I know, I know. Another story! I couldn't help it. These ideas are driving me crazy. This is the short little prologue to my new multichapter story, not entirely sure how long yet. We'll see!
Warning in advance, it will be angst filled, not all puppies and rainbows, but never forget that I am a Lenny lover and I will always find a happy ending somehow.
Enjoy and leave me reviews, please!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The quote listed is by Barbara De Angelis.
November 18th, 2014
"I love you, Mrs. Hofstadter."
She pulls her head back, keeping her arms in place around his neck. Her eyes meet his and her lips form a radiant smile, the butterflies coming to life in her stomach at his choice of words. "I love you, Mr. Hofstadter," she whispered back, leaning in close to give her husband a kiss.
The band continued to play, moving onto the next slow song. Her friends and family danced around the newlyweds in the middle of the ballroom, as Penny recalls the Preacher's words spoken during the ceremony, words that would forever be imprinted in her mind:
'The real act of marriage takes place in the heart,
not in the ballroom or church or synagogue.
It's a choice you make
not just on your wedding day,
but over and over again
and that choice is reflected
in the way you treat your husband or wife.'
She feels Leonard hold on her waist tighten and he pulls her even closer. She hears the soft declaration of love whispered into her ear. Her heart swells with more love than she ever imagined possible. Why had she feared marriage for so long? She was going to spend the rest of her life loving this man. Whatever speed bump that met them along the way, they'd drive over it together. She strongly believed they would. Nothing would ever change that.
Nothing.
October 29th, 2021
She hears the ticking of the clock hanging from the wall near her. The noise sounds like a drum in the otherwise quiet room. The flash of lightening outside of her window illuminates the room for a second, long enough for Penny to be reminded of the vacant spot next to her in bed; the cold, bare spot she had been staring at for the past hour.
Groaning, she forces her eyes shut, begging the Heavens above to let her just fall asleep. She had work in the morning and it would do her no good to stumble in late, eyes bloodshot. She was still trying to prove herself there; prove that she was more than just a 35 year old woman, with an attractive face and big breasts. The past eight years had been spent trying to prove just that, advancing from just a community college to an actual university. The diploma had been framed and hung in the study down the hall, next to her husband's achievements as well.
Another strike of lightening followed closely by a booming clap of thunder caused her to jump, pulling the covers slightly higher. She prayed the noise wouldn't startle the sleeping infant in the next room. She really didn't need a screaming nine month old awake right now.
Penny lifted her head as she suddenly heard the door creak open. She squinted into the darkness, her heart pounding harder. "Leonard?" she questioned, hopefully.
"It's me, mommy," a soft voice came from the doorway.
Penny sighed, relieved that the guest wasn't an intruder, but slightly disappointed that it wasn't her husband. "Oh, Aliyah. C'mere sweetie," she spoke into the darkness, reaching over to switch on the lamp sitting on the bedside table.
The room became lighter and Penny frowned at her five year old daughter standing in the doorway, a teddy bear squeezed tightly between her arms. Gesturing her over once more, Penny pulled the covers back, allowing her daughter to crawl in beside her. "Did the storm wake you up, honey?" The little girl nodded, her head moving to rest on her mother's chest. Penny reached up to adjust the black framed glasses attached to the teddy bear's face and did her best to ignore the familiar hoodie and jacket he was wearing as well.
Within minutes, she felt her daughter's breathing become softer. Trying her hardest not to wake Aliyah, her hand stretched out to turn the lamp back off, while only letting her eyes hover for a few seconds over the framed wedding picture next to it. It took her a little while longer than her child, but soon, she was asleep too.
What felt like only thirty minutes later, Penny's eyes sprung open again. In the black room, she noticed the shift of the blankets, noticed the sinking of the mattress. She didn't have to wonder who the mystery person was this time. She inhaled the all too familiar cologne, one she was certain she'd never mistake.
"Another long night at work?" she asked him, even though she knew the answer. He had sent her a text hours before, claiming he'd miss dinner again.
She vaguely heard a mumbled,' yeah' before he pulled Aliyah closer to him, holding the tiny body protectively, and, soon after, the room filled with the silence again as he drifted off to sleep.
Penny shut her eyes, sending another request to whoever might answer it; but this time, instead of asking for sleep, she prayed for an answer on how to save her marriage from crashing and burning to the ground.
