Chapter 20: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

September 8, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Birgit

"Hi!" I exclaimed when I met Philip outside Starbucks on Sunday morning.

"Hi," Philip replied.

"Let's get our scones," I said.

We went inside and walked up to the counter.

"Two blueberry scones and a tall hot cocoa with whipped cream. Philip? Coffee or something else?"

"Tall coffee of the day," he replied. "No room."

"Name?" the female barista asked.

"Pumpkin!" I exclaimed.

The barista laughed and wrote that on the cup for the hot cocoa, then rang up the order. I paid, and she gave us two scones, then filled a cup with coffee for Philip. She handed it to him, and then we moved to the end of the counter to wait for my cocoa.

"Why 'pumpkin'?" Philip asked.

"My dad's nickname for me, and it's easier to spell than my name. They always ask and usually mess it up."

"How do you spell it?"

"B-I-R-G-I-T. But they almost always mess it up because they think it's Bridget. It's the same name, just an old Norse spelling."

"That's cool. So, how old are you?"

"You first!"

"Nineteen, but my birthday is in two weeks. I'm a Sophomore at IIT."

"Both my dad and my mom went to IIT, and my Uncle Dave teaches computer science there."

"Doctor Dave Kallas?"

"Yes. He's not my real uncle, but he and my dad started a computer company with some friends."

"I know the story! I'm a computer science major. So, how old are you?"

"I said I'd tell you after we have our scones and we talk!"

"Pumpkin!" the barista called out.

"Me!" I exclaimed and took my cocoa from him. Philip and I went to sit down.

"Where do you go to school?" Philip asked.

"The Laboratory School at University of Chicago."

"High School, right?"

"Yes."

"What grade?"

"Off limits until after we finish our scones!" I said with a smile. "Where did you go to High School?"

"Naperville Central."

"Are you living on campus at IIT?"

"Yes. I needed the freedom."

"Your parents are control freaks?"

"No, just strict."

"Mine are totally cool," I said. "They know I'm here, and they know how old you are."

"I don't believe it!" he exclaimed. "Well, unless you're older than I think you are."

"Out of curiosity..."

"You look like you're fifteen or sixteen, but I think you're a Freshman. If you were a Junior or Senior, you'd tell me. And that's why I don't believe your parents know."

I smiled, "When we finish our scones, we can go to my house, and I'll introduce you. And you're right. I'm a Freshman, and I'm fourteen."

"I knew it!" Philip declared. "I should never have agreed to meet you!"

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you're too young!"

I rolled my eyes, "First of all, I'm only five years younger than you are. My grandpa is twenty years older than my grandma!"

"I bet they didn't get together when she was fourteen!"

"No, but the age difference isn't important! Am I acting like a silly, giggly fourteen-year-old?"

"No," Philip admitted. "But I could get in a ton of trouble!"

I almost laughed because that meant he was thinking about sex, which was a good thing! But I couldn't let on because I didn't want to scare him away.

"For having coffee and a scone with me at Starbucks? I don't think so!"

"No, but you implied, well, you're too young for that, anyway."

I rolled my eyes, "Says who?"

"I'd get arrested for even thinking about it!" Philip protested.

"Too late, then!" I declared. "You've obviously thought about it, or you wouldn't have said what you said! And isn't it up to me? Nobody should be able to tell me what I can and can't do with my body! That's a personal decision, and nobody has any right to tell me otherwise!"

"It doesn't work that way," Philip declared.

"Society is stupid," I replied. "I'm not a little girl. Am I acting like a little girl?"

"Well, no," Philip admitted.

"Then see me for the mature young woman I am!" I demanded. "That is why I didn't want to tell you how old I was! You'd only see age and not who I actually am. In fact, I bet I'm more mature than some of the girls at IIT! And by a longshot! I manage my own life, make my own decisions, and basically behave as an adult. And my parents support that! I have the freedom to be me and live my life the way I want to live it."

"At fourteen?!"

"Long before I turned fourteen! My youngest sister is eleven, and she has the same freedom! We've all had it since we were toddlers. Mom and Dad believe kids need the freedom to express themselves, explore the world, and find their place in it. I wasn't kidding about my parents knowing I'm here. Most importantly, I didn't ask, I simply let them know I was meeting a guy I met at Ed Debevic's and that he was around twenty. The only thing Dad said was not to lie to you about how old I was."

"You can't seriously expect me to believe your dad is OK with you seeing someone my age!"

"Whether you believe it or not, it's true. When we finish, we can walk to my house, which is about six blocks from here, and I'll introduce you. The question is, are you mature and intelligent enough to overlook the age difference?"

"From twenty to fourteen?"

"Do you think I'm sexy?" I asked.

"Er, uhm, uh..." he stammered.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'!" I declared. "I think you're good-looking, and you seem really nice. And you have to be smart to be in the computer science program at IIT. Did you know my dad helped create one of the most important courses there?"

"Yes. Remember, I said I knew the story."

"And you can't see your way past the age difference?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Why not find a boy your age?"

"Because most boys my age are immature! Even ones in higher grades! And they certainly aren't built like you!"

He was just about six feet tall and had broad shoulders, though I felt he could use more exercise.

"You're in excellent shape," he observed.

"I'm a brown belt in Shōtōkan karate, and I'll test for my black belt soon."

"At fourteen?"

"Yes, at fourteen! I started when I was five! My dad is a 6th Dan black belt, and my mom is a 1st Dan."

"Now it sounds like a really bad idea to be here with you!"

"Give me a break! First of all, my dad is a pussy cat! Second, he's a complete pacifist. Third, I told you that my parents know I'm here, and they're OK with it."

I felt as if I was making no headway, so I simply finished eating my scone.

"I'm fun, interesting, intelligent, and mature," I said. "You have my phone number. I want you to call me, but I obviously can't make you call. I want to see you again, but it's up to you."

I got up from the chair.

"Call if you want to get to know the most interesting person you've ever met," I said.

I turned and walked out of Starbucks, annoyed and frustrated. Everyone was seeing my age, not my maturity, and I didn't like it one bit.

🎤 Steve

"Why the long face?" I asked Birgit when she returned home after her breakfast date.

"Because dumb boys can't see past my age!" Birgit groused. "I bet I'm way more mature than any dumb college girl, even at IIT!"

"He goes there?"

"Yes. He just started his Sophomore year in computer science. He knows Uncle Dave, and he knows the NIKA story. But all he could do was think about how old I was instead of seeing me for who I really am!"

"The Empress of the Universe?" I teased.

Birgit narrowed her eyes, "If only you believed that and did what I commanded!"

I laughed, "I don't even do what your moms command!"

"No, but you do everything Liz tells you to do!" I protested.

"Not only that, I pay her for that privilege!" I teased.

"Grrr," Birgit growled.

"I'm sorry, Pumpkin. In a few years, you won't have this problem."

"I can't WAIT to go to Sweden! People there are rational! And they see teenagers as adults! Not to mention, fifteen is the age of consent!"

"All of that is true," I said. "But what about cuddles every morning?"

"You'll live," Birgit giggled.

I laughed, "I will if you will!"

"I'll miss cuddles, but I think going to Sweden will be good. It helped you, right?"

"Yes, though you don't have the parental problems I had."

"Well..." Birgit smirked. "You don't do what I tell you to, and Mom, well, never mind!"

"Those are NOT the kind of problems I was referring to. And I thought you and your mom had gotten past that."

"I was teasing, Dad! About both things!"

"Are you sure about that?" I asked.

"I was teasing."

"What do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

"Peter will be here for lunch, and he'll spend the afternoon."

"OK."

She left, and I continued to the sunroom, where Kara and Suzanne were relaxing with cups of coffee.

"How did it go?" Suzanne asked.

"The age difference was an issue for him."

"Not surprising. Is she OK?"

"Just annoyed that despite believing she's Empress of the Universe, it does not bend to her will!"

Kara and Suzanne both laughed, and I sat down with my cup of tea to read the Chicago Tribune.

🎤 Jesse

I was walking out of church when my phone rang. I looked at the screen, saw who was calling, and flipped the phone open.

"Go for Jesse!"

"Hi! It's Viktoria! What are you doing right now?"

"Walking to my car at the Cathedral. Why?"

"Mom and Dad are out until late tonight. They went to a birthday party for Father Basil that was for adults only. Come pick me up!"

"And if they call or come home early?"

"I said I was going to call some friends to see if we could get together. Even if they come home, it won't be a problem. And you can drop me at the train station like last time."

I didn't have any plans, and I didn't see how I could get in any real trouble even if her parents found out we'd been together. It would be Viktoria who suffered, and in the worst case, I would just not see her again. The only concern was how much time we'd have.

"I can be there in about thirty minutes," I said. "But I can't miss our family dinner, which means we'll only have about two hours by the time we get to my house, given when I have to leave to get you home."

"That's time enough for what I want!" she exclaimed. "I'll be out front waiting, so you don't even have to get out of the car!"

"OK. See you then! Jesse out!"

"Bye!"

I closed the phone, walked quickly the rest of the way to the car, and headed to Viktoria's house to pick her up. Just under ninety minutes later, we walked into my house, which was empty, and went straight up to my room. Viktoria quickly undressed, revealing her sexy body, and I followed suit. When I was naked, I took her in my arms, kissed her deeply, and we fell into my bed.

🎤 Ashley

"Girls, this is Chadrima," I said. "Chadrima, these are my friends Susie, Ellie, Jasmine, Veronica, and Amber."

"Hi!" they all said.

"Chadrima goes to the Lab School with me. The girls all go to LaSalle."

"You're really pretty, Chadrima," Susie said. "Where are you from?"

"India. My dad teaches physics at the University."

"Do you have any siblings?" Jasmine asked.

"A younger brother, but he's a pain in the butt!"

"All younger brothers are!" Amber declared. "Especially mine!"

"Word!" Veronica agreed.

"What are we doing today?" Amber asked.

"Ice cream and then a walk in Washington Park," I said. "It's too nice out to stay inside!"

We left the house, heading towards Hyde Park Avenue.

"What do you usually do?" Chadrima asked.

"Sometimes we go to the movies, sometimes we watch movies at my house, sometimes we bake cookies and other times we hang out and play games."

"Don't forget the sauna!" Amber exclaimed.

"A Finnish bath?" Chadrima asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Dad has one in the basement, but I don't use it too often when it's warm outside. When it's cold out, it's an awesome way to warm up!"

"It's relaxing," Jasmine declared. "There's also a whirlpool tub in the sauna, which is awesome."

"Chadrima, where do you live?" Susie asked.

"In a house on Woodlawn near 49th, just a block from Ashley's house."

"Were you born here or in India?"

"India, but we moved to the US when I was two. Dad received his PhD in physics from IIT, went home, met my mom, they married, I was born, and we moved to Georgia when he got a job at Georgia Tech. We moved to Chicago in June when he got the new job. My little brother was born in Georgia."

"Does your dad do research?" I asked.

"Yes. At Argonne National Laboratory."

"We have grown-up friends who work there or at Fermilab," I said.

We reached the ice cream shop, and everyone ordered. Once we had our cones or cups, we walked towards Washington Park.

🎤 Birgit

"Let's take a bubble bath," I suggested to Peter after our second round.

"I'm supposed to be home by 3:30pm," he said. "My grandparents from Idaho are flying in this afternoon, and we have to go meet them."

"Ugh," I groaned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Sorry. I didn't think it was a big deal! We didn't have any specific plans."

'Except sex!' I thought. Peter wasn't my boyfriend, so I didn't expect him to account for every second of his life, but not telling me he could only stay for three hours was annoying.

"Then let's shower so you can go home," I said.

"You seem upset," Peter observed as we got out of my bed.

"I'm just a bit annoyed you didn't tell me you could only stay for a few hours, not the whole afternoon."

"I said I was sorry."

"I know, and I accept your apology, but that doesn't make it any less annoying! Just tell me next time, OK?"

"OK."

We quickly showered, Peter dressed, and I walked him to the door. We hugged and kissed, and once he left, I went back up to my room to change the sheets on the bed. Once I'd done that, I sat down at my computer and was happy to see Katy was online.

DadsPumpkin: Boys are SO annoying!
AppleOrchardKaty: Now what?
DadsPumpkin: I met a guy who is good-looking and seems nice, but he thinks I'm too young!
AppleOrchardKaty: How old is he?
DadsPumpkin: Sophomore in college.
AppleOrchardKaty: So 19 or 20?
DadsPumpkin: 19. His birthday is in two weeks.
AppleOrchardKaty: He's nearly six years older, so I can understand.
DadsPumpkin: Oh, please! I'm a mature young woman!
AppleOrchardKaty: And under the age of consent in Illinois. He's right to be concerned.
DadsPumpkin: Like I'd EVER complain? Or Dad or my moms would?
AppleOrchardKaty: It would be a big risk for him. And, Birgit, six years is a lot at your age! It's almost half your life.
DadsPumpkin: So? 😡
AppleOrchardKaty: I know you think you're a young adult, and your dad treats you that way, and so do his friends, but other people don't see it that way.
DadsPumpkin: Other people need to get a grip!
AppleOrchardKaty: You think you have the right to decide for yourself, right?
DadsPumpkin: Duh!
AppleOrchardKaty: The boy does, too.
DadsPumpkin: Grrr!
AppleOrchardKaty: It's true. If he doesn't think it's right, for whatever reason, that's his decision.
DadsPumpkin: 🤬🤬🤬
AppleOrchardKaty: Your dad usually says 'I hate you' when he knows the other person is correct and doesn't like it.
DadsPumpkin: I got my point across!
AppleOrchardKaty: You did.
DadsPumpkin: I can't wait to go to Sweden! People there are rational! And treat teenagers like people!
AppleOrchardKaty: In a few years, it won't be an issue.
DadsPumpkin: That's what Dad said!
AppleOrchardKaty: Your dad is pretty smart!
DadsPumpkin: For a dumb boy!
AppleOrchardKaty: All I can say is to be patient. It's not like you don't have plenty of opportunities with boys closer to your age.
DadsPumpkin: Oh, shut up! 🙂🙂 <3
AppleOrchardKaty: LOL! Thank you for putting the heart there! Are you still seeing Peter?
DadsPumpkin: Yes, but he's too much a mamma's boy!
AppleOrchardKaty: I think you're judging him too harshly. He's only fourteen, right?
DadsPumpkin: Yes. But why do you think I want someone older? It's not like I'm going for someone in their thirties or forties!
AppleOrchardKaty: I understand, but you know how society is.
DadsPumpkin: Unfortunately.
AppleOrchardKaty: I need to get to work! Chat soon! L8r!
DadsPumpkin: L8r!

I closed my IM client, then checked my email. There was nothing new, so I decided to write to Fatimah. She was married now, and I was very curious about how she was doing, though I knew we both had to be careful what we wrote to each other. I took out my good writing paper and a pen and composed a letter to her. I had just finished when my phone rang. I saw on the display it was Tiffany calling.

"What's up?" I asked after opening the phone.

"Want to hang out?" Tiffany asked.

"Sure! Peter bailed on me. Something about picking up his grandparents at the airport."

"Grandparents over hot sex? What a loser!"

I giggled, "We agree! I'll be over in ten minutes."

"Cool!"

I closed the phone, addressed the envelope, then went downstairs and put the right amount of postage on it. I put it in the 'outgoing' mail basket, let Mom know I was going to Tiffany's, then left the house.

🎤 Jesse