Chapter 32
A few days later, Leonard was in the cafeteria having lunch when Sheldon joined him along with Howard and Raj. "Leonard please, you have to let me come with you!" said Sheldon.
Leonard looked at him. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
"I learned from your daughter yesterday that you and Penny are taking her to Disneyland. Please let me come with you!...Please!" Sheldon said.
Leonard sighed. "Sheldon, I don't think Penny and I can handle taking care of two babies at Disneyland." he said.
"Huh!?...Penny's pregnant!?" Sheldon asked.
"No!….You're the other baby Sheldon!" he said.
"What if I could make Howard and Raj take me there?" asked Sheldon.
"It's up to you Sheldon. But Penny and I are not gonna take care of you. We're bringing Sarah there for getting a perfect score at her admission test from the school." said Leonard. Sheldon then looked at Howard and Raj.
"Don't look at me Sheldon. If we're going there, I'm bringing Bernadette and believe me you don't want to piss off my girlfriend." Howard said. Sheldon then looked at Raj.
"Sorry Sheldon but I'm actually seeing someone." Raj said.
The three guys were surprised. "What? How did that happen?" Leonard asked.
"Yeah….why didn't you tell us?" Howard asked.
Raj sighed. "I didn't tell you guys because she has a little anxiety in meeting new people and if I introduce her to all of you, she might freak out and run away." he said.
"How do you talk to her then?" Sheldon asked.
"Well….we talk by text." Raj said.
Howard tapped his shoulder. "If it works for you, then who are we to judge." he said smiling.
"What's her name?" asked Leonard.
"Lucy." said Raj.
"Are you gonna bring her to Disneyland?" Sheldon asked Raj.
"I'll ask if she wants. If it's okay with Leonard." Raj said looking at Leonard.
"Guys it's fine with me." said Leonard. "Why don't you ask Amy to come with you?" Leonard told Sheldon.
"He's right Sheldon….I'm sure Amy will like it there." Howard said smiling at Leonard.
"Was that sarcasm?" Sheldon asked Raj.
"No dude….come on Sheldon it'll be fun." Raj said.
Sheldon thought for a while. "What pretense do you think I should tell Amy as a reason for going with me to Disneyland?" he asked the three.
Leonard shrugged his shoulder. "Just tell her we're all going and you don't want to be left behind." he said.
"He's right and tell her you enjoy being with her." Howard said.
Sheldon nodded. "Alright….when are we going?" he asked Leonard.
"Next Saturday. I don't know about you guys, but the first thing on my list will be to visit the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge." he said.
"Count me in Leonard….I'm sure your daughter will like it too." Howard said while Raj nodded.
"When we told her we're bringing her to Disneyland, she screamed and jumped around the apartment." Leonard said.
The next day, the gang was having dinner at Leonard's apartment.
"Where's Sheldon?" asked Penny
"He texted me….he says he'll be here in five minutes." Howard said. "So Sarah, Leonard told us you got a perfect score at your admission test huh?" he asked.
"Uh huh….and Principal Rogers even gave daddy some money." said Sarah.
"Why?" Bernadette asked.
"Because I solved their equation on the board." Sarah said.
"Equation?" Howard asked.
"Yeah...they have this incorrect equation on a board on the hallway and anyone who solves it gets two thousand dollars...nobody was able to solve it until Sarah came…..right sweetie!?" Penny said.
"Yeah….and Mr. Potts even cried." said Sarah.
"Mr. Potts?" Bernadette asked.
"He's one of the math teachers there. When he saw Sarah's solution, he cried. He said it's so elegant." Leonard said as he pulled a piece of paper from under the coffee table and gave it to Bernadette. Howard and Raj leaned over to look at it.
"Oh yeah, there it is. The exponent's sign should be positive." Howard said pointing at the paper while Raj nodded.
"Great job Sarah!" Bernadette said.
"Thank you aunt Bernie!" Sarah said.
"You must be very excited to go to Disneyland huh?" asked Bernadette.
"Yeah….My dad and Penny even bought me a new princess dress to wear when we go there." said Sarah.
"Why bother?….I mean you could do it there." Bernadette said.
"What do you mean Bernie?" Penny asked.
"Well they offer a princess makeover where you can choose which princess you want to be and they give you a makeover….I'm going for Cinderella." Bernadette said.
"Daddy can we do that?" Sarah asked her father.
"Of course honey….but your aunt Bernie already picked Cinderella." said Leonard.
"That's okay daddy….I'm going to be Merida from Brave." said Sarah.
"That's great honey….and like her you have curly hair too!" said Leonard.
"Uh huh….and you told me before that I was brave right?" said the child.
"Yeah I remember." he said smiling at his daughter.
Sarah turned to Penny. "Penny, what princess are you going to be?" Sarah asked her.
Penny was surprised. "Uh I don't know….do I have to be one?" she asked the child.
"Come on Penny it will be fun….you can be Princess Aurora." Sarah said.
"And who is that?" Penny asked.
"Sleeping Beauty….and you both have blonde hair." Sarah said.
"Okay….I'll be Aurora." Penny said smiling at her. Leonard and Howard looked at each other and immediately understood what the other was thinking.
They heard a knock on the door. Raj stood up and opened it and saw Sheldon accompanied by a woman with shoulder-length hair and glasses, wearing a cardigan. They stepped inside as the gang looked at them.
"Good evening everyone….let me introduce my friend Amy Farrah Fowler….Amy this is Penny, Bernadette, Leonard, the little girl is Leonard's daughter Sarah….and you already met Howard and Raj." Sheldon said. The gang waved hello to Amy.
"Hello. I'm Amy Farrah Fowler." said Amy.
"Come in you guys….we just started eating." said Leonard.
"Thank you….your place is nice Leonard." Amy said as she sat down.
"Thanks." he said.
"Hi! You must be Sarah? I'm Amy Farrah Fowler. Sheldon told me you're a very smart girl." Amy said to the child.
Sarah just looked at her and didn't respond. "It's alright sweetie, don't be shy." Penny said while rubbing the child's back.
"Hi Ms. Amy." said Sarah. Leonard smiled at his daughter. "Uncle Sheldon, is she coming with us to Disneyland?" Sarah asked.
"Yes. She's coming with us to Disneyland." said Sheldon.
"Ms. Amy, what Disney Princess are you gonna be?" Sarah asked.
"Uh, I'm sorry?" Amy said.
"There's this thing on Disneyland where you come in and they give you a princess makeover….hair, makeup, dress…" Howard said.
Amy became excited and smiled. "Well it would be nice to be Cinderella!" she smiled.
Bernadette became anxious. "Uh there can only be one Cinderella and I'm Cinderella." Bernadette imposed.
"Oh okay….I'll be Sleeping Beauty then?" Amy offered.
"Sorry Amy….I'm Sleeping Beauty." Penny smiled at her.
"Alright….then I guess I'll be Snow White…" said Amy. No one replied.
"Leonard." Sheldon said.
"Yeah?" said Leonard.
"Hell is real." said Sheldon.
"Relax Sheldon….let the girls talk." Howard said smiling.
"How can I relax? Before the ladies came into our lives, we have always had meaningful and insightful conversations about science and the inner workings of the universe. But now here we are, talking about Disney Princesses and Prince Charmings – stuff that is appropriate only for one person in this room, Leonard's daughter." Sheldon said.
"And what would you want us to discuss Sheldon?" Leonard asked sarcastically.
"'And what would you want us to discuss Sheldon?'. Why do you hate us Leonard!?" Howard said a little irritated.
"Howard's right Sheldon. Social Convention dictates that as the newest member of the group, I have to, from time to time, take their side in order for me to better fit in and not be ostracized from the said group." Amy said.
Sarah whispered into Penny's ear. Penny laughed a little. "Okay sweetie." she said to the child.
Leonard looked at them. "What is it?" he asked.
Penny looked at Sarah and nodded. "I told Penny that Ms. Amy talks like uncle Sheldon." Sarah said. The others laughed at the child's comment.
"It just goes to show that Sheldon and Amy are compatible with each other." Howard said.
"Uhurm!" Leonard cleared his throat.
Howard understood his warning. "Oh yeah right…..sorry….let's change the topic." said Howard.
Amy turned to Sarah. "I have to talk like that to your uncle Sheldon or else he wouldn't understand me." she winked at the child.
"Are you a scientist too Ms. Amy?" Sarah asked her.
"I am. I'm a Neurobiologist. I study brains." she said. "and it's alright if you call me Amy, or aunt Amy if you want." she added.
Sarah looked at Penny. "It's alright sweetie." Penny said reassuring the child.
"Okay...aunt Amy….is your research focused on studying the Prefrontal Cortex?" she asked. Leonard and the others were surprised and looked at the child.
"Honey, where did you learn that?" Leonard smiled and asked his daughter.
"I read it somewhere daddy. I read that the different parts of the brain have different uses, like emotions, math, reasoning….is that right aunt Amy?" asked the child.
"Wow Sarah! Sheldon was right, you really are super smart!...and to answer you question, my research is focused on the Frontal Lobe which is responsible for reasoning, logic and emotions." said Amy.
"Wow...that is so cool!….can you stimulate the frontal lobe to make someone cry?" said Sarah. Leonard was even more surprised.
"Not yet….but that would be awesome right?" Amy smiled at her.
"Yeah….and if you see someone sad, you can make them un-sad." said the child.
"Okay….where are you reading all this stuff?" He asked his daughter.
"Daddy we have plenty of books over there." she said pointing at their bookshelf.
"You're right honey." Leonard hugged and kissed his daughter. "I'm so proud of you." he said.
They continued talking until it was time for Leonard to put Sarah to bed. Leonard returned to the living room where the guys were watching TV. Penny stood up and kissed him on the cheek.
"Honey, Bernie and I are gonna go over my place for some girl talk okay?" she said.
Leonard kissed her back. "No problem. Have fun!" he said.
Amy sat up straight. "I'm a girl!" Amy announced looking at Penny.
Penny turned around. "Oh….if you want you could join us….right Bernie?" said Penny.
"Yeah sure." said Bernadette.
"Is there some sort of protocol that I need to follow?" asked Amy.
"Protocol?" Penny asked.
"We just talk about girl stuff." Bernadette quickly added.
"Oh? Okay!" said Amy as Penny looked at Bernadette, confused and puzzled.
The three of them went over to Penny's place leaving the guys in Leonard's apartment.
In Penny's place, Amy and Bernadette sat on the couch while Penny went to her kitchen cabinet and opened a bottle of wine.
"Amy would like some wine?" asked Penny.
"Hmmm….this must be the alcohol and peer pressure my mother warned me about all those years ago….yes please." she said smiling at Penny.
Penny and Bernadette could already feel that this night is starting to feel awkward. Penny placed the wine bottle and three glasses on the coffee table and filled them with wine. They each took a glass and drank.
"So Amy, did you have a boyfriend before Sheldon?" asked Bernadette.
"No. Although my mother insisted that I go on a date at least once a year." said Amy.
"Once a year?" asked Penny.
"Yeah and I need to provide her with the evidence that I did it." Amy said.
"Evidence?" asked Bernadette.
"You know….pictures of us in a restaurant, having a nice 'romantic' dinner or a movie or going to the park." Amy said.
"And what did your mother say when you told her about Sheldon?" Penny asked.
"She warned me that city boys only have one thing on their minds and that I should be careful and not 'give up the goods' so easily." said Amy.
"What thing?" Bernadette asked, although she already knew what Amy meant.
"You know….hand holding….kissing….coitus." said Amy.
"Coitus?" asked Penny.
"It means sex Penny." said Bernadette.
"Oh yeah….sure." Penny nodded as she drank from her glass.
"But what if Sheldon wants to hold you hand, or kiss you on the lips? What are you gonna do?" asked Bernadette.
Amy gasped. "I don't know….I haven't thought about that." she said.
"Well….do you want to kiss him?" Penny teased Amy. Bernadette smiled.
"I guess." Amy said making Penny and Bernadette scream and giggle.
"Oh my god Amy!?" Penny said.
"Well….social convention dictates that the girl should wait for the guy to make the move or at least until the third date." said Amy.
Penny and Bernadette frowned and became silent.
Amy noticed their reaction. "Why? Is there something I should know?" she asked.
"Well….I mean…." said Bernadette hesitating.
"What is it Bernadette?" asked Amy.
Penny sighed. "Amy, how many dates have you been with Sheldon?" she asked.
"Two. Why?" said Amy.
"Okay….and in those two dates has he ever attempted to hold your hand or even kiss you goodnight?" asked Penny.
"No." said Amy.
"Did he asked you to be his girlfriend?" asked Bernadette.
"No. What are you getting at?" asked Amy, slightly becoming anxious.
Penny took a deep breath. "Amy, if you're gonna wait on Sheldon, you might wait for a long time." she said.
"What are you saying?" Amy asked.
"Well, Sheldon doesn't do well with change, especially with relationships." Bernadette said.
"Are you saying that Sheldon doesn't want to be in a relationship with me?" Amy asked.
Penny sighed. "Amy, sweetie listen to me….he might not want to be in a relationship with anyone." she said.
"Oh?…..what do you think I should do?" asked Amy.
"We don't know….Sheldon is sort of an odd fellow." said Bernadette.
"Yeah….odd would be a simple way of putting it." said Penny. The girls stayed quiet for a while.
"How about this….I'm a scientist….what if I perform an experiment on him?….make him increase his romantic feelings for me?" said Amy.
"I don't know….Sheldon's pretty smart….wouldn't he just see through that?" said Penny.
"Yeah….if Sheldon sees through your experiment, you could kiss your chances with him goodbye." said Bernadette.
"I'll have to take a shot because if I don't, like you said, I could be waiting for a long time." said Amy.
"Alright….good luck." said Penny. Amy just looked at her. "You're gonna need it." said Penny.
"Thanks guys….I appreciate. Even though this is my first time being in this social group, I already feel that one of you will be my best friend….or BFF, which I don't like….or bestie, which I prefer." she said smiling and looking at Penny. Penny and Bernadette looked at each other and drank from their wine glasses. "What about you and Leonard? How did the two of you meet?" Amy asked Penny.
"I met them at the restaurant where I used to work, then my car got into trouble and Leonard helped me out. That's where it started." said Penny.
"And you were okay with him having a daughter?" asked Amy.
"Well, it was difficult at first, we can't really go out on dates since Leonard doesn't want to leave Sarah to just anyone…..but our first date was the most amazing night I had!" said Penny.
"Really? Can you tell me? Please." Amy said. Penny nodded and told Amy about her first date with Leonard. She told her everything with Bernie chiming in from time to time and when she was done, Amy was speechless and teary-eyed.
"Boy I wish I was as lucky as you Penny." said Amy.
"They both deserve to be happy, especially Leonard. After everything that he's been through." said Bernadette.
"You're right Bernie. That's why we're being careful especially since Sarah's still so young. We don't want to do anything stupid that might hurt her." said Penny.
The girls continued to talk and drink wine until eleven in the evening when Howard, Sheldon and Raj knocked on Penny's door to tell the girls that it was time to go home.