Ch.4 Meeting the Simpsons and Apu

It was a typical quiet afternoon in the Simpson household. 

Marge was busying herself in the kitchen, humming a light tune as she wiped down the counters. With the kids out with friends and Homer half asleep on the couch as he watched TV, she was enjoying the quietness, immersing herself in her cleaning. 

*Ding-dong!*

The sound of the doorbell ringing ended that peacefulness. 

"Who could that be?" she muttered under her breath, not having been expecting anyone.

As she walked to the door, she passed Homer and gave him a glance. He hadn't even flinched at the sound of the ring, continuing to be in his own little world that involved the TV, the couch, and sleeping with half his eyes open.

Now behind the door, Marge ran her fingers through her long blue hair and took a deep breath to prepare for whoever it was. A random visitor was never a simple thing in Springfield. After readying herself, she cracked it open, partially peeking out. 

She saw a tall young man standing on the porch. She noted he was very handsome with facial features that could easily make one think he was a movie star. In his hands was a neatly wrapped basket, and she could smell a strong scent of baked goods coming out from it. 

"Oh, Hello! Can I help you?" she politely and slightly cautiously asked. 

The young man, who was Leo, stared at the woman who had answered the door then flashed a charming, easygoing smile.

"Hey there! I'm Leo, your new neighbor from across the street. I just moved in yesterday and thought I'd stop by with a little something."

He lifted the basket, the warm smell of baked bread drifting from it. At the same time, while waiting for her reply, he began to give Marge a closer look. 

Ignoring the whole blue Leaning Tower of Pisa above her head, Leo thought she was a very attractive woman.

Wearing a strapless green dress and a pearl necklace, she had a figure and face that would make most people do  a double take if she walked by. He had to resist the urge to lower his eyes to look at her huge eye-catching cleavage, which he swore would bounce even when she stood still.

"Oh how nice!" Marge said, her voice lifting with surprise. "A new neighbor, you say? We don't get many of those. I'm Marge Simpson, and that's very sweet of you. I'd love for you to meet the entire family but it's only me and my husband home right now. But let me call him for you, I'm sure he would love to meet you."

She turned slightly, raising her voice. 

"Homer! We have a new neighbor. Come and say hello!"

From inside, Leo heard a deep grumble which was followed by heavy footsteps. Leo was curious to see who would be married to the attractive neighbor.

Moments later, Homer appeared at the door, his eyes half-open and clearly uninterested in Leo's interruption of his couch session.

He wore a white polo and blue jeans, and was clearly a reverse anorexic. His head was nearly bald—only a couple of strands visible at the top. Leo could smell a strong stench of alcohol emanating from his body.

Leo then watched as Homer's eyes gave him a quick glance over then suddenly focused on the basket he was carrying.

"What? Oh hey," Homer mumbled, not even looking at Leo. "Is that food? Got any beer in there?"

Watching the interaction, Marge cheeks flushed with embarrassment. 

"Homer!" she scolded quietly. 

Leo's eyelids twitched and a tick wanted to form on his forehead but he held himself back, doing his best to seem unfazed outwardly.

Leo instead chuckled. "Sorry, no beer today," he said with a grin. "But hey, maybe next time next time, I'll know to bring a six-pack" 

Homer barely reacted. He scratched his belly and shrugged.

"Yeah beer would've been better," he muttered, turning to shuffle back to his reserved spot on the couch. 

'Yeah fat chance I'll actually get you any next time' Leo thought as he watched him disappear back into the house. 

Leo then shot the embarrassed Mage a sympathetic look, his smile never faltering. He wondered about the story of how they got together. Was he rich? What could have made her want to be with him? 

Marge sighed, he cheeks pink out of embarrassment. "I'm so sorry about that. He's just…well, Homer."

"Dont worry about it, Marge," he said smoothly. "I've met plenty of people like Homer. Beer before bread for them, right?" 

Trying to move on from Homer and his actions, she thanked him. "Thank you for the gift, really, it was very kind."

"Of course, it's really nothing. I hope you enjoy the baked goods, there's also a very nice bottle of wine." 

Leo's eyes shifted to the side of the house, trying to find something to continue their conversation. His eyes once again found the neat little garden that he had noticed while walking up. 

"By the way, I couldn't help but notice your garden. It looks amazing, you've really got an eye for it," he told her.

Marge's face lit up at the mention of her garden. "Oh thank you!" She said, proud of her work. "I've been working on it for years. It's one of my hobbies" 

Leo nodded. 

"It shows. And I got to say, it's not just the garden. You look great too. You've got that natural glow, one that's even better than the garden, you know? The combo of seeing both of you together really paints a nice picture."

Marge blinked, clearly caught off guard by the compliment. Her cheeks flushed slightly, but this time it wasnt from embarrassment. It had been a while since she had received a compliment. 

"Oh…well, thank you," she said, a bit flustered but clearly flattered. "That's very kind of you to say, Leo." 

Leo grinned, knowing he struck the right note. 

"Just calling it like I see it," he said, still grinning. "And since you have all those years of experience, maybe you can give me some tips one day. I've got a patch of land I'm not really sure what to do with."

Marge smiled, "I'd be happy to help. It's so rare to meet someone around here who's interested in gardening." 

Leo nodded. "It is always nice to get to know those with similar interests, especially when they're neighbors." 

"Oh! And before I forget, I wanted to invite you and your family to dinner at my place. I was hoping to have you all two days from now. That's when I'll be free. How does that sound?"

Marge hesitated for a moment hearing his words, her smile faltering when she was told the day.

"That sounds lovely, but we actually have plans that day," she explained. "Hmm, but I wouldn't want to turn you down so soon after meeting you, especially after you've been so kind." 

She thought carefully, humming as she came up with an idea. Seconds later she thought of one.

"Well…now that I think about it… the plans for us were just to take the kids to Duff Gardens for the evening."

"Duff Gardens?" Leo asked, not having heard of it. 

"Oh, it's just a theme park here. But it's more for Homer and the kids. They're really the ones who enjoy it, I'm not really into that kind of thing," she explained. "So I was thinking, I'll just let them enjoy it, and how about I come by myself this time, and then we can bring the whole family another time." 

'That sounds 1 million times better than what the other plan was,' thought Leo. 

He kept that thought to himself and instead said, "That works for me. We'll keep it casual and then the next time I'll get to have  the full Simpson experience." 

"Great!" Marge said, relieved that he agreed. 

"I'll see you in a few days, then" Leo said goodbye to Marge. 

"Im looking forward to it," Marge replied happily, waving as he departed.

As he made his way back to his house, Leo smiled, happy about his upcoming alone time with Marge.

…

…

…

Stepping out of his car and into the parking lot, Leo looked up at the sign above him—Kwik-E-Mart.

Earlier, as Leo prepared for his multiple planned dinners this week, he realized he was missing some toppings, sauces, and a few other ingredients. Going out to get some, he arrived here. At the local convenience store where he could at least get the basics.

As the automatic doors slid open, the bright lights and unmistakable smell of snacks filled his senses. He took a quick glance around. It seemed to have everything imaginable. 

"Good Afternoon, Sir. You must be new in town, I know a new face when I see one."

Leo turned towards the cash register—the place where the voice with a thick Indian accent came from. Standing behind it was a middle-aged Indian man. Wearing a colorful vest, he looked stressed out and tired.

"Right on the mark, I'm new in town," Leo told him. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Leo."

"Apu, Nahasapeemapetilon, at your service!" Apu said, nodding. "I'm sure you've had quite the shock moving in. But don't worry, Springfield grows on you… eventually. 

Leo laughed. "A shock? I guess you've experienced moving here too then at one point? Although it hasn't been too crazy, I have seen a couple things that have been surprising"

The houses he had seen with Cookie and the sights he had seen at the nuclear power plant flashed through his mind. 

"Oh, trust me," Apu said, smiling knowingly. "In Springfield, the strange only multiplies. Where did you move to?" he asked.

"Just a couple of streets down, on Evergreen Terrace."

"Ah, in that empty house across from the Simpsons?" He raised his eyebrows, "I'll pray for you, my friend." 

"Seriously? Are they that bad?"

"Bad? No, no… just… lets say unpredictable," he sighed, "You should buy a lottery ticket, on sale today, winning might be your best escape plan."

The shameless promotion of the lottery ticket seemed random to Leo and he wasn't sure how winning more cash would solve the unpredictable problem but found the abrupt change amusing. 

"No thanks, I don't like to buy lottery tickets," Leo shook his head. "I'll just take a look around."

"As you wish. Let me know if you need anything." Apu nodded in a helpful manner. 

Five minutes later, still wandering about, Leo noticed a large truck parking in front of the store entrance.

The driver-side door opened and a pretty woman hopped out. She had blonde hair and a slim figure. From the uniform she wore, it was clear that she was a worker from a company. As she got closer, he could read the company name—Squishee. 

Leo felt that every person he had seen were very unique and had their own charm, especially the women.

*Ding*

The bell chimed as the doors slid apart. Without stopping, she made a b-line to some machines in the corner and she got straight to work. She unscrewed the lid and started to replace containers. 

Leo, through the gaps of the aisle, saw Apu leave the counter and walk up behind her.

"Hello, Annette," Apu greeted her.

She turned around. "How's life, handsome."

Leo couldn't help but become curious. 'Is she his wife? Maybe his girlfriend? Maybe just a flirty worker going for laughs'

Apu let out a big sigh. "Take a penny, leave a penny."

'Actually, whoever she is, it's none of my business.' Leo stopped himself from eavesdropping. He just stored the image of the woman in his head and returned his focus to his shopping.

By the time he got everything he needed, the girl had left. As he paid for his items, Apu waved him off cheerfully. Leo headed home to prepare for his dinner with the Flanders, somewhat hoping it wouldn't last long or be at least not be very mentally exhausting.