Chapter 13
A week before William moves to New Jersey, he was in the garage tinkering with his car to make sure it is in good condition when he hits the road. He decided to cross the entire country from California to New Jersey in his car since his car is fairly new and he didn't trust his sister who would surely find a way to drive it when his parents aren't home. He was hunched over the engine, cleaning the battery connections and happily humming along the music playing on his small Bluetooth speaker by the tool box in the garage.
Meanwhile inside the house, Leonard was sitting in the living room, watching TV while Sarah was in her room, probably chatting up with her boyfriend and Penny in the kitchen preparing a couple of sandwiches for her and Leonard. Leonard heard the door bell and stood up to open it, surprised to see Howard, Bernadette and Halley, looking a little distressed and anxious.
"Uh, hi guys! What brings you here?" Leonard said, a little surprised by the Wolowitz's visit.
"Leonard we need to talk." said Howard.
"Okay. Talk about what?" Leonard asked.
"About William and Halley." Howard said.
Leonard was surprised by what he heard and kinda figured out what Howard meant when he saw Halley's face. "What do you mean Howard?" he asked.
"Don't play it off like you didn't know Leonard!" Howard said, slightly raising his voice.
Bernadette stepped forward and held her husband. "Leonard, we just want to talk to William." she said.
"I really don't know why you want to talk to my son." said Leonard as Penny heard Bernadette's voice and decided to join her husband.
"Hey guys! Why don't you all come in?" said Penny, curious as to why they visited.
"Well, did you know that Halley and William have been having a secret relationship for almost a year now?" Bernadette asked Leonard.
"What!" Leonard and Penny yelled. Penny tried to calm herself down after hearing Bernadette. Sarah ran down the stairs when she heard her parents yell, curious as to what was happening.
"Mom, what is happening?" asked Sarah.
"Honey, can you run to the garage and get your brother in here?" said Leonard as Sarah ran to the back of the house to get her brother. Leonard then faced Howard. "Howard believe me, I am as shocked as Penny here. We've been trying to find out who William was dating but it never occurred to us that it would be Halley!" said Leonard.
"We'll find out soon enough." said Howard, adamant at implicating his friend.
"Why would I lie to you? You're my friend, and Halley is like a daughter to me and Penny!" said Leonard as William came into the house, wiping dirt from his hands with a rag. As soon as he saw Howard, Bernadette and Halley standing by the door, he immediately hung his head and sighed, whispering 'damn' under his breath. He walked up to his father and decided to talk before anyone of them could speak.
"Okay, I know this is quite a bit of a surprise but I want you all to know that I never did anything to Halley because I know I would get in trouble for that." William said calmly.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Penny asked her son.
"Wait! Are you telling me that Halley is Williams girlfriend!?" asked Sarah. "That is so messed up!" she exclaimed as Penny gave her the look.
William sighed. "Mom, dad, I never told you guys because I didn't want your friendship with uncle Howard and aunt Bernadette to be ruined." he said, bowing his head. "I swear I never did anything to her." he said then turning to Howard and Bernadette. "Uncle Howard I'm so sorry for causing this trouble. I never wanted to hurt Halley and I know she's still a minor." he said to Howard.
Howard and Bernadette sighed and calmed down after hearing William apologize to them.
"Halley, again I'm sorry but I'm going to New Jersey next week to start my career. I never wanted to hurt you." said William as Sarah hugged her mother, sad for his brother and Halley who she always considered as an older sister. Sarah then walked up to Halley and hugged her tight. Halley rested her face on Sarah's shoulder and began crying with Sarah consoling her.
"You're a real jackass you know that!" Sarah yelled at her brother. "It's alright Hal, don't cry." she added while consoling her friend. Leonard, Penny, Howard and Bernadette looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
"Well, what are we going to do now?" asked Howard.
"Guys we're sorry about this but we're just as surprised as you were. We never knew that William and Halley had been seeing each other." said Penny.
"We didn't know too until yesterday when I heard her crying in her room and when me and Howie pressed her, she told us everything." said Bernadette.
All of a sudden, William took Halley's hand and pulled her inside the house towards the stairs. "We need to talk." he said then looked at their parents. "Don't worry, we're just gonna talk in my room." he added.
Howard and Bernadette tried to protest but Halley cut them off. "It's alright mom." she said while wiping her tears and following William upstairs. Leonard and Penny then invited Bernadette and Howard to sit in the living room to wait for the young couple.
"Sarah honey, let's go to the kitchen and make some tea for your aunt Bernie and uncle Howard." said Penny as Sarah followed her mother.
In the kitchen, Penny pulled Sarah close, motioning for her to be quiet. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do, do you think you could sneak into your room and listen in on them?" Penny said making Sarah excited.
"Jeez mom, that's exactly what I was thinking of." Sarah said smiling.
"Okay, but you have to be on 'stealth mode' you got that!" Penny said softly.
"Mom are you kidding me? You're looking at the 'princess of stealth' here!" she said confidently.
"Okay fine. No need to brag." Penny said. "Go!" she added while giving Sarah a light push.
Sarah then quickly removed her shoes and quietly tip-toed on the hall, being careful not to make any noise. She popped her head and saw her father, Bernadette and Howard talking in the living room and at the right time, she made a dash for the stairs. She sighed with relief that no one saw her as she made her way to her bedroom which was adjacent to William's room. She quietly stepped into her bedroom, quietly closing her door before grabbing the glass of water in her nightstand. She dumped the water out of the window and placed the glass against the wall to try to listen in on her brother and Halley.
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Inside William's room, Halley sat on a chair while William sat on his bed facing her.
"William, I'm sorry for all of this. My mom heard me crying and I gave in when she forced me to tell the truth." said Halley.
"Don't be. It's all my fault." he said. "I knew this was gonna happen but I dated you anyways. I never should have asked you out in the first place." he added.
"So you regret us?" asked Halley.
William sighed. "No. I don't regret being with you. I just wish we wouldn't have to hide from our parents. I know it's weird since our folks are basically brothers and sisters." he said.
"What are we gonna do now?" asked Halley.
William looked straight into her eyes. "I can wait if you can." said William.
"Can you do that?" Halley said.
"You know that I love you right?" asked William.
Halley nodded. "Yeah, you told me." she said.
"And do you believe me?" he asked.
"Yes." said Halley.
"It's only gonna be less than two years." he said.
"What if you meet someone in New Jersey?" asked Halley.
"I gave you my word right?" he said. "If you believe in me then that's enough. Do you think I would do that to you?" he asked.
"No." she said.
"Because that's not me. I've got so much of my father in me." he said, pulling her close and hugging Halley tight. William kissed her on the cheek, reassuring her. "So are we good now?" he asked smiling at her.
Halley nodded. "Yes, we're good now." she said as they stayed on the side of the bed, hugging. They then heard a loud thump coming from Sarah's bedroom accompanied with a muffled 'Ow!' from William's sister. They looked at each other and laughed, amused by Sarah's sneakiness.
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A few minutes later, William and Halley went down from the stairs and into the living room where everyone was waiting for them. He looked at his sister and saw her struggling to hide the guilt in her eyes. Bernadette and Howard stood up, hugging their daughter while Leonard and Penny looked anxiously at their son.
"So?" Bernadette asked William and Halley.
William and Halley smiled at each other. "I think Sarah can fill you all in." he said pointing at his sister.
Everyone turned their attention to Sarah waiting for her reaction. Leonard gave her the look as she nervously scrambled to get herself out of trouble.
"Mom made me do it!" Sarah said to her father while pointing at Penny.
"Unbelievable!" Leonard exclaimed.
"What the hell!" Penny exclaimed. "Now you throw me under the bus!?" she said to her daughter.
"Sorry mom, but I had to get myself out of trouble." said Sarah. "And besides, do you think you're setting a good example to your kids when you're teaching them to eavesdrop on other people's privacy?" Sarah said then quickly realizing her poor choice of words.
Penny's demeanor suddenly changed, getting mad at her daughter. "Don't you put this on me! And you watch your language with me young lady!" she yelled making Sarah retreat to her father's side.
"Okay cut it out you two!" said Leonard. "You're both busted now. She gets you, you get her so let's call it even alright!?" Leonard added with Penny and Sarah quieting down as William, Halley, Bernadette and Howard watch in amusement. "So, are you guys okay now?" Leonard asked the young couple.
"Yes uncle Leonard. William and I are good now." said Halley as their parents looked at William, waiting for his response.
"Yeah, Halley and I decided to wait." William said while giving Halley's shoulder a light squeeze.
Penny went over to Halley and hugged her tight. "Come here sweetie." Penny said hugging Halley tight. "You're such a sweet girl, unlike that one." she added, taking a swipe at her daughter.
"Hey, I'm a sweet girl too!" Sarah protested.
"Of course you are honey!" said Leonard sarcastically, making everyone laugh.
"Now I feel bad for leaving not because of Halley but because I'm gonna miss all the fun my mom and sister are gonna have with each other!" said William making them all laugh except for Penny and Sarah.
"It won't be fun for me because I'll be caught right in the middle of it." said Leonard.
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Later that night, Penny and Leonard were already in bed, getting ready to sleep when they heard a knock on the door.
"It's open." said Penny as Sarah popped her head in, giving her mother a big smile. "Oh, it's you." Penny said as Leonard looked at his wife and daughter.
Sarah walked in and hugged her mother, kissing her on the cheek. "I'm sorry mom." the young woman said.
Penny smiled, touched by her daughter's affection. "Aww sweetheart, come here." she said pulling her daughter to lie down beside her. Sarah snuggled beside her mother while Penny consoled her daughter.
"Let me guess, you want something from me and your dad, that's why you're suddenly apologetic, am I right?" said Penny.
"No!" said Sarah. "I just don't want us to fight mom." said Sarah.
"Don't worry sweetie, we're okay now." said Penny, kissing her daughter's cheek.
"Really?" said Sarah.
"Uh huh." Penny answered as Sarah hugged her tight, kissing her on the cheek as well.
"Mom?" Sarah said.
"Yes sweetie?" said Penny.
"Jason's inviting me on a date tomorrow." she said making Leonard and Penny laugh.
"I knew you wanted something!" Penny exclaimed. "Where is he taking you?" she asked.
"His cousin is getting married and he wanted me to come with him." said Sarah.
"And what time are you planning to get home?" asked Leonard.
"Maybe eight or nine." Sarah said as Penny looked over at Leonard, nodding a little bit.
"Okay, nine o'clock and not a minute more or you're grounded, you understand?" said Penny.
Sarah moved and hugged her parents tight, kissing them on the cheeks. "Thanks mom. Nine o'clock it is!" she exclaimed. "Ugh, I wonder what I would wear!?" she excitedly said as she stood up and went to the door as the couple watched their daughter.
"She really is your daughter." said Leonard, kissing Penny on the lips.
"Well we have to admit, she does have her moments." said Penny as she pulled the blanket and snuggled beside Leonard. He pulled his wife close as they went to sleep, feeling each other's warmth.
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After a week, William was loading the last of his bags into the trunk of his car, ready for his cross-country trip to New Jersey. As Penny and Leonard made sure to remind him to be careful on the road.
"Be careful alright?" said Penny while touching her son's face, trying hard not to breakdown on his son leaving them.
"Don't worry mom, I'll make sure to make a stop as many times as I can." said William. "I already have my trip figured out so I'll just look for a cheap motel to rest before going on the road the next day." he added.
"We just want you to be safe son." Leonard said, tapping his son's shoulder. "Do you have everything you need?" he asked.
"Yes dad." William said. "The university is gonna help me get settled anyway so I won't worry about it." he added.
Leonard nodded. "That's good to know." he said.
Sarah then gave his brother a tight hug. "I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm gonna miss you!" she said, crying a little bit.
"I'm gonna miss you too sis." said William, kissing his sister on her cheek while hugging her tight. "Just don't give mom and dad a hard time alright?" he said making Sarah and their parents laugh.
"I can't promise that." said Sarah.
"I know you can't." he said ruffling his sister's hair as he saw Jason with his parents Matt and Debbie walking up their pathway. "Jason, what brings you here?" he asked.
Jason's father decided to answer as he shook Leonard's hand. "Well, Jason told us that today is your trip so we figured to drop by to see you off." Matt said shaking William's hand.
"Thank you Mr. Harman. We appreciate it." said William as Jason walked over to Sarah.
"Looks like you're all ready to go huh?" said Debbie looking at William's car.
"Yes Mrs. Harman. All my stuff is in my car now." William said.
Jason stepped forward and shook William's hand. "Drive safe Wil." said Jason. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Sarah." he added.
"Oh I'm not worried about you Jason. I'm more worried about her." said William making them all laugh while Sarah gave her brother a death stare.
"You just can't help yourself making fun of me until you leave huh?" Sarah said to her brother.
"It's just something for the road." William said as another car pulled over in front of their house. They looked over and saw Howard, Bernadette, Halley and her younger brother Michael get off the car and walk towards them.
"We're here to see William off." said Howard, shaking Leonard's hand then Matt's afterwards.
"Thanks uncle Howard, aunt Bernie." said William, shaking Howard's hand and giving Bernadette a tight hug then ruffling Michael's hair a little.
"Just be careful on the road William." Bernadette said.
"I will aunt Bernie." he said then looking over to Halley. "Hey." he said to his girlfriend.
Halley gave him a weak smile. "Hey." she said as the others slightly backed away, giving the young couple some space. "Do you have all your stuff in your car?" she asked.
"Yeah, everything's in there." he said smiling at her. William then ran over to his car and got something from his backpack before going back to Halley. "I got this for you." he said as he opened a small jewelry box revealing a golden necklace with a heart pendant. Halley gasped and almost cried as William took the necklace out of the box as the others look on, witnessing the tender moment between the young couple.
"William." Halley said looking him in the eye.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
"I love it. It's perfect." she said as William stood near her to show the necklace up close.
"I'm glad you liked it. I had your initials engraved on the back. See?" he said turning over the pendant for the young lady to see. "Let me put it on you." he said as Halley held her long blonde hair while William puts the necklace on her.
"Thank you. I'll keep it safe. I promise." she said and without warning, pulled him in, kissing him on the lips.
Howard tried to protest but Bernadette quickly cut him off, letting the young couple express their love for each other. Without knowing it, Sarah and Penny were hugging each other, shedding a tear, happy for William and Halley.
The young couple broke off from their kiss and hugged each other. "Stay safe over there alright?" said Halley.
"I will." said William. "I'll call you every time I make a stop okay?" he said as Halley nodded. William took a deep breath and sighed. "I miss you already." he said to Halley.
Halley wiped the tear off her cheek. "Me too." she said giving William a final hug.
"Okay, I think I should go now." he said as he gave his parents and sister as final hug.
"Call us okay?" said Penny as she began to cry with Leonard consoling his wife. Sarah hugged her mother and cried with her. William then shook Howard's hand again and hugged Bernadette. He then shook Matt, Debbie and Jason's hands, saying goodbye to them.
He gave Halley a final hug, kissing her on the cheek, reassuring her of his love before getting in his car and starting the engine.
Penny then started bawling her eyes out, sad for seeing her son leave. "William, promise me you'll be careful alright?" said Penny as they stood near the car.
"I will mom! Don't worry, I'll call when I reach my first stop." William said as he put his car into gear. "Oh and mom?" he added.
Penny wiped her tears. "Yes sweetheart?" she said.
"Make sure to look under Sarah's bed and you'll find a lot of good stuff under there!" he said before pressing his foot gently on the accelerator, driving the car out of the driveway and into the road.
Leonard and Penny folded their arms before turning to face the young lady, looking very nervous and trying hard not to look guilty. Without warning, Sarah turned around and quickly ran into the house and up to her bedroom while the rest of them looked in amusement, shaking their heads in disbelief.