Pyramid league starts at 5:00 this evening with Cheryl's first games at 5:00 and then 5:30. Since her games are early, Dave promises to take her to JJ's for noodles afterwards. Larissa is on the news until 7 pm and cannot join them, which is just fine with Cheryl, and sort of with Dave, too. After the disastrous dinner two nights ago, he took her home and only exchanged a few texts with her Sunday, telling her he would see her Wednesday evening when they both have more time to spend with each other. In the meantime, he tries to put her out of his mind and not dwell on the status of their relationship. Perfectly content to focus on his youngest daughter for a few days, he's excited to see how her first games go this new season.
Laura's long face when she climbs into the car where Sandra waits outside the elementary school prompts a sigh from her younger sister.
"Tell me," she orders as she drives away.
"My blood pressure's up. Shouldn't have had the pizza and popcorn," she replies with a pout.
"Or maybe you're worried about daddy and Cheryl after Saturday night."
"That, too. I just wanna go home and sleep."
Which is exactly what she does as soon as they arrive at the loft, after changing into comfortable maternity loungewear. Sandra doesn't even have to remind her to have a bottle of water handy next to the bed as Laura trudges through the motions to prepare herself for her daily nap. Sandra makes a mental note to check on her sister after working on her mother's portrait, which is due in another week.
It's mostly finished, only needing a few touch ups here and there. She stares at it for several minutes, not very happy with what she's seeing although she can't explain why. The contours of her mother's face, including the curves of her mouth and the height of her cheekbones appear almost perfect compared to the photograph. The difficult part was conveying a loving smile on her lips with a hint of trouble in her eyes without it looking fake, but she feels she has done a good job with that, too. What's missing? Her fingers glide along the portrait, pausing in certain areas to provide more shading. The wrap her mother had on her head that day could use some work.
After several minutes of working on the scarf and the fringe of hair that sticks out in a few places, she still isn't very happy with it. She finally decides to set it aside, look at it with fresh eyes the next day, and not drive herself crazy with it. Laura's sound asleep when she checks on her, so she quietly works on chemistry and children's lit homework.
Instead of a final exam, her children's lit professor is assigning each student to write a children's story between 10 and 20 pages long. Her mind drew a blank when the assignment was made last week, but after watching Cheryl zoom around in her viper with Fletcher on her heels Saturday afternoon, she imagined a story about Lieutenant Cheryl, top gun viper pilot, and her trusty sidekick Fletcher, complete with illustrations, of course. She had doodled a few caricatures in class this morning as the story came to life in her head. The proposal isn't due until next week but turning it in early would give her more time to develop it if the professor approves, or think of something else if she doesn't.
By the time she finishes her chemistry homework and her proposal draft, she's due to check in with Professor Caran. They have a brief chat, Sandra expressing that she didn't work as long on the portrait today because she doesn't feel very good about it. Professor Caran checks her progress, pointing out she could turn it in tomorrow since it looks complete, but Sandra decides to wait, thinking she'll figure out what's making her unhappy so she can fix it.
She turns her attention toward sketching baby ducks to pass the time. Laura's still sound asleep, and she doesn't feel like watching television, although they both plan on tuning into the news later to observe Larissa's demeanor. When she broke up with Cassidy, she looked like hell every night on the news for a solid two weeks. Their father said nothing when he returned from dropping her off Saturday evening, and they don't know if he broke up with her or if he's willing to give her another chance. Their minds are made up, however, confident he can find someone better to have in his life.
Drawing ducks isn't as exciting as she thought it would be, so she picks up her phone and sends a quick text to Jeff. "What's up?"
Cheryl's team easily wins the first game 12-2. She wasn't one of the starters, instead being subbed in after the first period when they went ahead 4-0. After scoring two quick goals herself, the defense adjusted, and she assisted in scoring the next four goals, making the score 10-0 before the starters were put back in. They got a little cocky and lost focus, allowing the other team to score two goals, then Cheryl was subbed in, and she assisted the final two goals.
Her coach is so impressed by her performance he starts her the next game and after jumping out to a 6-0 lead, he makes a mass substitution. Unfortunately, the other team capitalizes on some sloppy play and pulls to 6-5 before intermission. Cheryl plays the remainder of the game, scoring two goals and assisting on four, her team winning with a final score of 12-6.
After the games, her coach introduces himself to her father, stating that he's quite impressed with Cheryl's quickness and leadership. He assures Dave she has a bright future as a pyramid player if she keeps up the hard work. The team they beat in the second game was last season's league champion and they had been undefeated until tonight. They will likely meet again in the tournament at the end of the season.
They arrive at JJ's several minutes later where she has their favorite table set up for them, and a surprise for the young pyramid player.
"I have something new on the menu that you might like to try," JJ informs her. "We've developed a new combination of spices and I added meatballs!"
Cheryl gasps in delight at the sound of this new dish. "I love meatballs!"
"I know you do, my sweet girl. Bill told me a while ago that your call sign is Meatball, and that's why I decided to try adding them to this new dish. Would you like to try it?" she asks her, giving Dave a wink who is smiling from ear to ear.
"Yes, please!"
"Alright, I'll let KC know to bring a Cheryl-sized bowl out, and I'm also going to bring you a large pitcher of water because these spices pack a punch. Would you like to try it, too, Dave?"
"I'd love to," he replies, still smiling about how happy Cheryl is right now. This is the type of interaction he hoped Larissa would have with his youngest daughter but after Saturday, he wonders if it will ever be possible.
"You okay, hun?" JJ asks, running her hand across the top of his back. His subdued behavior is a little unusual to her and since she hasn't heard from him since Friday night, she suspects it's due to Larissa.
The slight squint in his eyes and small fade of his smile gives her the answer to that question. She promises to bring the food right out and upon returning to the kitchen, switches the television behind the bar from the evening news that Larissa anchors to a documentary channel instead. No need for her good friend to sit there and watch the woman that he's having doubts about while he's trying to enjoy a meal with his daughter.
JJ asks KC if he would mind sitting with Cheryl later while she talks to Dave in private, assuming he wants to, of course. When she returns with the pitcher of water, he invites her to sit with them, pulling out the chair next to him.
"Now, sweetie, try a little bite first. This is spicier than you're used to," JJ warns, pushing a full glass of water near Cheryl.
With both adults at the table giving her encouraging looks, Cheryl finds the tiniest noodle in her bowl and winds it onto her fork. After a couple of deep breaths to psych herself up, her dramatics making her father and JJ chuckle, she pops the noodle in her mouth, chews it up, and swallows. Her face is blank, it seems no spicier than her favorite dish, until suddenly she feels a burning sensation coming up her esophagus to the back of her throat. Her eyes bug out as she reaches toward the glass of water, taking several gulps before returning the glass to the table and staring wide-eyed at her father and JJ, who are trying their best not to laugh.
"Do you like it, or should we get you a bowl that's less spicy?"
"I love it," she croaks, "but I need to get used to it."
"Try a meatball next, they aren't spicy. It'll calm your throat."
"Okay," she whispers. "Mmmm, these are good," she says after eating one before trying another.
"Better?" Dave asks.
"Yeah, I'm gonna try another noodle now." This time she's expecting the burn, resting her hand on her glass, immediately following the noodle with a sip of water. "I figured it out. Take a sip of water right away after you swallow it and then it doesn't burn so bad. They're so good, it makes my tummy feel warm."
As she's eating the noodles with ease now, Cheryl's eyes follow her father's hand as it reaches over to JJ's resting on the table. He lightly grasps it, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. Her head turns toward him with a slight tilt and a surprised smile on her face. "Thank you," he says quietly before releasing her hand and sampling the bowl of noodles in front of him.
"You're welcome, my dear friend," she replies, gently rubbing his back as the inferno of spices make him cough. "I think I better bring another pitcher of water to this table."
After delivering the water, she works behind the bar which has become half-filled with patrons, typical for this time on a Monday night. Occasionally glancing toward the Roslin table of two, her eyes meet with Dave's, locking onto each other for a split second, perhaps a moment longer than usual.
KC, aware of how much Cheryl can eat, preps another bowl and delivers it on cue.
"Thank you, Uncle KC," Cheryl says with a big grin as he musses her hair.
"How about you, Dave? Can I get you a refill or something else?"
"I'll need some ice cream to cool down, but I'll wait until Cheryl's done."
"Might be a while, daddy."
JJ makes eye contact with KC, who sits down next to Cheryl and asks about her pyramid games. She calls a waiter over to cover at the bar, then walks to the side of the restaurant toward the hallway to her office, glancing at Dave over her shoulder before turning the corner.
"KC, would you mind-" he begins, but stops when he sees him nod slightly. "Cheryl, excuse me for a few minutes."
After he leaves, Cheryl whispers, "Uncle KC, can you keep a secret? I think daddy and JJ like each other."
The office door is slightly ajar. When Dave steps through, he sees her sitting on the edge of her desk. Patting on the desktop beside her, she invites him to sit down once he shuts the door. "Saturday dinner?"
"Not good and I've figured out why," he sighs as he takes his place next to her. "The entire time we've dated, we've done it in her world. The banquets, public appearances, her restaurants, her condo, everything she's used to. Now that I'm trying to introduce her to my world, it's obvious she doesn't fit in, and I don't think it's fair to expect it of her. She loves the limelight, loves being able to go somewhere at the drop of a hat, and she's not used to being around children or having a family. I'm less spontaneous, I have my career obligations and my family. That's not going to change, nor do I ever want it to. We don't fit in each other's worlds. The dinner was horrible, she said one wrong thing after another, and as it continued, I wondered if she was doing some of it on purpose because she knows she doesn't want a family. It might have been her way of telling me that it's not going to work anymore."
"Dave, I'm so sorry. Have you spoken with her yet?"
"No. We're supposed to go out for dinner Wednesday. Maybe I'm trying too hard, but I thought I'd give it one last shot and bring Cheryl with us, although I'm not sure about subjecting her to Larissa again."
"That bad? What exactly happened?"
"Cheryl became very upset because she though Larissa was going to make me get rid of her cat, and then she put her bear costume on and regressed to Cher-bear."
"Oh, that poor girl. She seems fine tonight, though. Is she alright?"
"She is. Once I spoke with her alone, she snapped out of it and shared her thoughts about the dinner. But it bothered me to see her regress like that after all those months of therapy. Maybe I should just end it with Larissa before Wednesday. Why put Cheryl at risk again?"
"Dave, trust your judgment. I can see it both ways. Perhaps choose a public place that Cheryl will be most comfortable in?"
"Yeah, I was thinking about that," he stammers, "but I don't want it to be awkward for you."
It makes perfect sense to her that Cheryl's favorite restaurant would be the best option to try another dinner with Larissa. "You're thinking of bringing her here."
"Yes."
"Why would that be awkward for me?" she asks, brushing her hair to one side before she looks directly into his eyes searching for an answer.
"You tell me, JJ."
"Hmpf. Well, okay," she replies before reasoning out loud. "My restaurant is a place that you and your family like and one you will probably want to share with whomever you're dating."
The relaxed look on his face and warmth in his eyes invites her to tell him more, but she decides against it. "You know what I'm talking about. I don't want you to get the impression that I'm bringing Larissa here because you didn't answer my question the other night."
"That's…not what I'm thinking," she replies with a small smile before a serious expression fills her face. "The truth is, I've decided to work on some things with a therapist about my attitude toward…relationships. I know I'll never have a family of my own, but it would be nice to spend the rest of my life with someone who has similar interests - traveling, dancing, dining out, whatever. Finding someone to have sex with is easy, but over time I've realized that I want to see more than lust when I look in my partner's eyes. To be able to connect with someone emotionally is the difficult part. It's a level of intimacy I'm not sure I've ever experienced, but one I hope to. I've already taken the first step by breaking my number one rule and making a second date with the gentleman I went out with Friday."
He wonders about the timing of her decision to start therapy. Several months ago when he helped out in her restaurant, she had little interest in anything other than one-night stands. No relationships, certainly nothing romantic. It weighed heavily in their decision to not risk damaging their friendship. A romantic relationship could damage their friendship, too, if one of them isn't ready for that type of commitment. "Congratulations on taking those first steps toward addressing your trust issues. So, you testing me the other night-"
"Was a way to convince myself there are good men in this universe. I need that reminder because I still view men as future ex-husbands. Anyway, bring Larissa and Cheryl on Wednesday if you want to give her another chance. I can at least give you a woman's point-of-view later if you want," she offers.
"I might just do that." The news that JJ is working on her trust issues in the hopes of finding someone to spend the rest of her life with makes him optimistic about the status of his relationship with Larissa. This is a huge step for JJ to take, and as he stares at her, he can see a spark of determination in her eyes that he isn't sure was there when he first met her.
"Why are you staring at me, hun?"
He shrugs in response. "I'm happy for you and I'm hoping that I won't be calling you Trust Issues for much longer."
"Here's the thing, though. You're always going to be Busboy to me, Dave."
Ding. "Not much. How ru?"
"Wonderful. My portrait is crap, I've missed going to JJs 2x this week cuz I'm babysitting Laurie, and I'd like to sleep in my own bed for a change."
Ding. "Sorry."
"I'm surprised you haven't forgotten about me."
Ding. "Never. Is JJs that restaurant?"
"Yup. She's a friend of the family. I adore her and miss her. And her food."
Ding. "I'll have to try it sometime."
"Definitely. You won't regret it. Gotta go. Laurie needs dinner."
"Alright, what do you wanna eat?" Sandra sighs as she walks into the kitchen.
As Laura sits on the sectional, she watches her sister root around in the refrigerator, frowning at everything she examines. "What is with you this week? You're moping around and grumbling all the time. Such a downer."
"I just wanna go home," Sandra groans.
"Did you have a fight with Jeff?"
"Really not in the mood, Laurie," she warns. "I don't like my drawing and it's due Monday. The more I look at it the worse I feel. I hate that I'm probably going to wind up with a B or even a C on it and that's going to wreck my chances of getting an A in the class."
"Do you want me to take a look at it?"
"NO! Gods, no! There's nothing I can do about it now anyway. I should probably hand it in tomorrow and be done with it. At least I won't have to look at it again," she mumbles. "So, what d'ya wanna eat?"
The restaurant is only half full at 7:30 and Dave, Cheryl, and Larissa are seated at the usual Roslin table. As they peruse their menus, Dave notices Larissa glancing around the establishment taking in her surroundings, then she straightens herself and closes the menu.
"Do you eat here often?" she asks.
"Not as often as we used to, but it's a family favorite."
"Are we ready to order?" JJ asks in a friendly tone as she approaches their table.
"Do you have anything besides noodles on the menu?" Larissa asks, oblivious to the fact JJ is a family friend.
"Our main dishes are all noodle based but we do have some side dishes and ice cream for dessert," she explains.
"No ice cream, thank you. Is it possible to get a plain side salad?"
"A plate full of lettuce, no dressing?" she jokingly asks.
"Yes, that would be perfect. And some bottled water, please."
"We don't have bottled water, but I could bring you some club soda."
"You don't have bottled water? What kind of restaurant doesn't have bottled water?" Larissa rolls her eyes.
"Sorry, ma'am. Would you like club soda instead?"
"No, the carbonation makes me puffy. I'll stick with tap water."
"At least there aren't any scary cats here trying to claw you," Cheryl chimes in.
"Thank the gods for that," Larissa agrees, not realizing she's the butt of a joke.
After Dave and Cheryl place their orders, Larissa takes a sip of water, making a face after swallowing it. When JJ returns with their orders, she offers to bring her a glass of wine, but she refuses.
"I can't believe you don't have bottled water. Can I at least have a lemon slice in my glass to drown out the aftertaste?"
"One lemon slice coming up." If it wasn't for the subtle wink JJ gives Dave, he'd be worried that she's upset by his girlfriend's demanding behavior.
"Larissa, honey, please give this a chance? This really is one of my family's favorite places to eat. I was hoping you would enjoy it," Dave says taking her hand in his, encouraging her to relax.
"Of course, I'm sorry," she says softening at his touch. "I'm here with you, that's what's important."
Cheryl narrows her eyes at Larissa, who acts like she's not even there. They dine in silence for a few minutes before she decides to start a conversation. "That looks like a yummy plate of lettuce. How is it?"
"Oh, some of it's okay. These pieces over here are kind of limp. I don't care for limp lettuce. I like it fresh and crisp. And preferably the darker green pieces." Larissa picks through the chunks of greenery on her plate, sorting out what she considers edible and up to her standards.
"It's hard to get good lettuce this time of year," Cheryl remarks.
"You know, that's a very good point. You're such a smart girl!"
"I know. How's that lemon?" It would greatly please the young girl if her father's girlfriend sucked on the sour fruit and choked. At least it would provide some entertainment.
"I wish it was a bigger slice. Ma'am?" Larissa calls, snapping her fingers at JJ. "Can I get another lemon wedge or two? I can still taste the water."
"I'll bring you an entire bowl full."
"Thank you," Dave replies, flashing JJ an appreciative smile.
"Would you like to try one of my noodles?" Cheryl pushes her bowl toward Larissa, hoping that if she at least tries the dish, then she may decide to eat something other than lettuce. "They're really good but be ready to drink some water afterwards."
"I suppose I could try one little noodle." It's the most effort she's put toward bonding with Cheryl this evening. After fishing around the bowl and finding a tiny sliver of a noodle near the bottom, she balances it on her fork, then pops it into her mouth. "Hmpf. That's weird. I thought it would be spicy." Suddenly her shoulders rise up as her mouth opens wide, coughing loudly as she reaches toward her water.
"You shouldn't have taken one from the bottom. There's always a lot of spice that drips down there," Cheryl informs her as Larissa continues to cough, gasp, and guzzle water.
Finally catching her breath, she chokes out, "Restroom?". Dave points toward the side of the restaurant and Larissa quickly disappears.
"Can I get you anything else?" JJ asks, resting her hand on Cheryl's back, staring at the pained expression on Dave's face.
"Maybe some more water, JJ. Thank you."
After bringing another pitcher to the table, she goes to check the restrooms for cleaning and restocking. Inside the ladies' room she finds Larissa primping at the mirror. "Excuse me, but this restroom is a mess," she snorts. "There's water all over the counter and one of the toilets is dirty."
"That's why I'm here to clean it," JJ assures her. "We clean them at least once an hour."
Larissa smirks as JJ cleans the restroom, never taking her eyes off her. She doesn't bother to move from the counter, instead making her work around her. "You do know who I am, don't you?"
"Of course. You're the woman dating Dr. Roslin. He's a regular here. Everybody knows who he is. If you could please move to the side, I can finish cleaning the sink area."
JJ's obvious slight cuts deep, so deep that Larissa can't let it go. "You know, maybe with some hard work you could make something of yourself. A woman your age should be able to do more than wait tables and clean dirty toilets."
"I suppose I could date someone famous to make me feel better about myself," JJ quips.
"Well, that would be one way, if you could pull it off," Larissa replies in a condescending tone, poking at the corners of her mouth with her pinky finger, wiping away lipstick smudges. Instead of cleaning the lipstick off her finger with a paper towel, she turns the faucet on full blast, spraying water all over the counter that had just been cleaned. Then she drips her wet hands across the counter, reaching toward the towel dispenser, and after slowly drying them, she drops the wadded-up towel on the floor and exits the bathroom.
Upon returning to the table, she discovers Dave and Cheryl have finished their meals. "Our waitress is extremely rude," she complains to Dave. "I have half a notion…" When JJ re-enters the dining area, Larissa pins her with her gaze. "Ma'am, come here," she orders snapping her fingers.
"Larissa, what's the problem?" Dave groans, obviously frustrated.
"I'll tell you what the problem is. This woman was rude to me in the restroom. I need to speak with your manager."
"I am the manager," JJ replies.
"Then I need to speak with the owner of this establishment."
"I'm the owner, too," she informs her with a smug look on her face.
"You've been playing games with me. David, we must leave. I won't tolerate this kind of treatment. I'm going to report you to the health inspector."
"Larissa, stop," Dave says shaking his head.
"Why would you call the health inspector? We're a licensed establishment that's never failed inspection," JJ points out.
"Your bathroom was filthy, and I bet you didn't even wash your hands afterwards. Maybe I'll do a report on this place. See how much business you get after I'm done with you."
"Are you threatening me?" JJ asks in disbelief, a bewildered look on her face.
"Larissa, please stop! We'll talk about this later," Dave says.
"I sure hope you aren't planning to pay for this meal, David. I've gotten better service at fast food restaurants," she huffs.
"Okay, let's go," he says after dragging his hands down his face. Cheryl stares at Larissa, wondering how her father could ever be attracted to her. As they walk to the car, Dave sends a quick text to Laura asking if she can watch her littlest sister for a while this evening while he takes Larissa home.
Breaking up with her isn't as difficult as he thought it might be. After walking her to her door in silence, they both stare at each other with resigned looks on their faces.
Dave sighs. "We can't keep seeing each other, Larissa."
"I want you to know you've been wonderful, David. I don't have any regrets."
"I wish you the best."
It's quick, to the point, calm, expected, necessary, mutually agreeable, and over. Both of them are relieved.
He has one thing on his mind when he pulls away from her condo: JJ. Is she upset? Has this damaged their friendship? Will she want to talk with him?
The bartender indicates she's out back of the restaurant, so Dave walks around the outside, the crisp winter air helping to shake the memories of an hour ago from his mind. He finds JJ seated inside her truck, the window slightly rolled down, smoking a cigarette while listening to the radio.
His knuckles rap lightly against the glass, and she motions for him to join her.
"Hope you don't mind the smoke," she states, avoiding eye contact with him when he climbs into the passenger seat and closes the door.
"She isn't going to call the health inspector and she won't do a news report. I spoke with her on the way to her place and she said she was only trying to scare you."
"That's what I figured, but thank you for speaking with her," she replies, lighting up another cigarette after finishing the first.
He watches as she takes a long drag, her foot tapping nervously on the floor of the truck. "JJ?"
"Yeah?" she responds, still avoiding eye contact.
"Would you please look at me?"
Agitation. Frustration. Anger. Sadness. Regret. Those are the first five things he sees when she turns her face to him.
"I'm sorry," he says simply.
"Don't apologize for her behavior."
"I'm not. I'm sorry that I brought her here. It was a bad idea."
"Was it?" she asks, now staring straight into his eyes.
"It was in the sense that a good friend of mine became the target of her abuse. And it wasn't, because it became clear to me that I had no desire in continuing a relationship with her."
She inadvertently lets out a loud sigh of relief. "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay, relieved actually. She wasn't upset and neither am I."
"That's good," she replies, genuinely satisfied with the result of the evening.
"May I?" he asks, reaching toward her cigarette. Instead of taking a drag, he extinguishes it in her ash tray. "I've already lost someone I love because of these things. I care about you, JJ. I don't want to risk losing you, too."