Chapter 2
"Excuse me...hello...hello, if you don't answer I will be forced to call the police and you will be arrested, locked away with the likes of Texas's worst criminals for the rest of your days. Not to mention my mother will scold me for being out so late. So for the betterment of both of us please get up!"
Amy's eyes flew open jerking the rest of her body with her. She was still laying in the grass where she stopped earlier. How long has she been here? Her face was no longer wet from her tears and her feet were no longer sore from running. Stuck in a daze she stared at the person above her. He looked familiar but Amy couldn't recall his name. The persons pale skin and tall, lanky frame was familiar as well as that red shirt with a yellow lighting bolt and light brown jacket but she couldn't order her thoughts to know where she'd seen them.
"Where am I?" Amy finally asked, running her hand through her hair removing the blades of grass and dirt.
"You're laying in our front yard, trespassing might I add. And in the state of Texas I'm allowed to shoot anyone trespassing on our property." The voice said "You're lucky my father isn't here, or else he'd shoot you."
"May I use your phone?"
"Oh sure, why don't I just invite the strange girl lying in our front lawn in a ball gown into our house to use our technology!"
"Really!" Amy questioned.
"Bazinga! Of course not! Do your hear yourself woman?" He bellowed. Bazinga? The word scratched her ear. She felt overwhelming annoyed. But couldn't understand why?
"Sheldon?" Amy asked making her way to her feet.
"How do you know me? Are you friends of Missy? Well she's not here, she probably off at prom getting drunk or an STD." He stopped when he noticed Amy's confusion at what he was saying "You must be here for George. He already has a female companion in his room but he's had multiple women in there before so why stop now"
"I'm not here for Missy or George I just need to use a phone to call my mother. I've had a really rough night and I'd appreciate a little bit of sympathy." She didn't mean to raise her voice but her memory of the night was returning and Sheldon's reprimanding was making everything worse.
Sheldon's mother heard the commotion in her yard and stepped to the edge of the porch calling for Sheldon.
"Shelly! Is that you?" She hollered.
"Yes ma'am. I'm just dealing with a new neighborhood drunk who has found her way to our yard."
"I declare I am dog tired of those darn drunks passing out in our yard. Don't worry I have something for this one" Mary Cooper said hurrying off the porch with her slipper in hand. "Get! Get!" She yelled as she got closer.
"Wait!" Amy hopped to her feet guarding her face as Sheldon mother swung her pink slipper like she was chasing away raccoons. "It's me Mrs. Cooper, Amy Fowler! I'm no drunk. I go to school with Sheldon."
"Fowler? You Barbara's girl?" Amy nodded trying to catch her breath "I know Barbara from the widows organization at the community center. Well what are doing out here for?" Mary asked but continued without an answer. "Come in the house, sweetie." She placed a motherly hand around her shoulder and all but lifted her into the house.
With no hesitation Sheldon's mother sat Amy at the kitchen table and began to pick the remaining debris out of her hair. She wanted to thank her but couldn't will herself to speak, she feared she'd burst into tears if she did. Instead she picked at the skin around her nails hoping no one would notice her holding back the massive lump of emotion in her throat.
"Shelly, won't you be more comfortable in your room, sweetie?" Mrs. Cooper gently pushed recognizing what Amy was going through. Her own son had been the victim of senseless bullying many times before and she was familiar with the brave face they both tried to put on. But she could spot an aching soul anywhere.
"No thank you, I'm fine right here."
"Sheldon, I think you should go to your room now. I need to talk to Amy."
"Oh, I don't mind your talking, as long as you keep your conversation lower than a whisper. Besides, Star Trek comes on soon and you know I like to be here early to catch the final trailer of the show, it's my fourth favorite part of watching TV." Sheldon challenged.
"Sheldon, we're talking about periods!" Mary shouted.
He covered his ears and released a yelp of disgust like his mother said she and Amy were about to eat children.
"Fine, you guys have 10 minutes to discuss your unsanitary feminine troubles. " Sheldon unwillingly turned the corner mumbling under his breath.
"So...You want to tell me what a young lady like yourself, in a beautiful dress with a gorgeous hairstyle is doing lying in my front yard at such an ungodly hour? Shouldn't you be at prom having fun?"
"The students at that school are cruel! They are ungrateful, disrespectful, lazy children and I can't wait to go to college and get away from them" she said surprising herself at her sudden outburst.
"No, you don't mean that. Now you sound like Sheldon."
"Well he isn't a genius for nothing" She shot back not meaning to be as curt as she was, but anger was the only emotion she could stand.
"I remember when you were a little girl, no older than 7 or 8 you would walk your cat to my front porch so she could have a play-date with our cat. You would sit right out there every Saturday morning, do you remember that?" Mary said with a look of compassion but all Amy saw was pity. "Well I remember that, I also remember the young lady who personally delivered letters for Sheldon and Missy when their father passed. What happened to that girl who was full of life and eager to make new friends?"
"That Amy was naive, young, and covered in scratches from an angry and fatigued cat. I'm mature and wiser now. I used to live a life based in emotion and the desire to fit in now I live by facts and logic. That's how scientist operate anyway." It frightened Amy how much she sounded like her mother but maybe her mother was right, maybe friends and fun weren't necessities of life.
"Don't let your mother's strange ideas rub off on you. I love Barbara but she can be pretty robotic at times. I remember before you father passed he was the most joyful person I knew and he was a scientist himself. So that proves you wrong, scientist can be intelligent and fun."
Being full of life was one of the only things Amy remembered about her father. She didn't remember how his hands felt or what he sounded like when he sang to her but she remembered playing in his lab doing fun experiments and dancing around to Neil Diamond using beakers as microphones. She remembered his bear hugs and how he would squeeze her and swing her from side to side calling her his princess and promising her once he saved the money he would buy her the fanciest tiara. She even remembered his-
"What the hell" a husky voice knocked Amy out of her daydream as Missy and her date stampeded into the kitchen. They looked liked like the people you are told to avoid in Public Service Announcements. Their clothes half on their bodies, half ripped, their hair mangled on top of their heads. They both stumbled into the kitchen with their arms woven into the each other.
"Mom, what is she doing here?" Missy asked barely keeping her head up. Her date stared at Amy with a look of disgust.
"She's here for a while until she calls her mother to pick her up" Mary replied.
"Aww does the little girl need her mommy?" Missy's date started."I knew the guys said this year's Dogfight was going to be good but I didn't think it was going to be this good. I mean, damn girl, I didn't think you were going to win but the dance really put it over the top. Congratulations!" He clapped his hands in front of her face. Each clap was like a bullet erupting in her chest. She sunk in the chair burying her red face in her dress.
"That's enough! You are not going to come into my God fearing home and defile it with your mouth straight out of the gutter. Missy, send this little date of yours away. Better yet, tell George and his Saturday night jezebel she can go too. This is a house not a hotel. And if I smell alcohol on anyone's breath I will bring the rapture myself." Mrs. Cooper erupted." I swear the good Lord didn't bless me with the patience to deal with them. Sheldon!" Mary suddenly yelled "Come down stairs and escort Amy home, now!"
"What! No! No,no,no, no, that's fine Mrs. Cooper, truly. I can call my mother and she can come and get me. You really don't need to do that, I promise." Amy begged, she would rather be walked home by Missy and her date than to be escorted by Sheldon. She could handle ignorant and incoherent comments from Missy's date, she was used to that. But the arrogant and complicated remarks of Sheldon were unbearable.
"Nonsense, no use making her waste precious gas driving over here when Sheldon can walk you there for free. Shelly!" She yelled again "Get in here."
"Mother please, doesn't the bible say anything about women yelling obscenely in a house?"
"No."
"We'll ask God who his editor is, I'll write them a letter."
"Walk Amy home, don't be difficult tonight, please." Mary begged.
"But mother it's late" Sheldon pleaded.
"Thank goodness we have flashlights"
"But the light attracts bugs."
"That's what bug spray is for."
"But what if someone kidnaps me."
"Pray."
"But Star Trek comes on at 10:00pm" He challenged again.
"So if you hurry and leave now you'll make it back in time to watch it. Sheldon!" She stopped him before he crafted another excuse "Don't make me tell you again. Get your coat, flashlight, bug spray, and Bible and walk Amy home" Understanding it was pointless to challenge the will of Mary Cooper he did as told and walked out of the door without even checking to see if Amy was behind him.
They walked in absolute silence, only occasionally hearing crickets and the crunch of the ground beneath their feet. But uncomfortable silence was infinitely times better than him constantly berating her. Luckily the quietness gave Amy the opportunity to think about what she was going to tell her mother about her night. If she were brutally honest and disclosed every detail her mother would freak and go to the school demanding that the student body apologize to her daughter. The thought of that was stomach curling. However there was no way she could keep secret her night from her invasive mother.
"Can I say something?" Sheldon randomly asked.
"I'd rather you not." She replied curtly.
"It's a genuine concern, I promise."
"...Sure"
"If you won something...why are you so upset? I mean you won, you're the winner, shouldn't you be happy?" Amy stopped in her tracks staring at his back.
"Excuse me? Is this some sort of joke?" Sensing her defensive energy he cautiously continued.
"I-I'm just saying that Missy said you won the Dogfight-"
"Do you know what the Dogfight is Sheldon?"
"I do not. But winning any competition is an accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself. No one else in the school won, wear it proudly. I know I would." Was every teenager in this town really this demented? Or did he really not know? His face was covered in confusion which made her believe his poorly phrased comment was accidental.
"Sheldon, the dogfight is a stupid tradition the students play during prom. A group of senior guys, popular, ask a group of girls, unpopular, to prom. And the guy with the worst date wins a cash prize of 50 dollars while the girl wins a night of humiliation and a lifetime of self esteem issues."
"Worst date? I don't get it. You mean worst as in not adhering to the standard prom night procedures? Such as tardiness, inappropriate attire, a trip to the bathroom leading to a covert escape through the bathroom window. In that case, I understand."
"You know what I mean when I say worst" Amy didn't want to say it out loud but judging from his face Sheldon was genuinely ignorant to the entire situation. "Worst as in weirdest…ugliest." she put her head down trying to hide her face from him.
"Oh" was all he could say. He wasn't good at comforting people and he didn't want to hurt Amy more than she already was.
"That's all you have to say. No stabbing remark or joke?"
"Do you want to know my opinion?" He finally said.
"I really don't"
"I've carried the name 'Shelly Cooper is a smelly pooper' for some years now, and I've learned they bully me because they know I am intelligent. And they are jealous I am so superior and will lead far better lives than they could even imagine." Of course this is the only thing Sheldon Cooper could muster up as comforting words. "And you are extremely intelligent so it's possible they tease you because they know you will have a bright future and they are jealous of you."
"Wow" he said something far nicer than the condescending comment she was expecting. "That's actually sweet Sheldon, I really appreciate that. I'm surprised you think I'm smart, in class you seem pretty self absorbed."
"Of course I know the woman who is battling my valedictorian spot. You do excellent work, Ms. Fowler getting invited to participate in an experiment at Texas Eastern is nothing to look over. You are bound to have a very promising future, I look forward to tracking your career and your work." He spoke about her so confidently and with so much detail it warmed her heart to know someone thought about her that much, or thought about her at all.
"Thank you Sheldon" she meekly responded and they continued to walk in silence but this was a welcomed quietness, nothing about it was uncomfortable. The more the pair continued to her house the more Amy realized Sheldon was a good ole southern gentlemen. When cars would pass he'd step behind her giving her space on the inside of the sidewalk keeping her safe from the cars. He even held the flashlight in front of her path so she could see where she was walking.
She wanted to tell Sheldon how sweet his comment was, how nice it was to treat her the way she deserved to be treated. How it pleased her to know someone as brilliant as he found her equally intelligent. She wanted to thank him for being the silver lining to her gray cloud of a prom night but she didn't have the courage so she stood there like a fool.
"Is your door locked?" Sheldon started," Why aren't you going in? Do you not have a key to get in? I leave a extra key under our flower pot, you should try finding a place to keep a spare. Practicing preparedness is must for this fellow."
"No, I have a key" she said cutting him off" I, um...I wanted to say...what you did was...I mean, you're really...um." She was panicking. He was staring at her as if a pulsating growth was attached to her neck, and her nervous facial tick wasn't easing the situation. This was not as easy as it seemed. "Thanks for walking me home." Dammit. "I appreciate it."
"You should. I will for sure miss the first 3 minutes of Star Wars. In any case, you are welcome." Silence" If you don't have anything else to say, I'd like to go home now."
"Of course, sure" Amy allowed for a few quiet moments to pass to watch him leave before she turned into the house. Here it comes. The nagging questions from her mother. Why are you late? Who is the boy at the door? Why is your dress dirty? Have you spent the evening fraternizing with whores and gang bangers? The daily interrogation from Barbara Fowler.
Strangely the house was quiet. The house was always quite her mother didn't believe in speaking above a whisper, but tonight was her prom night she was expecting to be met at the door with probing questions or at least wanting to know how her night went.
She searched the house quietly until she finally she saw a small light coming from the study.
"There you are" she said stepping into the amber lit room. Her mother was glued to the leather chair with her legs clasped together in a slant. Her incessant words of wisdom practically ransacked Amy's ear. Cross at the ankle, only uncultured women cross at the knee. And Barbara rather be rotting dead than to be considered an uncultured woman. She had a perfectly sculpted hairdo that fit her lips perfectly painted in a thin line. She was like the rest of the furniture in the room unmoving, cold, and lifeless. Perfect.
"I assumed you'd gone to bed." Amy continued after a moment of silence. "I'm back." She said louder. Her mother was so unresponsive she began to worry if she'd somehow gone mute.
"I see. I saw the light on the porch." She finally said.
"Oh, that was just Sheldon, mother. He's Mary Cooper's youngest son. You know the Coopers, he's harmless."
"I never said otherwise."
"Oh, well- I just assumed you would have a lot of questions about my night." She tripped over her words not knowing how to operate with her mother's indifferent demeanor. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" Amy asked. Without looking from her book she gestured with her premature wrinkled hand to the sofa across the room.
It was exactly what Amy assumed going to the principal's office would be like. Any lookers on would have assumed this was the situation, anything but a mother and her daughter after her first prom.
"Thank you." Her mother threw over her book.
"T-thanks? Thank you for what?"Amy inquired.
"I'd like to thank you for ruining our reputation, you single handily ruined the Fowler name in one night." She finally set her book down staring at Amy with a Wintery stare.
"What are you talking about mother?"
"I knew you shouldn't have gone. You went out in whore-ish makeup and a dress that left nothing to the imagination with some imbecile boy and stayed out all hours of the night. I've been receiving phone calls from everyone in the neighborhood saying they saw you laying on the side of the road like a drunk."
"Let me explain-" Amy tried to interject.
"While you were out there doing God only knows, did you ever stop to think about anyone but yourself? Your father worked his entire life to build a good life for you and you are constantly trying to destroy what he's built. He honored his parents and their reputation and here you come to ruin that for dates and fun. He's not even here to mend the damage you've done. Your father would be so disappointed in you?"
"Mom, may I please talk?"
"No, you listen. You are a different type of girl and you need to be treated differently, which is why I have such a strong hold on you. I keep you in the house because you are an obvious target for bullying" Barbara's remark stung. Amy understood she wasn't the prettiest, funniest, or skinniest girl in the class and she was at peace with that. However, her mother calling out her insecurities was painful. "Don't be so sensitive Amy I'm not saying you're unsightly. I'm saying you are different and I can't treat you like every other child. When I try to treat you normally you end up on the side of Greenidge Street. So I don't want to hear anymore about what everyone else does, or what you think is unfair. " Amy had given up trying to explain the situation to her mother. She wanted to confide in her about the events that happened tonight and how they made her feel. She wanted to know what about herself made her such an easy target for bullying? Why the students would want to publicly humiliate a person for their sick enjoyment? She wanted to know why she couldn't stop thinking about Sheldon and his comment all night long? But that conversation didn't fit in with her mother's plan so it was unwelcome and ignored.
"I hope your night was worth it. Because this is the last time you will act like the average hooligan in this god forsaken town again." She gestured toward the window, closed her eyes and held her head to the sky like she was trying to gain whatever composure she had left. "Get ready for bed, you have to be at the university early tomorrow and it's going to take you all night getting the dirt out of your hair." She didn't even bother looking at her.
