One weekend Mrs Cooper comes to visit. Sheldon's glad to see her, but Penny is insanely nervous. her relationship with Sheldon is wonderful but hardly typical. She has a panic tidy, to hide all the ropes and toys away, just in case. Sheldon, being Sheldon, refuses to change his schedule around for the visit.
Saturday - 8.15
Sheldon stands and gets his laundry basket "time for Laundry."
Penny pops over to 4B and gets her basket
Mrs Cooper looks back and forth, smiling "Look at you two, all synchronised."
Walking down the stairs she asks Penny "He's told you all his little laundry quirks?"
"Yes, folding, sorting, Too much downy still makes him sleepy. I once found him passed out in a pile of my clean laundry ."
"That's my Shelly.
Sheldon shakes his head and tuts "In my defence it did smell of you."
The set the laundry going and sit around.
"Mother, With Penny's help we've been working on my social development. Penny dear, will you work the magic of the hill tribes and explain your triangle people to my mother?
Penny laughs and throws a balled up t-shirt at his head.
"Ok, its like this Mrs Cooper. You know he has trouble forgetting things?"
"Oh, i know that well."
"Hmmm. This is easier on a white board"
Mrs Cooper laughs and turns to looks at Sheldon. "A white board? What have you done to her? "
He goes to answer then pauses, catching himself at Penny's horrified expression and hand waving behind his mother. He fumbles for an answer that's not sexually explicit or incriminating but still truthful. "Educated her" and smiles.
Penny has sorted a basket of socks out.
"Ok, I'll explain it with socks. Say the length of this table is Sheldons life, left to right and these socks are things happening."
"Something happens in his childhood."
She puts down a balled up sock near the left edge.
"He gets older, other things happen"
She puts a sock further along the table
"But he also is reminded of his childhood, and that memory is as strong as the new stuff"
She puts another sock down next to it
The pattern keeps repeating, so he ends up with a lot of his experiences being remembered from childhood, making him overall childish.
She lays out more socks in columns of three, four, five.
"Repeating things makes him happy as there are no surprises but reinforces this." She points to the rows of socks
"So we've been making a point of doing new pleasant things to move his average up."
She puts a single sock far to the right
"Oh yes? New pleasant things?"
Penny coughs, realising what she's saying
"Erm... Things like watching movies and playing games together."
"Well, it does seem to be working"
Sheldon stands tall, spreading his arms. "Here I stand, Sheldon Cooper, Homo Sapiens Novus, Master of my own destiny"
"Well, I'm glad Shelley, you seem so much happier. And I give thanks its socks not Satan that's plagued you. "
"Now while Shelly is off doing his thing I thought we could have a little talk?"
"I hope my Shellybean has been taking good care of you. He seems to have grown into quite a man the last few months and I think he owes that to courting with you."
"Now I hate to think of you two living in sin and all but if you two do take things further you be kind to him, ok?"
Penny smiles. "Oh, he has been the perfect gentleman. He's really an astonishing person once you get to know him, he's shown me so many amazing things." She winks "Don't worry, I'll be gentle. "
Mrs Cooper looked at Penny intently. "Y'all are at it like rabbits already, aren't you?"
Penny blushed a little and looked away, flustered. Remembering the night before, the collar about her neck, his strong hands on her as he made her moan and beg. Just thinking about it made a little knot of heat twist in her.
Mrs Cooper misinterpreted her blush. "Ah that's sweet honey. Didn't think you were the shy sort. Maybe my Shelley has taught you a thing or two about modesty and decorum ."
Penny tries not to laugh as she agrees. "Oh, he's taught me a lot. I promise to look after him"
