EPISODE CLVII - ADJUSTING THE PRIVATES OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
Nurse Yahbo shifted her gaze slightly so that she could see Mr. Jeffy in the window's reflection. He looked haggard, the perennial patch of stubble on his chin had turned into
a short beard, and dark circles surrounded his eyes.
"Maybe you should get some more sleep", she suggested.
"I'm alright", Jeffy said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "just feeling a little out fo it." He led her over to a soft bench and sat down beside her. "You seem strange,
though."
Startled by his uncommonly astute observation, she remained silent. She also noted, with some concern, that he'd stopped using pet name's.
"Like there's something bothering you", Jeffy continued. "I just want you to know that whatever it is, you can talk to me about it."
She looked deeply into his eyes and saw the deep love there, but still she held back.
"If we expect to make a go of this relationship thing, we can't hold anything back", Jeffy went on, his tone softening as he caressed her hand. "If there's a problem, we can work it out."
"It's...oh, I don't know how to say this", she began, her eyes brimming with tears. "It started when Lt. Schrader came aboard", she continued haltingly. "At first I thought the flirtations
were innocent, just something to break the ice, but then it changed. The more I saw of him, the more complicated it got." She turned away from Jeffy and wiped at her tears. "And then you
got hurt, and I was so worried. I didn't mean for it to happen, but....oh Snookey-Kins...", her voice trailed off into inarticulate sobs.
Jeffy held her close, patting her back reassuringly. "It's okay, Love-Pumpkin", he said, lifting her chin so that their eyes would meet. "Everything's okay."
"I don't deserve you", Nurse Yahbo muttered, beginning to regain some of her composure.
"I know", Jeffy cooed, holding her close. "Anyway, you're not the first chick to have some fly-boy put the moves on her."
"But that's the thing", she moaned, fresh tears flowing down her cheeks, "I put the moves on him."
She felt Jeffy's body tense, and then he began to pull away. "What do you mean, you put the moves on him?!?"
She could see by his expression that he was upset. "I was just so worried..."
"So worried that you went out and hooked up with the first guy that came along", he spat, "like some sort of trolley?"
"That's 'trollop'", she returned, "and he wasn't the first guy who came along."
"You know what I mean!", he exclaimed, taking a step away from her groping hands. "I'm laying unconcious and you're out doing the dumpty with some pilot!"
"I think you mean 'doing the dirty'", she corrected.
"Whatever", Jeffy shot back, "doing the dirty, hiding the hamster, smoking a fat one. It's all the same!"
She bit back a biting response to his syntax, recognizing how upset he was. "We can work this out, Honey-Bunny", she suggested hopefully, "just like you said we could."
"That was when I thought you were just experiencing your monthly...you know." He blanched at the disturbing images that swept through his mind.
"Can't we just try", Nurse Yahbo pleaded.
"I don't know", Jeffy replied quietly. He turned toward the door, shaking his head. "I just don't know."
