Chapter 6.5 "Tenderness" (June 1983)

(Song Suggestion- Leave a Tender Moment Alone by Billy Joel)

Janine Melnitz

On a steamy June afternoon, I was downstairs working on the company's books. The air conditioner wasn't working in the Firehouse, and I had a fan blowing directly on me, although I was still sweating heavily. My white sleeveless blouse was dripping with sweat at the armholes, and my legs were sticking to the leather of the chair's seat. New York City in the summer months was torture.

Stepping away from my desk, I chose to go upstairs to get a glass of water as my mouth had become parched like sandpaper. Ray and Peter had gone to the bank to refinance the mortgage rate on the Firehouse after lunch. As I climbed the steps slowly in the stale, hot air in the building, I thought about the class I was taking during the summer session as I had homework to complete for tomorrow night.

From the kitchen, I heard one of my favorite Billy Joel songs start, "Leave the Tender Moment Alone," coming from the radio in the lab where my crush worked. I began to sing along with it, twirling around in a circle in the landing as I did.

Then I heard another voice grow closer and closer to me as I sang the chorus but didn't glance up to find its owner until I twirled myself around merrily into someone.

"Oh, hi Egon, excuse me," I apologized as my face reddened. I felt tingles in my body as I realized it was him.

My crush was caught unaware, as evident by his appalled facial expression and by the fact he was still singing in his sexy baritone voice. Dr. Spengler now stood in front of me with his gray slacks and white button-down starched shirt and a maroon tie singing with a preoccupied expression. He always dressed so nicely, even when it was the summer I felt my pulse quicken immediately when I realized it was him and grinned.

"Hello Janine. I wasn't paying attention and I apologize for running into you," he politely responded, with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

With the corners of his mouth upturned, Egon gazed down at me questioningly.

"Oops," I giggled and I finally moved out of Egon's way. He sang as he walked down the stairs, and goosebumps formed on my arms as I heard his impressive deep voice. Also, I was thrilled to see this side of him enjoying my private concert.

"Wow, you can sing," I complimented when Egon came back upstairs with a tool in his hand after the song finished, causing his face to turn pink, and mumble a "thank you."

His long shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows because of the heat in the firehouse, and I noticed a bit of sweat on his forehead..

"Egon is so handsome. Boy, would I love to see him sweat if we were in bed together," I thought, grinning mischievously.

Next, I picked up the stack of newspapers from the table and used it to fan my face a little from the heat. He raised his right eyebrow when he saw the sly grin on my lips, and I wondered if he knew how much I enjoyed that gesture.

"That song is one of my favorite Billy Joel songs," he informed me, putting the invention and the tool he had retrieved on the kitchen table.

"Mine too," I revealed with a significant smile. Then I went to the kitchen excitedly and retrieved a glass from the cupboard to drink from. After filling the glass with ice from the freezer, I turned on the tap water and filled it up. The water felt cool down my throat and gave me some relief from the heat as I drank it. Shivering, I felt his eyes on me, and I strolled to the table where he now sat.

"Would you like some water, Dr. Spengler?"

He politely declined.

" I didn't know that you liked to sing. I thought I was the only one who sang here at the firehouse, " I commented playfully.

"No, you aren't. I grew up singing in the choir for the synagogue my family attended in Cleveland," Egon elucidated with a slight upturn of his inviting lips.

" A choir boy, too?" I joked, with a slight smile full of my shiny white teeth, and put my hand on my heart for a little added drama, "Be still my little heart. I wouldn't have expected it."

Egon gave me a genuinely pleased half-grin at my reaction, and his cheeks flushed a pink while he confirmed, "yes."

"Is your family musical," I inquired after a moment.

"Not really, my father was in the choir when he grew up, but that was it," the physicist answered, holding the tool in his hand and twirling it nervously.

"My family isn't either. I was in choirs during my school years because I enjoy singing. However, I didn't want to sing other than as a hobby. The synagogue that we attended had a small choir, but there was another girl my age who had sung alto better than me, " I responded, and he nodded.

"I think that you sing quite well," Dr. Spengler complimented, and then there was a strange silence for a moment. We sat there, and I attempted to think of things to discuss with him.

"Do you attend a synagogue in the City," I inquired, wishing I had thought of something else to say.

Egon shook his head side to side for his answer, then elaborated with, "No, I believe in the principles of the faith, but my training in science leaves me feeling unresolved with other parts. With my parents being Chemists, they share the same concerns. However, they raised my brother and me to actively participate in the faith as we grew up. Do you?"

Shrugging, I answered, "No, not really. On occasion, I will go with my family, but it depends on my schedule. I am not opposed to going more often, but my life doesn't revolve around my faith."

Again, I took a big sip of the cool liquid and wondered about another topic of conversation. Egon had trouble with small talk, and I wanted to make it as painless as possible so he would talk more to me in the future.

To my great surprise, he broke the silence by asking, "Are you taking a class this summer session?"

"Yes, it is an entry-level one that was added to the prerequisites after I started the program. It's pretty easy- ' a history of computing' class, but I have a paper to write by Wednesday," I answered.

"Sounds interesting. What's your paper about," he inquired, appearing piqued by our discussion.

"Charles Babbage," I responded, waiting to see if Egon knew him.

"The father of computers, a mechanical engineer," my crush automatically replied without blinking. Of course, Dr. Spengler knew as it seemed that he was an encyclopedia of knowledge.

"Yes, not that I understand engineering," I added, "but Babble's work has been engrossing to research."

"I have a Bachelor's degree in engineering. If you have any questions, maybe I can help you," Egon suggested, with a blush on his face.

"Thank you, I may take you up on that," I responded shyly, looking down at my glass of water. Silence.

Abruptly, Egon excused himself and grabbed his belongings heading towards the lab.

Dr. Ray Stantz

Doris, Janine's sister, emerged in the early afternoon on the first Thursday of the month with her two children unexpectedly at the Firehouse. She was a couple of inches taller than our secretary lwith longer, wavy, darker, but more reddish hair that fell past her shoulders but with the same facial features as her younger sister. Doris had two cute little daughters, one who was probably eight years old and looked like a replica of her, and a three or four-year-old who appeared a little more like her Dad, I'd guess. J didn't know that she was coming by but seemed pleased to introduce her to us.

"Doris, these are two of my bosses- Dr. Peter Venkman and Dr. Ray Stantz, and this is my sister, Doris Holowitz, and these are my nieces. The oldest one is Lenora, and this one is Caitlyn," Janine introduced us while we were in our offices where we were hanging out before our next bust since it was cooler downstairs. Egon, who was in the basement conducting tests on the containment unit.

"Nice to meet you, Doris," I greeted, and Venkman said something similar with a smile.

"Same," she replied, politely, " we only have fifteen minutes before my dentist appointment down the street, but I thought I would say 'hi' to Aunt Janine."

"But Aunt Janine, Mommy's dentist is Dr. Wallerstein in Brooklyn," the older girl with red hair said, knowingly.

Doris gave her sister a pleading look while Peter, and I watched the two sisters have a conversation silently. It was pretty awesome to watch.

"Please," she mouthed, " They will be well behaved."

Janine reluctantly asked Venkman and me if she could watch the girls while her sister went to her appointment.

"Well, Brooklyn was used to babysitting the three of us anyway," Pete replied, laughing.

" No, Dr. V., just you," Janine responded snarkily, "Doris, do you have their coloring books or a book for Lenora?"

She took the backpack off of her youngest niece's back and gave her and the younger one some instructions about her best behavior.

"Aunt Janine is at work, so she can't color with you right now. If she says you were on your best behavior, we will get ice cream. I will be back in a couple of hours at the most. I love you," Doris spoke quietly to her daughters, doting on them.

Then I noticed Janine's sister calmly asked her with a sly smile, "where's Dr. Spengler ?"

"Downstairs working," the younger Melnitz answered, shrugging, "maybe you can meet him afterward."

"I can't wait. I have to see what Egon is like," Doris replied, walking, and Janine stuck her tongue out at her in mock anger.

"Hey Aunt Janine, can we get ice cream, too?" Dr. Venkman inquired, but she gave him an exasperated look.

"Buy your own ice cream, Dr. Venkman," J said, with a glare that could cut glass, then she told her nieces to wave goodbye to their mother.

"Good luck, big sis," our secretary called out with a smile and held her hand up, indicating two fingers crossed. Doris gave her a heartfelt smile and blew kisses at her girls before leaving.

"Ok, girls. Let's get you some chairs, Lenora. Stand right there, and Caitlyn, sit in my chair until I bring some chairs for you to sit on."

"Here you go," I announced, bringing two rolling chairs over to Janine's desk and putting them on the other side of it.

She grinned and thanked me as the eldest got a book out to read. It was Alice in Wonderland, one of my favorite books, and I told her so. Lenora offered to read it to me at my desk, and I accepted. Excited, she sat at a chair on the other side of my desk and began to read whereas Caitlyn was content, coloring on her aunt's desk.

"Aww, how sweet. Look at Lenora and Dr. Stantz," Janine cooed, watching us with a grin, "Dr. Venkman, would you mind retrieving Ray's camera? This is a kodak moment."

Her sister's appointment went by quickly, and Peter and I listened to Lenora's beautiful reading voice. Janine managed to take a couple of shots of us listening to her read before Doris reappeared in the firehouse, crying.

"Ray and Peter," Janine said, seeing her sister sobbing, "can you watch them for a few minutes?"

The Brooklynite grabbed her sister's arm and walked away from the area so they could speak in confidence after I nodded my consent and Venkman waved his hand dismissively. I saw J hug her and talk to her calmly.

Ten minutes later, they returned, and her sister was still visibly distraught. However, Doris put a brave face on for her daughters as Janine started gathering their stuff. After a while, they were all packed up and ready to go. Egon arrived in the reception area, shocked to see two little girls and Janine's sister. Without hesitation , she introduced everyone.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Dr. Spengler. I have heard much about you from Janine," Doris stated, with a mischievous grin, a replica of her sister's. Consequently, Egon's long face changes to a deep shade of red while he excused himself and fled to his office..

"Aunt Janine likes you," Lenora loudly informed Spengler as he walked to his office. Janine's face turned beet red, but the little girl looked pleased that she had helped out her aunt. Venkman and I attempted to hide our enjoyment of the situation as our secretary gave us an angry glare. We couldn't help it, though, and the laughter came out anyway.

"I told him, Aunt Janine. I helped you out," Lenora remarked with a satisfied smile.

"Thank you, love, but he already knows," Janine said, with a bright grin and hugged her niece.

"We all know, Lenora. Except him, that is," Venkman remarked from his desk, and Brooklyn gave him a murderous glare when she turned around.

A strange silence settled amongst us until Doris and the girls said goodbye and left.

"You have to be kidding me," Janine responded, giggling, after the door to the firehouse shut firmly, and we all started to laugh loudly.

"Was that as loud as I thought it was? Did he hear that" she inquired after a while.

"Oh yeah," Venkman responded, looking to his right into Iggy's office, with a loud laugh, "don't worry, he isn't leaving his office for a while. However, his face is the same shade of red as yours when Lenora originally said it. What a cute little girl!"

Sighing loudly, Janine shook her head, mumbled, and sat down in her desk chair, "He probably won't talk to me for a week now."

"Is your sister ok," I inquired.

"Oh...I guess...she found out she's pregnant again. Her last one was tough for her, and it was rough on Caitlyn too. Doris's worried about it," Janine answered. Sadly, they want more children, but it may be unsafe for Doris to carry another child. She's had some miscarriages, too. It's complicated. Thank you for allowing me to watch her girls, aren't they sweet? I was the last resort for her if she couldn't find anybody else to babysit them."

Janine Melnitz

Dear Diary,

Where to start? First, the a/c is out in the firehouse, so I am soaked with sweat after my shift. Second, I spoke to Egon and learned a few new pieces of information about him. He was brought up in a Jewish household but doesn't practice now. We chatted a little about Charles Babbage, the father of the computer because he was an engineer. Egon's first degree was in engineering, I found out, too. We had a concise discussion about Babbage, but it was excellent.

Before all of that, I was upstairs when "Leave a Tender Moment Alone" played on the radio as I cleaned, and Egon was in the lab. I sang along with it, dancing around the landing as I do with my favorite songs, and then I heard his deep throaty voice sing along with it. OMG! His voice is fantastic. As I twirled around and sang, I bumped into him as he was preoccupied with something as he walked across the room. Surprisingly, Egon felt didn't perturb that I had run into him, and he seemed almost pleased to see me there. Egon divulged later that the song was one of his favorite Billy Joel songs, the same as me.