Boisterous laughter of Andrea can be heard all the way in Rusty's room. He paused a bit from doing his homework and listened if he could hear bits and pieces of the conversation of Sharon and Andrea. He could hear an occasional laughter and an excited yelp that puts him out of concentration, yet he couldn't hear the juicy details that makes his mom and her friend act like giggling teen-agers.
Not that he was snooping but he went out of the room twice, first, to get something to drink and second, to get some books he left on the foyer table, and both times when he passed them the tone of their voices reduced considerably to a whisper, and this fueled his curiosity on their topic.
Early this evening, Sharon called him to give him a present from Andrea. A beautiful ebony colored bird with a bright orange beak which Andrea bought to give as a family pet. The bird wasn't so bad but he rather had a dog which Sharon felt was a big responsibility. With him and Sharon often out of the house, it would be unfair for the dog to have minimal company and attention.
"Gee, thanks, Andrea but don't boys usually get a turtle or a hamster?" he said meeting the bird's curios glare.
"Don't be silly. This bird is special. It talks," smiled Andrea.
"I'll Kill yah!" said the bird as if on cue.
Rusty burst into laughter but Sharon was not amused.
"Andrea!" she uttered in dismay.
"I know I said I want some nice pet that could teach my son some responsibility and not violence"
Andrea laughed. "I'm sorry. I found it in a pet store downtown. I guess that's what he hears from his cage. Rusty's not 5. He's almost and adult the silly bird can't affect him. I'm sure he'll learn some new words from Rusty."
"I'll kill yah!" "I'll kill yah", repeated the bird.
It sent more laughter to Rusty but Sharon still wasn't amused.
"Say Sharon" said Rusty. "Sharon", he repeated but the bird did not echo.
"Rusty" he said. But still the bird said the only words he knew.
"It might take time," said Andrea optimistically.
He took the bird cage into his room and left Sharon and Andrea in their tete-a-tete.
"You are absolutely hilarious, Sharon" laughed Andrea.
"You found my sexual harassment case funny?" she asked in offense.
"I only did as you suggested-flirt a little to let him know I like him."
"That is what's funny. So now Andy's a mind reader? You work on being extra attractive for work but for whom is anybody's guess! It could be for a boyfriend they don't know about, could be for the Commander in the next department or the receptionist downstairs. It's very vague. Not at all considered flirting unless it is directed at someone," explained Andrea before drinking another shot of Tequila and leaning back on the living room sofa to rest her head.
"Come on tell me… did he even notice you in that dress? You told me everything but his reaction," urged Andrea.
Sharon turned crimson and hesitated but gave in to Andrea's teasing.
"Well, he said I was fetching… with a twinkle in his eyes and big smile on his face,' she smiled shyly.
Andrea and Sharon giggled.
"Hey... that constitutes to sexual harassment, doesn't it?" joked Sharon.
"Nah!" Sharon and Andrea shook their heads in unison and laughed.
"Since sexual harassment is about power and authority, coming from Flynn to you is not sexual harassment. If it were Flynn to Amy Sykes… that kind of compliment may cost him. So even if he tells you how beautiful you look everyday, you can't sue him for that. It's not an indication of abuse of power…."
Looking at the bird as he paused from his homework Rusty decided to bring the cage out into the balcony. It was distracting him with its constant "I'll kill yah" and it would give him another excuse to catch a breath of their conversation.
As Rusty went out of the room with the bird cage, the guilty expression he caught on Sharon's face piqued his interest.
"Uhm… I'm just taking the bird to the balcony. It's a warm night. He might need some fresh air," said Rusty.
He took his time fixing the cage by the balcony, but to his disappointment neither of the women spoke a word while he was within earshot. He had no choice but to go back to his homework inside his room as it would really look suspicious if he dallied longer.
"Night Sharon. Night Andrea," he called out albeit disappointed to hear what it was they were talking about.
"Good night, kiddo!" called Andrea.
When they hear Rusty closed his bedroom door the women excitedly resumed their discussion.
"And… then what?" asked Andrea inquisitively. "He didn't kiss you or caress you?"
"He just helped me unzip my dress is all," said Sharon.
"What we told Taylor was the truth. Nothing untoward really happened that day."
Sharon caught the disappointment in Andrea's eyes.
"What if I tell you , he buys me lunch, leaves them on my desk with a single rose," Sharon boasted.
Andrea's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Really, that is so sweet."
"But from another's perspective, a move like that to the boss makes one a boot-licker. Hahaha." she laughed.
"So, tell me. When did this happen?" she asked curiously.
"As you know we haven't gone out in a while… once when we were so busy in the case, we were in the process of making an arrest that we haven't gone home in twenty-four hours. I found a bowl of Greek Salad and an orange juice with a red rose on top of my desk. There was a note attached to the rose. Don't work too hard. A few days after he gave me seafood pasta for lunch… said he and Provenza just came back from Chef D'Angelo. Then after that, there was this new Mexican restaurant we've been planning to go to but never gotten around… He went there and bought me their special burrito."
Andrea was excited. "Uh huh! And then? This shows he isn't at all affected by Provenza's so called words of wisdom."
Sharon's face turned forlorn. "Then…then that harassment issue in Taylor's office happened. I was off the hook on the sexual harassment allegation, but Taylor asked us if there was something going on between us...and I said none."
"Oh Andrea, we haven't gone out for any movie night nor dinner in more than 3 weeks. He was so sweet you know… explained everything to Taylor, spared me the embarrassment to narrate the perfectly innocent escapade…. I miss him." whined Sharon.
"Sharon! If you weren't my friend, I would have clobbered you. That was your chance! The least you could have said was you were special friends… That would have been a subtle hint for both Andy and Chief Taylor there was something a little more. Besides, should you be a topic for lunchroom gossip in the future, and it reaches Taylor's ears, there would be no need for him to confront you about it because he already knew. It's like a license for you and Andy to keep doing what you're doing."
Sharon felt rueful. "I know! It's just that it caught me off-guard and I was not ready for the confrontation… and now Andy is avoiding me. I believe I saw hurt in his eyes when I said there was nothing more in our relationship except colleagues. I do miss our dinner nights and movie nights."
"If he doesn't ask you out again then do it! Invite him for a movie," said Andrea.
"Or you can imitate Lauren Bacall in the movie "To Have and Have Not". It's very subtle but flirtatious. He'll fall for that. Say it in a sultry tone… your voice would be perfect."
"If you need me, just whistle. You do know how to whistle, Andy, don't you? Just put your lips together and blow." Andrea mimicked Lauren Bacall, changing Bogart's character Steve to Andy's name.
"And have another sexual harassment suit thrown at me," Sharon said incredulously.
"You are outrageous Andrea!" cried Sharon.
This sent fits of laughter from Andrea.
"That's my problem, Andrea. If he sends me flowers, he is nothing but a boot licker but if I invite him for a movie, it is sexual harassment! I don't know what else to do. I think… oh I can't admit it...I love you, Andy…"cried Sharon.
"I hate to say 'I told you so' but that time at Taylor's Office was a missed opportunity."
Suddenly both women caught their breath and turned their heads to glance at the beautiful black bird on the terrace.
"I love you, Andy. I love you, Andy," it mimicked.
Sharon was horrified.