Penny & Squirt: A Love Story

by T. M. Haught

  Jonah looked at him, puzzled. “What kind of news?”

  “Yeah, Dad,” said Penny. “What?”

  “Well, you remember how I asked you to get copies of your design plans notarized and store them away someplace safe?” he said.

  “Sure,” said Jonah. “And I did, the day before I was due to turn everything in to my science teacher.”

  “I suggested that because it’s better protection than nothing,” Robert said. “Applying for a patent would be better, but takes quite a while. When I saw how innovative your cell phone booster relay is, I took the extra one in to the office and showed it to the guys in our research and development department, and told them you had designed and built it. They tried it out and it blew them away. They were so excited about it they called our CEO, who already knew about you anyway from… the incident at the school.”

  Johan raised an eyebrow in anticipation. “Go on.”

  “Well, Jonah,” continued Robert, “to make a long story short, our company wants to sign a contract with you to buy your design and license it.”

  Rebecca’s jaw dropped slightly. So did Penny’s.

  “You’ll probably want to have a lawyer of your own take a look at the paperwork,” said Robert. “But as long as I’ve been working for TransComCo I’ve never seen them do anything unethical. They’re usually quite generous. In fact, according to what our CEO told me, they will probably pay you enough up front and in royalties to pay for your entire college tuition at a top-rated university.”

  “Wow!” Jonah said. “Thank you!” But he frowned a bit and threw a quick glance to Penny.

  Rebecca thought for a moment, then said, “You know, Jonah, we have a great community college right here in Palmvista that’s very highly ranked in its technology programs. And their tuition is about half what the Ivy League colleges charge.”

  “Half?” said Jonah. “So… that means there would be enough to cover the cost of two college tuitions. One for me and one for Penny.”

  Rebecca smiled approvingly. “What a nice idea!”

  Robert smiled, too. “You’d be willing to do that?”

  “Of course,” said Jonah without hesitation. “That seems only fair. Without your help, Mr. Mathews, I might not have been able to make that project.”

  “Oh, I have a feeling you’d have found a way to do that even without my help,” Robert said. “But I’m pleased to have been able to assist. That’s the least I could do. And, I think you’re an outstanding young man with a good future.”

  Penny left “safe mode” long enough to allow a smile to crinkle her eyes. “I think so, too.” She gave Jonah a hug then stepped back a bit, using her knuckle to wipe a drop of moisture away from her eye.

  “I guess Honorable Mention isn’t so bad after all,” said Jonah. His gaze took in the three of them, then he was startled by his cell phone’s beep. A text message had just come in. He got out his phone and checked the screen.

  “Now what?” said Penny.

  “It’s from Freddy,” said Jonah. “He wants me to go look at his project. He’s on the other end of the cafeteria.”

  Penny stood on her tiptoes and peered over the rows of project boards that lined the table tops. “Yes—I see him! My friend Isabel is there, too. I’ll go with you.” She threw a quick glance to her father and Rebecca. “Okay?”

  “Of course,” said Robert.

  Rebecca motioned them both on. “Go—go! We’ll wait here for now.”

  Robert looked at them as they walked away, studying them for a long moment. Rebecca, on the other hand, was studying him with a curious look.

  “What are you thinking, Robert?”

  “What? Oh, just reassessing things.”

  Rebecca tilted her head slightly. “How do you mean?”

  “Well, for awhile now, I’ve been thinking that someday you and I and our two kids might become a new family,” he said. “I still want that, but I’m beginning to think the configuration of that family might be different than I thought.”

  Very carefully, Rebecca asked, “Different how?”

  “Well… I could be wrong, but I’m looking at Penny and Jonah and thinking that those two might not want to be step siblings. They’re starting to look more like a couple, the way they act and look at each other sometimes.”

  “I agree,” Rebecca said. Then she asked carefully, “And… how do you feel about that?”

  Robert was silent a moment, reflective and serious. “I have to admit, they do make a cute couple. And I can honestly say, if they go in that direction, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have for a son-in-law than Jonah.”

  Rebecca breathed an inner sigh of relief. She smiled. “The truth is, I would be thrilled to have Penny for a daughter-in-law. But maybe we should keep our thoughts about their future, and ours, to ourselves for awhile yet. I wouldn’t want to put any pressure on them… I wouldn’t want to mess things up.”

  He looked at her and smiled tenderly, then reached out to touch her hand. “Yeah. I don’t want to mess things up either.”

  At the other end of the cafeteria, Penny and Jonah were approaching the table where Freddy’s science fair project was displayed. Isabel waved happily to them, but Freddy was standing there with his hands in his pockets, wearing an odd and tentative expression.

  “Thanks for the text,” said Jonah. “I wasn’t sure where your display was, and I did want to see it.”

  “Don’t be too sure about that,” replied Freddy.

  “Huh?” Jonah said.

  “I figured I’d better be the one to break it to you.” Freddy took a couple of steps to one side to give a better view of his science fair project.

  There were the usual white cardboard panels with the project description and pages of data on them, photos of area farms and rivers, and a three dimensional model made of painted plaster and other materials that depicted how the runoff from fertilizer and other chemicals could work its way into waterways and down into the water table, and eventually into the community’s supply of drinking water. There was one other thing on the table, next to the model. It was a fair ribbon that said, “First Place.”

  Jonah stared at it, his mouth open, saying nothing. Penny also looked surprised.

  Freddy hunched his shoulders up awkwardly. “I know… it kinda sucks, doesn’t it? It was your idea. You were the one who talked me into doing it.”

  Jonah recovered quickly. He took in everything about the data and the model again.

  “No—it’s great,” he said. “All I gave you was a one sentence description. You did all the research and all that work. That’s what won you the award. You earned it, Freddy. Congratulations!”

  Freddy had a relieved smile as he reached out to shake the hand Jonah extended him. “Thanks! I appreciate it.” Then he added quizzically, “Why did you suggest it anyway? You never explained.”

  Jonah flashed a guarded grin at Penny, then looked back to Freddy. “Yeah, well, it’s complicated. I will tell you, just… just not right now. Maybe soon, though.”

  “Good,” said Freddy. “I’ll hold you to that. Just don’t do it around my parents.”

  “Don’t worry!” said Jonah. “I won’t.”

  Jonah had a sudden inspiration. He pulled out his cell phone. “Hey, we have to capture this moment! Let me get a picture of you and your prize ribbon in front of your display. Okay?”

  “Sure!” Freddy picked up the ribbon and took up a proud stance by his project, beaming at the lens of Jonah’s cell phone camera. “How’s this look?”

  “Super,” said Jonah.

  Just as he touched the button on the screen to take the picture, Isabel quickly leaned in and photobombed him, holding up two fingers behind Freddy’s head. She had a silly grin. Then she poked him in the ribs.

  “Hey!” protested Freddy. “No fair!”

  “Don’t worry,” said Jonah. “I’ll take another one, too.”

  As he readied his phone to take a second shot, Freddy struck a pose
once more, throwing a quick glance toward Isabel in case she planned to do it again, but she had turned away for the moment to say something to one of her other friends who was passing by. As Freddy looked back at the camera lens and smiled, Jonah took the picture.

  Freddy laid the ribbon back on the table and stepped closer to Jonah and Penny, quickly looking at Isabel with a perturbed expression. She still had her back to him and was chatting.

  “She’s always teasing me like that,” Freddy said softly to them. “She’s been picking on me more lately.”

  Jonah and Penny exchanged wry looks, then Penny leaned close to Freddy’s ear and whispered something. Freddy’s expression changed.

  “Really?” he said. “You think so?”

  Penny nodded.

  “What should I do?” asked Freddy.

  Penny leaned close again and whispered a suggestion in his ear, quickly backing away as she noticed Isabel ending her conversation with her other friends.

  Freddy arched an eyebrow. “Okay. I’ll try that.”

  Isabel returned her attention to Freddy, Penny and Jonah. With a bit of a smirky smile she poked Freddy in the ribs again and said, “Mr. Big Shot! Bet you think you’re pretty special now.”

  Freddy hesitated a fraction of a second, then he poked her in the ribs, gave her a really sweet smile, and told her the first thing that came into his mind. “No, but I think you are.”

  Isabel froze, staring at him for a moment with an expression that was hard to decipher, then a gentle grin spread across her face. Standing close to him, her hand reached over again, but this time not to poke him. This time she took hold of his hand and interlaced her fingers with his. She stood there for a long moment just looking into his eyes. Then they both glanced around nervously to see if anybody had noticed.

  Freddy looked at Jonah. “Send me that photo. Both photos, actually.”

  “Me, too!” said Isabel.

  “Sure,” said Jonah. “No problem.”

  Penny and Jonah fist-bumped, then smiled knowingly at their friends….

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  At the prom

  It was the last night of the school year. Final exams were out of the way. Grades had been posted. Yearbooks had been distributed. Applications to colleges had been mailed out. But it was a special night, a very special night, and there was one final event to wrap things up for those students who were attending it. The Senior Prom.

  As was the practice at most high schools the event was taking place not at the school but at an outside venue. The local country club had been selected for this one and had been decorated by members of the prom committee. The boys who could afford it had hired limousines to take them and their dates to the dance. The rest had driven there in their own cars or had gotten rides with others.

  Penny and Jonah had been dropped off by Robert and Rebecca in the big SUV since it theoretically wasn’t a “date”, with plans to be picked up again once the prom had ended. And now, they were dancing, Penny in a flowing blue satin gown and Jonah in a rented tux. Penny’s long blonde hair was freshly shampooed and set in gentle curls that framed her face and draped over both shoulders in the front and the back. A corsage of white gardenias and a sprig of fern that Rebecca had made from their garden was on her wrist. Freddy and Isabel were dancing nearby, also in formal wear.

  Penny was glancing around as the two of them moved across the floor in a slow waltz. “This is so cool!” she said. “When I first moved here, I never thought I’d be going to the prom. Now here I am.” She looked quickly at Jonah. “Here we are.”

  Jonah grinned. “And you know what my prospects were, until you came along. I was too shy to even ask a girl out. And now I’m here with the prettiest girl in the school.”

  “Aww…” she said. “And I’ve got the cutest, sweetest, bravest boy here, or anywhere.” She winked. “And those aren’t your only attributes.”

  Penny snuggled her head against his shoulder for awhile as they slow danced. “You know, it’s funny, when I told my dad that neither of us had a date for the prom so we’d probably just go with each other, he didn’t seem at all surprised. He didn’t ask any questions. He just smiled and said it was okay with him. Do you think he knows, too, now?”

  “He’s not talking much, but he does kinda have that same look in his eyes that my mom used to have, before she told us that she knew,” Jonah told her. “And like she said, he is very intelligent.”

  Penny raised her head and gave Jonah the once-over again. “You really look super in a tux. Did I say that before?”

  “Yes,” said Jonah. “But I don’t mind. And you—in that gown, with your hair fixed that way—wow!”

  Penny took special note of how they were nearly eye to eye and looked pleasantly surprised. “I swear, Jonah, you look like you’ve grown an inch in the past two months.”

  “I have,” he said. “But if you were wearing high heels instead of those pumps you wouldn’t think so. Thanks, by the way, for doing that. I know you were trying not to tower over me.”

  She smiled sweetly at him. “Figured that out, did you?”

  “Oh, yeah. Awhile back.”

  As they continued to dance Penny said, “Most of the other kids are planning to party pretty late after the dance.”

  “I know,” said Jonah. “That’s okay. Let them. I’d rather be with you, in less crowded conditions, if you know what I mean.”

  “I do indeed,” she replied. After a moment, she said, “Well, tomorrow begins summer vacation. That could be interesting. And then in a few months, I guess we’ll be starting classes at Palmvista Community College.”

  “If we’re accepted.”

  “I think we will be,” Penny said. “And then the rest of our future is ahead of us. Have you decided on a career yet? I have a feeling my dad would like to see you go into electronics design, but…” There was now a trace of concern in her voice. “But what about your dad? Do you ever feel like you should follow in his footsteps and be in the military…?”

  Jonah’s features took on a serious look. “I’ve thought about it. I loved my dad and respected who he was and what he did, so it would be natural for me to do that. He and I actually talked about that a few years ago.”

  Penny’s eyes were large and quietly troubled. “You did?”

  “Yeah,” said Jonah. “You know what he said? He told me that he would be proud of me, whatever I did. He told me that each man must choose his own path, and that I should do whatever I really cared about… whatever kind of work made me happy. I’m glad he said that, especially since I can’t talk to him about it now. Geek that I am, I really do want to pursue my interest in technology design. That’s kinda who I am and what I do. Besides, me, in the military? These days? I would hate to put my mom through that after losing my dad. I would hate to put you through that.”

  Penny gave a sigh of relief and snuggled her head back against the side of his face. “Thank you, Jonah. You’re a good son, and a great boyfriend, and… and someday… well, did I tell you how great you look in a tux?”

  Jonah gave her a little squeeze. “Yeah, a few times. Did I tell you how nice you look in a long gown?”

  Penny smiled, her eyes still closed. “Yeah, ya did.”

  The song came to an end. Then after a momentary pause, there was a drum roll and the Student Body President, Spencer Cahill, went up the steps to the stage with microphone in hand. He tapped it three times, to be sure it was working and to get everyone’s attention, then he brought it up to his mouth.

  “Hey, gang, is this a great prom or what?” he said, beaming.

  Cheers rang out loudly from everyone. Spencer waited until it settled down again before continuing.

  “I want to thank everyone on the prom committee, all the volunteers, and everyone who helped make this happen.” He put the microphone under his arm and clapped, smiling as the applause from those on the dance floor grew loud, then quieted. “This is a special night for all of us. It marks the end of our
high school years, and the beginning of whatever lies ahead for us. We’re almost at the end of this prom event. At least,” he winked, “this part of it. So it’s time to reveal those of the royal court who were selected, who our classmates voted for. I’m sure a lot of you are waiting in eager anticipation to hear the names, so I won’t delay this any longer.”

  Spencer reached down and took an envelope that was extended to him by one of the members of the prom committee, and made a show of opening it and pulling out the piece of paper inside. He unfolded it and brought the microphone to his mouth as he started reading.

  “Here’s the list—” he said “—first there are three Princesses. And they are… Marta Sandoval… Jessie Weintraub… and Isabel Johnston.”

  Penny gasped. “Isabel!” She looked quickly to where her friend and Freddy stood and saw Isabel reacting in shock that instantly turned into excitement. She saw Isabel grab both of Freddy’s hands for a moment, then quickly head for the stage following the other two girls. Everyone applauded.

  Spencer watched as Gloria Gerstner, the class valedictorian, put a sash with their title on each of them, then he returned his attention to the list. He brought the microphone to his lips.

  “Okay,” he continued. “Now we have three Princes. And they are… Bill Norton, our new football quarterback… Daniel Rodriguez… and Freddy Martin.”

  “Yay, Freddy!” Jonah said over the applause. “Nerds rule!”

  Penny beamed. “Both of them! This is perfect!”

  “You’re right, it is perfect,” said Jonah. “I wonder who they picked for the King and Queen? It almost certainly would have been Travis and Tiffany if they hadn’t done what they did and gotten kicked out.”

  Penny shuddered. “Please don’t mention them. Just the sound of their names still gives me a chill.”

  Jonah turned to her in concern and took hold of her hand. “I’m sorry. Wasn’t thinking.”

  As the three boys took their places onstage and were each given their sashes, Spencer looked back to his list, then looked up to scan the audience. “Getting excited, gang? Okay, here goes. You can’t have a royal court without a king and queen, so here are the final two names. Drum roll, please!” He waited a moment more. “Okay. The guy you have voted to select as King is…” He paused to scan the audience once more to build up suspense. “Jonah Nash.”