After The Holidays
by
John O'Connor
Tori pulled the blanket from their bed, trying to coax her girlfriend out of said bed. Instead, Jade gave out a yell of aggravation.
"JEEZUS! Vega, it's so cold!"
"Jade, the heat is on. We're both wearing heavier night clothes and..."
"And what?"
"It's in the 50s. And, by mid-morning, it'll be back in the upper 60s. You talked about going to school back east? Madison, Wisconsin?"
"So?"
"Do you know how cold it is back there?"
"No, Weather Wizard, tell me."
"The high is supposed to be 9 below zero and the low 18 below. Below zero, not freezing... The wind chill, which we don't have to worry about, is around 30 or 40 degrees below zero. You saw how cold it was in Green Bay during the game yesterday..."
"Damn Forty-niners. How did they know how to play in that kind of cold?"
"Ignoring the issue, dear."
Jade had to smile. Tori calling her dear was something new and kind of old-fashioned and adorably cute and she loved it. Not that anyone beyond Tori would ever know...
"You're just a big baby, Jade."
"Yeah? So what?"
"So, this is just a ploy for me to cuddle, isn't it?"
Jade huffed. "I don't cuddle."
"And you don't know how to ask me to cuddle either."
"Why are you so set on getting me out of bed? School doesn't start for another week. Get your butt under this blanket, Vega."
Tori beamed as she said, "I thought you'd never ask."
Jade said, in a small voice that wouldn't be overheard (if anyone was home at the Vega home), "I love the blanket you got me for Christmas."
"I know. I'd've gotten you thicker blood but this fleece Packers blanket is the best I could do."
"Well, there is another way you can help me warm up..."
Giggles, mainly Tori's, and moans, both Tori's and Jade's, ensued...
Later in the week, Jade yelled, "Tori! Did you see this?"
Tori raced into the living room, alarmed at Jade's call. "What is it? Are you okay?"
The Goth waved off her girlfriend, "I'm fine."
Before she could say what was exciting her, Tori asked, "So, what's wrong?"
"Nothing! Damn, let me talk, okay?"
"But Jeez, Jade, when you yell like that..."
"Okay, okay. Shut up. Do you know what's on Saturday night?"
"Uh...reruns on the networks. Saturday Night Live. And...?"
"Sven is showing Monolith Monsters!"
"Huh?"
"Svengoolie on MeTV. He's showing Monolith Monsters Saturday night!"
"What's Monolith Monsters?" Tori asked, genuinely confused. She knew her lover had a wide range of movies and TV shows she loved. She also watched Svengoolie with her on Saturdays, if they were home. It was a show out of Chicago like the old time horror movie shows. Svengoolie was the host of the movies and had humorous, often corny, bits like the intros, the commercial breaks and the bad joke at the end. Sven would also provide trivia tidbits about the movie and the cast.
Tori knew there were plenty of these types of movie hosts when her parents were kids. She also remembered Elvira but usually thought of Count Floyd, from the old SCTV series that her father had on DVD, when she thought of horror movie hosts.
Not that Sven was much different. He definitely didn't take himself too seriously.
"Okay, what's this movie?"
"It's a Universal movie from the '50s. A meteor crashes in the desert. When the crystals in the rocks get wet, they grow. They turn people to stone too."
"Sounds pretty cheesy."
"Yeah..." Jade agreed in her self-serving voice. "Cheesy like a Packers' game. But it is so cool. I saw this when I was eight and always loved it. And..."
"And?"
"Lola Albright is one of the stars. She's a geologist."
Tori's interest amped up. She, like Jade, loved Lola Albright. She had a decent career guest-starring on TV from the '50s through the '80s. Her most prominent role, and the one Tori and Jade loved, was as Edie Hart, the jazz singing love interest for Peter Gunn in the classic Blake Edwards show (which Tori's father had on DVD). She had released two albums about the same time the series was on. Those had been re-released as a single DVD.
Jade listened to it a lot. She loved the woman's voice and tried to emulate it with the right song. Tori loved Jade's voice as it was, deep and soulful, but she enjoyed the Albright discs too.
And, they both agreed, if they met a blonde like her in real life, they'd each get a pass to try to hook up. (And they both agreed to that since they'd never meet Lola/Edie. And they'd never jeopardize their own relationship with much beyond fantasies.)
"Jade, we were going to dinner at Nozu then Karoake Doaky on Saturday," Tori protested. She was curious about a B-grade 1950s movie that Jade loved so much but she also enjoyed their nights out with their friends. "What about the gang? After all, we can always DVR it."
"Way to kill the buzz. Why do you think I was The Maltese Falcon or Key Largo on TCM? Or The Scissoring on Syfy - especially with the heavy editing they did? I have them on DVD."
"To be honest, Jade, I never got that need to see them on TV."
"Because other people are watching them at the same time. It's not like the retro theaters here but it's cool to know I'm watching Bogie stymie Caspar Gutman, or take on Edward G. Robinson while people all over the country are watching at the same time. And to know others are watching Tawny Walker-Black gut her best friends at the same time I am.
"Sven is the same way. MeTV is all over the country and, when I watch the movie, I'm doing it at the same time as hundreds of thousands of others are at the same time."
"Okay, I guess I get that." Tori thought a moment, "How 'bout the gang comes here instead? We can all watch the movie together."
Again, Jade was reminded why she loved this goody-two shoes. "I guess that's be okay. But you better warn Shapiro, none of his Mystery Science Theater 3000 crap!"
"Agreed."
The gang did indeed agree. They really didn't care what they did as long as it was together as a group. Well, unless Andre had a new hookup, Beck had a date with Trina or Cat and Robbie ever got off their asses and dated.
Trina, naturally, complained, "Hey! Beck and I were going to..."
"Do the same damned thing the rest of us were going to do, Treen," Tori countered.
Saturday night, the gang were gathered in the Vega living room, including the elder Vegas. Beck and Trina sat together on the couch near the door, Andre sat near them looking uncomfortable until the movie started. Jade and Tori cuddled on the couch near the kitchen. Robbie shared what little was left by Jade's out-stretched legs. Cat and Sam, who had quickly become another member of the gang, sat nearby on two of the easy chairs. David and Holly Vega resigned themselves to sitting on a couple of chairs from the kitchen table.
They couldn't help but remember the abortive anniversary a couple of years before. At least, now the gang movie nights were planned.
Before Sven came on, MeTV aired to classic Star Trek episode The Trouble With Tribbles. Even Andre, who wasn't much of a Trek fan, had to admit he enjoyed the show.
Several times, Cat exclaimed, "They're so cute! I want one!"
Finally, Sam spoke up, her voice lightly laced with sarcasm. "Cat, baby, tribbles aren't real."
"Oh, poo!"
Finally, after the Klingon spy was revealed and Kirk saved the day yet again, Svengoolie began. Sven came out of his coffin and did his corny intro for the movie.
"I love this movie!" David had declared. "I haven't see this since… Before any of you were born."
"Did you see it with Moses?" Cat asked with a giggle. She didn't notice the quick glare David flashed her.
Jade said, "I love his new coffin. Vega, I want that for my birthday."
"You are the weirdest girlfriend ever!"
"And don't you forget it."
"Ssh…" Cat implored.
They all became silent as Paul Frees' voice-over intro led into the opening credits.
The group watched the movie, laughing at the gags Sven did on commercial breaks and actually enjoying the admittedly ludicrous plot of crystals from space threatening the Earth. After the movie came the final scenes, Sven 'answering the door' to an overly emotive hand telling bad jokes then the closing credits (complete with rubber chickens being flung at Sven as he got in his coffin) to the goofy one-liner hidden just above the copyright credits, had members of the gang either laughing outright or groaning at the corniness.
They hung out for a while longer, watching Lost In Space while Jade made her usual caustic comments about the cowardly Dr. Smith. Beck and Andre were about to stick around to watch Get Smart until Tori politely, silently, indicated it was time to go.
Since her parents were already in bed, Trina left with Beck. Her mother and father knew about her relationship with Beck and actually approved. Of course, the fact that she was no longer so self-centered unknowingly helped her case. Still, her old habit of sneaking out was deeply engrained so that she never for Beck's if her parents were around.
Tori and Jade went to bed after the last of the guests left. Jade asked, "Did you see how Cat kept looking at Sam during the movie?"
"Not really. I was getting into the movie. It was pretty cool. And the effects, for the time, weren't too bad."
"I think Sam likes Cat."
"Really?" Tori asked. "You just noticed?"
"Listen, Catherine Obvious..." Tori reddened, remembering how much grief she got from the gang for weeks after their entrapment in Beck's Airstream at the beach.
"Yeah?"
"Just 'cuz you have your cute couple radar on 24/7 doesn't mean we all do."
Tori smiled, "Yeah, well I'd clue you in but it's so much fun to see the look on your face when you realize something."
"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black..."
Tori scowled as she growled out, "Anyway, I think Sam likes Cat too."
"Oh God! I feel cute coming on..."
And, with that, the Packer blanket was pulled over Jade's head, leaving Tori nothing to do but stick her tongue out at the other girl.
"I heard that!" came the muffled declaration.