Trying some new things in this chapter. Spring break is going to be very fun.
As always a big thank you to cutelittlelumpofwool82 forball her hard work.
"I can't believe that you're leaving me!" Raj whines as Leonard packs a duffle bag. Ever since Lucy stormed off on Valentine's Day Raj had been an insufferable clingy mess.
"I'm not leaving you," Leonard sighs his patience wearing thin. They had been through this several times already. "Sheldon and Amy are in Texas for spring break. They let Penny stay in their apartment to house sit while they are gone. So I'm staying with her," He shrugs. Penny had been kicked out of her apartment again. She had made some miscalculations while paying her bills and had ended up short a few months in a row. So she had been staying with Sheldon and Amy in their extra room. Only she hated Sheldon's strict rules and fastidious ways. Leonard could commiserate, but as much as he tried telling her it was easier to just go along with it. It Seemed the harder she pushed.
"Everybody leaves me!" Raj wails despondently curling up on his bed. Leonard wants to comfort him. However almost two months experience has told him that there was no comforting Raj. He hadn't changed out of his sweatpants for three days. Leonard doubted that he would for the entire week he was gone.
"I'll only be gone a week and I'll still see you! I'm just not sleeping in this room for a week," Leonard assures him. Thinking he would trade Raj in for Sheldon any day. Penny didn't know how good she had it living with Sheldon.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I'm exhausted," Amy says as she unlocks the door to their trailer on Meemaw's property. They'd agree to get some sleep before meeting with family. It had been a long drive shouldered squarely on her shoulders. It was two in the morning and she had driven fourteen hours straight.
"Let's get some sleep and then we'll go to mothers in the morning," Sheldon assures her stepping inside and flipping on the lights. Standing at the threshold he looks at his grandma's dark house nervously. Feeling slightly guilty about not waking her up to let her know of their arrival. Torn between the women in his life. However he had to live with Amy and her happiness was paramount to his own.
Amy collapses on the couch curling onto her side. Her feet still on the floor, knowing even exhaustion will not excuse her from his no shoes on the furniture rule. Sheldon sits beside her, lifts her legs into his lap and removes her shoes. Amy feels so relaxed and contented that she starts drifting off to sleep. However a roving flash of light and a loud knock rouses her from sleep. Amy looks to Sheldon worried and he holds his fingers to his lips indicating she should be quiet.
"Hello?" He calls nervously.
"Open up, it's Meemaw!" She yells. Sheldon sighs getting up and opens the door. Meemaw grabs him about the waist and hugs him tight.
"Is there something wrong?" Amy asks worried as Meemaw forces herself inside. The tiny woman shakes her head up and down vigorously. The curlers wound up in her hair bobbing violently. Making her look like a sweet faced Medusa.
"Yes, there is! Ya'll come home and don't even bother to come say hello!" Meemaw tells her as she sits next to Amy and pulls her into a hug. Amy has to suppress an annoyed sigh and eye roll. All she wanted was sleep.
"It's late, we didn't want to bother you," Amy tells her apologetically.
"Ya'll youngins' ain't ever no bother!" Meemaw assured her hugging her tighter. Amy instantly smiles. It makes her feel good to be this loved. That Constance was so happy to see them she'd barreled across the dew covered lawn in her robe and curlers to greet them.
"It was a very long drive, and we thought it would be best to see you all later this morning," Sheldon offers with a yawn.
"It's not church tomorrow. Are you going somewhere fancy?" Amy teases indicating her curlers. After living with her for so long she knows Meemaw only curls her hair on church days.
"Well, I wanted to talk to you about that honey. I'm hosting the church ladies tea luncheon tomorrow. I was hoping you'd help me set up and attend? I just keep bragging on you and I want the ladies to finally meet my smart and beautiful granddaughter," Constance beams and Amy flushes from embarrassment.
"I don't know Meemaw, you know how I feel about those ladies and their strong perfumes and the cheek pinching," Sheldon shutters. He clearly remembers being paraded around them in fancy matching outfits with Missy as toddlers. Missy ate up the attention, but he thought it would never end.
"Well, it's a good thing I wasn't asking you!" Meemaw snaps at him, then she turns to Amy and says softer. "It's a women's only tea, I'd be mighty pleased if you could help out," She asks hopeful.
"Of course, I'd love to," Amy tells her smiling.
"You both come over for breakfast. Then Amy you'll stay and help and Shelly you can go on over to your Mama's," Meemaw tells them beaming before she stands up and hurries back down to her house blowing them a final kiss.
"Do you think they have our entire week planned for us? Or just the first couple of days?" Amy asks Sheldon as he closes and locks the door, offering her his hand and leading her towards the bedroom.
"The whole week for sure. You're a Cooper now you'll get used to it," He laughs humorless.
In the morning eating Meemaw's breakfast, Amy is glad now that she's a Cooper. It had been a while since she's seen such a spread. Rashers of bacon, sausages, grits, biscuits, two types of jelly. Normally their mornings are so busy they can barely bolt down a power bar or a bowl of cereal before they have to be out the door. It's nice to be able to sit down and relax. The last couple of weeks have been full of studying and tests. It's nice to have a week ahead that's just an empty slate. Amy is looking forward to reconnecting with her sister-in-law. Who she seems to have lost touch with in the last few weeks. Between school, home, and her new friends, Missy had fallen between the cracks.
"Is Missy coming over to help too?" Amy asks Meemaw while taking a sip of her orange juice and Sheldon rudely snorts.
"Missy at the church ladies tea?" He laughs into his toast.
"Did anyone ask her?" Amy asks curious.
"Dear me no! Missy, bless her heart, Missy just ain't…" Meemaw flounders to explain as she takes up dishes.
"Missy would sizzle like one of these sausages in the presence of The East Baptist Ladies Auxiliary," Sheldon tells Amy raising his eyebrows as he spears a sausage and takes a dramatic bite making Amy giggle. Meemaw snatches the fork away from him and wags it in his face.
"It ain't that bad!" She glares. "Missy and the church have just been butting heads recently," Meemaw says offhandedly as she clears more dishes.
"What do you mean?" Amy asks but Meemaw checks her watch and swats Sheldon with her tea towel in warning.
"Boy you best hurry on to your mama's house! Amy and I got work to do!" She says changing the subject. Amy knows that the subject is closed so she stops asking questions. Knowing that sooner or later she'll get to the bottom of it.
"Fine with me," Sheldon says getting up and stretching. He goes over to Amy and kisses her cheek. "I'll see you whenever she sets you free," He whispers in her ear making her smile and blush.
"Ya'll two are so sweet you make my teeth hurt!" Meemaw squeals, then changing her tone so you know she means business. "Now get out of here!"
Once Sheldon is gone Amy helps her clean up breakfast. Once the kitchen is clean as well Meemaw hauls out some ancient looking cookbooks from the top shelf of her larder.
"I know the recipes by heart. I figured you might need some help though," Meemaw tells her as she opens the books to two well worn pages. The books are from the sixties maybe even older. The first one is a Southern Home entertaining guide opened to a spread on a real English tea. The second is a baking book detailing how to make petit fours.
"These are amazing," Amy coos gently picking one up and pouring over it.
"I figured you'd like em' they're yours after this," Meemaw smiles at her.
"Really?" Amy asks happily.
"Really, Mary thinks she knows how to cook. Missy doesn't care if she can cook or not, and I know the recipes by heart," Meemaw says hugging her tight.
"Thank you!" Amy says happily thinking how she might host a fancy dinner party for their friends when they get home. She's enjoyed baking since she was young and she would love to learn how to cook real meals.
"Now, I've already got most of the fixin's for the petit fours done last night. So I'll do that. You think you can manage these little sandwiches," Meemaw asks gathering up her ingredients.
"Of course!" Amy says examining the page and finding the instructions incredibly easy. Amy goes to the fridge and starts gathering ingredients for her recipe. Amy loves how Meemaw always has a fully stocked fridge and pantry. She thinks that when she's an adult she'll keep the same kind of kitchen. Technically she's an adult now. Only she feels like she's just been playing adult. Even though they have their own place. She still feels like a little kid. Like when she used to marry her cat in the basement and they'd move into an old refrigerator box. The kind of adult life they have isn't complete. Most of their bills are paid for, they still eat most of their meals at the student union.
Whenever she cooked it was spaghetti, or macaroni, the kind of food you cook for children. Sheldon eats like a toddler, Amy giggles to herself. It's nice to be fixing something else. Something that Sheldon would never eat in a million years. Tiny delicate sandwiches made with margarine, cream cheese, watercress, and cucumber. Amy cuts the crusts off and arranges them on a fancy three tiered plate.
"Amy, honey why don't you go get changed. I laid out a dress for you upstairs. I was poking around in my old chifferobe and found something you might like," Meemaw winks.
Amy goes upstairs to the bedroom she used when she lived here. Laying on the bed is a beautiful tea dress in pale lavender and a pair of white gloves. Amy picks it up and holds it against her body. It's made of satin and lace and must be from the fifties or sixties. Amy tries it on and it fits her perfectly. She excitedly rushes downstairs to show Meemaw who has already gotten dressed.
"You look lovely sweetheart," Meemaw says snapping on a pair of white gloves.
"You look beautiful too!" Amy said happily looking at Meemaw's blue lace dress and flowered hat. Meemaw picks up a floppy white hat and places it on Amy.
"The finishing touch. Now you look ready for high tea!" Meemaw says proudly. "Now, the ladies are about to show up. You ready to help serve the tea?" Amy shakes her head excitedly. She feels like she's just stepped into a storybook. That she's stepped back in time. As she is about to go have afternoon tea on Meemaw's porch.
"Why would Missy want to miss this?" She wonders to herself as she has the time of her life being fawned over by Meemaw's friends. Who are equally shocked and impressed that she is both going to be married to a doctor and become one herself.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I can't believe you just left her there. With all those old ladies," Missy tells Sheldon as she lights up and takes a puff of a cigarette.
"Put that out!" Sheldon says snatching it from her and crushing it under his heel. Clucking this tongue and shaking his head. "Are you kidding? Amy loves that kind of thing. Unlike you…" Sheldon says eying Missy nervously.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Missy snaps defensively, running her hand through her now short hair. Even Sheldon was shocked at seeing his sister for the first time since Christmas. Gone is her long brown hair. She's cut it in a new style longer in the front framing her face. Short and stacked in the back and dyed a fiery shade of red. In her nose is a tiny purple gemstone, her exposed belly button is pierced now too. Even the way she does her makeup is new. Her blue eyes are ringed with black, her full lips are painted dark purple. Honestly she scares Sheldon a little.
"Just that Amy…" Sheldon warily begins.
"Is Mama and Meemaw's new little pet," Missy says mockingly and Sheldon looks at her angrily.
"Excuse me? Both Amy and I were under the impression that you were her best friend?" He says annoyed. He knows how much Amy was looking forward to seeing Missy this week.
"You know I am Shelly… Shit.." Missy says softly and Sheldon flinches at the language. "It's just that with ya'll gone… Doing so good… They just keep pushing me… You know?"
"I know it's not easy having genius brother," Sheldon sympathizes.
"Or having that brother married to another genius and them off living a perfect life in the big city," Missy says enviously.
"Who lives a perfect life?" Amy asks walking across the yard. After helping clean up after the party and Meemaw deciding to have a nap. Amy drove to Mary's and was eagerly greeted by her mother-in-law. She's still wearing the purple tea dress along with her white floppy hat. Sheldon had to see her all dolled up. Mary insisted on taking a picture of Amy for her scrapbook, and then directed her to the backyard where Missy and Sheldon were sitting in the shade.
"Damn girl! Love the dress. I would borrow it but my booty would be hanging out the back," Missy says getting up and hugging Amy.
"Missy, you look so different," Amy says stunned.
"You like it?" Missy asks, fluffing her hair up again.
"I love it!" Amy says hugging her again. "You look like a fire goddess."
"Exactly the look I was going for!" Missy laughs.
"So you're off from school? I was worried that you might still have school. The high school had a different spring break," Amy says as Sheldon stands to greet her with a kiss on the cheek.
"Yeah… About that… I dropped out," Missy mumbles.
"What… Why?" Amy says trying not to sound too upset.
"I knew you'd be mad! This is why I've been avoiding you," Missy sighs. It hurt Amy to think that one of her best friends was avoiding her. It hurt that she had been so caught up in her own life that she hadn't even noticed she was being avoided.
"I'm not mad… I'm surprised is all," Amy assures her.
"I mean I turned eighteen and it's my choice you know? There's this beauty school I've started. I got my GED too!" Missy rambles.
"Then I'm happy for you," Amy tells her standing next to her and hooking her arm around Missy's. "You'll make a fantastic beautician and I'll be your very first client!" She says excitedly.
"You have no idea how badly I want to fix this mess," Missy says picking up a long piece of Amy's hair.
"What's wrong with it?" Amy pouts snatching her hair away from Missy.
"Amy honey, have you ever cut your hair?" Missy asks gently.
"I've trimmed the ends. My mother liked it long," Amy says lamely twisting a piece of it around her finger. It's so long now that she can almost sit on it. During labs she has to tie it into a bun so it doesn't get in the way.
"I like it long too!" Sheldon says speaking up for the first time. Missy's news doesn't shock or bother him at all. His mother had told him the week before. He's surprised that she made it as long as she did in school. "A woman's hair is her crowning glory," Amy snaps her head towards him, that was what her mother used to say. Hearing him say it was strangely upsetting.
"You don't get to quote the bible when it's convenient for you and renounce it the rest of the time Shelly," Missy tells him and Amy agrees.
"When you graduate, I'll let you cut it," Amy tells her.
"Screw that! I've already got my shears. We're doing this now!" Missy says grabbing Amy's hand and leading her into the kitchen. She sets her down in a chair and grabs something off the counter. "Already had my kit out and everything. Now you just stay here and I'm going to go grab a towel. Don't you dare chicken out!" Missy says racing down the hall. She's wearing platform sandals and she trips and falls into the wall. "I'm okay!"
"You're really going to let HER cut your hair?" Sheldon laughs nervously.
"Why not?" Amy says breezily. Even though she is starting to chicken out.
"Would you like me to retrieve her old barbies from the attic? Show you some of the wonderful hairdos you can look forward too? How do you feel about shaved on the sides long on top?" He asks seriously.
"Missy isn't a little girl anymore. I'm sure she'll do better on me than she did on a fashion doll," Amy states more confidently than she feels.
"Well, I don't like it," Sheldon says stubbornly.
"You just don't like change," She laughs as she takes her hat off and places it on the kitchen table.
"You're perfect the way you are," He says shyly.
"Only to you," Amy says as she grabs his hand and he leans down to kiss her softly. "You look beautiful in this dress," He murmurs against her lips. Things start to get heated until Missy breaks the spell.
"Eww... stop!" Missy says returning with a towel. "Ya'll are an old married couple now stop being so freaking cute," Missy says brandishing a brush at them. Getting right to work she covers Amy's shoulders with the towel. Then she brushes out the tangles from Amy's hair.
"Ow!" Amy objects as the bristles snag on her hair.
"You have like a yard of tangles and split ends. This has got to go!" Missy says gathering Amy's hair into a ponytail. "Ready?" Missy says picking up her scissors.
"Yes," Amy says squeezing her eyes shut.
"No," Sheldon grumps. Biting the inside of his cheek as he watches his sisters silver scissors hack away above the hot pink hair tie in his wife's beautiful long hair. He loved her hair, and he's annoyed that his sister's opinion matters more than his.
"Ta-da!" Missy says as she makes the last cut and holds the long pony tail in front of Amy for her to see. Amy bursts into tears seeing almost twelve inches of hair dangling in front of her.
"Amy what's wrong?" Sheldon asks concerned.
"It's just so much," Amy says drying her eyes on the towel around her neck.
Sheldon walks around the table to stand by Missy and check the damage. He gasps and becomes dizzy. "Oh, dear lord," He says passing out.
"Sheldon!" Amy says in a panic. She tries to stand up to revive him but Missy keeps her firmly in place. Amy starts to protest and Missy cuts her off.
"He'll be fine Amy. This happened all the time when he was younger," She sighs. "He just got overwhelmed and will be fine in a few minutes. You'll love your hair! Just you wait and see. Now, I'll just even it out," Missy says spraying her hair with water and going to work.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Penny was having a bad day, a bad week, to think about it it hadn't really been her year either. In the morning she had fought with Leonard who thought since she was living in Sheldon and Amy's extra room she should quit her job. She knew he only said it from a good place, worrying about her being on her feet so long. It was only going to get worse the farther along she was. Leonard had left for the university in a huff to visit Raj and Howard.
Amy called right as she was leaving the apartment. Making her twenty minutes late for her shift. As it was her boss's patience was already wearing thin with her. If she wasn't visibly pregnant and pathetic she might have been fired a long time ago. The belly did help her in some ways. Ladies often tipped her more than they used too. Everyone did really, and she liked to lay a sob story on thick. Today alone she had made 300 dollars just from the Saturday lunch rush. So as she met Leonard on the stairs as they were both coming home she was in a much better mood.
"Amy called me this morning," Penny tells Leonard as they climb up the stairs together. Leonard just got home from visiting Raj at school and Penny just got off from the lunch rush.
"Oh yeah? They make it okay?" Leonard asks relieved that it seemed Penny wasn't angry with him anymore.
"Yeah, get this! Amy says Missy cut all her hair off," Penny says looking at Leonard like she has a big secret. "I could never do that!"
"Missy cut her hair off or Missy cut Amy's hair off?" Leonard clarifies.
"Both actually! Missy dropped out of high school and now she's going to be a cosmetologist. Amy said Missy cut off twelve inches of her hair. I can't picture Amy without all that hair," She say in disbelief.
"Stop!" They hear a gruff voice yell on the floor above them.
"Let me go man! I'm allowed in here!" Another voice squeaks.
"I don't think so. Sheldon gave me pictures of everyone allowed in this apartment while he's gone. You ain't one of them!" The first man growls as they hear a loud thud.
"What?" Penny mouths to Leonard as they race up the rest of the stairs. When they reach the landing they see a large police officer pinning down man in a black hoodie.
"Okay, okay! Don't hurt me. I didn't take anything," The man says in a rush.
"Then why is Sheldon's DVD player out in the hall?" The officer asks knowingly.
"I'll put it back just don't hurt me man!" The robber begs.
"What's going on officer?" Leonard asks confused.
"Are you two Sheldon's house guests this week?" He asks looking up at Leonard and Penny.
"Yes sir," Leonard stammered wondering how he knew Sheldon.
"I'm Louis, I live across the hall. I was coming home from work and I saw this guy in Sheldon's apartment helping himself to some items. Now before Sheldon left he gave me a dossier of people who know him. You and your girlfriend are allowed in. This fellow wasn't in that package. He a friend of yours?" Louis asks.
"No. I've never seen him before," He says looking towards Penny.
"Me either," Penny says her cheeks flushing as she remembers that she forgot to lock the door this morning before she left for work. Pregnancy brain has gotten the best of her lately.
"I'm going to take him downtown and book him. Ain't nobody going to make my building unsafe," Louis says hauling the man to his feet and down the stairs.
"Wow, I thought this building was safe," Leonard says stunned after they leave.
"Leonard… I think this may be my fault. I left the door unlocked today by accident. That guy was coming from one of the upper floors as I was leaving he must have seen me leave," Penny groans.
"Penny it's not your fault," He reassures and picks up Sheldon's DVD player off the hallway floor. As they walk into the apartment they see it's a bit ransacked but no big items seemed to be missing.
"Just please… Let's not tell Sheldon yet okay? The last thing Amy needs is him demanding she drive them back home so soon," Penny sighs.
"Alright, we'll tell him when they come home. I mean luckily he hired a security guard," Leonard jokes as he sets off to check out the rest of the apartment.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Raj is bored and lonely after Leonard leaves for the day. Howard is with Bernadette visiting her family. He almost wishes that he had stayed at Zack's dorm. At least there he got to see pretty girls coming and going. It was only six and the night stretched before him bleak and empty.
Finally he decides to take the bus to the comic book store. Stuart was bound to be as bored and lonely as he was. When he walks inside he is dismayed to see that Stuart is closing up the shop.
"The sign says seven," Raj complains it was only 6:30.
"You're my first customer in two hours," Stuart says. "You can come in though. I wouldn't mind the company."
"Only if you're sure," Raj says walking inside.
"You know I bought this place right?" Stuart asks going behind the counter. "I won an art contest used my winnings to buy it."
"No, I didn't know that, congratulations!" Raj says happily.
"Worst decision of my life. I'm in debt up to my eyeballs now. I'm living in the backroom," Stuart tells him sighing.
"I'm sure you'll turn a profit soon," Raj says consolingly as Stuart pours some liquid into a mug.
"You want a night cap?" He asks and Raj nods and pours him a mug too. "Kahlua and music are the only things keeping me going right now."
"I've had it rough too. All my friends are partnered up. I'm all alone," Raj says sadly into his mug.
"Being alone has it's perks," Stuart shrugs and he picks up a sketchbook and a charcoal pencil and begins making strokes on the pad. "It brought you here with me," The way he says it sends a warm sensation over his body. A jolt in the pit of his stomach that's both frightening and alluring.
Raj watches him silently as he sips his drink. He watches Stuart's hands as they glide across the paper they're large yet graceful. They move over his paper like dancers in their own ballet. As he draws he bites his lower lip in concentration. There are marks on his lips where his teeth have worn grooves. Idly Raj finds himself wondering what it would be like to kiss his lips. To run his tongue along the light ridges in his lips.
It's not the first time he has thought about kissing another man. Back home in India he had felt that way about his friend Sanjeet. They spent long idle hours together, nearly inseparable. Raj thought he might have been a little bit in love with him. He had never spoken a word of it to anyone. Never hinted to Sanjeet how he felt about him. His parents would be horrified if they thought he was gay. He wasn't gay, he liked girls, he just also wondered what it would be like to be with a man. He thought once he moved to America the thoughts would go away. That a change of scenery and a new pool of women to choose from would help. They were still there however. Stronger than ever before.
"What are you drawing?" Raj asks him curiously. Stuart looks up and raises his eyebrows like he's a little embarrassed.
"You want to see?" He asks and Raj nods. Stuart turns the pad around and shows Raj a drawing of himself.
"Wow," Raj says stunned.
"I know it's creepy, I'm sorry," Stuart says hanging his head.
"I love it!" Raj says walking over to him and examining the drawing. He had captured him perfectly. The curve of his brow, even the hunger Raj imagined had been in his eyes watching Stuart.
"It's just a rough sketch," Stuart says modestly.
"It's amazing," Raj whispers leaning over to him. The music is something sensual and smoky. Stuart looks him in the eyes and swallows nervously. Then he leans over meeting Raj and kisses him softly. In the brief moment their lips touch Raj feels a thousand different emotions. When Stuart pulls away he is staring at him wide eyed and speechless.
"Sorry, I totally misread the situation! Typical Stuart…" Raj interrupts his rant of self loathing by leaning in and kissing him again. This time harder and more self assured. Then suddenly he stops, scared by what this means.
"I'm sorry, I've got to go!" Raj says panicked turning on his heel and running out the door. Once he reaches the bus stop he sits on the bench and takes a deep breath. His heart was racing. "What did I just do?" He asks himself in confusion.
What do we think of Raj's new love interest? Let me know in a review.