They agreed to my plan but wanted to talk to everyone’s parents. I told Bev to call my mom, and she would coordinate everything.
Before going to bed, I told Mom and Dad my plans for my friends. I told Mom that Teddy Wesleyan had arranged the Northwestern thing last year for Tami. She said she would talk to him and see if they could do it again for this year. Mom agreed with Bev that their parents had to be on board before they were told, so I was instructed to keep my mouth shut. You would think I couldn’t be trusted.
◊◊◊ Wednesday April 20
Tonight, I found Tracy and Uncle John waiting for me. She stood up so I could give her a hug and kiss. We walked into the office, and I read Tracy’s goals while Uncle John explained what we were going to do.
Tracy’s Goals:
Have a Great Senior Year.
Travel
See David Play in the U-18 Baseball Tournament
Go to Dad’s Place in Chicago for a Couple of Weeks
Go to College and get a Degree in Sports Journalism or Public Relations.
Find a Boyfriend.
Tracy had missed a semester because of her depression. She would graduate after the fall semester of my senior year. She told me she wanted to go to college with Pam and me. Tracy planned to go to State for one semester and then transfer to wherever we would end up.
“I’ll miss my first semester of college because I have the Star Academy movies to film,” I explained.
“Do you know where they plan to film them? I hope you don’t have to freeze your butt off in Canada again.”
“Saul, my agent, says it’ll be in New Zealand. That’s where they filmed the Lord of the Rings movies. It’s supposed to be a gorgeous setting for a film.”
“I would love to visit someday,” Tracy said.
In the back of my mind, a germ of an idea began to form.
When we were done, Tracy hung around after Uncle John left. He seemed to really enjoy helping my friends get a focus to their lives. He pointed out that it would give them a huge advantage because most teens had no idea what they wanted to do. Or, if they did, how to achieve their goals.
What I found interesting was that my friends’ goals seemed more specific, like ‘get a degree in xyz’ whereas mine were more general, like ‘help my friends.’ Uncle John told me that was because we’d spent a whole summer early on, developing my goals. And we’d also mapped out how I wanted to live my life. With my friends, he hadn’t spent as much time and tried to focus them on a more immediate time frame.
A good example was my ‘physically fit’ goal. Uncle John had shown me yearbook pictures of people in his high school class and then their photos from his ten-year reunion. Seeing how many of them looked out of shape or carrying too many pounds had made me realize that it was a lifelong goal. It wasn’t just something I would do while I played sports.
“I’ve been put on notice that I can’t send you on a blind date this week. You have to take Zoe,” Tracy said.
I thought about Zoe, and that sounded like a good idea. In my mind, I had slowly been moving her into the ‘friends’ zone. It seemed to link back to our conversation about religion and sex. Since that conversation, we hadn’t been intimate. We needed to decide what kind of relationship we wanted to have. I did know that she had a sexual bucket list. But I wasn’t sure if she and I would work on that list or if she needed to find a nice Mennonite boy to settle down with. I was sure that was her mom’s preference.
Tracy also told me I had to spend time with my baby mama. Pam was feeling fat after having our son and needed to be reassured that she was still attractive. I just snorted at that, because I’d told her she was beautiful every day since she’d had Coby.
Mom had pulled me aside and explained that I had to be extra careful if we had sex when that time came. Apparently, a woman’s body knew it was in baby-making mode right after the birth of a child, and it was easier to get pregnant. I thought it was an urban legend and more likely caused by the woman being in a stable relationship where sex was involved. If you weren’t careful the first time around, you probably weren’t going to be careful the second.
If I hadn’t intended to take my mom’s advice, her follow-up argument had sealed the deal. She had told me she would take both Duke and me to the vet if I got anyone pregnant again while I was still in high school. I’d gotten a pass on the first one because he was so cute. She wasn’t about to raise any more of my progeny.
I’d teased her with her dream grandchild produced from Beth and me, and I think she envisioned the wedding bells for about half a second. Then she gave me a look that sent Duke and me to my apartment.
I kissed Tracy goodnight and thanked her for being a good friend to Pam and me.
◊◊◊
Chapter 34 – How Hard Could It Be? Thursday April 21
Cassidy came home with me after our dinner and Japanese class. Tonight’s culinary treat was a simple soup called ochazuke. It was a bowl of plain white rice and green tea mixed with dashi kelp broth, topped with salmon flakes. When they told me about the kelp broth and salmon flakes, I thought it sounded a little iffy. But Cassidy dove right in, and she wasn’t the most adventurous eater. After trying a bite, I appreciated Hana exposing me to the foods I’d be eating when I traveled to Japan.
When we strode into the kitchen, we found Pam and Peggy there with Little David and Coby. Coby was in Pam’s arms and seemed like a happy boy. I smiled when he reacted to my voice. Little David was chattering away. Uncle John and Cassidy stepped into the office to get started while I played Daddy to two little boys.
Mom came into the kitchen with a stack of magazines that had a picture of Pam, Coby, and me on the cover. They’d interviewed me about my troubles last fall with Cal. I’d kept it generic, but Frank had pointed them to the details in the public records. That got me off the hook for commenting on any specifics, since I didn’t want to violate the agreement. I just talked about my feelings, probably my least favorite subject to be asked about. Then I spoke about how my parents had stepped up to support Pam and me. I freely admitted I was too young to be having babies, but at some point, I wanted a houseful.
Pam had surprised me, though I was careful not to mention it. I remembered the Valentine’s Day fiasco, where she’d gone home from New York because she didn’t want to be in the public eye. So I was stunned that she allowed herself to be in the photo for People magazine. I wondered if her therapy was helping. Of course, I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut.
I walked into the office, and Uncle John handed me Cassidy’s goals.
Cassidy’s Goals:
Become a Marine.
Physically Fit and Help Others Become Fit Also.
Become a Trainer
Protect People Who Cannot Protect Themselves.
Teach David to Protect Himself.
Learn Security.
Travel.
“When you say ‘trainer,’ do you mean a personal trainer like at a gym, or do you mean a trainer like a football trainer?” Uncle John asked.
Cassidy thought for a moment and seemed confused.
“What would be your perfect job?” I asked.
She didn’t hesitate. Obviously, she’d thought about this before.
“Ideally, I’d like to work with someone like you. I would help them get into shape and stay healthy and protect them from harm. I would help them be the best they could be.”
“When you say ‘security’ and ‘protect,’ are you talking about what Fritz does?” I asked.
“Yes.”