Chapter 9: "Reflections"
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** Wednesday, December 25, 2013 **
** Sandvika, Norway **
While it may have been Christmas Day and everyone was in a happy, festive mood following a holiday dinner of lutefisk and lefse, along with apple pie for dessert, I simply felt like lying down on the sofa and taking it easy. I could not allow myself to go to sleep just yet, however. Per Kristanna's family tradition, Christmas presents were not to be exchanged until after dinner had concluded. Yes, Kristof and Rande (Kristanna's parents, who were also our gracious hosts for this party) did things a little differently. This would be the first year ever in my life that I did not get to open a single gift on Christmas morning. But, I was not complaining.
After finding the sofa in the den and settling into its comfortable cushions, I glanced at the gathering in the adjacent dining room and realized that discussion was not going to be over for quite a long time. Kristof and Rande, along with Kristanna, Devon, Pamela, Trish and Amy, had been chatting up a storm for the better part of three hours. Dinner had been over for 20 minutes! Eventually, I figured that at least one of them would remember that there was a Christmas tree with loads of presents underneath it. Until that time, I was just going to stay on the sofa and relax.
Do not get me wrong; I was interested in the conversation and wanted to be a part of it. After all, my wife and her parents were there, as well as four of my five live-in girlfriends and (possible) future wives.
But after traveling 4,300 miles via airplane from Toronto, Canada to the capital city of Norway (Oslo (with a connection in Copenhagen, Denmark)) over an 11 hour period, I had a bad case of jet lag. This was nothing new, unfortunately, as the last time our little entourage traveled overseas to Norway I suffered from many of the same symptoms I was experiencing right now. My head was pounding, I had trouble concentrating, and I felt dizzy and completely out of sorts.
The only cure for me would be the simple passage of time. Changing six time zones (and losing six hours in the process by traveling eastward) can be a sudden and jarring shock to one's body and mental psyche. It would probably take me two or three days until I was back to my normal, ordinary self. It was regrettable, indeed, that I was feeling so down and out on one of my absolute favorite days of the year, Christmas.
Kristanna, Devon, Pamela, Trish and Amy were lucky; none of them were suffering from jet lag. Even at the tender age of 24, Kristanna was an old pro when it came to transoceanic flights. After all, she had made a grand total of 45 trips from Norway to Peru (and back again) over the past five years in order to visit me and the tropical island I once lived on off the coast of Lima. That was nearly 7,000 miles one-way. Kristanna probably laughed at the idea of a little 4,300 mile airline trip from Toronto to Copenhagen, and then Oslo.
It was extremely surprising to me that many of the others were not in the same shape I was. Again, though, I was not complaining. How could I? I would not want any of my ladies to feel as bad as I did right now. I was a big boy, and I could handle it. All I needed was a couple of days.
A smile came to my face as I relaxed upon the sofa, my ears trained to the discussion taking place in the nearby dining room. It was the kind of conversation that one would hear at a typical family reunion. Rande was in the middle of telling funny stories about Kristanna from when she was younger. Although I was not fit to take part in the talk myself and be in all those jovial laughs, their words and the tales being spun were quite therapeutic to me.
"You okay in there, Jeremy?" Kristanna called out, as all heads turned in the dining room, their eyes suddenly focusing upon me across the way in the adjacent den. "You want me to get you something? Anything?"
"I'm fine, Krissy," I responded. I had already lost count of many times she had checked on me and my condition today.
"Why don't you go downstairs and go to bed?"
"Jeremy will miss the gift exchange if he goes to bed," Amy told Pamela.
"If you need anything," Kristanna announced, "just let us know, baby. You know we don't like you feeling bad."
"I'll let you know," I promised her.
Ever since our group made its initial arrival here back in July, Kristof and Rande had been incredibly accepting and accommodating toward all of us. In the past, Kristanna would always rave about how cool and awesome her parents were, but I never once imagined they were anything quite like this.
Kristof and Rande had absolutely no issues with our group relationship and its dynamics. Once we got back in yesterday afternoon from our airline travels, Kristanna's parents literally rolled out the red carpet for the newcomer to our circle (Pamela) and welcomed her into their home with open arms. Very simply, they trusted Kristanna and her judgment. Kristof and Rande did not care how many people were part of their daughter's romantic life as long as she was happy.
Since July, Kristof and Rande had basically given our group the lower floor of their home. I may very well be a rich and wealthy man - worth two billion dollars in American currency - but I had no issues staying in the basement of the home that belonged to my wife's parents. Being around her folks appealed to Kristanna, and that was all that truly mattered to me. Besides, it was more of a luxurious living room - a huge one at that - than it was a basement.
Following the wedding in August, I got with Kristanna's father and told him of our plans to one day take over the farm - if he agreed - so it could stay in the family for generations to come. Not only was he fine with that, but Kristof offered us a huge mass of land on the opposite end of the 300-acre farm so we could build our very own home there. With three separate work crews and round-the-clock labor, our mansion was due to be completed by August 2014. It was going to put the estate back on the island to shame.
Kristof had taken me under his wing, so to speak, in recent months to demonstrate the ins and outs of running a successful and profitable farm. I was used to executive meetings and making multi-million dollar decisions in board rooms, so the idea of owning and operating a farm was completely foreign to me.
With the possibility of up to six wives (and God only knows how many children), I had little to no plans of actually doing much labor myself on the farm. The ladies and any children I had with them in the future were my sole priority. I could hire plenty of help for the farm, though, and oversee it more from a management capacity.
I respected Kristof like no other. At age 71, he still worked upwards of 16 hours per day on the farm. He was getting tired, though, and was starting to look more and more toward the idea of finally retiring and enjoying the latter part of his years with his wife, Rande (who was 61 herself). I was under the impression that within a year, the farm would be under my control.
With the financial resources I had, I was not afraid of failure or overcoming bumps in the road when it came to operating the farm. No matter what - even if it lost tons of money - the farm would always be here. I was not going to run out of resources. This was vitally important to Kristanna, who had grown up on the property and could now look forward to spending the rest of her life here as well.
I was pretty shrewd when it came to business, though, and I was going to treat the farm exactly like one. In all honesty, failure was not an option for me. It never had been. I would have enough hired hands, and maybe even a manager or two to watch and train them (not to mention Kristof's advice and years of expertise) that I was not worried one bit about the future stability of the farm.
As I continued to relax upon the sofa, with all the friendly chit-chat going on no more than 30 feet from me, I thought back to the previous two weeks and what a dizzying whirlwind of family get-togethers and parties they had been. My head was still literally spinning from everything!
Leaving the island behind on December 13, 2013 (and not sure when we would return to it), the ladies and I arrived at the Greater Cincinnati International Airport in Covington, Kentucky at 8:25pm that evening. It had been such a long and stressful flight from Lima (by way of Dallas) that by the time we got to the downtown hotel (The Westin), mostly everyone (myself included) simply wanted to go to sleep.
The next morning, however, the ladies were refreshed and ready to go. These next two days were allotted toward Lindsay and her family. She and I hopped into the rental car and made the drive to her family home 20 miles northward.
Masquerading as a monogamous, engaged couple the same way we did during our previous visit to her mother and trio of sisters earlier in the year, Lindsay and I were given the royal treatment. Saturday was one big family party, with music, fun, games and gift giving.
I had done an awful lot for this family in regards to helping them out of the financial crisis they found themselves in following the death of Lindsay's father last year, and my deeds certainly did not go un-noticed by them.
Lindsay's family had trouble coming up with ideas on what to get for me in terms of gifts, but my favorite turned to be a simple video of each of them thanking me individually and sharing stories about how they put the money I gave them to good use. The video ended with images of Lindsay (filmed in July, I suppose) gushing about not only how much she loved me, but how she was was looking forward to spending the rest of her life with me as well. It was quite touching, indeed.
I spent the night in their home and slept on the sofa (which was even more uncomfortable than I remembered). I went to church with Lindsay and her family on Sunday morning (her father was once a minister, so church was huge to them) and then treated them to lunch at their favorite restaurant.
With four more full days in Cincinnati before our little band ventured off to Toronto, Lindsay suddenly got the idea that she wanted to spend the rest of her visit here with her family at their home. I reminded Lindsay that in order to keep up the facade of our monogamous relationship - and ultimately hide the fact that there were actually six people in her life instead of just one, we had to stick to the original plan. Two days had been slotted for her family, then it was back to the hotel for Lindsay while Kristanna and I then went off to visit my own family.
Although I understood Lindsay's frustration - she missed her family terribly and wondered why she had to avoid them at all costs for four entire days when they were just 20 miles away - I explained to her that I would not be there with her after today. I had my own family to tend to, as well as Amy's parents (who also lived in the area) later in the week.
Without me in sight for upwards of four days - especially so close to Christmas - Lindsay's mother and sisters may become suspicious, I told her, and start asking questions. I did not believe that Lindsay was ready to divulge the true nature of our relationship to them just yet. Plus, we had already told them that we were in town for just two days.
Lindsay was whiny and even get a little loud with me during our trip back to her family's home from lunch (I had never heard the little princess scream before), but I was able to calm her down and get her to listen to reason. She reluctantly agreed to return to the hotel with me tonight.
The afternoon was all happy and smiles, though, as I got to sift through a series of family albums and watch a wide variety of videos of Lindsay from when she was growing up. I especially enjoyed any footage that included her father, because I knew how much she loved and missed him.
But once we said our final good-byes and left, and began driving back to the hotel, Lindsay was pouty and moody again. She did not speak much to me on the way, and immediately went off into one of the little side rooms in our sprawling hotel suite (with Trish in tow) and basically barricaded herself in there for the remainder of the night. I had to explain to the others exactly why she was so upset.
Monday the 16th was a brand new day, of course, and would present me with the opportunity to reunite with my own family for a holiday gathering. I got into the rental car with Kristanna, and she and I made it to my sister's house by 1:00pm. Three hours later, the party was rocking and rolling with a good 25 people in attendance.
My sister (Di) and oldest brother (Dan), as well as my mother, were full of congratulations for Kristanna and yours truly since she was six weeks pregnant. My sister, who was a mother of three herself, had many words and gave helpful advice to Kristanna in terms of what to expect over the next seven or eight months.
The party with my family was basically a repeat of what I experienced Saturday night with Lindsay and her folks. The food was plentiful and Christmas gifts were exchanged, and everyone had an uproariously good time. Not surprisingly, Kristanna and her outgoing, gregarious nature again turned out to be the focal point of the evening. She was such a friendly and vibrant person; conversation and hooking others in was so incredibly easy for her.
We had plans of returning to the hotel that evening, but Kristanna actually said she wasn't feeling all that well with an upset stomach, so my sister convinced us to stay the night in the guest bedroom. We agreed, so I fired off a quick text message to Lindsay so she could let all the other ladies know that we would not be back tonight. Within two minutes, I got a rather surprising response from Lindsay on my tablet.
"im not at the hotel anymore but ill let everyone know. trish & i went to see my family. im going to tell them the truth about us. love u & see u thursday, xoxoxobj"
Of course, that message sent me into a panicked fit.
Lindsay took Trish to visit her family and was going to tell them the truth about our relationship? Not only that, but Lindsay implied that she and Trish would not be back at the hotel until Thursday? Lindsay was going to confess to her mother and sisters that she was bi-sexual, and Trish - as well as all the other ladies - were her lovers? And she had plans of Trish spending the next three nights there, too? Surely, they would not a get a hotel room of their own.
"You know how much Lindsay wants to see her family," Kristanna explained to me. "Lindsay is willing to come clean and fess up about our relationship if it means she can spend an extra four days with them." Kristanna paused and added, "Besides, you know how much Trish has been pressuring Lindsay in recent weeks, Jeremy - trying to convince her to tell her family the truth. Trish keeps telling Lindsay how much it would mean to her if she actually got to meet her family."
I was naturally worried, though, about the reaction Lindsay got alongside Trish. Would Lindsay's family - as highly religious as they were - disown her on the spot? I began dialing her cellular number immediately.
"It's fine, Jeremy," Lindsay insisted to me. "Everyone was confused at first and had lots of questions, but all is fine now. My family is very compassionate and understanding. They are talking with Trish right now as we speak."
"Did you tell them about the other girls?"
"No, I'm not at that point yet," Lindsay answered. "I told them that you are my fiance - which in all honesty you are, even if its not official yet - but that Trish is part of our relationship too, and we both love her very much. Trying to explain an additional four girls would be a bit too overwhelming at this point, quite honestly."
"I just wanted to see my family," Lindsay told me later in the discussion. "I could not stand the idea of being so close to them for four days and not being able to visit them because of our secret. So I fessed up about it."
"I'm proud of you," were my words for her.
"I told them you wouldn't be here for the next couple of days because you have a meeting to attend in Chicago," Lindsay informed me. "They are not one bit suspicious."
"Lindsay was so scared beforehand," Trish said to me once she got onto the telephone, "but her family turned out to be very supportive of her decisions. It was a bit rocky at the start, but Lindsay explained to them just how happy her life is, and they all sort of warmed up to the idea. It doesn't hurt that they have such a high opinion of you, Jeremy, because of the many ways you have helped them in the past. Trust me, her family is fine with us."
"This is the best birthday or Christmas gift I could possibly get," Trish beamed. "I got to meet Lindsay's family and be introduced to them as her girlfriend!"
I had trouble sleeping that night. Not only was the bed uncomfortable in the guest room of my sister's house, but I was all riled up, naturally, about Lindsay and what she had done. I honestly did not know whether I was excited or worried. I felt something, but I wasn't sure exactly what it was. I figured that I would feel this way until Thursday, when I received full details of Trish and Lindsay's visit. I just did not want there to be any tension or drama.
Tuesday morning, I went out to breakfast with my sister and her husband, as well as my mother and Kristanna. Past noon, Kristanna and I returned to the hotel in downtown Cincinnati and decided to spend a couple of hours with Devon, Pamela and Amy. Although all of them had access to a rental car of their own (Amy would have been an excellent guide since she knew the area well), these three ladies had mostly opted to stay couped-up in the hotel room since our arrival on Thursday evening.
I had not seen much of Devon, Pamela or Amy over the past few days; they were quick to point out their loneliness and, as a result, I was literally tossed onto the bed and the three of them grouped up on me. When Kristanna joined the fray and made it a four-on-one coupling, I suddenly found myself as the recipient of a wicked and memorable gang-bang.
Since Pamela was not on birth control pills and I flat-out refused to wear a condom, I made it a top priority to pump as much sperm into her pussy as humanly possible. I wanted to get Pamela pregnant, and really cement our relationship.
Just after 5:00pm, Pamela and I were at the airport in Covington to meet up with her sister, Candice, who was flying in from Baltimore for a holiday visit of her own. With Kristanna along as well, we took Candice out to dinner at an expensive restaurant and I was privileged to another round of gift exchanges and funny stories.
Candice was over-joyed that Pamela had chosen to devote her life to us and our relationship. She was not bi-sexual herself but, like a good and caring sister, Candice supported Pamela and her decisions, and had no qualms with anything. Candice fully realized that this was Pamela's best chance at finally finding total happiness and peace in her life.
"Sittin' here with my two best friends, Pammy and Candy!" Kristanna suddenly blurted out at the restaurant, being her usual zany and comical self. Pamela and Candice, though, did not seem to appreciate those variations of their names. Pamela hated being called Pammy. She even disliked Pam. Nothing but Pamela was acceptable to her.
Still, I found great humor in it.
I was lost in my recollections of the holiday tour that began in Ohio, but was jarred back to the present time - Christmas Day itself, and relaxing on the sofa in the den with Kristanna's parents leading the discussion in the next room - when Lindsay literally appeared out of nowhere and made her way over to me. With a highly distressed expression upon her angelic face and a massive, throbbing headache to boot, Lindsay did not say a word as she laid down on top of me. She nestled the side of her face upon my chest and let out a shrill sigh and a little whimper.