My standard KP disclaimer:
I know Disney owns "Kim Possible"...lock, stock, and Rufus.
If they want to sue me, they have to get behind all my other creditors.
Since I am in south Florida, the line has formed to the right
…and goes all the way to Sacramento!
""""""""""
Opening notes:
-- -- -- -- -- --
1) I am usually not a big fan of these 'writing challenges'. Still, this 'Valentine's Day' suggestion by MrDrP seemed interesting enough. Except for using characters from the show, this has nothing to do with any other story I have written to this point…or any I may write in the future.
2) To the four or five people who have continued to read 'So the Reality: Judge Judy', do not fear. I still plan on posting the next chapter next weekend on schedule.
3) No matter what I put here, it's still up to you, the loyal reader, to let me know what you want. Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok! (Sorry…got carried away there, but you get the idea.) Enjoy!
-- -- -- -- -- --
'Chance Meetings and Pasta'
Tara Barnes and Monique Williams were good friends since high school. The bond of friendship grew to 'best friend' status once they graduated from Upperton University and shared an apartment just outside of Denver.
While they believed in helping the environment, their jobs took them to opposite ends of town. With a city the size of Denver, that was too much ground to cover for them to carpool together.
""""""""""
Tara was grumbling to herself that Wednesday morning. As 'corporate-media liaison' for Pop-Pop Porter's Flash-Frozen Foods for the last five years, she had been forced to endure an infinite number of mind-numbing meetings.
Today was no exception. Board members debated on the merits of what to add to their latest 'mini corn dog' creation. One faction strongly believed in the merits of adding bacon bits to the batter. Another group wanted to use finely-chopped jalapeño peppers. After seven hours of non-stop bickering, they finally decided to enhance the batter by adding…cheddar cheese!
As Tara trudged out to her car, she saw a young man slip on the ice and awkwardly fall. The man was carrying boxes of ingredients to the nearby test kitchen. The fall caused the contents to scatter throughout the parking lot.
"Are you alright?" she called out as she rushed to the man. "Here…let me help you up."
She began to pull the man to his feet when they slipped on the cooking oil from one of the boxes. They unceremoniously crashed into each other before succumbing to the asphalt…and the broken eggs scattered all around them. After he got to his feet, he tried to help her up this time…only to be knocked into the last intact box of flour.
They slowly crawled over to a railing where their footing was firmer before they tried again to stand. As Tara regained her footing, she watched the man as he rose…and rose…and rose to his feet.
'Man!' her mind observed. 'That is one tall glass of water!'
They both began brushing off the ingredients from their clothes. She was about to introduce herself when a clump of egg from her hair plopped onto his shoes.
That one action triggered uncontrollable giggles from both of them. Those giggles turned into full-blown laughter, which they shared long after crews finished cleaning up the mess on the parking lot.
As they finished wiping the impromptu batter from their hair and faces, the laughter faded to calm gazes at each other…
…For his part, the man was too struck by her sparkling blue eyes—or was it a possible concussion from the fall—to say anything. He just knew he remembered her from a long time ago. It had been one of his dreams to be with her again, this time as her being more than 'Tara, a friend of a friend' like he knew her back then…
…Tara noticed something familiar about him, but her mind just couldn't place it at the moment. Her eyes were too busy to offer any assistance, as they were registering his six-foot-nine frame, the wavy brown hair and teal eyes. Her hands were still trembling from grabbing his chiseled physique as they fell into the cooking oil. The sensation of his firm muscles was etched in the memory of her fingers, not soon to fade away…
Tara said, "I know I seem rather bold by asking this...but would you like to go to dinner on Saturday?"
Given his current state of consciousness, the man could only smile and nod.
"Great!" she smiled. "Meet me at Maggiano's Little Italy on 16th Street. A friend of mine says they have the best lasagna this side of Sicily. Is 8:00 ok for you?"
The smile grew bigger as he nodded again. This time he had been able to write a phone number on a slip of paper and give her a 'call me' sign before turning to walk toward his car.
"Wait!" she shouted as she fumbled in her purse for her phone. "Are you sure you're ok to drive? I can call for help if you need it."
The smile never left his face as he gingerly got into his car and drove out of the parking lot. Before he sped off, Tara was able to get a clear shot of his face with the camera-phone.
'Holy Moses!' Tara thought in utter shock. 'I just asked a man out—and I don't even know his name! I'm either the biggest fool in the world…or I've finally met 'The One'! Monique has got to hear about this when she gets back on Friday.'
""""""""""
Monique had quickly risen through the ranks of Club Banana. Since graduation from UU with a business degree, she was a deadly combination of boardroom savvy and design genius. Rumors were circulating about her being hand-picked to succeed Coco Banana upon his upcoming retirement.
Such a meteoric rise came with its share of issues, the greatest of which included travel to nearly every Club Banana store in the country. Monique certainly racked-up the frequent-flyer miles. Most of the security staff at Denver International Airport even knew her on a first-name basis. Still, the demanding schedule didn't give her much time to socialize.
Friday was no exception. She had just landed at DIA after a week-long swing through the East Coast. Tired and hungry from the trip, she got her car from the 'long-term' parking area and drove to King Food for some groceries.
Once inside the supermarket, Monique thumbed through the weekly ad. It featured a 'Buy-one-get-one-free' sale on one-pound bags of peaches. This was enough encouragement for Monique to check out the produce department.
At first Monique wasn't looking as she grabbed the items off the shelves…
'Let's see,' Monique checked off her list in her mind, 'I'll have some of those peaches, a few apples and some bana—What the heck??'
She was startled as her grasp for bananas snagged a large hand instead. The owner of that hand was equally surprised, as he was also in a hunger-induced daze.
Once they came to their senses, the man got a good look at Monique. While she looked just a few years older than him, she seemed familiar somehow…
…Monique's mind was telling her she met him somewhere before, but couldn't quite recall where it was. Her heart and eyes were too busy taking in the sight of a man standing six-foot-nine with wavy brown hair and teal eyes. Because of his t-shirt, she easily noticed his firm abdominal muscles and full biceps. The Lee-vi Jeans he wore didn't hurt her eyes, either…
'Wow!' she thought. 'Somebody's been drinking their milk!'
"Miss," he inquired, "are you ok?"
Monique chuckled and said, "Sure. Thanks for asking."
He offered the bananas to her and said, "Here…take these. I'll just get the bunch next to them."
Monique smiled and took the bananas. She couldn't help but notice his muscles as he bent slightly to pick up the next bunch and placed it in his cart.
"Thanks," Monique said as she began to turn toward the lettuce.
"Wait a moment, please!" he said as pushed his cart back up toward hers.
He began, "I hope this doesn't come off as some lame 'pick-up' line…but I really think we've met somewhere before! Do you believe in 'déjà vu'?"
"Hmmmmm…'déjà vu'?" Monique mused with a half-smile. "Isn't it that cheap perfume they sell in the 'Bargain Bin' down at Smarty Mart?"
They both laughed heartily at the cheesiness of the whole situation. Grabbing the same item in the supermarket, 'Have we met?', 'déjà vu'…It all seemed to come right out of one of those paperback romance novels Monique read on her flights to everywhere-but-home.
Monique broke the laughter long enough to say, "I don't know about 'déjà vu' and all that, but I would like to get to know you better. How about dinner tomorrow night? I know a great place called Maggiano's Little Italy on 16th Street. Have you ever been there?"
"No," the man said, "but I've heard a lot about the place. A friend of mine says they serve the finest linguini this side of Florence. What time do you want to meet there?"
With her most innocent smile, Monique countered, "Does 8:00 sound ok to you?"
"Sounds great to me." he replied. "Call me if you want to re-schedule...or just to talk."
He then handed her a slip of paper with his phone number on it and the name 'TJ' above it.
After she read the paper, she looked up and said, "TJ, my name is…" before she realized he was gone. She tried to follow him through the 'self-checkout' aisle, but he was quite elusive and nimble in those jeans of his. She did, however, manage to snap a good shot of his face with her camera-phone as he left the store.
'Mmm-mmm-mmm!' Monique thought to herself. 'I have to give Tara the 411 on this hottie! She might have to look for a new roommate soon.'
""""""""""
Monique was floating on clouds as she opened the apartment door. As she sat the groceries on the counter, she was greeted by a speeding Tara. The blonde blur knocked her onto the couch with a squealing hug.
"Oh, 'Nique," she began, "I'm glad you're back. I've got some great news!"
Once Monique recovered from the impact and returned the embrace, she responded, "So do I…but I guess the one with the best tackling technique should go first."
Tara chuckled as she loosened her grip. "You're not going to believe this, but I just met the biggest, juiciest slice of beefcake this side of heaven—and we're meeting for dinner at Maggiano's tomorrow night at 8:00!"
"Maggiano's?" Monique gasped. "You're going there too?"
"What do you mean 'going there too'?" Tara shot back. "Are you saying…Omigosh! You've got a— "
"That's right, girl." Monique said while motioning toward the groceries. "As I was getting that food you nearly destroyed over there…"
"Oops…he-heh…sorry."
"Like I said, I was getting some bananas when I ran into six-feet-nine-inches of pure hunk! He's meeting me at Maggiano's, too!"
Tara squealed again and said, "Looks like we've got a double-date!"
After they exchanged 'high-fives', Tara got up from the couch and said, "I've got his picture on my phone, with his number just below it on 'speed dial'. You've just got to see this man. I bet he's hotter than the one you got!"
While Tara was in her room looking for her phone, Monique playfully argued, "I don't know, T…I got a shot of mine on my phone, too." She picked up her phone and brought up the picture. "And from this angle, your man don't stand a chance!"
Tara returned to the couch with her phone's screen facing her. "Ok…How about the loser buys the dinner for all four of us?" she proposed.
With her own phone's screen facing her, Monique said, "You're on! We'll flip around our phones on three…"
"…One…"
"…Two…"
"…Three!"
The smug grins of both girls were replaced by looks of shock, recognition, and anger.
Monique growled, "How'd my hunk get his number on your phone?"
"Forget that!" Tara seethed, "How did MY beefcake get on YOUR phone?"
As the two friends exchanged glares that could cut through triple-reinforced concrete, Monique could only think of four words for Tara…
"Girl, we got played!"
"What are we going to do?" Tara asked, almost in tears as she hugged Monique.
Monique placed her hands on Tara's shoulders and said, "First, we don't cry, T. It's not our fault the man's a two-timing hound! Second, I say we still go there. After all, it's a free dinner for us, 'cause TJ is the real loser on this bet!"
Tara weakly asked, "TJ? That's his name?"
Monique was shocked at this latest revelation. "Hold up! You mean…you asked this guy out, but didn't even know his name? And he still agreed to take me out to the same place on the same night?"
Tara could only nod at the assessment of the situation. A steely look of resolve bore onto Monique's face as she went back to hugging her best friend.
"Girl, it's gonna be game time…and, for his sake, he had better be wearing his cup!"
""""""""""
Monique had the whole thing planned, down to the getaway…
…She and Tara would show up at 7:45 in their best gowns. After spending some time nonchalantly drawing the attention of every man with a pulse, they would wait for TJ to show.
Upon his arrival, they would send a signal to the host, who would tell the valet to bring around their car. Once the host would talk to the valet, they would make sure TJ receives the berating of a lifetime, a slap from each of them, and a plate of hot spaghetti down his pants. They each would then kick him in the 'noodles' to make sure the scalding pasta and sauce hit its intended mark.
With the mission accomplished, they would quickly run to their waiting car and drive over to Bueno Nacho for a celebratory Naco…
The women began executing their plan as they arrived at the posh Italian restaurant right on time. They each chose basic black gowns because the fabric accentuated each curve they wanted to show…and hid any they didn't.
Virtually every head was turned in their direction…but not because of their stunning looks. While the women muted their phones, Monique forgot to silence the Kimmunicator. Monique never expected to get a call on it, because Kim gave it to her in case she ever needed to call Kim when out of cell range. Its louder-than-normal playing of four particular tones drew the ire of nearly the entire establishment.
Monique, quite embarrassed at this point, drew the Kimmunicator out of her purse and said, "K, this had better be important. Me and Tara are about to lay the smack-down on some two-timing fool who tried to play us!"
Kim grew angry, but not at her friends. "Do you two need back-up?" she asked.
Tara laughed and said, "No, that's ok. We're fine here. What do you need?"
Kim's face drew back into a smile as she said, 'I need a big favor, please-and-thank-you…The Tweebs have just been discharged from the Marines. Instead of coming home, they decided to go out on their own. They got settled into Denver a couple of weeks ago, but they still don't know too many people there yet."
Kim's smile grew wicked as she continued, "After your done neutering that dog, would you mind giving them a call? I'm sure they'd love to hear a familiar voice that's not their overbearing parents or their pesky big sist—Hey…Are you guys at Maggiano's?"
Monique said, "Yeah, you've been here before?"
"Of course, silly!" Kim laughed. "Ron takes me there every time we're in town. Please don't destroy the place! They've got the best baked ziti this side of—"
"Hold it, Kim!" Tara quickly interrupted her. "The wolf is entering the trap, and…" Monique and Tara were frozen with looks of shock on their faces. It was all Monique could do to mutter "Hit-you-back-later" before completely shutting off the Kimmunicator.
At that moment, TJ walked into the restaurant accompanied by a second man, who quickly recognized the blond of the duo at the table.
"Tara!" the second man shouted—or was it the first man who shouted that?—as the men made their way toward the table. The entire restaurant thought they were seeing double.
"NO WAY!!" the two women shouted in unison as Jim and Tim, now JT and TJ, Possible, hugged their respective dates.
"Jinx…" JT started.
"…I guess you owe us dinner!" TJ continued.
"Hoo-sha!" JT finished as the brothers exchanged 'high-fives'.
-- -- -- -- -- --
Author's ending notes:
1) I hope you all enjoyed my stray thoughts as they ran amok for the day. As mentioned earlier, I will resume 'So the Reality: Judge Judy' next weekend. After that, I plan to start my new 'ch-RON-icles' series. Watch this space…More stories are coming soon!
2) The production of this story, like that for any work of fiction, is solely dependent upon the constructive feedback of its readers. If you like it, I will gladly make more. If you think of ways to make it better, I am always open to suggestions. If you really think it's a piece of garbage, stop me before I strike again!! Once again, Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!
Your friend in writing,
The Samurai Crunchbird