Glad to know I've got some curious people like me...I wasn't quite sure where the first chapter was headed after their goodbye kiss...I free write a lot, and most of the stuff is pretty morbid...which is why I don't go into the recesses of my mind unless I'm writing because I'm afraid I'll get stuck there lol. Well here's chapter 2!
The knocking had rapped on for what felt like forever, and Larry made his way to the door. He opened it and there stood Grace, the woman he met at the museum when the Board and Dr. McPhee had decided for the night hours at the museum. He had noticed her because she looked like Amelia. He had suggested the Hall of Miniatures…which he found was a bad idea because Jed wouldn't leave them alone. It was a little aggravating, because instead of Larry doing the talking about him, Jed decided that he knew more about "Gigantor" than Larry did. However, it amused Grace so much she asked him if he wanted to get together before he went into work. Which Larry happily agreed to…but it was a date to get to know one another. She seemed a little shy last night…probably because Jed wouldn't shut up long enough to let her speak.
Now…well, he'll find out what she's like. He promised himself that he wouldn't compare her to Amelia…it would be unfair to both of them.
"Um, are we going to go or did you have something else in mind?" she asked, looking at him.
Larry looked down at himself. His pants were on only halfway up on one leg. He pulled them fully on both legs and zipped and buttoned them.
"Would you like to come in? I'm sorry for the mess and all…." He looked for a word to describe his appearance, "Well, this, I kinda overslept and-"
"I get it," Grace said, "I can wait a few minutes while you get ready."
Larry grinned at her in thanks and rushed back to his bedroom to finish changing. He walked into his bathroom after and grabbed a comb and toothbrush. He combed his hair how it usually was, and then just ran his hand through it mussing it. He ran the toothbrush around his teeth several times before getting the mouthwash and gargling.
He did one last check-over and rushed out of his bedroom to find Grace looking at Nicky's picture.
"You have a son?" she asked him curiously, looking from him to the picture.
"Yeah, that's Nick…he's 12," Larry said, nodding.
She looked at the picture again nodding. She was biting her lower lip, as if in thought.
"I'm divorced, she felt that our marriage was breaking apart…because of my past attempts at jobs…" Larry said, reassuring her, "I could never keep one long enough to sustain our family, so she filed for a divorce."
She looked at him, relief showing on her face, "Oh, I'm sorry."
"He's a great kid, Nick is," Larry said, trying to engage her in conversation, and then remembering that they could talk over lunch he asked, "I guess we should get going, they don't really hold reservations for very long."
"Right," she said, smiling.
He offered her his arm and she took it as they walked outside of his apartment. He locked the door and made their way down to his car.
The drive wasn't very long; he walked around to her side and opened her door before she even unbuckled her seatbelt.
"Wow, thank you," she said, getting her purse and getting out of the car.
'Amelia would have never liked me to do things for her that she could do herself…-NO! Larry stop! You said you wouldn't do that!' Larry's mind reeled as he kept having to mentally stop himself for what was probably the tenth time of comparing her.
"No prob," Larry said as she got out.
'This is going to be a long lunch,' the voice in his head was starting to sound a little too much like Jed…
~*~
Larry slammed the door when he walked into his apartment. The date had gone wrong in so many ways, all because of him. Why couldn't he get her out of his head?
He tried to calm himself by watching the news…which didn't really help at all.
"We come to you now with reports that there has been a break-in at the Smithsonian this past weekend," the man said on the television, "Apparently there was no exhibits stolen that were displayed but there were some missing artifacts from the deep storage of federal archives."
Larry slowly made his way to the couch to pick up the remote from the floor, which had bounced from the couch as he tossed it. He turned up the volume.
"Nothing seemed really suspicious much," the guard said; it took Larry a moment to realize it was Brandon…Brundon…whatever, the guy who helped him gain access down there. Larry put a hand on his forehead…poor kid, still didn't know what was going to come for him. Larry somehow knew that the Smithsonian was broken into through him.
"There were three older men who were having trouble getting out, so of course, me being the generous guy I am, helped them," he told the reporter, "But that's whatever exciting thing happened to me, so…I don't know."
"Police are still trying to go through records to find out what all was taken, but for now here are some of the artifacts that we are for sure were stolen."
Larry pleaded with whoever ran life not to have Amelia appear on the list…but, life was just going to keep being the bully. Sure enough, the Amelia Earhart wax figure was stolen.
Larry put his head in his hands, thinking…Wait…three older men? No, it couldn't be them…What would they want with the Smithsonian?
What would they want with Amelia?
Why would it matter? They wanted the tablet, nothing else…right?
He had to figure something out…Ahk would know. It's his tablet…
There was someone else who knew how to use the tablet too…
But he's in the underworld…
Someone can bring him back…
"Okay, I'm going to have to stop thinking arguments against myself," Larry said out loud.
He went to get ready for work; tonight wasn't Late Hours night, so it would be easy for him to talk with the rest.
He was ready within ten minutes…and he was heading out the door…the disastrous lunch date out of thought.
Sorry for it being short...my gut was telling me to end it there!
