AWLL3 — Book 4 — Coming of Age¶

Last updated through AWLL3.4 ch 087.

Book summary¶

AWLL3.4 Coming of Age spans January 14–July 17, 2002. Jesse processes Angelina/Steve overlap, juggles Macrina, Adi, CeCe, and Rachel Kealty, earns his license, pleads to a misdemeanor after Francesca's mother attacks, and survives Mayo hockey camp where roommate Ed is arrested. Birgit fights Kara, survives Water Tower Place assault, transfers to Lab School, dates Peter, experiments with Erika and Lilibeth, and negotiates Suzanne's quartet proposal. Steve fires a racist NIKA employee, mentors Tabitha (ex-fundamentalist), closes EB Systems espionage in Cincinnati, marries Aisyah and Hassan by nikah, buys Strictly Legal, and hosts Clay's arrest. Albert trains on NIKA's Gulfstream; Matthew courts Adi; summer splits between Vermont (Birgit/Jesse with Kjell), Russia, and Sweden — book ends in Östersund with Steve, Katt, and Elin on the ice.

Chapter summaries¶

Chapter 1 — January 14, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: fallout from ch 66 — won't see Angelina. Libby visits; Korematsu civics lunch debate on fired NIKA racist.
Chapter 2 — January 18, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Teen movie night The Wedding Planner; Hope grasps You're the Inspiration as Steve's relationship ethic. Liz/Julius wedding eve.
Chapter 3 — January 20, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Liz/Julius courthouse wedding; Bucktown reception gossip. Birgit «displace Kara» fantasy; Ashley flagged as future wild card.
Chapter 4 — January 23, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: Kara discipline versus Steve maturity lecture. Water Tower movie plan; «don't mess with Adams girls».
Chapter 5 — January 25, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Steve's revised attitude inventory — Maya pattern, Boca girl, foursome limits. NIKA visitor schedule.
Chapter 6 — January 26, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: FBI-style debrief of Water Tower assault — PMRC song list (Darling Nikki, She Bop, etc.). Jackson on Steve's friendship.
Chapter 7 — January 28, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Francesca's mother DCFS threat; «sine missione» war footing. Jesse private talk with Sensei Jim.
Chapter 8 — January 29, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse's seven-partner dating rule; won't kiss-and-tell in court. Yuriko Japanese lesson interlude.
Chapter 9 — February 2, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — UChicago hospital donation politics; Steve declines Board diversion from ER mission.
Chapter 10 — February 2, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Hope/CeCe softball curiosity; Louvre hermaphrodite statue tangent. Steve teases skipping movie for CeCe.
Chapter 11 — February 3, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Stephie emergency room check — Nicholas intimacy. Hope prefers Steve over girls; rivalry banter.
Chapter 12 — February 5, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: sauna invite → Akiko surprise. Irreconcilable Differences/Insatiable movie jokes; STI-test rule saves peer pressure.
Chapter 13 — February 7, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: Chelsea eighteen-and-consent dilemma. Pulp Fiction night; «Has he the wing?» smirk.
Chapter 14 — February 8, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Samantha apartment tour; legendary Spurgeon benefits. Steve plans CeCe self-defense sessions.
Chapter 15 — February 9, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: karate demo for Peter; Water Tower molester identified. Confidence violated by groping assailant.
Chapter 16 — February 11, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jeri full truth on Jonathan Kane history. Steve judges if story finally coherent.
Chapter 17 — February 13, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: Valentine's dance — Celebrate, From a Lover to a Friend. Adi bathtub ritual pre-sex.
Chapter 18 — February 16, 2002, Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast near Montpelier, Vermont — Birgit birthday «ask Steve» prediction; taboo named. Peter Pan: Return to Neverland with kids.
Chapter 19 — February 17, 2002, Buffalo New York — Albert POV: Niagara Falls; Buffalo lawyer cease-and-desist on Krajick harassment. Mayo flight for Steve.
Chapter 20 — February 21, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: license; Francesca mother FBI interview trap. Caddyshack humor; silence pact.
Chapter 21 — February 23, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: hockey tournament focus; misdemeanor plea negotiated — in loco parentis lecture avoided.
Chapter 22 — March 1, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Lab School electronics-policy compromise with principal. Birgit transfer paperwork advances.
Chapter 23 — March 3, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: CeCe first full night — breakfast after shower. Scopes trial/Little Mermaid banter.
Chapter 24 — March 5, 2002, Greater Cincinnati, Ohio — EB Systems dinner; George Remus hotel name joke. Espionage dinner with Volstead team.
Chapter 25 — March 6, 2002, Greater Cincinnati, Ohio — Braun/Volstead troublemakers; Consumer Reports/Cruel Intentions tangent. Surveillance threads tighten.
Chapter 26 — March 6, 2002, Greater Cincinnati, Ohio — Steve closure with Volstead ally; Penthouse/Merchant of Venice jokes. Flight home planned.
Chapter 27 — March 7, 2002, Rutherford, Ohio — Tabitha motel rendezvous — She's Always a Woman on stereo. Fundamentalist deprogramming via pleasure.
Chapter 28 — March 8, 2002, On the road from Rutherford, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois — Tabitha rides to Chicago; Smart Teens; Smart Choices assigned. Hope invited to dinner guidance.
Chapter 29 — March 8, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: Tabitha baptism-versus-mosque impossible choice. Mann Act briefing; Hope warns crush risk.
Chapter 30 — March 9, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — FBI Tabitha wellness check; Stripes humor. Steve blocks fishing questions — Consigliere mode.
Chapter 31 — March 9, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Tim Saddler «spawn of Satan» confrontation; Vickie pregnancy bait. DCFS false-accusation standoff.
Chapter 32 — March 10, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Macrina/Vivian BMW talk; Steve slow lovemaking. Father-son parallel with Jesse dating volume.
Chapter 33 — March 14, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: Jesse plea hearing — judge accepts guilty plea. Alphabet Versus the Goddess reading.
Chapter 34 — March 18, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: Rachel Kealty «probably» date; Pill and STI confirmed. Word/Ice Age homework.
Chapter 35 — March 24, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Rachel Kealty self-defense; «old maid» reframed. American Pie/Ace Combat Guys' Night — Jesse temptation lecture.
Chapter 36 — March 25, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: no steady girlfriend policy explained to Adi. Much Ado rehearsal overlap.
Chapter 37 — March 30, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: Suzanne's Birgit/Ashley/Stephie quartet proposal floated. Brave New World reading.
Chapter 38 — April 1, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Clay arrest warrant — Denver Post «WANTED». Cirque du Steve; NIKA ethics violation hunt for Kelly.
Chapter 39 — April 1, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: Adi needs «nice guy» virgin helper — won't pressure friends. Strict parents «loco».
Chapter 40 — April 2, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jessica ICU «critical» versus «stable» vocabulary lesson. Clay manhunt continues.
Chapter 41 — April 6, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: Nathan post-Academy job offer six figures. Godfather/TNG banter.
Chapter 42 — April 7, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: Kimmy summons Steve — Clay in Tretiak Room. Lawyer Liz en route.
Chapter 43 — April 9, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: chess Expert 2120 Elo; Twister/Untouchables night. Smart Teens distribution.
Chapter 44 — April 14, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Aisyah wali mukhtar marriage prep; principal virginity investigation — cheerleaders destroy V-cards preemptively.
Chapter 45 — April 19, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Aisyah/Hassan nikah; Steve accepts role throwing bouquet. Panic Room movie choice.
Chapter 46 — April 21, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Steve's thirty-ninth; Happy Birthday breakfast. Bethany book trauma thread; epitrachil gift.
Chapter 47 — April 22, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Cinderella/Top Gun/Oklahoma teaching montage. Suzanne «sex goddess» advertisement joke.
Chapter 48 — April 27, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: Kara hypercriticism versus Steve corrections. Wizard of Oz family movie.
Chapter 49 — April 28, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: Rachel asks Steve to take her virginity — declined until eighteen. Playboy/Gaudin legal trivia.
Chapter 50 — April 29, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Missy/Peter 5:30 a.m. hockey commute offer. Ancient Memories title — Steve flashback restraint.
Chapter 51 — May 2, 2002, Greater Cincinnati, Ohio — EB Systems zugzwang deposition strategy; Catan evening. Braun blame pinned.
Chapter 52 — May 3, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: Harper/Dave bug-priority fight; Seven Storey Mountain reading. Asks Steve for internship help.
Chapter 53 — May 7, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Resident work-hour cap debate — Jessica predicts hospitals win politically. Battlestar Galactica/Conan night.
Chapter 54 — May 12, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Fan mail answered with Only The Good Die Young 45. Steve/Suzanne edging kink boundaries discussion.
Chapter 55 — May 17, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Aisyah explains nikah versus civil marriage; Wahhabism lecture. Knot tied and untied legally.
Chapter 56 — May 20, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Hope NIKA internship locked; Knowing Me, Knowing You in Steve's twelve-objects test. Atlas Shrugged/1984 book banter.
Chapter 57 — May 26, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Kristin emerald necklace; birthday fantasy fulfilled in Steve's bed.
Chapter 58 — May 28, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Bob board objection to Elyse — Steve refuses office affair. Birthday fantasy denied by governance.
Chapter 59 — May 29, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Julie permission gossip; Strictly Legal deal threads. May 30: Birgit fourteenth birthday — «you owe me, Dad».
Chapter 60 — June 2, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: Rachel seventeenth — STI cards exchanged; sex in Jesse's room. «Don't feel any different» afterward.
Chapter 61 — June 2, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Tabitha chooses no further sex — mentorship only. Steve: «you'll live» after Hope breakup coaching.
Chapter 62 — June 8, 2002, Kohler, Wisconsin — Kohler design outing; Die Hard quote. Kim/Elsa/Tessa sauna voyeur consent game.
Chapter 63 — June 10, 2002, Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast near Montpelier, Vermont — Birgit POV: hockey video review with Kjell; «coito ergo sum» Philosophy Club joke. Mario Kart break.
Chapter 64 — June 10, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Luisa/Michelle mother-daughter consent — Steve defers to Luisa's adulthood. First real kiss threshold.
Chapter 65 — June 12, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Scott Bannerman Stanford/IIT link; Dave Kallas pipeline. NIKA future-skills lecture.
Chapter 66 — June 14, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Strictly Legal acquisition terms; SKJ debt structure. Age-of-consent Ohio sixteen debate.
Chapter 67 — June 15, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Anala lunch; won't trap Steve on menu joke. Bourne/Age of Empires II — Jesse camp eve.
Chapter 68 — June 15, 2002, Rochester, Minnesota — Jesse POV: Mayo camp; Underneath Your Clothes masturbation. Scarlett conversation — not a normal sixteen-year-old.
Chapter 69 — June 15, 2002, Rochester, Minnesota — Jesse POV: Scarlett political debate; Heat of the Moment. Roommate Ed rape arrest foreshadowed.
Chapter 70 — June 16, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Michelle/Luisa independence respect. Cirque du Steve domestic «force of nature» Birgit.
Chapter 71 — June 16, 2002, Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast near Montpelier, Vermont — Birgit POV: Net Nanny catches Peter watching; Does Your Mother Know ringtone. Shakira/She Bop iPod incident.
Chapter 72 — June 17, 2002, San Francisco, California — Russia trip launch; Heartbreak Ridge/Endless Love movie refs. Penny/Amber jealousy forecast.
Chapter 73 — June 21, 2002, Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast near Montpelier, Vermont — Birgit POV: Kjell Socratic therapy reading; DSM/Fugitive banter. Smart Teens assigned to Peter.
Chapter 74 — June 22, 2002, Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast near Montpelier, Vermont — Birgit POV: Burning Down the House/Psycho Killer; in loco parentis school drug-test fight. Last stone with Kjell.
Chapter 75 — June 24, 2002, Aboard the Gulfstream en route to Chicago, Illinois — VLC/Strictly Legal merger press prep; Minority Report/Bourne movies. Birgit POV flight home with Steve.
Chapter 76 — June 25, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: Peter crush advances; Marbury/Minority Report homework. Boys-and-girls trilogy opens.
Chapter 77 — June 28, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: Peter neck kisses; erection discovery. Attic-room privacy negotiations.
Chapter 78 — June 30, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: post-camp report — Ed rape arrest. Lilo & Stitch; quartet aftermath.
Chapter 79 — July 2, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: Lilibeth exchange student from Boston; All Out of Love dance. New friends before July 4.
Chapter 80 — July 4, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: Lilibeth fireworks dance — The One That You Love. Prime Information/Unify software banter.
Chapter 81 — July 5, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Jesse POV: CeCe OK with other partners — no double standard. Kelly's Heroes/Untouchables night.
Chapter 82 — July 5, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: Erika anal experimentation; Ace Combat/Monopoly evening. Virtual Law Clerk joke.
Chapter 83 — July 7, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Birgit POV: Suzanne quartet terms — Birgit/Ashley/Stephie plus Steve. Les Mis soundtrack.
Chapter 84 — July 12, 2002, Chicago, Illinois — Albert POV: Gulfstream sim and «ego writing checks» Top Gun quote. Medical Center/Emergency TV refs.
Chapter 85 — July 13, 2002, Stockholm, Sweden — Birgit POV: Kjell/Jesse reunion; Hundarna i Riga. Empress Birgit teasing on Södermalm.
Chapter 86 — July 15, 2002, Stockholm, Sweden — Jesse POV: Sofia party — Fernando, I Write the Songs, Puls/Upphetsad. Freja shy dance.
Chapter 87 — July 17, 2002, Östersund, Sweden — Steve POV: Östersund rink — Katt coaches; Elin introduced. Poängsamling memory; «coming of age» on Swedish ice.