Chapter 6: New Relationship

The next week, as Jimmy settles onto the bike, he tells Sharon, “I think it’s all going to be boring from here.”

Sharon scoffs, “Are you nuts? I can’t wait to hear how you meet and then marry your wife. No more chit-chat, on with the story!”

Jimmy smiles at the encouragement, takes a deep breath, and then continues.

“After Penny I vowed to stay away from the dating game for at least a year. Focus on my research and not rest on the fact that I had just made full professor.”

Sharon says, “Yeah, best laid plans and all that.”

“Yep, sort of. I avoided all of the proposed blind dates by people that wanted to help, and didn’t have any further temptations with students in the department. I was doing exactly what I planned.”

“But?” asks Sharon.

“I had worked late one night in the lab. I made great progress on my latest paper and wanted to get the intro finished before stopping. That meant I treated myself to a late start the following day. I got up and dressed and then headed to campus around 10:30.”

Jimmy says that he started on his normal route when he saw a long line of cars backed up at the first major intersection he needed to navigate. That usually meant an accident, or a very long train passing through ahead which created a gridlock on his side of the tracks. To circumvent the back-up Jimmy made a U-turn, figuring he would make better time by swinging around the north end of town.

“I was right. There was little traffic along my new route. It would normally take 50% longer going this way, but with the line I saw, it would easily be faster. I rounded a corner and started to approach the train tracks at the north end of town when I saw a car on the side of the road with the hood raised.”

“I’m not really a car guy so there’s not much I could do for a stalled car, but I could offer a ride at the least. When I pulled in behind the car the driver’s door opens and a woman steps out.”

Sharon can’t contain herself, “Betty!”

Jimmy nods, “Yes, I meet Betty for the first time.”

The woman thanks Jimmy for stopping and says that while she was waiting for the train her car stalled and died. A man in the car behind her helped push her car to the side, but then left when the train cleared and the gates raised.

“Not very gentlemanly of him, is it?” says Jimmy.

“No,” Betty cries, “and I’ve been sitting here for almost fifteen minutes hoping someone would stop.”

Jimmy preemptively states, “I’m not really a car guy, but I’ll do what I can. Let’s start with the obvious. You didn’t run out of gas, did you?”

He gets a cold stare in response. “I’m not that helpless of a damsel in distress.”

Jimmy nods and slides into the driver’s seat of her car. He turns the key and hears the car trying to turn over, but the engine won’t ignite. Probably not the battery. He also takes a quick peek at the gas gauge to verify it isn’t empty.

“I see what you did. I told you I have plenty of gas,” says Betty triumphantly.

“Yes, you have gas, and the battery is trying to turn over the engine so it’s probably not that. My guess is you have a bad electrical connection – a spark plug, or a wire off the distributor cap, or maybe from the battery. We can try and jump it. Maybe the extra voltage in the jump will be enough to overcome the bad connection and get your car started?”

Jimmy pulls his car around to face Betty’s car and pops his hood. Leaving his car running he opens the trunk and retrieves his jumper cables. As he makes the appropriate connections Betty again offers her thanks.

“Thanks again for stopping. You must not have a regular nine-to-five job if you’re out in the middle of the morning. Unless you are a salesman, but you’re not dressed for that role.”

“Guilty as charged. I’m a physics professor at the university. I had a late work night yesterday, and no classes to teach this morning, so I’m heading into the office a little later than normal. What about you? What brings you out in the middle of the morning?”

She says, “I’m a teacher at Watson Elementary. There is a school-wide event this morning so I used the time to check out the new petting area at the zoo. See if it would make for a good field trip for the kids.”

“And will it? Be a good field trip?”

“For a smaller classes it will be great. I think we’ll split larger classes into two and half will feed the animals and the other will get a tour of the monkey house.”

As Betty spoke Jimmy finished setting up the cables and then moved to her car. He slid in and turned the key. The engine rebelled for a second, but then roared to life.

“Wonderful,” exclaims Betty.

“I’d have your husband look at it later, though. If there is a connection issue it will only get worse over time.”

Another cold look. “I’m not married, thank you.”

Jimmy quickly backtracks. “Sorry, I didn’t mean, or, I mean ... if you need a recommendation, I like the guys at Carbon Black Motors on Sixth Street.”

“Thanks for the recommendation,” says Betty as she watches Jimmy disconnect the cables and return them to his trunk. He slams the lid with a heavy thunk.

Betty turns and takes a step toward her car when she pauses and looks back, “By the way, what’s your name?”

“My name is Jimmy. You?”

“I’m Betty. Nice to meet you Jimmy.”

“Likewise,” he says, “glad I could help.”

Betty gets in her car and backs up a few feet to give herself plenty of room to avoid hitting Jimmy’s car and then hits the gas as she quickly pulls out into traffic, waving a good-bye to Jimmy as he stands by his car.

“What! That’s it, her car breaks down and you jump it and then she’s off?” Sharon is pulling at Jimmy’s arm a bit harder than she intended to help him to his next exercise.

“Yep,” Jimmy says. “And at that time, I had no thoughts of ever seeing her again. I was just happy I was able to help and not make a fool of myself.”

“OK, so I know you end up with her. What happens next? How do you meet again?”

It was several days later and Jimmy is in his office grading papers late in the afternoon.

“I heard heels clicking down the hallway and the footsteps didn’t sound like anyone usually in the building. I paused my grading and looked up and I see Betty standing in my doorway.”

“Hi, Jimmy. I wanted to once again say thank you. I made you some cookies.” With that Betty produces a small plate covered in aluminum foil. “I hope you like chocolate chip. They are my specialty.”

“You didn’t have to do that, but now that you did, I do love chocolate chip,” says Jimmy as he pulls back a corner of the foil and retrieves a cookie. He offers it to Betty but she declines.