Life on Another Planet Ch. 14-18

Anika chuckled and agreed. "I know what you mean. Any time we fly to Sweden, it really is tiring ... even in business class. Why don't you go with him, Kirsten?"

Jesse looked at the young woman and saw a smile and a nod. "That is a good idea. Do you mind if I join you, Jesse?"

"No ... of course not," he said, returning her smile.

~*~

Jesse returned to the apartment for his jacket and a cap, letting Eve know he was going for a walk with Kirsten. Eve gave him a knowing smile. "Have a nice time," she said.

Kirsten was waiting for him in the hallway when he emerged from the apartment. "Where shall we go?" she asked.

"I was thinking we could take the little ferry boat and wander around Granville Island. Is that okay with you?"

"I like that idea," she smiled.

It was less than a three block walk to the ferry dock near the Aquatic Center. As they left the apartment lobby, Kirsten took Jesse's hand. Jesse could feel the rush of adrenalin that went through his body. First the hand on his thigh, now hand-holding as they walked almost shoulder to shoulder. Something had changed in Kirsten and it energized him. Kirsten felt something similar when she had inexplicably put her hand on his thigh. It had been a completely spontaneous act.

There was a ten minute wait for the next ferry that would ultimately take them to Granville Island, landing near the market. Jesse had been tongue-tied so far. He struggled for something reasonably intelligent to say.

"My father learned to swim in the old Crystal Pool that was once on this site," he began. "It was an old damp concrete building and possibly the only indoor swimming pool in the city. It's long gone now, and this is four times the size of the old building. There have been a lot of changes in the last fifty years," he mused.

"I've never been in the building. We should look at it some day. We could go swimming there, even in wintertime."

"I'm for that," Jesse grinned. "You could wear a nice little bikini too."

"Jesse!" she said in mock disgust, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Why not," he said, maintaining a sincere look. "You wouldn't want to hide that perfect body of yours behind an old fashioned bathing suit."

She pushed him away, fighting the urge to laugh. "You are trying to embarrass me."

"Who me? No. I would never want to embarrass you. However, you might find all the other women in the pool would be embarrassed when they saw you. You would be impossible competition."

"I am not in competition with any other women!" she snapped.

"That's true," Jesse smirked. "They wouldn't stand a chance anyway."

"Why do you always say things like that?" It was a genuine question not asked out of irritation, and once more, he could hear the subtle lilt of her Swedish accent.

"Kirsten, what do you see when you look in the mirror? Who is it looking back at you?"

"I do not understand the question. I see myself, of course."

"I see one of the most beautiful women on this earth. Surely you must be aware of how others see you," he said sincerely.

"That is ridiculous, Jesse. I am not that person at all. I am too big ... and my face is round."

"Well, I won't go into that old 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' cliché because there are far too many beholders to count. Physically, you are a Viking goddess. Your body would inspire any artist or sculptor. And your face is not too round. The sun is round, and when it falls on your face it warms you and everyone around you. A full moon on a clear night is round and shines its pale white light on you in admiration. Round is beautiful. That's what I see when I look at you."

She was stunned into silence. She didn't understand just how Jesse viewed her. They stood facing each other, oblivious to everything around them except each other. Jesse slowly moved toward her, leaning slightly forward before kissing her gently on her lips. She hadn't moved and waited for what she knew was coming. That surge she felt when his lips touched hers was there again. She felt momentarily dizzy and had to steady herself when he withdrew.

Jesse was smiling. He knew he had taken a big risk, but she had not rejected him.

Kirsten had yet to accept his view of her as a beautiful woman, but he was so sincere, and ... what was the word ... sensitive? Was he making love to her with words? She took a moment to catch her breath. What did she think had just happened? Jesse had kissed her and she felt a burst of pleasure that was new to her. She could put her fears aside when she was with him. She trusted him. Now, he was telling her something? Not just that he found her beautiful, but more than that.

She moved back toward him and they kissed once more. It was soft and warm in the damp, cold air of early spring. She put her arms around him and he responded with his arms enveloping her. It felt so good to be there just then. A toot of the ferry horn interrupted their moment, but it wouldn't be forgotten soon. Hand-in-hand, they approached the little electric boat and carefully boarded. They found a place where they could sit side-by-side, close to each other. They didn't notice the scenery or the other passengers. They were too engrossed in each other.

There was hardly a moment over the next hour that they weren't in contact with each other. Jesse couldn't have kept a smile from his face if he tried ... which he didn't. Kirsten was just as happy. She had made a personal breakthrough and it felt good to purge the demons from the past and actually enjoy and welcome contact with a young man. Not just any young man, however. Only Jesse was allowed into that carefully guarded place.

He had grown on her slowly with their infrequent contact, but with his constant politeness and good humour she became comfortable in his presence. She acknowledged he was handsome and more mature than she expected. He was quiet and almost shy in some cases. But today, he had allowed himself to tell her how he saw her. She was convinced he believed she was beautiful. He was patient, knowing she had commitments to her team and her education. He gave her "space." There was no pressure from him, and he couldn't know just how grateful she was for that.

She thought back to the time in Whistler last year when he prevented the three drunken men from trying to take her to their place. He was fierce in his determination to protect her. But he also had a sense of humour. His bikini comment a few minutes ago was just the kind of thing he might say that didn't truly embarrass her. No, it was decided. She wanted Jesse Peterson as her boyfriend at least, and it might even progress further than that.

Jesse was euphoric over the change in Kirsten. It seemed she had come to a decision that he was someone she wanted to be with. He thought he was at that stage last September when they went to the ballgame together. But with all the interruptions in their schedules, they had little contact after that. Only Christmas in Whistler gave them an opportunity to be together again, and that was only for a couple of days. They had little private time of their own. He had almost given up that he would ever have a chance with her when today happened.

He could tell exactly when he decided to take a big risk and let Kirsten know how he felt about her. The kiss was a spontaneous thing that turned out to be the right thing at the right time. The words he managed to string together to try and explain why he thought she was so beautiful were corny, but they were also heartfelt. When she returned his kiss, it was all worthwhile.

It was silly, he thought. Hell, thirteen-year-old teenagers were more intimate than he and Kirsten. But in the back of his mind, he knew he could not rush this relationship. She had been hurt sometime in the past, and he was pretty sure it involved a boy ... or a man ... or men ... and it had been traumatic enough that she had sought psychiatric counselling to help her get over the issues. No, if she was a prize worth winning, then he would have to continue to take it slowly and let her decide when to move their relationship along.

~*~

"Did you have a nice time together?" Eve asked as he returned to the apartment.

"Yes ... a very nice time," he smiled.

"She's a very lovely young woman."

"Yes," Jesse answered, almost laughing at the transparency of Eve. There was little doubt that the two "mothers" were trying to put him and Kirsten together.

"Where did you go?"

"Granville Island. We just wandered around looking in the shops and other businesses."

"You picked a nice day for it."

"I kissed her ... and she kissed me back," he said out of nowhere.

"Oh ... that's nice," Eve said, surprised at Jesse's unsolicited comment.

"I told her she was very beautiful, but I don't know if she believes me."

"She is very beautiful," Eve said thoughtfully, "but perhaps she needs someone like you to tell her that."

"I think she's beautiful ... and that's all that matters to me."

Eve smiled. Jesse had it bad and despite his experience with Sue and Joanna, this was a whole different situation. He was clearly smitten ... although Eve thought that might have happened the first time they met. But he was being very cautious ... and rightly so. Kirsten must have made some kind of breakthrough that afternoon and Eve was anxious to hear about it when they next met.

Across the hall, Anika Gustafson was trying to casually quiz her daughter.

"Did you have a nice walk?"

"Yes ... we did," Kirsten said simply.

"That's nice. Jesse is a nice young man," Anika continued, hoping to draw her daughter out a little more.

Kirsten looked at her mother and smiled. "We kissed," she said. "I wanted to, but he kissed me first, then I kissed him. I felt something, Mama. I was afraid I would never be able to do that, but Jesse made me feel good."

Anika stared at Kirsten in surprise. This was something unexpected, but welcomed. Perhaps she was making progress after all. "I'm happy for you, Kirsten."

Kirsten was standing at the great room window, staring off into the distance. There was a vague smile on her lips as she remembered the feelings that the kisses she and Jesse shared had produced. It was something she would remember for some time. With Jesse, she felt secure ... and the words he said describing how he thought she was beautiful warmed her. It was unexpected ... but very pleasant.

Anika had been completely in support of putting the two young people together. Eve had vouched for Jesse and that was enough for Kirsten's mother. There was nothing about Jesse that gave her any qualms about his dating her daughter. It was a relief and another sign that she was making progress at vanquishing her demons.

It was seven years ago that she had been raped by three hoodlums in Detroit. She'd been walking home from visiting a girlfriend when the three appeared out of nowhere and dragged her into the wooded area alongside a park. One of the young punks had a hand over her mouth, while another brandished a knife. The third grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the path she had been on. From then on, it was a nightmare that Kirsten was not going to forget for many years. All three took their turn with her. She'd been a virgin until that moment and the three attackers celebrated the fact that they'd "taken her cherry."

The pain was excruciating, the fear caused her to lose control of her bladder, and ultimately, to pass out. When she regained consciousness the three were gone, and she was left with dirty, torn clothes, blood smears, and more pain. They had taken her panties as a souvenir and left her to find her own way home. When she arrived at their house, tears streaming down her cheeks, she collapsed into her mother's arms, wailing into her shoulder as she held her.

Her father was on an extended road trip with the team and almost as soon as Anika had hung up with the police, she called the team office and told them she needed to contact Tomas immediately. She gave few details, but made sure the office knew it was urgent. Two hours later, Tomas called home and listened in fury as Anika relayed what had happened to their thirteen-year-old daughter. Within three hours, he was on a flight back to Detroit.

It had been seven years since that horrifying attack. The three attackers were never found despite Kirsten giving the police a reasonably detailed description of them. Tomas posted a reward for anyone having seen or heard anything of the attack, but no one came forward with any useful information. In the meantime, Kirsten had withdrawn into a shell. She didn't go back to school that spring and Anika enrolled her in an all-girls private school for the following year.

Kirsten developed an inordinate fear of boys ... young men really. She was nervous around them and the totally female population of her new school helped relieve her fear somewhat. In the meantime, she had begun meeting with a psychiatrist that had been recommended to the family. An older woman, she was very sympathetic to Kirsten's situation, but in fact, over the two years she spent with the doctor, very little progress was made. In the end, when Tomas's contract with the Red Wings expired, he became a free agent and chose Vancouver as their next destination. It was about as far away from the scene of Kirsten's rape as they could get.

As it turned out, it was a stroke of luck that it was the ideal city for Kirsten to recover from her traumatic past. She was still nervous around boys, but gradually as she developed friendships with other young girls, she began to feel more comfortable in a coeducational school. She didn't date and didn't offer any explanation of why to her girlfriends, but it didn't seem to matter to them. She was their friend and that was enough.

Dr. Evelina Mikeska was assigned to her for an evaluation, based on her history in Detroit. She quickly realized that Kirsten was far from over her rape experience and in consultation with the parents, requested that she resume sessions with the young woman. Eve was much younger than Kirsten's first psychiatrist and seemingly more able to relate to her. She also chose not to meet in her office at the hospital, but at the Gustafson's home.

One look at the penthouse apartment that Anika and Tomas had purchased convinced Eve that this was where she wanted to live. It was spacious, had a terrific view, and was secure. She wasted no time in inquiring about the vacant unit across the hall, and when informed of the price, put in an immediate bid for it. She didn't regret her snap decision for a moment.

Eve and Anika developed a close relationship. Anika was a few years older, but still not so old that the two women couldn't relate. Despite coming from two different European cultures, they had a lot in common and enjoyed each other's company.

Eve's progress with Kirsten had been slow, but she could gradually see the young woman putting the ugly incident behind her. It was seven years ago and with Jesse's arrival on the scene, it seemed Eve had found the catalyst to help Kirsten finally get over the horror of her attack. She wondered if Kirsten would be as ready to tell her mother about "the kiss" as Jesse was to tell her. She knew from listening to him just how much it meant to him.

Jesse had been remarkably patient with Kirsten, not pushing her into something she wasn't ready for. He may not have known the specifics of her background, but he had the common sense to realize something had made her very cautious around other boys. Eve was enormously proud of Jesse. It had been a big gamble to bring him into her home. It could have backfired and been a disaster. But nothing of the kind happened. His politeness was not feigned, and his even temper and pleasant nature won Mica over quite quickly. Eve also thought his easy going manner made him very attractive to women. On more than one occasion, she wondered if she could find an older version of Jesse for herself.

A soft knock at her door startled Eve. She approached it, looking through the little peep hole. She smiled as she saw a familiar face.

"Hello, Mrs. Coultard, how are you today?"

"I'm just fine, Doctor," the older neighbour replied with a smile. "I wondered if Jesse was in. I was going to ask him for a favour."

"Yes ... he just got back from a walk. I'll get him for you. Please have a seat. Can I get you some tea? I just made some."

"Oh, that would be very nice. Just clear, please."

Eve went to Jesse's door and knocked. "Jesse, Mrs. Coultard is here to see you," she said through the door. It wasn't five seconds and he was opening the door and following Eve into the great room.

"Hi, Mrs. Coultard. What brings you here today?" he smiled.

"I wondered if you could do me a favour, Jesse. I've bought a new table and the store wants too much to have it delivered. It's too heavy for me, but I'm hoping you can handle it."

"What kind of a table is it?"

"It's a nice old fashioned style that has a pull-out section so it can seat up to six people. I probably won't use that much, but it's handy to have."

"Okay ... where is the store?" he asked.

"It's just up Heather Street, not far from the hospital," she said.

"I think I know that store," Eve interjected. "It's called McCurdy's and they sell very nice furniture."

"Yes ... that's it," Ellen Coultard agreed.

"Okay ... uhhm ... I think I'll take some tools with me. I may be able to remove the legs so it won't be too big for the Toyota. When would you like to go?"

"Well, the store will be open until six tonight, so if we could go in the next hour or so, we would have time to get it today."

"Sure, he said, glancing at the clock in the kitchen. Anytime you're ready," he grinned.

"Oh, thank you, Jesse. You're so helpful. I don't know what I'd do without you around."

"No problem, Mrs. Coultard. I'll just get my little tool kit and we can go anytime. Just knock on the door and we'll be on our way."

The elderly woman finished her tea and headed back to her apartment, promising to be along a few minutes.

"That was very nice of you, Jesse," Eve said. "You just make sure that table isn't too big or too heavy for you. I don't want you straining your back."

"I'll be careful. I'm going to borrow the dolly from the basement. Then it will just be a matter of getting the table on and off that and into the back of the Toyota."

"Good idea," she smiled. "Get some help at the store too. It's the least they can do for you."

Mrs. Coultard arrived less than five minutes later and the two proceeded to the basement of the building to get the dolly, generally used when people were moving in our out of an apartment. In this case, there was no sign of any moving van and Jesse was confident it wouldn't be missed for an hour or so.

Fifteen minutes later they were parked at the furniture store and proceeded inside. Mrs. Coultard had bought a floor model already assembled, so it would be awkward to handle it without taking off the legs. A quick inspection indicated Jesse didn't have a large enough Robertson head screwdriver to undo the legs, but a helpful store clerk assured him that he did. Jesse removed the centre table insert and tilted the table on edge before removing the legs. There was nothing complex about the work, but Jesse took care not to mark or damage any of the woodwork.

"Hello there, Mrs. Coultard," a gentleman appeared as Jesse worked on the table.

"Oh, hello Mr. McCurdy. Jesse was able to help me with the table," she said.

"Oh, I'm glad," he said sincerely. "I'm sorry about the charges for delivery, but we don't have our own crew and have to pay the going rate for someone we can rely on. We don't have enough deliveries to justify buying a truck and hiring men. I wish I could find someone reliable I could use."