Chapter 8: Penny Has a Plan

This could be good advice…or not.Anyway, Penny is trying to be helpful

While the boys were touring Heidelberg, the girls were sleeping and then awakened to greet the new day. After they woke, Niki and Penny spent the morning with their children at a local park while the guys were wrapping up their day trip. For their meal, Niki had thought to pack a healthy picnic lunch and Penny had offered a comfy checkered blanket for them to sit on while they talked and ate.

As Penny passed a turkey sandwich to Niki, she asked her nonchalantly, "So, have you thought of what you're going to say to Sheldon when you call him later?"

Niki took the offered sandwich and before biting into it, replied, "Well, I think I'll start off by asking him what he thinks of the work I've sent him. After that, I guess I'll play it by ear."

After eating a bit of her lunch, Penny looked at her friend and asked, "Want a bottle of water?" After Niki nodded, Penny continued with a question about Sheldon, "What if he treats you like he did yesterday?"

Sheldon's wife gave a sad grin and told her friend, "Then it will be a very short conversation."

Penny played with her sandwich and then threw a hint to Niki, "You could try to sneak in a compliment or a flirtation here and there."

Her friend gave a heavy sigh and responded, "That would be like trying to cut into a rock with a steak knife. It wouldn't penetrate very far."

Penny peeled herself an orange and gave her friend a quizzical look, "Did he give you any hint he was going to act like this?"

Niki shook her head emphatically, "No. Until the moment he left, he was loving and caring. I don't know what happened to him, but I don't like it."

"You don't think there's another woman, do you?"

"Sheldon? Cheat on me? I don't think so. When I met him he was forty-six and I was only his second girlfriend. Sheldon Cooper is definitely not a womanizer."

"No, I guess not. Maybe it's just what I told you yesterday. He's homesick."

"Could be. But he's got Leonard with him, so he's not exactly without a familiar person."

Penny looked towards the far end of the park and announced, "I've got an idea."

Niki swallowed the last bite of her sandwich and asked her companion, "What is it?"

"When we finish eating, why don't we take the kids over to the kiddie swings and give them a thrill? Neither of them has shown any fear of swings so far."

Niki visibly brightened and replied enthusiastically, "Yeah, that's an idea. Seeing as I can't do anything about Sheldon from here, I'm just going to focus on our daughter." She looked down at the little dark-haired girl at her side and asked her, "Lori, want to go on the swings with Blake? Mommy will push you like I did last time we were here."

Lori chirped happily to her mother, "Swings! Yes, Mommy."

Penny smiled at her son and put the same question to him, "Blake, how does that sound to you? Can I push you, too?"

"Swings with Lowi? Yes!"

"Okay, it's settled then. Let's pick all this up and take it to the car and then head for the swings." Penny pointed to both children, "They have spoken and we will obey."

Niki put a hand gently on her friends arm and said, "Penny, have I ever told you that sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you?"

"Sometimes, but hey, the feeling's mutual. Let's get this stuff to the car and then have us some fun with the kids."

Niki stood up and dusted off the seat of her pants, "I'm all for that. Let's go!"

Lori and Blake were screaming in delight as their mothers tirelessly pushed them in their child-safe swings. "More, Mommy, more!" was the constant cry from both the children. As they pushed their offspring, Niki and Penny had an in-depth conversation about their husbands being far away in another country.

Penny gave Blake a hearty push and then turned to her friend and asked, "Do you think they really miss us? Or do you think they are having too good a time to even think of us and the kids?"

Niki propelled her daughter in the swing before answering, "I know for sure that Leonard misses you, honey. You can tell it by the way he looks at you when he Skypes and the way he fills you in on every, single thing he's done that day. Sheldon, on the other hand, is a complete mystery. I haven't a clue as to whether he misses me or not. I do know he misses Lori quite a bit. I think talking to her is the highlight of his day."

"Don't sell yourself short, Nik. I think Sheldon misses you quite a bit. He just isn't wired in a way that lets him show it."

Niki shot back at her, "He shows it to Lori."

Penny gave her son a mighty push and then explained, "That's true, but I know he loves you, sweetie. He would have never married you or had Lori with you if he didn't. Sheldon Cooper tries like hell to avoid doing things he doesn't want to do. And that includes inviting female attention. He's turned down quite a few women in his day when he could have bagged them with a snap of his fingers. His brain just doesn't compute casual sex or being unfaithful. In fact, that's how he got engaged to Amy. Some bimbo came on to him and he ran straight to Amy and proposed. The fact that she was all the way across the country at the time only drives my point home. Sheldon is a one-woman man and he truly loves you. He just doesn't love being in Germany. Wait it out, sweetie. When he comes back home he will go back to being the sweet, horny, weird, science nerd you fell in love with. Just give him some time, okay?"

Niki launched her child into a safe upward arc and replied, "Penny, did I ever tell you that patience is not one of my virtues?"

"I've kinda noticed that, but I don't think you have any other choice in the matter. Unless, of course, you want to confront Sheldon directly about his attitude."

Niki took her eyes off her daughter for a moment, turned to speak to Penny, and got hit in the side of the head by Lori in her swing. She responded by giving her daughter another forward thrust and asking her friend a pointed question, "You mean you want me to bluntly ask him what's up?"

Penny gave Blake a timely push and answered her friend, "Yeah, something like that. Look, I don't think Sheldon is going to be happy until he's back home, which translates into him being grumpy and rude to you for the next three weeks. If you don't feel like dealing with that, well, you've got to take the bull by the horns and see if you two can come to some sort of agreement about how you speak to each other when you Skype."

"Hmmm. Maybe that's the way to go. I won't be rude or snappy, I'll just lovingly ask him…what should I ask him, Penny?"

"Let me think a minute. I know! Why don't you ask him some form of 'how much do I matter to you?' and let him take it from there."

"That sounds like a plan. How about we call it a morning here and make our way back home? By the time we clean up the kids, put them down for their naps, and then wake them up, it will be time to Skype Sheldon and Leonard."

"Sure, I think that's a good idea. Hey, Sweetie," Penny asked her son while slowing down his momentum, "do you want to go home and talk to Daddy?

The little boy's face lit up and he squealed, "Daddy! Yeah. I talk to Daddy now?"

"No, Blakey. When we get home. Would you like that?"

Blake tried to wiggle out of the swing seat as he exclaimed in a happy voice, "Yes. I talk to Daddy at home!"

Niki gently stopped her daughter's swing and lifted Lori from her seat and asked in a happy voice, "Do you want to go home and talk to DaDa?"

The little girl looked up at her mother with a questioning look on her face, "DaDa? Yes, Mommy. When DaDa come home?"

Niki held her daughter close to her and thought of how to answer her question honestly. She knew that Lori had no real idea where her father was or what he was doing, but she did know he was gone. She decided to be honest, but at the same time give her daughter something to look forward to. So, she replied, "Not right now, but he will come home soon and then what fun we will all have!"

Lori squealed excitedly, "Fun! Zoo?"

Her mother kissed the top of her head and then answered her question, "Oh, the zoo, the planetarium, the beach, all kinds of fun places we will visit, Precious! But first, we have to go home and talk to Daddy. He had a big day today with Uncle Leonard."

"Unca Leonard come home, too?"

Niki smiled lovingly at her only child and responded, "Yes, Princess. With DaDa. Okay?"

Lori looked up at her mother's face with big eyes and added, "I talk to Unca Leonard, too?"

Niki held her daughter tighter and headed for the car. While walking, she answered Lori with, "If you wish and Aunt Penny doesn't mind, I can't see why not. Now, let's go to the car and go home."

"Home! DaDa!"

Niki nodded, "Yes, home is where we talk to DaDa, so let's go."

They all piled into Niki's car and headed for their home, each of the women lost in her own thoughts, much like their husbands over in Heidelberg.

Will Niki take Penny's advice?And if she does, will it work?Let's see…