Chapter 11

Tommy’s turn:

I knew I was right. Mimi and me. I wanted her. I liked what I had with her when we hung out together, and by ‘hang out together’ sometimes that meant that we were in the crowd that shows up at the 3Sigma pavilion on Fridays and Saturdays. Sometimes the two of us were in different places there, in different conversations, doing different things, but make no mistake, we were together. Everybody knew it.

We’d kissed, hugged, cuddled.

And now we’ve mated. I thought about that term ‘going all the way’. We did that. There’s a difference though, in MY mind. ‘All the way’ ends up at the pinnacle of human sexuality – marriage.

I hadn’t specifically ASKED Mimi, nor has she formally asked me. We’ve danced around the subject, talking about events on both sides of a wedding. I am not of the opinion that we’re gonna do that. I do need to formally ask.

Looking at myself in the mirror in the morning, I didn’t think I looked different. However, when I walked into 3Sigma Robotics that morning, Terri caught me at the coffeepot.

“Smilin’ early this morning, ain’t you?”

“Beautiful day,” I said. I took a sip of coffee. “I love my job. The weather’s good. What’s not to smile about?”

“I’m sure that’s it,” she smirked, leaving me wondering if I was THAT obvious and if it wasn’t that, then how does she KNOW?

After all, not only is she A Munchkin, she’s the QUEEN Munchkin, and if you have any doubts, all you have to do is ask Jerry.

So in a short time I have the set – Terri, Rachel, Vicki, Derek, and we’re brainstorming that whole ‘centipede’ thing. Ideas flow freely and fast among them, and Jerry and I participate without prejudice due to age.

And then Derek flashes his eyes at Rachel and asks “What do you get if you cross a centipede and a chicken?”

“I dunno,” Rachel says.

He snickers. “Enough drumsticks to feed an army.”

“AAAuuugghhh!” Jerry moans.

“Oh, well, then Mister Helton,” Terri says. “How many millipedes equal one centipede????”

I sagged. Metric jokes.

Terri laughed at her joke as well as my discomfiture. Said, “My centipede just died. I’m not surprised, it was on its last legs.”

“Okay, y’all,” Vicki said, “What’s worse than a giraffe with a sore neck?” She paused for effect.
“A centipede with athlete’s foot.”

Derek jumped back in. “What did the boy centipede say to the girl centipede?” He looked at Rachel, who was as aghast as me, then finished, “Wow! What a nice pair of legs, pair of legs, pair of legs...”

“Okay,” Jerry said. “That’s how it’s gonna be, then? Puns? Four brilliant young minds and you waste time on PUNS?”

“Weren’t puns,” Rachel said. “Just some really, really horrible jokes, and you, Derek Helton, did TWO of ‘em. You can sit by yourself until you learn civilized behavior.”

“I’m sorry, mistress,” he said, hanging his head in exaggerated contrition. “I deserve my fate but beg your mercy.”

“Well, maybe,” she smiled. She’s got Derek on as tight a leash as Terri holds for Jerry.

Me, however...

“Uh, by the way,” I said. “I’m gonna take Friday afternoon off. Just wanted to give y’all warning.”

“Oh. Not a problem,” Terri said. “Tell Cindy or Nikki or...” her face lit up. “Uh, I don’t suppose that Mimi’s asking for a day off that day, too, is she?”

“Okay, okay ... Yes, Mimi is taking the day off as well,” I admitted.

“Why’s Mimi taking a day off?” Cindy’s voice as she was walking up.

“Because she and I are making a run back into Florida so she can meet my folks and I can meet hers.”

“Just your regular visit, or something more nefarious?” she smiled. I looked, the other half of the Cindy-Nikki team was arriving.

“Nefarious?” Nikki queried “Who’s being nefarious?”

“Tommy,” Terri said. “He’s haulin’ Mimi off to Florida to meet his parents. And hers.”

“Serious?” Nikki asked.

“Serious,” I returned. “Mom and Dad’ll meet ‘er, declare she’s suitable for their son, and then we’ll decide when to get married.”

A round of squeals. Everybody, except Derek. He just sort of did that serious look of his.

“So how long until the wedding?” Cindy asked.

“Week or two or three. Wanna have it here...”

“Pavilion,” Nikki blurted. “Only natural...”

“Would be nice.”

“I’ll talk to our pastor. He’s Baptist, but he’s...”

“Perfect,” I said. “And you DO realize that NOTHING I say is of consequence. YOU need to talk with Mimi. She’s the final word.”

“We know,” Nikki laughed, “but we don’t want you to feel unimportant.”

“We’re happy for you,” Cindy inserted. “Really. We LIKE Mimi. You, we’re still not sure about...”

The rest of the morning was back into the project. I keep thinking that in place of all our devices we use to turn rotary motion into linear motion, we REALLY need an artificial muscle that contracts and relaxes in response to control inputs. Of course, mentioning it to Terri gets me, “Me, too. I mean, we can do pneumatics or hydraulics, but that’s some kind of power unit we have to contend with. Let’s see who’s doing what in other places.”

And then Derek wanders up. Actually, made a point of coming over, but he made it LOOK like he was wandering up.

“What’s up, Derek?”

“Can I talk to you like a big brother?”

“You know you can. Something on your mind?”

“Yeahhhh,” he said. “You ‘n’ Mimi getting married.”

“I kinda think that’s a good thing. You have a differing opinion?”

“Nooo,” he said. “it’s just that Tara ... she needs somebody...”

“She tells you this, or this is you being a caring brother wanting to take care of his sister like she takes care of him?”

“Little bit of both,” he told me. “I mean, we’re a family, but I know she needs a good partner in life, you know, like everybody else around here that’re adults.”

“It’ll happen,” I said. “Your sister’s pretty and smart and aside from having a bratty little brother, she’s got a lot of good in her life.”

“She’s got a GREAT brother,” he laughed. “And we don’t have a lot of brothers around here.”

“Well, just be supportive, Derek. In due time, the right guy will show up. You never know when. And...”

And we got to the nut of the conversation. “I kinda wanted ‘er to date you...”

“Ahhhh,” I said. How do you handle that? Delicately. “I wasn’t exactly looking, Derek...”

“But you have Mimi.”

“That’s what I’m saying. I wasn’t looking. Thunderstorm. Mimi hitchhiking in the rain. What are the chances?”

“Really? Like that?”

“Yeah, that’s the way it happened, at least the introduction. She needed a friend. I needed a friend. Neither of us forced the situation. And here we are.”

“I don’t think I’m that patient,” he said.

“You?!? You got years of being patient, the way you and Rachel are. And Tara? Put yourself in HER shoes. She’s got herself and you to think of, and I doubt there’s a day that passes when she doesn’t think about what’s best for you.”

“You’re probably right,” he said.

“So you be a good brother and a good friend and help her. Her time’s coming.”

“You think so.”

“Yeah. I think so.”

He turned his head, smiling shyly. “I really am happy about you ‘n’ Mimi. She’s pretty.”

“I think so,” I said. “And thank you for saying so. And we’re still partners, right?”

“If you have time for me. I understand that being married causes lives to change.”

“Yes, it does, but we’ll still have time for you, Derek. Gives Tara a little time to herself.”

“I hope she uses it to find the right guy,” he sighed.

Mid-morning, I got a text from Mimi: “Up to my eyeballs in cute babies. Hope your day is going as good as my evening did.”

“I’m hoping the same thing. We’re on for Friday.”

“Good!”

Nikki’s watching THAT exchange, smiling. “I’m happy for both of you, you know.”

“Thank you. She’s ... words fail...”

“You’re an engineer, not a poet,” Nikki laughed.

“Yeah, but being happy like this just calls for more than grunting and chest-thumping.”

“Uh-huh. That’s what Mimi found attractive in you – that you thump your chest impressively.”

“No, I believe it was my beastly manner on the rugby field.”

“Yeah, that too,” she smirked.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a day working at 3Sigma that I wanted to end as badly as this one. I paid a little attention to sequencing and work flow and at four I was out the door. On the way to my car I punched up Mimi.

“Hi, baby,” she chirped. “You coming to get me?”

“You betcha, doll. See you in a bit.”

Mimi’s saving money for a down payment on her own car. I’ve been her wheels for most of her needs since I brought her to Alabama, but for back and forth to work, others have stepped up. After we’re married, I’ll buy her a car. Honestly, I don’t think she’s ever mentioned money – what I make, where we’re gonna live. I have my little apartment. I suppose, for at least the time being, it will work.

Yeah, I’m thinking ... Mind’s running wide open as I drive from the robotics shop to the community neighborhood.

Today I pull up into Susan and Jason’s driveway and knock on the door. I’m dragged into a confab of mommies and babies and MY Mimi and admonished that if I hurt their nanny in any way, my life will go very badly for its short remainder.

I have no intention of that happening. Mimi and I head out. She grabs her backpack, what she uses in lieu of a purse. I take it from her.

“Let me carry that.” And I note that it’s a bit heavier than normal, but I say nothing.

“Dinner?”

“Are we gonna fight over where to eat?”

“Look,” I said. “I’m good with anything from a peanut butter sandwich at the apartment to the finest restaurant in town. Is it too much to ask you to choose?”

She giggled. “You know this is the only argument we ever have.”

“And even when I lose, I win...”

“Then that hipster joint with the exotic tacos. We can split a quesadilla and some ceviche and talk trash about everybody in the place.”

“You’re an evil girl. I like that in a mate,” I said.

“Make no mistake. I am your mate.”

“Do you need to change clothes before we go?”