"So, you are ready for your interview?"
Emaye glances over her shoulder at me and Nandita. I have on khaki pants and a nice white blouse with a black tie.
"You look professional," Bobby notes over his PB&J.
"You look absolutely grown up."
"Yes, well, it was a lot of work." Nandita fixes the black butterfly pin she stuck in my hair after brushing it to one side, then she smears some of the edge of the eye liner away.
"Too beautiful to be working at an ice cream shop. You should be on the cover of a magazine," Aunt Brenda muses.
"Thanks, everyone."
"Well, you look perfect for who is outside." Uncle Marty closes the door behind him as Scrappy races to the couch. "Rizzo was talking to me about mechanics. We were deep in good conversation, then he cut me off---said he needs me to come get you since your interview is at 1 o'clock."
"Yes, he likes to be fifteen minutes early exactly." I grab my butterfly backpack purse. "And don't forget, Emaye, I won't be back until about eight. Rizzo and I are going to his therapy group."
"Yep, I remember. Don't forget your cardigan, and I will save you some dinner."
"Mou, don't forget to ask Rizzo if he will come to my birthday party---"
"Okay, Bubu."
"Do good! Don't forget to buff the lip gloss." Nandita pops her sparkling lips at me.
"Thanks, Andi."
I rush out the door so that I don't have to hear Rizzo's complaining. after all, he already texted me like five times I note as I check my phone. Our new technique for him communicating his frustrations is for him to use sweet pet names...in different languages. Despite his aggravation, they make me smile and makes his obsessive punctuality not so creepy:
11:17 "Cuore mio, I'm headed your way...I pulled over to text you, and now I am getting back on the road." [Italian, the name he finally settled on recently as my pet name]80Please respect copyright.PENANAA5mCO8JpcW
11:45 "Ramoreux, I'm pulling up..." [French, his second language]80Please respect copyright.PENANApbvEgikrQi
12 noon "Baobei, seriously, are you ready?! We are going to be late...but I am enjoying talking to Martin about cars." [Chinese?]80Please respect copyright.PENANAArXgXBcCqY
12 15 "Seriously, beautiful, it's cutting kind of close---" Blah, blah, blah...80Please respect copyright.PENANAkG7pFtXwbn
When he texted me he wanted a job, I asked the boss at the Yogurt Blast, and he was thrilled to have the extra application considering many of his employees are going to summer school or internships or whatever. As I slide in the car, Rizzo, doesn't say anything, but I can feel his never-ending stare.80Please respect copyright.PENANAHj7HTLtQgU
"Rizzo, it's 12:20. I had lunch with Bobby, and you know how he gets about his cars. By the way, do you mind coming to his birthday party the weekend after next?" 80Please respect copyright.PENANACGf44NZny1
"Uh, yes." Suddenly, he presses his nose to mine, and as I stare into his deep blue eyes, he murmurs, "You look GORGEOUS."
"Uuuhhh...thanks." I hold up my phone. "Is the third one Chinese?"80Please respect copyright.PENANANrRHlU9d98
He blinks a moment then shifts back to his seat. "Mandarin is the correct term, cuore mio. Seat belt?"80Please respect copyright.PENANASQDFjHv9hb
I never take his corrections to heart anymore. While normal people make snide comments to be smart allecky, my Rizzo truly means to teach me something and to help me become his idea of a better person. After all, he lives in a world where precision and accuracy are key elements---something anyone who knows him must understand and respect.80Please respect copyright.PENANACpbhbg5B8H
"Mandarin---seatbelt, right." I drag the rusted belt across me then stare out the window, thinking of what I will say for this interview; I have never worked a day in my life. Moreso, my mind wanders to tomorrow and to the first day of my internship. What mysteries will that hold for me? Fortunately, Rizzo never minds quiet while he's driving; I just direct him where to turn on the one little street that separates us from Yogo Blast! As he turns off the engine, Rizzo frowns at me.80Please respect copyright.PENANAbAcKCwfy8h
"You okay?"
"Yeah, just a little nervous, Rizzo."
"You're going to do perfect."
"Thanks, my sweet."80Please respect copyright.PENANAnZVZx9lfoD
He comes around to open the door for me. Both hands on my waist, he presses his forehead against mine, and we both lean against the car. Taking a deep breath, he murmurs, "I'm nervous about tonight."
"You're going to do fine."
"And you're going to do fine on your internship tomorrow too, Madhuri. I know you are."
"How did you know I'm nervous about that?"80Please respect copyright.PENANAlarJcr4olw
He laughs. "I can't help it. I notice everything about you, Madhuri. You and I are soulmates, yes?"80Please respect copyright.PENANAUKqvk89WhJ
"Have you been watching more romance movies?"80Please respect copyright.PENANAXm2USh5dF3
He laughs. "Yes, and I have been reading traditional romance literature in an attempt to understand this concept of love and how I am to treat you---"80Please respect copyright.PENANAU0GQr0mnY6
I laugh. "Rizzo, you can't study love. you FEEL it."
"I'm sorry. The only way I can work through what I feel for you is by study. Otherwise, emotions overwhelm me. I know they're there. I can detect them. I just have to UNDERSTAND them." He shakes his head. "Usually, they just get tossed to the side in favor of other thoughts, and I forget to express them or even realize them. but if I can find the logic behind them and a way to study them, then I can understand them, and they achieve a more permanent place in my mind. Plus, more than anything, when I understand them, they don't make me feel so overwhelmed OR uncomfortable. The more I study them, the more I can develop them."80Please respect copyright.PENANA6YczUMsekH
I laugh. "You ARE a robot, Rizzo."
He shrugs. "Maybe an alien."
Suddenly, my phone buzzes. "Hey, Robo, we're late. and by late, I mean only ten minutes early."80Please respect copyright.PENANA6zzcQNxZaj
He frowns for a moment, trying to process how to react, then he presses his forehead to mine again. "Then let's make it worthwhile."
I pull him into a kiss. "My soul mate."
"Always."
"Hey, Mr. Carter---"
"Call me Jason. No need for formalities. This must be Gianrico?" He says something in Italian and sticks out his hand.
Rizzo stares at him for a moment and finally responds, quickly shaking the man's hand. "You speak Italian?"80Please respect copyright.PENANAlZKx65Uf4z
"Second generation of my mother's side. So, you both want an interview?" He nods to a somewhat pudgy young man with a sparkling smile. "This is Mitchell, my hiring manager; he goes by Mick. Madhuri, why don't you go with Mitchell? I've already had the pleasure of getting to know you. Gianrico. you come with me."80Please respect copyright.PENANAkQX5GhYeAv
Gianrico straightens his tie, looking like a stunner in his grey suit---leave it to Rizzo to wear a full business ensemble to a yogurt shop interview. As I accompany Mitchell to a vacant table, he jams his hands in his pockets. "It's pretty slow right now, but it's going to speed up. Do you think you are going to be able to handle that?"80Please respect copyright.PENANArXU2DxBMCf
"For sure."
He gives me a one-sided smile. "You don't recognize me, do you? We had homeroom together last year."
I frown for a moment, then recall him in regular clothes. "Oh, yeah, football player, right?"80Please respect copyright.PENANA1jdkMSXCMt
"Yeah, best running back the school has had in a while, til' I was injured. Now, I'm into robotics and stuff---kinda became a geek." He chuckles at himself.
"Sorry, I don't keep up with sports or robotics club."
"Hmmm...well, I guess it doesn't matter. We graduate in a few months. What do you plan on doing?"
"Medicine. I want to be a doctor. You?"80Please respect copyright.PENANAYIYo9F5uBo
He presses his folded hands to the table. "Dad wants me to be a lawyer. I want to be an astronomer. I'm working on building this telescope---and I'm working on building these robots that can vacuum----and me and my boy Larry are working on a line of energy toys for his many younger siblings that harness the energy of playtime and bounce or fly or whatever interaction they are programmed to do twice as much---and---" He shakes his head, taking a breath. "Man, girl, i could talk to you forever, but I'm supposed to be in interview mode. So, anyway, besides needing a job, why do you want to work here?"80Please respect copyright.PENANA0MpNVWG0wx
"I love froyo, and I want to build my people interaction. Like I said, I want to be a doctor, so I'll take any way that I can interact with people. This is my first job, and I think it will be a good learning experience. I'm good at math and multitasking, perfect on the register."80Please respect copyright.PENANAX33BhtjlqD
"Great. And you are free to work anytime?"80Please respect copyright.PENANASOY1yM00Mu
"Mostly, but i'm shadowing a doctor this summer, so I will need to know my schedule in advance."
"Are you good with kids? Sometimes, we deliver and serve yogurt at birthday parties."
"Yes, I was hoping to reserve something for my little brother. He'll be having a birthday in a few weeks."80Please respect copyright.PENANA79TRJBVOMV
"And you're good with waitressing? We have groups that reserve the place and come here for meetings on a regular basis, especially during the summer. Sometimes, for instance, the kids summer camp will have a game night and activities. You good with stuff like that? Cleaning up, too?"80Please respect copyright.PENANAnI9wtDbHun
"Yeah, I grew up in a hotel. We had to help serve people all the time."80Please respect copyright.PENANAFVBBRtaBlf
"Wow. I would love to hear more about that. A hotel, like lived there?"
"Yeah, my baba owns the Wallstreet hotel chain."80Please respect copyright.PENANAaEGwiwZbvO
"Wait, you're the daughter of Workneh Gupta? Businessman extraordinaire? My dad loves that guy."80Please respect copyright.PENANAlCz1HEtbQy
I laugh. "To me, he is just baba."
"Wow, crazy. We'll have to get more acquainted." He shakes his head. "Anyway, we look forward to having you on board. Can you start next week? Tuesday?"80Please respect copyright.PENANAKZJt2tINac
"Definitely."
He shakes my hand.
"So, back to unprofessional. You think your little brother would like robots? I'm taking my brother to the robotics center this weekend, and I---"80Please respect copyright.PENANA4kXh8kWE4i
"I would love to accompany you. Bobby needs some friends, I think, but my boyfriend has something planned for us---"80Please respect copyright.PENANAmz2BurapG0
"Oh, you have a boyfriend. I didn't mean to ask you out."
We smile awkwardly. "It really is okay. It would still be good to take our little brothers, but I'm also pretty sure my boyfriend would be interested in coming. See--"
"Madhuri, I got the job." Rizzo scoops me up, spinning me around.80Please respect copyright.PENANA348yB2hZHL
I close my eyes against the rush of wind. "Excellent, my heart, excellent, but you're going to make me dizzy."80Please respect copyright.PENANAe0aCFQUIiv
"Oh, sorry."
I lean against him for a moment, taking in the scent of his cologne as I try to stop my head from spinning.
"Rizzo, Mitchell and I were---"80Please respect copyright.PENANA58cE4Cp2XJ
"My name is actually Mitchell McGhee, but my fam calls me Mickey, so I just go by Mick." 80Please respect copyright.PENANAjkDAd29W0b
"Mick," Rizzo repeats. "Your name is an alliteration---how strange." 80Please respect copyright.PENANAp5USicfzZw
He stares at Mitchell's outreached hand as if it is a tentacle. Mitchell retracts his hand. "Uh, anyway, Madhuri, you have the job."80Please respect copyright.PENANAd04jXegHSZ
"Gianrico, you can't talk to people like that," I whisper as the big boss comes back with whatever paperwork we have to fill out.80Please respect copyright.PENANAkxYdllCbxd
Rizzo shrugs as Jason directs him back to their table.80Please respect copyright.PENANAwgNhRY6mh2
Taking my paperwork, I sit back across from Mitchell. "Sign here, and here...this is just liability stuff...good and direct deposit form here---" I sign where his finger directs me, scanning over the paper. "What's with your man---he's a little weird, huh?"80Please respect copyright.PENANA6cm84cQMZv
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, he's just different."
"You must be with him for his looks---"
I reply pretty casually, "No, I'm with him for his personality, his heart, his wit---who he is. He's a person. We're all a little weird. Rizzo is just a little more diff---"80Please respect copyright.PENANAsbWe02C18b
"You all finished here?" Jason interrupts.80Please respect copyright.PENANAS5hqBeZ00q
"Yep, Madhuri is just signing the last page."80Please respect copyright.PENANAbf60p5hlc2
"Good, well, I'm afraid my young charge might take a tad longer. He's reading every word.80Please respect copyright.PENANARpYUdnylXX
I stare at the booth where Rizzo adjusts his glasses and purses his lips, reading every last page...As I prepare to go to him, Jason puts his hand on my shoulder. "Mick, why don't you check the stock."80Please respect copyright.PENANAQ4LYLUsvdF
"Alright, I'll put these in your office. Nice meeting you again, Madhuri. We will definitely talk about hanging out with our brothers, and let me know when your party is."80Please respect copyright.PENANAfz2im5UoQ9
I nod and turn back to Jason. "I can get him to finish up."
"Don't. Let him cope how he needs. I'm not doing anything. Sometimes, we need to modify our world to fit them. They work so hard to modify their world to accept us, right?"
"What do you---"
"My brother Jaylen has autism. That's why I'm heading off the summer group here tonight with some of the teens from my youth group that want to participate. It's called: "The Coat of Many Colors" focusing on the differences that separate us but that can also bring us together in many beautiful ways. My mom is a psychiatrist, so she invited some of her other clients as well as those of her colleagues. See, Jaylen will be starting high school this year, and my parents have decided to send him to a small private school. I want him to have the chance to make some friends."80Please respect copyright.PENANAs7K6U1YRoY
My mouth is agape as Rizzo makes his way to toward us. "I finished reading every line, seems fair enough."80Please respect copyright.PENANAZaMlVe5BHL
Jason grins. "Good."80Please respect copyright.PENANAhjdYmsxCMb
"Rizzo, this is where the social group is going to be."80Please respect copyright.PENANAuGhsgwWCkN
Rizzo stares around the room. "Interesting. Should be nice."80Please respect copyright.PENANAVT8CSODHeS
"Ironic, right?"
"Precisely."80Please respect copyright.PENANA6pldH9TI3K
"Anyway, Madhuri, make sure you're more of a girlfriend to him than a mother. After all, Gianrico here is a smart young man, and he is completely capable of managing on his own."80Please respect copyright.PENANAdtVezVtLgH
Rizzo nods. "My padre would be more than happy to hear that, but anyway, Madhuri in no way treats me like a child. She is very patient. We give each other advice among many wonderful kisses."80Please respect copyright.PENANAJUO2ByGYZc
I press my face to Rizzo's shoulder. "Rizzo, do you not have an off-button?"80Please respect copyright.PENANADxCrgjn2Mn
He grins, putting his arms around me and pulling me into an eskimo kiss. "Seems like you wish I really were a robot. So, what did I do wrong?"80Please respect copyright.PENANA1jn53gQlSu
"Nothing, Gianrico."80Please respect copyright.PENANAYAnY4TnATv
"Then smile for me."
As I smile, he snaps a picture.80Please respect copyright.PENANAiBIvfbmC4D
"Your first interview," he names the picture. 80Please respect copyright.PENANA4oLq0SGUC9
Jason laughs. "How about one of you both."80Please respect copyright.PENANAyOXCMBZt9X
Before Rizzo can protest, I hop on his back. He laughs, and for once, someone else snaps the picture in just the right moment. "To many more memories together."80Please respect copyright.PENANAqhSmJfSCgB
"A lifetime, cuore mio."80Please respect copyright.PENANAQRuCXAS83b
The picture captures his lovely, goofy smile perfectly, and I feel honored that I will spend a lifetime witnessing that smile and all the quirks and laughs that accompany it.80Please respect copyright.PENANAdSi3tMLDKs