Mulligan Chapter 2

Of course Sheldon kept up with the controversy and felt a surge of anger when he read how abysmally Leonard had been treated by CalTech. It was incredibly brave of his friend to take on Academia in such a forceful and public manner and the response had been in keeping with Newtonian physics. He'd been crushed by the system.

He wished his friends well and felt guilty that Leonard had been sacked for defending him.

'Penny's job will provide sufficient money for them to get by until his heroism is properly recognized by an institution that values integrity and academic honesty and offers him a high-paying position of importance.'

He drove west into the Rocky Mountains in search of the perfect location for him to begin his experiments. It found him in Mulligan, population 289, far enough away from civilization but close enough to have cable. A man needed some comfort in exile.

Mulligan Kwik Stop
Mulligan, Colorado

He'd followed the signs for fuel after pulling off the interstate. At first he thought he'd missed a turn but several signs advertised 'Mulligan Kwik Stop Full Service' so he drove on for several more miles until a sign proudly proclaimed 'Welcome to Mulligan'.

Sheldon got out of the truck and prepared to pump gasoline for the 3rd time in his life. Each gas pump he'd encountered was different and this one was no exception.

"I'll do that for ya, young fella. It's my job. Check the oil?" Sheldon had never been to a full service gas station and so he just kept doing what he set out to do – pump gas.

"You know, it's the same price whether you let me pump it and do my job or you pump it." He was old; older than old, he was ancient. Sheldon reluctantly released his grip on the pump nozzle.

"It's gonna snow soon. I can feel it in my bones. Worse than the Frozen Chosen in Korea. Yep, gonna be snow and a lot of it."

Sheldon hadn't considered snow in his plans and certainly not 'a lot of it'. He found driving to be an exercise in intense situational awareness (one never knew when an accident might occur) and constant attention to his vehicle's position in the roadway, speed, and operational status.

Simply put, it tired him out more than paintball or listening to a graduate student fumbling his or her way through a defense of his or her worthless thesis.

"You might want to think about getting snow tires, young fella. These flatlander tires won't do ya much good in more than an inch of snow."

"I hadn't considered snow when I made my trip preparations. Not much snow if any in Pasadena. I shall certainly do so at the next large town I come to."

The grizzled old man mumbled something under his breath but Sheldon's Vulcan-like hearing picked it up. He won't make the next town. Probably won't make it up the mountain.

"Is there someplace in town that sells snow tires?" He wasn't a fool, far from it. He'd learned early in life that older people had experience he valued. His Papaw was a great source of knowledge gained through the years.

"Mulligan's Tire & Kwik Lube'll fix ya right up without cleaning out yer wallet. Continue down Mulligan Avenue past Mulligan's Diner and you can't miss it. That'll be $47.35, young fella."

He thanked the man for his courtesy. "Don't mention it. It's my job. You take care now, Dr. Cooper."

It wasn't until he'd driven away that he had the errant thought, I never told him my name.

Sheldon drove down Mulligan Avenue past the offices of the Mulligan Miner (a newspaper), Mulligan's Diner, and turned into Mulligan's Tire & Kwik Lube. Forty-five minutes and $400 later he drove out with new snow tires and the caution that he 'hole up someplace and wait for the storm to pass' which he considered excellent advice.

"Is there a motel nearby?" He looked at how dark the western sky had become and at the few snowflakes that heralded an invasion of their individually unique fellows.

"There's the Mulligan Bread & Breakfast but I got to warn ya, Katie's a horrible cook so most take breakfast at the Diner. It's clean and tidy and she's really an excellent hostess."

Mulligan Bed & Breakfast was on the northeast end of town and Sheldon had no problems locating it. It was an imposing edifice made of logs with a green metal roof, punctuated by dormers ever 20 feet or so, capping it. He parked his truck in the single spot marked 'Guest' and walked inside and into another century.

Everything was highly polished and the floor showed the wear of a hundred years of use but was probably cleaner than the floor of his old apartment. He dropped his bag and tapped the bell on the registration counter and waited.

He heard a young woman's voice call out, "Be right with you," and turned when someone else entered the lobby, for that's what it was. A young man walked in, smiled shyly at Sheldon, and dropped two newspapers on the counter and turned to leave but whispered, conspiratorially, "Don't eat her breakfast. The Diner won't give you the Hershey squirts," then abruptly left.

"Hi, sorry to keep you waiting. Welcome to Mulligan Bed & Breakfast. I'm Kate. Just you for the night?"

"Um, yes. It's going to snow and be colder than the 'Frozen Chosen' so I think it best, don't you?"

"I'm glad you chose Mulligan to seek refuge in. There's not much to do here after dark but we do have satellite TV and internet so you won't be too bored. Not the big city, but it's quiet and pleasant here. You must have spoken with old Mr. Jones at the Kwik Stop. Only he uses 'Frozen Chosen' to describe our winters. Most just say 'damn, it's cold!'"

Sheldon liked the young woman. She was short, seemed pleasant enough and even he could tell she was 'aesthetically pleasing'. As for Mulligan, he made a snap decision without really weighing the pros and cons.

"I'm looking to rent a cabin or house where I can work through some problems. Might you know of anything in town or preferably the mountains?"

She took his proffered debit card and ran it through the machine and smiled broadly. "One night, $50 including amenities and breakfast. I serve breakfast from 6am until 7:45 and then I'm off to work. I'll leave the lobby key on the desk so you can lock up when you leave if you sleep in. Just drop it off at the Miner on your way out of town."

"You work at the newspaper?" Sheldon's curiosity was piqued by the friendliness and openness of everyone he'd met so far.

"Publisher, editor, writer, photographer and gossip columnist. Want to know what's going on in Mulligan? Just ask me."

"You seem awfully young to run an entire newspaper single handedly. And you find time to run the Bed & Breakfast, too?"

"How old were you, Dr. Cooper, when you won the Stevenson Prize for Physics? Don't judge competence by age. I'm 25 and been to see the elephant. Why, I even know how to read and write and do sums."

She reminded him so much of Penny Hofstadter that he had to laugh. "I simply meant that – you're right. I was judging you and I'm sorry. Lately, I seem to have made several bad judgment calls." Her remark about the Stevenson Prize registered and he called her on it.

"Well, first, I graduated from CalTech with a degree in Journalism but I love the sciences and so I audited several courses and your name always came up in conversation. I was curious and so I Googled you. I heard all the horror stories about you, Dr. Cooper, but I figure it's just others' jealousy and envy. Your room's upstairs, first door on the left. I've got a pot of coffee in the kitchen so feel free to try a cup after settling in."

He knew he'd been dismissed and trudged upstairs to his room. It was large and had an LCD TV mounted on a wall and a large wooden desk and chair that looked as if it had been used hard but lovingly over the years. The bed was turned down and the bathroom was sparkling clean.

The dormer was replete with a cushioned bench that offered the guest a perfect place to read while enjoying the vista of the Rockies. He could imagine himself sitting there, staring out at the oldest mountain range in North America, his mind lost in research. It seemed so perfect…

Her coffee reminded Sheldon of how Penny loved to quote her favorite TV program and it's description of precinct coffee – monkey piss and battery acid. He took it upon himself to wash the pot thoroughly, precisely measure the fresh grounds he'd found in a cabinet, and brew another pot.

"Is there something wrong with my coffee, Dr. Cooper? It's not espresso or something yuppy from Starbuck's but," she took a sip, "shit! This is good. What did you do – "

"I washed the pot, cleaned out the brewing chamber of years' worth of sludge, properly filled the brewing chamber after finding an unopened package of filters under the can of coffee."

"Filters?" Her answer provided hundreds of possible retorts, all at her expense, but he refrained. He liked this feisty young woman. She reminded him so much of Penny.

"Yes, filters. Might I ask what you normally prepare for breakfast?" His question took her by surprise but her eyes narrowed and with fisted hands on her hips she ground out, "You've been listening to them guys at the Kwik Lube. I set a good table, Dr. Cooper."

They talked for a while about nothing in particular and then he snatched a copy of the Mulligan Miner off the lobby counter and retired for the evening, setting his alarm for 5:30am. He had something he needed to do.

Sheldon was up and dressed and downstairs in the kitchen. He made coffee, inventoried the refrigerator, found what he needed and started out making breakfast.

Kate woke up in a surly mood. 'Filters. Okay, so I didn't know about the filters, but I set a good table for breakfast.'

She threw on jeans and a sweater, ran a brush through her thick auburn hair (I really need a trim) and looked out the window and groaned at the new snow that had fallen and then followed her nose to the kitchen. Something smelled good but who the hell was in her kitchen?

She pushed open the swinging door and stopped. The warming table was replete with scrambled eggs, hash browned potatoes, bacon and French toast. The coffee was fresh and she poured a cup and sat down. She and Sheldon Cooper were about to lock horns. How dare he…

He was finishing up shoveling the porch steps and the walk out to the parking area. There was nearly a foot of fresh snow and even he sensed more to come. Even though he was a guest, he couldn't imagine a waif like Kate clearing off the area and then remaining fresh enough to go to work. He was sweating but feeling amazingly refreshed after a full 8 hours of sleep – the first since the Winkle announcement.

He kicked the snow off his rubber boots and entered the lobby and removed his boots. His Vulcan hearing picked up the noise of cutlery in the kitchen and he scowled. I invaded her kitchen; surely she wouldn't resort to violence?

He walked into the kitchen and she was sitting at the counter, a full plate in front of her, two full mugs of coffee prepared and she gestured with a full mouth at the warming tables and mumbled, 'Dig in. This is really good. Skooz my manners'. She put her head back down and resumed sawing at a large stack of French toast.

Sheldon picked at his food. He hadn't had much of an appetite lately, okay, no appetite at all, even before the Winkle announcement. He'd lost weight he could ill-afford to lose and although he felt good this morning, he knew it was only a matter of hours before the dark cloud of depression enveloped him once again.

She finished her second plate and pushed herself back and smiled warmly at him. "Dr. Cooper, the weather forecast is calling for blizzard winds, accumulations of more than 36 inches so I guess you'll be staying with me a while longer. Make you a deal, Doc. Cook like this every morning and I'll freebie you the room but it's up to you to keep it clean."

"Deal, although I may vary the menu somewhat. Is there a supermarket – "

She snorted and then quipped, "There aren't enough folks in Mulligan to warrant a supermarket but we do have the general store. Nearest supermarket is back down in the flatlands, figure 70 miles or so."

"That'll do fine. I shoveled the walkways so you can have another cup of coffee before heading out to work. I think I'll send out some email correspondence and then check out the Diner and the General Store. I'll leave the key at the Miner."

He stared at his computer screen, re-reading the email to Leonard and Penny. He was satisfied and ended it with 'You have always been and shall always be my dearest friends. Live long and prosper.'

He yawned, hit 'send' and then curled up on the bed. His muscles ached from the unaccustomed shoveling and he was tired.

Kate ate lunch at the Diner most days. She was tackling a cheeseburger when Claudia asked her about her guest.

"He's a physicist from CalTech in Pasadena. Says he's looking for a place to rent in the mountains while he works out some problems. He seems nice enough." She felt evil for a second and said, "Better hope he doesn't open a diner. His breakfasts are awesome."

"He wouldn't dare!" She knew her friend was just teasing but this had been her baby since her dad passed on.

"So he cooked you breakfast, did he? Wonder what would possess a man to – "

"Claudia, get your mind out of the gutter."

"Is he cute?" She wasn't going to let up on Katie after her smart assed joke.

"He's okay, I guess. Shy but direct in a nice way. He isn't nearly the prick everyone at CalTech said he is. Seems 'damaged', y'know? There's a sadness about him that just doesn't belong."

"Oh, girlfriend, you need to 'fix' him. It's been far too long since someway strayed into Mulligan who wasn't running away from someone or something."

"Hush your mouth, Claudia Ventana. I'm not in the fixin' business. Been there, done it, got the t-shirt and scars. Nope. Definitely out of the fixin' business. Who or what he's running from is none of my business."

Sheldon woke up and went down to the kitchen and reheated a cup of coffee and read the newspaper he'd taken when he registered. The writing was good, following the 5 W's of writing and was informative without being wordy. He liked that she got right to the point about things.

He dressed warmly and drove into town, hungry for lunch and curious about what else was in Mulligan. Where did people work? What kind of stores were there? Did they have a school?

He drove slowly down the street and was amazed at how many people were out shoveling their walks. All seemed to wave at him and he found himself waving back.

People from his past, people who knew him would have been startled by the look on his face.

He was smiling. Not the Jokeresque smile that looked like he was sucking a lemon, but a real smile.