The Degree of Intimacy
Chapter 1
He sat at his usual booth. Leonard had been coming to The Cheesecake Factory every Tuesday for three months now. He liked the Tuesday special offer. The classic meal which was plain and simple and consists of a regular hamburger with lettuce, tomatoes topped with fries. As he was lactose intolerance, there weren't many items on the menu he could eat. He wondered how long he would have to wait this time; The service was just not up to standard here. The waitresses were always rude, and he wondered why people chose to do a job they hate. They laughed at his geeky appearance; He sometimes caught them talking and looking at him but stopped as soon as they realized he was looking in their direction.
He had been sitting for about 10 minutes and still no service, vowing this was the last time he was coming here. He was about to leave when his thoughts were broken.
"Are you ready to order?" He looked up to see the bored waitress staring down at him with a blank expression on her face. She was blond and cute. Maybe if she smiled more, it would complement her features he thought.
"Can I have the Tuesday Special please." He said in a friendly voice, half smiling.
"Anything else" rolling her eyes at his attempt smile.
"Oh sorry, could I have a glass of lemonade with no ice."
She wrote down his order and wandered off. He was sure he heard her muttered nerd under her breath. Leonard waited another 10 minutes for his food he played on his cell phone to pass the time. When his order finally arrived, it was cold and not very tasteful he thought about complaining but what was the point he was used to this bad service. Deep down maybe the problem was him. He looked around the eating area; it was half full with couples and their kids running wild. Leonard watch as most of the parent just sat there watching their children running around like lunatics, treating the dining area as their personal playground. One of waitress tried to get the children to calm down and speaking to the parents who did nothing. Maybe it wasn't his fault after all; It looks like they had plenty to worry about at the moment. He wondered how some parents can be so lazy and can't teach their children to behave in public. As a customer, Leonard perceived in his unique way the idiosyncratic, emotional and irrational that was going on around him. He felt sorry for the staff even though they treated him negligently. Leonard might be socially adept, but it was no excuse for treating him differently. He left a 30% tip half his food and headed home.
Leonard was sitting on the sofa in his 2-bedroom apartment it consists of an open-plan living room and kitchen area with a large bedroom. A smaller size bedroom, and a bathroom. He lived alone and preferred it that way, he was a bit of a loner and having a roommate wasn't an option he loves his space. There was sufficient kitchen ventilation, and the windows providing plenty of natural light for the television area in the open-plan living room. The brown sofa jazzed up with colored cushions against the modern white and cream units. Clean lines and pale finish of the kitchen cabinetry combines with an island table with simple floor tiles having the feeling of space throughout. It wasn't great, but it was home and comfortable. Leonard thought about his day it had not been productive as he would have wanted. He was an experimental physics at Caltech he had been working on an experiment which meant constant presence in the lab and consistent findings to report. This sort of work requires one or two days of intense experimentation and several weeks' research. With not much progress on his part he felt like a failure because he had nothing consistent to report to his boss, he needed some inspiration from somewhere. There was a knock on his door and in walked Howard and Raj. They work at Caltech too and have been friends for a while. Howard was an engineer and Raj, an astrophysicist.
"Hi, guys what you are doing here."
"We have Chinese food." Howard said, holding up the takeout bag.
"I'm not hungry, but I am bored and could eat. I'll get the plates." Leonard realized he was still hungry after leaving the restaurant earlier without finishing his meal. They sat down and ate, mostly talking about what happened at work and later playing video games.
"So Leonard where was you at lunch? That weird guy Sheldon came and sat at our table."
"Sorry I had to go and pick up my medications. Really was it awkward?"
"He was so annoying and complaining about Geometry not being a real science and should not receive grant money," Raj said.
"The awkward moment for me was when he started complaining about how annoying the Geometers are, coming from the most annoying person." Howard interjected. They all laughed at how clueless he can be.
"So how is your experiment going?" Raj asked.
"Not so good I can't find the right data to make it work and just going through a phase of trying to find satisfaction in what I am doing."
"Hey don't look so dejected, maybe you just need to relax and have some fun. Take your mind away from it might help you radiated some positive energy." Raj said. Howard looked at Raj, shaking his head he changed the subject.
"So Leonard. Met anyone yet."
"What do you mean?"
"You know, you haven't been with anyone since you and Kelly broke up."
"Yeah why did you break up in the first place? You guys were solid for over a year," Raj added.
Leonard didn't want to talk about his past relationship, but he knew they just keep asking.
"It wasn't meant to be, we both wanted different things in the relationship."
"Like what? Giving you sex all the time was a burden."
"Look, Howard I don't want to talk about this, can we change the subject."
"Did she dump you because you were no good in bed."
"No Raj and why would you say that. Leonard was beginning to get aggravated and bloated out.
"She wanted to get married and have kids okay. Satisfied" the table went silent, then Howard spoke. "I'm sorry Leonard I know how you feel about marriage and children after your upbringing."
"It's okay it's not your fault. I should have told you guys why we broke up."
"How did she take it when you told her," Raj asked?
"Not very well she just said she couldn't be with a man who never wanted to get married or have kids. She asked me the reason behind my decision and I told her about my loveless upbringings and my parents' marriage and how it has put me off marriage and having kids."
"I'm sorry Leonard."
"Don't be Raj; we parted on good terms. I hope she finds what she is looking for some day."
"She was hot, though, is it okay if I tap her.
"Howard…"
"Raj… She is single, and I'm open to marriage and kids." Leonard just rolled his eyes at Howard's comment.
"Tell you what will cheer you up. Why don't you come out with us I know this great bar with lots of chicks who are desperate."
"Howard I'm not going with you and Raj to pick up girls in some bar. I think I pass."
"Well, it's your loss. Come on Raj."
"Good luck with hooking up and you can tell me all about it tomorrow." Leonard said with a pinch of sarcasm.
"What happens at the bar stays at the bar." Howard winked at Leonard shutting the door behind him.
Leonard knew his work was a large part of his life, and the only way to be satisfied is to do his best. Maybe Raj and Howard were right; He needed to have more fun, even meet a girl that shared the same philosophy as him. Picking up girls from bars wasn't his idea of fun. He liked comics books and collecting action figures, dressing up in his favorite character's costumes was his thing. Leonard loved to prioritize his life making time for his comic books, going to the comic store, watching his favorite TV shows; his passion was a dedication to his work. That was doing stuff and having fun right. It didn't matter to him what others thought about him, especially those waitresses. He remembered Albert Einstein quote. Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. He tried to convince himself that success is having fun but knew he needed more in his life than his work and hobbies. He needed to fill that empty space in his life.