Chapter Seven: The Cheesecake Rendezvous
Bernadette arrived at The Cheesecake Factory a little before noon. Penny arrived at 10 after. Her mother arrived at 12:15. "Wow," she thought, "they really do have some of the same habits."
Penny saw her mother come in and waved.
"Hi, honey."
"Hi, Mom."
"How're you doing."
"I'm okay, Mom. You."
"Oh, sweetie. I am so very busy. Between my new job and the show and my new boyfriend everything is so crazy."
"You have a boyfriend?"
"Well, yes. That's sort of part of the reason I wanted to see you. Do you know why your dad hasn't signed the papers yet?
"Wait a second. We haven't seen or spoken to each other in months because I've been caring for my father, your husband, after you suddenly left him and the first thing that you want to know is why hasn't he signed the DIVORCE PAPERS?"
Bernadette looked over with alarm. It was starting to look like this lunch wasn't going to last very long.
"Okay, hold on honey. No reason to go nucular. How's your Dad doing?"
Penny caught herself. She was on a mission. She couldn't let her temper get the better of her. This was her mother. At least she looked like her mother. She may have done something stupid and wrong but she still loved her.
"He's doing much better. Things are fine at the farm. He's hired a couple of more hands and a housekeeper/cook. And he's spending some of his free time down at the church."
"I'm very glad to hear that he's well."
Remembering her mission, Penny continued.
"So I want to hear all about your new life here. Boyfriend, huh?"
"And I met him right here."
"Really?"
"It's kind of funny. At first I thought he was looking for you."
"Why was that?"
"Well I was wearing one of your uniforms because mine were all dirty and your name badge was still on it. He called me over and asked if I was Penny. I told him no, that my daughter was Penny but she had moved back to Nebraska and I had her job and was staying in her apartment. He ordered his meal and after leaving me a big tip he asked me what time I got off. We went out for cocktails and really hit it off. Then he asked me out to dinner a couple of days later."
"And you went out with him? He was a stranger."
"Penny, I'm a big girl. I think I know a nice man when I meet one. Anyway, I already knew a lot about him. He's a big television producer and he told me that he had deal for a new show that was about to start and might need some help in his office. And he was a perfect gentleman. How do I know? Well, after we had a wonderful steak dinner at a really expensive restaurant he brought me home. He has a really expensive car that the studio leased for him. Anyway he brought me home and insisted on walking me all the way up all those stairs right to my, well, your door. I think that's when I knew I really liked him. After climbing all those stairs I had to invite him in for coffee."
"YOU INVITED HIM IN FOR COFFEE!"
Penny remembered that for her mother coffee probably actually meant coffee.
"Penny, it was just coffee. But I was so embarrassed because I was out of milk and Paul said he just had to have milk in his coffee. So I had to run out to the convenience store to get some."
"YOU LEFT HIM ALONE IN MY APARTMENT?"
"Penny, sweetie, come on. I already told you he had an expensive car and paid for dinner. He's a Hollywood producer. What could he possibly want from your apartment? One of your Care Bears?"
"Anyway, here's the part I think you'll really like. Because it's really cute and funny. I remember how much you like that Hello Kitty stuff. Well, when I got back to your apartment I found him making notes in a notebook. I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was writing in his idea book and that he kept all his best ideas there and it was private. And Penny, it was a Hello Kitty notebook. Isn't that cute? I decided right then that I liked him. I even thought about inviting him to stay over."
Now Penny was really glad she had thrown out her old mattress.
"MOM!"
"Penny, I'm an adult and I believe we have had this very same conversation more than once when the shoe was on the other foot."
"Okay. Mom, you haven't even told me his name."
"His name is Paul. Paul Hernly."
And Penny knew where he had gotten the rest of his ideas.
"Paul offered me a job working in his production office, which is pretty small. I answer the phones and help type up the scripts and organize writer meetings and auditions and talk to the studio people. But he still gets all of his ideas from that Hello Kitty idea book that's so important he keeps it locked in a wall safe that only he has the combination to. Isn't that cute? And when they started filming the "It's Chemistry" pilot, that's a television term for first episode, he offered me a part."
"That was nice of him."
"Sure was. Maybe he can help you, too."
"Ya think?"
"Well I know he really wants to meet you. I would have brought him with me today but something came up at the last minute."
"I'm sure it did."
Penny decided that she had gotten all that she needed from their meeting and that some of it she'd prefer to have not known.
"Mom, this was nice. My shift starts soon and I still have a couple of errands to run. Can we do this again real soon?"
Penny wasn't really coming in to work until that night.
"Of course, honey. I still have lots more to tell you. Here's my contact information. I'm staying at Paul's house in Sherman Oaks."
"You're living with him?"
"I have my own room. It's much more convenient for work. So, do you think you can talk to your father?"
"I'll think about it, Mom. I promise I'll think about it."
Penny's mother gave her a kiss on the cheek and left.
Bernadette quickly came over.
"So did you learn anything?"
"Yeah, I learned that my entire family is stupid and dates jerks. Can you look outside and see if she's gone?"
"She's getting into her car. She's pulling out. Wait, Penny, come here. It looks like there's another car following her."
Penny saw her mother's car pull out and almost right behind her was another car and the driver was Paul Hernly.
