Look! Ten whole chapters! The response to this story has been really great. Thank you to everyone who supports me-it means so much! Have a nice, fun chapter in honor of the two feet of snow my parents got this weekend.
"Come on!" I yelled. "We're going to be late!" I knocked on the door again. On the fifth knock it was pulled open so quickly that I felt the breeze.
"What. Do. You. Want?" Mindy was still dressed in a black t-shirt and fluffy pajama pants with the teenage mutant ninja turtles on them.
"Nice pants. But not really practical, and if you don't get dressed we're going to be late for lunch Venkat and Annie." I rubbed my hands together. It was kind of chilly outside-to put it mildly.
"There's a blizzard, Mark! Why would I want to go outside?!" I rolled my eyes.
"Dramatic, much? It's not even snowing anymore. The skies are clear and the sun is shining, and I already called Venkat and Annie and they're still going. Besides, you need to save your frozen pizza stash for a real emergency. Like a zombie apocalypse."
She threw up her hands. "There's eighteen inches of snow on the ground. And you want to have lunch. Sun shining my ass." She turned on her heel and marched back into the apartment, leaving me to follow. I am a master of diplomacy.
I stood not-at-all-awkwardly in her living room as she dressed. Doors banged. Drawers were shut with more force than necessary. There was a constant stream of expletives, like white noise, coming from the bedroom.
"Don't forget a hat!" I called. I'm pretty sure Mindy actually snarled. She must really hate snow.
Ten minutes after my first knock, she re-appeared fully dressed and ready to go. I would have made some comment about how fast she moved, but I liked my head where it was. We set off. They had already managed to plow the main roads. It had stopped snowing early this morning, which I knew because I was awake at four, and D.C. didn't mess around when it came to snow removal. They had too many people ready and willing to bitch about it otherwise. We took the metro anyway, because Mindy stated in no uncertain terms that she was not walking six miles through a foot and a half of snow. Wimp.
"Why are you so chipper, anyway?" She asked once we were safely ensconced in the train.
"Copious amounts of coffee," I replied sagely. I was probably going to regret it tonight, but this morning it had been necessary for human function. Major Tom had agreed-I'd accidentally stepped on his tail twice, startling us both.
"And you like snow?" She asked suspiciously, like it was unnatural.
"Well, yeah. It's pretty. And fun. If it's winter, it might as well be snowing."
"It's kind of an inconvenience," Mindy pointed out.
"Only if you're in a super big hurry to do adult things."
She harrumphed. Watney: 1, Park: 0.
Venkat and Annie had already got a table at the little hole-in-the-wall diner that we all preferred. It was modern without feeling impersonal or cold; the decorations were all in warm reds and browns.
"Took you long enough," Annie said. "What, did you fall in a snowdrift?" She took a sip of her customary large black coffee. My caffeine intake was nothing compared to hers. It was impressive and terrifying all at once.
"Give them a break, Annie," Venkat admonished. "The city is still working on getting everything running." It looked like he had opted for tea. The man would outlive us all, if only because he refused to be flustered by our antics.
"Sorry guys," I said, taking off my coat to sit down. "Miss Park mutinied."
"The snow is almost as tall as I am," Mindy grumbled, fumbling with the buttons on her coat.
"That is an exaggeration" I said, shaking a finger at her. She finally managed to get the coat undone.
"Says the reasonably tall person."
The waitress popped by just as we got settled.
"Good morning folks," she chirped, "what can I get you to drink?"
"Good morning, Lucy," I greeted her. We had achieved "regulars" status awhile back. "I'd like coffee."
"Same for me," Mindy chimed in.
"Alrighty then, I'll be right back." Lucy double clicked her pen and walked back towards the kitchen.
"How's the cat, Mark?" Venkat asked. "What's its name again?"
"Major Tom. He seems to be taking to his new role as pharaoh rather well," I said dryly. He had been curled up on my face when I woke up this morning. "Too bad my upstairs neighbors aren't cats. Maybe they would walk quieter then."
"I'm sure your downstairs neighbors are sympathetic," Annie snorted.
"Touche," I told her. "Your eelness."
"Watney, I will bury your body in the snow and no one will find you until spring," Venkat threatened. Someone *ahem* had let slip his comment at the gala to Annie. There had been repercussions.
"That's your royal eelness," Annie said, sniffing delicately. Venkat groaned.
I glanced at Mindy, who was sitting across from me. She was being unusually quiet, but the top of her head was barely visible over the laminated menu, so I assumed she was taking her food choices very seriously.
"Anything catch your eye?" I asked her. She delicately laid the menu down before declaring:
"I want grilled cheese."
"Grilled cheese?"
She narrowed her eyes at me. "I am PMSing and I want grilled cheese."
"Ah." having had first hand experience with Johannson and Lewis on our very long mission, I chose not to question her further.
Lucy came back and took our order. Mindy got her grilled cheese. Annie, as usual, got a salad (even in winter. I didn't understand), Venkat ordered some sort of soup.
"I'd like pancakes," I told Lucy, "with fruit instead of hashbrowns."
"Are you sure?" She asked. "They're fresh." I twitched a little at the thought.
"Very sure." Mindy snorted. I, a mature adult, ignored her. Someday I might eat potatoes again. It was not this day.
The food came and it was delicious. I really enjoyed our weekly lunches. It made me feel like I had a social life. I was still working on that part of things. Soon, though, it was time to go.
"I have to get back to work," Annie declared. She was on her third cup of coffee since I'd seen her.
"It's Saturday," I pointed out.
"And a blizzard," Mindy added.
"The office is closed, but PR stops for nothing," Annie said. I had a feeling that if Satan rose from hell to tell her that her time was up she'd laugh in his face and tell him to submit the press release for review. Or usurp him.
We paid and walked outside. The blue skies were a sharp contrast to the past several days, and the sun was so bright as it reflected off the snow that it made my eyes water. Mindy and I waved good-bye to Venkat and Annie and hailed a taxi, since they were up and running again. I didn't really want to take the metro again when the air was just so crisp.
We both got off at Mindy's apartment. It was only a few blocks from mine, so I planned on just walking the rest of the way home on paths pre-trampled by other humans to stubborn to stay indoors. Mindy was walking ahead of me to the entrance of her building, so I scooped up a handful of snow and patted it into something vaguely sphere-like.
"Hey Mindy!" She turned, and I threw the snowball.
My aim was too good. It hit her right in the face. Oh. shit.
"Watney." her voice was deceptively calm. I started backing away as she reached up to clear her glasses. "Run."
I obliged. She was faster. Her tackle threw me into a snowdrift and I felt a handful of snow go down the back of my coat while she screeched at me.
Totally worth it to see the look on her face.