Long Lost Lady

Chapter 2

                                                                           ~ 3 years later. 6th grade. ~ 

    Sandra sat alone in a corner of the library during lunch period. She was entranced by the science fiction novel she had borrowed from Gary. She had started it that morning and couldn't put it down—even getting in trouble for reading it during class. She was so involved in the story that she didn't notice the three girls beginning to surround her.  
    "Well well well, look at the little bookworm." One of the girls spoke, as she yanked the book out of Sandra's hands. "What'cha reading, nerd?" 
    "Give it back, Becky." Sandra squeaked out. The girls continued to play keep-away with her book, and pushing Sandra away if she tried to get it back. Becky held out her arm to keep Sandra at bay as she read the cover.  
    "'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'? This sounds so lame. Did your even lamer boyfriend give you this?" Becky mocked in a disgusted tone.  
    Sandra was knocked back down to the floor, feeling defeated, as the bullies continued to mock and belittle their victim. She could feel tears begin to pool in her eyes, she kept her head low as she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Sandra finally mustered up her courage as she stood back up, rushed at Becky, grabbed the book back, and ran out of the library. Sprinting down the hallway, she heard the faint footsteps of the bullies behind her. Coincidently, at that moment, Gary was walking down the other end of the hall, reading one of his Marvel comics. He looked up briefly when he turned the page and saw Sandra running toward him. 
    "Hey Sandy, what's going--?" He was cut off when she grabbed his arm and pulled him into a nearby janitor's closet. 
    "It's Becky...get in." Sandra gasped as she shut the door behind them, wedging a door jamb underneath so they couldn't open it. She put her ear to the door and held her breath. She heard approaching footsteps, silence, and then pounding on the door, causing Sandra to flinch and stumble backwards. Gary managed to catch her so she wouldn't hurt herself.  
    "Aww, hiding with your boyfriend, Sandy?" Becky taunted. "Makes sense you'd be with someone as lame as you." The girls continued to berate and belittle Sandra through the door, calling her every name and insult in the book. Sandra couldn't help but slump down in the corner, trying her best not to cry again; a task that she was already failing. 
    Gary dropped his backpack and pulled out a pair of gloves, with two jumbo cans of silly string attached to them. Without even a second thought, Gary swung open the door and began retaliation against the attackers. Spraying the silly string from his hands like Spider-Man, the girls ran away, screeching with horror and disgust, trying to get the goop off of them. 
    "There's plenty more where that came from!" he called out to them as they rounded the corner out of sight. Gary took off his makeshift web shooters and went back to Sandra. 
    "They're gone now, Sandy. It's ok." Gary said gently as he extended his hand to her. She looked up at him with slightly red and puffy eyes. As Gary pulled her up, Sandra embraced him in a tight hug, letting out a sigh of relief that it was all over. Gary couldn't help the blush that came over his cheeks as he hugged her back.  
    "Thank you, Gary. You're my hero." she said as they broke the hug. That made Gary blush even harder. 
    "Ah, well, I just couldn't let my best friend get treated like that." Gary replied. The pair made their way out of the small room, thankful that no one else was around to see them. Sandra looked over the book to make sure it wasn't damaged. 
    "Hey, we're still on to marathon Star Wars at your place tomorrow, right?" Sandra asked, holding Gary's book close to her chest. Gary gave her a big smile. 
    "Of course, my young padawan. My mom said you could stay for dinner too. I mean, if you wanna. She making spaghetti and it's really good." Gary replied, the glow in his cheeks starting to become more prominent. Sandra smiled at him before they parted to their separate classrooms. 
    "It's a date then. See you later, Gary." Sandra said as she opened the door to her class. Gary just stood in the empty hallway as the final bell rang; his face as red as a tomato. 
    "D-date?" 

                                                * * * 
    Gary continued to stay still once Lady broke the hug. Sheila and Monarch looked at each other and then back at the pair of henches in slight confusion. Lady was beaming when she looked into Gary's eyes. So many memories came flooding into her mind. Even a few she thought she'd long forgotten. Sheila checked her watch and then cleared her throat. Lady turned around to face her, forgetting she was in front of her new boss.  
    "I'm sorry to break this up, Lady, but we have a reservation to get to. Gary, could you be a dear and take her things upstairs?" Gary, coming out of his slight trance, nodded his head and did what he was told. Lady felt a little embarrassed when she followed Sheila out the door and into her car. Once Gary came back down the stairs, he plopped on the couch next to Monarch, still feeling dumbstruck. Monarch let out a hearty laugh at his henchman's expense. 
    "Damn, 21. What was that all about?" Monarch couldn't believe what he witnessed. Gary just sat there, his chin resting in his hands. He felt like he wasn't sure how to process all of this. The butterflies in his guts were going crazy, giving him a strong nauseous feeling. He took a deep breath before speaking.  
    "That...was someone I never thought I would see again..." 

                                                  * * * 
    Lady and Sheila sat in the back of the limo as they made their way to the Italian restaurant Vincenzo's. Sheila was reapplying her lipstick and Lady sat quietly next to her, looking out the window while she organized her thoughts. Most of the ride was quiet until Sheila spoke. 
    "I know it may be a bit overwhelming to have you do all this so soon, but I really appreciate you helping me out with the Guild." Lady smiled at her brightly. 
    "Oh, I don't mind it at all, Dr. Mrs. Monarch, I see it as a great opportunity. I'm a really big fan of your work. I've followed your career since your Lady Au-Pair days. To be honest, that's what inspired me to put 'Lady' in my name." Lady replied. Sheila couldn't help but blush a little at the praise. The thought of having a fan had never really occurred to her. 
    "That's very sweet of you, dear, and please, call me Sheila." The pair continued to make small talk as they made their way to the restaurant. After they arrived and were seated in a booth near the back, they talked more in depth about work and their lives; or rather what they could and/or wanted to reveal. They laughed and joked together like they were a pair of old friends catching up. Once there was a slight lull in the conversation, Sheila took a sip of her wine and became a little more serious. 
    "So, what was with that whole thing with Gary?" Lady bit her lip in embarrassment, but she knew it was bound to come up sooner or later. "I just want to know if it's something that won't affect your work or anything." Lady rubbed the back of her neck before she spoke. 
    "Gary and I were friends when we were kids. In fact, he was my best friend. We were just a couple of nerds who hung out all the time and had each other's backs when it came to the bullies. But then around middle school he just vanished during a field trip and I never saw or heard from him again." Lady fiddled with her napkin absentmindedly, softly smiling to herself. "I'm just happy to see that he is alright." Sheila looked at her assistant softly, studying her face. Her eyes darting away for a moment, remembering just how Gary ended up in Monarch's employ. 
    "You two were pretty close, huh?" she asked. Lady let out a small chuckle as she let go of the cloth. 
    "The only time we weren't hanging out was when it was time to go home for the night. We were practically joined at the hip." Lady's expression became somber, memories of their childhood frolics came flooding back, wishing to herself that they could've made more memories together. 
    "I wonder why he didn't try to contact me..." she muttered to herself. Lady then let out a sigh and forced a smile to Sheila. "Sorry, didn't mean to be a downer for a moment." Sheila smiled at her and placed her hand on her arm. 
    "I'll talk to my husband and see if he'll let Gary loose for the night, so you two can catch up." Lady's eyes sparkled and she couldn't help but give Sheila a big hug. Sheila was taken aback by the gesture.    
    "I can already tell you are going to be a great boss." Lady beamed. Normally, Sheila wasn't much of a hugger, aside from her husband, but she let it slide this time. As the women finished their lunch, they made their way out of the restaurant and walked around the area to do a little shopping.