Chapter 39
It was the day before Christmas and the couple along with Sarah woke up early to begin their tour of New York. This time, they were going to Coney Island to try out the rides and attractions that Penny saw on the tourist website she was checking out the other day. Leonard was driving the car when he looked over at Penny who kept quiet since they left the apartment.
"Hey, you're awfully quiet today? Is something wrong?" asked Leonard, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.
"Nothing's wrong honey. I'll just be quiet here and keep it a secret, like what you two did last night." she said looking squarely at him.
"We're not keeping any secrets from you." said Leonard, trying hard not to smile.
"Daddy's right Penny. We were just telling jokes to each other last night." said Sarah. "Please don't be mad." Sarah added.
Penny sighed. "Fine." she said.
"Honey, we're not keeping any secrets from you. I promise." said Leonard. "Let's just enjoy our time today alright?" he added.
"I said it's fine Leonard." Penny said.
"Okay how about this, why don't I take you to dinner tonight. Just you and me." said Leonard.
"What about Sarah?" asked Penny.
Leonard looked over his daughter through the rear view mirror. "Honey, is it alright if Penny and I go to dinner tonight?" Leonard asked.
"No problem daddy. I'll just stay home with grandpa and watch a movie with him." said Sarah.
Penny turned around and looked at the child. "Really sweetie?" she asked.
"Yes Penny. You and daddy haven't had much dates right?" she said.
"Aww, thank you so much sweetie!" Penny said, turning around and touching her hand.
"Thank you honey." said Leonard then turning to Penny. "So, dinner tonight?" he asked.
Penny smiled and leaned over to him, kissing his cheek. "Yes honey." she said before returning to her seat. Leonard silently sighed with relief that him and Sarah were able to hide their secret from Penny.
As soon as they arrived at the park, Sarah became excited and went to overdrive, pointing out the places she wanted to try out. They decided to ride the roller coaster first. Unfortunately, due to height restrictions, Sarah was not allowed to ride the Thunderbolt Roller Coaster so they settled for the other child-friendly rides which was fine with Sarah, understanding that it was for her own safety. Sarah asked her father if she could try the swing ride alone after seeing the other kids riding it without their parents.
"Daddy please, it's gonna be fine! Look at the other kids." said Sarah, pulling his hand.
"I don't know honey. I'm worried the chain might break or something." said Leonard.
"Relax honey. It's gonna be alright." said Penny, squeezing his arm.
Leonard took a deep breath and knelt in front of his daughter. "Okay but promise me you're gonna hold tight to the chair alright?" he said.
"I will daddy. I promise." said Sarah as she fell in line with the other kids.
Penny leaned her head on Leonard's shoulder as they watch Sarah being helped to her seat by the ride attendant, making sure her safety belt was secure and comfortable. Sarah saw the couple and gave them a big smile, waving at them as the couple waved back.
"She's so happy." said Leonard.
"She's happy because she has us." said Penny, facing him.
Leonard pulled her close and kissed her lips. "I love you honey." he said.
"I love you too." She said smiling, leaning her head back on his shoulder as the ride began to spin, making the kids excited.
"You're right Leonard." she added.
"About what?" asked Leonard.
"This is gonna be the best Christmas." said Penny.
Leonard laughed, kissing her on the side of the head. "I told you." he whispered making Penny hug him tighter as the swing ride spun faster, making the kids scream in delight. The ride ended and Sarah ran back to the couple, ecstatic from the adrenaline rush.
"Did you see that daddy? I told you I could handle it!" Sarah said while hugging Leonard.
"I'm just glad that you're safe honey." he said, kissing his daughter.
"You were so brave sweetie! I'm so proud of you!" said Penny, hugging the child.
"Let's try another ride daddy!" Sarah exclaimed.
Leonard took her hand as they walk away. "Okay honey, we'll try another ride." He said. They went around the park and got on every ride that was safe for children while trying to take a lot of pictures on and off the ride, making some of the photos blurry.
Like their Disneyland trip, Leonard let the two girls pig out on junk food, sodas, hotdogs, cotton candies and almost everything that caught their eye. They went to try the target shooting range to try to win a prize or stuff toy by hitting one of the targets. Leonard did his best to stay focused to knock the targets over only for Penny and Sarah to laugh at his 'failure'. Penny and Sarah took their turn, eventually winning a small stuffed bear for Sarah. Leonard, wanting to reclaim his honor, gave another five dollars to the gallery owner to try again. On his last two shots, he managed to hit the target, winning a stuffed giraffe for his girlfriend. Penny was touched and impressed, jumping on Leonard and giving him a big wet kiss as Sarah covered her eyes with her stuffed toy.
"Good save Hofstadter!" Penny said. "I'm so proud of you!" she added.
"Nice going daddy!" Sarah said. "You're the best!" Sarah added.
Leonard was touched and hugged his daughter, lifting her on his arms. "Thank you honey." he said.
The three continued with their day out in Coney Island, taking in all the sights, visiting the boardwalk, taking a lot of pictures with cute and wacky poses and just having a good time with each other's company. Sarah was the happiest of them, being with her loving father and Penny who has been nothing but a mother to her for the past year.
It was almost five in the afternoon when they decided to go back to the apartment and call it a day. Sarah was sitting on the backseat while Leonard was driving down the road when she spoke to the two of them.
"Where are you gonna take Penny for dinner daddy?" asked Sarah.
"I'm not sure yet honey. Maybe somewhere near the apartment. I just hope we could get a nice table." Leonard said.
"I'm sure you'll find something daddy." She said.
"I hope so too honey." said Leonard, smiling at his daughter.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us sweetie?" asked Penny.
"It's alright Penny. You and daddy just have a good time alright?" said Sarah.
"Aww, thank you so much sweetie! Don't worry we'll try to go home early okay?" said Penny.
"Okay." said Sarah.
They continued to talk for the rest of the way about their trip to the park and the prizes they got.
It was almost seven in the evening when Leonard came out of the bedroom, dressed casually for his dinner date with Penny. Penny was still in the bathroom, freshening up.
"Well, how do I look?" Leonard asked Sarah and Alfred who was sitting on the couch, watching TV.
"You look good daddy!" said Sarah, giving him a thumbs up.
Leonard sat on the chair as they heard Penny came out of the bathroom, walking directly to the bedroom to get dressed. After around fifteen minutes, Penny came out, wearing her denim jeans, leather boots and flannel upper garment with a matching scarf to shield away the cold winter breeze of New York.
"Well? Do I look alright?" she asked Leonard, doing a little spin.
Leonard smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "You look perfect honey." He said.
"Thank you honey. You look good too!" she said, fixing his shirt and hair. "Let's go!?" she said.
Leonard held Penny's hand as they went to the door. "Bye you two. Be a good girl alright?" he said.
"Bye daddy! Have fun!" said Sarah and Alfred.
The couple went out of the building holding hands when Penny decided to speak.
"Where are we going Leonard?" she asked.
"There's this nice Italian Restaurant not far from here. I sent them a message this morning to reserve a table for us." he said smiling at her.
Penny looked him in the eye. "What are you really up to huh?" she asked, becoming suspicious of Leonard's confidence.
"Nothing. Would you rather that we go around town looking for a nice restaurant until we find one with a vacant table or we could just go to this place reserved for us?" he said, smiling at her.
Penny sighed. "Fine. I guess I'll just let you do your thing and maybe, just maybe, you might be able to impress me again." she said teasing him.
"Okay, buckle up miss!" he said laughing a little as they passed by a small flower shop. Leonard stopped and went inside the shop, coming back immediately with a big bouquet of flowers, giving them to Penny. "This is for you honey." He said.
Penny smiled, delighted with her boyfriend's gesture. "Honey these are so beautiful! I love them!" she said, smelling the flowers.
"Not as beautiful as you." he said kissing her cheek.
"Okay mister, you're off to a good start. What else you got!?" Penny said as they continued walking until they reached the restaurant. The receptionist led them to their table while a waiter offered them some wine, pouring it on two wine glasses and later taking their orders. "This is so nice Leonard. I'm glad Sarah agreed to us having a night to ourselves." she said while they toast their wine glasses.
"Well, she knows that we haven't had much alone time, maybe that's why she agreed to stay behind with my dad." said Leonard.
"Whatever the reason is, I'm happy we did this." She said. Leonard leaned over and kissed her lips. Penny held his cheek, feeling her boyfriend's affection. "That was nice." she said smiling at him.
"Yeah. I wonder if we could sneak around in the apartment later when we get home." he said teasing her.
"Why do you have to kill the mood?" she asked, glaring at him.
"Aww come on Penny, I'm just trying to make you laugh!" he said smiling at her.
"You're a jackass." she said.
"You know, I always get excited every time you call me a jackass." said Leonard.
"You're also weird, you know that?" said Penny.
"Well, I'm a nerd so I'll take it as a compliment." he said.
"You're also a stud." Penny said, making Leonard's jaw drop.
"You are a naughty girl." Leonard said, surprised by his girlfriend's remark.
"Well, it's Christmas!" Penny said while drinking her wine, winking at him.
"Oh, you're gonna get it later miss." Leonard said the same time as their food was served to them.
They began eating, making small talk and planning which places to go to within the next several days of their stay in New York. Leonard suggested to visit Beverly in New Jersey so that Sarah can spend time with her grandmother to which Penny agreed so she could give Beverly her Christmas gift - a small purse she got from the boutique. They continued eating, sharing their food with each other while having a wonderful time talking and laughing at each other's anecdotes and jokes.
They finished eating and decided to walk around, paying their bill and leaving a tip for the waiter. Leonard helped Penny put her scarf on as she put her hand around his arm to feel his warmth.
"That was a nice dinner right?" said Leonard as they went out of the restaurant.
"It was. That fish was really delicious." Penny said.
"Well, it's a house specialty so I won't be surprised if most people order that dish." Leonard added.
"Let's bring Sarah here next time honey. I'm sure she'll love it." said Penny.
"Yeah sure!" he said as they continued walking, feeling the cold Christmas breeze blowing over their hair. They were strolling for about fifteen minutes when they came upon a public ice-skating rink. There were already a handful of people on it, sliding along the ice, going along the flow with the rest.
"Honey let's try that!" Penny said, pointing at the rink.
"I don't know Penny, I'm kinda bad when it comes to skating and skateboarding." Leonard said, a little hesitant.
"Came on honey! Don't worry, I'll teach you! Please!?" said Penny while pulling his hand towards the skate renting stand by the entrance.
"Fine, but I'm telling you, my sense of balance is not that great." he said.
"It's gonna be fine honey!" she said as she picked up their ice skates and went to sit on the bench to remove their shoes and put on their skates. Penny took their shoes and left them at the rental stand, putting the stub in her pocket. She took Leonard's hand as they stepped into the rink, being careful not to fall or slip on the ice. "Okay honey, you slowly slide your foot and follow with your body like this, okay?" she said, showing Leonard how to slide on the ice. She took his hand to support him while he tried to skate, awkwardly trying to avoid falling over. After a few tries and 'failures', Leonard was able to slide slowly on the ice with Penny guiding him, proud of her boyfriend's newfound 'skill'.
It didn't take long for them to join the crowd, sliding and skating in a circular path around the rink while feeling the cool air in their faces.
"We should definitely bring Sarah here." Leonard said.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" she said as they continue skating on the ice.
"What do you mean?" he said.
"Well it's easy to bring her here. But will you be able to get her out?" Penny asked, smiling at him.
Leonard thought for a while then smiled at her. "You're right." He said laughing. "She'll probably scream when we tell her it's time to go home." He added.
They continued skating for a while, holding hands and feeling carefree when Leonard decided to speak.
"Penny?" he said.
"Yes honey!" she said smiling at him.
"Are you happy with me?" he asked.
"What? Of course, I'm happy with you!" she said, looking puzzled at him.
"Good, because I have something to ask you." He said. Leonard suddenly fell over after his left skate hit a rough spot on the ice.
"Oh my god honey! Are you alright!?" Penny asked as she tried to pull Leonard's arm.
"I'm okay honey." He said. As he was trying to get up, he got onto one knee and held Penny's hand. "Penny, I want to ask you something." he said, suddenly becoming serious.
Penny gasped, covering her mouth with her right hand as Leonard pulled out a diamond ring from his pocket, looking her directly in the eyes. They didn't notice that all the people in the skating rink stopped, looking at them, waiting for the magic moment to happen.
"Penny, will you marry me!?" he asked, hopeful she would say yes.
Penny shed a tear, laughing and trying hard not to freak out at the same time. "Oh my god! Yes! Yes Leonard! I will marry you!" she exclaimed. Leonard laughed as he put the ring on Penny's finger, happy that she said yes. Penny pulled him to stand up and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a big wet kiss on the lips as the crowd around them applauded and cheered, happy for the tender moment between the couple.
"I love you so much!" he said, as they broke off their kiss.
"I love you too." she said kissing him again.
Penny looked at the ring on her finger and can't help but smile, seeing the diamond glitter under the faint light of the skating rink while Leonard looked at her, happy for the new chapter of their lives. Without warning, Penny punched him on the arm, frowning slightly at him.
"Ow! What was that for?" he asked as the crowd went quiet, surprised by Penny's strange and odd reaction.
"What took you so long!?" she said, folding her arms in front of him.
"What!?" he asked, puzzled and confused.
"Oh! You're in trouble now dude!" a guy from the crowd yelled.
"Thanks for the support!" Leonard said to him sarcastically.
"You're welcome man!" the guy yelled back, to the delight of the crowd.
"Well?" Penny said. "What do you have to say for yourself mister!?" Penny asked.
Leonard smiled and slowly put his arm around Penny, pulling her closer and kissing her on the cheek. "I love you honey. Please don't be mad." He said softly to her. Penny resisted a little and eventually gave to Leonard's affections, finally hugging him tight.
"I love you too." She said as the crowd sighed with relief, witnessing the couple's tender moment.
Penny broke off her hug. "Tell me, was this part of your secret with Sarah?" she asked.
Leonard smiled and laughed. "Yes honey. I told her last night that I was planning on proposing to you. I wanted to ask her blessing first before asking you to marry me." He said.
"Ugh I knew it! I knew you two were up to something!" she said, lightly hitting his chest.
Leonard chuckled. "Are you mad?" he asked.
"A little bit, yeah!" she said, playing hard to get.
"I'm sorry about that but it needed to be kept a secret." He said trying to console his fiancé. "Believe me, I almost spilled it this morning while we're in the car." He said.
"You're gonna make it up to me you jackass!" she said.
Leonard saluted her. "You got it honey! I love you so much!" he said kissing her cheek again. "Now what do you say we, uh, go back home so I could make it up to you?" he said teasing her.
Penny sighed and shook her head. "You're unbelievable." She said.
Leonard pulled her hand to get off the skating rink and get their shoes from the rental stand. "Come on honey! We just got engaged! Aren't you excited?" he said as they sat on a bench to put their shoes on.
"I am. It's just, it took you a long time to do it." she said, giving him a sad look.
"So you were waiting for me to propose before!?" Leonard asked, surprised and amused.
Penny grunted with frustration. "Yes Leonard! Ever since you came back from the North Pole." she said.
Leonard laughed. "What!?" he exclaimed, surprised by Penny's revelation. Penny hung her head and covered her face with her hands, crying a little. Leonard pulled her close, hugging her tight, reassuring her of his love. "I'm sorry honey. I've been planning to propose but I was just waiting for the right time and place. Please forgive me." he said, looking her in the eye.
Penny wiped her tear and nodded, pushing her face on his shoulder. "You're mine Leonard." she whispered, hugging him tight.
Leonard pulled her close, kissing her lips. "I know honey. Let's go home and hope that those two are already asleep." he said pulling her hand to stand up.
They reached the apartment, but before they opened the door, Leonard motioned for them to remove their shoes and be quiet so they could enter and sneak around to their bedroom. Penny smiled, amused by Leonard's ingenuity. After removing their shoes, Leonard quietly opened the door, popping his head in to check if Sarah and Alfred are still in the living room. He sighed with relief when he saw no one in the living room, pulling Penny to follow him inside, tip-toeing to their bedroom and locking the door, relieved of not finding Sarah in their bedroom. Leonard put a finger on Penny's lips as he began to undress her, kissing her tenderly while guiding her on the bed. Penny returned her fiancé's affections by helping him undress, feeling the warmth of his body and letting him in, trying hard to stay quiet under Leonard's loving embrace.