Author's Note: "The Logical Song" by Supertramp makes a good theme song for this chapter.

Chapter 3: Oops!

When Jade walked me up to the door of my apartment, my aunt was there waiting for me. "There you are young lady! Your parents were worried sick about you."

"I told them where I was going," I protested.

"No you didn't! You gave them no address, no time you expected to be back, and you didn't answer your phone when they called to check on you."

"Oh. I must have left my phone inside."

Auntie shook a finger at me, and Jade hid behind me. Normally she was sweet and understanding, but I could tell that I was in for a lecture this time. "Don't you ever leave this place without your phone again. Your mother put me in charge of your safety, and when neither of us can reach you, we have to assume the worst. I had to call the police and asked them to look for you, but they said they couldn't because you hadn't been missing for forty eight hours. Your mother is now on the phone with them trying to convince them to search for you on the basis that she has not physically seen you since Christmas. Now call your mother immediately and let her know you're all right."

Sheesh. I hoped Violette didn't have to go through this with her family. She would be home even later than me at this point. "OK, but first let me-"

"-Immediately!" Auntie roared. Sparks flew out of her cute little fairy wand.

Jade backed away towards the stairs. "I really have to get Violette home."

"I underst-"

"-NOW!" My aunt took me by the collar of my blouse and hauled me inside. She did not live in the apartment with me, but she had spare keys and had apparently done a thorough search of the place while I was gone.

I spotted Jade scampering back out to the Saab through my window. I was deeply disappointed that I did not get to kiss him goodnight. However, I had more pressing matters to address. I picked up my phone from my desk and pushed the speed dial button for Mom while Auntie hovered over me.

"Kari! Thank goodness you're alive. I knew we should not have sent you away to that school. Those boys are a bad influence on you."

"They're not influencing me, Mom. I make my own choices."

"Then why were you out so late?"

"I was having dinner with Jade's parents. We had dessert, and then he drove me home."

My mom gasped. "When you say 'dessert' do you mean what I think you mean? Kari, how could you! You should have never gotten in that car with him alone."

"No Mom, by dessert I mean blueberry pie and ice cream. Besides, we weren't alone in the car. Violette came along, too."

"Oh! I remember Violette. Sweet girl. Good influence. You shouldn't introduce her to those guys, though. They might corrupt her."

"What do you mean corrupt?"

"They might take her to a tattoo parlor or something. You may be strong enough to say no, but a sweet, innocent girl like Violette might feel compelled to get one to fit in. Don't let that happen to her."

"A tattoo parlor? Seriously, Mom? Only one of my boyfriends has a tattoo, and he wouldn't make-"

"-One of them has a tattoo? How do you know it's only one? Have you seen them naked? You have, haven't you? Both of them at the same time?"

"No, Mom! Look, I asked, OK? That's how I know. All I had to do was ask."

"They could be lying to you."

"They don't lie to me."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"They…" I almost told my mom about how they were also dating Violette and Rosalya without hiding them from me, but I knew that would open a much larger can of worms. "Look, why don't you meet them over the summer? See for yourself what great guys they are. Then you'll see why I couldn't pick just one."

Mom was silent for a moment. "And if I don't like either one of them, will you stop dating them?"

"No. As I said before, I make my own decisions."

"I see… I suppose you also get to decide whether to get a job and pay rent or whether to live under my roof and attend New Denton High School."

Uh oh. Mom had me cornered. I knew that my apartment in Sweet Amoris was quite expensive, and that there was no way I could cover it on minimum wage even if I could work fulltime. Auntie's place had no room, and even if it did, I would have to get a car because it was almost as far away from Sweet Amoris as Jade. I could get a bicycle like Jade's dad and ride an hour to school every day, but that hinged on Auntie allowing me to live with her in the first place. What about living with Jade or Lysander? No, our relationships were not nearly on that level yet. Violette or Rosalya? No, their parents would want to know why and would probably not approve of the truth. I was not prepared to lie to them. I could get roommates, but if I worked four hours after school every day at minimum wage, I would need… let's see… the apartment costs…

"Kari, are you listening to me?"

"Yes, Mom. I was just thinking. Given the current status of society and the inflation of currency against the modal salary for denizens of this country in my cohort, I recognize that my decision-making power is limited."

"Ah! So sending you to that school did pay off after all. You are off the hook for now, but mark my words. Your days of experimenting with this free love nonsense are numbered. People tried that in the sixties, and it didn't work. You'll see."

"I guess I will. Thanks, Mom! Goodnight."

After I hung up, I gazed up at my aunt. "Hey Auntie, were you ever a part of the free love movement?"

Auntie looked at her wrist. "Well, would you look at the time! I have to go and get my beauty sleep. Take care, Kari!"

My aunt hurried out the door without closing it. I shook my head and closed it for her. There had to be something more that my family was not telling me. If the free love movement was really all that bad, they would have told me exactly why. However, the only thing I got out of them was a sense of shame. It was as if they had been silenced by a powerful Authority that would punish them with their lives if they spoke truthfully.

I brushed my teeth and slipped into bed contemplating this. There had to be a good reason for everything. I brushed my teeth because I did not want bacteria to grow and produce acid which would cause them to decay. Rotten teeth would lead to pain and difficulty eating. Likewise, I dated two guys because they both made me happy and I made them happy. To dump one of them would be, well, prastic. Just because monogamy was the normal thing to do did not make it right for me. I could have told Jade not to date Violette right from the start and made him my only one, but then I would have missed so many beautiful moments with Lysander. We would have all missed so many precious times together.

Could it be that my aunt and mother had many similar precious moments in the sixties? How could they be ashamed to speak of such events? Would I ever be ashamed to speak of my youth? It did not seem possible, but I tossed and turned all night long with questions burning in my mind.