Since Valentine's Day is coming up, and I'm off of work that day, I thought I would write a little Valentine's Day story that Wilbur and Karena may have done in 2038. This would take place during "Freshman Anxiety" just before Karena's accident. Enjoy! DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons," I only own Karena.
KARENA'S POV
February 14, 2038 - Todayland, North Montana, USA
I woke up to my phone going off, and I knew it was my boyfriend because of the ringtone. I sleepily turned to the other side to grab my phone, and I pushed the button to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hey Karr. How are you?"
"Wilbur, I feel like I could drift off to Dream Land any minute."
"Oh! Did I wake you up?"
"Yes, you did."
"I hope you're not mad."
"No, no, you can wake me up anytime. It's other people that I would get cranky at for waking me up."
"Name one."
"Literally anyone except for you. So, what did you want to talk about?"
"Are you working tonight?"
"Wilbur!" I paused to let out a weary laugh. "I'm off on Sundays, remember?"
"No, you're not. You're off Fridays and Saturdays."
"Geez, did you sneak around my apartment and look at my schedule while I was asleep?"
"You definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," Wilbur replied with a chuckle. "But seriously, are you working tonight?"
"No, Wilbur, I'm not working. I took tonight off in case you had plans for us."
"Oh, Karr, I'm sorry," Wilbur replied, and he sounded weary. "I told myself to make plans for us and I totally forgot."
"I know you've been through a lot the last few months," I said, becoming more awake. "Did you want me to come over and we can talk about it?"
"Actually, that would be great. I haven't eaten breakfast yet if you want to join me."
"Sure! When do you plan on eating?"
"Well, it's only six in the morning, so breakfast is not for another hour. We could eat in my room if you like."
"Wilbur, I thought you weren't allowed to eat in your room."
"Well, then the kitchen counter. It's going to be quiet today. My parents and grandparents are spending the day together. Aunt Billie and Uncle Joe are spending time in the entertainment room. Uncle Fritz is staying in bed with Aunt Petunia. It's going to be quiet today."
"Well, your definition of quiet may be different than mine, but I'll be there in under an hour."
"Sounds good. I'll see you soon."
I hung up the phone so that I could go shower and get ready to head to the Robinson house. So, I showered, dried my hair and put it all up in a ponytail, and brushed my teeth before I put on a pink dress. I quickly put on my black heels before getting in my white flying car and driving to Wilbur's.
I arrived and parked at the garage to find Wilbur standing in front of the door. I got out of the car and walked up to him before we embraced each other.
"Hey Karr, thank you for coming."
"Anything for my boyfriend, Wilbur," I replied, kissing him on the cheek.
"Shall we go inside?"
"Please! It's freezing out here!"
"So I can see," Wilbur replied, glancing up and down at my body, and I realized I forgot to put on a coat.
"Says the boy who doesn't have a coat on either," I replied, noticing Wilbur was not wearing a coat over his brown chargeball shirt.
"I live here! That's a different story!" Wilbur exclaimed as we walked into the living room.
"Wilbur, your house isn't surrounded by trees. You'd probably survive more in the protectosphere."
I watched as the white-skinned, black-haired boy put a finger on his chin, and I watched him put his finger down as he glanced at me.
"Touche. But still, I'm fine."
"Yeah, you're fine now." I paused as we approached the counter and sat down.
"Hello there, Miss Karena!" Carl happily said as he came in with our breakfast.
"Hi Carl! Just Karena, please."
I noticed that Wilbur and I had the same breakfast: pancakes with peaches and maple syrup on top.
"Do you two have plans for Valentine's Day?" Carl asked as he poured me some coffee.
"That's why I'm here," I answered.
"I invited Karena here to talk about my problems," Wilbur answered.
"Wilbur, how could you not make Valentine's plans with your girlfriend?" Carl asked with a hand on his hip.
"Because my life is not easy!" Wilbur snapped before he drank his orange juice, and he let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Carl. It's just this whole thing with Rachel—"
"Wait, who's Rachel?"
"A girl at school who is jealous of Karena and who keeps asking me out."
"How is she not over you yet?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "She knows you have me."
"But she won't accept that." Wilbur paused and glanced at Carl. "Carl, I'm sorry, but can you give me and Karena some privacy?"
"Whatever you can say, you can say it in front of me," Carl replied with a smile.
"Not this time, Carl."
I watched as Carl walked away and Wilbur turned back to me.
"Let me guess: Rachel asked you out for Valentine's Day?" I asked.
"Yup, she did. And of course, I turned her down." I watched as Wilbur put his elbows on the counter and buried his head in his hands. "I don't get it, Karr. What is it with girls and needing dates?"
"They think going on dates helps with their self-esteem," I explained. "They are at that age where in order for them to feel like they are at the top, they need a boyfriend just to tell them everything they want to hear."
"Is that a theory, or—"
"I'm speaking from experience. I had quite a few classmates from my high school who were like that."
"Karr, have you… had a boyfriend before me?"
"Wilbur, what's going on?"
"Karr, I've never had a girlfriend before I met you," Wilbur explained with the spark of life missing from his chocolate-colored eyes. "I mean, I am only fourteen. And I wasn't focused on getting a girlfriend."
"You were just focused on the time machine."
"Exactly! I never imagined that I needed a girl to be successful. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably would never want one."
"Wilbur Robinson not wanting a girlfriend?" I asked with surprise. "Wilbur, you are very handsome, smart, and thoughtful! Any girl would be lucky to have you!" I paused as my boyfriend gave me a raised eyebrow. "What?"
"Me, smart and thoughtful? If only you could tell me that a year ago. I was only focused on myself."
"It doesn't hurt to only be thoughtful of yourself once in a while. But you've learned about thoughtfulness since then. But anyway, why wouldn't you want a girlfriend?"
"I never thought of myself as the type of guy to want a girlfriend," Wilbur explained. "I wouldn't have minded just living my life by myself. But God had other plans and brought you into my life."
"Wilbur, I thought the same way about myself before I met you."
"Wait, really?" Wilbur asked, the spark of life coming back to his eyes. "Well, whatever you told me, I'm going to say the same thing! You're sweet and thoughtful."
"Wilbur, you're talking to someone who didn't want to date either," I replied with a smirk. "In fact, I already had plans before I met you. I was going to live my life as a music teacher in Los Angeles and live my life as a single woman, involved in entertainment."
"I guess we have more in common than I thought," Wilbur replied with a chuckle.
"Yeah, if you had told me that I was going to be dating someone from the future a year ago, I would have laughed at you."
"I don't blame you," Wilbur replied, and we both laughed. "Oh look at us. Two people who are four years apart in age and who wanted to spend their lives by themselves, and somehow we found each other and fell in love with each other."
"Now that is a miracle, considering we come from two totally different worlds," I replied, and I caught a smile on Wilbur's face.
"And what are we thanking for this? A magic remote!"
We cracked up laughing and for a moment, we forgot what we were talking about.
"Wilbur, I'll plan the date. Just tell me what you have in mind."
"Karr, are you sure?" Wilbur asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm the man. I should be the one planning the date."
"Wilbur, Rachel is stressing you out more than she should. I'll plan it."
"Karena Edwards, I love you! And I mean that!"
"I know you mean it, silly!" I replied with a laugh. "I love you, too. What do you like to do… besides using the time machine?"
"Actually, I do have an idea that might take my mind off of things," Wilbur said, and we started to plan our Valentine's Day.
I spent the entire day at Wilbur's house. We had planned our date, had lunch together, and we played a couple matches in chargeball, which Wilbur won. Now, I was in Tallulah's room, getting ready for our date.
I had already put on my dress, which was styled like a flapper's, and it was green with black sequin, and I had worn the same black heels I wore earlier. Tallulah was doing my hair, which was no longer in a ponytail, and she had told me to keep my eyes closed.
"You know, with those heels, you might be taller than Wilbur," Tallulah said as she pulled all of my hair to the right.
"Come on, Tallulah, we're the same height."
"Without heels, maybe."
"Well, Wilbur might be wearing some heels, too."
"Well, a man doesn't need to wear two-inch heels," Tallulah said as she placed hair pins in my hair.
"What do you want me to do, Tallulah? Wear flats?"
"No! Not at all! In fact, the Roaring Twenties were my forte!"
"The Roaring Twenties was your focus in college?" I asked in astonishment.
"Yes! Oh, I love styling dresses based in the 1920s. In fact, you might see me wear one of those dresses once in a while."
"This I'll have to see."
"Alright, Karena, you can open your eyes now."
I opened my eyes to see a totally different woman in the mirror! All of my brown hair was on the right side of my head and in curls. Tallulah had also done my makeup, and that was probably why I didn't recognize myself; my eyes were green, and she had put black eyeshadow on my eyelids. I also had blush on my cheeks and red lipstick on my lips.
"How do you do it?" I asked in amazement.
"Lots of practice," Tallulah answered.
"I guess you have a lot to do with Wilbur."
"Actually, Wilbur might be easier than you, but I guess we'll find out. But first, let me walk you to the music room."
I followed Tallulah to the music room where I found Frannie's frogs in place. I started to walk to a table when…
"Nuh-uh-uh!"
"We're not sitting here?" I asked with confusion.
"Nope! Take the travel tube. There's a table set up for you two up there."
"I thought the music room didn't have a travel tube."
"Not to other rooms," Tallulah explained. "But Cornelius thought that if people wanted a view, they should take the tube up there instead of the stairs."
"Ah. Gotcha."
I sat at the lone table in the balcony with the candles lit and the table neatly set up. Then, I heard the frogs start playing jazz music. I couldn't help but get up and slowly swing my hips to the music. After about fifteen minutes of slow dancing, I heard a voice behind me, and I turned to see Wilbur emerging from the travel tube.
"Whoa," Wilbur said with his eyes and mouth wide open.
"I could say the same thing," I said, observing his outfit, which consisted of black pants with black dress shoes, a white shirt underneath a red-striped jacket, and a straw hat with a red ribbon around the rim. "You look so handsome! You can definitely pull it off being a dapper."
"Same to you as a flapper," Wilbur replied with a wink. "You're the prettiest flapper I've ever seen."
"Wilbur, did you take the time machine back to the Roaring Twenties?" I asked while blushing as Wilbur pulled out my chair, pushed me in, and then sat down.
"Yes, I did, and that was how I got the idea for this. I wanted to see what people really did in the 1920s, so I took the time machine and watched through a window. It was one of the most amazing sights I had ever seen. But, you might had usurped that sight. Tallulah did an amazing job on you."
"She did amazing on you!" I happily replied as Gaston, dressed in a black suit, came in with a couple trays, which was placed in front of us. We opened the trays to reveal spaghetti.
"Wilbur, did spaghetti exist in the 1920s?" I asked.
"Shh, just go with it," Wilbur whispered as he took a bite. "Alright, I'm calling it: Uncle Art makes the best spaghetti."
I was prompted to take a bite, and my eyes widened, surprised at the taste of the pasta and the sauce.
"You're right! And he also made garlic bread."
"But the garlic bread isn't as good," Wilbur replied, taking another bite as the frogs played a different song.
"It's not the best, but it'll work. Who makes the best bread?"
"Grandma does."
"Want to hear a little secret? I like to dip my bread in the spaghetti."
Wilbur looked to be in thought before he took my suggestion and dipped his bread in the sauce. I watched him eat the bread before giving me his answer.
"You're right. It does taste better." Wilbur paused, looking down at the frog band. "This music makes me want to dance."
"Well, let's eat first," I replied, taking a bite of spaghetti. "So, do you know how to dance like they did in the 1920s?"
"Actually, yes. I went back in time to watch the flappers dance, and then Mom taught me how."
"Your mom taught you how to dance that style?"
"Yep! What about you?"
"I can swing my hips," I replied with a laugh. "I'm afraid I don't know the full extent of it."
"I can teach you! No worries! But you're right, we should finish eating."
"Are you going to teach me the tango while you're at it?" I asked jokingly.
"Ha! I actually could."
"You know the tango? Wilbur Robinson, you are daring!"
"I'm more daring than careful, but I'm working on it."
Time had passed, and we finished our dinner. Wilbur led me to the travel tube and down to the main floor, and then we walked to the dance floor.
"Let's tango!" Wilbur announced, and the frog band started playing a song that encouraged the tango.
"Wilbur, I don't know how to tango!"
"I'll teach you, I promise. Put your left hand on my right shoulder, and then hold my left hand with your right."
I did as he said.
"Now, I'll step backwards while you step forward. Are you ready?"
"I hope so?" I replied with uncertainty.
"Just follow my lead," Wilbur said with a smile. "Right, left—"
"Wilbur!" I exclaimed as he went back farther than I thought he would, and I fell forward. Thankfully, he was there to catch me. "You didn't tell me how to step forward."
"I did say follow my lead," Wilbur replied with a stern expression on his face. "Let's try again." I paused as we got in position. "Right, small. Left, lunge. Right, lunge. Left, slide. Right, together. That's it!"
I smiled, happy that I got the steps right.
"Now, you go back and I go forward. Left, small. Right, lunge. Left, lunge. Right, slide back. Left, together. You got it! Let's try this once more. You dance toward me."
We repeated the tango a couple more times before we got the hang of it.
"You are a good teacher," I told him, and he smiled.
"I'm glad you think so. Let's try another one."
"Wait, there's more than one form of the tango?"
"Yep! I'll guide you." We got back into position as Wilbur guided me. "Left, small. Right, lunge. Left, lunge. Right, slide. Left, together. Right, cross. Left, step wide. Right, together. Left, cross. Right, step wide. Reverse. Right, back."
"Whoa!"
I felt myself falling to the floor.
"Wait, I missed a step," Wilbur said, scratching his head, and then reaching his hand out for mine to take as he helped me up. "Let's try again. Left, forward. Right, lunge. Left, lunge. Right, slide. Left, together. Right, cross. Left, wide. Right, together. Left, cross. Right, wide. Left, together. Right, back. Left, lunge. Right, lunge. Left, slide. Right, together, that's it. Left, cross. Right, wide. Left, together. Right, cross. Left, wide. Right, together."
"We did it!"
Then, I heard the frogs start playing a slow waltz.
"Glen Miller?" I gasped. "I love Glen Miller!"
"Really? So does my mom!" Wilbur paused and we got back into position. "May I have this dance?"
"We're already dancing, Wilbur," I replied as we started to dance around the floor. I felt Wilbur's feet gliding with my own. "How did you know how to dance?"
"I had two amazing teachers."
"Two?"
"My mom is one. I'm dancing with the other right now. Do you remember when we did this on my birthday last year?"
"Ah yes. You said you didn't know how to dance. So what, did you get dancing lessons from your mom?"
"Well, yes, but I wasn't paying attention and was on my own… rhythm of time."
"Oh my gosh, Wilbur!" I exclaimed as we continued to waltz. "Did you just make a pun about your adventures in the time machine?"
"Wait, I did?" he asked with a stunned expression on his face. "I don't think that was a pun. I didn't know how else to say it!"
"Rhythm of time? You sure know how to put music and time travel together."
"If only," Wilbur replied before I laid my head on his shoulder. I felt him startle, but then he complied, putting his chin on my shoulder, and we danced Valentine's Day away.