Chapter 3: The Naughty Bits

Finally, the months passed and the iron gate came down with a rattle and a clank. We were trapped in Mr. Slot’s; free at last. As Stumpy lovingly put away each Star Trek and Babylon 5 novel in Star Date order, I rushed around counting tills, slapping back misplaced best sellers, and pretending that the magazines did not look as if a kindergarten had played sand box in them.

I, thus, made it to the Golden Calf Cafe in near record time. Jenny and her friend, Kim, weren’t there yet so I ordered a latte from one of my other favourite coffee makers, another young girl named Jenny with a sweet little hind and (and played a pretty mean game of pocket pool in the “other place”). With coffee in hand, I went to the table on the patio where I had first seen Jenny.

Guilt forced me to do some actual work; thus, I was nose deep into geo-bullshit, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned to see the pretty blue eyes of Kim.

“Hiya, guy. What’s up?”

I made a quick glance to the sky. “Clouds.”

“You do think you’re a comedian. Too bad you aren’t.”

“I’m hurt,” I replied.

She smiled as she sat down, flopping a bag videos on the table. “You think so now. Just wait,” she said.

Before I could ask her to explain, she added, “Jenny’s getting coffee for us. She’ll be out in a moment.”

To fill the awkward silence, I asked, “so you’re a teacher at Gil Thorp, as well.”

“Yep,” Kim answered as she watched the door, not even glancing at me.

“Oh, what do you teach?”

“Languages.” She turned to look straight at me. “Mostly, I do french.”

She licked her lips (mental Erp).

“But I am trying to get some of the students interested in Greek.”

Just then, Jenny came out with three large coffee mugs. With a hello to me, she passed one to Kim and another to me. Mine was, of course, a latte. I looked at her questioningly. She just winked. We settled into a three way conversation about this and that and the other thing.

Eventually, Kim got up from her seat. “I’m taking off, now. I promised Sherry I’d be over at eleven. Think Kenny can take you home, Jenny?”

“Oh, I think so,” replied Jenny with a glance and another wink in my direction. “Have fun.”

“We will,” Kim said as she got out of her chair. “If you two are lucky, I’ll bring Sherry over after we finished our videos.”

“Please do,” Jenny answered. “The more the merrier.”

Kim waved goodbye and went to the parking lot. I, frankly, was stunned out of my gourd. Jenny looked at me as if she were assessing my state. Finally, she sighed as if she had come to a decision.

“Let’s go. I’m ready to get out of here.”

Together, we got up and went back inside to the bus tub. While I gulped down the last swallow of the latte she had got me, Jenny dumped in Kim’s and her own mug.

Both of mine followed. She looked at me. I looked at her.

She, for the first time, smiled a smile I could call shy.

I melted like a marshmallow in cocoa.

We talked about, of all things, my dissertation project. I explained things that I could understand at that point. She asked several very intelligent questions (which only surprised me because no one else I had ever talked with about it ever had a clue about what I was talking about). Frankly, that was it. Still, I never wanted to arrive at her apartment building, but we did all too soon.

“Kenny,” she said as I pulled up to the curb. “I never put out on the first date.”

I went straight into confused mode as she reached for my hand.