September 2, 2005
“So, where do you want to go for lunch?” Jim asked.
“Hmm…well, let me think about the options. I have to decide which dollar menu is best…”
“Yeah…that was a joke, um, probably not a good one, but, yeah. Do you, um, like Cugino’s?”
“I’ve never been.”
“What? Pam, how long have you been in Scranton? Cugino’s is the best!”
“Well, I moved here three years ago with…um…”
“In three years you haven’t been to Cugino’s?”
“No,” Pam answered shyly.
“Well, then it’s settled. That’s where we’re going.”
“Okay.”
The drive over was nice. Jim thought maybe Pam was a little nervous like he was, but still incredibly adorable. She played with his radio, which didn’t bother him at all, and softly hummed along with the songs coming out of the speakers. Yeah, he was a goner.
They arrived at Cugino’s and Jim raced over to open Pam’s door and help her out of the car, trying to earn good gentleman points. “Thanks,” Pam smiled, as she took his hand and got out of the car. There’s that smile again, Jim thought. Yeah, this is going to be great.
The two of them were taken to a booth in the back by their hostess and handed menus. “So what’s good?” Pam asked.
“All of it’s pretty good. Most of it tastes like your standard Italian dish.”
“I thought it was ‘the best,’” Pam teased.
“Um, okay, Beesly, it is. I meant that there aren’t any weird ingredients or anything like that. I mean, chicken parmesan is basically made of the same things everywhere, but it just tastes better here.”
“Alright, then. Next time, try to be a little more clear with what you are trying to say.”
“I’ll try.”
“Good. So what’s good?”
“Well, Pam, all of it is your basic Italian dish in terms of ingredients, but the difference is that here, it just tastes much better.”
“Okay. I think I’ll try linguini with shrimp. How ‘bout you?”
“Um, I usually get the chicken parmesan.”
“Like the guy in Forget Paris?”
“Huh?”
“Forget Paris. Billy Crystal always orders veal parmesan when they go out to eat, and his wife gets made at him for being so boring.”
“So you think I’m boring?”
“I’m just saying…the same thing every time you go out…at least you don’t eat the same lunch every day.”
“Um, actually I do pretty much eat the same lunch every day.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And that doesn’t get boring?”
“I don’t…I don’t really need a lot of variety in my meals. If you find something you like, you should stick with it, right?”
Pam gave him a curious look and said, “Okay.”
Soon, the waitress came and took their drink orders (a coke for each of them) and their food orders (Pam rolled her eyes and sighed with exasperation when Jim ordered). They began to recap their day messing with Dwight so far and laughing until the time their food came. When it came, they began to eat and continued doing so until Pam said, “Jim?”
“Hmm?” Jim managed to get out with a mouth full of pasta.
“I have a confession to make.”
“What’s that?” Jim asked after he swallowed.
“I eat the same lunch every day, too.”
“Really?”
“Mm-hmm. Yogurt. Mixed berry. It’s awesome.”
“Sounds like it if you eat it every day.”
“Just wanted to let you know.”
“Okay, Beesly.”
They ate for a little while longer and then Jim asked Pam to tell him some more about her.
“Well, I grew up in Carbondale. My parents moved away, but I stuck around and spent a year at Marywood before I got the job at the high school…”
“What were you studying?”
“Art. I really like to do illustrations, um, I’d still like to do something like that someday.”
“So…why did you, um, quit?”
“Well, when my parents moved away I had to get my own place, so I had to make some money, and, um, Roy got me an interview at the school. I didn’t really have time then to keep going to school, obviously, but I’m hoping to take some night classes when I save up enough money.”
“Cool. Who got you the interview at the school?” What I mean is, who is this Roy character?
“Um, Roy did. He’s my boyfriend. He’s the football coach and he teaches auto shop. We started dating in high school. He’s a really nice guy, Jim.”
And there it is. How in the world did I expect someone like her to be available? And how in the world can I be so bad at reading a woman’s signals? “Yeah, I’m sure he is. Maybe you can introduce me later.” Yikes. Why would I want her to introduce me to her boyfriend after I spent all morning flirting with her? What is wrong with me?
“Oh, um, yeah. Maybe. He just… he doesn’t like to be interrupted during the day, usually, but yeah…”
“Okay. Well, either way. Hey, you ready to go?”
“Sure.”
“Okay. We better get back. It’s my first day and all. Gotta walk the line, at least for a little while.”
“Oh, is creating a fake department of health investigation on your first day what you call ‘walking the line’?”
“Sure, Pam. I’m just looking out for the health of our students. The cafeteria probably was dirty. And now, Dwight is cleaning it. I’m a problem solver, Pam. It’s what I do.”
“Ah, now I see,” Pam said as she smiled up at him.
Too bad she’s in love with someone else, Jim thought. She’s perfect.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I will be incorporating things from the series into my story. This is the first of them. Jim’s thoughts in italics. And I don’t own Forget Paris, Cugino’s, or anything, really.
Chapter End Notes:
Kinda sad. Poor Jim. Hope it works out for him.
That's all for today. Tomorrow- Jim meets some more teachers. Michael comes to school. Jim's first day of classes.
That's all for today. Tomorrow- Jim meets some more teachers. Michael comes to school. Jim's first day of classes.
