"I'll go warn Charlie," Don said quietly in her ear. "Don't let him in yet." Mira nodded faintly. Don slipped inside as Larry approached the porch.
Once inside, Don walked into the kitchen where Charlie was stirring the spaghetti sauce. Alan was keeping an eye on the boiling water.
"Hey, Donny, dinner will be ready in ten minutes or so," Alan said. Charlie glanced up from the sauce.
"Thanks, Dad, but I'm only here to tell Charlie that a certain physics professor is at the door," Don said. Charlie cringed slightly. "I'd get out there before Larry bores Mira to death." Charlie sighed and offered him the ladle. Don took it and tasted the sauce. He made a face of general disgust.
"Dad, this is really bland!" he exclaimed. Alan sighed.
"That's not my fault. I told Charlie to add some spices to it," he replied. Don looked out the window and saw Charlie touch Mira on the arm. Mira looked at him with gratitude and retreated inside.
Mira came into the kitchen and smiled. "I take it we are having spaghetti tonight?" she asked. Alan gave a polite smile.
"Maybe, if the sauce ever gets help." Mira meandered towards Don's charge and took a taste. Instead of making a taste, she looked at Alan questioningly.
"May I?" she asked. He raised his hands in defeat.
"Leave me to the boiling water and noodles." Mira's eyes ran over the variety of produce that lay out on the counter. When she spotted what she needed, she took a knife and cutting board from the sink. She attacked some garlic and red peppers, adding them to the sauce in quick succession. After asking Alan where he kept his spices, Mira added various amounts of oregano, bay leaves, and onion flakes. After stirring the concoction for a few minutes, she offered a small teaspoon of the sauce to Don.
"What do you think? Too strong?" she asked. Don shook his head vigorously.
"Perfect!" At that precise moment, Charlie and Larry entered the house. Larry was talking practically to himself as he followed Charlie into the kitchen.
"Think we have food for one more?" he asked blandly. Mira glanced up from the sauce at Larry. Larry, noticing that the woman at the stove wasn't Amita or Terry, questioned Charlie.
"I thought you and Amita were going to try a relationship at some point," Larry said. Charlie blushed furiously at the suggestion that he and Mira were in some kind of relationship. Don looked at Mira who seemed not to notice at all.
"We still are," Charlie said defensively. "Mira is with Don!" Larry looked over at Don, who was getting out place settings.
"Charlie, do you think you could keep an eye on this for me while I help Don?" Mira asked calmly, still ignoring Larry's presence. Charlie gladly consented and took the ladle. Mira crossed the slightly crowded kitchen to Don and took some of the plates from his stack.
"You know, Charles, I'm still waiting for that data analysis," Larry started. "Also, I was hoping you could give me a hand in preparing my lectures." Mira started to head out of the kitchen, but paused when Larry didn't move from in front of the door. She waited a few more seconds while Larry continued to list the things he need Charlie to help him with before confronting him.
"Excuse me, Dr. Fleinhardt," Mira said coolly. "I'm sure that whatever you need Charlie for is really important, but right now, this kitchen has one too many bodies inside of it. Unless you want to spend the rest of the evening in everyone's way, I suggest you stop talking and move." Everyone stood in silence for a moment before Larry took her advice and moved from the doorway. Mira make no recognition of his movement and exited the kitchen calmly, plates in hand. Don followed her with a slight grin.
"I think you've scarred his dignity, Mira," he said quietly with a smile. Mira shrugged indifferently.
"He earned it, if you ask me," she replied as she took some of the cups from him and set them around the table in an orderly fashion. Don chuckled quietly as he went back into the kitchen for the food. Mira remained in the dining area looking at some of the pictures that decorated the walls around her.
She could easily pick out Don and Charlie individually. More often than not, the two were together, which proved how much they enjoyed each other's company. Mira spied a photograph of their mother, she assumed, near the china cabinet. Almost absentmindedly, Mira observed the picture as she would a piece of art in a museum; the lighting was perfect, highlighting all her remarkable features. The camera angle was magnificent; her head tilted up towards the photographer almost defiantly. One thing she noticed was the unmistakable kindness that shone in her eyes. It reminded Mira of her father. She couldn't shake the eerie feeling that the portrait was taken by her father or someone with parallel propensities as her father. The feel of the photograph was all too similar. Alan and Don interrupted her train of thought as they entered the room with the food.
"I hope you won't think of me as cheap, Mira," Alan said as he set down the basket of garlic bread.
"Why would I do that?" she asked with surprise as she took the saucepan from Don.
"The garlic bread is store-bought," he replied sheepishly. Mira giggled.
"Don't worry about it," she said. "I cheat all the time. In fact, I didn't grow up eating Italian foods. My childhood diet was that of any other child; it consisted mostly of McDonalds and the occasional liver and onions." Don re-entered the room with the pasta dish while Charlie and Larry followed quickly. After setting the dish down, Don pulled out a chair for Mira, gesturing for her to sit. Mira laughed brightly.
"Thanks, hon." Larry and Charlie sat down opposite of her while Don planted himself next to her. Alan remained standing and dished out the food. Don and Mira engaged themselves in a curiously animated conversation about the importance of sports in the world while Charlie struggled to restrain himself from strangling Larry. Alan watched both his sons with an amused expression.
"Mira, you are absolutely insane! How can you say that sports have no use today?" Don asked. Mira turned her attention to her food refusing to answer his question.
"Charles, I demand to know why I am taking second in your priority list! I have been asking you about these equations for months and you've been focusing your attention on things that have only just come up in the past two minutes!" Larry said in his shrill voice. Charlie sighed tiredly and looked to his father for help. Alan shook his head calmly refusing to bail his youngest son out of trouble this time. Mira looked at him with pity and decided to save him herself.
"So Charlie, did you get an invitation to this birthday party?" she asked suddenly, cutting both Don and Larry off. Charlie looked at her gratefully.
"Actually, I did. I got it in the mail yesterday afternoon," he replied. Mira smiled and looked at Don.
"Then someone better not forget to pick you up before coming to get me," she said pointedly. Don shrugged.
"If I did, he'd just continually call my cell phone until I remembered." After twenty more minutes of cheerful conversation, Alan got up and began to collect plates. Once again, Mira was inclined to assist, but was gently refused.
"You have done your share this evening, Mira. Let my sons clean the table off," he said as he took her plate. Don and Charlie sighed as they began to remove the food from the table. Mira watched them quietly once again ignoring Larry.
"So, Mira, isn't it? What do you do for a living?" Larry asked. Mira glanced at him.
"I'm the Art History professor at UCLA. I also teach Italian and Italian History at CalSci." Larry stared at her. Mira merely blinked calmly as the men re-entered the room. Mira checked her watch quickly as Don sat down next to her again. "Hey, I'm going to get going. I've got some assignments to grade," she said suddenly, getting up from the table. Don watched her with curiosity. He followed her out the door, knowing that everyone was watching them intently. When they were outside, Mira continued to walk towards her 2005 Ford Mustang Convertible, her hands fishing through her small handbag for her keys.
"Mira, what's up?" he asked when they reached her car. Mira stopped and looked at him, her eyes filled with surprise.
"Nothing actually. I just remembered that I had some papers I needed to grade and I wanted to get them done quickly, that's all," she replied innocently. She removed her glasses from her head and stuck them in her purse. She then withdrew a pair of sunglasses and put them on. She continued to look at him idly. Don sighed and decided to take her word for it.
"If you say so, kiddo," he replied, slipping a hand about her waist and gently pulling her towards him.
"Coming over tonight?" she asked in a bare murmur. Don shrugged as he leaned in to kiss her. Mira met him halfway and kissed him softly. Every time they kissed, Don couldn't help but be blown away by her method of attack. "I'll leave the door unlocked until nine," she whispered as she broke away slowly. Don smiled.
"See you then," he said softly as he backed away from the car. He was surprised when she opened the top and handed him a small plastic bag of trash.
"I don't mind you driving the car, Don. I do mind if you leave your trash in it," she said as he took the bag. Mira paused for another moment, just long enough for her to tie back her illustrious chestnut cascade of hair. Don had retreated to the front door and watched her protectively; ready to jump to her aid if anything went wrong on the lifeless residential road. Mira looked at him briefly as she started the car and shook her head in shame. Sometimes she had to wonder if he ever relaxed.
When she was completely out of sight, Don went back inside and put the trash in the garbage can. He grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and went outside to the back porch where his father had retreated to as well. He sighed as he sat down, his anticipation of tomorrow night's events returning all too quickly for his enjoyment.