By Emma Redmer
Cannon: Set directly after the 2nd season episode “Hunks Like Us”
Genre: Vignette/Comedy
Characters: Jennifer, Mary Anne
Rating: G (nothing offensive)
Synopsis: Jennifer and Mary Anne’s impressions of the guys after their first date.
Archive: If you wish to archive this story, just e-mail me!
Disclaimer: Perfect Strangers belongs to Warner Bros. Television and Lorimar Pictures.
“Well,” Mary Anne Spencer asked her best friend Jennifer Lyons as they walked up the stairs to their apartment, “what did you think of Balki and Larry?”
Jennifer shrugged. “They seemed nice enough…”
Mary Anne giggled. “I think Balki’s cute.”
“You think every guy you meet is cute.”
“Well, why not? I’m not a picky person.” She stopped on the landing. “You like Larry, don’t you?”
Jennifer rolled her eyes. “I’d like him a lot more if he were a lot less desperate. They aren’t going to be able to move for days.”
“I wonder why Balki went along?”
“He’s the one who wanted to join in the first place.” Jennifer sighed. “I told you that, remember?”
“Oh, right!” Mary Anne nodded.
Jennifer just sighed. She’d known Mary Anne since they were eight years old and was quite accustomed to her memory lapses by now. “I guess things could have been worse.”
“Yeah,” Mary Anne admitted. “We couldn’t dance, or go out, or kiss, and we had to figure out where everything was and put on the records, but it was still fun.”
Jennifer smiled as they continued to their apartment. They’d rented the small space on the fourth floor when they first moved to Chicago three months ago. She was glad they weren’t the only ones who were struggling. Larry mentioned that he was an aspiring photojournalist, and Balki seemed interested in being some kind of artist, but the only jobs they had for now were as clerks in the discount store on the first floor.
Jennifer fumbled with the keys for a few moments, ignoring Mr. Kelton’s noisy TV next door. His wife would yell at him to turn it down in a few minutes. The two of them walked into the apartment and flopped on the second-hand couch in the living room.
Mary Anne grinned. “I really liked Balki. He’s so sweet.”
Jennifer returned her happy expression. “Balki seems like a really nice guy, Mary Anne. I thought so when I first met him.”
Mary Anne leaned over her friend in anticipation. “Well, what did you think of Larry?”
“I think he’s very nice,” Jennifer started, “but awfully neurotic. He didn’t have to go through all that trouble to get me to go out with him.”
“The last time I checked,” Mary Anne pointed out, “that means he likes you.” She frowned. “Come on, Jen. I’m your best friend. You can tell me what you really thought of Larry.”
Jennifer sighed. “You want to know what I really think of him? Ok, I like him. I like him a lot. I might even love him. He’s just so…so….”
“Short?”
“That doesn’t matter. He’s just so…crazy! You don’t stay at a gym for four hours, get sweaty and sore, and then have your best friend ask out the reason you went to the gym in the first place for you!”
“Oh, that.” Mary Anne waved away her friend’s protests. “Jen, I think he’s kind of shy.”
“He certainly didn’t look shy when he was blabbing about five-mile runs and joining a gym again in Ritz Discount this morning. If he strutted any harder, he would have fallen over.”
“Jennifer,” Mary Anne said patiently, “a guy can strut like a pea clock and still be shy. He didn’t know how to ask you out.”
“Didn’t know how?” Jennifer exclaimed. “It’s not a hard thing! He could have just said, ‘Hi, my name is Larry Appleton, would you go out with me?’”
“And you would have slapped him.”
“I would have turned him down…”
“There you go again!” Mary Anne shook her head. “Jennifer, you’ve been on two dates since we moved to Chicago! What are you waiting for, Easter?”
“Well, maybe I’m not like the person who jumps at every guy with an accent she sees.”
“Can I help it if accents turn me on?” She took her friend’s hand. “Look, Jennifer, all I’m saying is that you should give Larry a chance. I think I saw some real sparkle of interest between the two of you.” She giggled. “You were really cute together, even when he tried to put his arm around you and screamed bloody murder.”
Jennifer chucked. “He can scream, can’t he? I’m surprised I can still hear out of my left ear.” She sighed.
“Ok, Mary Anne, I’ll give Larry another chance. He’s not such a bad guy, and Balki liked you.”
Her friend beamed. “Oh, I’m dying to see Balki again. He promised to teach me the Myposian Dance of Joy when he can move without saying ‘ow’ every two seconds.” She smiled at Jennifer. “You know, Jen, I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Jennifer returned her roommate’s grin. “You know, Mary Anne, me too.”