Frank and Julie

Wednesday, Day 3

Julie woke up a little after six, in a wonderful mood and looking forward to seeing more of Frank.

So what would be on the agenda after her morning ablutions? She has Wednesdays off from work, so the whole day lay ahead.

Julie started with some more P.D. James, and then her diary. Of course. Having a little crush doesn’t change one’s personality completely, you know.

But surely she would at least do some spilling to her diary about her new romance. Right?

“Dear Diary,

“I’ve been thinking about gnomes lately.

“Who invented them? I know I would never have thought of such a thing.

“Why are they always short, and old, and with beards?

“What’s with the red pointy hats? Always those same hats. Is it some official uniform? Required by their religion?

“And why do you never see a gnome inside?

“No one ever builds little shelters for them in the garden either. Don’t you think they might like having something like that, especially when the weather turns nasty?

“If I were a gnome, I’d want someplace to go if a big thunderstorm came along. That’s for certain.

“And I wouldn’t want to have to wear a beard, either.”

Sigh.

Julie certainly plays her cards close to the vest. Even where her diary is concerned.

Her thoughts on gnomes exhausted, Julie went out to get the morning paper…

…and a neighbor was there, waiting to meet her.

Hello, Rainbow Tigress.

Julie forgot all about the newspaper for the moment, and invited her new acquaintance in for a chat and some lunchmeat sandwiches.

Well. Except for the big-kiss greeting, you’ve got it all over Frank already, Rainbow.

Julie also resisted the pull of Crime-Scene Cleanup and You, her diary, and The Lighthouse, even though they all sat there gazing at her from the nearby bookcase. She was only interested in Rainbow.

So this is what a girl crush looks like.

Julie and Rainbow sat on the couch for a good while, bonding over talk of food, cooking, and especially desserts.

Frank may be the doughnut maven, but from the conversation we would guess Julie has quite a sweet tooth of her own.

Julie and Rainbow started to feel hungry again as evening fell, and so Julie whipped up some macaroni and cheese for them to share.

Julie was just digging into her bowl when the phone rang. (So that happens in the Sims’ world too.) It was Frank, inviting her on an outing Downtown.

Julie didn’t know what there might be to do downtown at night, in a town as small as Cardinal, but she eagerly accepted nonetheless. She did hope that there would at least be food.

Julie made her apologies to Rainbow, urged her to finish her dinner and make herself at home, freshened up a little, and then climbed into the taxi for the ride downtown.

---

It was seven-thirty when the taxi deposited Frank and Julie outside the One-Twenty-Five Cafe. Julie bought coffee for herself and for Frank; and then, too hungry to wait for Frank to take the lead, she got a table on the patio outside, and promptly ordered salmon for them both.

“Oh, sorry, Frank. You did say you liked salmon, didn’t you?”

As Frank and Julie chatted and waited for their food, some of the other inhabitants of Cardinal made use of the dart and chess boards

“Yes, Val’s a fine woman. I can see that for myself; and I’ve been assured of it by others too.

“Many, many others.

“(Odd how so many of them are named ‘Bayfield’. And male. Hmm…oh, well…probably doesn’t mean anything.)

“But her unreliable taste in music is a worry. I mean, Eminem? Couldn’t she have done a video to…oh, I don’t know…maybe Die Zauberflöte instead?

“Or Weird Al? That would be awesome too.

“At any rate, I think I’m going to stand here scowling, with my hands on my hips, until she notices how displeased I am.”

You’re a smooth operator, Kevin, and not the least bit snobbish. Don’t let anybody tell you any different.

After eating, Frank and Julie joined the dart-players for a while, until they were rudely interrupted by a Taz.

“Hear ye! Hear ye! Taz has just hit Frank and Julie with a VentriloFart! And the Town Crier still thinks Julie is cute!”

“Oh. Joe. Didn’t see you lurking over there in the corner. Thanks for the news bulletin. And I am flattered. But scram now, why don’t you?”

Sorry, Joe. Again.

“Hey, I know something that might take your mind off that. Shall we dance, Julie?”

“That Kevin fellow was right. This Mozart person is funky. Get down…yow!

“Julie? Are you laughing? At me?”

“With you, dear. With you. Now here, let’s slow dance a while.”

Frank and Julie slow-danced until the sun came up, then caught a cab home. Julie, exhausted and happy, went straight to bed, and slept in until nearly eleven.

Dreamlessly, of course. (Or so she maintains.)

Next installment: Frank gets his day off. How will he spend it? And with whom?

Tuesday, Day 2

Once again, across the street from Frank’s house, Julie’s day started out in uncanny parallel to Frank’s. She, too, woke before dawn; and her first destination was also the bookcase. Breakfast could wait; she had P.D. James calling her.

And after that, her diary.

“Dear Diary,

“Yesterday this Town Crier character tried hitting on me.

“I didn’t care for it. Especially the way he made an announcement to the neighborhood afterward.

“‘Hear ye! Hear ye! Julie has cruelly and most unwisely rejected the smooth advances of the Town Crier!’

“I don’t think I like Town Criers.”

Sorry again, Joe.

Now that you’ve got that off your chest, anything else to report, Julie?

“Dear Diary,

“This morning I wrote in my diary.”

Sigh.

These two just keep getting more and more riveting, don’t they?

Anyhow, after recounting her diary-writing for the benefit of her diary, Julie had her morning shower and some breakfast. With plenty of time to kill between breakfast and work, she then, naturally, headed straight for the…

…telephone?

Because what she wanted to do, more than anything, was spend some time with Frank before work?

Not Crime-Scene Cleanup and You, not The Lighthouse, but Frank?

Please, Frank. Oh, please. Don’t screw this up. Come over when she asks you.

“Hi…Frank? Hey. What’re you up to?

“You too? Well. I did some diary-writing this morning myself, you see.

“No. I didn’t even know there was such a channel. But yes, I’m sure it would look very nice in high-definition.

“Mmm hmm. Say, Frank, the main reason I called was that I was wondering if you’d like to come over. Like…now-ish?

“Yes, I am at home. Still right across the street, yes.

“What? What makes you say that?

“Well, I suppose I could have just come over there; but being shy doesn’t come into it. Sheesh. I just felt like phoning you and having you come over here. If you’re interested. Or would you rather argue about the whole thing for awhile instead?

“Okay then. See you in a few.

“No, I don’t think you need to bring over your own books. I’ve got a bookshelf of my own over here, you know. And I’ll have an extra recliner set out for you.”

Well. That went about as well as could be expected.

But what about when Frank actually arrived, expecting to study together or talk shop or something? How would Julie play it? How would Frank—who had already rejected one female’s advances that morning—react?

“Still find me shy, Frank?”

That went way better than one would have expected. (And right in front of the mail carrier, too. Definitely not shy.)

What do you think, Frank?

Mmm hmm. That’s what we thought.

After a bunch of flirting, and a bit more smooching, Julie officially had a crush on Frank, and things were definitely looking up for this story.

So what would she do next? What would be Julie’s very next move, right after seeing those hearts dramatically burst forth from someplace deep inside her? What way would she find to express her feelings, her rush of emotions at this heady moment, her hopes and dreams and anxieties?

Oh, sure. Falling in love makes a lot of us feel like paying our bills too.

Hey, why not totally cut loose? Go wild, Julie. Go ahead…bring in the paper while you’re at it.

You know you want to.

Um, okay…see, we were being sarcastic just then.

But it worked out okay. She set down the paper on the end table; Frank was right there waiting, looking up at her expectantly; and she still had kissing on the brain.

Sorta.

“So now what, Frank? More kissing, or my crossword?”

“Um…well…now if I were you, I’d…”

“You’re right, Frank. Got to keep those logic skills sharp. Crossword it is.”

Sigh.

“And then, of course, I should really start that next chapter of Crime-Scene Cleanup and You.”

“You comfortable, Frank? Good thing I bought that extra recliner today, huh?”

Sorry, Frank. Looks like you should’ve brought a book over after all.

“Isn’t this a lovely date, Frank? I really hope we can do this again tomorrow.”

“Mmm.”

(Oh, c’mon. You read the previous installment. You can’t say the boy didn’t deserve this.)

Soon enough, it was two o’clock, and time for Julie’s carpool.

At eleven, Julie returned home from work, dead tired, just as Frank had been. (Just what were the two of them so busy doing during their shift, anyway?) And so it was straight to bed for her.

Did she dream about Frank? About crossword puzzles? About her diary?

She’ll never tell.

Next installment: Does the crush develop into something more? How long can this parallel lives thing be kept going if it doesn’t? Tune in and read all about Julie’s day off!

Tuesday, Day 2

4:05 in the morning, and Frank was wide awake. Apparently he is the early-to-bed, early-to-rise sort. (Though the first part of that is kind of hard to pull off when one’s shift lasts until eleven at night.)

After stretching and making his bed, Frank headed straight for the bookcase. Of course. Even by day 2, we have come to expect nothing less from our exhilarating friend.

First it was a little light reading; then on to writing in his diary.

“Dear Diary,

“I really wish I had a big flat-screen TV.

“If I had a big flat-screen TV, then I wouldn’t feel the need to spend so much time writing in this stupid diary.

“No offense, dear Diary. But really, how many channels can you pick up? Do you provide a high-definition picture and surround sound?

“Would my buddies ever want to come over and watch you on a big game Saturday?

“Now, on the plus side, you were awfully cheap. Free, in fact, now that I think about it. So you’ve got that going for you.

“And you never have any commercials. Well, except for that one I described in an entry last month because I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Can’t think of much else to say right now either. Hmm. I think I’m going to have a doughnut.”

Fortified with his first doughnut of the morning, Frank continued writing in his diary.

“It really would be great to have a big-screen TV. I bet the Teddy Bear Channel looks just awesome in high-def.

“I do love that channel.

“I wonder why Mark Burnett never wrote me back when I sent him that idea about doing ‘Survivor: Teddy Island’ for the Teddy Bear Channel. Surely he could see that it would be the best Survivor ever.

“I bet he’s just biding his time, waiting for the right moment to announce it to the world. And I bet he’ll act like it was his idea all along when he does.

“Jerk.”

The diary-writing wrapped up for the day as Frank felt the need for a proper breakfast, and then a bubble bath. And after that, of course, his morning paper.

On his way to retrieving the paper, Frank ran into Emma. The comely townie had watched, fascinated, as the Shorikiki house went up a few days earlier; and this morning she had decided to walk by and see if she would be able to look around inside.

But upon seeing Frank, she was seized with the desire to flirt with him. She complimented him on his house, and then tried laying on the charm.

Sorry, Emma.

And yes, there is a hidden camera up there, recording this for posterity. Sorry about that, too. But we’ve got a story to tell.

And what a riveting story it is. For after Frank bade Emma farewell (before she ever got a tour of the house, too, poor dear), he dived straight into the excitement of…

…studying It’s The “Bam” That Makes The Hole: Emeril’s Favorite Doughnut Recipes.

Of course. He was thus occupied until the carpool arrived to take him to work a little after two.

Frank returned home from work at eleven, and the incredibly exciting thing he did then was…

…er…

…well, he went straight to bed. Having gotten up at four, he was too knackered to even consider anything else.

But aha! Dreamtime! Even if his day was rather dull, surely Frank had some fascinating dreams at night that will leave our audience enraptured.

“I got to test out the lights and siren on the police cruiser today. The lights were really nice and bright. I like bright lights.

“And the siren was really loud. I’d say it was too loud…but really, a siren can’t be anything but too loud, can it? Otherwise it wouldn’t be a siren.

“I don’t know what we’d call it then, exactly…but a siren that wasn’t too loud definitely wouldn’t deserve to be called a siren, would it?”

Ooookay. Anything else?

“Silly townies. Coming by right when I’m about to pick up my paper.

“Like I’m going to be in the mood to be flirted with then. I mean, let me get caught up with Get Fuzzy first. Okay?

“Maybe I should put up a sign in the front yard. Or would people take that the wrong way?”

Yes, Frank. Yes, they would.

(Presuming that there actually is a right way to take it.)

Sigh.

Next installment: Crush!