin. Part of growing up is learning when it's appropriate to say things and when it isn't. Trust me, I learned that lesson the hard way growing up."

"You're talking about Grandma Adams?"

"Yes. I said some very ill-considered things to her that made my life worse. Fortunately, nothing that would get Family Services involved, but things I should never have said. I did some ill-considered things, too, at least with regard to her."

"Like?"

"Spending the night with your mom at her parents' house after we made love the first time. That set my mom on the warpath."

"Mom told me the story! Your mom called Mom a slut even though she'd only ever had sex with you! I've had sex with more guys than Mom!"

"Interesting revelation, Pumpkin!"

"Oh, please! You know I was with Kjell, and you know I've been with Peter. Right there is TWICE as many as Mom!"

"Good point," Dad chuckled. "Are you ready for school on Tuesday?"

"Yes. Suzanne took us to Target to get our supplies. I'm still not happy I was told I had to go to the Lab School instead of Mom asking me."

"I thought we were past that," Dad said.

"We are. I won't say anything to her; I'm just annoyed that I didn't get to have any say!"

"I totally understand, but guess what? I have to do things I'm told without any input! And I complain as much as you do, if not more!"

"Liz!" I exclaimed. "How is it that you do everything she tells you?!"

"Worse, Pumpkin," I teased. "I pay her to tell me what to do."

"Where do I sign up for that?" I asked.

"It doesn't work for daughters."

"Hah! I bet it would work for Ashley!"

"That would be because she's not impetuous!" Dad declared.

"Breakfast, Steve-san!" Yuriko called from the door to the sunroom.

"Be right there," Dad replied.

I got three more minutes of cuddling before we went to the kitchen for breakfast.

[Washington, DC]
🎤 Jesse

"The next time you visit will be in Boston," Larisa said as we ate breakfast on Sunday morning.

"When do you move?" I asked.

"Dad and I will move into the new house as soon as school is out in December; Mom will move in January when the new Trade Attaché arrives."

"Are you happy to move to Boston?"

"Yes. I've done everything there is to do in Washington, and there is so much history and so much to do in Boston. You should come visit soon!"

"Over Christmas, we have a tournament in Canada," I replied. "Maybe you and your parents could come."

"Where, Jesse Stephen?" General Dmitry asked, coming into the kitchen.

"Toronto," I replied. "Dad will have the details. There are enough rooms blocked out for us that I'm sure you can get a reservation. Dad's travel agent, Liesel, handled everything. I can give you her direct line."

"Please do! Lara, remember the rules for your party today."

She was having her fourteenth birthday party a few days early to have it on a weekend and also so I could attend.

"Yes, Dad," Larisa replied.

General Dmitry poured himself some coffee, then left the kitchen.

"What rules?" I asked.

"Nobody is allowed in the bedrooms," she replied. "No drugs and no alcohol."

"Are those really problems?" I asked.

"Not my friends, but there have been problems at the school with drug dealing."

"Same at my school," I replied. "And gangs. But they don't mess with anyone on the hockey team."

"I bet!" Larisa exclaimed. "How is hockey going?"

"We have our first game in two weeks, and I just mentioned the tournament. How is football?"

Larisa laughed, "I have to call it 'soccer' because most of the kids don't know that you play football with your feet, not your hands! We've just had practice so far, same as you."

"A school team?"

"Yes."

"Where will you go to school in Boston?"

"We'll actually live in Weston, and I'll go to Concord Academy. Dad will keep the studio apartment he has in Hanover so he could stay rather than make the commute if he has an evening engagement."

"Grandpa Adams went to Dartmouth, but he graduated in 1939 and studied electrical engineering."

"Have you considered going there for college?"

"Not really. They do have a Division I hockey team, so it's an option, though I think I'll go to UW-Madison. But I'm not sure I'll go out for the school team. I'll figure that out in a year or so."

"Why?"

"I'm good, but not good enough to make the NHL. If you think about it, there are only about sixty players, drawn from the entire globe, who play goalie in the NHL. That's fewer spots than getting into the Naval Academy, which is what Albert wants to do. And the Naval Academy only draws from the US."

"There are plenty of spots for football players in professional leagues everywhere but the US. Well, for boys. For girls, not really."

"That's true for hockey, too, though only the NHL really pays well. But I'd prefer to work as a scout or in the front office of an NHL team rather than play in a minor league."

"Do you think you could?"

"My dad and his friends have lots of contacts, which is the key to getting your foot in the door almost anywhere."

"Mom says that's the most important thing she has — her contact list."

"My dad was on it!" I grinned.

Larisa laughed, "I've heard some stories from Mom, but better ones from Mrs. Anisimova!"

"And here I thought the KGB kept secrets!" I exclaimed.

"She's not in the KGB anymore! They don't even exist now! But I think Mrs. Anisimova likes telling stories about my mom when she was a teenager!"

"I get those stories about Mom One from Dad, Aunt Kara, Aunt Bethany, and Aunt Kathy!"

"None of those are really your aunts, right?"

"That's right. The only actual aunt I see regularly is my dad's sister, Stephanie. Mom One was an only child, and Mom Two's sister doesn't visit. I haven't seen her since I was little."

"Why?"

"They don't really approve of my moms, and Mom Two's family wanted her to have kids. Even her parents don't visit much."

"I don't see my Russian relatives very often, except for Grandpa Vanya and Grandma Anya."

We finished eating and went to the living room to hang out until Larisa's friends arrived.

[Chicago, Illinois]
🎤 Birgit

"What's your name?" a cute boy asked while I waited for Jolene's championship match to begin.

"Birgit! What's yours?"

"Blane Chapman. Which dojo do you attend?"

"JK Martial Arts in Hyde Park. You?"

"AK Martial Arts in Naperville. What grade are you?"

"Freshman, on Tuesday. You?"

"Freshman, but at North Central. You look a lot older than fourteen!"

"Thanks! When did you earn your black belt?"

"In June. When will you test for yours?"

"Whenever I decide. I had thought about doing it this Summer, but I decided to wait so I could compete in this tournament as a brown belt."

"How did you do?"

"I won my first two matches but lost my third one to a boy who is way taller."

"You are kind of short," he teased.

"Hey!" I protested. "I'm only about four inches shorter than you are, and remember, good things come in small packages!"

"And if you were two or three years older..."

"Give me a break!" I growled. "I am not a baby! I'm a woman!"

"You're a fourteen-year-old girl! I'm almost nineteen!"

"So?" I asked, annoyed. "I am most decidedly NOT a little girl! Ask me out, and you'll see!"

"Right!" he said, shaking his head. "Your dad is going to be cool with that! I don't think so!"

I rolled my eyes, "You have no idea! He's here, so you could talk to him and see that he'd be OK with it."

"Uh-huh," Blane replied.

"He is here. Right over there!"

I pointed to the Tournament Directors' lectern where Dad was standing.

"Do you think I have a death wish?!" Blane exclaimed. "He's 6th Dan!"

"And he's a pussy cat," I replied. "Let's make a bet, OK? I go ask him if I can go out with you. If he says 'yes', you have to take me on a date and do what I want. If he says 'no', then I'll leave you alone."

"As if!" he declared, shaking his head.

"Do we have a bet? Or are you afraid you'll lose?"

"My parents would flip if I went out with a fourteen-year-old girl!"

"Coward!" I declared.

"Seriously, Birgit, you're too young."

"Grrr," I growled and moved away from him.

I was thoroughly annoyed that even guys who were eighteen wouldn't think about going out with me, let alone doing anything else. I wasn't a little girl; I was a woman! Society was doing its level best to stop teenagers from having sex, and it was annoying. I liked Peter, but I wanted someone like Mikael to fool around with, at least on occasion. He really knew what he was doing, and that was the best sex I'd had so far!

🎤 Steve

"What's bugging you, Pumpkin?" I asked as we walked to the diner for lunch.

"Is it that obvious?"

"You look as if you're ready to go medieval on someone."

"BOYS!" Birgit groused. "I talked to someone from a dojo in Naperville, and he called me a 'little girl'!"

"And from the perspective of most people, that's what you are," I said. "You're going to have trouble changing minds for at least a few years."

"That's just wrong!" I protested. "You didn't do that! And you still don't!"

"I do have limits, which you know."

"But you think fifteen is OK!" Birgit exclaimed.

"And you're fourteen, Pumpkin," I said gently.

"And yet, you would have if it weren't for my moms!"

"That's actually not true. There are things about which you have no idea which impacted that decision, irrespective of your mom's opinion on the matter."

"But you won't tell me!"

"I can't because, among other things, it would violate someone else's privacy. What I can say is that, among other reasons, your expectations made it difficult for it to be consensual."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"In your mind, you wanted to displace your mom, and that could never happen."

"I didn't!" Birgit protested.

"All you wanted was an expert deflowering on your birthday and nothing more? Ever? Be honest."

"Well, no," Birgit admitted.

"So that's part of it. Not to mention the point I made about far too many people knowing about it."

"So, if I'd kept quiet and only wanted an expert deflowering?"

"I can't answer that because that Birgit didn't exist!"

"Humor me!" Birgit giggled.

"You and Liz!" I said, shaking my head. "No matter what else might be true, I had to consider how your moms would react, and there is no way you'd have kept quiet about it!"

"Grrr!"

"I know you well enough, Pumpkin. Going back to your complaint, I'm sure you'll meet some guys at the Lab School."

"High School boys! What if I want a man?"

"That," I said, "is something I can't really help you with, and unfortunately, society is your enemy there."

"Maybe I'll move to Sweden!"

"And give up cuddles?"

"You fight dirty, Dad!"

"I have your number!"

[Washington, DC]
🎤 Jesse

Larisa's friends began arriving around 11:00am and were an interesting group of kids, mostly children of diplomats, but a few Americans, too. It was cool to meet a bunch of kids from places I'd never been, including Egypt, South Africa, Greece, Turkey, and Hungary. The girl from Turkey was gorgeous and flirty, but I was careful not to flirt back because I didn't want to upset Larisa.

We had a feast for lunch and then birthday cake and ice cream, and once Larisa had opened her gifts, we played games. At any party I held, there would be dancing, but I had the distinct impression that was something of which General Dmitry wouldn't approve, even if Larisa's mom would. I was sure that if I wanted to even think about kissing Larisa, it would have to be somewhere General Dmitry could not observe, or I'd be 'counting trees' if I was lucky and receive my 'nine grams' if I wasn't!

When everyone left, Larisa and I went for a walk, and once we were out of sight of the townhouse, Larisa took my hand.

"You don't think your dad has spies all along our route?" I asked.

Larisa laughed, "Mom will keep him from shooting you for holding my hand!"

"I do prefer to stay alive! Do you think you'll be able to come to Toronto for the tournament?"

"I'm positive. Dad is always talking about the tour you did in Russia."

"Are you going to stay in the US?"

"I think so," Larisa replied. "I've lived here a long time, and I like it. And I don't think Mom or Dad plan to move back. Do you like Russia enough to move there?"

"No, but I like visiting."

And I liked the 'warm comradeship' there, as Marko Ramius had described Cuba in The Hunt for Red October. But there was no way I could say that to Larisa!

"Me, too," Larisa agreed. "What will you study at university?"

"Business and sports management. How about you?"

"I have no idea yet, but I have four years to decide! What time do you need to be at the airport tomorrow?"

"6:30am for my 8:30am flight."

"Ugh. That means leaving here around 5:45am! But I'll get up to ride with you."

"I appreciate it. What time are your parents taking us to dinner?"

"Mom made reservations for 7:00pm. You brought a coat and tie, right?"

"Yes. I brought the sports coat I wear on Fridays and when we have a game on the weekend and three ties. I'll let you choose."