At breakfast, Roderick's dad read aloud from the newspaper. Something about the Fourth of July, an announcement about a fresh batch of bacon available at Uncle Dave's farm, and a sale on applesauce at Ackermann's (Aunt Emily's Vintage Gravenstein, gallon jugs for two dollars).
Roderick was thinking about Megan Cupcake in a wet t-shirt.
The Cupcakes live on Elm Street, across from the Smiths and two doors down, in a white Gothic Revival. Mr. Cupcake's grandfather emigrated from Slovenia; his native surname was unpronounceable, so the immigration officer wrote down the first thing that came to mind. As he stood before the inspector, the senior Mr. Cupcake held a cupcake he had carried from Slovenia -- a cherished reminder of the old country, though somewhat stale from the long trip.
The name stuck. Mr. Cupcake's grandfather thought it was perfectly fine to be named after a small cake the size of an individual portion baked in a cup-shaped mold.
So Megan lives with her Mom and Dad, her older sister Emily, and a dog named Spot. Spot is a lovely old dog of unknown breed. He sleeps a lot.
Megan's mom is Irish.
Emily looks like Mr. Cupcake, which is unfortunate. She has a nice personality, though, when she takes her medication.
Megan looks like Mrs. Cupcake, which is very fortunate. Her curly red hair cascades over her shoulders, and what she lacks in stature she makes up in bubbliness and buxomness. Another fortunate thing, so far as Roderick is concerned: she has no interest whatsoever in step dancing. Instead, she prefers to read -- Jane Austen, mostly, and the Bronte sisters. Megan writes, too; secretly, she keeps a detailed journal.
Megan likes Roderick, because he is nice, and doesn't pull her hair or make fun of her passion for Jane Austen. Nobody else does, either, but Roderick has a particularly nice way of not doing those things.
Also, Roderick isn't aggressively creepy -- unlike Donny Clapper, who cornered her in an unlit hallway at the Friday night bowling party a couple of weeks ago. Donny wanted to play "let's feel under Megan's shirt", and only lost interest when Megan told him he was barking up the wrong tree, and that he should go hang out with Molly Bloom because she was really hot for him.
Megan has no objection in principal to playing "let's feel under Megan's shirt", but prefers to choose the time, place and participants. (The reader should not read anything in particular into the use of the plural).
On Tuesday afternoon, Megan stopped by the boathouse and invited Roderick over that night for a little get-together with a few close friends. Roderick gladly accepted; he likes little get-togethers with a few close friends, and he also thinks Spot is a lovely old dog. Emily, on the other hand, he avoids when possible, as she often forgets to take her meds. Fortunately, Emily is currently "on vacation" over at the Pleasant Haven Inpatient Center in Stapleton.
After dinner, Roderick left the house by the back door -- he could see Natasha painting in her studio -- walked up the driveway and down the street to the Cupcake house. As he walked up the sidewalk, Roderick noticed that Mr. Cupcake's big green 1948 Packard Eight Four Door wasn't in the driveway.
"Hi Roderick!". Megan greeted Roderick and invited him inside. She wore a dark green shirt -- Megan is fond of green -- with the top two buttons unbuttoned, and jeans. The Cupcake living room was decorated in a manner rather out of character with the house itself, the furniture consisting largely of a mix of 1960s retro and Swedish Modern. Megan's iPod sat nestled in a Bose SoundDock, which softly played Chopin's D-flat Major Nocturne, Opus 27, number two (the 1968 Pollini recording).
Personally, Roderick prefers the Rubenstein recording.
Roderick sat down on the bright orange "Egg" love seat (which was very stylish but not terribly comfortable). "Um...where is everyone?", he asked, looking around the otherwise unpopulated living room.
Megan sat next to Roderick in the confined space of the love seat. "Oh!", she said, "Hmm. Well, I guess they couldn't make it!". She smiled at Roderick, and cuddled very close.
Roderick soon learned a few more interesting things about Megan.
