"Mr. Parks, can I talk to you?" Gambit asked.
"What's it about?"
He rubbed his hands together; he never asked anyone for advice before in relationship matters. "It's about this girl..."
"Whoa! Wait right there, son."
"What?"
"We are not in the proper atmosphere to discuss topics like that."
Gambit looked around the office. What was Felix talking about? "But I..."
Professor Parks cut him off again... "Got time?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Great, let's go..."
Gambit didn't argue. He followed Parks to the garage and hopped in the car. He didn't know where he was going but the conversation he started just got weirder and he wasn't doing anything at all. Every time he tried to bring up the girl subject in the car, Felix would stop him so...well...Gambit wasn't sure what to talk about with this guy. He didn't know him very well but they talked a bit about being mutants and how classes were going and if Gambit had summer plans.
Finally they arrived at the Wing House. What was Mr. Parks up to? Had he lost it? They went in and sat down, and he ordered french fries and wings and a beer for himself and Gambit got a soda.
"Why come to me for advice?"
Gambit thought this was pretty cool of the guy so far; better then his first thoughts of the man. "What?" he wondered.
"I'm not the first people usually come running to around the mansion for advice on this sort of thing, so why me?"
"Truth?"
"Always."
"I know I may be the troublemaker in class and you don't think that highly of me but you're the only one around that won't judge me by the questions I ask. I'll get picked on by everyone else or they'll say something flowery and poetic and I have no clue what they mean by it. I figure you're a straight shooter. I need that."
"How do you know I don't have flowery advice for ya?"
"You don't really come off that way I guess. Hope you don't mind."
"Who cares? You worry about what everyone else thinks of ya, you'll go crazy. I can't really change who I am."
Drinks came to the table.
"Okay, tell me your troubles, son, while we drown our sorrows in ale."
"There's this girl."
"Isn't that the way it always is."
Gambit had to laugh. "I like her."
"That's a start...sorry, I won't interrupt you anymore...I hope."
"I don't know how to tell her that I like her."
"The communication of love can be tricky but here it is in simple terms. Most of the time a girl knows if you like her by the little things you do for her. Sometimes they see it and sometimes they are blind to what is right in front of them. Do you see it back, is the question?"
"She acts just normal, I guess."
"Then you're not doing it good enough. Trust me in this...you do the little things a bit more noticeable and she'll question you in her mind. She'll then go through the thought process of 'Do I reciprocate or do I have to ask him what the hell is he doin'?' She'll then tell you. Keep your eyes open."
"What should I do for her?"
"Tricky. No two women are the same, but there are some universal signals...smile a lot. Look right at her eyes when you talk to her. Sit next to her, tell her she looks nice today but don't overplay that card. If you find something somewhere that screams out her name buy it and say you just had to get it, she was written all over it."
"Wow, subtle yet to the point. Good advice."
"Don't go overboard and crowd her. Let her decide and if all else fails...ask her out, plain and simple. Be a man. You'll know then for sure then."
"How do you know so much about women?"
"Well, when you've been out with as many as I have and dumped by even more, don't ask me how that's possible but it is, you learn a thing or two."
"Thanks, Professor Parks."
"We're out -- call me John or Felix, take your pick. I should actually be thanking you. I've had a wing craving for a while now. You gave me the right excuse to come out here today."
One of the waitresses in her cutoff top and short shorts roamed by. Gambit had to smile at Felix. "Nice scenery, too."
"I try to please." He smiled back. "Perfect waterhole for us men."
They ate for a bit and Felix wondered if there was anything else on his mind... "Anything else you want to spill while in the right environment for it?"
"Can I ask ya somethin' in confidence?"
"Do I look like a priest?"
"Well, no...but..."
"I'm only kidding...shoot."
"You have anyone in particular you got your eyes set on at work or outside of school?"
He thought it only fair. Gambit told about his love life, why not get the scoop on the prof as well. "Yeah, I do..."
"Who?"
"That waitress over at table number seven."
Gambit turned and grinned. She was a looker.
They talked about this and that; sports, women, and their lives before coming to the school. Gambit learned a lot about Mr. Parks. It turns out he was not so much the stuck-up loner as the group first thought him to be. He'd traveled all over the US and Europe. He met Xavier in London and came to the US to look him up after several years. Xavier had given him a job at the school; he'd thought it was a good idea so started teaching. He'd helped Xavier earlier on to develop two other schools in Europe for mutants similar to the one here in New York. They were in London and Munich. Mutant kids everywhere needed help in some way and these schools were the key. Gambit never knew there were others. Maybe one day they could have X-change programs or such. It was a neat idea.
Finally they finished up and headed back to school so as not to be missed. Gambit felt more confident. Who knew that the Don Juan of flirting wouldn't have a clue on how to get the one woman he wanted to pay attention to him? Most of his flirting was just translated as normal behavior so he'd have to try harder, like Felix said, in the little things he did.
When he returned he found her to be out driving with Logan. He hoped poor Jubilee wouldn't kill herself or anyone else before he could see her again. She was so independent and wild like him, it was a comfort and a lot of fun to be with her. Hopefully she'd one day feel the same about him.
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