Chapter 21
Halley must have run a couple of blocks away from Sarah's house. She can't help but feel conflicted at how he felt for William. She knew she loved him and that he loves her back but why can't she shake this uneasy feeling that they're slowly drifting apart. She stopped running to wipe her tears, seeing an alley with some discarded boxes and wooden pallets before deciding to hide there and call William.
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Meanwhile in William's apartment, he was cleaning up his coffee table from the junk food that Erin, Kim and him were eating before his father's Skype call. He put the game controllers back under the TV stand where his Xbox is and decided to turn off the TV, shutting down any distraction while he talks to Halley.
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"Where could Halley be!?" Sarah asked Bernadette as they walked briskly on the side of the road.
"I don't know Sarah and honestly I'm beginning to worry." said Bernadette.
"Don't worry aunt Bernie, I'm sure my brother and Halley can figure it out." Sarah said.
"I hope you're right." Bernadette said as they continued walking while looking around for Halley.
They kept walking for a few more blocks until Sarah stopped dead in her tracks and motioned for Bernadette to keep quiet and listen.
"Do you hear that aunt Bernie?" Sarah said in a low voice.
"A little bit. Sounds like it's coming from over there." said Bernadette, pointing at an alley.
"Let's keep it down." Sarah said as she held Bernadette's hand and stealthily walked towards the alley. They stopped when they heard Halley's voice, clearly distressed and crying while talking on the phone.
"Oh my god, my baby girl is crying." Bernadette said before Sarah held her arm, stopping her from going to her daughter. "What are you doing?" she whispered to Sarah.
"Aunt Bernie, maybe we should let Halley and William talk and figure it out themselves." said Sarah.
Bernadette looked at Sarah and realized she has a point. "I guess you're right. Let's just stay here and listen in on them, okay?" she said to Penny's daughter.
Sarah hesitated. "I don't know aunt Bernie." she said.
"What do you mean?" Bernadette asked.
Sarah sighed. "Part of me wants to know what they talk about but another part of me is scared if they fight or something." she said.
Bernadette glared at her. "Okay, you listen here young lady, you will stay here and listen with me, you got that!" she said, slightly growling at Sarah, somewhat scaring the young woman.
Sarah was taken aback. "Okay aunt Bernie! Jeez, no need to bite my head off." she said.
Bernadette sighed and touched Sarah's cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried for Halley." she said.
"I'm worried for her too." said Sarah.
Bernadette held her hand and told her to be quiet. "Don't worry. Now let's keep quiet and listen in on them." she said.
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Back at the alley, Halley took a deep breath before taking out her phone from her pocket. Suddenly, her phone rang, showing William's name on the screen. She tried to compose herself before pushing the green button on her phone.
Ha: "Hello?"
Wi: "Halley it's me. I'm sorry for what happened."
Ha: "Why didn't you tell me?"
Wi: "Because there is nothing to tell. And I didn't want you to worry about nothing!"
Wi: "Please don't be mad at me Halley."
Ha: "You never told me that they invited you over to dinner when you first moved in."
Wi: "My sister told you huh?"
Ha: "Why did you lie to me?"
Wi: "I didn't lie to you Halley! Erin and Kim are just my neighbors. That's all there is to it!"
Ha: "Then why are they hanging our in your place? Don't they have anything else to do?"
Wi: "I ran into them in the lobby and they were buying takeout food. Kim invited to include me in their order and I accepted. I asked them over to eat at my place."
Ha: "Looks like you're already best buddies with them huh?"
Wi: "Don't you trust me Halley?"
Ha: "I trust you. It's them I don't trust!"
Wi: "Come on Halley, please be reasonable. They're just being good neighbors to me."
Halley didn't answer him.
Wi: "Tell me what's bothering you."
Ha: "You really wanna know!?"
Wi: "Yes. Tell me."
Halley took a deep breath before speaking again.
Ha: "I'm afraid that other girls would find you attractive since you're cute and smart. Not like me who's just average looking and not as smart as you are."
Wi: "Don't say that about yourself. And how come you're telling me this now and not when I was there?"
Ha: "Because, I don't want you to think that I'm this insecure little girl who has a weird father and an overbearing mother!"
William sighed. He never thought that Halley would have feelings like that.
Wi: "Halley, do you think I care about what other girls think about me? I chose you didn't I? I chose you ever since we were kids."
Ha: "I'm still not sure Will."
Wi: "Why are you so jealous of them? We're not doing anything wrong Halley" he was starting to raise his voice.
Ha: "Why are you yelling at me?" she said as she began to cry.
Wi: "Because you're being unreasonable!"
Ha: "Now I'm unreasonable!?"
Wi: "Yes! You're being unreasonable and jealous of nothing!"
Halley didn't respond and started crying. She can't believe that they're fighting.
Wi: "Please don't cry Halley. Tell me how to make this right."
Ha: "I don't know Will. I guess I got jealous because we didn't get to do fun stuff like that when you were here. All we did was to hide and keep our relationship a secret."
Wi: "But it was you who decided to hide from our parents in the first place! I wanted to tell everyone but you got scared that was why I went along with it to make you happy."
Ha: "I know but now I don't think that was a good idea. It's like we were criminals hiding from our parents."
Wi: "Do you think I wanted us to hide our relationship? If I had my way I'd put our picture on a billboard and tell the whole world that you're my girl!"
Wi: "I'm sorry if I hurt you but you must believe me that Erin and Kim are just my friends."
Ha: "Why do you always have to take their side!?"
William finally lost his patience.
Wi: "I'm not taking their side Halley! Why do you have to always bring them up!?"
Ha: "I'm a girl William! We can feel things that guys like you won't understand even if it's standing right in front of your face!"
Wi: "So that's it huh? You just said it yourself, you don't trust me!"
Halley didn't answer him and just continued crying. William tried to keep himself from breaking down. He loved Halley and felt guilty for not telling her about his neighbors leading them to arguing and fighting.
Ha: "I think we should take a break."
William was speechless and couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Wi: "What are you talking about?"
Ha: "Let's take a break Will. You just focus on your work and I'll focus on school."
Wi: "Are you breaking up with me?"
Ha: "I don't know. But I need a break to clear my head."
Without him knowing, tears were already falling on his cheeks. He didn't know what to say as he heard Halley crying on the phone.
Wi: "Halley please don't do this."
Halley wiped her tears and tried to straighten herself.
Ha: "I'm sorry William. You know how much I love you but I need a break. Please."
Wi: "How can you say that you love me when you're breaking up with me?"
Ha: "William please!"
Halley was crying her eyes out when William ended the call, She fell to her knees as she cried her eyes out, not realizing that Bernadette and Sarah were standing in front of her. Sarah was hugging Bernadette, pushing her face onto her aunt's shoulder as she felt the heartbreak as though it was her own. Halley slowly looked up and quickly jumped to hug her mother, with Sarah joining in.
"I broke up with him mom." Halley said while crying on her mother's shoulder.
Bernadette couldn't help but cry too, feeling her daughter's sadness. "We heard honey. I'm so sorry!" she said consoling the young woman.
"I''m the worst!" Halley said.
"Hal don't say that!" Sarah said while hugging her 'big sister'.
Leonard and Penny suddenly appeared, relieved at finding them.
"Oh my god what happened!? Why is Halley crying?" Penny asked while walking hurriedly to them.
"She broke up with William mom." Sarah said making Penny emotional.
"Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry!" Penny said while hugging Halley.
Sarah then ran to his father, hugging him tight. "What happened?" he said while consoling his daughter.
"We didn't mean to listen in, but aunt Bernie and I heard them fighting on the phone." said Sarah, crying on her father's shoulder.
"Don't worry Halley, I'm sure you and William can figure this out." Penny said trying to calm her down.
"It's my fault aunt Penny. I got jealous and insecure." said Halley.
"Don't say that honey. You have nothing to be insecure of." Bernadette said to her daughter.
"Mom look at me, I'm not as smart as William." Halley said.
"Halley, no one is as smart as William. Even Sarah here has a hard time outsmarting him." Leonard said.
"I don't know if I'm gonna be angry or sad with what you said about me dad." Sarah said.
Leonard kissed his daughter's cheek. "Just say thank you for your big brain." he said.
"How do you know that it's not mom's brain that I got?" Sarah said.
"Do you think I was born yesterday to answer that question huh?" Leonard asked his daughter.
Sarah sighed. "Fine dad. I got your brain and I got mom's beauty and charm! Happy now!?" she asked her father.
"Hey guys! Focus!" Bernadette yelled at them. "We have a crisis here!" she added.
"Sorry aunt Bernie." Sarah said while hugging Halley. "My brother loves you Hal." said Sarah.
"Thank you Sarah but I think I'll go home for now and clear my head." Halley said as she began to calm down.
"Come here sweetheart." Penny said hugging the young lady.
"I'm sorry for hurting Will aunt Penny." Halley said.
"Don't worry Hal, we'll talk to him later." said Penny.
"I have an idea aunt Bernie!" Sarah said.
"What is it?" asked Bernadette.
"Sloppy Joe's and Chocolate Oreo Blizzard!" Sarah exclaimed making Leonard and Penny shake their heads in disbelief.
"Fine with me. Are you buying?" said Bernadette.
"Are you kidding me? I'm a high school student, where can I find the money to pay for food?" Sarah said making her parents sigh and shake their heads in disbelief.
Bernadette smiled. "Fine. Are you guys coming with us?" Bernadette asked Leonard and Penny.
"Pass. My stomach doesn't agree with any dairy products." said Leonard.
"Yeah me too. I've already mooched food from you and Leonard when I was single." Penny said as they made their way back to the house.
"Yeah, good thing you only had to marry one of us." said Bernadette making the two girls laugh.
"How did you do it aunt Penny?" Halley asked,
"Did what?" said Penny.
"Well, mom told me that you and uncle Leonard broke up so many times but you still ended up marrying each other." Halley said.
"I don't know." Penny said. "I've always loved Leonard. It just took a long time for me to realize it I guess." she said smiling at her husband.
"Damn right babe!" he exclaimed making Penny laugh. "Good thing our trip to England got canceled right?" said Leonard.
"You went to England?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah, before your mom and I got married." said Leonard.
"What did you do there?" asked Sarah.
"I joined Stephen Hawking's team to the North Sea to perform experiments on the equivalent of Unruh Radiation." he said.
"And why were you thankful that the trip got cancelled?" asked Halley.
"Let me tell you, your aunt and I have been going out for almost a year then. We decided to get back together after we've been broken up for two years." he said when Halley cut him off.
"How may times have you broken up again?" Halley asked.
"Five, maybe six? Anyway, so right out of nowhere your aunt breaks up with me and I thought to myself that this might be the last time that we will be together because I'm kinda getting tired of this back and forth between us." said Leonard.
"Why did you break up with him aunt Penny?" Halley asked.
"I wasn't thinking straight back then." Penny said while looking at Bernadette, not wanting to tell them the real reason was Leonard proposing during sex.
"Anyway, I was about to propose to her but she broke up with me so I threw the ring out of my window and tried to move on which was so hard for me. Then I got an offer to join Stephen Hawking's team to the North Sea so I said yes, you know, to get away for a while." he said before carrying on with his story. "So, the night before my trip, I wrote a letter to say goodbye to Penny, thanking her for being a part of my life and telling her that I'm not angry or mad at her." He said.
"I thought your trip got cancelled dad?" asked Sarah,
"I'm getting there. So I went to the airport that morning but I lost my phone and couldn't find it at the apartment so I called this girl Alex and asked her if she could go to my lab and look for my phone there. When I arrived at the airport, the other guys told me that our trip got cancelled because the boat had some problems." he said.
"How did you call her if your phone was missing?" asked Sarah. "And who's Alex?"
"We had a landline in the apartment and Alex was this grad student doing her doctorate in CalTech." said Leonard. "Anyway, Alex found my phone in my lab and brought it to me at the airport when your mom suddenly appeared with Bernadette, Sheldon and Amy." Leonard said.
"Uncle Sheldon and aunt Amy was there too?" asked Halley.
"Yeah, they needed Sheldon so the airport security would let them through since he's a 'special boy'!" he said making them all laugh. "Penny saw me with Alex and thought that we were together, you know, as a couple but she didn't know that Alex had a boyfriend back then. So Penny broke down, crying like a child for losing the love of her life but thankfully I told her that Alex and I are not together." he said before Penny cut him off.
"I didn't cry like a child!" she yelled.
"Sure you did! That's why all the people at the airport were looking at us because you were a nervous wreck!" Leonard said while winking at Sarah, making her laugh.
"I believe you daddy!" Sarah said giving her father a high five.
"Thanks honey!" he said triumphantly. "So we stood there facing each other and then your mom pulled me in for a kiss, telling me how much she loves me and how she can't live without me!" he said with a smug smile.
Penny glared at him. "You're dead to me mister!" she said.
Leonard smiled and kissed her cheek. "I love you so much honey!" he said.
"It's too bad you threw away the ring uncle Leonard." Halley said, completely calmed down and smiling a little.
"That's the best part." he said, laughing a little. "So your aunt Penny and I got back together while I was waiting for our trip to resume. We were all having dinner in our apartment one night when our conversation got diverted into getting engaged and getting married when Sheldon suggested that your aunt and I should get engaged before I go away on my trip. We told them that we're taking things slow when Sheldon suddenly showed us the ring that I threw away. Apparently, he found it outside the building the morning after I threw it away. He recognized it after finding it in my room while he was looking for some paper or something." he said.
"That is so confusing." Sarah said making Halley and Bernadette laugh.
"I know. So your mom looked at the ring and immediately got emotional, you know, for her love of shiny sparkly things." he said while Penny glared at him. "She took the ring and knelt in front of me, asking me to marry her." he said making the two girls giggle and laugh. "I was thinking of saying no to even out the score but I thought, what the hell, so I said yes! And now we're here with two amazing kids!" he said while kissing his wife and daughter as they reached the house.
"I can't believe aunt Penny proposed to uncle Leonard." Halley said.
"I know right?" Sarah said giving Halley a high five.
"I don't think I wanna go for Sloppy Joe's and Chocolate Oreo Blizzard right now." said Halley.
"Really? What do you wanna do now?" asked Bernadette.
Halley smiled a little. "I wanna know what happens next in uncle Leonard's story." she said making them all smile.
Penny took Halley and Sarah's hands and led them inside the house. "Come on. I'm gonna tell you what really happened. I just bought a couple pints of ice cream yesterday." said Penny as Leonard looked at Bernadette, before following them inside.
"SARAH HOFSTADTER!" Penny yelled from the kitchen.
They were all surprised and saw Sarah run to her father, hugging him tight, obviously to hide from her mother.
"What happened!?" asked Leonard as Penny came back into the living room.
"Why don't you ask that young lady hiding under your arm!?" Penny said.
"Oh my god, what did you do this time?" said Leonard.
Sarah quickly kissed Leonard on the cheek, "Daddy I love you so much! You're the best father in the world and I hope you live to be a hundred years old!" she quickly said, clearly seeking refuge from her father.
"Oh no young lady! Not this time!" Leonard said, giving her a stern look.
Sarah sighed. "Fine. I may have eaten mom's ice cream." she said in a low voice before turning to Penny. "I'm sorry mom! I couldn't help it!" she said.
"You ate two pints of ice cream!?" Leonard asked.
"I'm sorry dad." said Sarah as Bernadette and Halley looked on, laughing at them.
"What do you want me to do now?" Leonard asked Penny.
"Well I want to make her buy the ice cream but she's not allowed to drive yet" Penny said.
"Halley can drive and I can come with her!" Sarah quickly said earning a look from the adults.
"NO!" yelled Penny, Leonard and Bernadette.
"It was just a suggestion." Sarah said.
Leonard sighed and got off the couch. "Fine, I'll go and buy the ice cream but this will take a chunk out of your allowance young lady!" Leonard said painting his finger at Sarah.
"But dad!?" Sarah protested.
"No buts!" Leonard yelled before going to his desk to get his keys and wallet.
Sarah pouted and leaned back on the couch. "Halley and William just broke up but why do I have to suffer too?" she said making them all laugh.
"What flavor ice cream do you girls want?" he asked looking at them.
"Rocky Road!" Sarah quickly said, hoping she could get away with it.
"You just won't stop don't you!?" Penny said to her daughter. "Why don't you ask Halley what she wants?"
"Rocky Road sounds nice aunt Penny." Halley said.
"I told you." Sarah said while giving Halley a high five while Penny and Leonard gave her a death stare.
Sarah raised her hands. "Okay I'll stop now." she said as Leonard went out the door.
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After half an hour, Leonard came back with half a gallon of ice cream and a couple bag of chips for the girls.
"I'm home." he said as Sarah ran up to welcome him, kissing his cheek, trying to make it up to her father.
"Thanks dad." she said while taking the paper bag from him.
"Hmmm, it's not gonna work young lady. You still owe me and your mom!" said Leonard.
"Well, it was worth the shot." said Sarah as she put the bags on the coffee table before running into the kitchen to get the cups and spoons.
"So, what did I miss?" Leonard asked while sitting beside Penny.
"Well, aunt Penny was telling us the time when you left for England." said Halley. "Did you really spend four months at sea uncle Leonard?" she asked as Sarah came back, spooning the ice cream into the cups.
"Well not continuously. We docked at port every two weeks for a couple of days just to replenish our supplies and refuel the ship and for most of us to feel solid ground again. Most time on the ship was spent on getting drunk and partying anyways." he said.
"Really?" Sarah asked.
"Well we didn't bring the alcohol just to party and get drunk. It was mostly to keep us warm against the cold winds coming down from the north. I'm telling you, I was thankful that we came to port every couple of weeks because the cold air really took a toll on my asthma." he said.
"That must be really tough huh uncle Leonard?" Halley asked.
"It was. But as sailors, we have to be tough and ride out the storm as they say!" Leonard proudly said.
"You really call yourself a sailor dad?" Sarah asked.
"Of course! I was at sea for four months. I got my sea legs, I have salt in my lungs and veins, I threw up on the side of the boat, I slept in a cramped bunk bed, I did the Titanic pose..." Leonard said, laughing a little.
Penny held on to his arm and snuggled closer to him. "Hmm, I do love sailors." she said while kissing him on the cheek as the three watched in disgust.
"That is so gross." Sarah said slightly embarrassing the couple.
Leonard and Penny straightened themselves to continue with their story. "Okay, so Leonard comes back from his trip and he surprised me with a week-long stay at the beach with only Bernie knowing about it." Penny said. "I was so happy and surprised when I saw your father in the hotel looking so roughed-up like a scruffy Nerf Herder." she said teasing her husband.
"Hmm, Nerf Herder, I love it!" said Leonard while giving his wife a fist bump.
"Would you two cut it out!?" Bernadette said.
"So, is that when you made William?" Sarah asked, surprising them.
"Ugh! Where did that come from?" Penny yelled at her daughter.
"Well, you kinda had a honeymoon so I'm guessing you got pregnant with William then." Sarah said.
Leonard decided to chime in. "No honey. Your mom didn't get pregnant then. I guess it was when we were in New York when your mom got pregnant with your brother. That was a month before we got married." said Leonard.
"You went to New York?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah, after we spent a couple of weeks in Nebraska so we could ask your grandpa for his blessing. Then we went to New York to ask for my dad's blessing." Leonard said.
"Tell us about the wedding uncle Leonard!" Halley said.
"Robert Downey Jr. was there Halley." said Bernadette.
"They guy who played Iron Man was there? Why?" Halley asked.
"Your uncle Sheldon sent out invitations to our wedding without us knowing about it and he came to our wedding on a whim." Penny said. "Of course your father and Sheldon were so happy when Mr. Downey compared them to Tony Stark and Bruce Banner." She said.
"Did he bring a wedding gift?" asked Sarah.
"Yeah, my acting career." Penny said as Leonard and Bernadette laughed.
"What?" asked Sarah.
"He had his people set me up for auditions and castings calls. That's when I got cast for Parker & Ramona." she said as Sarah and Halley looked at Penny, impressed at how cool Penny was.
They continued sharing stories to the kids until dusk when the ice cream and potato chips ran out and Bernadette decided to go back home.
Penny and Sarah hugged Halley tight, reassuring her that nothing changes between them even if she and William are no longer together. Halley apologized to Penny and Leonard for causing distress and pain to their son, telling them that she still loved William.
After Bernadette and Halley left, Leonard, Penny and Sarah called William to find out how he was doing. William reassured his family that he's alright and have nothing to worry about. He said that it's probably best for Halley and him to cool off for a few days so they would be clear-headed when they talk again and hopefully reconcile.