"Next up, we have an interview with Caprica City's own Dr. David Roslin, Dean of Research at the university. He has written a very interesting book about Kobol that will be available in stores starting tomorrow. Let's join Leslie Lundstrom as she speaks with Dr. Roslin," reports Larissa Lydiatt, evening anchor of Channel 6 news.
"Good evening, Dr. Roslin, and thank you for joining us," Leslie greets him.
"Thank you for inviting me, Leslie, and, please, call me Dave. It's a pleasure to be here."
Leslie reads aloud from the jacket cover of Dave's book, then turns to him with a thoughtful expression.
"Why write this book now?"
"It was always my intention to write a series of history texts that deal with the grittier aspects of our culture. I was recently named Dean of Research and with that position I have been allowed time to compile my own work from the past few decades into several books."
"How many books do you anticipate writing?"
"At least four if not more. Some of it will depend on findings from current archaeological digs."
"You have stated that you want to show the sexier side of history. Can you elaborate on that?"
"Our ancestors weren't as pure as we have been taught to believe. They had affairs, had children out of wedlock, some had multiple children with multiple partners. There was jealousy, rage, violence, and murder. Then there were some couples that were very passionate lovers, you could say soulmates. I explore all of these relationships, the consequences of infidelity, and the motivations behind the violence and murders."
"Sounds like juicy stuff. What can we expect in the future?"
"My next book will focus on the settlement of our current colonies and explore the existence of the thirteenth tribe that settled on Earth."
"Isn't Earth a fable?"
"I thought you might say that," he chuckles. "That is what we have been taught to believe the past few decades. But right now, there is an archaeological excavation on one of the outer colonies that has uncovered artifacts that point to its possible existence. It's time we consider the possibility that Earth is out there."
"You're saying there could be an entire planet far beyond the red line that is filled with generations of a lost tribe?" she asks in disbelief.
"It's possible."
"This is fascinating, Dave. Thank you for joining us. Dr. Roslin will be signing copies of his book at the Book Worm bookstore this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. Back to you, Larissa."
"Thank you, Leslie. I'll be checking out the Book Worm this Saturday. History just got a whole lot sexier. This is Larissa Lydiatt signing off. Have a good evening."
Once the red light on the camera turns off indicating they are no longer on the air, Bruce Brinson, weatherman for Channel 6, laughs uncontrollably. "History just got a whole lot sexier, Larissa? Subtle, really subtle!"
"I'm not the one who's had to go to sensitivity training twice, Bruce. What was that you said to the meteorologist from the oceanographic institute? 'I'd love to ride your waves'. Remember that? Remember how she slapped you senseless?"
Larissa Lydiatt is no stranger to controversy, either. She clawed her way to the top in what used to be a male dominated profession, only to be accused of sleeping her way to the anchor position. It wasn't true. She had slept with lots of men, but none of them had anything to do with her ability to anchor the news. There were a few professional pyramid players, several movie stars, and a musical artist from Virgon that women young and old lusted after. None of them got her the job and she likes to think that they benefited from dating her since they got their names in the news more often. She's ambitious, attractive, well-manicured, outgoing, and tends to get whatever she wants.
Her eyes are set on Dave Roslin after watching the interview. She stops by Leslie's dressing room to get the scoop on the handsome university dean before she leaves for the evening.
"Is he charming?" she asks.
"Very. I'd frak him myself if I wasn't already married," she replies.
"Hmpf, that's never stopped you before. Is he single?"
"Widowed. Don't think he's dating anyone, either. Has three daughters ranging from 4 to 24 years and a grandchild on the way. I have his contact info if you want it."
"I'll be taking a more direct approach this Saturday at the bookstore. Thanks for the info."
Laura sets the dining table with her best china which was given to her by her by her grandparents as a wedding gift. The fancy silverware was gifted by her other grandparents, and the candle holders a gift from her Aunt Sara. The table looks festive as she goes to great lengths to welcome Jean and her boyfriend.
"The place looks great, Laura," Bill compliments her when he returns home with a fresh bouquet of flowers to be used as a centerpiece.
"Thank you, Bill. There's a lot of guilt on this table, but I think we are past the worst part of what happened. I'm excited to meet Eugene," she states, then smiling devilishly at her husband. "Wanna place a bet on how old he is?"
"Maybe he's her age."
"With an old-fashioned name like Eugene? Hardly! I'm thinking he could be close to fifty. Late forties at least. And how cute is it that their names are Gene and Jean? She says his family calls him Geno, but she prefers Eugene. Sounds serious, don't you think?"
"I think we should wait to meet him," Bill chuckles. "I don't care how old he is as long as they're happy together."
"You're right. But I still think he has 20 years on her." The sound of the com interrupts their conversation and Laura buzzes the couple up. "Guess we'll find out in a few seconds," she tells Bill with an excited grin on her face.
When she slides the door open, she's startled by what she sees. A man who looks to be younger than Jean stands with his arm around her, and this is hardly what Laura expected. Jean can tell from the look on her face that her best friend is pleasantly surprised.
After introductions, Eugene, Jean, and Laura take a seat at the table as Bill brings the food from the kitchen. Laura discovers that the couple met at spin class. Both had been attending the same class for over a year and Eugene tried to get Jean's attention, but she usually left immediately afterwards because she either had to work or study. Around the time she started working at the law firm, Eugene had gotten certified to be a spin instructor, ensuring that Jean's eyes would be on him a good portion of the class. He would wink at her occasionally and she observed him long enough to determine that he wasn't winking at anyone else, so they talked after class one day, then had a drink together a few days later, then began to date.
Eugene graduated from college a few years ago with a degree in computer engineering and software development. Turns out he created some fitness apps for smart phones, then sold his company and started creating fitness software for stationary bicycles. He has started another company that sells their products to gyms all through the colonies.
"Wait, Eugene Lightfoot," Laura says with a thoughtful look. "Are you the guy behind Lightfoot Fitness Equipment?"
"That's me," he beams with pride.
"You're quite a successful entrepreneur! I've considered buying one of your bikes to help work off pregnancy weight after I have the baby."
"Let me know when you're ready for that. I can get you a good discount," he offers with a friendly laugh.
The more Laura speaks with Eugene, the more she likes him. It's obvious to her that he thinks highly of Jean and vice versa. They're relaxed together, sometimes even finishing each other's sentences, sharing adoring looks with one another. Laura can't remember a time that she has seen her friend have such amazing chemistry with a man, and it warms her heart to think that Jean may have found someone that she will spend the rest of her life with.
After dinner they all move to the sectional to talk some more. Laura is amazed watching them, Eugene with his arm around her best friend, both exchanging witty banter, sharing a similar sense of humor. He respects and admires that she's an attorney, and he's also incredibly polite and thoughtful. He asks Laura about her work and seems genuinely interested in her curriculum development tasks, then goes into a long discussion with Bill about flight simulators and if the military has updated any of the software for those recently. They go to the guest bedroom where Bill pulls up the specs on his laptop, leaving Jean and Laura to speak together.
"Jean, he is wonderful!" she exclaims.
"Admit it, you were expecting someone much older, weren't you? I told you you'd be surprised when you met him."
"You got me, I was expecting someone older, but I have to say, he is quite charming and seems a little old-fashioned but in a good way. Like the kind of man that opens doors for you and makes sure you're warm enough when you go out."
"That's exactly how he is. He's an old soul trapped in a young man. Laura, I really like him."
"I can tell. And he likes you, too. Just the way he looks at you melts my heart."
"Like Bill looks at you?"
"Yes, exactly! I have such a good feeling about the two of you."
"I do, too. We took it kind of slow for a while, but now we see each other a lot. We'll see what happens. All I know is right now I'm very happy."
There's a line outside the Book Worm before it opens on the day of Dave's book signing. The store decided to blow up the image of him from the back cover and hang it in several of the windows, plus they ran an ad in the local newspaper after the interview with him aired on Channel 6 news. Approximately two-thirds of the people standing in line are women, women of all ages and walks of life. A representative from the university waits inside along with someone from the publishing company. Dave parks in the back with Sandra and Cheryl then enters through the back door to get situated at a table before the doors open.
"They can't all be here for me," he states to the store manager. She confirms that he is definitely the reason those people are here and that they will probably run out of copies of his book, so the rep from the publishing company makes a phone call to deliver another shipment as soon as possible.
"Daddy, let me check you over," Sandra says, fussing with his hair and making him presentable. "You're kind of a local celebrity now, you know?"
"I didn't think this many people would be interested in history," he replies.
"I'm going to tell you something, and I don't want you to get upset. Most of those women out there are here for you, not your book. But they will buy it, a lot of them will read it, and they will think it's interesting. So go with that and enjoy yourself. I guarantee at least one of them will ask you out on a date, so be ready for that, okay?" Sandra can't help but feel he needs to be encouraged and coached a little.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," he replies with an uncertain frown.
"You can do this. I'll take Cheryl to look around the store but if you'd like us to come back and sit next to you, tell the manager and she'll find us. You're going to be great, and you look very handsome."
"I'm not here to get a date. When we're done, I'm taking you and Cheryl out for lunch. You two are the only dates I want right now."
"That's a relief," Cheryl grumbles before giving her father a kiss on the cheek and following Sandra to the section about fine art.
When the doors open, the group of people begin to pour in, following the roped-off areas leading them to the table where Dave will sign his book. He quickly catches on by smiling, asking the person their name, then quickly signing the inside cover, and telling them he hopes they enjoy his book. A few women flirt and hand him their phone numbers which he places in a box near his feet that the store manager brought over for him. He's quite laid back and charming, adding to his appeal. Forty-five minutes into his signing, he looks up to see JJ standing before him with the copy of his book that he gifted her the week before.
"I couldn't resist having my favorite historian sign my copy of his book," she says with a generous smile.
He hasn't spoken with her since the night they exchanged photos of them reading which was earlier in the week. She's wearing her hair down and dressed in jeans, a white blouse, and a lime green sweater over the top. He likes this youthful carefree appearance more than the formal restaurant attire he has seen her in so frequently. There's a natural beauty and elegance that she projects with little effort.
"I'm glad you stopped by, but I could have signed this for you at the restaurant," he says taking the book from her and noticing that a few of the pages are dog-eared. He flips it open to find highlighted passages and hand scribbled notes in the margins.
"I not only read it, honey, I studied it. I couldn't put it down. It's fantastic!"
"Would you have time to discuss it over lunch? I'm done here at 11, then I was going to take Sandra and Cheryl out, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you came with."
"It's a date, Busboy. I'll find a reading nook in the history section until you finish up here." She stops to read what he wrote on the inside cover of the book, then starts laughing loudly. "I love this!"
"To Trust Issues – May the Lords of Kobol keep you warm at night. Forever yours, Busboy."
The next few women seem disappointed when JJ leaves, thinking that this handsome history professor must already have a girlfriend. One of them hands him her phone number anyway in the off chance she misread the interaction between him and the attractive woman in the lime green sweater.
Halfway through the signing, a strong smell of perfume wafts from the line until finally the odorous offender gets to the front.
"Larissa Lydiatt, I don't need to ask your name," Dave says surprised. "I watch you on the news almost every night."
"I'm sorry I missed you at the studio the other day. I would love to speak with you about your work. Would you have time to meet over coffee tomorrow, say around 2?"
"Sure. How about the place on 9th Street?"
"It's a date. I'll see you there, Dave."
While JJ is wandering to the history section of the bookstore, she spies Cheryl and Sandra sitting in a reading nook in the arts section. Sandra has a book about photography in her lap while Cheryl is looking at a book depicting paintings of battles from the cylon war. It's strange to see such a young child staring at scenes of mayhem, but it's almost like she's studying them, looking for weaknesses in the enemy, how things could have been done better during certain battles.
"How are my girls?" JJ asks when neither of them look up from their books, being so absorbed in them that the President of the Colonies could walk by and they wouldn't notice.
"JJ!" Cheryl squeals, setting her book down and running into her arms.
"How are you, sweetie?" she asks, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"I could live here," Cheryl replies. "There are so many books to choose from."
"How are you, Sandra? I hear you're a very good artist. I'd love to see some of your work sometime. Maybe I could even display it in the restaurant."
"You'd really do that?!" Sandra asks, her eyes huge with excitement.
"Sure! Bill and Laura tell me you draw great portraits. Maybe I'll hire you to draw mine."
"She drew portraits of me and mommy and they hang in my room. Can you come over and see them?" Cheryl asks.
"Maybe someday. I'm going to lunch with you today if it's okay with you."
"If we get it to go, then you can come to the house and eat with us and look at some of my artwork," Sandra states, silently commending herself for her cleverness.
"We can ask your father – he should be done soon."
They call ahead to get takeout from the diner across the street from Laura and Bill's loft. JJ rides with Dave and the girls after he promises to give her a ride back to the bookstore later to get her pickup so that she can go to work.
"You have a lovely home," she observes when they enter the kitchen with the takeout order.
"Thank you. Sandra and Cheryl pitch in to help keep it clean, don't you girls?"
"We sure do. I'll set the table, daddy," Sandra replies. She places four plates at the table, making sure to put the extra plate a little closer to her father than she would for a regular guest. Cheryl distributes the orders according to place setting while Dave grabs some bottled water from the refrigerator.
Sandra enjoys witnessing the exchanges between her father and JJ while they eat. She watches JJ sneaking tomatoes out of his salad until he catches her and slowly slides his plate away so that she can't reach it anymore, before grinning and offering her half. They discuss the first few chapters of his book but when JJ states that she doesn't agree with his viewpoint of the ancient war on Kobol, this leads to a very lively discussion between them. Dave listens to all of JJ's compelling arguments and agrees that she has an interesting take on what happened. Sandra can tell he's rethinking what he wrote, that perhaps he should have offered counterpoints in his text. It's interesting to her that JJ doesn't back down from his arguments, instead sticking firm to hers and explaining her reasoning. Even when they disagree, they communicate respectfully and listen to each other.
When they finish eating, JJ asks Cheryl if she can see the portraits in her room, so she happily leads her away by the hand to show her the artwork.
As they are cleaning up the kitchen, Sandra decides it's a good time to have a conversation with her father about his relationship with JJ.
"She really likes your book, daddy."
"I'm impressed that she studied it and is offering another point of view on some topics. That means a lot to me. I should talk to her about the next book before I finalize it."
"I think she'd like that. You two have great chemistry."
"Sandra-" he begins with a groan.
"You don't have to say it. I should mind my own business. But that's a fact – you two have amazing chemistry. I know you feel it. I can tell by the way you joke around with each other."
"It's not worth risking our friendship," he sighs.
"So, you've had this discussion with her already?" Sandra asks, surprised. "Because what I'm seeing between the two of you looks like more than friendship. Cheryl adores her, and that's very important. I'll support you no matter who you date, but Cheryl's the one who will be affected the most since she will be living at home for the next fourteen years. I mean, I'm never going to have another mom, but Cheryl could. If she decides she doesn't like someone you're dating, that's going to be really tough for both of you."
"That's for sure. She can be quite distrustful of people, but she's always taken to JJ. I'm assuming it has something to do with her love of Tauron noodles."
"The way to Cheryl's heart is through her stomach, at least for now," Sandra agrees. "I don't know why you and JJ decided that you might be risking your friendship if you dated, but if you were to ever change your minds, neither Cheryl nor I would be disappointed."
"I suppose I shouldn't tell you that I have a date tomorrow with someone else then."
"Who?!" she asks eagerly.
"Larissa Lydiatt, the news anchor."
"Ohhhh, yeah. I'm not surprised. She practically drooled over you after the piece they aired the other night. It was kind of embarrassing. Watch out for her, daddy. She has quite a reputation."
"She seemed nice enough. It's just coffee anyway."
"Well, be careful. She seems kind of high maintenance. But I'm glad you have a date with someone. How many phone numbers did you get today?"
"I didn't count them, but quite a few. I tossed them in the trash before we left the bookstore."
JJ sits in the middle of the bed with her legs crossed in front of her while Cheryl hangs off her back, her arms wrapped around her neck, both gazing intently at the portraits on the wall opposite the bed.
Sandra and Dave share a smile with each other when they enter the room and see the pair huddled together.
"Sandra, honey, I had no idea what a talented artist you are," she says patting the space next to her on the mattress for Sandra to join her. "This is amazing work, you know that, right?" she asks when Sandra pulls her legs up under her. "You can see the personality in your portraits. That's not an easy thing to do."
"Thank you. I'm going to draw momma again for a project this next semester. I think I can improve on what I've done."
"I would love to see it when you're finished, unless it's too personal for you to share," she says grasping Sandra's hand, letting her know it's okay if she decides against sharing the finished portrait.
Dave watches and listens as Sandra explains how she feels close to her mother by sketching her portrait, but how she might be protective of the next one she draws this semester. JJ's very understanding with her, while Cheryl slides around to her side where JJ instinctively puts her arm around her shoulders. Dave realizes Sandra was wrong about what she said earlier - it's not too late for her to have another mom. In fact, having a strong and caring female presence in her life again could really lift both her and Cheryl up. He hadn't realized how much his daughters were missing that until watching them interact with JJ right now.
The three of them talk for the next hour while Dave seats himself in the chair at Cheryl's desk, quietly letting the scene before him unfold. Even Fletcher hops up into JJ's lap, and she comments what a plump and pleasant kitty he is while Cheryl excitedly tells her how she trained him to fetch. He lets a few more minutes pass before reminding JJ that it is well into the afternoon. She obviously lost track of time as she chatted with his girls.
He drives in silence with her back to the bookstore, deep in thought about how his daughters miss their mother.
"You're awfully quiet," she says breaking the silence. "Is something wrong?"
"I want to thank you."
"For what?"
"Lots of things. Reading my book. Offering some excellent viewpoints on several of the topics. Having lunch with us. Spending time with Cheryl and Sandra. They adore you."
"And I adore them. Whenever you want to have another discussion about your book, give me a call, Busboy. I can be very opinionated."
"You certainly can be, and I like that about you," he grins. His smile is gradually replaced with a wistful gaze again as he drives in silence.
"Is there something else?" she asks, sensing a heavy weight influencing his mood.
"I know that they miss their mother. I know that. But to see the way they interacted with you today really drove that point across. I miss her, too, but I also miss the way she loved them and how they loved her back. Sandra was pouring her heart out to you about her artwork. She's never done that with anyone else, not even me. She'll certainly never talk to me about boys and what about Cheryl? Will she ever be comfortable talking to me about stuff like that?"
"With Cheryl, I'd be more concerned about her oversharing. She tends to state what's on her mind, so you might know more than you care to as she grows up."
"You might be right." He laughs at the possibility that Cheryl may not keep any secrets from him.
"If you're comfortable with this, I'm more than happy to talk to Sandra if something comes up where she needs a woman's perspective. I know that she talks to Laura, but sometimes it's nice to have someone a bit older to speak with."
"I would like that, but I feel it's asking too much of you."
"It's not too much. I'll have some more free time in my future because I've decided to hire an assistant manager. I've been thinking about doing some travelling and I need to know that my restaurant is in good hands while I'm gone. Hopefully in a few weeks I won't be working 60-hour weeks anymore. If you need me, don't hesitate to call."
The parking lot is still full at the bookstore, so he walks JJ to her pickup, which amuses her.
"I'm a big girl, I can get to my truck by myself," she says, playfully bumping his arm with hers as they walk across the lot.
"Sorry, it's a habit. I just want to make sure."
"You're very sweet. I'm not used to sweet men."
"Maybe you should be," he says shrugging his shoulders. "Have you ever thought about dating someone seriously? And I'm not necessarily talking about me, just anyone?"
"Um, well," she stammers, wrinkling her nose at him as she pulls the keys from her purse. "It's not that simple for me. It's easier if I don't. I don't want to put myself in a position where I could lose everything."
"If you ever did meet someone and decide to marry again, there are always prenuptials that could be put into place."
"It's not just the restaurant. I like my independence. And I can't take being disappointed again. It hurt bad enough the first time, and I just…I just…can't," she says with a resounding sigh.
The same raw emotions he saw on her face the night she told him about her husband trying to take the restaurant from her in their divorce have suddenly reappeared. It's enough to make him back off.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
"You didn't," she replies with a small smile. "And my offer still stands. In fact, I insist that you call me if you need someone to help out with the girls. If you don't, then I'll be upset," she says pointing her finger at him and squinting, pretending to be mad.
"Alright, I promise I'll call if I need help. And I think I've taken up enough of your time already. If you get busy tonight, call your number one busboy in to help. If you don't, I'll be upset," he says, mimicking how she pointed and narrowed her eyes at him.