Life on Another Planet Ch. 32-34

Chapter 32 A Step at a Time

Sunday, January 14, 1962 4:45pm

"Hi, Mom ... Dad, we're home," Jesse announced as he ushered Kirsten in through the front door.

They were in the process of removing their footwear when Margaret Peterson arrived, followed by Michael.

"Hello," Margaret said with a big smile. "You must be Kirsten."

"Yes," Kirsten replied, eyeing Jesse's parents for reaction. Seeing none, she added, "It's nice to meet you both."

"And it's very nice to meet you too," Margaret beamed.

Jesse had stood behind Kirsten, originally intending to introduce his girlfriend, but had the duty taken out of his hands.

"This is my husband, Michael," Margaret continued, "and I'm Margaret. Welcome to our home."

The sincere welcome and the smiles on both parents' faces relieved Kirsten of any worries about her reception. Jesse too gave a hidden sigh of relief as he saw his girlfriend relax.

"Did you have a nice time skiing?" Jesse's father asked.

"Yes," Kirsten said. "It was foggy on top, but the snow was still good even though it was warmer today."

"I've put some towels and a dressing gown in the bedroom. Please feel free to use the shower in the bathroom. If you need anything, please just ask," Margaret said, taking Kirsten's coat from her and hanging it up in the hall closet.

"Thank you," Kirsten replied shyly.

"I'll use the shower downstairs," Jesse announced unnecessarily.

His father had said almost nothing, but his eyes hadn't left the big Swedish blonde since he first saw her. He was once again amazed that his son had found another incredibly beautiful young woman. After Candice and her stunning "centerfold" appearance, this was an equally gorgeous female. He was again wondering just what Jesse had that attracted these women. It was a mystery to him ... and to his wife. Granted, Jesse wasn't ugly or uncouth, but these two latest girlfriends of his were far beyond ordinary.

Kirsten was led down the hall toward the master bedroom by Margaret while Jesse hung up his coat and headed for the downstairs bathroom. He'd already laid out his change of clothes before leaving that morning, so there was no delay in getting in and out of the shower. Ten minutes later he was back in the kitchen, knowing full well he was going to get some questions about Kirsten.

"Okay, Jesse, fess up," his father began. "First it was Candice, and now this beautiful young woman. Just what are you using to attract them?"

"Hey, Dad, have a little faith. It's just the natural Peterson smile and cool good looks," Jesse joked.

"Uh huh," his father said, clearly not satisfied. "This isn't some sort of college gag is it? I mean, she agrees to ski with you to make everyone think she's your girlfriend?"

Jesse was about to deny his father's suspicion when Kirsten reappeared.

"No, Mr. Peterson. Jesse is not playing some trick. He really is my boyfriend and it really was my choice. I just had to get Jesse to agree," she said with a slight smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry," stammered Michael. "I didn't mean to suggest you weren't, it's just that we're not used to Jesse attracting a young lady quite as pretty as you."

"He attracted Candice Tanner, and that surprised a lot of people too. But Jesse is quite handsome, you know. And what's more, he is very polite and good company. I am very careful about dating, so you can be sure that I wanted to get to know him before I thought he would be a good boyfriend."

"Hey, you guys," Jesse said with a scowl. "I'm right here."

"Kirsten, I apologize ... and to Jesse too. Perhaps I need to have more faith in my son," his father said contritely.

Kirsten smiled and moved to the older man, holding out her hand. "No ... do not apologize to me. I am surprised that someone like Jesse has chosen someone like me. He says I am beautiful, but I am not so sure I agree," she said, shaking Michael's hand.

Jesse noted that Kirsten's accent had become more pronounced and that her diction was more formal. He guessed that was a sign of stress.

"Trust me, Kirsten," Margaret spoke up, "Jesse is right. You are very beautiful and he is very lucky. Also, listening to you, I already think you are a very nice young lady and exactly the kind of person I'm happy to see Jesse dating."

"Thank you," Kirsten smiled, moving to Jesse's mother and giving her a friendly hug.

Jesse watched the interplay of his parents and Kirsten, relieved now that the initial tension had been dispersed.

"Dinner will be a few minutes yet," Margaret announced. "Why don't you make yourselves comfortable in the living room? Would you like something to drink, Kirsten. Tea? Or a soft drink?"

"Tea would be nice, thank you," Kirsten smiled.

"I'll look after that," Michael said immediately, giving the two young people a chance to move off.

When Jesse and Kirsten were out of earshot, Michael turned to his wife as he plugged in the kettle, "I made a mess out of that, didn't I?"

Margaret chuckled, "You were a little tongue-tied there. She's not what you expected, is she?"

Michael shook his head. "Not at all," he agreed quietly, not wanting to be heard in the living room. "After Candice, well ... she was something else, but this girl ... she's amazing. She's as tall as Jesse and looks more like a movie star. Candice was a sexy little thing, but Kirsten is in a whole different category."

"Oh ... and just what category would that be?" his wife teased.

"Never mind. I think Jesse will have his hands full protecting himself from all the other guys who will want Kirsten by their side."

"Perhaps," Margaret said thoughtfully. "But Jesse is different ... as we've already noticed. I'm not sure in what way, but he's not the Jesse we remember from a year or so ago."

Michael nodded. He too knew Jesse was a different young man than he was not that long ago. But neither he nor his wife could quite put their finger on just what that difference was.

Thursday, January 25, 1962 2pm

"Okay, gather around, please," Coach Bird called loudly. The various young men who were attending the tryouts for UBC's fledgling baseball team quickly stopped their games of soft-toss and moved to surround the head coach.

"It's not very warm out there, only about 50°, so I want to make sure all of you warm up and stretch out those muscles. The last thing I want to hear about is pulled muscles in this camp, understood?"

He got audible agreement from the twenty or so young guys gathered around him.

"Okay, I want the following people to go with Coach Walker to the back of centerfield."

He read out a list of eight or nine names. Those called quickly jogged out of the field house and onto the diamond and the assigned area.

"The next group are to move to behind second base with coach Clement for infield practice."

Jesse heard his name called and happily jogged out to the designated spot.

The last group included pitchers and catchers and was assigned to the warm up areas along each of the dugouts.

Coach Clement held a fungo bat in his hand as he chose the first four infielders, instructing the others to field balls behind home plate after each play. Jesse wasn't immediately named to start, and stood behind home to size up his competition. He could play either shortstop or second, and even third in a pinch. He hoped his versatility would find him a spot on the roster. After several ground balls hit to each of the first chosen infielders, Jesse felt he wasn't being outclassed by most of them. He thought he had a decent chance.

An hour later, Jesse felt great, despite his cold hands and feet. His sweatshirt had kept his torso warm enough. It was January, after all, and decidedly not baseball weather. But everyone was equal in that regard and he was feeling good about his trial run. When the coach turned to the double play ball, he was confident he was among the quickest of all getting the ball out of his glove and with proper footwork. He was also on target at second when he played short, and his lob to the shortstop on his trial at second base was just right for the shortstop to easily turn and throw to first. All in all, he thought he'd at least proven himself equal to the others he was competing against for a position.

It was beginning to get dark and like most of the players, Jesse wondered when coach Bird would call an end to practice. Hardly a player on the field wasn't blowing on his hands trying to keep them warm and Jesse could see the accuracy of hard throws was deteriorating. Fortunately, the coach noticed the same thing.

"Okay, guys, let's head to the locker room. We can talk in there."

Jesse had removed his spikes to allow his feet to warm up. A number of the players followed his example. The coach went over the drills and what he saw, announcing that he would talk to each of the prospects individually, grading them according to his reports from the coaching staff. Jesse had paid little attention to the other groups and concentrated on what was happening on the infield.

The talks would be held Friday afternoon, after class, beginning at 4pm. He apologized if it meant some of the prospects would be late getting away to go home, but he wanted to let everyone know their status that afternoon. Jesse, now with his own car, quickly realized that some of the players might miss their car pool rides. Acting without thought, he stood on the bench and whistled.

"Guys, if any of you live on the North Shore and you're going to miss your car pool ride, I can take three ... even four in a pinch. Just let me know. First come, first served."

Coach Bird and the others looked at him and then with a slow smile, nodded. "That's good of you," he said. "What's your name?"

"Jesse Peterson, coach," he answered quickly.

"Anyone else able to help out if some of your team mates miss their rides?" the coach asked.

A couple of other players held up their hands. It turned out there were some heading for Burnaby, and Surrey, and Richmond, and it looked like most of the players would have a ride.

Coach Bird looked over at Jesse once more and nodded. Jesse felt like he'd done the right thing at the right time, and been recognized for it.

Friday, January 26, 1962 4:15pm

Come in, Peterson," Coach Bird said. "Have a seat. You know Coach Clement, of course."

"Yes, Sir," he answered, acknowledging the infield coach.

"I wanted to tell you that I like what you did yesterday for the guys who might have been stranded. I should have thought of that, but didn't. I won't forget next time. Coach Clement tells me you have a very good glove and a strong arm. You've played before, I take it?"

"Yes, Sir. I played Babe Ruth, high school and some pick-up ball last summer."

"Okay. We haven't had batting practice yet, but what did you hit in high school?"

"About three-thirty or so," Jesse said. "We didn't keep real good statistics."

"Okay, that's good, but it will remain to be seen if you can hit at this level. We'll be playing mostly US teams, a lot of them from California. They can play all year around, so we will be at a disadvantage for a while. We don't expect to be the league champions this year," he grinned. "But, I want a bunch of guys who will try hard and play like a team. What you did yesterday tells me you're probably a good team player."

"I try to be, Sir."

"Call me Coach or Skip, please Jesse. You've got the fielding techniques that you need, so we want to find out if you can hit college pitching. In the meantime, I've pencilled you in at shortstop. Does that suit you?"

"Yes, Sir!" Jesse beamed. "Thank you, Sir!"

"It's Coach, remember," he smiled.

"Right, Coach. I'll try and remember."

Jesse glanced at Coach Clement who was smiling and nodding at him. He was on a high at that moment. He had a good chance of making the team and that was all he ever asked for.

As Jesse left to inform the next player, Coach Clement turned to his boss. "God, I hope that kid can hit. He's as slick as greased lighting at short. Someone has taught him well. His foot work is perfect."

"Keep your fingers crossed," Coach Bird said with a grin as the next candidate entered the office.

Thursday, February 1, 1962 3pm

Jesse was thankful for two things that afternoon. One, it was warmer than last week. The temperature was in the high 50's. Second, he'd had quite a bit of practice with a pitching machine when he played for 'The Blues' in his other life. He knew what to expect and the only difference was that the bats were wood and aluminum was not an option. This was right in his comfort zone, and he began his session in the cage by stroking a few balls to each field, hopefully showing the coaches that he could hit the ball either way.

As he warmed up and felt he was really "seeing" the ball as it left the machine, he began to hit with some power. He remembered the phrase from the future about "pop in the bat" and knew the coaches would be looking to see if he had any. He saw the hitting and outfield coach fiddle with the machine and knew what was coming. They had upped the speed on the unit and wanted to see if he could hit a genuine fastball.

It took Jesse a few pitches to zone in on the higher speed, hitting a few fouls as he did so, but not long after, he had his swing in tune with the machine and began to hit some longer fly balls to the outfield. When his turn in the cage ended, he felt he was making good contact, and that was a start. It was early yet and he believed that more practice would help him be more consistent. Apparently, the hitting coach felt so as well.

Kirsten didn't attend the practices, but Jesse wasn't surprised. He had no idea if she was interested in baseball. He would know soon enough.

Saturday, February 10, 1962 6:30pm

It seemed like it was a few days too early for a Valentines Day Ball, but it made no matter. He had invited Kirsten and she had quickly agreed. It would be their first formal date. Happily, it wasn't a costume ball and conventional dress was in order. Kirsten generally wore conservative clothes, unlike Candice. Jesse didn't mind in the slightest that she didn't seek to attract attention. In fact, her clothing choices appeared to accentuate her statuesque form, making her even more attractive.

As he drove toward Kirsten's family home that evening, he thought just how bizarre his life had become. It was one thing to be thrust forward into the future. That was difficult enough to accept. But to be yanked back to what he accepted to be the present was just as upsetting. And to add to the confusion, at least two people from the future were found here in the present: Kirsten and Candice.

It gave Jesse a continuing sense of unease and concern. What next? What was real and what was imaginary? His experiences in the future were too tangible to be imaginary, he decided. The things he saw and did and touched, the people he met and interacted with, the concept of what the future would be like, all seemed to be completely possible. It wasn't a utopian future, but one with flaws and horrors, but bright hope as well. Again, to whom could he tell his story? Who would believe him?

He'd even lost track of how old he was. He'd existed in the future for almost a year-and-a-half, yet when he returned, it was as if only a day has passed and he was once again eighteen ... not nearing his twentieth birthday as he had been in the future. What happened to that time ... those seventeen months? Where did they go? He shook his head. There were no answers, and no point in pursuing them. The truth was not to be found. What happened ... happened. He'd just have to live with the way things were now. Adapt, Eve had told him. It's what humans do best.

~*~

"Hi, Mr. Gustafson. I'm here to take Kirsten to the Valentine's Day Ball," Jesse said, putting on his best polite smile as the front door of the Gustafson residence opened.

"Hello, nice to meet you, Jesse," the man said, extending his hand in welcome. "Please come in. I'm sure Kirsten is almost ready."

Jesse felt disappointed. Despite the friendly hand shake, Tomas Gustafson didn't recognize or remember him. He was a stranger to the man. Of course, he was a stranger to Kirsten as well a few weeks ago.

Anika appeared with Kirsten following her mother. "Hello," she smiled. "You must be Jesse. Kirsten has told me quite a bit about you."

"Oh ... uhhm ... yes, nice to meet you," Jesse stumbled. "Hi Kirsten. You look really nice."

"Thank you, Jesse. You look very handsome as well," his date smiled.

It was an awkward and uncomfortable moment, and Jesse wasn't quite sure how to exit the scene.

"Have a nice time," Anika smiled in a pleasant tone.

"I'm sure we will, Mrs. Gustafson. It was nice meeting you both," Jesse said, hoping they could leave now.

He helped Kirsten on with her coat before she turned and kissed her mother and father on the cheek. It was a familiar gesture from another time, but it made him feel a little more at ease. He nodded and said "Good night" before holding the door for Kirsten. He almost breathed a sigh of relief as the walked down the front stairs toward his car.

"Are you all right, Jesse?" Kirsten asked as they settled in the car.

"Yes ... I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You looked quite nervous just now. My parents are not ogres," she smiled carefully.

"No ... of course not. I guess I was nervous. This is our first proper date. I wanted to make a good impression on your parents."

"Do not worry. They already know you are a good person. I have been telling them about you."

"Oh ... so what have you told them?"

"That you are polite and serious about your education. That you have a job and that you have very nice parents. I did not tell them about Candice," she smirked.

"That's a relief. That was a mistake on my part. I'm embarrassed, Kirsten. I hope you don't think less of me because of what I did with Candice."

She was shaking her head. "No ... I am sure it would be very hard to say no to her, and I am also sure she would be the one to decide just what she wanted from you."

Jesse sighed. "You're right. She made all the decisions, but I went along with them. It's not something I'm proud of."

"Jesse, please do not worry about it. I know you well enough now that you would not take advantage of me if I did not wish it."

"Of course not, but I feel like I have to prove myself to you all over again after ... Candice."

She was shaking her head. "Are you forgetting her attempt to share you? I went along with that too. I am sorry I did, but I did."

"Can we put that in the past, please?" he asked.

She leaned over and put her hand on his arm, squeezing it lightly. "Yes, I think that is best."

That simple gesture was enough to allow Jesse to relax and enjoy the evening with his date. They danced, they mixed with other couples that one or the other knew, and by midnight, they were in each other's arms, moving slowly to the music.

"This has been a very nice evening, Jesse," Kirsten whispered in his ear.

"The best I can ever remember," he agreed, kissing her lightly and gazing into her eyes.

"I feel very good in your arms," she said. "You hold me tenderly. You make me feel warm all over."

"Good ... I'm glad. I want you to feel that way. I can't describe how you make me feel when I'm holding you like this."

She giggled softly. "I think I know," she said, pushing herself against his almost constant erection.

"Does it bother you?"

"No ... I know it is natural," she smiled. "You cannot help it. There are things that happen to me that I cannot help too."

"Oh ... I didn't know. Is it part of that feeling of warm all over?"

"Of course," she smiled, kissing him gently in reply.

"Is it time to go?" he asked.

"I think so. It has been a wonderful evening. Thank you, Jesse."

A few minutes later, Jesse was urging the primitive heater in his VW to speed up and warm the interior. Kirsten had taken the opportunity to lean over to him and embrace him, kissing with more intensity than she had in the past. Finally, the heater appeared to begin making some progress and they wiped the inside of the windshield and began to short drive to her home.