Chapter 20 — An Exit Plan

_January 20, 2003, Boca Raton, Florida_

🎤 Steve {br}

{psc} "Barbara let me know she's targeting the end of 2005 to retire," I said to Stephanie when we had some time alone together after dinner on Monday.

"I suppose I'm not surprised," Stephanie replied. "That gives us plenty of time, too. Any thoughts?"

"Not at the moment. I requested Barbara recommend someone in mid-2005. I'm inclined to go with her choice, though I retain my right to veto anyone at the VP or C level."

"Of course," my sister agreed. "We are seeing a bit more turnover than we have in the past, but that's a function of our size."

"True. We're a corporation, not a family. That's one reason I'm happy to stay in my office and code with Penny the way we did when we first started out."

"But with far less input and output!" Stephanie teased.

"ZERO input and output since we started the company!" I countered. "Much to Penny's chagrin!"

"Did you enjoy the 'furniture'?" Stephanie asked with a smirk.

"Stylish, well-constructed, functional, and soft! Did you know in advance?"

"Samantha asked to make sure your agreement with your wives hadn't changed. I assume you got the reference right away?"

"If only!" I said, shaking my head. "I didn't get it when she introduced herself as 'Shirl'. She had to show me the tray with the colored crackers."

"You're slipping, Big Brother! It must suck to get old!"

"Says the woman who is only four years younger!"

"What-ever!" Stephanie declared with a smirk, imitating Birgit. "What's your take on the meeting so far?"

"I think we're all on the same page, though with different nuances. The conversations have been productive, and I believe we're on the right path."

"You've been awfully quiet."

"My role is protector of the «kami». Nobody suggested anything that goes against our core principles, so there isn't much to say."

"I was surprised you had nothing to say about Melinda suggesting moving VLC from Baltimore to Northern Virginia."

I shrugged, "It's an operational question, and I trust you, Melinda, and Elyse to handle it. Not to mention, I personally wouldn't live in Baltimore for all of Samantha's money! Of course, if I had her money, I could live anywhere within helicopter commuting distance!"

Stephanie laughed, "I hear you! Where would you actually want to live if it wasn't in Chicago?"

"Sweden, if I was going overseas; Pittsburgh, domestically. Japan would be awesome, but even my great-great-grandkids would be 'outsiders' there."

"Not Russia?"

"Far too volatile," I replied. "I know Russian history well enough, and I've had enough talks with my Russian friends and Natalie to take that risk. Give it another twenty-five years to settle, and with a few peaceful transfers of power between different political parties, I might change my mind. That's against the odds, though, as Putin reminds me of the Tsars, and that would be par for the course for Russia."

"Speaking of that, I assume you read the financial report and saw the substantial increase in licensing fees from Lyudmila's firm?"

"I did," I replied. "She's going gangbusters! What did you decide about her inquiry about basing support staff in Singapore?"

"That's a good idea," Stephanie said. "It gives us the ability to offer round-the-clock support via our cross-support agreements. With Chicago, Moscow, and Singapore, we also have the opportunity to avoid having staff work on public holidays, which is crucial for our managed services offering. Larry was ecstatic."

"She has access to official channels that I could only dream of," I observed. "Her struggle is the source of her capital. Russian oligarchs are a nasty bunch, but Vanya has done a good job guiding her to the least bad ones."

"And neither you nor Samantha can take that risk."

"No, we can't. Nobody knows what's going to happen there, and neither Samantha's clients nor my wives would tolerate that kind of risk."

"You mean because of SKJ?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to the jazz club?"

"No. I'm just going to hang out here."

"And relax on the furniture?" Stephanie asked with a smirk.

"Perhaps."

_January 21, 2003, Boca Raton, Florida_

🎤 Steve {br}

"Samantha was right," Shirl said as we got out of bed on Tuesday morning. "It was absolutely an unparalleled sexual odyssey!"

"I very much enjoyed it as well," I said as we moved to the bathroom for a shower.

"I need to find someone like you here in Florida!" Shirl declared. "My one High School encounter and my two college encounters didn't even come close!"

"Prom?"

"Yes, but I couldn't stay out all night. I think the best thing to say about it is that it was something I wanted to do, but it was only OK. My two college encounters were better, but the guy turned out to be a self-centered jerk."

"I've been accused of that in the past," I said as we moved under the spray.

"It's certainly not true now! You wouldn't happen to know anyone in their thirties in this area, would you?"

"Unfortunately, no, but I'm positive if you ask Rebekah, she'll know someone."

"How often do you come to Florida?"

"Once a year," I replied.

"Does your freedom extend far enough to see you again next January?"

"Assuming you don't have a boyfriend, it should be OK."

Shirl kissed me, lowered herself to her knees, then looked up.

"A special thank you!" she said, then took my glans into her mouth.

When she finished, we shared a fierce French kiss. I turned her so her back was to me and tweaked her nipple, and fingered her clit to bring her off. After her orgasm, we washed each other, and then, after a wink, she lowered herself to give me another fantastic blowjob.

When she finished, we exchanged another fierce French kiss, then got out of the shower. We dried ourselves, dressed, and then headed downstairs. Shirl grabbed a blueberry muffin, then I walked her out to her car because she had an 8:00am class. After a hug and a kiss, she got into her Ford Escort and drove away. Once her car was out of sight, I headed back inside to join the rest of the NIKA team at breakfast.

————— {br}
[Chicago, Illinois]
🎤 Jesse {br}

"Got a sec for a private talk?" I asked DeShawn and Tomás after practice on Tuesday morning.

They did, and we went to the game room at the rink because nobody was playing video games.

"What's up?" Deshawn asked.

"Have either of you guys been approached by gang members?"

Deshawn looked down, and that telegraphed what he was going to say.

"Trey said that Gangster Disciples want me and I'd join if I knew what was good for me and my little sister."

"Shit," I replied. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. He said it, stared me in the eyes, then walked away."

"A Latin King talked to me last week," Tomás said. "I know he talked to Marco, too."

"What are you guys going to do?" I asked.

"I asked my mom about Chicago Latin," Tomás said.

"And I asked my dad about Wolcott College Prep," Deshawn said.

"That is going to fuck over the team badly," I groused. "We need to find something to do about it."

"What?" Deshawn asked. "Your brothers and sisters all moved to the Lab School because of gangs and drugs."

"I don't know," I said. "But if you guys leave, we're basically screwed. Nobody who tried out was even close. And Marco was miles better than any other Freshman except Nicholas. I think I'll talk to my dad when he gets home tonight."

"Nothing personal," Deshawn said, "but what's a white guy going to do against black and Hispanic gangs?"

"No clue, but I have to talk to him."

The three of us left the game room, I found Nicholas, and drove us home.

————— {br}
🎤 Steve {br}

"I think we have a problem at Kenwood Academy," Jesse said when he came to see me on Tuesday evening.

"What's that?"

"The gangs are trying to recruit Deshawn, Tomás, and Marco, and they basically threatened Deshawn's family. One of the girls told me they're targeting athletes besides the basketball team, including the girls. The guys told me they're thinking about going to other schools. I'm afraid their parents are going to decide, like Aunt Kara and Aunt Jess, to move them to another school, probably a private one."

"Has anyone threatened you or talked to you?"

"No, but I'm afraid it's going to wreck the hockey team. And you know the trouble we already have because black and Hispanic kids are more interested in football, baseball, or basketball than in hockey. Simone pointed out that basically every white guy is either on the hockey team or baseball team, and the white girls are on the soccer team or are cheerleaders. If the gangs infiltrate the sports teams, it's going to cause serious problems. You know a bunch of the kids moved to the Lab School or parochial schools."

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. I mean, it's not like we can take on the gangs, and I'm not sure I can convince the guys to hold the line against them, given they threaten violence. Can you imagine what would happen if the black and Hispanic guys on the team are split between the Vice Lords, Gangster Disciples, Blackstone Rangers, and Latin Kings? And I'm afraid that Morgan Park is going to pull out of the deal."

"Do you think that's a real possibility?"

"I do. Pete's parents expressed concerns, but Coach was able to truthfully tell them that nobody on the team was affiliated. Even if the guys manage to hold the line, the gangs are going to try intimidation, especially if someone like me or anyone from Morgan Park interferes in any way."

"It sounds to me like you believe it's a lost cause."

"It sucks, and I don't want to abandon the team, but I'm not sure there's a good solution. I know it's tough to get into the private schools, and it might even be too late."

"If you choose a school that fields its own team, I suspect you could simply talk to the coach, and they'd make a spot available for you. You are the best goalkeeper in the city. Just out of curiosity, which team in the playoffs just needs a new keeper to be citywide champions?"

I chuckled, "Saint Rita, but I wouldn't play for them to save my life! That means either Chicago Latin or British International."

"Talk to your moms and decide what you want to do. I'll support your decision whether it's to stay or go."

"Thanks, Dad."

————— {br}
🎤 Jesse {br}

"It's up to you, Jesse," Mom One said.

"I know," I replied with a smile. "But I actually want your opinions."

"Let's say I'd strongly prefer you weren't at a school where gangs were having turf wars," Mom Two said. "I won't bring up the drug dealing because I don't think you could find a High School where that didn't happen!"

"Including the Lab School," I replied. "Though that's mostly Adderall and some ecstasy."

"I'm curious how you know about that?"

"Pillow talk with Missy," I smirked.

Mom One rolled her eyes, "You and your dad are like peas in a pod!"

"You know, we never really talked about it, but did either of you use drugs?"

"It was mostly alcohol for me," Mom One said. "I was a borderline alcoholic in High School and my first few years in college. I smoked some pot in High School when I lived in Seattle. Your dad would never have tolerated it while I was close to him."

"No shit," I said. "If there's one thing Dad was clear about, it's that using illegal drugs is a quick way to lose privileges. Doubly so since that time one of Stephanie's friends OD'd. Mom Two?"

"Pot in High School. That was just a thing pretty much everyone did in the 70s."

"I agree with Mom Two on changing schools," Mom One said. "What did your dad say?"

"That he'd support my decision. I really hate the idea, but the school has changed a lot in the last three years. And it's totally going to screw the hockey team, but I'd be shocked if Morgan Park maintained their deal with us. They already had concerns about being involved with CPS, and Pete mentioned his dad's discomfort with Kenwood Academy."

"What are you going to do?" Mom One asked.

"When the playoffs are over, talk to Coach, then call the coaches at Chicago Latin and British International to see if they can get me in because it's late to apply for the Fall. If I can't get into one of those, I'll look further. I know Albert plans to attend William Howard Taft High in the Fall for their NJROTC program if he can get in. He filled out the application, and I think with his grades, his Scouting, and references from three Navy men, he'll easily get in. His fallback is Aurora East, but he'd have to live with Aunt Elyse and Eduardo to attend there."

"Isn't William Howard Taft on the North side?" Mom Two asked.

"Yes. Albert said he could take the L, but Dad offered to drive him when it's cold or snowing because there's a mile walk at the other end."

"I could probably be the backup," Mom Two said. "I can drive to Evanston rather than take the train, and it's not too far out of the way if it's where I think it is. I'll talk to your dad. What about your friends?"

"Almost all the girls are either at the Lab School or Maria, and the cousins are all in parochial schools. Most of the guys are from Morgan Park, except Deshawn and Tomás. The real challenge is for Nicholas, but I think he could go to the Lab School because Aunt Bethany works at the hospital. It's possible for individual players to make their own deals, and there may be some kind of arrangement with the Lab School already. If I could arrange it, I'd do that, but neither of you nor Dad work for the university, so I'm not eligible."

"OK," Mom One said. "Mom Two and I will pay your tuition."

"I leave the 'high finance' discussions to you two and Dad! I have a bit more homework to do before bed, so I'll say 'good night' now and go upstairs."

We all said 'good night', and I went up to my room to finish my math homework.

————— {br}

_January 22, 2003, Chicago, Illinois_

🎤 Steve {br}

On Wednesday morning, while Penny was taking a break, I turned on my noise generator and used my mobile phone to call Katya in New York.

"Good morning, Comrade Colonel!" I exclaimed. "How is the Colonel this morning?"

"About to get on a plane and fly to Chicago to shoot an impudent whelp!" she said, laughing.

"Me or Jesse?" I asked.

"YES!" Katya exclaimed. "I'm good. How are you, Stephen Rayevich?"

"Good. I have a question for you."

"About Birgit?"

I laughed, "No, she's her own person. If she has anything she needs, she'll call you! And if you have any concerns, I'd expect you to speak to her."

"She's a perfectly behaved young woman when she is here!"

I doubted _that_, but I was positive Birgit treated Katya with appropriate respect.

"I suppose she has to be _somewhere_!" I chuckled. "Nearly twenty years ago, when Vanya Voronin had me vetted, he said they could find no evidence of a 'Ray Adams' admitted to Russia during the Great Patriotic War, and chalked it up to missing records. Do you still have contacts that would let you check one or two other names?"

"I already know the answer to your question, Stepa," Katya said. "I wondered if your father would ever tell you. And before you ask, Vanya does not know. I hope you are not upset with me."

"Well, you just restored my faith in the KGB, such as it was," I said. "What do you know?"

"He was admitted as Lewis B. Hano, a name which he used after your grandmother remarried following her divorce from your grandfather. Your father had spent some time in a children's home because your grandmother was unable to care for him. Once she remarried, she and her new husband brought him to their home, and his surname was changed from Tobias to Hano."

"That matches what my half-brother told me when he showed up at my door on Christmas Eve."

"Ah, so you know that, too. Do you know about your grandmother?"

"That she was a Russian Jew whose parents emigrated to America just before she was born? And that she was pregnant with my dad when she married my grandfather after his first wife died from influenza. I also know my dad married Marion Fitz, and they had children. There was a divorce, and I don't know many details after that, though I do know the woman remarried. My mom does not know about my dad's other family."

"All of that matches what we found. It required quite a bit of legwork in 1984, as you can imagine."

"I can. The FBI seems to have figured it out sometime around 1991, though they may have figured it out before. They asked me about both the Tobias and Hano identities when they were looking for Reds under my bed in 1991!"

Katya laughed softly, "She was _in_ your bed! Though it was before your «некультурный» (_nekulturny_) marriage!" {green}("unconventional"){/green}

"True! In any event, I had no idea about the Hano personality, but I did know my dad's birth name and the names of his parents. He left out basically everything from 1917 to 1958. Was he actually in the CIA?"

"Yes, in Cuba, as Lewis B. Hano. That is the name under which his military records appear."

"Is there anything else you can tell me from the KGB investigation?"

"His final assignment in the US Navy was USS _Biddle_, in 1945, just as the Great Patriotic War ended."

"If you're going to say 'Great Patriotic War' for 'World War II', then I'm going to keep addressing you as 'Comrade Colonel'!"

"You are a real smart aleck, Stepa!"

"Yes, I am! And I understand why you kept that information from me. Had I found out earlier, I think I might have reacted less positively."

"I had no permission to share that information with you, something I'm sure you understand. I could not even share it with Ivan Voronin, despite it being he who requested you be vetted."

"Out of curiosity…"

Katya laughed, "You had no lack of female company in High School! Beyond that, I can hardly give away KGB secrets! I promised!"

I laughed, "Right. Sure."

"We knew you had association with the Mafia, but we weren't ever sure if you knew who you were working for because your friend Joyce was never involved."

"I knew," I replied. "But I trust you would never betray my confidence."

"Never!"

"Want to know something I find amusing?"

"What's that?"

"That the FBI never knew, but the KGB did."

"The 'Sword and Shield of the Party' sees all and knows all!" Katya said mirthfully. "But we, too, had our blind spots. That said, I am very happy the Cold War ended and that our nations are discovering how to be friends again."

"Me, too," I replied. "Thanks, Katya."

"You're welcome, Stepa! We hope to see you soon!"

We said 'goodbye', and I hung up just as Penny returned.

"Did you walk all the way to 550 to get your snacks?"

"Duh!" she exclaimed. "And to hang out with someone besides you!"

"You wound me, Pretty Penny!"

"I'd be happy if you penetrated me!" Penny smirked. "Very happy! And you could make Birgit's day!"

"You go ask Liz for permission and let me know," I said.

"You are just no fun!" Penny exclaimed. "No fun at all!"

————— {br}
🎤 Birgit {br}

"Birgit, will you present your collage, please?" Mr. Tavares requested.

I got up and carried my poster board with a collection of photos I'd taken during our Christmas celebration. I knew it might be controversial, but not nearly if I'd included photos of my dad and moms celebrating! I set the poster board on the easel, then turned to face the club members.

"I started with photos of us decorating the tree," I said. "And then photos of the things we do every year – baking cookies and pies, wrapping presents, and having our meals. We actually have multiple Christmas celebrations because of my extended family, and I included two shots, one each by my brother Matthew and my brother Jesse, of their celebrations, plus two different celebrations at our house. The last pictures are from Boxing Day when all the grandparents visit."

"Thank you, Birgit," Mr. Tavares said. "You told a nice story, and your photos capture the spirit of the celebrations without appearing staged. Does anyone have any comments or questions?"

"How many kids are there in your family?" Greg asked.

"Let's keep this about the photos, please," Mr. Tavares said before I could answer. "We're asking people to share private moments with their families, so we need to respect that privacy."

"Er, sorry," Greg said.

"Why did you choose black and white for some photos and color for others?" Kelly asked.

"I thought the baking photos were so 1950s that black and white made sense."

"You could use sepia techniques to make them look old," Mr. Tavares said. "But I don't think baking at Christmas is old-fashioned."

"Most of my friends agree with me; most of the girls in the kitchen pictures are my little sister Ashley's friends. The three older girls are students who live with us. Mr. Tavares, I'd actually like to learn how to make sepia-toned photos."

"I'd like to learn that, too," Bob chimed in.

"And me," Kelly declared.

"OK," Mr. Tavares agreed. "I will make that our February project. Thank you, Birgit. Excellent work. Kelly, you're next, please."

I carried my poster board back to my seat and sat down. When everyone had completed their presentations, Mr. Tavares dismissed the club.

"Very circumspect," Bob said when we left the classroom. "Students living with us?"

"Can you imagine? I mean, sure, you know, and so do some others, but people totally freaked out when my dad had only two wives."

"And now he has three and two live-in girlfriends! A guy can dream!"

I laughed, "As nearly all of our family friends say, good luck with that!"

"Hi, Birgit!" Fangsu exclaimed, coming up to us. "Ready to go?"

"Yes. See you tomorrow at lunch, Bob?"

"Yes!"

We met Zahra and Zaida and left the school for my house, where we could do our homework. Well, three of us because I was positive Zahra would want to be with Jesse.

————— {br}
🎤 Jesse {br}

"Zahra would like you to come to the main house," Birgit said when she came to the coach house after school.

"OK," I said, getting up from my desk.

I followed Birgit to the main house, where Zahra asked me to speak privately. I knew Zaida was supposed to be with her at all times, but I sure as heck wasn't going to say anything to anyone. We went to my dad's study because Suzanne and Yuriko were in the Indian room studying.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I want to keep seeing you, but Wednesdays don't really work because Birgit has Photography Club, which means we only have about thirty minutes based on when I'm expected home."

"I'm afraid it's going to become increasingly difficult," I said. "And we run the risk of your dad finding out, and if that were to happen…"

"I know," Zahra sighed. "I really wish things were different, but I don't think they can be."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't blame you, Jesse," Zahra said. "It's not your fault or my fault, really. It's the teachings of our faiths and my parents."

"What would happen if your dad were to find out?"

"Nothing good," Zahra said, tears forming in her eyes. "I love you, Jesse, but…"

I took her into my arms and hugged her,

"I know," I said.

Zahra cried for a few minutes but then released me.

"I should wash my face and go home," she said. "Good luck in your hockey games."

"I hope you'll still come cheer for me."

"Maybe," Zahra said.

I walked her to the powder room so she could blow her nose and wash her face. Once she'd done that, she and Zaida left the house. When they were on the sidewalk, I shut the door and began walking back to the coach house.

"Did you break up?" Birgit asked. "Well, you know what I mean."

"I probably won't see her again unless something major changes, and I don't see that happening."

"Did you think more about the gang problem?"

"Yes. I heard all three black gangs are trying to recruit the most members, so they control the school. And nobody seems to be able to stop them. That means I think I have to look for alternatives. Both Deshawn and Tomás confirmed they asked their parents to transfer. And Pete confirmed that his dad is going to ask the Board at Morgan Park to change their association to another school."

"That's the death knell, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "It sucks. It shouldn't change anything with Tomás, though. Or did you decide you'd rather have Bob?"

"Neither of them are jealous, so right now, status quo. I think that might change after Saint Martin, but I think there's a good chance I can get Kevin to ask me out."

"Kevin?"

"He's at Sensei Sharon's dojo and attends Lane Tech. He's been at our dōjō, and I'm visiting his next month. He is reluctant to go out because he's a Senior, and I'm only fourteen. I think after my birthday he might ask me out. And I have other options, too."

I laughed, "Including Lilibeth?"

"Who told?!" Birgit demanded.

"You did, just now! I figured you had at least experimented."

"More than once," I smirked. "And not just with her!"

"Interesting," I chuckled. "And before you ask, there is ZERO chance I'd experiment that way!"

"Touchy, touchy!" Birgit teased. "I bet you have homework to do; I sure do."

"I do."

I left the main house, walked to the coach house, and went up to my room to work on a paper for my introductory psychology class.

_January 23, 2003, Chicago, Illinois_

I was surprised to see Bethany at the house when I arrived home from karate on Thursday evening. I was even more surprised she was alone.

"Hi," I said. "What's up?"

"I have a proof copy of the revised chapter of my book," she said.

"And I'm going to confirm your belief I'm an asshole and say I need to see the _entire_ book, not just the chapter on sex. Our deal was about the entire book, not just one chapter. I'd judge the fact you're here alone rather than bringing Tom with you, is because you know he'd agree with my version of our agreement, not yours."

"Asshole!" Bethany growled.

"As I thought," I said. "I need to see the entire book. And you know I'll confirm the final proof copy before a single drop of ink hits paper."

"You don't trust me."

"No, I don't. You haven't actually changed your opinion or your views; you simply acquiesced to my insistence that your book remains sex-positive and not reflect the insanity that has overtaken society, including your profession. Write another book, if you want, maybe _Smart Teens; Stupid Adults_ or _Dumb Adults; Dumb Choices_. Or maybe just _Society Has Its Head Up Its Ass — Here's How You Can Make Things Worse!_?"

"Fuck you!" Bethany exclaimed.

"Which is, as I said, the ultimate source of your problem. You admitted it to me."

"You really are an asshole!"

"And you've turned into a shrew, just like my mom!"

Bethany recoiled in shock, understanding that was the most vile comparison I could make.

"Your goal," I continued, "is the same — to ensure your prudish views are imposed on everyone and to declare anyone who disagrees with you to be a pervert or mentally ill. Well, physician heal thyself! I'd suggest counseling, but pretty much every counselor out there has bought into the mass delusion about young adults being no different from toddlers except in body mass.

"I keep hearing 'brains continue to develop into our early twenties' with attendant implied claims that until your brain stops developing, you're still a child who has to be coddled, monitored, and controlled. Well, I'll put my kids up against any and all comers, including adults, and we'll see who is immature and ignorant and who is mature and intelligent.

"Hell, I'll go one better and put YOUR son against anyone you name, and I bet you dollars to doughnuts he holds his own, if not comes out ahead. Ashley, my youngest, is more qualified to be in medical school than at least half the students in my critical thinking seminars. And if we go back to the start of the school year, better than at least three-fourths of them. She's eleven, for Pete's sake! So, go home and come back with the entire proof, not just one chapter."

"Prick."

"If it makes you feel good to call me names, go ahead. You aren't going to change my mind. As the saying goes, 'Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me'. You need to remember that bit of folk wisdom because if you don't, you'll be with the cabal that's forming to censor any speech that is 'offensive' under the guise of political correctness. Of course, George Carlin and Frank Zappa successfully defended it from direct government action, but not from indirect action or worse, mob action."

"And yet, here you are, imposing censorship on ME!" Bethany said angrily.

"Not at all," I replied. "You're free to write a different book with a different publisher. You're free to post whatever you want on the internet. You're free to give any talks you want. The only thing you aren't able to do is modify a sex-positive book for teens and make it into something that demonizes sex. So, no, I'm not censoring you. Your publisher, who owns the copyright, is electing to keep its current message. You agreed to that when you gave up your interest in the book."

"Because that's the only way!" Bethany protested.

"We've had this argument before, and it's not profitable. I thought we might be past our problems, but we clearly aren't."

"Because you won't see reason!" Bethany declared.

"Oh, for the love of Loki! I'm being reasonable and rational. You're being emotional and irrational. In fact, I suspect you _still_ think it's all about me wanting to sleep with teenagers. It's not! In fact, I pretty much left it alone until you decided you had to impose your new, insane views on my kids and the cousins! If you want to insist it's about me and only about me, you'll never, ever understand, and we'll never, ever get past this. Go home, Bethany."

She glared, then left my study. I followed her to the foyer, and once she was gone, I joined my wives in the Indian room.

"I take it that didn't go well," Jessica asked.

"She brought a copy of one revised chapter to get my approval for the whole book to be published. I don't trust her, and I'd say her reaction proves my point."

"You think she was trying to slip it by you?"

"I do. I believe she hoped I'd read the chapter, agree, and tell Samantha to release the hold. I bet you anything in other chapters, she basically said something equivalent to the fact that the chapter on sex was provided for information, and it shouldn't be considered advice to actually do it except in whatever limited way she decided to describe."

"She needs counseling," Kara observed.

"I agree," I replied. "But who? Her entire profession is somewhere on the same downward spiral."

"What about Clara Brown?" Jessica asked. "She seemed to have avoided the insanity so far."

"I'll talk to her when I'm in Rochester next month," I said. "But I can't imagine Bethany would agree to see Clara because Bethany is convinced she is right the way Tim Saddler and Kent van der Meer are convinced they're right. It's akin to religious fanaticism."

"She sounds like your mom," Kara observed.

"I said that, and it rocked her back, but it didn't change her mind. She's unwilling to consider she might be wrong."

"So, like Jessica, then?" Kara teased.

I couldn't help myself laughing.

"Careful, Tiger!" Jessica faux-threatened.

"Kara, you know the difference between God and a surgeon, right?" I asked with a smirk.

"God doesn't think he's a surgeon!" Kara declared mirthfully.

"You two are hilarious," Jessica deadpanned.

"Deny it, Babe!" I said. "Your dad sure doesn't!"

"What-ever!" Jessica exclaimed.

"So now what?" Suzanne asked.

"For me? Nothing. I wait for her to send me a complete proof copy. And then I verify it's actually the one submitted to the publisher."

"OK to change topics?" Kara asked.

"Sure," I agreed.

"Jennifer and Josie came to talk to me before you came home. It sounds as if they agree with Jess and me."

"They do."

"Jesse must be pretty upset," Suzanne observed.

"At the situation, not at Jennifer and Josie. He brought to issue to me, then to them. We left the decision to him."

"Tiger…" Jessica warned.

"I am NOT taking Birgit's side on the matter, so no need to defend Kara's decision. Yes, I would have handled it differently, but Kara didn't do anything wrong. As I explained to our precocious daughter, sometimes parents make decisions."

"Using 'precocious' doesn't narrow it down!" Jessica said with a smile.

"No kidding," I chuckled. "But in context, it was clear who I was referring to."

We were interrupted by my mobile phone ringing. I pulled it from my pocket and saw a 415 number I didn't recognize, but I had a strong idea as to who was calling.

"OK to take this?" I asked my wives.

"Sure," Kara agreed. So I flipped open the phone.

"Steve Adams."

"Hi, it's Raven. Do you have a moment to talk?"

"I do. Give me a second."

I excused myself and went to my study, closing the door behind me.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I need some advice from my mentor," she said.

"About?"

"When is the right time to go to bed with a guy?"

"Is this an actual or hypothetical question?"

"Does it matter?"

"Only from the standpoint of asking questions about the relationship."

"Purely hypothetical. Well, I was asked on a date, so not actually purely, but enough."

"That's a question for which there is no simple, easy, one-size-fits-all answer except to say you do it when you're ready to do it. That could be five minutes, five dates, five months, or five years. It also depends on what you want from the relationship. If it's just fucking, then it's about attraction and how you'll feel about yourself the following day."

"Five minutes? Seriously?"

"If you know you want to fuck, and you're attracted to the person, and they're attracted to you, and you've both had STI tests, and you have birth control, I would not say it's wrong. Let me ask you to recall something we discussed — how long did it take you to decide you wanted to fuck despite being a virgin?"

"Never mind!" Raven said, laughing softly. "But you would have delayed, right?"

"Probably, and I have to say I believe it was better because we had our long conversation that morning and afternoon. Before that, you weren't ready for mind-blowing sex. Not that it wouldn't have been good, but it was WAY better than it would have been without the conversation."

"I believe you're right," Raven said.

"How did you meet the guy?"

"He was a customer I drove out to Palo Alto. I asked him for his number, which is something I would _never_ have done without what happened between you and me."

"That's a positive sign," I said. "The challenge is figuring out how to best use your newfound freedom. That is something only you can decide. Ask yourself how you'll feel the following day if it turns out to be a one-night-stand, and ask yourself if you're looking for a relationship or just some fun."

"Can't it be both? I mean, it was with you."

"Yes, of course. What I was trying to say was you should know what you want before you sleep with him, if you decide to do that."

"I didn't know what I wanted when I slept with you."

"Actually, you did. Now, you've had time to reflect on it, and have discovered deeper meaning. But you knew what you wanted, and I'm not talking about orgasms!"

"You're right," Raven said. "Are you going to be in San Francisco soon?"

"I don't have any specific plans, but I could. That said, go on your date first, see how things go, then ask me again."

"Because you think I might fixate on you instead of developing a healthy relationship?"

"If you asked that question, you know the answer."

"I'll call you after my date!"

"Good decision! Talk to you soon."

We said 'goodbye', I hung up and went back to the Indian room.