CHAPTER 112: You're Welcome

 

"Good morning, Mr Saint"

"Good morning, Carole, lovely weather we're having" replied Jeremy Saint as he arrived at the offices of Dewey, Cheathem and Howe.  Carole nodded and walked on by; not wanting to be late for her meeting.  As for Jeremy, he had to negotiate three obstacles:  First, was the attention of his boss but that was fine because he was busy dealing with Jeremy's second obstacle:  Bianca.  Since joining the firm as J.J. Gotcha's secretary she would occasionally give him the eye and he felt uncomfortable.  If he caught sight of her in the distance, he'd make sure he never made eye contact and would take a circuitous route to his office just to avoid her.  His third obstacle was the "wit" of the man he shared an office with: Fanshawe.

"Good morning, Saint!" said Fanshawe, enthusiastically, the moment Jeremy walked into their office.

"You seem in a good mood, Fanshawe" replied Jeremy.

"More than just good...absolutely top of the world, for you see I have obtained TWO tickets to see Mr Burt Bacharach with FRIENDS in concert this Friday evening"

"Two tickets?  So who's the other person going to be?"

"Ah, that's what I wanted to ask you about..." said Fanshawe, dropping his voice and looking serious for a moment.

"Fanshawe, I'm flattered but..." said Jeremy.

"Not you!  I meant that superb specimen who is J.J.'s secretary"

"You mean...Bianca?" said Jeremy, sounding shocked.

"Yes, isn't she wonderful?" said Fanshawe, dreamily.  "The reason I'm telling you about my interest in her is that I understand you and her have a bit of...history?"

"Phht!  It was one date" said Jeremy, shrugging his shoulders.

"Still, wanted to give you the old heads up, buddy.  Are you OK with me asking her out?"

"I'm more than OK!" said Jeremy, enthusiastically.  "In fact, I couldn't be happier for you.  By all means take her to the concert and I'd add treat her to dinner as well:  She likes Italian." added Jeremy, slapping his colleague on the back.  

"I mean, if there are any residual feelings..." said Fanshawe.

"Trust me, there aren't" Jeremy wanted to give Fanshawe an unequivocal blessing.  If Bianca liked Fanshawe then she'd stop trying to flirt with and distract him.  Jeremy could finally get complete, 100% closure.  There was only one true love for Jeremy, and right about now she was probably deluged with customers over at the boutique.

There was only one person in Pack's Clothing at that time and that was the owner herself.  To say it was a slow morning would be an understatement:  It was a dead morning as far as customers were concerned but Barbara consoled herself with the knowledge that she'd only been open for an hour...still 7 hours left in the working day.  The last couple of days' saw brisk trading as she had to hire a temporary staff member who normally worked over at JF&S's but who helped out on his day off as a favour.  There were two awkward customers...one seemed to have had a panic attack...but her temp handled the situation well.  But he wasn't available today and probably for the better:  He'd have been wasting his time here.

Barbara thought a little mood music might make people, especially that vital teenage and youth crowd, want to come into the store.  

"Ahh, that's better" she said.  Barbara walked over to one of the mannequins and checked out the outfit that was on it.  It was brand new and inspired by Pierre Cardin...although getting an original Cardin outfit was way beyond Packs' budget.  Barbara adjusted the pose and shifted the dummy so that it could be seen better by anyone coming through the door.

No sooner as she had made those changes than her first customer of the day arrived.  However, they were not quite the type Barbara had in mind.  A tall, older lady who was a little on the large side had entered and was casting a suspicious eye over the premises.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" asked Barbara.

"Harumph...this place used to be a hardware store.  Where's Herman Pack?" replied the lady.

"That store closed down 10 years ago and Mr Pack retired.  I own the store now and, well, it's a fashion boutique."

"It's bright in here" said the lady.

"Can I help you find something you might like?" 

"I'll look for myself, thank you" said the lady, brusquely.  

Another customer entered the boutique and this time it was a much younger lady.  Barbara greeted her and asked if she could help in any way.

"I've just had my hair done and now I'm looking for a new outfit" said the young lady.

"You've come to the right place" replied Barbara.  "I love your hair and that blouse is sensational.  Now are you looking for something everyday or for a special occasion?"

"Something to impress when I'm out and about" replied the young woman.

"Huh!  You'll need to lose a few pounds before you can manage that!" said the old woman, grumpily.  The younger woman looked shocked when she heard such a brutal and blunt remark and Barbara could tell things could go rapidly south.

"Let me show you our European inspired line...." said Barbara, trying to whisk the younger woman away from the older one before the two customers came to blows.

"Who does that lady think she is?" said the younger woman.

"I know, I know...how about this?  It's inspired by Pierre Cardin" said Barbara.  She looked over to another area of the shop and noticed a bald, middle aged man standing too close to a shop dummy and who was rubbing his thighs and licking his lips.  "Oh no, a weirdo!" thought Barbara.

"Sir, can I ask you not to do that to the mannequin" said Barbara, trying to escort the man away from it.

"How much for it and the swimsuit?" said the man.

"The mannequin is not for sale, only the swimsuit" replied Barbara.

"Hngh!" said the man, indignantly and he walked off.

Barbara sighed...she had some awkward customers and no sales at the moment!  More people streamed in and with any luck some of them would want to buy something.  One teenage girl, dressed in the height of fashion, approached Barbara.

"Wow, how long has this shop been here?  It's fab!" she said.

"Oh, not long...coming up to one week now" replied Barbara.

"I love it!  Have you got anything by Mary Quant?"

"I have something a lot like it, come this way" said Barbara, her mood suddenly picking up.  This young lady was just the type of customer she was hoping to attract.

The young woman practically tried on every dress in the shop but Barbara made sure she dealt with other shoppers...and, all of a sudden, with an hour to go before closing time she was deluged with keen and eager customers.

It was all starting to be more than one person running a shop could handle.  However, the cavalry arrived in the form of Jeremy.

"Hey, sweetheart, how's business?" he asked Barbara.

"BUSY!  Now I need you to ring up some customers while I restock the shelves!"

"OK...Chief!" he said, sarcastically.

Between the two of them they managed to deal with all the customers and keep things stocked by closing time.  Exhausted, both of them headed back home for dinner.

"You should look into getting some permanent help" said Jeremy.  "You're rushed off of your feet as it is"

Barbara shook her head.  "I can't do that until we start making more of a profit.  These are early days and extra budget is going into publicity right now.  Once we start doing a healthy business, I'll hire a shop assistant"

"And how was your day?" she asked him.

"Oh it was very good, very satisfying" said Jeremy, his eyes lighting up.  "Fanshawe has asked....erm....one of the senior secretaries out to that upcoming Burt Bacharach concert".  He had to stop himself from saying "Bianca" because he didn't want Barbara to know that she was still on the horizon at work.

"I would love to go to that show!" said an enthusiastic Barbara.  "I wonder if there are any tickets left?"

"Oh I wouldn't have thought so" said Jeremy, defensively.

"Let's phone the theatre and find out.  You never know unless you ask!"

"I don't want to set you up for disappointment" 

"There's no harm in asking"

"Aren't we busy this weekend?  Aren't we seeing my folks or your folks or my brother-in-law?"

"Nope...nothing in the diary.  I'll phone the theatre tomorrow...maybe we can go to dinner at that Italian restaurant near there"

"NO!  I mean, I've heard there's an excellent French one nearby...supposed to be terrific.  Or Chinese!  Plenty of Chinese restaurants near there.  Or do you fancy steak?"

"I'll book the tickets, you book the restaurant...how does that sound?"

"Cosmic..." said a less than enthusiastic Jeremy.

Eventually Jeremy went to bed and Barbara tidied up in the kitchen when she was disturbed by a knock at the door.  "Who could it be at this time?" she muttered.

Answering the door she saw a stocky young man on the porch.  "Hello?" she said, checking her watch.  "It's very late"

"Is it?" said the man.  "We met back at the Llama Man convention.  I'm head of the Llama Man fan club and you signed a form indicating that you were interested in membership"

"Really?  I forgot about that...listen it's real late..." said a frustrated Barbara.

"Well you shouldn't have signed the form!" said the man.

"Well I didn't know you were going to show up a month later at 11 o'clock at night!"

"Is that late?"

"YES!  Now please, I just want to go to bed...goodbye"

"I'll put you down as a maybe?" said the man as the door shut in his face.

CHAPTER 111: A Question Of Hemlines

 

"Tsch, shocking!  Disgraceful!  Scandalous!" George Sneedley tutted to himself as he looked on at the mannequins in JF&S Clothiers; a haute boutique for the well dressed and well off.  He was on an early morning walk through Magnolia Promenade as that was his way of getting exercise without having to run or lift things.

The fashions of the day appalled him with their revealing neck and hemlines.  Grown women were now dressing like naughty schoolgirls and this led to a generation of long haired, randy young men chasing them.  The wedding dress he was looking at was particularly in bad taste...too snug fitting around the shoulders and bosom and way, way too far above the knee.  He thought of his own wedding to Edna and how wonderful she had looked in her grandmother's bridal gown...ah, the Edwardian era, thought George: How more elegant were things then?  Of course, they had to rush their own wedding arrangements because it was 1950 and he was just about to be shipped off to Korea and the war.

George left the boutique and headed home where Edna was already up and watching the news.  It was about another war, Vietnam, where the story was that USAF planes had clashed with North Vietnamese jets for the very first time since the American involvement in the conflict began.

"I didn't know the North Vietnamese had jet fighters" said Edna to George.

"They'll have got them from the Chinese or Soviets, dear" he replied.  "Same with back in my day...the North Koreans relied on the Chinese"

"Anyway...how did you walk go this morning?" she asked.

"Mostly fine" he replied.  "It's a nice day, the waterfront was pleasant and I think I spotted a heron at one point.  However, what is being sold in the shops under the description 'fashion' is shocking"

"I know...I know...you can really see standards dropping over the last year.  This is what happens when there are no longer decent female role models for young women to look up to...they've traded in Jackie for something called 'Twiggy'.  Oh if only we could have our delightful former first lady back as the inspiration for the younger generation."

"I quite agree, Edna, Mrs Kennedy and....Marilyn Monroe" he said, wistfully.

"Well, I never quite got the appeal of Marilyn Monroe myself" said Edna, knowing that Marilyn was George's pin-up idol when he was in the Navy.  "But a Grace Kelly...or Princess Grace to give her the correct title...there was a lady!"

"Ooh, yes" said George enthusiastically.

Edna stood up all of a sudden.  "I have an idea!" she exclaimed.  "I propose that you and I go and visit one of these so-called 'fashion boutiques' and investigate how they are corrupting womanhood!"

"When shall we do this?" asked George.

"Now!"

The two of them travelled to Magnolia Promenade where they found all the different fashion boutiques.  The place was getting a reputation of being "The Carnaby Street of Sim City" and was a fertile ground for the Sneedley's moral indignation.  One particular establishment caught their attention:  It was converted from a much older building but had big, newly installed glass windows, neon signs and bold colours decorating it.  It was called "Pack's Clothing" and it seemed like it was purposely built to annoy them.

"It looks positively garish!" said Edna "and what's the appalling smell coming from it?"

"If my culinary senses do not deceive me" said George "I believe it's a combination of incense, peppermint and....I think that's thyme"

"Anyway...let us gird ourselves and carry out our task.  George, no looking at anything too racy; we don't want you to have one of your turns"

Edna and George took deep breaths and entered the shop....and they didn't like what they saw right from the off.  For starters, there was discordant music playing over a speaker which made Edna wince.

"Tsch, most unsuitable!" said Edna looking at a couple of mannequins.  Even their poses offended her...no grace or poise, just blatant provocativeness and lewd playfulness.

She moved on to view a poster of a man with shaggy, unkempt hair, playing a guitar with a tortured look on his face.  The caption read "JEFF BECK".

"Ugh, just the sort of young man my mother warned me about!" she said.

George came and sat down next to her.  "I had to sit down and take a rest...it's so horrible in here!  The men's section is just as bad...medallions and strange patterns" he said.

"Well that's one thing I'll give this establishment" said Edna.  "At least there's plenty of places to sit"

"Excuse me, Madam, Sir...can I be of assistance?" said a young shop assistant.  He struck the Sneedleys as somewhat odd looking:  He was a black man with very dark skin and yet had a mop of golden blonde hair.  

"No thank you" said Edna curtly as she stared at the man's hair.

"Ah you've noticed my hair" said the shop assistant.  "New in stock:  Deluxe Merseybeat wigs.  Ideal for young men who want to look like The Beatles but whose hair is too curly, short or straggly to have cut into the classic Beatle cut.  Also great for the older gentleman who's hairline is receding and might want the extra coverage" he said, looking at George's head.

"Made from realistic nylon, they come in 20 different shades: This one is called Golden Dawn" continued the man.

"No thank you" replied Edna.  "Although that is probably the least objectionable thing I have seen in here so far" 

The man went off to help another customer and Edna took a moment to survey the scene.  "George" she said, an idea formulating in her head "I think we should conduct some interviews with some of the customers; find out what they think"

"I agree; we should make ourselves seem more official...say we're doing important market research" George replied.

"Agreed...I will speak with that lady in the blue over there...George that young woman in the turquoise; you should have a word with her"

Edna walked over to a young lady who was dressed all in dark blue.  She was checking out a short dress in a peppermint colour when Edna introduced herself.

"Hello...My name is Mrs Edna Sneedley and I am conducting some market research on behalf of an important organisation whose name I am not at liberty to mention.  May I ask you a few questions about your preferences in ladies fashion?"

"Hi...my name is Bianca, I'm 24 and work in an office" replied the young woman.

"How nice...I see you have opted for the shorter hemline:  Is that something that appeals to you?"

"Yeah, it's fab!  It's kicky!" said Bianca.

"Hmmm, 'kicky', I'm afraid I'm not well versed in the slang of the youth of today.  But don't you feel that your shorter hemlines will attract the attention of the wrong sort of man?"

"I'm not against attracting the attention of a man...providing he's cute" said Bianca.  "But it's about freedom, confidence and the Pill"

"THE PILL!" exclaimed Edna, shocked.  If there was anything she hated more than mini skirts, it was the Pill.  "Young lady, you should be ashamed of yourself!"

At that Bianca became very indignant.  Meanwhile, George was trying a slightly different approach.

"Excuse me, Miss" he said to a willowy auburn haired young woman who wore a turquoise mini dress.  "I am conducting a survey on fashion and the younger generation.  Do you prefer the long or the shorter skirt?"

"Well, man, it's all good, right?" she replied.  "Long, short as long as it's with it I'm cool with all that.  My favourite clothes are my flared jeans, baby"

George didn't catch on with the slang but proceeded to enquire more.  "And are you wearing stockings today or....tights?" he said, wincing at the T word.  

"These?  These are tights, man.  I've given up on all the constricting underwear that mom and grandma wore:  I got rid of garters, corsets, girdles and I've read the bra is a symbol of the past so I might end up throwing that in the trash can or burning it"

"Oh...dear..." said George, who acted as if he had walked into a minefield.

"Yeah man, I mean, why do we need clothes anyway?  Underwear, who cares?  Some days I don't bother at all with them.  You've got to feel free, baby, unconstricted and let it all hang out.  Have you tried spending the day in the nude?  Wow, that's like being at one with nature!  Mister, are you alright?  Mister?"

George had gone pale and was clutching his heart.  "I...need...fresh air..." he gasped.

"Hey, lady, is this guy bothering you?" said a young, male customer who had seen what was going on.

"I don't know, man" replied the hippy girl.  "This guy was asking about what I was wearing..."

"Oh I see..." said the man in a threatening tone and rolling up his sleeves.  "I've dealt with perverts like him before!"

"GASP!" cried George and Edna turned to see him down on his knees having a panic attack.

"George!  Oh no!  Make way!  Make way!  I'm his wife...clear the area, he's having one of his turns!"  Edna helped George back to his feet and led him out of the shop.

They went straight home from Magnolia Promenade where George had a drink, some air and time to calm down.  "Oh Edna...that young woman you sent me to speak with:  She turned out to be a nudist!  I wasn't prepared, I just wasn't prepared!" he said.

"No, that was my fault...I should have been more aware of the type of customer we were dealing with.  My one wasn't much better; a loose woman on the pill, shall we say?" 

"Well I appreciate you coming to my assistance" said George.

"My wifely duty, George.  After all, you've always been there in my hour of need" replied Edna, warmly.

The two felt drawn to each other at that moment.  Not a word passed their lips but they sat on the couch, looking lovingly in each others' eyes.  Slowly, ever slowly, they inched towards one another until those lips were touching and then they gently held each other as they embraced and kissed.

It wasn't just a peck either, they kissed over and over; lovingly and tenderly.  The years together rolled back and they were like they were when they were first courting.  Finally, their lips parted.

"That's enough of that" said Edna.

"Yes, I must get to work now.  A most pleasant experience, thank you" replied George.

He went off to the restaurant and Edna craved a drink, so she headed off to the Rattlesnake Juice Bar.  Not her favourite haunt, but a place George often stopped at on his way back from work.

"Your usual, Mrs Sneedley?" asked the barman.

"Yes thank you, David.  That's lovely.  David...do you ever get worried about the permissive society?" she asked.

"Only that it's passing me by" replied the barman.

Edna drank the crisp dry white wine and thought about what to make of what her and George found this morning.  Was it that young women were to blame or the people who tell them what they should wear, listen to and do with their lives?  So much to ponder.

"You know what I don't like about today's society, Mrs Sneedley" 

"What's that, David?"

"Modern art.  I just don't get it:  Blobs, lines, splatter, wham...I mean, what's it all about?  Nothing, I tell you, nothing."

Edna thought about that...yes, modern art: Another symptom of society in decay.  She finished her second drink and put the glass down on the bar, loudly.

"David...is the gallery down the road still open at this time?" she asked.

"Should be" the barman replied.

Edna settled her tab and headed off to the Futures Past museum, keen to find fault there.

The modern art section was on the 2nd floor so she wasted no time being distracted by the classical sculptures and Mediaeval works of art and headed straight there.  Upon arrival she spotted an abstract painting that immediately triggered her sensibilities.

"No, I don't get this at all" she said out loud.  "Are those meant to be hills?  Did the artist just spill paint by mistake?"

"I think you'll find that the shapes are held in proportion to each other...the painting holds the rounded sections and the lines in tension, juxtaposing the very shapes themselves" came a voice from next to her.  Turning to see who had spoken, she saw that it was none other than her nemesis: Alan Cuffe.

"Oh no, trust you to like this, Mr Cuffe" she said.

"I appreciate art and beauty in all its forms" he said.

"Yes...especially if it's wearing a bathing suit" she responded, snidely.

"You know, Edna, your life would be considerably improved if you didn't spend so much time seeking out things that offend you."

"I have a duty to protect our community!"

"No one asked you"

"Because you've lured them into complacency"

"You credit me with too much influence, Edna"

"I see your influence growing day by day, Mr Cuffe"

"You don't know the half of what goes on in this city...if you did you wouldn't see me as your great enemy!" Cuffe's voice started to crack as he said those words.  Suddenly, he went quiet.

Edna took a moment to compose herself during this brief silence before saying "Well, I've made my point perfectly clear.  Goodbye, Mr Cuffe"

She headed home where she rendezvoused with George.

"I have met the enemy, George" she said "...and he is scared!"

"Of us?" asked George.

"Why yes, who else?" she replied.

CHAPTER 110: Relationships Change

 

Jolene Scholl stood apprehensively in front of the large mansion:  This was Granada Place in Oasis Springs, the new residence of Alan Cuffe.  Sales of Lothario magazine had skyrocketed of late and a lot of his investments were paying off so he had moved from a stylish, modernist house in Parched Prospect to this mansion in Skyward Palms.  Cuffe was more successful and powerful than he'd ever been and that worried Jolene as she prepared to deliver some news to him that he might not take well.

She rang the doorbell, which was answered by Cuffe's live in personal assistant and head "Kitten", Madelyn Buchanan.  

"Jolene...nice to see you" said Madelyn, smiling.  Jolene had rung the day before asking to meet with Alan and it was unusual for one of the Kitten Club to ask to see Alan during business hours....except for auditions to become a member.  Once in the club there were the meetings, social events, media events and the classes in make up, decorum, dance, poise, vocal training, human movement studies and lessons in the "Lothario Way".  Now Jolene wanted to see Alan on some matter and Madelyn detected an air of apprehension in the girl.

"I do like your outfit, Jolene: Who's the designer?  Quant?"

"Courreges" replied Jolene.  

"Ah, he's so bold, so innovative don't you think?"

"Yes.  Alan recommended him to me"

"Alan will be joining us shortly but I must warn you he has a lot on his plate right now" said Madelyn with a note of caution in her voice.  Deep down Madelyn was worried about him: Two days ago they'd had a meeting of the Kitten Club and the main purpose was to distract Detective John Action from investigating certain areas of the Lothario organisation and, in particular, Madelyn's other business interests which were strictly illegal.  After Action had left they had received a visit from prominent businesswoman, Lily Feng.  She had a meeting with Alan in his study which Madelyn was not present at but when the meeting had ended, Alan seemed alarmed, pale and shocked.  He hadn't been his usual, jocular and flirtatious self and whatever he and Lily discussed, he didn't share it with Madelyn.

At that moment Alan appeared in the living room and Jolene noticed the tired eyes and air of distractedness about him.  What had happened to him in the last 48 hours?  Was it the visit of the detective?

"Jolene, lovely to see you....that'll be all, Madelyn, I think Jolene would like to have a word with me in private" Alan's voice sounded thinner, more weary than Jolene had ever known.

Madelyn left the room and Alan sat next to Jolene.

"Alan...lately I've been thinking about my place in the Kitten Club" she began.

"I've received a lot of fan mail for you; one of the highest the magazine has ever seen" he replied.

"I'm flattered to hear that...but nonetheless I think it's time for me to move on"

"Oh....is there a problem?"

"I don't want to be just another name in your little black book.  I'm becoming disillusioned with the libertine part of the club...I don't want to be the girl you call up on Thursdays."

"The Club isn't for everyone..." he said with his head bowed.  "Do you think you've reached your limit with us?"

"I went beyond the limit and now I want to come back to something that I recognise and feel happier in.  My music career's taking off and that's where I want to focus, not on this side..." she said, pointing to a copy of the latest issue of Lothario magazine which was on a nearby coffee table.  Her image was on the front cover.

Alan took a deep breath before saying.  "I understand...people come, work for me, play with me and then they have to walk their own path.  Your time with us has come to an end.  Well, I can't say this news fills me with cheer: You were one of the best, Jolene.  I will continue to follow your music career and you'll always have a place in the Club's hearts."

He stood up and walked to the door and Jolene realised that this was the end of their discussion.  She followed him out towards the front door but she could still see he was worn down and distracted.

"Alan, are you happy?" she asked him at the door.

"Of course!  Things have never been better...the business is doing better than ever, I'm richer now than I've ever been in my life, I now live in this mansion, I have the most intelligent people writing for me and I'm surrounded by beautiful women.  What's there to complain about?"

Jolene wasn't convinced.  "Are any of us, the women in your life, special to you?" she asked.

"You're ALL special to me" he replied.

"That's the problem, Alan: When we're all special, then none of us are.  Goodbye and take care"

The door shut and she was gone.  Alan stood in the hall contemplating what Jolene had just said but then Madelyn appeared.

"Ah, Madelyn.  Jolene is no longer part of the Kitten Club...her decision.  Amend the club and business records appropriately."

"Yes, Alan." Madelyn replied.

"Oh, and do I have any other appointments this morning?"

"Yes.  At 11am you have an appointment with a Miss Skye Warner...she's applied to be a member of the Kitten Club."

"A space is left, a space is filled.  'Twas ever thus" he said with a sigh.

GARDEN ESSENCE, WILLOW CREEK, THE NEXT DAY

"Travis!  You're still in your pyjamas and eating breakfast!" said Liberty Lee to her housemate when she came into the kitchen for breakfast.

"So?"

"The proper way to start the day is shower, dress then breakfast"

"When I wake up I need fuel before anything else" said Travis.  "After that I can begin to think about the other two"

"Summer, why can't you civilise your boyfriend?" said Liberty as Summer Holiday, fully dressed, entered the kitchen as well.

"I think he's cute the way he is" Summer replied.

"Does Gary get dressed before breakfast or does it do it the normal way around?" asked Travis.

Liberty didn't say anything for a moment.  "I don't know; I haven't seen Gary first thing in the morning" she eventually replied.

"You mean, you haven't..." said Summer, her voice trailing off as she said the words.

"I don't want to talk on this subject any further.  Travis, please tell me you're going to clean your plate and not just slink off." Liberty said.

"We have a cleaner!  Oh, alright..." he replied, grumbling.

The housemates all had 'must do' jobs to do...Liberty had a technical manual to read.

Summer had to practice making some new cocktail recipes.

...and Travis went back to bed.  

By mid morning he had decided to wake up and NOW have shower and get dressed.  Summer was just cleaning up the shaker, stirrers and glasses when he arrived, fully dressed in the kitchen.

"Hey, how did it go with the cocktails?" he asked.

"I've nailed the Tang & Zing now" she replied.  "How is that electrical project of yours going?  I didn't want to disturb you as you worked"

"Oh...yes..." said Travis, realising he'd not made any progress on it but instead slept the whole time.  "...it's at a very tricky stage right now.  Is Liberty around?" 

"She's still in her room...why?" said Summer.

"Because she's been around us a lot and we haven't much time by ourselves to do......this!" he said as he leant in closer for a kiss.  Summer too was keen to have a romantic moment, snatched between must do work jobs and their housemate walking in on them at any given moment.

"It's a lovely day, let's go outside" said Summer, taking Travis by the hand and leading him out the front door.

The two decided to do a bit of cloudgazing and enjoy the peace of the day.  

"Lovely clouds today" said Summer.

"Hmm, Cumulonimbus" said Travis.

"Travis...I get what you say about having to sneak these times together.  What if we changed things in the house so we get more time alone?" said Summer.

"What, like locking Liberty out for a couple of hours a day?" Travis replied.

"No!  I mean...your room is across the hall from me and often its a room where people hang out.  How about we share a room instead?"

"I don't know, Summer, my room can't take a double bed"

"Not your room!  I meant my room."

"Move my stuff into yours and we, like, sleep together and stuff?"

"Why not?"

"I don't know...I mean, I've got my books, projects and desk just where I want them in my room"

"I was thinking; we turn your bedroom into a study and you and me get to share one bedroom.  It'll be great; I will wake up next to you ever day and we'll be more private"

"I dig what you're saying...but we're going to have to make it less....girly.  I mean, it's a bit frilly in your room"

"I hope Liberty will be OK with all this....hey, she's been quiet a long time now...what's she up to?" said Summer.

Liberty had slipped out almost unnoticed and headed off into town to meet with her boyfriend, Gary.

"No, I've had this hat longer!" she said to him.

"I've had this hat for 3 months now"

"I've had mine since Christmas, I win" she declared triumphantly.

"Let's stop bickering over hats and go inside for a drink" Gary said.  "It's pretty quiet on a Saturday afternoon in here..."

"Oh...well I didn't expect it to be this crowded" he said when they entered the Blue Velvet.

It was very crowded in the Blue Velvet with a crush at the bar.  Liberty and Gary found a couple of barstools but there was someone sitting between them.  Fortunately there were some old friends there are well such as Brent Hecking and Julia Epstein and they had a friendly catch up with both of them but Gary ordered drinks then said to Liberty "Let's go outside; they have a nice little garden area here"

"Ah, some peace at last!" said Gary as they sat down on an old fashioned wooden bench in the quaint garden area.  The fountain added to the ambience whilst inside there was a soft murmur of voices and music.

"This is nice...I've never really noticed it out here" said Liberty.

"An oasis of calm" replied Gary.  "If you open up the back gate there you get great views of the river.  I once wrote a poem right here on this spot as I looked out."

"You the poet, me the rocket scientist...we make an odd pair" said Liberty.

"Opposites attract" he said with a smile.

"Gary...do you think we should move things to the next level?" she asked.

"Do you mean the balcony area upstairs?" he replied.  

"No...I mean you and me, our relationship"

"What did you have in mind?" he said, suggestively.

"Well...we've been on dates, we're what our folks would no doubt call 'courting' but...well, I want to know what you like for breakfast for example?"

"Bacon and eggs" he replied without missing a beat.  "But you want to make things more...intimate?  Physical?"

"Intimate yes...and more time the two of us, alone, not in a public space all the time."

"What about your housemates?  Don't they restrict your privacy?"

"They are so loved up themselves I think they hardly notice me at the moment.  But instead of a date here, a night out there, why don't we have a quiet night in at my place and you stay over?"

"I'd like nothing more" he said, gazing into her eyes.

They made out for some time; the passage of the minutes then hours passed them by as they enjoyed each others' company.  Eventually Gary looked at his wristwatch and said "Shoot...I said I'd help out my dad this afternoon.  I didn't know how time has flown"

"Hmmm, I wish it didn't have to end but parents are parents" said Liberty.

"I will see you very, very soon" he said, giving her one final kiss.

Liberty strolled home, light headed from a lovely time spent with Gary.  Once there she made herself some dinner but just as she was starting to eat, there was a knock at the door.

It was Gary!  What was he doing here so soon?

"Gary?" said a confused Liberty.

"I had to come back!" he replied, enthusiastically.

"That's wonderful but what about your Dad?"

"I told him about our date, what a lovely time we were having and how great you are and he said...his exact words were...'you numbskull! What are you doing here, putting up shelves when you could be with your woman!" and with that he grabbed me by the collar and hurled me out of his house!"

Liberty couldn't help but giggle.  "Your dad sounds like a real romantic" she said.

"It's rumoured that he proposed to my mum when she was a nurse in WW2 and he was besieged in Bastogne in the 101st Airborne division when the German artillery was raining down on them.  He has a strange idea about romance but, hey, here I am"

"Here you are indeed...come on in" 

They sat down together and picked up where they'd left off in the Blue Velvet.  

"So Gary, do you have anywhere else that you need to get to this evening?" she asked him.  He shook his head. 

"I'm all yours" he replied.

"Well, that offer of breakfast is still good" she said, suggestively.

"Bacon?..." he asked.

"...and eggs.  And all the trimmings" she replied.

"That's an offer I can't turn down!" 

Liberty finished her dinner and the two of them enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine as they enjoyed the evening.  They heard Travis go to bed and shut the door behind him.  Summer wasn't due back from the restaurant she worked at until midnight.  That left Gary and Liberty alone and in private and they didn't squander the opportunity.

Eventually Liberty stood up and walked towards her room, giving Gary a look over her shoulder.  "Are you coming?" she asked, coquettishly.

Gary just smiled, stood up and followed her.  They went inside her room, gently shut the door behind them and began to undress.  Tonight was the night when they would take things to the next level.