doesntsing | A reunion (for allbedestroyed)

A reunion (for allbedestroyed)

It had been a long winter for Midge. She was busy with plenty of gigs, as well as taking care of her family, but she never forgot about Robert. It felt like something was missing without him. Getting to talk to him at least once a week was something that she looked forward to and a great way to keep up to date with each other’s lives. Midge missed him a lot, and kept looking for a chance to get away for a while and go see him.

By May, she was able to convince Susie that she needed some downtime and to not book anything for her for at least a month. She can’t say her manager was happy about it, but they compromised with Midge agreeing to look into the comedy scene in Nairobi while she was there.

Packing was a nightmare, but Midge managed to get down to two large suitcases and a hat box. The flight to London was long, then after a layover of a few hours, she finally boarded the plane to Nairobi.

The airport is colorful and exotic, the heat hitting her as soon as she steps off the plane. Some porters graciously help her with her bags and she stands in the waiting area for Robert’s arrival. Midge feels excited and jittery to finally see him again after so long.

When she spots him, a huge grin breaks out on her face. She can’t help herself; she runs to him and leaps into his arms. There’s no point in trying to play it coy. Midge missed him too much to act unaffected by the fact that they’re finally together again.

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Muldoon is certainly familiar with how disorienting a long journey can be, so he doesn't hesitate in answering. "It's about three in the afternoon, and Friday. The weather's been on the cool side for a while."

Reaching the car, he unhooks their arms so that he can get her luggage into the boot. There's a momentary temptation to ask what the hell she brought, but he doesn't want to make it seem like he's struggling at all. Once that's sorted, he opens the passenger side door for her, and offers a hand to help her in.

"You stay here and I'll put the cart back," he explains.

He's quick in putting it away and returning, eager to get back to Midge. As soon as he returns and hops into the car, he pauses to look at her, to enjoy the fact that she's there, before he turns the jeep on.

"We'll head straight to my place. Get you settled. I can whip you up something if you're hungry."

“I left on Wednesday…” she says mostly to herself. It makes sense. The flight to London was overnight, then the layover and another flight. Midge is feeling some jet lag, but she’s sure it will pass.

“Oh, you’re going to cook for me?” She asks, pleased. Men don’t usually offer to do that. “How can I turn that down?”

She hopes the hat is enough to keep her hair from getting even more destroyed by the wind and pushes it down tightly on her head.

“Can you tell me about Nairobi?” she asks as he starts to drive.

"I'm going to cook, but I don't promise it will be very good," he points out with a chuckle. He's always been more used to cooking over a campfire than a stove.

The roads are busy, but not locked up like New York traffic. Coming into the city, it's easy to see the lack of high rise buildings. There's space and light and greenery everywhere. People tend to walk across the road where they like, especially the further in they go, but Muldoon is used to this particular brand of busyness.

"It used to be a swamp, a long time ago." Because of course he starts with the environment. "It's growing incredibly fast these past few decades."

Here he glances at her. "Now, there's a few things you should know. One is never go anywhere alone. Two, you're American and you make sure to say as much if it comes up. There's civil unrest going on at the moment and the British aren't very popular. You'll be fine with me, but I want you to be careful. Three, if you're making any jokes, stay away from politics." He pauses for a moment before adding, "But if you do, you can tear into the Brits. That's always a safe enough bet."

“I can give you some pointers,” she replies with a smile, “but to be honest, Robert, what I really want is you.” She’s hungry for food, but she’s even more hungry for him.

It’s fascinating. Midge has never been in a country like this before. She hates to not be able to go anywhere by herself, but she believes that Robert wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t for her own protection. It’s pretty clear that this isn’t New York.

“Thanks for the tips,” Midge says. “And if the locals want any tips on how to get the British to fuck off, an American is the perfect person to ask.”

Muldoon struggles not to grin like a fool, but still sounds amused when he asks, "You're not too tired from all the travelling?"

It's important that she accepts his instructions without protesting. As much as he loves this country, it's not the safest right now. He's not an active member of the army, and has made enough friends, so he's unlikely to be a target. That's never stopped him from being prepared.

"If they're wise, they'll take any advice you can give them."

“No,” she says honestly. She is tired, but she’s also full of adrenaline right now. Midge has been waiting for this since she last saw him. The grin on his face makes her feel nothing but eager.

Midge is notably stubborn, but she’s not stupid. It would be naive to think she could just waltz down the streets here. With Robert working, it might mean that she’ll get a bit bored at home, but she’ll try to find ways to keep herself occupied.

She wonders how he feels about the whole situation, but doesn’t ask for now. It’s a serious topic, and she’s in too giddy of a mood to discuss political tensions.

“Do you live on the same site as the zoo?” She asks.

"No." If there's a small hint of amusement it's only because he finds Midge's guesses at his life curious. Plus, he's still trying not to look too pleased about the prospect of what awaits them when they get to his place.

"I bought the house when I was younger. I was still working as a guide back then. So it's a little closer to the wild than the zoo."

As if to make his point, the city starts to thin as they pass through it. The further out they go the more the traffic thins and the flat landscape rolls out before them. It looks like the road stretches on forever. Along the trail a bit there is, however, a sign for 'Animal Kingdom' along with boasts that Hammond might have written himself.

Muldoon spots it and points it out to Midge. "The turn off for the park is up here. So it's not too far from the city."

He has a right to look extremely pleased about all of it as far as Midge is concerned.

She notices that they’re going further and further into the brush. It probably shouldn’t surprise her that Robert lives so remotely. That’s the kind of man he is.

“Huh,” she says, reading the sign, “‘Africa’s Largest Herd of Elephants.’”

The comment might be nothing, but he is curious. "Do you like elephants?"

She might never have met one before. Hell, Midge probably hasn't seen a lot of animals Muldoon works with every day. At least not up close. A zoo might not be her usual sort of place, but it's going to be very interesting seeing how she reacts to all the animals.

They keep going further out, though it helps that the road stretches out, free of much traffic, and Muldoon feels free to put the foot down.

“I do,” she replies, “though I don’t know much about them. They seem gentle, but I wouldn’t want to make one angry.”

Midge has not met a lot of wild animals beyond seeing them in the Bronx Zoo.

When Robert speeds up, she presses the hat more firmly down on her head. It feels like they’re really out in the wilderness now, and yet Robert is still driving. Just how remote is his place?

"They're a lot like people. Only much larger. They're nice until they're given a reason not to be." It's alright. Muldoon will give her plenty of chances to meet more animals than she'd ever wish to see.

Eventually they do slow down, going off the main road and somewhere with more trees to provide much needed shelter. There are a few houses along the way, but none of them are very close to each other. It's not easy to ask your neighbour for milk or sugar, but people do it anyway.

Muldoon pulls in and stops the car in front of a reasonably sized bungalow. It's well kept, clean and maintained, and looks a little nicer than most of the other places they passed. Nothing extravagant, but pretty enough.

He opens the car door for her and helps her out before leading her to his house. Once the front door is opened, he lets her step inside first. It might as well be from a magazine for how pristine it is. Which certainly was partly in preparation of her arrival. However its décor leaves much to be desired. Muldoon decorates by buying what's necessary and using what's gifted to him. There isn't even a television. There are, however, plenty of books and music, photos and souvenirs, including a shotgun mounted on the wall.

It's startling clear that this home is devoid of a woman's touch. Any woman's touch.

Once he's sure Midge isn't about to demand a hotel, Muldoon says, "You settle in. I'll get your luggage."

She wasn’t expecting a mansion, so Robert’s house doesn’t disappoint. It’s in good shape and looks taken care of. Not that she would expect any less from him.

Inside is about what she had pictured too: very clean and tidy, but stark. Masculine. A clear absence of a feminine presence.

She supposes that’s a good thing for her. Not that she was worried that Robert’s been entertaining other women in their time apart.

As he goes to collect her bags, she finds herself drawn to the things that give the room personality, such as the pictures on the wall and the souvenirs on the shelves. In one of them, she recognizes a young Robert with an older man and woman. His parents? He didn’t seem keen to introduce Midge to them while she’s here, but maybe he’ll change his mind.

Almost all of the photos are posed. Groups, mostly. Teams he's worked with or helped out. Of course Midge found one of the few of a younger Muldoon. His parents are easy to spot, if only because he's the spitting image of his father. The only difference is the laugh lines and thick moustache. His mother is the picture of a very normal English housewife in her patterned dress, looking cautiously optimistic that the photo will turn out well. Muldoon, as it turns out, looks serious even as a child.

As the warden finishes bringing in the last of Midge's things he heads over to see what she's spotted. He half wonders if he should have hidden the photo, but only because a serious child-him with shorts and combed hair is a little embarrassing.

"It was a family friend's wedding," he explains. "My mother took the opportunity to get a photo. She was so happy to have us all in one place and looking decent."

“Aren’t you adorable?” she says with a playful grin. “What happened?”

Midge puts her arm around him when he comes close to her and gently rubs his back.

“I guess you really have been serious your whole life.” She turns her gaze to him, her blue eyes meeting his. “What attracts such a serious man to a comedian?”

"I like to think I swapped adorable for handsome."

When her arm goes around him, he takes it as an invitation to do the same. His hand brushes her hair before settling on her shoulder.

Midge should know that there's a good chance that asking a serious man a light hearted question will usually result in a serious answer. He even gives it a little thought, then looks at her again.

"When a woman can make a serious man smile as easily as you do, he'd be a fool not to do everything he can to keep her."

“You did,” Midge confirms. She finds him to be very handsome and wants to make sure that she reminds him of that.

Maybe she should have expected a serious answer from him. The one she gets makes her grin at him in response. “Robert…” Midge wraps her other arm around him as well and leans in to kiss him. It’s deeper than the one at the airport, now that they’re no longer in public. She opens her mouth against his and presses her body up to him.

“I missed you…” she murmurs when they separate to breathe. “I missed feeling your hands on my body.”

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A reunion (for allbedestroyed)

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