Chapter 7

Mealtime had become a place where Jordan and Woody could bond. They had a lot of foods that they liked in common. However, Jordan found out early in their marriage that her new husband was truly a product of his home state! Wisconsin was the cheese capitol of the US, and Woody had been brought up with a plentitude of his home's product. Since he was the only one with any desire to cook, their meals reflected this. He put cheese sauce on broccoli, potato casserole topped with cheese, and even salads were not exempt! There was shredded cheese there too!

Jordan tried to explain that as a medical professional she knew that much cheese was not good for them. She went on about hardening of the arteries, heart attack potential, not to mention the simple fat content of that much cheese in their diets! Woody would nod and agree, and for a few days their meals would be cheese free, but then he would forget and go right back to his old habits. Jordan would again remind him about the health risks and the circle continued.

During the three months following their wedding, Woody and Jordan had found a three bedroom apartment that they felt they could afford and moved in after a short argument over who would get which bedroom. Other than that life went on pretty much as usual. One minute rushing by so fast that Jordan felt out of control and others, moving so slow that she wondered how she would ever stand the boredom. Being seven months pregnant was not fun either. She had to pee every few minutes, and it made getting work done very difficult! Not to mention the constant teasing from Bug and Nigel. Even though she threatened both their lives on nearly a daily basis, it didn't have the desired result and the teasing continued.

Clara Rose had been giving Nigel weekly tarot readings for months now and helping him to come to an understanding of his sexual orientation. The reason none of his relationships with women had ever worked out was because he was gay. It took some time for Nigel to even admit that Clara was right, but as she always said, "The cards don't lie."

Once he had openly admitted this to her it because easier for her to advise and guide him. The cards clearly told her there was someone that Nigel worked with that he had feelings for. No matter how many different ways Clara brought this up, all Nigel would do was deny it.

Then on one visit, Nigel came in to tell her that his best friend was going through a really hard time. Bug was lonely and depressed because of it. Just by the way Nigel spoke of him let Clara know that this was who he had feelings for. In her not so subtle way, Clara advised that if Bug was lonely, it was a perfect time for Nigel to ask him out.

After spitting and sputtering around a while Nigel finally admitted that was what he wanted to do. So with Clara's blessing, Nigel set off determined to give it a try. Unfortunately things did not go as he had expected or hoped that they would. Bug had assumed the invitation to go out to a movie and grab a bite to eat was just an invitation from a friend, not the date that Nigel had meant it to be!

During a quiet moment in the lab, Nigel had casually asked, "Bug, how would you like to have some dinner and then hit the theater with me tonight? I know of at least three great movies playing right now."

"I don't know…I might just go home and watch some TV instead. I'm not very good company right now," he replied with a glum look.

"That's exactly why we need to go, old chum! We need to cheer you up! Come on, we always have a grand time together!" Nigel urged.

Bug hesitated another few moments and then said, "Well I guess a guys night out on the town might be fun, but dinner and a movie is kind of date-like. Why don't we head to Max' bar, shoot some pool, have a few drinks, heck, Max might even give us a couple rounds on the house!"

Nigel's shoulders sank. Maybe he had been too casual in his request to Bug. He had wanted this to be a date, but Bug clearly hadn't seen it that way. Should he say something? Or let it go with just a laugh? Squaring his shoulders as he remembered Clara Rose's encouragement, he cleared his throat and answered, "What if it was a date?"

To be continued…