A/N: I had this idea for a new story a couple of weeks ago. Since we don't know a lot about Amy Farrah Fowler before she met Sheldon and the gang on the show, I decided to create a way we could delve into her past, get more details on her life since meeting the love of her life, and also get a glimpse into the future.
December 18, 1990
The thought of starting my very first entry with 'Dear diary' is so cliché, so I'm just going to jump right in.
Aunt Florence thought a diary would be the perfect gift for an 8-year-old girl. I would have preferred some new clothes so for once I wouldn't have to wear Irene's hand-me-downs. I almost didn't even open the red leather cover but decided it would be rude not to at least give it a try.
Mother hung balloons and streamers and made my favorite cake - double chocolate with chocolate frosting. I invited all the girls from my class and waited by the door for two hours before giving in to the tears, hoping Mother wouldn't see me cry. I couldn't bear another time out in the sin closet. For once she comforted me instead of locking me in there. I guess that's one plus to celebrating a birthday. She promised I would still have a party in the evening with my extended family. She tries hard, and I'm grateful for it, but it's just not enough.
When Mother handed me her gift, I could tell she was nervous. She sat back in her floral-print armchair with her hands folded neatly in her lap as I began peeling the wrapping paper, but the subtle twitching of her fingers and the pinched look on her face gave her away.
For weeks she had asked me what I wanted, and my response was always the same - a microscope. She didn't seem to believe me and even went so far as to take a detour past the toy aisle at K- Mart when we were shopping for new dish towels so she could point out the dolls adorned in pink. I have nothing against the color itself, but I never did understand the toy industry's obsession with all things pink for girls. It was as if someone came along and dumped a bottle of Pepto-Bismol on everything. And why do toys have to be considered gender specific?
I carefully removed the wrapping paper to reveal a brand new 40X-1000X microscope. I nearly knocked Mother over when I lunged at her to wrap my arms around her neck. She awkwardly hugged me back.
"So you really like it?" She asked.
I told her it was the best birthday present she had ever gotten me. The relief was evident on her face.
Aunt Doe not so subtly elbowed Danny until he reluctantly handed me the small package he held. I surreptitiously inspected the red paper. The edges were torn, and it was covered in little bits of tape. It was obvious he had wrapped it himself. There was no saving that paper, so I tore through it and exposed a box of crayons. I politely thanked him then eyed Irene's gift. I knew what it was before I even unwrapped it. Of course, it was a coloring book.
My cousins just don't get me. I mean a coloring book? Now that I think about it, Danny's face fell when he unwrapped the paperback copy of Pride and Prejudice I got him for his 8th birthday three months ago. Maybe he would have preferred the crayons. I guess it's true that we often buy gifts for others that we would want for ourselves.
All Irene wanted for her birthday was jewelry and makeup. I miss the days when we would look for frogs at Grandma Martin's. Now suddenly they make her squeamish. I hope that doesn't happen to me when I turn 12.
Grandma handed me a card with money. That's another $10 towards my college funds for a grand total of $245.
I think I'll hide this diary under my mattress for now. It's not due to be flipped for another month. That should be enough time to find a secure hiding place.
"Leah, dinner's ready!"
Leah Marie Cooper stood from the cushioned window seat and slipped the small red leather-bound book under her shirt, tucking it into her waistband so it wouldn't fall out. She wasn't sure how her mom would react if she found out she had been snooping through her personal belongings. To be fair, it hadn't been intentional. She had read all her parents' novels, textbooks, and comic books off the bottom three shelves of their floor-to-ceiling library and needed to feed her brain.
Minutes earlier she had pushed the rolling library ladder to the far left, the logical starting point, and climbed the rungs to the fourth shelf. She tilted her head slightly to the left to read the first book's spine, surprised to find it was a geology textbook. Maybe it was a gag gift from Uncle Howard. Her left hand held onto the rail while she extended her right hand to pluck the book off the shelf.
She was about to climb down when something caught her eye. She set the textbook on top of the next three books, which also happened to be geology references, then reached back into the empty space. Her fingers barely brushed the item, so she stretched a little further, finally dislodging it. She was now in the possession of a small, unmarked red book. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the letters 'AFF' were etched into the front cover - her mom's initials before she became Amy Farrah Fowler-Cooper.
"Leah!" Amy called out again.
She scurried to her room on the other side of the house and shoved the book under her pillow then washed her hands before joining her parents at the table. Amy set down a baking dish of piping hot spaghetti with cut up hotdogs and a glass of milk for each of them. It was a family favorite. Sheldon scooped out a portion for their daughter before loading his plate.
Between bites they each went around the table, as they did every night, reporting the best thing that happened that day.
"I was the only one in the whole third grade to get a perfect score on the science quiz."
Sheldon beamed. "That's my girl!"
Amy reached over and touseled her daughter's long, dark hair. "We're so proud of you!"
"Your turn, Mommy."
"The Journal of Neuroscience is publishing my article in their January 28, 2028, issue."
"Amy, that's wonderful."
"What about you, Daddy?"
"That obnoxious student finally dropped my class. I swear he held out this long just to annoy me."
Amy squeezed his hand. "That's a relief, although I'll probably miss hearing all your stories. What was it he did last week?"
Sheldon glared at his wife.
"You know I'm just teasing you." She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek.
Halfway through dinner, Leah took advantage of a lull in the conversation. "Mommy?"
"Yes, Monkey?"
"What do you want for your birthday?"
"I'll love anything you get me."
"I want to get you the perfect gift. I need some ideas so I don't buy something you'll hate."
"I would never hate anything that came from you."
"Mommy, I'm serious. All I know is that you don't want a coloring book and crayons."
Amy raised her brow in confusion. "Crayons? Where did that come from?"
As Leah squirmed in her seat, Sheldon and Amy shared a look over their daughter's head.
"Leah, sweetie, Mommy's birthday is not for another six weeks. We have plenty of time to find her the perfect gift. Now let's finish up before the food gets cold."
The rest of the meal was spent without incident. The little girl went into great detail about her day, her parents hanging on her every word.
"May I be excused?" Leah asked, when their plates after every last bit of the food on her plate had been cleared.
"Yes, you may. Uncle Leonard, Cadence, and Dylan will be here soon to pick up you and Daddy for comic book night. Don't forget to feed Giuseppe before you leave."
"I won't."
Leah placed her plate and glass in the dishwasher. She tore some lettuce and scooped a handful of chopped carrots and carefully carried them to the livingroom. She lifted the aquarium lid and dropped the green and orange treats into the small food bowl within. Giuseppe ambled over, and she gently stroked his shell as he chewed.
Remembering the geology book, she secured her pet's lid and snuck into the library. If her mom saw the gap and realized her diary was missing, she'd take away her reading privileges. When she entered the library, curiosity set in. She pushed the ladder a foot to the right and climbed until she could reach the fourth shelf. She pulled out a biology book next to the trio of geology books and peered into the space behind it. Sure enough there was another unmarked book. She moved out another foot with the same results. Not wishing to be caught, she returned the ladder to the far left. After replacing the textbook in it's rightful place, she retreated to her room and unearthed the little red book from under her pillow.
December 24, 1990
Christmas Eve. The night when Santa comes down the chimney and leaves me an orange, some peanuts, a candy cane, and some chocolates in my worn stocking. Nice try, Mother. I know he's not real, but I can't let on that I know. She'd lead me to the sin closet for sure. I'll just have to play along again this year.
Leah grinned. Her parents had told her about the lore of Santa Claus when she was two years old. They didn't want to keep up the charade then have to explain why they lied when she found out the truth.
The sound of the Spider-Man theme song chiming alerted her to the Hofstadters' arrival. She hid the book under her mattress then ran to the door.
"Hey, Buddy." Leonard greeted his best friend, ushering his kids in ahead of him.
"Cadence!" Leah shrieked, grabbing her blonde friend's hand.
The two girls chatted animatedly as if they hadn't just spent all day at school together. Five-year-old Dylan hung back, hiding behind his dad's legs.
Amy came out into the foyer to greet their guests. "Hi, Leonard." She looked around. "Is Penny still coming?"
"She said she refuses to be driven half a block, so she's coming on foot."
Amy crouched down to the little boy's level. "How was school today, Dylan?"
He shrugged.
"Are you excited to see the new comic books?"
He vigorously nodded his head 'yes'.
"Come on. Let's get you a cookie. Girls, would you like a cookie?"
Leah followed Amy into the kitchen. "Yes, please."
Her daughter's best friend was right on her tail. "Thank you, Auntie Amy."
As the young trio munched on homemade chocolate chip cookies, Penny strode into the kitchen. "Hey, Ames!"
"Hi Bestie! Come, sit down. I'm just about to start the dishwasher then I'll join you."
Penny pulled out the chair next to her son. "Can Mommy have a bite?"
"Nooooooo!" He shoved the last bit into his mouth triumphantly.
Soon after Leonard poked his head into the room. "Okay, kids. Let's go."
All three children licked their fingers clean of any remaining chocolate then dutifully took turns washing their hands before joining Sheldon who was pacing by the door. He ushered them and Leonard out before racing back in to give his wife a quick kiss.
xxx
An hour later Leonard dropped off the Coopers and their brand new comic books. Leah stood on the sidewalk holding her dad's hand. When their friends emerged from the car three houses down, she waved at them with her free hand until they were out of sight. Sheldon started up the walk but was held back by the tiny hand in his.
"You'll see Cadence again tomorrow. Let's go in."
When they got to the second step, she let go of his hand and sat down.
"Daddy?" She asked in her most serious voice.
He took a seat next to her. "Yes?"
"What's the sin closet?"
The door opened to reveal Penny on her way out. She knelt next to the little version of her best friend. "Sweetie, did you get anything good at the comic book store?"
"Daddy let me buy two today," she said, reaching into the bag on Sheldon's lap and producing one with pastel-colored gnomes and another of Batman and Catwoman.
"That's awesome!"
Amy stepped out to see her friend off. "Goodnight, Penny."
"Night all!"
Inside the house, Leah showed off her new purchases. She consulted her watch, disappointed that she had only 15 minutes until bedtime. It was time to begin her nightly rituals. She brushed her teeth then changed into her nightgown. After bidding Giuseppe goodnight, her parents followed her to her room where Sheldon tucked her in. They sat together on the edge of the bed while their daughter read to them from her new gnome comic book. They took turns kissing her goodnight then turned out the light and partially shut the door.
As he did every Wednesday, Sheldon gathered his new comic books and sat in his spot on the old brown couch in the library. Amy snuggled in next to him with an old weathered copy of The Canterbury Tales. She lost track of how many times she had read it over the years.
When Sheldon finished his first book, he set it aside on the lamp table then turned to his wife. "Leah asked me the strangest question tonight."
She bookmarked her page and set the novel on her lap, giving him her full attention. "Oh?"
He lowered his voice. "She wanted to know what the sin closet was."
"What did you tell her?" She whispered back.
"Luckily Penny came out, so I was spared from having to answer."
"Where would she have heard about it? Did I have a night terror recently?"
"No, but you do tend to mumble in your sleep occasionally. I knew we should have sound-proofed the bedroom."
"That's not the reason you wanted to sound-proof it, and you know it."
"Amy!"
"What? It's just the two of us in here." She made a cursory glance towards the door to be sure. "Okay. Back to our dilemma. What if she asks again? We promised we would never lie to her, so how do we give her an honest answer that won't make my mom out to be a horrible person? She's changed for the better. I don't want Leah to be scared of something that happened in the past."
They pondered in silence for several minutes, the ticking Meemaw's grandfather clock punctuating each second that went by.
"Sheldon?"
"Hmm?"
"Did you find Leah's remark about my birthday gift odd?"
"It did seem like an odd thing to say, but now that I think about it, 45 years is somewhat of a milestone year. Maybe she just wants to get you something extra special."
"Maybe. So are you getting me anything special?"
"You already know what I'm getting you." He wiggled his brows suggestively.
"The same gift 12 years in a row?"
"It's tradition; we can't break tradition."
"You know I'm just teasing you."
"I know." He rested his chin on her head contentedly.
A/N: How long until Leah gets caught? Are all of Amy's diary entries so innocent?
This is a bit of a different style for me, so please let me know what you think. If I get enough interest, I'll write many more chapters. If anyone has ideas for in-character (IC) diary entries, I am open to try bringing them to life. Just send me a PM. Thanks!
For those of you following The Vexillogical Vacation, please know I haven't forgotten about it. A new update is coming soon.