Chapter 21
Late
Leonard woke at the sound of the alarm clock radio, and immediately roused Penny.
"Leonard please, it's too early, I'm still tired Honey", Penny told him, as she turned and pulled the covers back over her head.
"Sorry Penny It's time for us all to get up and get ready", Leonard insisted.
"Oh my God, I forgot, the wedding!, you wake the girls and I'll start breakfast", Penny ordered as she reluctantly threw back the covers and hurriedly reached for her robe.
Leonard after donning his own robe went to wake his Daughters, and not surprisingly discovered that his Daughters, like their mother, firmly believed that 08:00 O'clock was in the middle of the night. And it was after much complaining by the girls that Leonard was able to get them to go and wash at all.
Penny meanwhile had got the girls cereal ready, and was currently engaged in cooking some french toast for herself and Leonard, while Leonard had a wash himself in their en suite.
Soon the girls washed and dressed entered the kitchen and began eating their breakfast, and Angela in attempting to get the last corn-flake from her bowl, tipped it towards herself a little too far and succeeded in spilling milk all down the front of her dress without Penny's notice, that is until the moment Angela stood up to put her shoes on.
"Angela!, what on earth have you done to your dress?", Penny demanded of her daughter.
"Honestly sweetie, Come on, come upstairs with me and change into your other one", Penny instructed as she hurried her daughter upstairs.
Meanwhile as Leonard was putting on his new shirt, only to discover there were two buttons missing, and at once had the bright idea of taking it to Penny for her to sew a couple back on.
Penny though had a different solution and while Angela donned a clean dress, Penny collected needle, thread and buttons and handed them to Leonard, with an "OH!" in response from Leonard.
Penny returned to Angela only to see that the dress she had put on was covered in creases, and at Angela's explanation that it had fallen off the hanger, Penny pointed out that in future would it not trouble Angela too much to hang it back up rather than shove all her toys on top of it?.
So after getting the dress back off of Angela, Penny found herself rushing downstairs for the iron.
Meanwhile Honey Marie who had had the honour to be chosen to be a bridesmaid, had got ready and went to her Mother (who was at that moment impatiently waiting for the iron to reach the correct temperature, so Penny could iron Angela's dress), for her inspection and approval. And at the lovely sight of her nearly five year old daughter, Penny felt her tears start.
"Mom don't, I feel like a right dork", Honey Marie declared, in disgust at her Mothers abject failure to control her emotions.
"Doesn't she look just like an angel, Leonard?", Penny asked, totally ignoring Honey Marie's discomfort.
"Mom please!", Honey Marie chided as she witnessed her Mother shedding even more tears.
And in a flash of inspiration, Penny grabbed her camera while at the same time totally ignoring Leonard who was pointing at his watch, and ushered Honey Marie out into the garden for her Daughter to stand in front of the Jacaranda tree for a treasured photograph, Before returning and Ironing the dress.
Then while Leonard and the girls were ready and waiting downstairs, it was now time to wait for Penny to get ready.
Penny meanwhile in her haste to put on her new tights had put her fingernail straight through them and summoned Leonard to obtain a new pair after repeating the particular make and shade several times to Leonard, while thinking to herself how strange it was that Leonard could remember numerous formula for mathematical functions while being totally unable to remember a particular shade of hosiery, and wisely she decided she had better write the information down for him.
Leonard soon returned with the tights and was not surprised to find that Penny had not yet dressed and was still indeed engaged in applying her make up, and by the time Penny was ready they were nearly 25 minutes late, finally, to Penny's relief they were all in the car and on their way, when Penny remembering the card and the wedding present and asked Leonard, "Did you remember to pick their present up as I told you to earlier?", she demanded.
Leonard though could only sheepishly look back at her in a look of apology.
"Leonard!, I did ask you?", Penny told him in exasperation, before demanding that they will have to turn round and get it.
Leonard turned round and almost as soon as the car had reached their drive, Penny was out and in the house and retrieving the present while also turning the iron off, and feeling grateful that Leonard had not witnessed her own forgetfulness, she locked the door and soon they were on their way again.
But it was with some dismay for Penny to see that they were three quarters of an hour late for the wedding, and Penny after the stress of preparation could not help but be visibly upset, she had been longing to see Honey Marie walking down the aisle behind the bride and her tears began to flow in her dismay, Leonard though was smiling, "It's OK Honey, we are not late, in fact we're early. You see I set the alarm an hour earlier than you said just in case", Leonard explained.
And Penny was so relieved at his confession, she kissed her Husband on the cheek and lovingly squeezed his arm in gratitude, "Thank you sweetie, I do love you", she said, instantly relieved.
It was just as well that they arrived at the wedding venue in good time for security was tight and Penny was startled by the paparazzi as a barrage of camera's began taking pictures of Penny herself.
"Now you know, you're a star at last", Leonard told her. And after entering away from the camera's Penny turned to her husband and said, "you will always be my favourite fan though Honey", she told him before kissing him. And Leonard's reply to Penny, made her tear up as he told her, "I will always be your number 1 fan forever".
They showed their invites to security and after Honey Marie had been hustled off to join the other bridesmaids, and as the rest of the Hofstadter family began to enter a pew towards the back when an usher hurried over to them and escorted them to a pew on the brides side immediately behind her family members.
With all the celebrities, directors, and producers in attendance there was no more an honoured guest than Penny, for Kay would be forever extremely grateful at Penny's immense kindness at getting Kay and J.G. Together, with their wedding today being the result.
And Penny could not help her tears begin to flow as she observed Kay walking down the aisle towards her groom, as her eyes shone with ultimate happiness. And J.G. too his face displaying the look of adoration as he watched his beautiful bride approach, and Penny was stunned at how much J.G. Resembled Leonard in the fact that J.g. also, could not help the tears as he looked at his bride.
Then Penny quickly recovered her composure to discreetly take some pictures of the bride and her bridesmaids as they walked down the aisle.
(and to Honey Marie's disgust these pictures and the official photographs, would later be shown to every relative and friend of Leonard's and Penny's)
Penny reached vainly for a handkerchief to wipe her eyes when Leonard offered her the little pack of tissues he had purchased earlier along with the tights. "Penny took out a tissue and smiling to the love of her life, she repeated the words she had uttered while in his laboratory years ago, "Sometimes I forget how smart you are".
Later while at the reception, Penny had to take firm steps with a dashing young actor who was coming on too strong and accidentally on purpose tipped her drink down the front of his suit and although she appeared to be apologetic to everyone around her, she angrily hissed under her breath, "you just could not come anywhere near to give me the pleasure my husband gives me so you can back off pal", and the dashing young actor was afterwards seen dashing away from the venue in humiliation. Though Penny did enjoy the warm and loving hugs from Kay and her new husband J.G. later.
Afterwards through her abject fear of causing her Leonard hurt, Penny made sure her beloved Husband was constantly by her side, then as Kay Insisted that everyone must meet her dear friend Penny, and Leonard was almost overwhelmed at meeting so many Celebrities.
"Thank you so much for everything", Kay gratefully and almost tearfully thanked Penny. While Penny imparted a firm warning to J.G. To always cherish my dear friend all her days, and Penny heartened to see the look wonder on J.G.'s face as he told her, "That I certainly will do, Kay's the most wonderful person that I have ever met in my life". And after waving goodbye to the bride and groom as they left for their honeymoon in the Bahamas, it was time to leave and carrying a sleeping twin each and guiding a very tired little bridesmaid, it was time to make for home, when Kay's Mother stopped them and informed them that Kay had booked them a suite in an hotel to save them traveling back so late.
Penny jumped at the opportunity and a car chauffeured them to one of the top hotel's, while their own car would be kept safe until they returned the next morning.
Penny gazed around in wonder for the suite was huge and after the girls were settled in their beds Penny returned to find a bottle of champagne sitting in it's ice bucket on a table on which sat a small present, Penny opened the present in some surprise at this latest development and on opening it out fell some keys and also a note, which read,
To my dear friend Penny, you have given me the chance
to enjoy the same lifetime of happiness that you enjoy in your marriage.
Such a gift is, I consider absolutely priceless and I find I cannot thank you enough.
The keys are to my beach house in Malibu, and I would very much be pleased
if you would Stay there for three weeks or so, with your (as you often tell me)
Your wonderful Husband and your beautiful Daughters.
With so much gratitude your devoted friend
Kay.
"Leonard", "I can't believe it", Penny barely whispered, as she hugged him tightly.
"Well Honey, looks like we have ourselves three weeks of sun and sand in a luxury beach house", he told her, then in spite of their tiredness they made full use of the champagne and the Jacuzzi, before Leonard reminded Penny of the enormous pleasure that Penny receives just from making love with the wonderful husband she adores so much.
