Aunt Jean, Ron, and...

"I know this relationship is... in certain ways, crazy, at times it makes me a bit nuts when I feel both like your lover and your brother at the same moment, I mean... well, I hope you know what I mean. Most of the time I guess I agree with you that Mom and Dad would never accept it because... Ky, they never thought of you as a hyphenated or prefixed daughter, you were never their adoptive daughter, you were always just their daughter, and... I'm somewhat concerned if we told them about us they'd somehow feel they had failed as parents. I figure they might even disown me and put you in the loony bin for observation. But... sometimes, I really do think they would see our love, and... and accept it.

"Ky, you're the only girl... the only woman I've ever loved, ever said those words to. I love you, and... and there are moments I hate myself for that because I think I'm screwing up your life."

"You're not screwing up my life, Ted, or... or maybe we're both making a mess of the other's life. I worry about you too. I love you. I-I just can't hurt Mom and Dad. I can't lose them. I'm afraid to take that chance."

"I don't want to hurt them either."

"I... I still think we should be open to others, but... Ted, I haven't been. I'm not looking at all. I think about it in terms of you being open to finding some other woman, not me finding some other guy." She exhaled. "I hate the sneaking around behind Mom and Dad, and... and like you just said, I'd love it if you could kiss me and neither of us worry who might see, or holding your hand, or a million other little things." She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "Sorry, I know I've said all this before, and... and I've made you say it all again."

"Yeah, we do talk in circles a lot." He ventured a smile. "But you've sort made me do that all my life, since we were kids."

"No, I didn't."

"Yeah, always asking why, then I'd give you an answer, and you'd say why again to that, and then again to the new explanation, and again and again, until we were back to the first question."

"That's because your answers were never clear."

"No, it's because I didn't give you the answer you wanted." He chuckled.

"That's not true. Why would you say something like that?"

Ted's chuckling turned into laughter. "I rest my case."

"Shut up." Kyli yanked her hand away but smiled before she took a sip of her water.

Ted's laughter died. For a moment he wondered if she loved him as much as he did her. Was that the real problem? He wanted to tell her again they should just sit down with Mom and Dad and bare it all, let the chips fall where they may. He really wasn't sure how their parents would react, at least not after the initial shock. He knew they loved Kyli and himself, but... He sighed. It suddenly seemed the evening was going down the tubes.

Kyli glanced at the other table then looked at Ted. She knew the turn in their conversation would do nothing but make them sad. She didn't want either of them to feel like that tonight. They hadn't seen each other for over a month. "Should we invite them to have another coffee with us?"

"Hell with it."

Ky rolled her eyes. "Don't pout." Her heart swelled with emotion. He looked like a little boy for a moment. She again thought about her dream of having a baby with him. She half wished she would have gotten pregnant after their first night together. They would have had no choice but to tell Mom and Dad. She was on the pill now.

"We only have a deuce. No place for them to sit."

Kyli told herself not to get dispirited. She gazed at her brother, her lover, the man with whom she really did want to spend the rest of her life. He was actually cute when he was pouting, well, sometimes. It made her want to hug him. "You think we could move to another table?" She raised her eyebrows on her smooth forehead and held her smile back but there was a hint of it showing on her lips.

Ted noticed her hidden smile. "No. I'd have to leave two tips then. You know assistant professors don't make huge salaries."

Kyli rolled her eyes again. "You always talk about wanting to be like a normal couple, so... let's see what it's like." Her face went to neutral. "Ted, I didn't mean it to sound like we wer-"

He interrupted, "I know what you meant, and... you're right, it would be a normal thing. We don't do much of that and I doubt we'll run into them again. Normal except for him being a goddamn student."

"So he's a student, so what?"

"Like I said, there's a certain..."

"Oh, shut up."

Ted chuckled. Ky had brightened his mood. It was one of the things he loved about her. He pushed his chair back. "I'll ask them." He saw the waitress coming with their drinks.

"Okay."

Jean's stomach tensed when she saw Ron's professor stand up and start towards their table. His eyes met hers again. She quickly looked at Ron. "Um..."

Ted took his eyes off the girl and stepped to the side so his student could see him. "Pardon me, Ron."

Ron was surprised. "Ahh... yeah, Mr. Palow?"

"Kyli and I were wondering if you and your..." He smiled at the girl. "... date would like to have your coffees with us." He looked at Ron. "But... if you two would rather be alone, I'll understand."

"Oh... ah..." Ron looked at Jean. She seemed really nervous again. Ron had wondered what it might be like to be with Jean while with another couple. He thought it would be a good experience for Jean, and for himself too. "Ahh... um... oh, Mr. Palow, this is... Jean. Jean, this is Mr. Palow, my art professor."

Ted smiled and stepped around Ron. "Jean, very nice to meet you." He extended his hand. "And it's Ted. Ted Palow."

Jean took his hand. She felt breathless but was able to get out, "Nice to m-meet you too, Ted." She took a breath. His hand felt a lot like Ron's.

Ted slid his hand from the girl's. He turned to Ron. "You should call me Ted too, at least when we're not in class. So... should I leave you two alone, or should we move to a table we can all sit and have our coffees?"

Ron looked at Jean. She still seemed frightened. He was sure it would be good for her, for both of them. "Ahh... yeah, why don't you join us. This is a big table." He glanced up at Ted and smiled.

"Okay. I'll tell Ky." He only turned and smiled with a nod. He watched Kyli stand then pick up their coffees. She walked over to them smiling. Ted pulled out a chair for her. She set the glasses down. "Kyli, this is Jean. Jean, this is Kyli."

The young women smiled, shook hands and said hello to each other. Kyli sat down. Ted took the fourth chair. Each woman thought the other looked a little older than they had first assumed. Jean hoped Ron didn't let it slip she was his aunt. Kyli hoped Ted didn't forget not to mention she was his sister, then her stomach tensed hoping she didn't forget not to refer to him as her brother. Both women sipped their drinks at the same moment. The action made each of them almost laugh. They could tell the other was a little nervous, then they each wondered why the other was.

Ted drew his eyes away from Jean and looked at Ron. "I gotta tell ya, I was a little surprised to see you here. You live in the city?"

"Ahh... no. We... Jean and I wanted to come here for dinner. We were here once before, a... a friend recommended it."

"Yeah, the food's terrific here." He looked at the girl. "Jean, do you live in the area?"

Again Jean felt breathless. She swallowed. "I... um... no, I'm just visiting a-a... my brother." She glanced at Ron. He gave her a soft smile.

Ron was trying to tell Jean to relax without using words. He figured he better help her out. He turned his face to Kyli. "What about you, Kyli?"

"No, I'm spending a few days with my parents in the suburbs."

Ted sipped his coffee, his eyes on Jean. He set his glass down. "Jean, have you ever visited Ron on campus, been down there sometime?"

"Um... no, no I haven't."

Kyli teeth clenched for a moment. She kept her eyes on her brother. "Ted, thinks he's seen you before, Jean."

Ted glanced at Ky. She seemed a little pissed. "Yeah, I do think that." He gave Ky a little smile then looked at Jean. "I thought I might have seen you with Ron on campus or something."

Ron was also looking at Jean. She seemed near panic. He figured he should help her again. "No, Jean's never visited me at school. I've invited her a bunch of times though." He had. Jean always said it was too chancy, giving him a handful of scenarios, mostly involving his dad, how he might ask her to drive down with him sometime, and what if someone would see them all together who had seen just her and him before, and then would say something to Frank about seeing her before. Ridiculous scenarios like that. Although her excuse about a college friend she might meet and then the guy visiting him at home during the summer did make some sense.

Ted sipped his coffee again. "Well... maybe it was someplace else. I usually have a really good visual memory..." He smiled. "...but a hell of a time remembering names."

Kyli glanced at the man with the scar, then at everyone around the table. "Do any of you recall that story last... oh, I think it was Thanksgiving, about the man shipwrecked with-"

Ron laughed.

Jean's eyes grew as she turned her face to the other woman. "Yes, is... is that him?"

Kyli looked at Jean, her own eyes were wider too. "I've been wondering. Do you think it's him?"

Ted's brow pinched. "Who? Who are you talking about?"

Ron spoke, "There's a guy here, near the window, the guy with..." He hesitated. "...the guy with the scar on his head." He turned to Jean. "You want to tell it?"

Jean's hand almost went to her disfigurement again, but moved to her coffee glass. She held it on the table just to keep her hand from moving. Her nervousness rose as she turned her face to Ted. "There was a shipwreck, a man and four college girls were marooned on a south seas island. Four... maybe five months later they were rescued by a passing cargo ship. I... we thought the man by the window might be him, the-the man in the story, but... he had a beard in the photos and news reports I've seen. I-I was just wondering if it was him."

Kyli looked at her brother. "I was going to mention it earlier, but... we started talking about something else."

"Yeah, I remember it. Marooned on an island with four hot chicks. Every man's dream."

Kyli exhaled and then frowned.

"Where did you say he's sitting?"

Kyli spoke softly, "By the window. Don't turn around and look at..." She exhaled sharply again when Ted twisted around in his chair.

"Oh... that guy." He stared at the man for a few moments. "You know, maybe it is him." He turned to the table again. "Excuse me. I'll be right back. Might as well find out if it's him, maybe ask him over for a coffee too. If that's all right with everyone."

Jean's eyes grew larger, a crease formed on her cheek near her disfigured eye socket. "Umm... uh... don't bothe-"

Kyli interrupted Jean, "Ted, just sit down. He probably doesn't wa-"

"I'm not going to be a jerk." He pushed his chair back. "I think some news report said he's an artist. I'll just say hello, see if he's working again."

Kyli glared at him for a moment, then shook her head as he stood up and went over to the man. She looked at Ron then Jean. "Would you want strangers walking up to you if... if you were someone who's probably been hounded by news people for months?"

Jean answered, "No. I wouldn't."

Kyli said, "Me neither."

Ron glanced at Kyli's breasts then looked at her face. He was fairly sure she wasn't wearing a bra. It seemed bizarre that he thought he had seen her somewhere, and that Ted thought he had seen Jean before. Might it have been at the same time? Where? "It's been a while. It's old news. I bet no reporters or paparazzi are at his heels anymore." He looked at Palow and the man. Ted was speaking as he pulled a chair out and sat down. The guy glanced at them. Ron turned his face to Jean. She still looked nervous. "What's his name anyway?"

"I think it's Joe, something... Polish or Russian sounding."

Kyli nodded. "That's right. It's... oh, I can't recall now. I think it ends in a..."

Both Kyli and Jean said, "wicz," at the same time. They smiled at each other.

Ron chuckled briefly. "Surround sound." He took a sip of his ice coffee. "I'm surprised one of them hasn't come out with a book about it."

Kyli's eyes met Ron's. "I was wondering the same thing." She smiled.

Jean sipped her drink noticing both Kyli's and Ron's smiles. She felt another pang of jealousy, then told herself to relax. She knew she really wasn't jealous about Kyli or the smile, she was thinking about the end of summer, Ron and some unknown girl when he went back to school.

They all watched Ted get up and walk back to their table. He sat down.

"I asked him to join us, but he said he had to leave in a few minutes, said he was meeting someone."

Kyli spoke, "So, is it him?"

"Yeah, that's him." Ted took a drink of his coffee.

Ky half smiled and shook her head a couple times. Just like when we were kids! He wants me to ask! "We-elllll? You were there a few minutes, what did you talk about?"

Ted smiled. "Oh... yeah. I asked him if he was doing any art, asked if his experience was fodder for subject matter, at least in an emotional or an abstract sense if not literally visual. I don't know anything about his images, he could be a non-objective painter. His name is Joe Bartyniewicz, if you didn't know. He said he wasn't making any art." Ted smiled. "An odd thing, when I asked him where he was living, what area of the city, turns out he bought a house near my old neighborhood, on the edge of the Humbolt Park area. He said he lived here for a while when he was young."

Ted chuckled and looked at Kyli. "He said he came back for the hot dogs." He grinned as Ky shook her head and smiled. He switched his gaze to Jean and Ron. "When I invited him to come over for another iced coffee, I figured he just didn't want to talk. He seemed nice enough though... I guess. Oh... I asked if he was ever going to write a book about the experience, and he didn't really answer, then said he had heard one of the girls was about to get a book published."

Kyli grinned. "We were just talking about that."

Jean saw Joe Bartyniewicz, rise from his chair and put some money down on the table. As he turned towards the door, he met her eyes for a moment, hesitated, then started towards their table. Her stomach knotted and she felt breathless for a moment. She blurted a whisper, "He's... he's coming over."

Jean decided he was very attractive, even being older and with the scar. She realized he looked about Frank's age, maybe twelve to fifteen years older than her, the same as the difference between her and Ron. The thought made her stomach tense even tighter. The age difference was very apparent between herself and the man, just as it would soon be between Ron and herself. She again thought how this had to be their last summer together no matter how much she wanted it to continue.

Ted turned around. He smiled. "Joe. You changed your mind. Great. Pull a chair up. I'll buy you another coffee."

Joe stepped to the side of Ted. "No, but thanks again for the offer. I just... came over to say hello to everyone else."

Ted made the introductions. "This is Kyli Yiu, Ron Mazur, and... well, Jean. Sorry, I don't know your last name, Jean. Everyone, this is Joe Bartyniewicz."

Joe moved around the table. Shaking hands with Kyli, then the young guy who stood up, which surprised Joe, then finally Jean. He took her hand in his. "I also came over to apologize to you, Jean. I... I couldn't stop myself from staring. You... well, you remind me of a very beautiful young woman I knew once upon a time. I shouldn't have stared, it was very impolite of me." He knew he was holding the young woman's hand too long. He told himself to let it go.

"That's... um... that's all right. I-I... maybe I should apologize too, I was staring sometimes too... I mean I was wondering if you were..." She closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath. "I'm trying to say, I apologize to you too."

Joe smiled softly. "Then I guess we're even." He didn't want to take his eyes off her but he did. He smiled at everyone. "Nice meeting all of you. Have a good evening."

Ted asked, "Sure you don't want to stay for another ice coffee?"

"No thanks. I really do have to get going. Goodnight, everyone." He looked at Jean one last time, then headed to the door. She did look a hell of a lot like her, both her body and face.

Jean watched him walk away for a few moments. She wondered if he had lied and had been staring at her eye. She then noticed Ron was smiling at her. Ted and Kyli were too. She felt her face instantly warm with a blush.

Kyli kept smiling, "No one has ever come up to me and said something like that. How does it feel?"

"I-I don't know. He... he was talking about someone else anyway."

Ted chuckled softly. "He was talking about you, Jean." He sipped his coffee then looked at Kyli. "I'm sure he thought you were beautiful too, Ky."

Kyli exhaled and frowned at him.

Ron spoke, "Now I'm wondering who the girl is Jean reminded him of."

Ted looked at Jean. "I think the other woman comment was bullsh... was a lie. He just wanted to come over and get a closer look at Jean."

Jean's hand started to rise to her eye once again then stopped and returned to her lap.

Kyli had been looking at Jean furtively whenever she could, not only because Ted was paying her a lot of attention, but that she definitely looked older close up. She certainly wasn't nineteen. Kyli blinked. "Do you..." She blinked again. "That one girl, well, two girls actually, that were on the island with him, but the one especially... you... you and she look somewhat similar, Jean. Do you remember them in any photos or on TV? Both were slender, petite, dark brunettes like you, but one... her name was... mmm... god, what was it... Lori... or... maybe Lisa. I think her name was Lisa something."

Jean gazed at Kyli. She was so beautiful and exotic. Jean knew Ron thought that and it was true. "I remember the name but... I can't picture her... um... face." She knew she had just called attention to her own.

Ted smiled. "All I can recall from pics of them was that all those girls were sizzling hot."

Ron chuckled. "I was just thinking that."

Both women looked intensely at their respective escorts.

Ted grinned. "But no where near as hot as you two."

Ron also grinned. "Yeah, I was thinking that too." He glanced at Kyli, then met Jean's eyes again.

As if planned, both women sighed, frowned and shook their heads. The guys laughed again.

Kyli turned to Jean. She raised an eyebrow. "Don't you just love it when the guy you're out with talks about how hot some other girl is?"

"Uh-huh. It always adds something special to the evening." Jean suddenly realized how easily she had just slid into the role of 'girlfriend.' She knew she and Kyli were just acting, playing around, but the ease in which she was doing it amazed her.

"Well, I thought Joe was really hot, didn't you? So rugged and handsome, and knowing what a hero he was on that island." Kyli smiled and sipped her coffee.

"Uh-huh, he was. He had a sort of very attractive... weathered manliness, didn't he?"