Being Jim Ch. 06: Lessons of Life Pt. 03

"Penny, what are we going to do with this young man? He's too smart for his own good I think." She sputtered. Penny squeezed my shoulders and gave them a bit of a shake.

"That he is, he's certainly got your number doesn't he?" Penny giggled then sniffed as she brought her right hand up to dab at her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. Maggie mirrored that motion with her own right hand after releasing my hands. She took a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh. Then she began to giggle. Penny picked up the giggle and pulled me back against her belly and the back of my head into those wonderful cushions of her breasts. I sat there both relieved and, well, confused The reactions of both women making me realize that no matter how old I get I will never fully understand women and how they think. Then another thought hit me and I turned to Penny.

"Just how long have you been standing there anyway?" I asked.

"Oh long enough to hear what you told Maggie. You know for someone who was complaining about 'not getting it' you certainly explained yourself quite eloquently." Penny stated with a chuckle as the giggles that she and Maggie had were finally dying down. Penny looked at Maggie and they both exchanged a look. There was some unspoken communication between the two of them, volumes with just a shared look. Maggie smiled sadly for a moment as Penny squeezed me again, her right hand under my chin tilting my head back slightly so she could lean down and kiss my forehead. She patted my left shoulder and said. "Darling I came down to first check on the two of you but to tell you that time was flying. I know you have to work this evening and I didn't want you to be late." I glanced to Maggie's nightstand to her digital clock and saw the time was indeed getting late. Maggie sighed and smiled as she reached out once more and patted the back of my left hand. Penny backed up and I stood up from the bed. As I turned to leave the room Maggie cleared her throat getting my attention again. Turning back I saw her and Penny exchange another glance and both nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Jim darling... You still have some lessons to learn, I hope you don't think we are stopping our instructions with you, or Michelle just yet. And remember, if you find any free time feel free to call us." Maggie said as she stood on her side of the bed. I told her I would and thank you. I went to the guest room and changed back into my street clothes before heading down the hallway towards the living room and the front door. Penny and Maggie met me at the doorway to the kitchen. Maggie took my hand and led me down the stairs to the landing at the front door. Turning me to face her she looked long and hard into my eyes before smiling softly.

"You know you were right, don't you?" She stated more than asked. I knew this wasn't a question that needed to be answered so I just shrugged and smiled in return. Shaking her head as if in mock disbelief Maggie released my hand only to bring both of hers to either side of my face and pull me down into a long passionate kiss. As she released me and pulled back I saw that she had had her eyes closed but they slowly opened as she smiled warmly. Those coppery orbs glowing with an internal light. "Thank you." She whispered as she opened the door for me.

"No. Maggie. Thank you for more than I will ever be able to repay, thank you." I smiled and bowed my head before turning to step out the doorway and make my way to my pick up. As I climbed into the cab and started the engine I looked back at the front door. Maggie was leaning against the doorjamb her right arm at her waist as if holding her robe closed, her left arm holding her hand up to finger the collar of her robe right about were that hickey on her neck was. She was smiling as I drove off.

The dinner rush at Dom's was run of the mill that evening, a steady stream of orders around dinner time but nothing overwhelming. The weather remained pleasant and everyone seemed to be in good spirits both in the shop and the customers I delivered pizzas to. I guess I was in a particularly good mood as I noticed a lot more teasing and playful attitudes from my fellow employees. Of course Jules was the biggest instigator as usual, I tell you she was in rare form that evening. Be that as it may, there was something different about her too. Maybe it was the look in her eyes when we looked at each other. There was the usual mischief to be sure but there was something else as well... a newfound fondness or even affection maybe? I thought back to our talk on my tailgate after closing last night, and her asking me about what I had said in passing. It had to have been those three little words, they had hit her like a ton of bricks, well maybe not the words but the realization that they were spoken in truth and I had meant them. I smiled to myself knowing that I had indeed meant them. Jules was special to me, a friend, a mentor, hell she was almost a sister to me. Oh sure, a big sister, a little older, maybe a little wiser in some ways but still a pain in the ass at times and aggravating as hell especially when she knew she could get away with it. Like this evening teasing me at every opportunity, well... in front of others anyway. I could live with that. It actually felt good. So I just accepted it and knew that Jules was going to be Jules no matter what.

After the dinner rush slowed down and the manager started sending drivers home for the night, it wasn't long before it was just the closing crew and an assistant manager left in the store. Jules and I were closing of course so we tried to get as much pre-close cleaning done as we could before closing time rolled around and we stopped taking orders. After coming back from my last delivery and not finding any more orders to be delivered I took a few minutes to catch my breath. I remembered my promise to call Michelle and ask about Sunday... tomorrow. I retrieved that card from my wallet that I had written her number down on and dialed it. The phone rang four times before someone picked it up.

"Hullo?" Answered an unfamiliar voice.

"Um... Is Michelle there?" I almost choked out with a squeak.

"Yeah... hang on I'll get her." The voice said, and I heard the receiver being laid down with a clunk on something hard, a table or countertop maybe. I thought I heard a refrigerator door open and then a shouted "Hey Chelle! Some guy is asking for you!" Then I heard clinking of glass, bottles maybe, and then the door closing again. I looked up and saw Jules coming into the store from her last delivery, she looked at me silently asking if it was another pizza order. I shook my head in the negative and I know I was blushing because after a moment of confusion she got a devious grin on her face and winked at me. I heard footsteps padding nearer to the phone and then the receiver being picked up from where it had been laid down.

"Hello?" Michelle's voice spoke. What was that? My heart just skipped a beat? Whew! I cleared my throat.

"Hi, Michelle, it's me Jim. I told you I'd call you tonight. How was your reunion?" I asked grimacing at how uptight and choked my voice sounded in my own ears. I heard the receiver on the other end of the phone be muffled somehow like maybe Michelle covered the mouthpiece for a second. I heard a muffled exchange and then just the tail end of it as the mouthpiece was uncovered again.

"... yeah it's him and it's none of your business, now go away!"

"Hi Jim! Sorry, nosy roommate. I had almost given up on you calling, it's getting late... but then you're at work aren't you? So I guess that's okay." Michelle told me with a lilt to her voice. "I almost wish I had to work this afternoon. UGH! Sometimes family gatherings can be a pain in the butt!" she added with a touch of exasperation.

"Not your favorite relatives I take it?" I asked knowing exactly what she meant.

"Well family or not sometimes people can get on your nerves right? But I survived and I still have my mom and dad's blessings so I'm good. How was your day? An... interesting... lesson today maybe?" She teased over the phone as her voice suddenly sounded rather coy to my ears.

"Um... Well... Nothing like say yesterday... ahem..." I cleared my throat and my mouth stopped working, or at least no words were coming out of it. Michelle might have been puzzled by the silence or maybe she was thinking about my last remark but she too fell silent for a few heartbeats as well.

"Uh... yeah... yesterday. Um... Just what do you know about yesterday?" Michelle asked hesitantly in almost a whisper.

Oh where to begin? I had so many questions I wanted to ask her about yesterday, so many things I wanted to know and things I wanted to share but I knew that I could not. We both might have been involved but we were not involved together in any of them so all of it was off limits to be talked about. At least in my mind it was, as I had made a promise to the ladies and as badly as I wanted to know it paled in comparison to that promise.

"Uh... Nothing. Nothing I can talk about anyway, you know..." I trailed off again hoping I wasn't going to piss Michelle off. I guess I had misunderstood her question though as I could have sworn I heard her take a deep breath and exhale a long quiet sigh of relief.

"Yeah I guess some things are... never mind. So what's up with tomorrow?" Michelle switched gears on me causing my train of thought to derail for a moment. Damn it! Women had a way of doing that to me, constantly! Just then Jules sidled up next to me at the order counter and bumped my hip to get my attention.

"That wouldn't be Michelle you're getting cozy with would it?" Jules teased me with a knowing leer.

"Maybe..." I admitted not taking the phone away from my face knowing that Michelle probably heard her asking me.

"I don't mean to interrupt anything between you two kids, but I wanted to let her know, and you, that we will be starting work on the apartment Monday morning if you two can swing it. Can you ask Chelle if she can make it?" Jules asked sounding a little more businesslike now.

"Michelle? You heard that?" I asked over the phone.

"Yeah, Monday is good for me, ask her what time?" Michelle responded.

"What time on Monday Jules?" I asked, looking over at Jules.

"How about 8:30? Too early for you guys? If we start early enough we might get all the stuff off the walls and furniture pulled in to the middle of the rooms in one day." Jules spoke.

"8:30 okay for you Michelle?" I asked over the phone.

"Yeah, that's fine. Maybe Penny will have some coffee made." Michelle told me. I looked over at Jules and gave her a thumb up. She nodded to me and winked.

"Okay, tell her I'll see her Monday then, and I'll leave you two alone. Thanks. Oh, and Jim? Don't be on the phone too long I don't want to be here all night." Jules said and punched me in the arm before walking off grinning.

"I guess we have a date for Monday morning." I said then realized that I had been sidetracked from the original intent of this call. I was calling to find out if Michelle wanted to go ON a DATE tomorrow, well, sort of a date anyway. I could feel my throat getting tight again as my anxiety ramped up again. "Um... about tomorrow? Would you still like to see a movie or something?" I asked in a hurried ramble. I listened to silence on the other end of the phone. What was she thinking I wondered? Maybe she was searching for words to let me down nicely, or coming up with some excuse not to be available. Gloom and doom... and then I heard the one word that stopped my spiraling ego from going down in flames.

"Sure." Michelle said happily. I literally took the phone away from my ear and looked at it, stunned. Then I snapped out of it as my mind kicked into warp drive, questions flooding my brain.

"Okay! Great! Um... what time? I mean what time should I come pick you up or do you want to meet somewhere? Maybe get some lunch or something first? Oh! Uh... What movie would you like to see? I guess I need to see what's showing and where... and what the movie times are..." I gushed not giving Michelle time to even begin to answer any or my barrage of questions until I heard her on the other end of the phone.

"Jim! Breathe!" She said with a giggle. "Slow down buddy! Are you going to sleep tonight, after work? How about we meet at the mall around three tomorrow and we can find out all that stuff when we get there." She said with an amused lilt to her voice. Yeah, I was flustered.

"Yeah, okay. Three o'clock works for me. Meet at the food court maybe, it's near the theater and, well... there's food there." I stammered not sounding nearly as excited and keyed up as I felt. Michelle went on to say that would be great and that she would see me there. I heard her shout at her roommate again after she had said goodbye, just before the phone connection was broken. I again took the phone away from my ear and was looking at it when I felt Jules' presence beside me. She had her right elbow propped up on the counter and her chin was in her hand. She was smiling at me and one eyebrow rose in silent question.

"Well?" She gushed.

"Well what?" I blushed as I hung up the phone and grinned sheepishly.

"You got a date?" She pried. Then bit her lower lip.

"Jules!" I whined but I couldn't wipe the smile off my face by this point.

"Woohoo!" Jules crowed as she pumped a fist in the air and then turned and started collecting pans and trays from the make table to take to the wash sink in the back room. That meant that I was on sweeping and mopping detail tonight if she was doing the dishes. I shook my head and grabbed a few more pans and followed her before grabbing the broom and dust pan.

Maybe it was my good mood, or so many things on my mind or some combination of both but closing that night went by like a flash. We were soon walking out after turning out the lights and locking up. As we walked out in the parking lot to our vehicles to make our way home Jules pulled me to a stop before I opened my truck door.

"Hey buddy... just a thought for you, something you might not know about Michelle." She began looking at me with a straight face. "If you can find it, she likes Lemon ice... you know, like a snow cone?" Jules told me and then winked. She swatted me on the arm and said "I'll see you Monday morning farm boy!" Jules got into her car and started it up. She waved as she put it into gear and drove off. I smiled and climbed into my truck.

-To be continued