A MOMENT OF ADVICE

[Let's pick it up from…]

During this time Foxy had recourse to Gadget's sage advice on many occasions, but Gadget's advice to her was of no help in getting Dale to pop the long-awaited question. Still, though, Gadget always assured her that Dale did indeed love her and she need only be patient.

[Okay, then, let's just see one of these occasions:]

Foxglove entered Gadget's room, and to the batmaid's surprise and relief, she was still awake, sitting on her bed and reading one of her tremendously technical manuals, again.

The Inventor looked up and greeted her with a smile, "Oh, hello, Foxy. How was the movie?"

"Oh, it was fine, I guess…" the batmaid's soft voice trailed off with mild frustration.

"A real bomb, right?" asked the mousemaid, noticing the frustration.

"Uh, well, no!" replied Foxglove suddenly, trying to jolt her mind back to here and now. "Actually, it seemed pretty interesting…"

Gadget put her book down, stood, and padded over to her roommate. Looking into her eyes, she calmly asked, "Foxy, what was the title of the movie?"

Somewhat surprised at this more-than-obvious question, Foxglove was about to reply, but then she realised that her mind was totally blank concerning that. Trying to blink her memory back on line, she ransacked her brain in search for an answer, "Uh…uh…it was a…monster movie, again, I know that. It was called…it was called…"

No use; she had been too busy noticing something else to notice the title of the flick.

Gadget, unfazed, insisted with something easier, "What was the movie about? Godzilla, again?"

Foxy thought for sure she had the answer to this one, since she knew Godzilla was not in the movie, but as she tried to recall the plot, she was lost once more. Covering her head with her wings, she trembled momentarily.

An uncomfortable query crossed Gadget's mind, though she already knew what the answer was. "Dale did see the movie, I suppose?"

Foxglove sagged. She shuffled sadly to the bed and slumped to a sitting position on it. "Yes, he saw every second of it. And he enjoyed it completely. And he even yelled on the scary parts, even though that was the eleventh time he sees that movie!" Covering her head again, Foxglove wondered if crying would even help at his point.

Gadget sat next to her, put her paw on her shoulder, and was about to—

"You know," sobbed the bat, suddenly straightening up and startling the mousemaid, "Dale has a one-track mind. And I love him for that, too. Once he sets out to do something, he does it, and nothing else. I mean, if he asks me out on a date to see a movie at the drive-in, I am more than happy to go with him. And that is exactly what he does: See the movie!" Clearly frustrated now, with a touch of anger, Foxglove balled her wings in front of her.

It was not the first time this had happened, but Gadget could see that Foxglove was getting more than slightly annoyed every time it did.

The batmaid turned to her roommate and continued, "He really likes monster movies. I mean, why should he think I don't? After all, he does invite me to see them with him, especially the premieres, and I happily go along. Why should he think I have something else in mind when I make us sit WAY in the back? And echosounding him throughout the whole show, that is really something. You know, Gadget, you really should invent a sonar machine to echosound him yourself. I think only then will you be able to see what you missed. You really blew it by not choosing him. And…he also enjoys his junk food, too. He loads himself up just before the movie starts, and again in the intermission. And he shares his food with me. That's very romantic, don't you think?" Gadget was about to console her, but Foxglove suddenly continued, "And what is even more romantic is the fact that when he gets scared, he jumps and puts his arms around me! You can't get much more romantic than that, can you?" Breathing quite audibly now, Foxglove waited for Gadget's usual reply.

The mousemaid began, "Foxy, you know that doesn't always happen. After all, if Dale really enjoys his movies, you must be very special to him if he wants you to see them too, with him. I guess he also respects you very very much, if he doesn't do anything else except watch the movie, despite the temptation you set up for him every time."

Foxglove pondered on that point for a moment, and replied, "I don't understand: I love him, he loves me, we love each other, we practically live with each other, for crying out loud, and he just doesn't seem to get the hint! He respects me, I know—he's a REAL, wonderful, caring, loving, HANDSOME, [gritting her teeth] RESPECTING gentlemunk—and…I love him for that, too, and…I respect him, too, really, but it just seems that he is perfectly happy and satisfied with the way things are right now and doesn't want anything more. Sure, we kiss, but I wouldn't mind him stealing a kiss from me once in a while. It's almost as if…as if he has finally put me in a little corner of his life, along with his love of movies, comic books, TV…as if I don't rank beyond those…those…THINGS!"

The batmaid cried openly at this point, so Gadget calmly put both paws on her trembling shoulders. "You know that's not true, Foxglove! He loves you very much, even more than those…things. He wouldn't enjoy them without you, not in the least. And you've had romantic dates, too, remember? Without movies, comics, or TV."

"Those don't happen very often, you know," she replied, getting just a trifle more upset. "And I want more of that, more of when he holds me in his arms and looks into my eyes, and I feel his heart fluttering against my fur and not just hear it, when I echosound him to his face and hear his face…have you ever heard someone's face in your face, Gadget? That's really something you should do with Chip—"

"Foxy!" cried the mouse, blushing intensely at the suggestion, and unsure whether she should build a sonar machine at this point.

"Sorry. And he doesn't resist me anymore, I know, but I do wish that he'd take the lead more often. And I also wish those dates would never end, too. I know he loves me more than anything, Gadget, and I know he's romantic, but right now it looks like that is all our relationship will ever amount to: Romantic Dates, one lived happily, the other in frustration, ever after, the end." The batmaid wrapped her head with her huge wings and shook the bed with her inconsolable sobbing.

Gadget, meanwhile, sighed with frustration herself as she gathered her thoughts for a few minutes, allowing Foxglove to continue purging her eyes.

After the sobbing had ebbed for a moment, the mousemaid explained, "Foxy, remember how difficult it was for Dale to admit his feelings for you. Just imagine how difficult a time he must be having right now, to admit he, too, wants more. And do you think it's easy for him to hold himself back simply out of respect for you? He's a male chipmunk, Foxy, and it is spring, you know."

And it was, too. Springtime was precisely the time of the year when Chip and Dale seemed more insistent on getting romantic with Gadget, before Foxglove showed up, that is.

"I mean, if it was difficult for him to behave himself when he was in love with me—"

The batmaid suddenly looked up at the mousemaid's eyes, clearly communicating that she did not want to hear this part of Dale's life.

Now or ever.

"Sorry, Foxy," blurted the inventor, trying to recover from her slip. "But please understand what he's feeling right now, and the instincts he's fighting against at this time of year. I'm sure he wants more out of your relationship, too, but he could be afraid of messing up. In the meantime, he needs you, Foxy. He can't live without you."

Foxglove looked into the distance, as if she were staring at Dale in the living room through the wall. "Do you think he loves me enough to marry me, or just enough to have me as his girlfriend?"

Yikes.

That was a tough one for Gadget, but she quickly replied, "I've never seen anyone fall in love as suddenly as he did with you. He wants you badly, but I guess he thinks he's not ready, or he's afraid of how you'll react."

The batmaid covered her head again. "Oh, why can't I be the one who has to ask the question?"

"He needs a little more time, Foxy. Just wait, and I'm sure he'll pop the question when you least expect it."

Foxglove turned to her roommate again and smiled, "You're…you're right. Thanks, Gadget. I guess I feel a little better."

The rodent smiled, "I'm always here for you, Foxy."

The chiropterid stood, dried her eyes, and stretched, "Well, I guess I should let you go to sleep then. I think I heard a few moths outside. Yummy!"

Foxglove opened the door and was about to leave when Gadget asked, "Did Dale land the Ranger Plane where I told him to? I don't want it to get in the way of the other vehicles again—"

"It's parked just fine, Gadget," she interrupted. "He's not exactly a slob anymore, you know." With a sly grin, Foxglove shut the door and left.

Gadget felt just a trifle guilty for asking that last question. After all, Dale had changed a lot since last June, and he was a lot more responsible with the vehicles. Still, sometimes he did park the planes right in the middle of the hangar, blocking the exit for the other vehicles, a big no-no in case of an emergency. Nevertheless, that did not happen often now, and all the Rangers were glad because of that. So, exhausted after yet another emotional bout with Foxglove, Gadget put on her nightgown and went to bed.