A couple of weeks had passed. Jimmy sat on the sofa in his living room, reminiscing about the previous night's date with Karen. He had borrowed one of Leo's old cars and picked her up from her shop. They drove around the city, not far from Thallow Flats, of course, and found a quiet Chinese restaurant. They talked and talked and talked, and Jimmy delighted in her smile and happiness. She reminded him of home. He thought she was adorable, especially as they were leaving, when she gasped and ran across the room to peer at the exotic fish in the tank.
"I wonder what it feels like, bein' able to breathe underwater and swim around all day!" she exclaimed.
Jimmy chuckled to himself, humming along with Prince as he sang "Little Red Corvette" in the background. He grabbed her hand, slid his other arm around her tiny waist, and walked together to the car. After he kissed her goodnight, Jimmy skipped up the stairs to his apartment, feeling so content that he slid right into bed and into a sound sleep.
Now, looking out the window, he saw the magnificent sunlight illuminate the drab cityscape surrounding him. With his feet propped up on a simple, wooden hand-made coffee table from home, Jimmy lingered over his sausage biscuit and grits. There were many things he wanted to do today, like covering the stained white walls with a pale blue paint, or maybe even build the model airplane he hadn't gotten the chance to start. Although he thoroughly enjoyed his new job, Jimmy was grateful to have a day off from Leo's dry humor and Buck's ceaseless growling.
Suddenly, he knew what he wanted to spend the day doing. He called Karen to say that they should both go out tonight and that he would come by her apartment around 6. It was 1 o'clock now, so he knew he'd have plenty of time. Running down the stairs into the lobby, Jimmy spotted Mamet, and called out to him.
"Mamet!" Jimmy's souther drawl echoed across the atrium, causing Mamet to turn around abruptly.
"Hello, Jimmy. How did your date go?"
"Well I'd say it was right nice. I'm plannin' on makin' Karen a surprise tonight, so where do ya reckon the nearest grocery is?"
Mamet thought for a second.
"I believe there's one not too far down the road, a long-ish walk. I think it's called something like Pig Wig or something," he said brusquely.
Two hours later, Jimmy returned to Thallow Flats with two paper bags full of groceries and a bouqet of fresh flowers. Once he was back in his apartment, Jimmy wrote Karen's invitation to dinner in careful calligraphy. When that was done, he began to cook like a madman- frying, baking and boiling. At around 5:30, Jimmy jumped in and out of the shower, dressed in his best outfit, grabbed a rose and the invitation and headed to Room 408. He placed them on the floor in front of the door, rang the doorbell and ran to the landing. Peeking behind the wall to see if she picked them up, Jimmy watched Karen open the door, bend down, read the note and smell the rose. He smiled. Singing "Dos Gardenias" and dancing back to his room, Jimmy stopped and thought for a moment.
He came here, to the city, to start anew. He got a job and then was robbed. A wonderful girl came into his life and wiped away his fright, his abandonment. He knew that, after all that had happened, he had no clue what could come around the corner. The city was so different from the country, so harsh, so strangely beautiful, so cold. He'd found someone who reminded him of home. Still- was he doing the right thing? Was love, while he was so naive in this new world, a good thing?
Deciding he'd finish the though later, Jimmy returned to the savory aromas of his apartment. While he waited for his date to arrive, he rearranged the bouqet of flowers on the kitchen counter for the third time, making sure they were perfect.