Date Night for Honey and Brain
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story, I am simply borrowing them so their life may be continued; unfortunately I didn't ask permission first. Thanks to my wonderful beta. As a reminder to those who are worried, there has to be rain for a rainbow.
Honey's foot tapped methodically on the ground, her pencil rapped continually on the desk, an outlet for her pent-up excitement. She glanced again at the clock trying; only two minutes had gone by. For the thirtieth time in less than forty minutes she tried to refocus on the speaker phone. Inwardly she groaned, this phone call was unbearable. Nigel Cromen was going over the statics for the Asian market. Currently he was on page 12 of a 63 page data assessment brief. Tonight she had a date, a date with Brian. Just the thought of it brought a huge smile to her face. She and Brian made it a point to spend time together as often as they could; but, they also tried to set special dates together. Tonight was one of those and Honey had to wait.
"If you look on page thirteen you will notice the projected target market was undershot by approximately 13 unites." Nigel rambled on.
Honey knew she needed to be engaged in this conversation. It was one of the largest projects on her desk at the moment. The previous night she had spent hours poring over the data, charts, and projections in the assessment brief, but today she just could not convince her mind to focus.
"The fixed supply quantity simply is not going to meet our projected demand." Okay, that caught her attention. For the next hour Honey, Nigel and a team of accountants, marketing managers, and product managers talked and hashed out details concerning the development of their Asian market.
At exactly 5:00 Honey's IPhone quietly moved across the table, vibrating to signal the time. Honey's foot stopped tapping and her pencil stopped raping. She stood up and began collecting the binder containing all of the data and, now her notes on today's meeting. "Gentlemen and ladies, thank you for all of the effort you are putting into this project. I know you have dedicated a great deal of your time and that we are far from finished. I think we should stop for today and pick this up at our next product meeting. I believe it is already scheduled. I look forward to hearing from the product side. I know they will find a way to help us solve some of the problems presented here today. "
Each team member added their last comments and then hung up. The phone had barely gone dead when Honey's coat was on and briefcase over her shoulder. Quickly she locked her office door, said goodbye to her administrative assistant and waited for the elevator. Her foot began tapping again and continued to do so as she rode the elevator down to the first floor. Honey did not even notice the seven annoyed looks she received from her fellow elevator riders.
From the first floor Honey hailed a taxi. After giving the address of her apartment complex she sat back and began her nervous habits again.
"Big night?" the cab driver asked.
"I have a date." Honey replied.
"First dates always make people nervous."
"Oh, this isn't our first date, and I am not nervous, just excited and that sometimes comes off as nervous in my case. I have known this man since junior high school. "
"Ahhh you have that hopeless love look written all over your face, I should have spotted it the second you sat down in my cab."
"I guess I do. It is just that Brian is about the best man I have ever met. He is honest, caring, hard working, a person of good integrity; which let me tell you isn't easy to find. He respects me as a person on my own but, at the same time supports me completely. He has high expectations for himself and manages to meet them every time. He is brilliant. Brian is unbelievably handsome. He is just about perfect."
"Sounds like you have found quite the catch. Are you going to hold onto him?"
"Oh I think I will keep him if I can." Honey replied with a smile.
The taxi pulled up in front of Honey's building. Honey paid the driver and stepped onto the sidewalk.
"Have fun tonight." The cab driver called just before he pulled away. "Young people have so much energy over everything." He thought to himself with a smile once he was on his way.
Honey took the elevator up to her floor and let herself into her apartment. Depositing her brief case in the office and her shoes in the little closet she headed directly for a shower. If she had calculated it correctly, it was going to take her every minute she had to be ready for tonight. Her silk cornflower blue shirt landed in the dry cleaning basket along with her Laura Ashley wool skirt and blazer. Her camisole and underclothes all hit the laundry pile. Stepping into a steaming hot shower Honey allowed the stress of work to melt away as the warm water soothingly pelted her skin. She turned her focus onto tonight. It was true that she and Brian spent as much time as the possibly could together but, usually the food consisted of take-out or the hotdog vender at the park, tonight was special. The pair had been planning it for weeks.
Comfortable in her terrycloth bathrobe and fuzzy slippers; Honey continued her preparations for the night. She blow dried and fixed her light brown hair using some special clips her mother had given her on her last birthday. She applied the perfect amount of making enhancing her already near perfect face. Carefully she packed her tiny black clutch purse with her cell phone, wallet, tissues, and miniature sewing pack. Finally she made her way to the closet. For this night Honey had chosen a beautiful black dress. The hem stopped just below her knee line. The wide V-neck hinted at cleavage giving a sophisticated look rather than a slutty look. The neck line mirrored in the back of the dress showed off a portion of her back accentuating her neck and smooth skin. Honey accented it with a simple necklace. Confident with her look Honey strapped on her stylish stiletto heels, expertly dawned her wool wrap and left the apartment two and a half hours after arriving.
Brian flipped through a chart. It had been a struggle for him to focus all day. He was looking forward to tonight's date. Reservations had been made already and anticipation was high. Looking at his watch he realized he only had a short time left on his shift. He signed the discharge papers in front him and then left to talk to the family. Thirty minutes later he was passing his remaining charts off to then next shift. In the locker room he quickly threw his belongings into a book bag and headed out the door. Catching the subway and then a short walk he was home.
Brian's small apartment was a major contrast to Honey's. He walked into his small but comfortable kitchen. The old linoleum floor was covered with a braided rag rug his mother had given him. It had originally been his grandmother's; no doubt made by some ancestor of his and used in many homes. The kitchen table was a result of a thrift store trip. The table itself was small but sturdy; made entirely of wood and showing its age with scratch. Four chairs were pushed in as much as possible. Each chair was unique, a collection of gifts from work friends, attic finds, and Salvation Army purchases. The large sink was stacked with dishes from the morning. Without a dishwasher Brian did all of the dishes by hand. As he had grown up sharing this chore, it did not bother him in the least. Two solid old plates, a collection of flatware, a glass, and a pot all sat in the drying rack ready to be put away in the simple but functional cupboards. Honey had insisted on lining each cupboard and drawer claiming, "who knows what all has been in here, these look to be originals!" The countertops were several decades old but clean and relatively clutter free. Only the drain board, a coffee maker, and a microwave found their home there. Brian went over to the refrigerator, a functional relic of the early nineties, and pulled out a water bottle. The refrigerator looked similar to the generic bachelor type; stocked with a half gallon of milk, several bottles of water, condiments, beer, lunch meat, cheese, a loaf of bread, three eggs, and some old takeout pizza.
Taking one step Brian left the kitchen and entered the living area of his apartment. An old green couch sat under a window facing a small T.V. A knitted afghan covered the top of the couch; a Christmas gift from Aunt Alicia. Homemade curtains hung in the window, made with love by Honey when he first moved in. A small desk sat in the corner. His computer, printer and files were all kept neatly organized in that tiny work space. Bookcases lined the remaining wall space; each packed to the brim with reference books most on medicine but still covering a wide range of topics. While his wall did not have any art, posters, or pictures they did have a clock and a calendar. Most of his pictures were in frames sitting on top of his bookcases. Pictures of family, pictures of the Bob Whites, each had been a gift and now held places of honor.
Brian put his mail down on the desk and quickly proceeded to his tiny bedroom. Only a bed and a small dresser would fit in this small room but, the bed was neatly made and the dresser was clutter free. Clothes did not litter the floor but were either put away or in the laundry basket. Curtains, like the ones in his living room hung over a small window. Brian put his book bag carefully on his bed. He had an hour to get ready. Crossing into a small but functional bathroom, Brian took a quick shower. While the water pressure was far from great he could still almost feel the stress of the day melting away in the warm water. Carefully he shaved and combed his thick dark hair. In his living room Brian set up his ironing board and meticulously pressed the wrinkles out of a white collared shirt. Dressed in his dark suit and white shirt, Brian picked a tie Honey had given him and then proceeded to tie and retie it four times until it was perfect. One last check in the mirror and Brian was satisfied with his appearance. It had taken him the full hour to prepare. Brian sat on his loved green couch to wait the five minutes for the taxi to arrive. While he waited, he opened his latest professional journal and read. If Brian had spare time, he used it. It was a lesson he had learned early in life and had served him well throughout his schooling.
In no time at all the taxi arrived, Brian locked the door to his apartment and gave the driver the address of the restaurant.
The cab ride seemed to take forever. Today Honey and Brian had decided to take separate cabs and meet at the restaurant due to time constraints. Tonight they would be dinning at La Grenouille's, a well known French restaurant with ambiance to take one's breath away.
Upon arriving at the restaurant Honey did one last check of her makeup and stepped out of the taxi. Brian was waiting just inside the door. He looked stunning in his dark suit, pressed white shirt, and the tie that Honey had given him for a seminar that he was conducting last year. The second he noticed her walk in the door a smile spread across his face; his dark eyes lit up like Christmas lights in the moonlight. Together they followed the maitre d' to their table. The table was elegantly set with a white table cloth and enough silverware to confuse anyone, beautiful flowers made an attractive center piece along with two candles. Once the menus were in their hands Brian and Honey were left alone.
"I barely had time to tell you how gorgeous you look. You took my breath away when you walked in." Brian complemented Honey. "Is it one of your own creations?"
"You are pretty dashing yourself." Honey said with a blush. She was never one to take a complement well. "And to answer your question yes, I actually made this dress myself."
"I find myself amazed everyday at your numerous talents."
Honey laughed, "Talents, hummm, most of what you consider my talents are simply learned skills."
"Honey not only are you incredibly gifted with a sewing machine, which may be a learned skill but, you have the creativity to design which, is strictly talent. You may have the learned skill of balancing a spreadsheet and whatever else you do in that huge office; but, you have tact and grace that makes people comfortable and you have negotiation skills, both of which are talents. Don't sell yourself short Madeline Grace Wheeler." Brian's look pierced Honey's brown eyes.
A huge smile spread across Honey's face as she attempted to deflect the attention, "We could talk about your numerable talents but, I am not sure that all of them are appropriate table conversation, so instead shall we turn our attention to these menus in front of us?"
For several moments the pair studied the menus, gave their order and within no time at all Honey had a delicious plate of Le Risotto aux Champignons Sauvages in front of her and Brian had was beginning in on his Les Ris de Veau au Romarin.
"You know that tact you mentioned earlier," began Honey again, "I am really going to have to use it if I want this project to work."
"Trouble in the business world?"
"I cannot figure out why the marketing and production sides just cannot seem to get along. Every meeting it seems like one is taking aim at the other. Eventually that is simply going to have to stop if we are going to accomplish anything." Honey said with a look of exasperation.
"Have you considered talking to someone who has dealt with the problem before? Maybe John Keller or even your father. He would probably be thrilled if you sought his advice." Brian suggested.
"I feel like maybe our professional worlds are a little different. I could be wrong but, this corporate thing feels a little too competitive. It's like they are all just waiting for me to fail."
"Well if you cannot ask John Keller, you still have your dad."
"I know, I know." Honey did not add that she had no desire to talk to her father about business. She wanted to learn and accomplish everything on her own. She and Brian had talked previously on their theories of asking for help; while they were similar in many areas asking for advice was not one of them.
As the plates were cleared and reset with Le Poulet de Grain Rôti "Grand-Mère" for Honey and Le Médaillon de Filet de Boeuf Rôti aux Epinards et Pommes de Terre for Brian; the conversation shifted.
"Have you heard back from any of your hospitals?" Honey asked Brian.
Brian's education was at an end and it was time for him to move on to something new. He had sent out many feelers, looking for the right fit including places such as St. Petersburg Florida, Atlanta Georgia, Houston Texas, Columbus Ohio, Chicago Illinois, Phoenix Arizona, Seattle Washington, and Los Angeles California.
"Actually I found a very promising clinic in Chicago. It has an outreach program in the downtown area that operates as a not-for-profit while it has its main branch in one of the north west suburbs. The main branch provides the capital but, the downtown area would allow me to see a wider variety of patients and give back." Brian began. This had been an ongoing conversation for months, where to go now. Honey had a stable job in New York but didn't want to limit Brian's search for the perfect fit.
"Sounds like an interesting opportunity. Are you seriously thinking about it?" Honey asked.
"Well I really like the idea of having the opportunity to serve the underprivileged while not burning out on it but; there are some major drawbacks. "
"Such as?" Pried Honey.
"Such as us." Brian answered. "I do not want you to have to move simply because I am and I do not want to do a long distance relationship. "
The two sat in silence; eating their delicious food neither one knowing how to continue the topic.
"How was your night with Di?" Brian asked Honey.
Honey spent a moment in the memory of the night the two girls sat up talking, "We had a great time. We stayed up late looking at pictures of our well-spent youth. One thing I noticed, though, was that in the majority of the pictures, you were not smiling. I love that you smile more now. What changed?"
"I don't know that anything really changed. I worried all of the time when we were younger. The danger you would put yourselves or ourselves in petrified me. I mean on a roof in a flood; Honey I thought I had lost you! "
"So you like my safe job better now?"
"Well," Brian started with a short pause," I do not worry about you as much as I did when we were in Junior/Senior High School and, I am glad that you love your job. I think maybe I have just learned to attempt to let go of the things I cannot control. It was something I have really had to work at within my job and I have tried to apply it to life."
"What about Trixie?" Honey asked quietly. Trixie was always a touchy subject; one the two often tried to avoid but after talking with Di recently Honey found herself thinking more and more about Trixie and thereby more willing to talk about her.
"I worry about Trixie all of the time. I wish I knew that she was okay, that she was happy, where exactly she was but, she has decided not to involve us in her life anymore. I have to let that go for my own health." Brian responded.
"I worry about her as well. Di and I talked about her a little."
"You did?" Brian asked surprised; knowing this was not a favorite topic of Honey's.
"Di thought maybe Mart may have more information than the rest of us. Do you think he knew why she stopped talking to us? Why would he keep that from us?"
The two sat in silence. They had gone over this topic a long time ago. Why did Trixie make the choices she made and how did it affect them? They never came to a satisfying conclusion and so the questions just hung in the air.
"Trixie must have thought she had a good reason to cut all ties with us." Honey answered her own question. "What if she comes back some day?"
Brian just looked at Honey; waiting for her to answer he own question again.
"I guess we will have many things to talk about." Honey finished.
"Did Di talk about Mart?" Brian asked.
"She didn't say much but, I could tell she was hurting. She said something about him wanting to go to Peru and her not wanting to. It sounded like she felt left out. You know she is very sensitive about that." Di answered.
"Mart and I have talked and talked and talked about his decision and I just do not understand it. Why would he leave? I thought he and Di were perfect for each other and they were so close…" Brian mused.
"Well, they may still be right for each other. I don't think we know the whole story." Honey said.
"Honestly, I wonder if Mart was just running away from reality."
"That's a little harsh coming from his brother," Honey said honestly surprised at Brian's tone. "Don't you think Peru is a little far away to run? I mean he could have gone to Iowa. "
"It was time for him to grow up, get a job, become an adult, and a productive member of society. What did he do? He ran away to Peru. I don't know how else to look at it." Brian responded harshly.
"I didn't realize you were hurt by his leaving." Honey said quietly. They had never really talked about how Brian felt about Mart's departure. He had left in the middle of a crazy period of their lives and it just hadn't been discussed in great detail.
"Maybe not hurt, maybe embarrassed. Here he has an education and he doesn't do anything with it!" Brian responded loudly and people looked over at the table. After a moment of silence he finished, "maybe I am a little hurt, but I am also frustrated by myself. I did talk to Mart a lot before he left but, I never got through to him. I didn't do my job as big brother for either Mart or Trixie. I mean look -they are both gone. I am certainly not doing my job as big brother to Bobby, no matter what I say to Di that worries me. He doesn't have anyone like the others did. Although, looking at the results that may not be a bad thing. "
"Weren't you just saying something about letting things that are out of your control go? Mart and Trixie did not make the decisions they made because of you. They are both strong and stubborn people; it is not likely that anything you could have said or done would have changed what either of them did. As for Bobby, he understands why you are not at home. You try to talk with him as often as you can and, when you are home you spend as much time with him as you can. You cannot do everything Brian. If you set that as your goal, you will fail." Honey reached across the table and held his hand in an effort to comfort him.
Brian smiled a smile that almost reached his eyes. "You always have the perfect words Honey. I know in my brain what you say is true, it is my heart that's struggling with it, they are my family. No matter how crazy they are, I love them and want the best for them."
"We all do."
The plates were cleared and dessert was brought.
"Honey," Brian began thoughtfully, "where do you want to live?"
Honey looked up in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"I mean where do you want to live?" Brian repeated with an amused smile on his face. "You are excelling at your job despite its difficulties. You are close to your parents here. Jim is building his school in Sleepyside. Do you want to stay close to your family?"
Honey simply looked at him.
"I have another job offer."
Honey continued to stare.
"White Plains and Sleepyside could use another physician. It wouldn't have as diverse cases as some other offers. They pay is certainly not as competitive as some of the other offers. However, the job does have some positives that none of the other jobs have. One being that I would remain close to you."
Honey began to interrupt but, Brian put his hand up, politely asking her to wait.
"We could be close to our families. I would be able to spend more time with Bobby. Dan is already in the area. The people of Sleepyside and White Plains need good health care as well right? Honey, I think our children should be raised around family. I didn't have that and I wish I had."
Honey smiled. "Brian you need to know that if you asked I would move anywhere you wanted to go. I love the idea of raising our family close to home. If you are comfortable making the salary sacrifice and think you can be content with less exciting cases; I think that is the right job to take."
"I am not worried about the cases anymore; family comes first. Honey, honestly though, how do you feel about the money? And there is still distance with you being in New York."
"I could talk to Daddy and Mother about temporarily moving home and commuting into the city with Daddy or by train, if that is what needs to happen, Brian. The distance between New York City and Sleepyside is so much less than the distance between New York City and Chicago. I am not worried about how much I will see you."
"Dan works in White Plains and we hardly ever see him." Brian gently reminded Honey.
Honey responded with a hearty laugh, "There is a huge difference between you and Dan. I am not in love with Dan. I am, however, madly in love with you!"
"So, are we saying that I should look further into this job?" Brian asked.
"I think, if you think it would make you happy, then yes, go find out more about the job." Honey replied.
"Honey, I want us to be married, sooner rather than later, and, I want us both to be happy, not one person giving something up for the other and I do not want to do long distance so the question stands, Honey where do you want to live?" Brian asked pointedly.
"I want to live close enough to home that my children will know their grandparents. I want to live in a small enough town that the grocery store clerk knows everyone's name. Any town worth living in also must have a perfect burger restaurant. I think you, I mean us, moving back home is a perfectly perfect idea." Honey responded.
"What about Trixie?" Brian asked with his head down.
"I think that is a question for both of us. For me, I don't have an answer. Until I know why she left, why she cut us out; I do not know how I will feel about anything in regards to her. Was that Honey speak?" Honey finished with a laugh.
What do you think about home before Thanksgiving together? I could talk to the hospital and look at housing. We could spend some time with Dan. Your girl's night reminded me that we haven't stayed connected well with the Bob Whites we do still have around." Brian suggested.
"That sounds like a great idea. Are you considering living at home for a while? It could be a way of reconnecting with Bobby and saving some money."
"I don't think I could ever move back home. Too much has happened; it has been too long. I am so use to being independent of parental judgment on a regular basis. I think it will be a big enough adjustment simply to live in the same town, I am not ready to live in the same house again." Brian answered with a smile.
The check came and was paid. Brian helped Honey into her wrap and the two of them hailed a cab. Together in the back seat the conversation continued.
"Brian, have you heard much from Mart lately?" Honey asked.
"Just through e-mail. I guess he doesn't have a very reliable connection because they are sporadic. He does paint a vivid picture though. I am not sure when he became such a strong writer but, I very much enjoy his e-mails. Why have you heard from him recently?"
"No. Like you we correspond mostly by e-mail. I do on occasion send him a letter and receive a letter from him. I get the feeling he is in the middle of nowhere the majority of time with no internet access. It sounded like he and Di wrote letters frequently. Is he coming home soon?"
"That is what Moms says. I think I will wait until I see him to believe it; out there in having a vacation rather than acting like a responsible adult." Brian shook his head on this topic for the second time.
"I wonder if he will stay in Sleepyside for a while. That would almost put us at a quorum what with Jim moving home and Dan being there already and us…"
"Dan seems to like his job." Brain commented changing the topic.
"I haven't had a chance to talk with him recently." Honey said "I am beginning to realize that I have neglected some really important relationships, for example Di and Dan."
"We haven't really talked either since we were home last and that was brief, but we do e-mail back and forth."
"Does he have a girl in his life right now? I know for a while he seemed to pick them up like pocket change."
"I think he might be past the dating just for fun." Brian laughed, "But he hasn't mentioned anyone in his e-mails. You can grill him next time we see him."
The cab pulled up in front of Honey's apartment building. The two shared a kiss.
"Thank you for the wonderful dinner, Brian. Let me know when you are thinking you want to go home."
"I will. I am looking forward to the trip."
Honey stepped out of the taxi.
"I love you."
"I love you."
And the taxi drove off towards Brian's apartment.