Chapter 35: A Great Shot

October 14, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Birgit

"You didn't!" Dad said, shaking his head as we cuddled on Monday evening.

"Of course I did!" I giggled.

"Of course," Dad replied. "And what happened then?"

"I should say that he pulled into a parking garage and I proved it!"

"You do have an active mind for fantasies," Dad observed.

"You have NO idea!" I giggled.

"So what really happened?"

"He said I shouldn't put those kinds of ideas in his mind, but I countered that he'd already had them! I was just saying them out loud!"

"How was your trip other than trying to seduce your driver?"

"Good. Marcella really, really needs a friend who is understanding and won't judge her, but her parents have her on the world's shortest leash! Seriously, they have spyware on her computer and check it every day, and she's not allowed to have a mobile phone. I did talk to her about going to college outside New York, but that's three years away. I suggested she could stay with me if she wanted but that I had to check with you first."

"Let's worry about that in a few years," Dad said. "How will you keep in touch?"

"Through her friend Teri, who has a mobile phone."

"And you enjoyed traveling on your own?"

"Duh! I've been capable of doing that for five or six years, but the stupid airlines wouldn't allow it, even if you gave permission!"

"It's not something you have to worry about again. Well, actually, I'm not sure. If you decide to go to Japan, we'll need to check on the rules Japan might have."

"I actually asked Yuriko about it, and she said because I'll be fifteen, all that is necessary is a letter from you saying I can travel, and she'll meet me at the airport. Akiko can meet Jesse, but he'll be seventeen, so he won't even need a letter."

"I'll suggest to Mom One that she give him one, anyway. Have you two decided to go?"

"Not a hundred percent, but we're pretty sure. Jesse can work around his month in Minnesota, and I'll go see Katy then, so we don't have a conflict."

"The sooner you book your tickets, the better price you'll get."

"First Class?" I asked.

"In your dreams, Pumpkin! That would be a $10,000 round-trip ticket!"

"I'm worth every penny!" I declared. "And then some!"

"When you earn the money for First Class, then you can fly First Class! Even I don't fly First Class overseas!"

"Samantha's plane?"

"Would cost you even more! And when I've used it, it's mostly been for work."

"Speaking of flying, how was Ohio?"

"Good. Anthony's new hotel looks great, the service is great, and our investment should pay off handsomely."

"Have you ever made a bad investment?"

"Not so far, but that doesn't mean it won't happen."

"What investments do you have? I mean, besides stocks?"

"You know one other one, for sure."

"Duh! Katy's bed-and-breakfast."

"Yes. And a motel and a restaurant in Rutherford, Ohio, plus some convenience stores in California. In the past, I helped Jackie and Jeremiah start their business, but they bought me out as they planned."

"Why?"

"That was their plan from the beginning. I lent them money to get started, but they wanted to own their architecture firm outright, so they paid me back. The others have chosen to retain their capital and pay dividends. When they eventually sell, I'll get my principal back."

"What about NIKA? Does anyone own part of it besides you and the ones who started it with you?"

"Through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan mostly, but some people were also given shares as a reward for their contribution. They can't sell them except to me, so there's no way for me to lose control of the company. And even so, I hold more than fifty percent of the shares."

"How did that work? I mean, you guys started it together."

"I put up the money to start the company, which meant I was basically paying them out of my own pocket."

"I hear you talk about Samantha having shares."

"They're special shares called 'Participating Preferred Shares', and they're really what are called 'debt instruments'. I borrow money from Samantha, pay her dividends, and eventually buy back the shares. It's cheaper than going to a bank. The shares can only be sold back to NIKA, though if we were to sell the company, she could convert them to regular shares and would get to name two directors to the Board."

"I am absolutely going to stick to chemistry!" I declared. "That business talk makes my head hurt!"

Dad laughed, "It's not my favorite thing to think about, and you know your Aunt Stephanie runs NIKA because I don't want to, and neither do Julia, Cindi, Elyse, or Dave!"

"Can I ask you something about Mom?"

"Which one?" I asked.

"The doctor."

"They're both doctors!" Dad smirked.

"The medical doctor! And you knew that!"

"She's the one who doesn't have a doctorate!" Dad teased.

"What-ever! Why isn't she Chief Attending?"

"You're going to have to ask her that one yourself," Dad said.

"Because of Grandpa Al?"

"Again, you need to ask your mom," Dad said.

"But you know why, right?" I challenged.

"No comment."

When Dad wouldn't answer, it meant there was something private that I didn't know, and that meant I might never be able to find out. That annoyed me, but there wasn't much I could do about it if Mom wouldn't answer.

My sisters came in to say 'good night', and because I had school the next day, I said 'good night' to Dad as well. He kissed my forehead, I kissed his cheek, then got up so my sisters could get their hugs and kisses, and then the three of us went upstairs.

October 16, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Birgit

On Wednesday, after school, I met Bob at Photography Club. I was really enjoying taking pictures and had even borrowed Dad's digital camera to experiment. But even more, I was enjoying working with Bob. And that was what gave me pause about fucking. I wanted to, but I also didn't want to mess up what was a cool partnership. Dad seemed to manage, but Dad also managed to have lots of teenage girls while I was having trouble getting guys in their twenties!

"How was New York?" Bob asked.

"It was fine. My friend's parents are psychotic."

"These are the ones who flipped out because they saw you two kissing?"

"They didn't see us, but her bratty little sister did, and she ratted us out to their parents."

"Are your little sisters bratty?"

"Not really," I replied. "Stephie was a pain in the butt for about eight months, but she's mellowed a bit. Ashley isn't a brat, but she is scary!"

"Scary?"

"She knows everything and can figure out anything. I thought I was good at it, but she's even better! And she's also quieter!"

"That wouldn't take much!" Bob teased.

"Hey!" I protested.

Mr. Tavares came in just then, so I couldn't say anything more. We spent the hour discussing photo composition, with numerous examples. The thing I found most interesting was using shadows with black-and-white film because those pictures were the coolest of the entire collection. I had an intriguing idea, but I couldn't discuss it in front of the other club members. Once Mr. Tavares dismissed us, I pulled Bob aside.

"I was thinking that it would be insanely sexy to use shadows instead of clothes."

"If you want to model, I won't object!" he declared.

"We'd have to ask my dad to make sure we stayed out of trouble with the law. It's dumb, but I could wear a string bikini that left almost nothing to the imagination, and that would be fine, but show my boobs? End of the world!"

"I'll risk the end of the world to see them!" Bob teased.

I laughed, "Seriously? They aren't that great!"

"They're attached to you, which makes them great!" Bob declared.

"Suck up!" I giggled.

"No, that's what YOU do! I lick up!"

"Somebody is horny!"

"I asked if you wanted to fuck and you said 'yes'! What do you expect?"

"Can you come over on Sunday?" I asked. "I want to talk more."

Bob frowned, puzzled, "Are you changing your mind?"

"Don't freak out, please. I just want to talk about it, OK?"

"Sure. Lunch?"

"Yes. And then we have our Hangout."

"OK. See you then."

I gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek to reassure him, then went to meet Fangsu for our walk to my house to do homework.

🎤 Jesse

"Birgit and I decided to go to Japan in August," I said to Dad after he got home from karate. "We'd leave on the 2nd and come back on the 15th, which would give us about ten days there, given flying time. That doesn't interfere with hockey, which is June 15th to the 28th, then July 6th to July 19th. I already checked with Doctor Mary, and I can stay with them the week between the two sessions."

"And I checked with Katy," Birgit said. "I'll visit her from June 15th to June 29th."

"I assume you checked with Yuriko and Akiko?" Dad said.

"Obviously!" Jesse replied. "They'll both travel to Tokyo to meet us on August 3rd."

"Did you speak with Liesel?" Dad asked.

"Yes. She's putting together an itinerary for us. And despite Birgit's pipe dream, I asked her to book Coach."

"Hey!" Birgit protested. "I just asked what it would cost!"

"And Dad was right!" I replied.

"What-ever!" Birgit exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

"Did you ask her about Business Class upgrades?" Dad inquired.

"Yes, but your company doesn't fly overseas, so the airlines won't accommodate."

Dad nodded, "I thought that was the case. Domestic segment credits can't be used for those upgrades the way they could for Birgit's flight to and from Boston."

"Once Liesel has the itinerary, she'll email it to you, along with the ticket prices. She said, given the cost, she needs you to sign off."

"Right. I've given her written permission for your domestic flights, so long as they're booked two weeks in advance."

"I'm going to go to bed," I said. "Just let me know if there are any concerns."

"I doubt it," Dad said. "Good night."

"Good night."

"Oh, one more thing," Dad said. "I assume you cleared this with your moms?"

"Mom One and Mom Two both said it was OK."

"My mom said, OK," Birgit said. "I didn't talk to my other mom."

"That's fine," Dad replied. "They'll talk to each other and me about it if there is a concern, but I highly doubt it."

I said 'good night' again, then headed back to the coach house to go to bed because I had to be up so early for hockey.

October 18, 2002, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Birgit

On Friday, Philip came to the house just after 5:30pm so that we could walk to Giordano's to have dinner with the gang, then see The Ring, a remake of a Japanese movie, Ringu, starring Naomi Watts, a new actress.

"How was New York?" he asked when we left the house.

"Good. My friend just needs new parents."

"I'm pretty sure you think everyone but you needs new parents!"

I laughed, "Not quite. Some of my friends' parents are OK, but there are WAY too many uptight people in the world."

"Including me?" Philip asked.

"That depends!" I declared.

"On?"

"If you give me a proper kiss later!"

"I could get in so much trouble," Philip protested.

"But you want to, right?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course, it matters! First, there is no way I'm going to say anything. Second, you know how I behave in public, so nobody would have a clue. Third, you could ask my dad for permission, and he'd give it. Fourth, it's the next logical step!"

And the logical step beyond that was even better, but if I suggested it, I'd probably scare him away. I was still seeing Peter on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I wasn't going completely stir-crazy. Julie hadn't been available this week, but I was positive that sometime in the next few weeks, she'd go all the way with Peter. And at that point, he'd be wildly fucked by two horny teenage girls once or twice a week!

All of that was to say that I wouldn't drive myself nuts by being patient with Philip, not to mention that I might be with Bob on Sunday, though I still wasn't sure. What I was sure about was that I wanted Philip, and the only way that was going to happen was to take it slowly and have him get comfortable with the idea.

"Let me think about it," Philip replied.

I kind of felt that was the best I could hope for at this point.

"OK," I agreed.

🎤 Jesse

"Who do you play tomorrow?" Libby asked when she and Lilibeth sat down at the table in two chairs to my right.

"Chicago Latin," I replied. "They're good, because like all Roman Catholic schools, they can recruit in ways a Chicago Public School team can't. But we should beat them."

"We'll be there!" Libby declared.

"I've never been to a hockey game," Fangsu, Birgit's new friend, who was sitting on my left, said.

"The games are open to the public, and admission is $1 for students," I said. "The game tomorrow is at Johnny's Ice House in Chicago at 10:00am."

"We can give you a ride," Libby offered.

"Birgit, do you go?" Fangsu asked.

"Only sometimes, because of karate. Dad is skipping karate for Jesse's game, but he has his afternoon class. I'll go to the playoff games, of course."

"Everyone, this is my friend Abigail," Pete said, sitting down at the table.

Everyone said 'hi' to Abigail, a cute blonde. She was way shorter than Pete, and if she weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet, I'd be shocked. He was about my height and weight, and she was at least seven inches shorter. Except for Akiko, I went for girls who were closer to my height, but Akiko and I had managed, so I was sure Pete and Abigail would manage if that's what 'friend' meant.

"Are we going to the movies tonight?" Pete asked.

"After Fangsu and I looked at the paper on Wednesday, we suggested The Ring to Jesse," Birgit said. "It's a remake of a Japanese movie about a cursed videotape. It's PG-13, so no problems there."

"A cursed videotape?" Leslie asked.

"Yes, anyone who sees it dies within a week."

"Weird!"

"I'm good with that," Pete said. "Abi?"

"Sure," she agreed.

Everyone else was in agreement, which was a good thing. Our pizzas arrived about five minutes later, and everyone dug in.

🎤 Matthew

"Next weekend, we should hang out with Jesse and Birgit's group," I suggested as Chelsea and I headed to Maxim's for dinner.

"That's OK sometimes," Chelsea said, "but we only get to see each other on weekends, so I want time with just us, too, and we're going to Jesse's hockey game tomorrow."

"That's why I didn't argue with you about tonight!" I replied. "I want to spend time with you, too, but I also want to hang out with my siblings. Also, please don't forget we have Arby's Halloween Party on the 26th, and my dad's on November 1st."

"I haven't forgotten! Are we going to go in costume to your dad's party or just wear masks?"

"Masks, I think, unless you really want to dress up and if you come up with an idea."

"Masks are fine. Are they the half ones?"

"Yes. Just your eyes, nose, and upper cheeks. It conceals your identity, sort of, because we mostly know what our friends' bodies look like."

"True! How is the Christmas program developing?"

"So far, so good," I replied. "We've changed the order of some things to make it flow better because what seemed OK on paper didn't work too well on stage. We did get one complaint from a parent, but the Principal told them to basically get lost."

"Complaint about what?"

"Being too secular, of all things! We expected complaints from the 'any public display of religion is establishment' crowd who do not understand what 'establishment of religion' means."

"We were taught it meant no religion in schools."

"That is NOT what it means," I said firmly. "It means no state church and no taxes to support an approved church. It's perfectly OK to have a Christmas program, even if it's purely religious. And yes, I know the Supreme Court has said otherwise, but they're wrong as they are on so many other things!"

"Like?"

"It's a long list!" I declared. "And you probably don't want to have that conversation when we're supposed to be enjoying the evening and each other's company!"

"What are we doing tomorrow morning?" Chelsea asked.

"I figured we could go to Jesse's hockey game. It's at 10:00am, so it'll be over in plenty of time to meet Mark and Maggie at Ricobene's."

"Do you think we could go to Cincinnati over Thanksgiving?"

"We could, but we need to be at my dad's house on Thanksgiving day."

"My mom said they'll do a second Thanksgiving on Friday or Saturday if we drive down. And we can hang out with Pavel and Larisa."

"That's fine with me. Let me just text Mom to let her know."

"Cool!"

🎤 Birgit

"It's really inconvenient to take the train to Kenwood, then walk to the L to get back to IIT when I can just get on the train a few blocks from here," Philip said when we left the theatre.

I wanted so much to roll my eyes and say something about that, but I had resolved to be patient.

"What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?" I asked.

"What time?"

"After 2:30pm, which is when I'm home from karate, and I've had my shower."

"I didn't have any plans, why?"

"Come to the house, please. You can have dinner with us, and we can hang out."

"You don't have to check?"