"Do I have to?" Calvin asked with an reluctant groan of annoyance. "I just don't think Jerry should be seeing Marlene," Jessie said instinctively with a grimace. She trusted Jerry a lot but she didn't trust Marlene since she seemed deranged or something. "C'mon, please! I'll get Jerry to make you best man!" Jessie reasoned, putting her hands together pleadingly. "I don't even wanna be best man," Calvin responded childishly as he listened to the song which was currently on Jessie's stereo. Genesis's 'Abacab' was playing and Calvin could feel small tension festering. "I know you do! And I'll set you up with Elaine if you comply!" Jessie said in a sing-song voice and flipped her hair over a shoulder.
"Alright! Alright!" Calvin's Queen's accent dragged in annoyance.
"So it must have been ninety-five degrees that night... everyone's just standing around the pool-drinks in their hands and I was wearing my old jeans and t-shirt... I don't know... I was just in one of those moods so I said to myself: 'Marlene, just do it'," Calvin was listening to George's ex's words intently, glancing down every so often at the stack of books in front of him.
Secretly he agreed with Jerry why George insisted on this but from how much he knew, George was weird.
Calvin stared into Marlene's eyes. "And I jumped in. As I'm getting out I feel all these eyes on me so I look up and everyone's just staring at me..." Marlene waved her hand majestically- Calvin watched curiously. "So, what did you do?" he asked in a low voice.
"Well, nothing. It was not skin off my hide if people like to look. I just didn't see what the big attraction was," Marlene answered genuinely puzzled and leaned back on the bench with an elbow propped up.
"Well, I have a general idea what it was," Calvin responded with a smirk.
"Hey, you know, Calvin, just because George and I don't see each other anymore it doesn't mean we shouldn't stay friends," Marlene stated unexpectedly but seriously.
"No," Calvin nodded with agreement and especially because he didn't know George that well anyways.
"Oh, good. I'm really glad we got that settled," Marlene said happily and smiled at Calvin who returned it. She raised her glass and clinked his in honour of their continued friendship.
...
"Did you get them?" Jessie asked straight away upon seeing Calvin enter the Corvette with something in the crook of his arm.
"Done and done," he replied swiftly and rested the books on his lap. "Anything happen?" Jessie asked suspiciously while listening to her Genesis tape because she was really obsessed with them lately.
"Marlene and I..." He trailed off, not impressed with himself. "She got you too?" Jessie asked with an amused bark of a laugh.
Jessie tried to focus on the road while she jammed out to the songs she loved and the diamond ring kept getting in her vision. Anticipation boiled through her for when Jerry's parents would visit them next. They were always a pleasant surprise. And typically, Jessie wasn't a big fan of surprises especially if they were pranks.
...
It was late at night in New York, Marlene and Calvin were currently on a date in his car. A black 1975 Cadillac Caribou.
Marlene had a hand curled upon his shoulder and their eyes locked intensely.
"Have a good time tonight?" Calvin asked genuinely concerned for her.
"It was divine," Marlene answered with a dragged on sort of voice Calvin found charming. He smirked at her before vastly looking out the window over her shoulder. Before Calvin could ask a follow up question, he was startled when he was pulled closer by the collar and a kiss was placed on his lips he sure wouldn't forget soon. He was allowed time to kiss back once with his emotional passion as it had been described once.
"G'night," Marlene bid him and soon exited the car, leaving Calvin alone.
...
Another day had begun for the busy New Yorkers who lived there. Some of those people who were very close and knew everything about each other or so most people thought.
Jerry was in his kitchen with cantaloupe on a cut board on the counter and Jessie sat on the stool on the other side, facing Jerry. They were wrapped up in a random conversation about Batman Vs Superman. They debated about every little detail about their favourite superheroes.
"Hey," Kramer emerged from the hallway with a golf club grasped in his hand. This shocked Jessie to the core. "Jesus, Kramer," she scoffed bitterly and all flustered from nearly falling off her stool.
"Sorry J-Z. Where's C-Z?" Kramer apologized sincerely and only asked the whereabouts of the publisher to be polite because he really took an abnormal liking to Jessie. "Downstairs watching the telly," Jessie replied in a haughty tone. "Telly? Never hear that anymore," Jerry commented sourly. Jessie grinned at him and then turned her head back at Kramer. He had on a mystified stare at the two who took on a tense vibe ever since the proposal in Vermont.
"I got it. This time I got it," Kramer insisted with a happy-go-lucky attitude. At this, Jessie swivelled herself in Kramer's direction and watched him with curiosity. Kramer couldn't decide wether to keep his eyes on Jessie or Jerry. It was really weighing on him in a mental way. "Alright," Jerry allowed with superiority and discarded the cantaloupe for awhile. Jessie sat straight in posture and had her hands on her knees. She chose to keep quiet to not distract her friend. "Hips! See it's all hips," Kramer announced smartly, being a know-it-all Jessie detested. Kramer put a hand on his hip and jerked once for showcase of what he meant.
"Uh-huh," Jerry observed while reaching for a napkin at the edge of the counter.
"And balance," Jessie added, a voice of wisdom tacked on.
"Got that right," Kramer smiled at Jessie and twisted a wink.
Jessie giggled and Jerry focused his attention on that sound of his fiancée's girlish laugh. He really appreciated a beautiful laugh and thought he should comment on it later.
"You gotta come through with the hips first," Kramer continued his golf learning session. Jessie eyed him when he started bending to a certain degree meant for golfing.
He got ready to swing and he threw his arms back like lightning and the club was behind him as he made a sound, everyone turned to gawk at the other side of the apartment.
Jerry had the napkin in his hands and after a few seconds he declared, "that is out there!"
Jessie quirked a brow, deeply confused but she didn't say anything and let the boys pretend.
"Joe's?" Kramer quizzed after noticing it. Jessie knew the topic was changed and now they were going to be occupied with cantaloupe. She honestly hated it. She turned her attention back to Jerry. "No, supernarket." He answered Kramer without humiliation. What was wrong with buying food from the supermarket? Jessie complained once but that was understandable. Anemic people must eat fresh produce.
"Well, let me taste it," Kramer was curious if supermarket food tasted bad as he let on.
He barely placed it in his mouth when he said, "you see, that stinks," he took it out of his mouth right after.
"This guy," Jessie commented amusedly and Kramer smirked at her. She snorted a laugh, "and his fruit." She giggled out loud and calmed down after seeing the two watching her with comical concerned expressions.
Jerry glance away wordlessly and sort of offended while he continued eating the food that apparently stunk. "You can't eat that. You should take that back-"
"I'm not taking it back," Jerry said hotly and stared Kramer right in the eyes.
"Alright, I'll take it back. I'm going by there," Kramer offered without hesitation.
"I don't care about it," Jerry said defiantly.
"Jerry, you should care. Cantaloupe should be taken out of circulation," Kramer argued smartly, knowing all about fresh produce.
"Don't argue with the man. He's got a point," Jessie backed up, refraining from laughing because she knew this was a thing she and Jerry argued about too. She was worried he wasn't getting enough nutrition from supermarket fruit.
"Alright!" Jerry finally let Kramer deal with this fruit situation that started to annoy him.
Kramer can get stuck on the most oddest topics or arguments and no one can stop it until the cave to the solution
"Alright." Kramer said with finality.
"Take it back," Jerry urged strictly.
The buzz on the intercom sounded, ending the friends' fight over fruit. Jessie looked to the door while Jerry went over to it.
Jessie leaned over the counter and picked a slice of cantaloupe from the counter. Jerry and Kramer were chatting amongst themselves about the recent baseball game they watched. Jessie chose to ignore it and ate the awful supermarket fruit. Why let it to to waste?
Jerry and Kramer took notice. "Look at this," Jerry said sourly. "My fiancée's eating the fruit for us," he said delightedly. "At least you don't got to eat a lot of it now." Kramer observed and thought it was cute how Jessie ate the cantaloupe like an animal.
Jessie lifted her head to find the two staring at her like an attraction of some sort.
"What?" the confused songwriter asked. The men went back to their baseball chat.
A few seconds later, Elaine entered with Calvin who was smiling like an idiot. Was it something Elaine said?
"Hey, bro," Jessie said nicely, chewing and all. Kramer tore his eyes away from the gnarly scene.
"Hi!" Elaine greeted the friends while Calvin darted straight beside Jessie. "Oh, my little airplane lamp!" Jerry exclaimed at the sight of it. Elaine brandished it in a firm hand. Jerry walked toward Elaine, grabbed it out of her hand with everyone watching.
"You have the slowest elevator in the entire city. That's hard to get used to when you're on so many other fast ones," Elaine complained, unhesitant or unashamed to about a small thing like that.
"Try living here," Jessie pointed out. At that, Elaine made a mocking face of 'too bad'. Jessie pouted and continued eating the cantaloupe.
Calvin paid attention to Jerry and Elaine, trying to see if there were any clues of dishonesty or betrayal in Jerry.
"Well, the apartment elevators are always slower than the offices because you don't have to be at home on time," Jerry said in a joking fashion everyone knew.
"Unless you're married to a dictator," Elaine responded smoothly. Calvin guffawed. Jessie stayed silent since she didn't find that funny. Elaine smirked at Calvin before turning back to Jerry.
Elaine burst out laughing. "Yeah," Jerry agreed quickly.
"Because they'd be very demanding people," he added, certain.
"Right, exactly," Elaine confirmed, unable to control her laughter but all the sudden fell silent.
"So I imagine at some point somebody's gonna offer me some cantaloupe?" Elaine spilled out plainly.
"Nope. No good!" Kramer warned efficiently.
"But they're eating it!" Elaine said a little loudly to startle the siblings.
Calvin and Jessie froze. "Why are you eating that?!" Kramer screeched, concerned for their health.
"They're Zlings. They do whatever they want," Jerry reminded Kramer instantly, learning that from none other Calvin.
"Well, I'm taking this back," Kramer grabbed a piece of fruit causing Jessie to glare at him as she had finished a slice. Jerry also ate a small pice of cantaloupe. Kramer the fruit police headed for the door and threw it open then shut it behind him.
"So, I had what you might call a little encounter this morning," Elaine began, leaning on the counter to get her cantaloupe fix. "Really? That guy who stopped saying hello?" Jerry knew what she was talking about since it seemed to bother her. "What did he say? I can put him in his place for ya," Calvin offered quickly and cracked his knuckles ominously. "I'll keep that in mind, Cal," Elaine said seriously before eyeing him subtly.
"You talked to him?" Jerry prompted while he say on the back of his couch. Jessie couldn't resist sitting with him and Calvin and Elaine were bothering her somewhat.
Jerry put an arm around Jessie's shoulders, keeping his eyes on Elaine, listening to Elaine's progressing story. "Yep. I spotted him getting his mail and at first I was just gonna walk on by but then I thought 'no, no, no'. 'Do not be afraid of this man.'" Elaine admitted to all listening. "Right," Jerry said momentarily, making Jessie glance at him. "So I walked up behind him and I tapped him on the shoulder and I said "hi, remember me?" And he furrows his brow as if he's really trying to figure it out," Elaine scoffs, disbelieved while Jessie watched her earrings flailing abouy. "Do I said to him, I said, "you little phony, you know exactly who I am," Elaine had to tell them who not to mess with. "You said 'you little phony?" Jerry asked eagerly as if he couldn't believe it. "That's Elaine for ya," Jessie said, giggling childishly. "Yup!" she approved of the comment by Jessie.
"And he said, he goes, "oh, yeah. You're Janet's friend. We did meet once." And I said, "how do you go from that to totally ignoring a person when they walk by?" Elaine said totally outraged. Jessie raised her eyebrows, lost.
"Amazing." Jerry complimented, out of his mind.
"And he says, he says, "Look, I just don't wanna say hello anymore, alright?" And I said, "Fine! Fine! I didn't wanna say hello anymore either but I just wanted you to know that I'm aware of it!" Elaine retold the whole situation and took a bite of her cantaloupe. "Way to go!" Calvin cheered for his friend which Elaine smiled at. Jessie and Jerry exchanged glances.
"You are the Queen of confrongation," Jerry was astounded, making him stand up, leaving Jessie to her own posture.
"You're my new hero,"
Elaine spit the cantaloupe onto the napkin in her hand. "This cantaloupe stinks," she said, disgusted.
"Supermarket," the Zling siblings chorused, egging Jerry and Elaine to glance at both of them.