<div class="floatright">(https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d80f/21h8ybmnz6cjeh34g.jpg) (http://www.mediafire.com/view/21h8ybmnz6cjeh3/Kimmie.png/file)</div><br/>I must have been flustered.....Chloe shows me her appointment schedule.....we have until NEXT week to do all of this!!<br/><br/><em>"Oh great....I'll need a full week to build up to some serious anxiety!....this will help!"</em><smirk><br/><br/>We enjoy a relaxed meal and sort of let the impending visits (parents and doctor) slip into the background a bit.  When we head back to my old apartment to grab my car, Chloe correctly reads my mind, and begins talking about her mother.  Without a doubt, my biggest event of that week will be meeting her at last.<br/><br/>“Look, Mother is one of the kindest, gentlest creatures to ever grace the planet. And she trusts me. Bigly trusts me. Her only question when I told her you’d moved in with me and we’d probably get married was to ask if I’d felt this through. Felt, not thought. So for her, the rest is getting to know the person I plan to hang around with for a long, long time. She’ll quiz you to pieces about how you feel about me and how you feel about society and people in general and about art. Maybe even drag you to one of the art museums as some sort of Rorschach test. Unless I don’t know you and I think I do pretty dang well or we wouldn’t be shacking up, I think you two will be fast friends and she’ll start to tell her little Chloe stories and don’t you dare laugh at me either! Or I’ll pry some little Kimmie stories out of you and revenge will be so sweet!”<br/><br/>I listen and nod.....<em>"Well that seems extremely fair.  I dont mind her questioning me at all.  I mean, I'll be open and honest and up front with her.  Once she knows the real me, she is free to make any judgements she wishes.  Im ready for that.  I that regard, I'm the same as any other boy, or girlfriend, you've ever taken an interest in.  Im sure we'll cover my actions and your response.   Then, maybe, that will take Kevin off the boards for good?  If not, we'll deal with it as needed."</em><br/><br/>I look at Chloe as she drives.....<em>"Im not here to defy your mother, nor to bow down to her. You told me once, that weak women get eaten up by the world.  I'm going to be me....Kimmie....she can see me and know me as that.  And, we'll move forward with that as our basis"<br/></em><br/><br/>We pick up my car and I get my 'lucky #11' spot...."Seven come 11" as 'Vegas Chloe' says with her killer grin....<br/><br/>I manage not to hit her on the way to the lab....She is moderately relieved....as if after all this time, I cant drive in heels!<br/><br/>“Easy, eh?”<br/><br/>Playful slap on her bum!<br/><br/><br/><strong>Tuesday before Parents</strong><br/><br/>… we enjoy a cup of coffee and some yogurt before we head to the lab …<br/><br/>“So the lab is ready to give you your badge and the rest of the day is going to be a crashing bore for you unless you find reading my lab notes absolutely fascinating. While you’re in-processing, I’ll deal with the animals. I have a seminar at 10 till about 11:30 and I’ll come by the lab and pick you up. We can walk over to the Union for lunch in the faculty cafeteria unless you want to witness the great unwashed undergraduates. Quite a crowd, the undergrads. Nerds of all color and gland.”<br/><br/><em>"Whatever floats your boat, my dear.  Im the 'newb' here, so Im ready to follow any suggestions.  By the way, what day is payday?"</em>#giggle<br/><br/>My lab orientation is very basic, but necessary.  Im given the physical layout of the lab, restrooms, fire extinguisher locations, emergency exits and a list of who I can call in case of any emergency.  I get my lab badge complete with my new employee number and a photo of myself, suitable for framing, I suppose?  "Caoimhe Clarkson"  it says proudly.  I realize that Ive come to love the name I first despised.  Its me....<br/><br/>I spend the next hour or so, straightening out the 'research section' of the lab.  I dont go into the cage area, but observe the animals through the window.  I sweep the floor, find some spray cleanser and clean all the flat surfaces.  Anything that looks remotely 'experimental', I leave alone.  Who knows, I may have inadvertently destroyed a bacteria study in doing a little housework?<br/><br/>Chloe pops in<br/><br/>“Kimmie? Ready for some lunch?”<br/><br/><em>"Sure!"</em>I answer and realize that this will keep her away from the vending machine.<br/><br/>We head out of the lab and make our way across part of the campus to the Union Building and the faculty dining area.  Look at me....faculty....in name only though!  Time to hob-nob with the staff, I guess?<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>