Naughty Leela Lets Her Hair Down – Chapter 1
Hello!
Welcome
to Leela Lets her Hair Down, the story I wrote for the 2008
TSFFC Winter Writing Competition, which ended up placing third (well,
technically co-third, but whos counting?). The main rules of the
contest said that the writer had to choose from a set list of
beginnings, middles, and ends, using as many or few as s/he wanted,
and to make a story around them. The ones I used here are:
Beginning:
‘Someone changes their appearance.’
Middles:
‘Someone takes a long holiday with someone else.’/'There is a
profound, life-changing event.’
Ends:
‘Romance blossoms.’/'It’s thirty years later…’
The characters used
here arent owned by me (Im just borrowing them for a minute),
so please dont sue me youre wasting your time to even
contemplate it! (The reason being, Im dirt poor.) Im only
posting this to a small number of sites; anyone that wants to post it
elsewhere should ask my permission and credit me accordingly. I
didnt use beta-readers (since everyone I could think of was a
competitor!), but my sincere thanks to everyone that commented on the
TLZ and TSFFC boards.
A note
of warning: This story contains one use of strong language. Reader
discretion is advised. Thank you, and enjoy the show.
Leela Lets her Hair Down
FILE
START:
If you
asked me now, I couldnt tell you why. Why any of it, but in
particular, why that first step. Why did I do that one thing that led
to everything else. Why did I, against type and habit (and possibly
even good sense), decide to flip that coin. (It wassnt a real coin,
of course, but considering how arbitrary and random the subject, it
might just as well have been.)
So what
was that unreal coin-flip about? What was the snowball that started
the avalanche?
I left my
hair down. On impulse.
Maybe
acting on impulse isnt really like flipping a coin, but it doesnt
really matter. I looked in the mirror that morning, getting ready for
work (maybe it was just before I left the apartment), saw my hair not
in a ponytail and thought, Eh; what the hell. Nothing more
complicated than that. No huge decision, no major angst or hours
spent teasing or manipulating it this way or that; just a look, a
shrug, and I was on my way. Simple, right?
Of course
everyone noticed; I mean, theyre not blind, right? (Apart from the
Professor, who pretty much is with or without the glasses, but then I
didnt do it for him.) The looks Id been getting (and the
unusually vocal catcalling from that construction crew) on the way to
the office had made me kinda nervous but I got nothing but
compliments from everyone at Planet Express. Genuine ones, too, even
from Amy, who normally cant make a compliment about my
appearance without making it a backhanded one. Maybe she was being a
better actress than normal, but what the hell just this once, I
took her comment at face valueagain, on impulse.
(Frys
response, you ask? About what youd expect; shock and some
stuttering, a false startand then simple, heartfelt and, well,
wonderful. And no, Im not telling, because A) I want to keep it
private, and B) I dont want to get ahead of myself.)
So Id
flipped that coin, rolled those dice, whatever (you pick the
metaphor), and come out ahead. What did I do next? I decided to keep
my hair that way. For now, at least. Maybe longer. Just another
little ol impulse.
And then it went further.
At first, I thought: well, maybe now my hair was going to be down, I
should get it styled, cut even. And in going to do that, I wondered,
hey; why stop there? So I branched out; and thats when everything
started to change.
First,
hair; next, clothes; then, attitude.
I dont
know exactly when the changes turned into a full-blown paradigm
shift, but over the next six months, thats pretty much the path it
took. All of a sudden, I was re-evaluating almost every facet of my
life, and seeing as how my changes in hairstyle, and then in outfits,
got such good reactions from everyone I knew (and from quite a few
people I didnt know, some of whom were not unattractive), it just
seemed to make sense to keep the ball rolling, so to speak. Now, some
of the changes were far from huge, nor needed to be (like my
relationship with my parents, or what I wore to work). But even so,
small or not, they slowly built up. I went out more with my
co-workers; I took more risks (in general, mostly, away from work
I deal with risk there all the time, and to be honest, I kinda
preferred to try out my new outlook in places where it could only
blow up in my face metaphorically). At work, I was still captain, but
did my best to be a less nagging, stand-offish and permanently
irritated one; crew and management, both, didnt make it easy, but
as time went on, it got easier, and yielded good results – things
didnt massively change, but the atmosphere improved. Effort and
stick-to-itiveness kept it all going, but it was impulse that started
it off; I looked at certain things, thought about change, and then
thought, Why not?, and took a chance.
And
overall, it was a success; most of what started out as temporary soon
became permanent. (My experiments with LectroFlair hair colours, and
Neptunian flamenco, I think, are best forgotten.) I had a wider
scope to enjoy the view with, and a better relationship with my
colleagues, family and friends (especially, oddly enough, with Amy
were not sisters forever or anything, but the rivalry we
sort of had has calmed down, which is nice, as we are the only
two girls at work). It felt good.
I guess
that explains Fry, if I think about it. Well, Fry and the vacation.
Hed
complimented (and genuinely liked, since he couldnt keep his eyes
off) the new hairstyle and clothes, hed liked the change of
attitude at work (however small), and even did his best to help with
various projects, like when I added that new window and then the
chair in the living room, or took that life-drawing class. (Get your
mind out of the gutter; he carried the easel.) Wed been spending
more time together, as friends, and I looked at him one day, and Why
not? decided to show up again.
It wasnt
something Id wanted (or even been planning) on day one, you
understand; I was listening to impulse more now, true, but with some
things, it was still taking me a while to be impulsive and
possible new relationships, even with people I already knew, fell
squarely in that area. But when the idea arrived, it refused to
budge. We both had the vacation time (thanks in part to some favours
called in from Hermes), the tickets were reasonable enough (and that
was thanks to Amy, though she wouldnt say why)so I asked.
(Whether or not anything remotely romantic actually happened, we were
still good friends and two good friends can go on vacation
together and it doesnt have to mean anything, right?)
When
hed finished coughing and spluttering up his Slurm, he said yes.
It was soon all set and squared away with our beloved
management. Physically, I knew where we were going; in every other
respectI was flying blind.
Except
for impulse, which was whatd got me into this in the first place.
BeachWorld
was a good choice; I picked it at random out of a travel magazine
(thinking Id be going solo at the time), but considering the good
time we had, I dont think I couldve come up with a better
destination if Id done a week of non-stop research. Sun, sand, and
the best tanning in the Western Galaxy; whats not to love? And
from what Id heard, the nightlife was pretty hot, too. The new
outfits, and the new swimwear, would be undergoing their toughest
test yet; the vacation singles scene.
Fry was
nervous; I can read him fairly well after all our years together as
co-workers and friends – and he was also doing a lousy job of hiding
it. To be fair, though, he did have some reason; he was going to be
alone, with an attractive co-worker (that he was very attracted to),
in a beautiful resort (and planet) with quite a reputation as a place
of romantic activities. It wasnt RomantiWorld V, but its
sunsets were in the top ten hell, RomantiCorp even owned the
southern continent! (My new impulsiveness wasnt quite that strong,
so we were going to somewhere on the northern one.) If Id have
been him, I wouldve been nervous, too; when someone you like that
much makes that many changes, you cant help but wonder if the next
change could involve you. Im sure he was wondering it; would all
those noes Id been throwing his way turn into yeses?
And if they didwhat would happen next? (I knew this because,
truthfullythats what part of me was thinking, too. The rest of
me was desperately trying to hide it, but it was there.)
And not
only that; the new regime hadnt dealt too much with guys up
till then, but it had got me asked out on a couple of dates, and
though they hadnt gone anywhere, Id still had fun (even if it
was only marginally more fun than Id had before Id started
making changes). I wasnt telling Fry everything about my new
experiences, but I knew he knew about the dates. (Partly because hed
looked after Nibbler for at least one of them, and also because my
only girlfriends then were Amy and my mom, and maybe LeBarbara; Amy
may be cute, but shes no good with a secret.) He knew, if nothing
else, that we were friends, and that friends treated each other with
respect; but when two single friends go on vacation together, there
is the chance theyll meet other people would he have to spend
the entire time watching me with someone else? (I cant say that I
felt exactly the same way at the time, but I could sympathise; nobody
wanted a repeat of that Valentines date, and thatd only
involved someone Fryd been casually interested in.)
I was
nervous, too; he wasnt the only one going on a two-week vacation,
to a gorgeous vacation planet, with someone they found attractive
(barring his immaturity streak). I knew we were close; wed been
through so much together, and for each other, that itd be hard to
call us anything else and itd take a cold bitch to call a guy
whod sat a two-week vigil at her bedside while she was in a coma
just a friend. But still; two-week vacation, single man,
possibly romantic location. Was I still just listening to simple
What the hell impulses on basic stuff, or was there something
else going on some unconscious agenda? Was I, in fact, using
impulsiveness as an excuse to explore an option Id long
since written off as unfeasible? If so, was I trying to predetermine
the outcome?
Did I
want something to happen?
As it
turned out, the first week-and-a-half was great; relaxing,
invigorating and platonic. We spent a lot of the time together,
and had dinner with each other every night, but there was a lot of
time where we went off and did our own things, and only saw each
other in the evenings. There didnt seem to be any tension,
romantic or otherwise; we could spend an entire morning side-by-side
on the beach, tanning or reading or both, and barely say a word to
each other and it didnt feel the least bit awkward. Same with
dinner; we could sit by ourselves, or even be invited to sit with a
group (which did happen a couple of times; it was that kind of
resort), and we both had enough to say (or were comfortable enough
with companionable silence when neither of us wanted to talk) that
there was none of the tension thatd grown up between us since hed
decided I was the object of his affections. (Well, there kinda was on
the first day or maybe two, but after that, I think we both relaxed;
whatever happened between us if something happened wed
still be okay with each other, and we both really needed the time off
from work. If nothing else, time away from PE would do us both good.)
Alone and together, we tried out the nightlife inside and outside the
resort, and had a lot of fun. Yeah, there were singles places (and
yes, I did go to a couple of them alone), but I didnt feel under
any pressure to use them, and I dont think he did, either. Were
both adults and we both have needs, true, but on my part at least,
there wasnt any pressing need to prove myself, or my new
outlook – especially in terms of how many guys I picked up. It was
nice to be appreciated, but I hadnt done any of this just for
snuu-snuu. We caught some good rays, went to some of the best
restaurants Ive ever eaten in (and so cheap, too!), and spent most
of our nights partying like we were teenagers. We even each made some
friends while we were there, too. All in all, perfect.
But my new impulsive streak wasnt done with me yet.
Im not
surprised it happened. If Im going to be honest, I have to say
that; even when things are going well, I can never entirely forget
the fact that they could change – a little voice in the back of my
mind, even at the best of times, telling me to stay alert. On the
social side of things, it can be a real buzzkill, but on the other
hand its helped me survive in a job where the average life
expectancy of my predecessors was usually measured in months. I dont
always like it, but Ive learned to appreciate that little voice.
Even after nearly two weeks of calm and fun, I still couldnt
switch it off; nothing had changed between me and Fry, but part of me
was still laying in wait for the move to be made most of me was
relieved it hadnt happened, but maybe another partand Im
ahead of myself again.
But back
to the point; when Fry suggested the late-night walk on the beach, it
didnt come as a shock the only thing Id say was unexpected
was the fact that itd taken this long to happen. There were other
women there, and yeah, hed looked at (and talked to) several of
them part of the reason the tension between us had died
down, Id guess but it was never that serious. You could
probably chalk that up to him being on vacation, and wanting to keep
things casual, butthat little voice again.
Maybe, maybe not.
I
couldve said no; I almost did. After all the fun wed been
having, who needed the tension back? (He could go back to chasing my
shadow at work, if thats what he really wanted.) But I said yes,
so we went. And if youd asked me then why I said yes, as I was
throwing some clothes together in my room, or walking to the elevator
with a feeling I wasnt sure I wanted to name, I wouldve said
clearly, Because of two reasons; one, hes my friend and
respects me (or at least what I can do to him if he crosses the
line), so things will stay platonic unless by mutual consent; and
two, because of that respect and trust, why shouldnt I? Its a
nice night, and I wouldnt mind the fresh air. That wouldve
been my official line, and you couldve tortured me for days and I
wouldnt have changed a word. But the truth, really, was that all
of that showed up later, as backup. Those were the official
reasons; what got me to do it?
I looked
at him, really looked at him right in those emerald-green eyes of
his, and thought, (stop me if youve heard this one):
Why
not?
So I said
yes, and we went for our walk.
It was a
beautiful night; I had to remember that, even if it ended up host to
the most awkward moment wed ever had together. The weather was
nice, with a glorious sky, and I was with a good friend I cared a
great deal about.
We walked
out of the lobby, down the street, along the boardwalk and almost to
the edge of the water, and hadnt said a lot; stuff about our day,
what the rest of the guys at work might be doing and had been doing
in our absence (was Amy flying the ship, was Bender taking this
opportunity to rob us blind), what we planned to do tomorrow so
not a lot. Just small stuff. Gentle, pleasant stuff, that filled the
time; made us forget the time, too, because all of a sudden we were
there. If this was a move, Fryd picked the perfect night to
make it; there was the sky (perfectly clear black) and the stars
(millions and millions, everywhere you looked) and the warmth of the
air all around us. But most of all, there was the moon the
single, Earth-type satellite filling the sky above us, lighting up
the utterly calm water with a picture-perfect reflection. You
couldnt have found a better romantic backdrop in a Mills &
Boonbot holonovel. That feeling, that I hadnt wanted to name
before? It was a lot harder not to name it, and I was fairly sure
what that name was going to be. But I pushed it aside, and waited.
After a minute or two, staring at the stars and the water and the
moon (and mostly, not each other), he turned to me and took a step
closer.
Id
like to say that what he said was charming, poetic and elegant, but
cmon this was Fry. So it wasnt the best or the
smoothest thing ever said (or that even Id heard said), but it had
the two things I was listening for it was honest, and it was from
the heart, just like what hed said about my hair, back when this
whole thing started.
He said
that hed watched all the changes Id been making, and liked
them, right from the beginning; not that he hadnt liked me before,
but he liked me even more now work was more fun, and stuff
outside work was also more fun, but most of alland he paused.
And I
said, softly, So you prefer the new me?
For a
moment, he looked away, he didnt say anything. Should I have been
feeling something? Should I have been nervous, scared, disappointed
that he couldnt find the words to express what he wanted to say?
He suddenly looked back at me, catching me off guard, andthe words
came out.
Leela,
youre not new, not like that; youre the same person you
always were, only now youre better, cause you feel better about
yourself, and that makes you feel better about everything else, too.
Youre so much happier now and that makes me happy, too, because
the most important thing to me in the whole universe is that youre
happy. He took my hand and held it in both of his. Its all
Ive ever wanted you to be.
And it
all came together; the years around each other, the knowledge of each
other, the sacrifices, the feelingsthey all suddenly fit, like
puzzle pieces. The picture they created touched me right down to the
bottom of my heart, and showed me exactly what I should feel. And I
acted on the impulse that emotion created I kissed him.
I kissed him long and hard and passionately, and made sure he knew
what I felt in no uncertain terms. I loved him; what would happen
later I didnt know, but I loved him and for right then it was so,
so perfect. And even when it wasnt perfect, I would still love
him, and hed love me right back.
And he
was right; I was happy.
FILE END.
***
ADDENDUM:
Its
funny; even now, all these years later, when I look back at that
period and try to tell the story like I have here, Im still amazed
that so much came out of such a small change not to mention
humbled to realise I could have missed out on so many wonderful
experiences just by not making it. Especially Fry; I could have
missed out on the best thing ever, just by playing it safe. When that
thought hit me, I had to go and give that ol man of mine a big hug
and kiss right then and there; just to show him, and myself, how
happy I was to have made the right decision, and how grateful hed
stuck around. And it wasnt all easy; there were fights, and
problems, and one time where we very nearly called it quits. But we
got through it; in part because of our friends and family, and also
because of our stubborn refusal to lay down and die, we got over
those hurdles and kept going.
We made a
life together; we had a family together. Weve been Mr. and Mrs.
Fry for most of the last thirty years, and I wouldnt change a
second. And neither, I suspect, would anybody around us (I know the
kids wouldnt).
So how to
end this? I guess by expressing the one sentiment thats been in
the back of my mind for thirty years, that stayed there whether we
were up or down and one I know my beloved husband agrees with
entirely:
Man,
am I ever glad I let my hair down.
FINIS.
Thank
you, and goodnight.
