Chapter 2 "The Double Date"
Janine, dressed in her favorite green off-the-shoulder dress that emphasized her long shapely legs, and Barb, in a red dress with big shoulder pads, casually strolled into the popular upscale restaurant, The Manhattan, ten minutes late. Her friend insisted on making Peter wait because she could tell he was a little over-eager about going out with her, and she wanted to prolong his anticipation as much as possible. Peter and Barb had been on two dates already, but she barely allowed him to kiss her on the latter, much to the self-proclaimed Romeo's annoyance.
"Is his friend a serial dater, too," Janine inquired as they opened the door to the restaurant.
Before her blonde-haired best friend could answer, a tall man with slightly balding brown hair and a sly look on his face teased in a fake stern German accent,
"Barb, I thought you were going to stand me up. Naughty girl."
Beaming, she responded in the same playful
tone, "Not the fabulous Dr. Peter Venkman."
As the two flirted and Barb batted her long dark eyelashes at Peter, Janine stood uncomfortably beside them as they awaited to be seated. Her date wasn't anywhere to be seen, and she felt her stomach sink in disappointment. Finally, Peter and Barb realized that the redhead female was there.
"Peter, this is Janine Melnitz, Janine, Dr. Peter Venkman," Barb pleasantly introduced after remembering Janine standing beside her uneasily.
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Melnitz," Peter greeted, visually scanning her appearance as she returned the greeting.
Mentally, Janine rolled her eyes upward and hissed to Barb in slight annoyance, "Are you kidding me?"
Her green eyes flashed as Barb poked her in the ribs, and she grimaced, "ow."
A slightly taller man with dark circular glasses and a
solemn look on his long face. His thick dark hair was styled in an old-fashioned pompadour from the forties, and somehow it complimented his clean-cut look.
"Iggy, there you are. Barb, this is my theoretical physicist friend, the one the only Dr. Egon Spengler," Peter embellished with overdue enthusiasm.
The bespectacled man did not smile or laugh at his friend's description. Although Barb giggled, Janine exhibited a tight-lipped smile in contempt of her friend's love interest.
"This is Janine, your date, and you already know Barb," Peter informed, then his arm immediately went to her friend's slim waist.
"Hello," Egon stiffly stated as he peered down at her, almost puzzled like he didn't expect her to be attractive. He had beautiful blue eyes that made Janine blush when she viewed them.
"Hi there," She cooed back, making her voice a little deeper and sultry. Janine thought he was handsome. When their eyes met, an undeniable spark materialized. Egon redirected his gaze, but Janine had seen a little pink in his cheeks.
After the hostess sat the foursome and took their drink orders, Janine waited awkwardly for her date to start the conversation. It didn't occur.
"What line of work are you in, Janine," Peter asked when he realized Egon wasn't talking.
"I am a secretary," she replied, moving her gaze from Egon to Peter.
Without truly listening, Peter feigned interest in Janine to make her feel more comfortable by asking questions, but she was aware of it. He was too busy making "ga ga" faces at Barb.
Shortly, the waiter took their order after bringing the drinks, and Janine took a large sip from her glass of red wine. Then Barb and Peter began flirting again, and there was silence.
"What does a theoretical physicist do exactly," she politely asked.
However, Janine did not expect a five-minute explanation that she couldn't understand from the erudite man, but she received it.
"Oh."
"I like to read and play racquetball. Do you have any hobbies, Egon," Janine attempted to have a conversation with him again after a lengthy, humiliating five-minute silence. She began tapping her high-heeled right foot on the ground agitatedly.
"I collect spores, mold, and fungus," he solemnly stated.
With that answer, Janine huffily excused herself to go to the restroom. She pinched Barb's arm to gain her attention before storming off. Abruptly, Barb followed her, giving Peter an exasperated look.
"Egon, you have to talk to Janine more," his friend urged.
"You know I find it extremely difficult to converse easily with others," he earnestly lamented. Peter nodded, then advised, "First, don't mention spores, mold, or fungus again."
"Those are my hobbies," Iggy defiantly responded, emphasizing the first word.
"Will you try a little harder,"' Peter requested.
"Yes, this is extremely uncomfortable for me, and my palms are perspiring," Egon admitted, rubbing his hands on his gray pants.
"Thanks, Iggy. You are doing well. Janine seems nice enough, and she's not bad looking. Try asking her those questions that we discussed earlier," Peter suggested.
Meanwhile, the two women returned to the table with a smile. At least, Barb did.
"Do you, Uhm, enjoy being a secretary," Egon nervously questioned, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
"Sure, it's ok," Janine answered, perking up with her date's sudden interest.
Egon curtly nodded his head in recognition.
The dinner continued this way for Janine, although Egon asked a few more questions. She could see him trying, and it wasn't easy for him. When Janine inquired about his life, her date answered in a monotone voice like a professor she had in community college. He seemed married to his work and research, and Janine felt discouraged.
Later, Peter and Barb split up the foursome to see a movie. Egon escorted Janine to the nearest subway station so she could return to Brooklyn.
"Peter, you set up my best friend with Egon Spengler of all people," Barb bewilderedly cried when they were far enough away from their friends so that they couldn't be overheard.
"I would have expected Ray or Winston but Egon?"
"You said that your best friend was bookish," Peter protested.
"Yeah, but not like Egon, who is a genius," Barb argued. Then the two let the topic drop and resumed their enjoyment of the evening.
Egon awoke from a daze when someone accidentally bumped into him. He finally realized that he had watched Janine disappear into the sea of people. Next, Egon recalled what had happened last.
"Thank you for dinner. I don't think we are a good match, but it was nice to meet you, Egon," Janine said sweetly with a grin.
She then requested that he bend over. To his surprise, he felt the delicate whisper of Janine's lips on his cheek. Egon felt a chill, and a smile came to his lips.
"Night," Janine whispered, gave him a bright grin, and strolled awake.
Egon attempted to halt her by calling, "wait," but the words didn't come out. He had watched Janine disappear in a trance, and it wasn't just her beauty but the overall vibe that drew him to her like a magnet.
Shrugging his shoulders, Egon leisurely walked back to the Firehouse in a daze. His inner talk consisted of berating himself for not speaking to the Brooklynite woman more. Ray and Winston watched the Yankee game upstairs as Egon sat at the kitchen table. Since he often talked to himself while solving complex problems, neither Ray nor Winston noticed it was about a woman at first.
"What is troubling Iggy," Ray whispered to the fourth Ghostbuster, handing a bag of chips to him as they watched the game from the sofa. Immediately, both peered at the erudite man sitting at the table with his head in his hands.
"Not sure, watch out Ray, the Yankees are about to score," Winston excitedly stated, his attention returned to the ball game. Fifteen minutes passed, and Ray decided to question his colleague and joined him at the kitchen table.
"What's that on your cheek?" Ray questioned Egon later.
Puzzled, he lifted his long fingers to his cheeks and then analyzed it. Egon wiped it off his fingers and then his cheek with a white napkin on the table. He didn't answer but instead sighed heavily.
"Was that lipstick" the chubby Ghostbuster exclaimed in confusion, noticing the red-smeared makeup on the disregarded napkin.
"Yes," Egon replied, hanging his head.
"Who were you set up with?"
"A magnificent red-headed woman with mesmerizing green eyes and a smile that could light up the darkest sky," Egon mumbled. Cupping his ear with his hand, Ray feigned deafness to tease his usually grave friend.
Egon restated his comment louder with a decidedly lovesick look on his face.
"Does this redhead have a name?" Winston queried, sitting next to Ray.
"Janine."
"Pretty name," Winston replied, giving Ray a smirk.
"Yes," Egon finally relented.
"How did it go?" Ray curiously asked.
"Not well. I struggle with small talk, so I barely could get the words out to speak."
"Maybe it went better than you thought," Ray reassured.
"I give my chances in seeing her again 1 in 999999," Egon pitifully calculated and stood up from the table. Excusing himself, he went to the lab to wallow.
Will Egon and Janine meet again?