A/N: This is related to The New York Revelation. It begins in New York City thirty years after its predecessor. Leonard and Penny are married and have two grown children. I hope that you enjoy this as much as the ealier effort.
Any and all reviews are appreciated. If you think I don't have things right, let me know! Thank you all.
Another New York Revelation
She saw him enter the hotel just ahead of her. She had been running a little early. They agreed to meet for dinner at this particular restaurant as it was where they had reconnected in New York so long ago. After being apart for the five longest and loneliest years of her life, it had been a rebirth for her. Awakening from a horrible dream and finding herself once again with him. The love of her life. Her soul mate.
She stood just outside the entry, behind a huge plant - some sort of fern she thought. She could see him from there. He had been shown to his table. Just as always, he took the seat facing the entrance. That way he would see her when she came in. She smiled to herself when she thought that he would also be able to engage in one of his favorite activities: people watching.
From her vantage point she considered him. He had recently turned 71. Not as quick and nimble on his feet as he once was. Still, unlike other people they knew, like poor Raj, he had no problems getting around. Still agile. And still frisky. She covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled out loud. Maybe she was once a "big old 5", but he was now her equal at perhaps a quiet, but limber, 3.
Leonard Hofstadter. Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. An experimental physicist known around the world since his Nobel Prize six years ago.
She was still looking at him. His hair was completely white now, but he still possessed a full head of it. Plenty for her to run her fingers through, with curls that still fell at the back of his neck. He wore a dark blue suit with a pale pink shirt. Topping off the look with a tie that matched the suit. "Damn", she thought. "You are still a sexy man, Hofstadter".
Penny Hofstadter. Formerly the multiple Tony Award winning actress Penelope L. Wyatt. Before that, just Penny. Deciding she had made him wait long enough, she made her way to the reception podium to be shown to their table. On occasion someone would recognize her as the now retired Broadway actress and make a fuss over her. She would rather go unnoticed. Fly through life "under the radar". Now more often than not, it was her husband that garnered the most attention these days. That was just fine with her.
Leonard glanced to the entrance of the hotel restaurant and smiled broadly as he saw his wife being led to the table. She was wearing a dark red evening dress that came below her knees along with a black silk shawl over her shoulders. She carried a matching black clutch purse and wore tasteful diamond earrings along with a necklace that bore a single diamond pendant, small and again tasteful. All the jewelry were gifts from her husband. Many heads turned at the elegant, seemingly middle-aged woman being led to the table of the distinguished older gentleman.
Standing up perhaps a little more slowly than he did that fateful day when he had seen her for the first time in this very place after the too long absence, he made his way to her.
"Hey, you" she said. Those words still brought a smile to his face and joy to his heart. Her special greeting for him alone.
"Hi" he said while nodding to the Maître'd. They embraced quickly. Well quickly for them. A not short kiss followed the hug, causing the young man escorting Penny to her seat to gently clear his throat. This elicited a laugh from her and a quick "sorry about that" from her husband. Leonard then took his wife by her elbow and guided her the rest of the way to the table.
He pulled out her chair as she left his side and walked around in front of the seat. As she sat, he gently pushed the chair toward the table. "Thank you honey" she said in reply smiling at him as he returned to his place at the table.
"Have you been waiting long?" she asked him.
"I was here only a few minutes before you tried to go all stealth and spy on me from behind that ficus."
"Who's spying on whom?" she giggled her reply.
Now it was Leonard's turn to survey his wife. She sat in front of him looking at the menu.
"What do you think?" She asked him. Not looking up she glanced from side to side of the printed descriptions of that evening's selections. "This Chicken Alfredo might be good. I wonder if the sauce is too heavy."
At 66 her formerly blonde hair had turned the color of straw. A mix between gold and grey. She was one of those women on whom that change of color was barely noticeable. She wore her age well. She didn't try to hide from it with plastic surgery or draw attention away from it with an over abundance of make-up. She had gone from beautiful ingénue to dignified middle age with ease and grace.
"I can see you checking me out over there Hofstadter" she said while still looking at the dinner selections over the reading glasses she had slipped on to see the smallish writing a little better. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it was impolite to stare?"
"All the time" he answered. "That means I have a lifetime worth of staring to catch up on. Prepare yourself to be gazed at" he kidded back.
Laughing, she set aside the menu and pulled the glasses from her nose, folded them and placed them on the table.
"This was a fun idea" she said smiling at him and reaching out to take his hand across the table. He gave it willingly, caressing her knuckle and her forefinger with his thumb.
"Do you remember the first time we met here?" she asked.
"I do. He replied with a smile. "Just over 30 years ago" he went on. "I was sitting over there" he nodded to his left closer to the bar "and I saw this cute looking blonde in a long dark, flowered skirt. She was bending down to get something out of a bag." She smiled at him as he recounted the meeting to her.
"She glanced up for like three seconds and looked me square in the eye. She even smiled at me before looking down again."
She could feel tears coming to her eyes, but didn't want to stop what was coming next.
"She then looked slowly up at me and-"
"It was me" she said. A look of pure joy on her beaming face. They each squeezed the other's hand.
"It's a nice memory, isn't it?" he said.
"It's the perfect memory" she answered in a whisper.
They were interrupted by their waiter, but didn't leg go of the hand they each held.
"Would you care to start of with something to drink?" he asked the couple, looking from one to the other.
"I'll have a chardonnay" Penny said.
"Very good. And you, sir?"
Frowning and glancing at the wine list attached to the menu, Leonard thought for a second, trying not to catch Penny's eye, finally looking up at the waiter, saying "I'll just have some club soda with a lime."
Penny didn't notice she was holding her breathe until she released it.
"Very good" the waiter said, turned on his heel and walked away.
Leaning toward her husband trying to catch his eye, she said "Leonard, sweetie?" He glanced up at the endearment.
"The doctor said only a week or two more until the final tests and things can get back to normal."
"I know. I was just looking forward to toasting you and have this be a special night without reality butting in."
"It's fine. You were never as big a fan of wine as I am" she said gently.
"I know. But just like anything else, you don't miss it until it's gone."
She let go of his hand and reached further to touch his face. "Just another few weeks. It'll go by before you know it." He nodded at her and smiled.
"Tell me about your day" she said. "Tell me about your meetings."
As Leonard began to speak about his day, her mind started to wander. She thought about Dr. Seguel and the tests he needed to perform. At his first appointment, there were no real worries. He had been having digestion issues-nothing too serious. A battery of tests had revealed no problems. The only thing was her husband was still experiencing discomfort once or twice a week. His diet was modified with no real change in symptoms. Finally another series of tests had been scheduled for two weeks from now. Hopefully that would get to the root of the cause. As the time had gone by, Penny's worry had increased. Hiding that worry had not been easy. Her best friend was the one having the problem. Both of their daughters were on the other side of the country as were her closest friends.
"And guess what?" His voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"What?" she said, the smile that had briefly disappeared returned.
"I heard from Faith about an hour ago."
"Did she get it? Did she, did she?" she asked, now breathless with excitement.
"She did! First cello with the Los Angeles Philharmonic!"
Penny squealed with delight and covered her face with her hands. Her eyes filled with tears as Leonard stood up and went to embrace her.
Moving her hands away from her face she wrapped her arms around her husband.
"She wanted it to be a surprise for you, but I told her we were having dinner tonight and I wouldn't be able to keep it a secret. She said it was alright to spill!"
"Oh Leonard I'm so proud of her. First chair at only 28 years old. Oh my God!"
Just then the waiter delivered their drink order.
Raising his glass Leonard looked into his beautiful wife's eyes and said "To our Faith. The best cellist in the Hofstadter family.
With a brilliant smile, Penny touched his glass with hers. "To our Faith."
"And to her little sister Hope, the most recent Dr. Hofstadter."
"And to our little Hope" Penny replied, the largest smile on her face.