Been busy plus my muse has proven to be a fickle bitch.
November 2014
Hofstadter residence
Princeton, New Jersey
She woke up alone, their California King bed a vast emptiness, not at all what she'd expected when they exchanged their vows in Nebraska. The sheets on his side of the bed were cold, so she knew he'd already driven into Princeton. She hissed when her feet hit the cold parquet floor and her feet frantically searched for her bunny boot slippers in vain.
She hated the cold. She hated New Jersey. She hated everything about her life. She was wife to a man who said he loved her more than air but spent an inordinate amount of time breathing just fine without her. He was on the 'fast track' to tenure, had a full class schedule and meetings and research that seemed to mean more to him than she did.
She was the daughter-in-law of a horrid woman who referred to her as 'that poor girl', and a man she'd only met a few times but who seemed to wither away under his ex-wife's glare whenever he spoke with her for more than a few minutes at Hofstadter family gatherings he felt obligated to attend.
Beverley Hofstadter, the mother-in-law from Hell itself, always asked questions, demanded answers, and passed judgment every time they met. Penny wondered if Beverley called her 'poor girl' because she came from Nebraska and a farm, or whether it was because she didn't measure up to the Hofstadter standard of intelligence or because she'd married her son, her own personal social science experiment.
Either way, the woman cut her on so many levels that the thought of having 'lunch on Tuesdays, dear,' quashed whatever appetite she might have.
She missed California. She missed her friends and although they Skyped irregularly, it just wasn't the same. Video calls couldn't replace the warm and nutty conversations on Thai Night nor any of the other 'Nights' at Leonard's old apartment.
Amy Farrah Fowler no longer accepted her video calls.
Flashback
Her laptop rang with the notification of an incoming video call on Skype. She glanced at the clock and then at the caller – her BFF Amy was calling and she smiled and clicked the 'accept' button.
"Ames! Hey, sweetie. You're up late, can't sleep?" She took a closer look at her 'bestie'. Her eyes were red and puffy and she was dabbing at her nose with a Kleenex.
"What's wrong, Amy? Has something happened?"
"Tonight Sheldon and I had coitus. It was wonderful, incredible…right up until he whispered your name when he climaxed. Your name, not mine! And do you know what really hurts? He just stopped and looked at me with those beautiful cornflower blue eyes of his and whispered 'I'm sorry, Amy, that just slipped out' and then he rose from my bed and left!"
Penny didn't know what to say and it was just as well that she didn't because Amy wasn't quite through with her yet.
"I just sent an email and terminated our Relationship Agreement due to a breach of trust. Had I such an agreement with you, it would likewise be terminated in extremis for being a backstabbing bitch!"
Penny's lips moved but she couldn't make a sound. Amy slammed down the lid of her laptop ending the connection.
She grabbed her cell and scrolled down the list of contacts until she saw his name and then hit 'Call'. It rang a few times before he answered.
"Damn it, Sheldon, how could you do that to Amy? How could you do that to someone who loves you?"
"You did." Apparently Sheldon felt that was sufficient verbal interaction because he disconnected the call and her subsequent calls all went to voicemail.
It hurt to remember those phone calls. Amy's accusatory voice and Sheldon's terseness brought tears to her eyes even after all this time. Penny ignored what Sheldon had uttered, not ready or willing to accept what it meant.
Leonard had changed their wedding plans without even discussing it with her. Their friends had all been very happy for the couple. Amy had been ecstatic while Sheldon had been subdued. He offered the usual socially required comments and then he and Amy had danced the Tango like Brangelina and left to the catcalls of their friends.
When Leonard moved in with Penny ('to save money for our new life') the group gravitated there for Thai Night and other weekly events.
Sheldon kept the apartment but refused to allow Amy to move into Leonard's old room 'to reduce the financial burden on you, Sheldon'. He had politely told her 'No'.
Things between Amy and Sheldon had gone to hell shortly thereafter and Penny had lost two of her best friends as a result.
'He didn't come to my wedding. I looked and looked for him during the ceremony, almost missing my lines, but he hadn't come. My best friend couldn't be bothered to come to my wedding.'
Of course the fact that he was on sabbatical in Argentina had made no difference to her. She still hoped he'd make an appearance as a 'wedding gift'.
She should have known better but it still hurt her. Even Amy had made the trip to Omaha with her 'Plus-1', Stuart from the comic book store.
They had all moved on, the bond that had seemed unbreakable now broken by the passing of time.
Howard and Bernadette moved to Houston for Howard's job with the Space Agency. Amy took up with Stuart (and a few others) while Rajesh had finally found a nice deaf girl who was intrigued by his exotic mannerisms and his bright smile.
Everyone had moved on, adjusting to the new paradigm. Had Sheldon? 'Probably not. There's no one left to interfere with his life. He's probably in his glory, sitting on 'his spot' and watching reruns of Star Trek and Dr. Who.'
She knew his sabbatical was over and he was probably back in Pasadena in search of the proof of String Theory.
Pulling on a robe, she used the bathroom, brushed her teeth and looked at her washed-out reflection in the mirror. She hardly recognized the person she saw. She'd gained 15 pounds. Her green eyes didn't sparkle and her hair seemed dull and lifeless. This reflection wasn't California Penny. This was New Jersey Penny.
Sighing, she walked downstairs to their brightly painted kitchen and swore when she saw his breakfast bowl and coffee cup still on the table in the breakfast nook.
'Jesus, Leonard, would it kill you to rinse them out and put them in the dishwasher, for Christ's sake? I'm not a waitress or a maid – '
She blinked back tears that formed and she reached into her robe pocket for the pill bottle and dry swallowed two of the small white tablets that would see her through the morning.
It was Tuesday and that meant lunch with Beverley. In the months she'd been married and living in New Jersey, she'd come to dread Tuesdays.
She had several hours to kill and the pills had kicked in and she busied herself with her chores and prepared for her errands, her mood artificially enhanced thanks to the wonders of modern science.
Things were fine until she was getting Leonard's suits ready for the dry cleaners. One of the greatest changes in Leonard since moving to New Jersey was his wardrobe.
Gone were the hoodies and the layered t-shirts and sweater vests, replaced by expensive suits, silk ties and starched shirts. He said it was in keeping with his new position.
"Penny, I'm sure you won't understand but image is everything now. If I'm going to fast track my career and gain tenure, I have to dress the part. It's not really that much money, Penn. We'll just tighten up the budget for a while."
For a while? His suits cost between $500 and $800 each and his shirts and ties were another $400 – nearly his entire paycheck for the first month.
She was humming a song to herself as she checked his suit pants and coat for anything left behind when she found a hotel receipt for the Plaza in New York and ticket stubs for Wicked that he'd promised to take her to 'when we can afford it, Penn'.
She set the receipts aside and busied herself putting the dry cleaning in a bag she'd drop off later and started going through the morning mail that had been dropped through the mail slot in the front door of their Federal-style home.
Normally Leonard got the mail and put it on his desk in his 'study' where he'd go through it and pay whatever bills there were. He ran the family finances and she handled the household, 'a division of labor based on abilities', Leonard had called it. She didn't like it but it worked and she almost always had money from her 'allowance' for things she needed.
The only clothes she'd bought were for Tuesdays and the monthly Faculty Wives Club luncheons. She wore her 'California clothes' and made due wearing what she had on 'normal' days.
There were bills, monthly bank statements, their cell phone bill and a credit card statement from a bank Penny didn't recognize in the mail and her curiosity got the better of her and she opened it.
The Arbor
Princeton, New Jersey
1:30PM
Penny was late but couldn't have cared less. The only reason she was even meeting Beverley for lunch was so she could fill her mother-in-law in on all the gory details of what she'd discovered.
She parked her Camry and strolled into the restaurant, waggling her fingers at the waitress manning the reservations desk who knew her by sight.
"Hi, Mrs. Hofstadter. Dr. Hofstadter is already into her second Harvey Wallbanger and is a bit impatient to order."
"I'll have an iced tea and bring her another 'banger and a snifter of brandy. She's gonna need it." Penny smiled and walked leisurely into the main 'salon' and spotted her mother-in-law in a beige business suit.
"Hello, Doc! Yeah, I'm late but it's Leonard's fault. So, I've ordered you another drink and a snifter of brandy. Your little boy has really screwed the pooch this time!"
Beverley looked up at Penny and smiled brightly. "At last! Hello, Penny. I was wondering how long it would be before the 'real' Penny showed up. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my dear. Sheldon was right, you know? You are a gifted actress, albeit not yet 'discovered'."
They talked for an hour and Penny was surprised at how supportive Beverley was considering that Leonard was her son.
"He's his father's son in more ways than I can relate. Oh, look at the time. I suggest you go home, pack up his things and set them out in the driveway and then contact a locksmith and change the locks. On your way home, stop by the bank and remove Leonard's name from the accounts or, better still, simply close them and request cash."
Penny followed Beverley's instructions to the letter and Leonard had pounded on the door, whined explanations, entreaties and finally threats through the mail slot in the front door but Penny was resolved to end it between them.
Leonard was a document pack rat and she'd been able to trace credit card charges for hotels, motels, meals and shows for the past 7 months. The cell phone records were a goldmine. He'd been having an affair with Priya Koothrappali who was working for a firm in New York City.
She cried herself to sleep and when she woke up she hit the banks, cancelled credit cards and made an appointment with Beverley's divorce attorney.
She was going to go all Junior Rodeo on his ass.
She and Beverley talked frequently on the phone and, of course, met regularly on Tuesdays. They were becoming friends, something Penny was really in need of.
"You do know, Penny, that my son is enthralled with his 'Indian Princess' and probably will always be. That doesn't mean that he didn't love you, but just not enough to overcome his attraction to her."
Penny was quiet, trying to hold back her tears. She felt betrayed and said so.
"Yes, my son seems to have a knack for betraying those close to him. Sheldon and I talked about that on our last weekly chat session. The chats were a thinly disguised attempt at therapy really. I felt an obligation to that sweet boy after what Leonard had done to him during their ill-fated North Pole expedition."
"He forgave them all, Beverley. They were his friends and he forgave them. He always overlooked their slights and sarcasm for some reason."
"He harbors deep resentment that he hides with his OCD and schedules as he does so many other things. He was desperate to avoid further changes in his life and losing his relationship with his friends would have broken him as surely as your engagement to Leonard did."
"You talked about that with him? He never said anything to me or Leonard, just offered congratulations and…"
"And, Penny?" She already knew the answer but was curious to see if her daughter-in-law was astute enough to see it for herself. Her inability to answer her was proof enough.
Beverly decided not to mention Sheldon's 'involvement' in Argentina nor his decision to extend his sabbatical and join their winter expedition to Antarctica in his single-minded search for his elusive monopole.
He was no longer taking her Skype calls and her letters to him went unanswered, not that she blamed him. Beverly had dared to dig into his relationships and personal feelings and he had lectured her on the importance of privacy and then dismissed her from his life.
"Well, Penny, I think we should order lunch and another of these. I think I'll have the Dover Sole…"
There would be other opportunities to discuss Sheldon and his activities. There would be other Tuesday lunches with Penny. The question was, how many?
Next – Elusive prizes both lost & found