Chapter 3 "You Can't Hurry Love" 27 October 1984 Janine's Birthday
(Song Suggestion: "You Can't Hurry Love" by Diana Ross)
Janine
Naturally, I dreamt about Egon last night though it was mainly replaying yesterday's events. With the sunshine glaring through my mini blinds, I rolled out of bed, returned my vibrator to the nightstand, and took a luxurious stretch of my arms upwards as I gazed through them out at the city. The possibilities were infinite, I felt because today was my birthday and it was gorgeous out.
"I am thirty now," I admitted, ruefully, "but it is better than the alternative. Just like Dad always says."
"What does Egon have planned," I eagerly wondered to myself in my half-empty apartment as I made coffee and oatmeal for breakfast. To think that he had something set up for me gave me goose bumps on my arms. I distractedly viewed the morning news on TV, and I unexpectedly shuddered.
"What the hell was that?"
An intense affliction began gnawing at my head, so I popped some pain relievers and finished my breakfast as best I could. Subsequently, I washed the dishes as I hoped the pain would disappear rapidly. It didn't.
My next attempt to rid my suffering was to take a long hot shower, and in the end, it succeeded. I towel-dried my hair, put on my red robe and padded to my closet to strategically select my outfit.
For a second, I contemplated my options and audibly muttered, "I need something sexy, but not too revealing. Playful but not too risqué. Additionally, dressy enough for work or a casual evening out."
"Egon loves my legs," I recalled when I observed my black leather mini skirt peeking out of the closet, and I chose it immediately.
Picking the top was more complex for some reason, but I settled on a black and white checkered shirt. I then retrieved a black bra and matching panties.
"Well, you never know," I simpered as I pulled on my underwear and secured my bra.
I thought about the possibilities of Egon and I becoming intimate again. Consequently, I felt my body flush with a red hot fever and my pulse rate intensified.
"Hmmm, I wouldn't mind a roll in the hay with Egon," I mumbled as I gradually dressed for the day, contemplating the magic of it.
"Bbbnrrriinnngg!!"
"Hello? Oh, hi Mom, thanks. No, I don't have any specific plans. No, Wendy is in Jersey working on her wedding plans for the next day or two. Bree? She's working. Lucy? I am not sure she's been busy with her new boyfriend," I casually remarked, " I work until nine anyway."
"Are the Ghostbusters planning a surprise for you?"
"Mother, how would I know that exactly? It's a surprise," I snapped sarcastically, then paused to regain my composure before saying, "but I don't think so."
"Should I tell her about Egon and the premonition?" I questioned myself then decided to describe Monday's vision to her.
"Oh God," Mother moaned sadly into the phone," has anything happened to them?"
Ergo, I relayed the information that I knew and endeavored not to speculate.
"I know you are hysterical about something happening to Egon," Mom implied, "despite the circumstances."
"Yes, but guess what he did out of the blue on Monday?"
As I described Egon's loving care of me after the harsh reality of the visions and their effects on me, my heart skipped a couple of beats, and I felt the warmth of love there.
"Oh, Janine, that was wonderfully altruistic of him," my Mom exclaimed with shock, "are you sure there's no way to reconcile with him? You two are obviously in love with each other."
"Mother, don't jump the gun yet. He broke my heart twice," I chastised, but I wondered the same thing privately," but I don't know what I'll do if I lose him. The vision was pretty straightforward."
Our conversation was short because her break at work ended. I hung up the phone receiver and sauntered into the bathroom to apply my makeup. Promptly, I observed an image of the antagonistic white specter with a blue and white sailor hat hovered over the top of a high-rise building where the Ghostbusters stood, recoiling from it.
"What the hell is that?" I wondered.
All of the sudden, my head began to pound like someone played the gong repeatedly in a steady beat. I laid down on my bed for fifteen minutes until it passed. Next, I rose from the bed and completed my makeup application and any finishing touches to my appearance. I then put on the bracelet that Egon gave me for Valentine's Day.
"I adore this bracelet," I confessed with a jubilant smile and played with the well made silver Angel charm with my forefinger and my thumb, feeling its outline. Even though I loved all parts of the bracelet, it was my favorite because Egon called me his Angel while we dated.
Merrily reminiscing, I viewed each of my charms and how they reminded me of my love. Egon generously lavished me with gifts while we dated, whether flowers, jewelry, a brass framed print of Van Gogh's "Starry Night," or even just with his affection and attention. I adored it every moment of it.
Between examining my lovely bracelet and my warm memories of Egon, tears sprang to my eyes, but none fell among my cheeks.
"I wish I knew which you have planned today, Egon Spengler," I admitted.
Subsequently, I strode into the kitchen to gather some of Wendy's famous Mac and Cheese leftovers for lunch. I noticed that she left a note explaining that she would deliver my present later on after work. Every year Wendy baked my favorite cake from scratch, red velvet, for my birthday.
"Don't forget the PKE," I reminded myself.
A couple of hours later, I shut and locked the door to my apartment with my key and ventured towards the subway. The sunshine was in abundance today, and I tilted my face upwards so I could feel its' comforting nature. In fact, it felt cozy like a comfy blanket, and I felt a grin form on my lips. I fell asleep and didn't awake until a kindly man in a business suit shook my arm forcibly. As I slept, my premonition replayed like a nightmare in my head, and I felt like I couldn't wake myself up.
"You were talking in your sleep about someone dying and became louder and louder in volume," the unknown man described. Groggily, I thanked him, and he exited the train as quickly as he appeared.
"What stop was this," I disorientedly thought and waited for the automated voice for the following announcement. Fortunately, I had only been asleep for fifteen minutes.
Once again, a foreshadowing agony overtook my body from my head down to my toes, and I shuddered. I found myself fingering my Angel charm for consolation with my fingers because it had become a habit over the past several months during times when I felt anxious.
"Egon adamantly said that nothing would happen to them," I reminded myself, then a panicked thought occurred," is today the day?"
Hence, I felt apprehensive for the rest of the trip. I also felt extraordinarily sleepy but pushed myself to press on with my day.
Arriving at the firehouse five minutes to noon, I took my seat at my desk and put my purse in the lower drawer. The upstairs was suspiciously quiet, and for once in the past month, the phone was not ringing off the hook. The first thing I did was check it to ensure it was still plugged into the wall and that one of the guys didn't unplug it, namely Dr. Venkman. He didn't want to answer the phone after hours or when I wasn't there.
"Why is it so silent here," I thought and seized the PKE from my purse before I forgot about it.
After I printed their schedule, I climbed the stairs to hand it to one of the Ghostbusters and then solve the puzzle of Egon's PKE appearance in my apartment
They were all sitting in the landing in different locations when I reached the zenith of the stairs- Dr. Venkman and Mr. Zeddemore at the kitchen table reading The New York Times, and Drs. Spengler and Stantz lounging on the sofa, discussing a repair on the Ecto- goggles.
"Click, click, click" was the sound that my high heels made as I walked to put the PKE meter in the kitchen, hidden.
"Coffee, coffee, coffee," I thought, struggling to shake the sleepiness
"Good Morning," I called in a sing-song voice, hiding the meter in a cabinet without them noticing.
"Happy Birthday, Janine," they announced synchronously and started to sing, standing from their respective seats after Peter counted to three.
"Wow!" I joyfully declared as all of the Ghostbusters sang animatedly to me. Egon maintained his gaze on me as he did with a broad smile on his face, and I giggled a little. His brown eyes twinkled as he did so. I loved when he bestowed his attention on me like that.
"Thank you," I replied, tearing up a little, and blew kisses to each of them before hiding the PKE meter in the cabinets.
"Here is your schedule for today," I declared, handing it to Winston and suppressing a yawn.
Swiftly, I returned to the kitchen to retrieve a coffee cup and poured the dark liquid into it.
"Can you believe it we are booked until almost six this afternoon again today," Ray declared when Winston asked about the schedule.
"What!?! We already completed two," Peter cried incredulously. They all appeared worn out to me, causing me to frown in between sips of my delicious hot coffee.
"Yes, and the containment unit is very crowded," Egon irritatedly remarked with a scowl on his handsome face.
"Hey Janine, we have a card for you," Winston exclaimed with a handsome smile and then handed it to me. My former boyfriend seemed relieved that the fourth Ghostbuster changed the subject successfully and nodded at him in approval.
"You didn't have to do that," I protested before opening it. The birthday card was a humorous one about turning thirty, and the number of candles on my cake was now a fire hazard. I chuckled at it and saw the 25 dollar gift certificate to my favorite nursery in Brooklyn, Calloways, then let out a shriek, "Yes, one of my favorite places, oh thank you!!"
Pleasantly surprised, I graciously thanked them again. I refilled Dr. Venkman and Mr. Zeddemore's cups with hot fresh coffee as they requested. Then I returned the coffee pot to the kitchen, and before retrieving the electronic device that the Ghostbusters used to sweep for spectral valances.
"Peter, will you show me how to use this" I sweetly requested a minute later, holding the PKE meter behind my back until he peered up from the work schedule.
"Why do you have that," he questioned, his brown eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Nevermind, will you please show me how to use it," I charmingly insisted, glancing at Egon and Ray on the sofa.
"Without the help from Drs. Stantz and Spengler or Mr. Z's. No cheating now, Dr. Venkman."
"It would be faster if you just told me, what the hell is going on," Peter hotly demanded, but he seized the meter out of my hand and attempted to turn it on. He loved to prove another friend wrong when he could.
After twenty seconds, Dr. Venkman gave up, and I showed him how to because I had seen Egon do it a million times in the past year and a half. I scanned him with it up and down the length of his body to be comical; however, nothing notified me that there was paranormal activity, so I shrugged. Peter was not impressed, to say the least and gave me a deadpan glare.
"Guess you are not possessed after all," I jested with him.
Winston and Ray roared with laughter from their seats, their faces turning red as Peter made an annoyed face, and even Egon laughed.
"Ok, so I don't know how to use it," Peter admitted impatiently, "why do you have it, Brooklyn?
What's the point?"
Pausing dramatically, I informed my audience that it was left in my apartment last night like I was a lawyer in a tv drama attempting to solve a case. I gradually stepped away from Dr. Venkman with a pensive look on my face.
"Who was at Janine's apartment yesterday? Didn't I ban that?" Peter questioned, jokingly, with a playful grin on his face that attracted many of his lady friends.
The Ghostbusters sans Egon chuckled heartily.
"Mr. Zeddemore, I don't think you know would participate in such foolishness, so I am ruling you out," I deduced, warmly patting his shoulder for a moment. I purposely turned away from the kitchen table and strolled in front of the sofa where Ray and Egon sat.
"Hmmm," I concluded as I observed that Egpn's displayed amusement. Remaining flirtatious and dramatic, I persisted in my cross-examination.
"That only leaves the two of you," I stated, smiling, holding up the PKE, then stopping for a second to ensure I had everyone's attention before saying:
"Both of you have been in my apartment, but Dr.Spengler uses the PKE more frequently, almost like a little boy playing with his favorite toy."
More guffawing from the others occurred. Brightly grinning, I put it in my former boyfriend's hand, and Egon grinned at me as I did so. A zap electrified my body when I touched him, and he held my hand for ten seconds before releasing it. Next, I turned around to face everyone in the room, attempting to be serious again for the drama.
"Now, Dr. Spengler, why did you leave it there? You planted it there so I would find it later," I further deduced, attempting not to be too pleased with his direct attention.
Everyone stared at Egon, who looked pleased and not self-conscious. He still had a friendly smile on his face, but he didn't offer an answer. We gawked at each other for a minute.
"Iggy, there's that look again, the 'I am in love with Janine' one," Ray teased him, poking him in the ribs, and my ex acknowledged it with a nod.
"Yes, I am in love with her," Egon confessed to everyone's surprise," and always have been."
"Oohh," the other three Ghostbusters howled as I blushed at his revelation. Our eyes met for a moment, and we exchanged a knowing glance. We both knew that we were in love with each other and meant to be together despite our troubles earlier this year. Clearing my throat, I spun around on my heels for a second to regain my composure then refaced him while the others made jokes.
" I expect a one-page essay on the reason you left this on my sofa by nine p.m. or you will fail this course," I emphasized the word course playing the role of the teacher, and Dr. Spengler remained, bemused. Again, it was purposely sexy and provocative because I knew Egon enjoyed it when I acted that way. He caught my eye then winked at me.
"Egon may want to fail the course a couple of times," Peter mocked, and everyone started to laugh at the implication.
"Hasn't he already," Ray questioned impishly, and I gave him a cautious look. I knew he was jesting with me, so I winked at him, but I wasn't going to let Peter off the hook.
Before heading down the stairs, I clapped in a slow, offbeat way that indicated sarcasm and quipped, "Bravo, Dr. Venkman, you made it almost a month without a joke at one of our expenses. Welcome back!"
With the sound of boisterous laughter, I descended the stairs, trembling. Since I hadn't flirted with Egon for a while, I didn't realize how much I missed it. More shocking was the fact that he wasn't at all flustered. On my way down the stairs, I analyzed the situation,
"A year and a half ago, Egon's face would have turned bright red and he would have run into the lab or on the roof because of all of the attention on him. That's a big transformation."
Randomly, my head began throbbing once I sat down at my desk, and I put it down for a few minutes.
Egon
There was little time for me to complete my calculations for my experiment before the upcoming bust so I instead went downstairs to flirt with our pretty redhead secretary. Right away, I noticed that Janine's head was down and inquired as soon as I strode up to her desk, "Are you well?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, I have been suffering from headaches off and on today, but I think it is from the change in seasons," she commented, raising her head from her desk and blinking her blue eyes to adjust to the light. I could tell that Janine downplayed the pain because I had this intuitive feeling from her visions from Monday. Plus, she did not want to bother me with her discomfort.
"How bad are they," I questioned, grimacing in concern, " You can't fool me, Janine."
"It's nothing of consequence," she dismissed with a wave of her hand and gave me a slight thin-lipped grin.
For a minute, I waited for Janine to admit that it was because of the vision, but stubbornly, she never did. That was my lady, just as stubborn as me.
With a naughty smirk on my face, I slyly flirted, "I am thoroughly enjoying watching you strut around in that fabulous black miniskirt and heels today, Ms. Melnitz. You look phenomenal as always."
"Why, thank you," Janine replied, returning my smile with a brighter one of her own.
"Fantastic performance earlier," I joked with her.
Timidly, Janine simpered after I made that flirtatious comment, "Thank you, Dr. Spengler. So, what about the PKE meter being on my sofa?"
"Once, you told me that Wendy couldn't keep a secret, so I knew she would tell you. As a result, I made it known I was thereby leaving the PKE," I explained, leaning over her desk to close the distance between us. Her blue eyes viewed my lips with a twinkle, and I longingly looked at her luscious ones.
"Please let Janine forgive me later," I anxiously thought.
"Clever. For the record, Wendy didn't tell me anything other than you are planning a surprise," Janine disclosed, then looked at me though her dark eyelashes.
"That I can handle," I stated, giving her a half-smile.
"Oh, Egon," Janine breathlessly whispered to me, trying to read my face," what are you up to?"
Hearing her mutter my name in that breathy way made my pulse quicken, and it took all my might not to pull her into my arms then kiss her. My breath caught in my throat, and I grinned at her. I felt electricity surge through my body, stimulating every part of it, but I took a deep breath to calm down.
"I hope to kiss you tonight, Janine," I thought.
However, that wasn't part of the plan yet-it was to persuade her of my deep love for her.
"When do you leave tonight, Ms. Melnitz, II questioned the angelic woman in front of me. Janine stood from her seat, and I observed her wearing a short black leather skirt with a black and white checkered blouse.
"Crumbs, I know I love her legs. Did she wear this skirt on purpose," I pondered, chuckling, viewing her from top to bottom slowly.
"Nine," our secretary responded, fluttering her eyelashes at me then she opened one of the file cabinets behind her. Janine thumbed through the manila folders while Dr. Venkman approached us from behind his desk.
"Ok, ok. Romeo in a Busters uniform, we have to go, you two can flirt when I go on my date with Ms. Barrett" he scolded me.
"Aren't I supposed to limit your interaction anyway," Peter inquired wryly, coming behind us, lighting a cigarette. He had that sneaky smirk on his face that I wanted to smack off of it.
"Zing," Ray unhelpfully yelled in the background.
Janine opened her mouth to sass Peter but instead exhibited a measure of self-restraint. Smiling, I retreated from her desk so he would leave her alone because she had things to do.