Date time! I am having so much fun writing this and editing with starwars4life! Enjoy!

-Saturday-

On the date, Gladys and Dwayne went out to dinner to a Italian Steakhouse middle-class restaurant, only 10 minutes from Gladys' house.

Gladys finds it a bit strange seeing Dwayne in a tuxedo instead of his usual orange jumpsuit, but she can't deny that he looks so… fine. The blackness really highlights the physical traits that Gladys finds attractive about him, such as the jacket, pants, and black shoes.

Gladys is wearing a navy blue jacket, white button-down shirt, and red pants, red lipstick, dark blue eyeliner, light-pink blush, and mascara that's so dark-blue it almost looks black. Lastly, she wears silver-plated ball earrings that dangle half a centimeter below her earlobes, and a silver necklace.

As soon as he came to pick Gladys up at her house, Dwayne was instantly mesmerized at Gladys's choice of attire. Now in the restaurant, her clothes seem to stand out even more, and bring out her attractive features to the optimum effect. He loves how her makeup matches the style of her outfit. She looks so beautiful.

True, part of this might be because of the restaurant's atmosphere of low-intensity lights, grey and black furniture, and wooden floor. But no, he thinks it's all her. He thought she was attractive enough in her all black outfit, but the woman before him could win the Mrs. Universe Pageant 10 years in a row… in his book at least, but his opinion about the woman he's considering to start a relationship with is all that matters right now.

Having just ordered the special of the day; the traditional ceasar for Gladys and calamari marinara for Dwayne, and knowing that it will take a while for the food to arrive, the two decide it's a perfect time to get to know each other better.

Dwayne: "So, lady's first, tell me about your early life."

Gladys: "Well, I come from a wealthy family. My great-grandparents, who were my age during the 1920s, were successful business entrepreneurs, and my grandfather was one of the main people who proposed the idea that families should move to the suburbs in the 1940s, which led to the famous 'White flight' of the '50s and '60s. My mom is a business attorney, and my dad is the chairman of a small but profitable construction company."

Dwayne: "So that's what inspired to get into real estate?"

Gladys: "Actually no, I owe that to my brothers Hal and Jay. Hal is my younger brother and Jay is my older brother. They both works for management and marketing. Anyway, I wanted to be a doctor ever since my grandmother died of cancer when I was five, but Hal discouraged me from that vocation when he dismembered my dolls and challenged me to," (impression of a young boy) " 'Save your patient, Dr. Gladys,' "(normal voice tone) "which I could never do because the little weasel broke the dolls and pulled off the parts that I taped together. And he of course rubbed it in by saying" (impression of a young boy) " 'If this was real, your patients would be better off going straight to the hospital morgue than seeing you.' (normal voice tone) That really hurt my self-esteem…"

Dwayne: "I can relate…"

Gladys: "But one day when my parents were running errands, I got back at him by stealing all the money in his piggy bank and wouldn't give it back until after I gave him a sloppy makeover. (Sighs in bliss) I did everything: lipstick, mascara, nail paint, blush, facial cream, and curling his eyelashes."

Dwayne: "Ha-ha! Now that's what I call payback!"

Gladys: "Yeah. My parents really let me have it when they came back home that day, but my older brother didn't pick on me when it came to jobs that I wanted to do until I was in high school. But you know what's ironic, I actually needed someone who would be critical of the jobs I wanted while growing up, because my parents never did that to me."

Dwayne (confused): "Wait, I'm not following you."

Gladys: "What I'm saying is that because my family had the finances for me and my brothers to pursue any career of our choice, my parents encouraged me to become whatever I wanted. They didn't even mind if I didn't want to follow in their footsteps, which is nothing like most people I know."

Dwayne: "How's that bad? I'd love to have had parents like yours. Folks who wouldn't tell you what kind of person you have to grow up into, and who wouldn't oppose you every step of the way on becoming who you want to be. But I'll get to that later, continue with your story."

Gladys: "It's bad because they never taught me how to be mindful about the things I do best, or how to stick on the path or paths that fostered this. From middle school to high school, I tried every elective you can think of: cheerleading, soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball, bowling team, tennis, home ed, physics club, engineering club, chess club, math club, debate club, band, choir, dance, color guard, art class, and SGA. Can you imagine how heartbreaking it was for me to put all of my mind and body, all of my best effort, into flourishing at everything I tried to do, only to be cut from the squad during tryouts, and cause the teams I got into to lose big games or prevent them from reaching higher-accolade events? Or how about being told by my teachers or coaches that I'm not good enough to be in the elective, and making a fool of myself during auditions where I realized the hard way just how bad I sounded or performed? Not to mention the pain of receiving low grades, attending parent-teacher conferences with my academic advisor about dropping one course for another, my parents telling me how disappointed in me they were, and the frustration of being stuck in an unenjoyable environment.

"If my parents had told me what I should do that was best for me, instead of letting me unwittingly set myself up for failure, I would've been spared so much pain. Fortunately, my other brother Jay told me to do something that changed my life forever. He suggested that I make a list of all the things I had tried, cross out the ones I wasn't good at, and only focus on the ones that I was better at which were art, home ed, and SGA."

Dwayne nods in understanding how a person would need to have drawing talents to make house blueprints, knowledge of household appliances, and leadership skills in some kind of organization or agency to eventually become President of the Homeowners Association.

Gladys: "That's one of the reasons why I'm so strict, because my parents were so gosh darn lenient that they didn't give me a dose of reality before I tried something I couldn't hope to succeed in. The other reason is that like any kid, I had my share of arguments with my parents and brothers growing up, but it only helped me understand the importance of listening to authority figures. More than anything, it made me want to be an authority figure, so that I would be the one that others have to listen to. But a pet peeve of mine was whenever authority figures were all bark and no bite; when they were all talk, but never backed up their words with actions. So starting my sophomore year at high school, I became what you'd call the 'popular kid'; the girl who everyone wanted to be and who everyone listened to… a girl who was in charge of setting the standards for all to follow."

Dwayne: "Did you date a lot? That is what popular kids do, after all."

Gladys: "Of course. I had about 12 boyfriends, four in middle school, and eight in high school."

Dwayne: "12…? Now that's impressive."

Gladys: "Unfortunately none of them could meet my high standards of organization, prominence, or devotion to work and personal image, so I broke up with them."

Dwayne (raising an eyebrow and talking in an amused tone): "Oh, really? You sure you're not forgetting something?"

Gladys noticed the twinkle in Dwayne's eye as he spoke. There can only be one reason for that: she's been able to convince him to like her despite—she dare says because of her authoritative demeanor. She doesn't have to worry about being someone she's not to be accepted by him. So when responds with honesty, it's like the heavy load that's prevented her from having a relationship deeper than friendship that she's been carrying around her entire life since middle school has finally been lifted from her life.

Gladys (sighs but has a smile on her face): "And yes, I was a 'Miss Bossy-Britches' who wanted everything to be my way or the highway. Boys had a crush on me because they thought I was hot, but they also knew I was like a control freak."

Dwayne: "Ha! I knew it."

Gladys (looking deeply into Dwayne's eyes): "But you're different. You're the first man to accept me for being bossy, and I can't thank you enough for that."

Dwayne: "Well, now that I know the reasons for that, I gotta hand it to ya Gladys, you really are an interesting person. You've experienced failure several times, but made a complete 180, and taken charge of your life for yourself. You are so beautiful by enduring all of that."

Gladys (blushing): "Thank you. But enough about me, let me hear about your life."

Dwayne: "I came from an average family, and am an only child. My dad was a former animal control officer who's now a bartender, and my mom works in a car factory. My favorite show while growing up was Star Trek, which made me want to become an astronaut."

Gladys: "You'd be surprised how many people say the same thing after watching science fiction shows and movies."

Dwayne: "But as I said earlier, my parents weren't like yours. They always said they knew what was best for me ever since the cradle, and wanted me to become a lawyer. Every time I told them that I wanted to be something different, they went to the greatest lengths to scold me while discouraging my hopes and dreams.

"When I wanted to become an astronaut, they said 'Being an astronaut requires you to be very smart, but you'll never come close to that if you keep filling your mind with silly ideas that you see on TV. And because astronauts aren't important for our nation's growth, they don't get paid very much and neither will you. Not to mention it's dangerous, and you'll have to go through physical training that you'd fail as soon as the interviewers at NASA take one look at your chubby body.' Heck, they shamelessly used the Challenger Disaster of 1986 to gloat at how right they were and how wrong I was. My parents' insults aside, the Challenger did scare me out of wanting to become an astronaut, but I still didn't want to become a boring lawyer. From fourth grade to my freshman year at high school, I wanted to be a novelist, movie actor, director, or theater performer. But all they told me was, 'You'll never be good enough for any of that. Think realistically, son, those careers will either make you or break you; and most of the time it breaks people who then wind up on the streets with no job. And even if you did make it—which you wouldn't—you wouldn't get famous overnight. You'd only get stuck in B-movies, children's theater plays, or tabloid magazines because you don't have any creative talent.'"

Gladys (sympathetic): "I can't believe they would say those things to you, their own son."

Dwayne: "Yeah… And even before I started taking out my emotions with eating, I was always the 'fat kid' who wasn't good at any physical activities—even playing tag—and stayed inside reading comics, watching TV, and playing video games. I was always the first choice for my school peers to pick on. So without anyone to support my aspirations, and with lots of bullying issues, I had pretty low self-esteem for my whole life before college.

"And throughout that time, my teachers were no different from my parents. They told me that I should only read books that could 'take me somewhere in life' instead of reading about the stuff I actually enjoyed. And you know what's funny?"

Gladys has been listening to Dwayne's story which she has found as compelling as it is depressing. She's full of so much sympathy for someone who's had such as rough life on all fronts, that she feels obligated to let him continue and to respond to all of his prompts. As she does the latter, it's in a voice full of earnest.

Gladys: "What?"

Dwayne: "One of my college roommates, who was majoring in education, said that forcing kids to read things they're not interested in is actually bad for intellectual development because it makes them hate reading and thus school. But if a kid does read what he's interested in, he'll develop of love reading which leads to a love for learning. And a love for learning leads to a smart individual. I still read things that interested me despite what my teachers recommended. My parents, teachers, and classmates laughed at me back then, but now I'm the one who's going places, I'm the one who's making a name for myself. They're all stuck with their same old rudimentary jobs with terrible conscience they'll gonna live with. My experiences with people always wanting to control my life convinced me to never be like that, and to become a person who does what's best for myself."

Gladys: "Congratulations… I mean it. You stuck to what you believed in the most and followed through with it even when everyone was trying to bring you down. Any weaker person would have given up on life, but you didn't. That's actually fascinating, no, awe-inspiring. Your story could make great a novel, TV special, or movie. And I'm so sorry to hear that you had unpleasant times with your parents and peers. All my life, I always lived in a really nice neighborhood. To be honest, I liked it so much that I wanted to be in charge of my own, which is why I started studying to receive my business degree with a focus in real estate at Butler University."

Dwayne is impressed at Gladys's success in college which has enabled her to make good salary by working independently at a big, attractive neighborhood with nice people. He would have said this out loud if she didn't speak before he could.

Gladys: "Did anything good ever happen to you back then?"

Dwayne: "Well, whenever my peers had trouble beating video games I'd be the man who knew what to do. So it was good being better than everyone else at something, and for them to come to me for help. But I was usually the outcast in middle and high school who always wanted to be with the popular kids, but they never let me hang out with them no matter how hard I tried."

Gladys: "So I guess you rarely had any girlfriends?"

Dwayne: "I had only one during high school and she was just as much an under-achiever and social outcast as I was. But our relationship ended the night I took her to my first and only prom when I was a junior. When jazz music started playing, we began to get wild with our dance moves and I thought, 'Hey, how about I snazzle and dazzle everyone with a crazy dance move?' I ended up tearing my hamstrings and breaking my back…" (sigh) "My old jazz dance injury…

"Since then, I have been too shy to date any else out of risk embarrassing myself."

Gladys: "Did you at least impress everyone?"

Dwayne: "Only a few. Most were laughing their heads off. But after that night, I started working more often by briskly walking in my neighborhood every day after school so my weight wouldn't end up killing me. I lost 85 pounds by high school graduation, and kept going on walks around the Verm-Tech campus every other day."

Gladys: "Well good for you."

Dwayne: "Thanks."

The two turn their heads once they see the waiter bring their food and they start eating. They take four large bites out of their plates before something comes to Gladys's mind.

Gladys: "You still haven't told me why you wanted to become a verminator."

Dwayne: "Oh, yeah. Remember when I told you about my dad being an animal control officer?"

Gladys: "Uh-huh."

Dwayne: "When I was a high school freshman, he lost his foot from a wolf attack which forced him to become a bartender."

Gladys (shocked): "Oh my…"

Dwayne: "And despite our differences, I still loved my dad enough to decide I should find some way to avenge his loss. That way was becoming a verminator at Verm-Tech Institute."

Gladys: "I see. So you're still on good terms with your parents?"

Dwayne: "Yep. But what about you? What made you hate animals?"

Gladys: "My mom's pride and joy was her vegetable garden that she had growing in our backyard, but it was always getting looted by rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, and other vermin animals. I can't tell you how many times we had to buy and plant stuff to replace what was lost, only to lose it again and repeat the cycle. And then one day we were working on re-planting when my mom went to go get some yard tools in our garage, leaving me alone to place the plants where she wanted them to go. Several raccoons, rabbits, possums, and weasels came out of nowhere to eat the new veggies, and when I tried to shoo them away, they pounced onto me and started biting or scratching me all over. My mom drove them away with a shovel, but I was roughed up badly and needed twelve stitches and a lot of shots to get better… and I absolutely hate needles."

Dwayne (grimaces): "Ouch…"

Gladys: "Yeah…But at least nothing like that has happened to me twice."

Dwayne nods and the two resume eating. After dinner, they check their watches and see that they still have plenty of time to go see the movie, Juno. They both talked about what they liked or disliked as they walk out of the theater and when they finish the conversation, that's when Gladys will become distraught with how it's 10:20 PM.

Gladys looks at her watch and notices it's 10:20 PM.

Gladys: "Oh my gosh, it's 10:20!"

Dwayne (casually looks at his watch): "Yep."

Gladys: "It's way past my normal bed time. That means I've only got eight hours of sleep instead of nine hours. I gotta brush my teeth, wash my face, select the coffee I'll want in the morning—"

Dwayne: "You still have plenty of time to do that, don't get so mad."

Gladys: "NO! I have to keep to my schedule, and because we sat through that movie, now I'm gonna have to make up for it!"

Dwayne: "Well, did you have a good time tonight?"

Gladys: "I… yes…"

Dwayne: "If you're so obsessed with keeping a schedule when you're having leisure time, then something's wrong with you."

Gladys suddenly feels like she's finally found the answer to all of her life's problems: she needs to be more flexible and live life to its fullest, instead of being a slave to a strict schedule. That's what made her the unlikable "Miss Bossy" that the people at El Rancho Camelot whisper about.

Gladys: "You're… absolutely right… The first step to become a likable person is to become more lenient in my routine."

Dwayne: "That's the spirit."

Gladys (wraps her arms around Dwayne): "Thank you so much, Dwayne. You've turned my whole life around!"

Dwayne (a bit confused, not knowing how to properly react): "Um, my pleasure, Gladys. That's what friends do for each other."

Gladys smiled and kissed his cheek and Dwayne blushed slightly. He was getting used to Gladys' pecks. In fact, they hadn't actually kissed on the lips because they wanted to take it slow. After all, they didn't really know each other that well on the first day they had met. But the next morning when they got arrested, they had felt like they knew each other a bit more, but not that much. Dwayne had still thought she was beautiful, even when she was bald. She had basically been the same person.

During Gladys' time in prison, she couldn't stop thinking about Dwayne. After she had absorbed the fact that he liked her, she took a look at Dwayne's job and was impressed how he could identify any vermin just by sniffing.

They went back to Dwayne's car after a 10 minute drive, he dropped her off at her house. Exchanging byes and how they'll see the other tomorrow, he drove back to his apartment complex.

He couldn't wait to see how the new and improved Gladys Sharp will turn out… and neither could Gladys.

Aw, they've been through a lot, facing conflicts! But those lovebirds came a long way! 3 If you like it, just let me know in the review!