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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2008 19:14:54 GMT -5
CHAPTER 11: Claudia
The next morning, I was fixing myself a cheese Danish and a cup of coffee for breakfast when Janine came in. She looked exhausted, so she'd apparently had a long night at the hospital. "'Morning," I said cheerfully as I took my breakfast to the table and sat down.
"Ugh, it's bedtime to me," Janine complained, sinking into a chair across from me.
"Long night?" I guessed.
"You might say that," she answered. "Do you mind if I have some of that coffee?"
"Yeah, there's still some on the stove," I answered. While Janine poured her coffee, I asked, "How are the girls?"
"Well, Hannah suffered a broken wrist, but was treated and released," Janine answered as she sat back down. "Nancy suffered a broken leg, and was released this morning. Thankfully, she didn't have a concussion. Sad to say, though, Karen's in a coma."
"Poor kid," I said sympathetically.
"Listen, Claudia," Janine said in a businesslike tone of voice, "I talked to the nurses, and even though I know you're not family. I mean, you're my family, but you're not Karen's family, I was wondering, would you like to see Karen?"
"Really? You mean it?" I asked.
"Sure," she said. "After all, you were there on the scene of the accident."
"Of course," I said. "Is there a certain time I can come?"
"Any time you want," she answered.
"Thank you!" I said as I threw my arms around my sister. I just couldn't believe my good luck.
I arrived at the hospital later that morning, and saw Kristy and Jason sitting on some chairs out in the hall. "Hi, you guys," I said. They looked up. It was very obvious that Kristy had been crying. Part of it was due to her pregnancy, but most of it was from the accident.
Anyway, Kristy stood up and gave me the warmest hug. "Thank you so much for being there," she whispered. "I don't know what would've happened if it hadn't been for you."
"I know, I know," I said softly, petting her hair. "Oh, I called the airline this morning, and cancelled my flight home for tomorrow. I want to stay as long as I possibly can. I also called the school superintendent and asked for a substitute this week."
"Oh, Claud, you didn't have to do that," Jason said.
"I know, but I wanted to," I told them. "I really care about you guys."
With that, the three of us hugged each other, then headed to the elevator just as we saw Sam and Stacey coming back from the cafeteria. After we hugged them, we got on the elevator and headed to the first floor to get some lunch.
As soon as we got our food, we sat down at a nearby table. "God, I hope Karen comes out of the coma soon," I said, taking a bite of lasagna. I don't know why, but I was remembering a couple of things. First, there was the time I'd broken my leg while I was baby-sitting for Betsy Sobak, and when Kristy came to visit me in the hospital that following weekend, she arrived around lunch time, and said the hospital's food looked worse than school food and airline food combined. I also remembered how Kristy used to make disgusting comments about the school lunch, and make Mary Anne almost gag. Hopefully, by today's standards, it's much more identifiable, not to mention digestible. Why the Health Department's never torn them a new one is beyond me.
"I do, too," Kristy said. "I couldn't stand it if anything happened to her." While she was talking, I noticed Jason taking her hand. Her other hand was clenching her fork so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. I thought for sure that fork was going to snap in half.
I guessed Jason was thinking the same thing I was. "Kristy, honey," he said soothingly. "Calm down. Can you do that for me, love? Just take some deep breaths for me, all right?" All the while, he was rubbing her back and doing everything in his power to keep her from exploding.
To my surprise, Kristy was able to calm down. She took a deep breath and loosened her grip on her fork. "I'm all right," she said calmly. "I'm going to be all right."
Hopefully, we all would be.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2008 7:15:27 GMT -5
CHAPTER 12: Abby
I took Friday afternoon off, because I was anxious to see how Karen was doing. You see, she came out of the coma three days ago, and Jason says she woke up while he was singing "Any Dream Will Do" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I can only imagine how Karen would've reacted if I'd been the one singing to her! As I rounded the corner to go to Karen's room, I saw Kristy run out with Jason close behind. I saw Jason grab her, but it looked like she was trying to fight him off. "Get the hell away from me!" she screamed. "Don't touch me!"
Uh-oh, what happened? I thought as I got a little closer. When I was almost there, I heard Kristy burst into tears for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last six days. Jason wrapped Kristy in a hug, and very gently rubbed her back. I think it must have taken her, at the most, five minutes to calm down. As upset as she was that day, I thought for sure that she was going to have a miscarriage.
"Don't you realize that Karen and her friends could've been killed?" I heard her sob.
"Yes, I know," Jason said gently. "Kristy? Kristy, look at me, please."
Kristy raised her head. "I'm well aware that they could've been killed, love," he said, "but they weren't, and we should be thankful."
Kristy buried her face into Jason's shoulder and sobbed her heart out as he kept trying to comfort her. "What happened?" I asked as I approached them.
Upon hearing my voice, Kristy released herself from Jason's grasp, and hugged me. I rubbed her back.
"The police just stopped by," Jason explained. "They told us that the guy who hit Karen and her friends had been drunk, and died as soon as he got to the hospital."
Now, I understood why Kristy was so upset. She was thinking of Amelia Freeman. I know I was.
It had been a horrible day, one that I don't think any of us would soon forget. In fact, I still remember Mr. Kingbridge's face when he broke the news to the entire school. To this day, that's one image that will never leave me, as well as Grandpa Morris' face when he told Anna and me that our father had been killed in a car accident. To this day, I wish I knew who was driving the car that killed Amelia, because I'd sure love to kick that guy's ass.
By the way, the Memory Garden, which was planted in the courtyard at SMS, is still there. After ten years, it looks as fresh as it did when it was first planted. The bench with the plaque is also still intact. I think the staff felt that they owed it to Amelia, her family, and the rest of the student body, to keep it alive.
"How's Karen?" I asked, changing the subject. Kristy released herself from my grasp. I gave her a hug, and handed her a tissue.
"Well, the doctor says that she doesn't need glasses anymore, except for reading," Jason answered.
That was good news, after all that had happened this past week. And believe me, Karen's family sure as hell could use some good news.
As a famous person once said, all's well that ends well.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2008 17:41:18 GMT -5
CHAPTER 13: Jessi
On Friday morning, I packed up and returned to New York. When I got in a good spot on the highway that was within range, I called Manette on my cell phone, and asked him to meet me at McDonald's for lunch.
You see, there's a McDonald's in the theater district where they seat you like they do at a fancy restaurant, but you can order McDonald's food. It was once featured on a show on the Travel Channel, when they talked about unusual fast-food places (I think that's what it was called.)
As I crossed the state line from Connecticut to New York, I wondered how everything had been while I was away.
When I pulled into McDonald's, I saw Manette's truck pulling in next to my car. "Hi!" I exclaimed as we got out of our vehicles.
"Hi, Jessi," he said, picking me up and twirling me around. When he set me down, he gave me a kiss on the lips. I love it when he kisses me, because I can feel his beard brushing against my face. Surprisingly, it's not the least bit scratchy and uncomfortable. In fact, I love him so much, I don't care what it feels like.
"Ready?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said.
The two of us went inside, and soon got to our table. After the waitress took our order, Manette looked at me, and grinned.
"You know, I've been doing a lot of thinking about you, and our relationship, while you were gone," he said.
"You have?" I asked.
He nodded. "Well, let me explain it to you this way," he said, then he started singing, very softly, "I, I was the lonely one, wonderin' what went wrong, why love had gone, and left me lonely; I, I was so confused, feelin' like I'd just been used, then you came to me and my feelings left me--"
Then he continued singing, a little louder, "I used to think I was tied to a heartache, that was the heartbreak, but now that I've found you--"
Right then and there, everybody in that entire restaurant joined in, "Even the nights are be-etter, now that we're here toge-ether, even the nights are be-etter, since I found you-o-ou!"
Man, you should've seen the look on my face! The whole time, I had such a huge, dorky grin, I thought my cheeks were going to pop like a couple of cherry tomatoes! I was so touched. I didn't even care that a pretty large percentage of the customers couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. In that moment, I knew exactly how Kelly McGillis felt in "Top Gun" when those guys sang to her. And no, none of those guys can sing, either.
The next thing he did was pull a ring out from the underside of the table and get down on one knee in front of me. "Jessica Davis Ramsey, will you marry me?" he asked as he slipped the ring onto my finger.
I was really surprised. I wasn't expecting this at all. Mama once told me that she felt the same way when Daddy proposed to her.
"Yes," I managed to whisper, then I burst into tears. I threw my arms around Manette, and we kissed, long and passionately. I swear, my body temperature must have risen twelve degrees. All the while, everyone in that restaurant was cheering, whistling, and whooping it up like they were at a Super Bowl party.
It was the happiest day of my life.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2008 8:09:38 GMT -5
CHAPTER 14: Mary Anne
Logan and I went to Burger King for lunch on Friday afternoon. (To this day, like practically all of the BSC members, I still remember the cast party we'd had after "Carnival" opened.) All through lunch and on the way home, Logan and I hardly said a word, unless we were talking about the good news that we'd gotten about Karen's condition. I spent most of the time worrying about whether or not Dawn had told Dad and Sharon about her and Sunny. I was shocked when Dawn had told me.
You see, a few days ago, Dawn told me that ever since she'd moved back to California for good, she and Sunny had become more than just friends, and that she was bi. I still remember the look on her face when she'd told me. It was the same look I'd had when I realized I'd invited two people to the first-grade Mother's Day tea party. The only difference was, the look on her face was a hundred times worse.
I told her that she'd eventually have to tell Dad and Sharon, and she promised to do so. If she did tell them, I wondered how they took it.
Anyway, when we got home, the first thing we saw was Sharon sitting on the couch with her arms folded and her head hanging down. Dad was beside her with his arms around her. "Hi," I said, a touch of uneasiness in my voice.
Sharon looked up at me. I could tell by her red eyes that she'd been crying. "Hi, Mary Anne, hi, Logan," she said calmly. However, I had a gut-feeling that even though she sounded all right, she was seconds away from starting up again. "How's your friend? Uh, Karen, right?"
Logan and I nodded. "We got a phone call from Kristy this morning," Logan said. "Karen doesn't need glasses anymore, except for reading."
"Oh, that's wonderful," Sharon said.
"Mm-hm," Dad agreed. "I guess you could say the accident was a blessing in disguise, huh?"
Logan and I nodded again. Dad really hit the nail on the head with that one.
"Listen, is Dawn still here?" I asked, changing the subject.
"She's asleep," Sharon answered. "She and Sunny are going back to New York tonight."
Logan and I sat down on the loveseat, which was on the right side of the couch, at a 90-degree angle. "Did she tell you?" I whispered. Part of it was so that Dawn wouldn't hear us, but most of it was because I was preparing myself for what was coming next.
Sharon nodded. She was still pretty calm, but I could see the tears forming in her eyes, and when she closed them, they cascaded down her face.
"Are--are you all right?" I wanted to know. I really did want to know, and as Dawn's stepsister, I felt that I had a right to know.
"Yes, I'm all right," Sharon answered, wiping her eyes with Dad's handkerchief. "We both are. It's just that--well, you know."
"No, I'm afraid I don't," I admitted. I was still a little confused. If they were all right with Dawn's bisexuality and her relationship with Sunny, then why was Sharon crying?
"We're just concerned with Dawn's welfare, that's all," Dad explained. "You see, both of us have friends who are either gay or bisexual, and they've told us about how they've been treated by other people. Some had even been avoided or discriminated against by friends or members of their own families. And believe me, Sharon and I love Dawn just the same, but the thought of her and Sunny enduring this sort of treatment from others really scares us."
"I know what you mean," Logan said gently. "I felt the same way the first time my brother, Hunter, told us he was gay. Even now, I worry about his safety and how the other kids at school treat him. The one thing that scares me the most is the thought of him getting beat up, or worse, because of it."
I looked away, fighting the tears that were gnawing at my throat. The thought of that sweet kid being the victim of a mugging, a beating, or God knows what else, absolutely terrified me. I could only imagine how awful it must be for Logan.
"Are you sure you're all right?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.
Dad nodded. "Even though we're concerned about Dawn and Sunny, we won't treat them any differently," he said.
I was glad to hear this. Yes, this was something that we'd have to deal with, and yes, it was going to be hard. Dawn was still family, though. We loved her, and she loved us, and that should hopefully lighten the burden a little.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2008 13:52:28 GMT -5
CHAPTER 15: Kristy
The next morning, Jason and I loaded up our truck, and prepared to go home. "Do you know what time Karen will be coming home?" I asked Mom.
"Watson's just leaving now," Mom answered, pouring us some coffee. "If you like, you can wait until they get home."
"Sure," Jason said, taking the cups from her, and handing one to me. I'm glad it was decaf, because the regular kind might hurt the baby. That, and also because that's all Watson will drink after he had his heart attack.
We sat on the front porch with our coffee. While I started sipping mine, Jason took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, took one from the pack, and lit it up. Normally, I think smoking is one of the most disgusting habits in the world, but fortunately, Jason only smokes ginseng cigarettes, which don't have any tobacco or nicotine. (I've heard that in plays, if the character smokes, but the actor doesn't, that's what they use.) None of us smoke: Mal and I because of our pregnancies; Dawn, because she's a health nut; Stacey, because of her diabetes; Abby, because of her asthma; Jessi, because she's a dancer; and Mary Anne, Logan, and Shannon, because, like Dawn and me, they think it's ugly and unhealthy. The only ones who do smoke are Jason and Claudia. Furthermore, Jason very seldom smokes, and he recently promised me that after the baby was born, he'd try to cut down.
"It's been quite a week, yes?" Jason asked, blowing a smoke ring into the air.
"I'll say," I agreed, finishing my coffee. "I'm just glad Karen doesn't have to rely so much on glasses anymore."
"Aye," Jason said, taking another puff on his cigarette. "And I'm glad that she's coming home today."
"Me, too," I said.
A few minutes later, we saw the green station wagon, which had been Mom's when she married Watson (and considering how long she's had it, it's actually in pretty good shape), coming up the street. Jason took one last puff on his cigarette, and put it out. He doesn't want Karen or any of my younger siblings to see him smoke.
The station wagon pulled into the driveway a minute later, and Watson and Karen got out. Just as I'd expected, Karen ran to us and gave each of us a hug. She still had the bandage on her nose and finger, and most of her scabs were going away, but other than that, she looked so much better. "Hi, Karen," Jason said.
"Hi," she said. Just then, David Michael, Andrew, and Emily came out of the house, and there was even more hugging.
"Where are your glasses, Karen?" Emily asked.
"Don't need them anymore, except for reading," Karen answered.
"So, can I still call you Professor?" David Michael asked. We laughed, mostly because we were so glad the whole ordeal was over.
"You want to hear something funny, Karen?" I asked.
"What?"
"When you woke up from surgery, you were calling for Louie."
You see, when Karen came out of the coma, we found out she was temporarily blind. She had eye surgery a couple of days ago, and the doctor removed the bandages yesterday. That's when we learned Karen would only need her reading glasses from now on. It's funny, the surgery was able to correct her distance vision, but nothing else. Also, in case you're wondering, Louie had been our old collie, who had to be put down soon after I'd started eighth grade.
"I was? I must have been dreaming," she said.
"Don't feel too bad, Karen," Jason said, patting her arm. "Remember the trip to Washington when I had my appendix out, and what Bebe said I did?" Then, he started singing, in the slurriest voice possible, "Good morning, starshine. The Earth says hello..."
Karen's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! That was so hilarious!" she exclaimed.
"Remember when I had mine out?" I reminded her. Then, in my slurriest voice, I said, "This meeting of the Baby-sitters Club is now in session..."
We all got a good laugh. David Michael had told that story during our trip to Washington. I once told him that if he ever told anyone, I'd personally beat the living crap out of him, but considering who he did tell (Jason, Bebe, and the kids who were in the show choir), I couldn't go through with my threat.
Soon after that, we all went inside for lunch. Mom served us sandwiches, baked beans, and chips. We also had a choice of soda, iced tea, or water to drink. I chose milk, because at this stage of the pregnancy, it was the only drink my stomach could handle.
After lunch, Jason said, "Well, time to leave." After we hugged everybody, we got in our truck and started on our way.
When we got to the apartment complex, we saw Jason's family out in the front yard. We got out of the truck and walked over to them. "Well, we're heading back to Hartford now, Mum," Jason said.
"Before you leave, I have something to show you," Bebe said, holding out her left hand. On her ring finger was a yellow-gold ring with a pear-shaped diamond in the middle. Obviously an engagement ring.
"Who's the lucky guy? Do we know him?" I asked.
"I think so," she smiled. "Byron Pike."
"Wow," I said. I couldn't wait to tell Mal.
"Well, we can't stay long, we need to get home," Jason said at last.
"Okay," Diann said. "See you kids later." She gave each of us a hug. We got back in our truck, and were off.
As we headed back to Hartford, "Piano Man" by Billy Joel was playing on the radio. I remembered hearing it one Saturday morning in my college dorm, and it happened to be the first song I heard when the alarm went off. I'm told it's a good song to wake up to.
Jason and I arrived home about an hour and a half later. When we got inside, I laid down on the bed and took a nap while Jason sorted out our dirty laundry.
It had been an interesting trip, but I was just glad to get home.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2008 8:49:24 GMT -5
CHAPTER 16: Jessi
It was a warm evening in early July. Manette and I arrived at the stage door of the Martin Beck Theater, which is off-Broadway, to get ready for our show. You see, we had been rehearsing for this '80s revue since early May, and tonight was opening night.
Manette and I changed into our costumes and did our stretching exercises. "All set?" I asked him.
"You bet," he grinned. That's when I noticed the ring on his right middle finger.
"Hey, isn't that the ring you wore when we were in Washington?" I asked.
He nodded. "I always wear it when I perform. For luck." And he kissed the ruby in the middle.
"We'll be great," I assured him, and just to be sure, I kissed the diamond on my engagement ring, then we shared a pretty big smooch. (Yeah, yeah, I know: "Get a room!" or "I'm telling!" Take your pick.) After we finished stretching, we put our make-up on.
"Break a leg," Manette said.
"You, too." The two of us squeezed hands and went to join the other dancers. Our show was about to begin.
The show was a blast. Some of the songs we danced to were "Far From Over" by Frank Stallone, which happens to be the theme song from Staying Alive, the Footloose theme, and "All Night Long" by Lionel Richie. All of our hard work had paid off, and we had a sensational show to prove it.
After the show, we went backstage to wait for the audience. I saw the Everetts and the Brunos. "Hi, you guys," I said.
"Hi, Jessi. Great show," Mary Anne said.
"Thanks."
"How much longer does it run?" Jason wanted to know.
"About two weeks, then I get a break, and start working on The Nutcracker in September," I answered.
"Wow, really?" Kristy asked.
I nodded. "I just hope we don't have another blizzard during the run of that show."
"Yeah, really," Kristy agreed. "And just between the two of us, Jessi, I would've much rather have been stuck in Stamford than at home with Bart spending the night."
I was trying really hard not to laugh when Kristy told me that. In case you're wondering why, Bart Taylor, who was Kristy's boyfriend at the time, had been invitd over for dinner and a movie, and just when he was getting ready to head out the door to go home, the blizzard finally hit, and I mean really hit. Kristy's parents weren't about to let him go home in that kind of weather, so he had to spend the night. To this day, Kristy still wishes she could erase that experience from her mind.
"Nice show," Sam said when he and Stacey came up to us.
"Yeah," Logan agreed.
"Thanks, you guys," I said. "So, Kristy, how are you holding up?"
"Oh, I'm doing all right," she answered. "My morning sickness has started to clear up a little, and my food cravings aren't as demented as I thought they'd be. I've mostly eaten peanut butter, bacon, and banana sandwiches."
"Oh, my God, that's gross!" Mary Anne exclaimed.
"Well, that was Elvis' favorite kind of sandwich," Manette pointed out. "I mean, without the bacon."
"Yeah, and that's because he was too wasted to know what he was eating," Logan said.
"Well, I guess that when you're expecting, or as doped up as he was, you don't really give a nuts what you eat," I commented. I'm not too sure, but I think I saw Mary Anne roll her eyes and shake her head disapprovingly. She's not too keen on hearing people swear.
"Oh, by the way," Kristy said, changing the subject. "Have you two set a wedding date yet?"
"Soon," Manette answered. "We don't know yet, but we know that it'll be early next year, probably around Valentine's Day."
"Okay," Jason said. "You'll let us know, right, Jessi?"
I nodded.
"Well, see you around," Stacey said at last.
"'Night," I said.
"Oh, we're staying at Sam and Stacey's tonight, and heading back in the morning," Kristy said.
"Okay, sounds like a plan," I said. "'Night."
After everyone left, Manette and I changed out of our costumes and washed our make-up off. "Let's go to McDonald's," Manette suggested.
I had the world's biggest smile on my face, because I knew which McDonald's he was talking about. It was the same one where he'd proposed to me.
As we got into the truck, I thought, Tonight was simply wonderful.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2008 14:57:42 GMT -5
CHAPTER 17: Logan
It was the last week of July, and I was coming home from the high school on a Thursday afternoon. I'd been holding football team tryouts. We'd had several good players try out, and I felt confident that we'd have such a good team this year, and that they'd finally make it to the state championships, which is something, I'm told, that they haven't been able to do in fifteen years.
When I parked my Jeep in the garage, and went into the house, I saw Mary Anne waiting for me. She'd already prepared dinner. "Hi," I said, giving her a kiss.
"Hi," she answered. "Oh, I went to the doctor today, and he gave me some good news."
"What?" I asked as I got the milk out of the fridge and two glasses out of the cupboard. We have really cool glasses, by the way. They're rectangular-shaped with deep red rims and gold stars on the sides, and they were also a wedding gift from my parents.
"Well, I think dinner speaks for itself," she answered, smiling that beautiful smile of hers.
I studied the food for a moment. There were baby carrots, baby shrimp, baby corn, and baby pork chops. She had even set out two jars of baby food, which contained applesauce. "Let's see," I said. "Baby foods. Well, that can only mean one thing, and I know about a hundred times better than that Jesse guy on Full House. You're pregnant, right?" (By the way, Full House was always the one show I couldn't stand. In fact, I once told some of my friends that just watching five minutes of it was guaranteed to make your IQ drop about 25 points. Or was that Family Matters?No, that was the one I'd described as the Chinese water torture, the rack, and the Spanish Inquisition all rolled into one.)
She nodded, and her smile got even bigger. "And I didn't have to resort to playing Pictionary to get you to figure it out," she said.
I laughed and hugged her. We were just over the moon. Imagine us as parents! If there was one thing we were sure of, it's that our lives were about to be changed forever.
The next morning, I was pulling out of the McDonald's drive-thru with my breakfast burrito and coffee, and was on my way to the high school.
Today was the last day of tryouts for the football team, which meant I had to decide which guys to choose for this season. This was actually my second year to do it, and I wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but I'd have to be extremely careful in making the decisions. In fact, I still remember when I tried out for the varsity team at SHS my freshman year, and how nervous I was on the last day, so I knew exactly how these guys would be feeling.
"If this is it, please let me know-ow; if this ain't love, you better let me go-o," I sang with the radio as I pulled into the parking lot. After I turned off the ignition and got out of the Jeep, I saw this one really big kid, Mitch, who's going to be a sophomore, chaining up his bike. He was one of the guys I was definitely considering for the team, a real ox of a kid. If he ever got into a barfight, I'd bet he'd be the last one standing.
"Hey, Coach!" he called.
"Hi, Mitch," I answered, throwing my trash in a nearby trash can. "How's it going?"
"Oh, pretty good," Mitch said. "Oh, you've got to come to the locker room right away. We've got a little surprise for you."
"What is it?"
"Just come with me," Mitch said, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside. See what I mean when I said that I was sure of putting him on the team?
Anyway, when we got to the locker room, you should've seen the look on my face. Right there, on the wall, was a big drawing of a stork, in the school football uniform, and in its beak was a blue blanket with a football in it. The football was wearing a baby's bonnet, and beside the stork drawing, in the school colors, were the words, "CONGRATS, DADDY BRUNO!"
"Oh, my God!" I exclaimed. "How did you know?"
"My girlfriend, Alana, told us," this one kid named Aaron said. "Her mom knows your wife, and last night, all the cheerleaders got together and worked on this."
"Wow!" I marvelled. "Thanks a lot!"
"No problem," Mitch said. "Daddy!"
As we laughed, I had a feeling that choosing the roster for this year's team wouldn't be so bad after all.
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bsclover18
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Post by bsclover18 on Nov 3, 2008 16:08:31 GMT -5
Aww...I LOVE THIS CHAPTER!!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2008 7:29:47 GMT -5
CHAPTER 18: Stacey
On Saturday morning, we got the call that we'd waited six weeks for. Our child was coming to us, all the way from Sweden. We were getting a boy, and he's two months old.
"Now, Mrs. Thomas," the lady on the phone was saying, "your child has Down's syndrome. We've done some tests, and other than the extra chromosome, he seems perfectly healthy. Hopefully, you shouldn't have anything to worry about."
"That's good," I said. "When should we expect him?"
"Tomorrow afternoon. I'll be bringing him from Stockholm then. I'm there now, as a matter of fact, and we'll be flying into LaGuardia Airport then."
"Thank you," I said, and hung up the phone. Sam came into the kitchen. "Ms. Reynolds just called. She's bringing our son from Sweden tomorrow."
"That's great," he said as he gave me a hug. We were so happy with the prospect of being parents.
The next day after breakfast, we headed to the airport. During the ride, we talked excitedly about our new son. "What do you think we should call him?" I asked.
"Sven," he answered. Sven, by the way, is the name of one of the characters in James Cameron's "Titanic".
The plane touched down at noon, and within minutes, we saw Ms. Reynolds come into the terminal with a baby in her arms.
"Well, here he is," she said. Sam took the baby, and I took the diaper bag, from her.
"We got the baby supplies as soon as you called to tell us that we'd been approved," I said.
"Good, good. Well, see you later."
"'Bye, thanks!" Sam called as Ms. Reynolds walked away.
We stared down at the little baby. He had some hair, but not a lot. He also had the round face and slanted eyes that's primarily associated with Down's syndrome, but other than that, he was beautiful. We just couldn't believe that he was ours. Then we turned around and headed out of the airport with our new son. Our lives as parents had officially begun.
Sam and I arrived home with the baby later that day. "Well, here we are, little buddy," Sam grinned. "Home sweet home." We were so happy to have him with us.
When we came into the house, I saw the little red light blinking on the answering machine, and pressed the button. "Hi, it's Laine. Look, Stacey, I've been meaning to call you for a long time. If you're not too busy, do you think it would be possible for us to get together sometime? I'd really like to see you. Please call me at 555-5801. Thanks, 'bye."
After the beep, I stood there for a minute, wondering what to do. After all, this was the same girl, who, when we were in sixth grade, had turned everyone at Parker Academy against me after I'd wet the bed we'd been sharing at Deidre Dunlop's slumber party. Then, she came to Stoneybrook for a visit when we were in eighth grade, and was unbelieveably rude to my friends at the Valentine's Day dance. On the other hand, after her own ordeal, maybe she was serious about wanting to see me.
"Stacey?" Sam's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Are you all right, honey?"
"Yeah," I said. "You know, Sven might be a little tired after such a long day, so why don't you put him down for a nap?"
"Good idea," Sam agreed, and carried the baby to the nursery as I picked up the phone.
"Hello?" Laine answered.
"Hi, Laine. It's Stacey." Don't call me Anastasia, I thought. "I, uh, got your message."
"Oh, hi, Stacey. Are you busy?"
"Well, Sam and I just got home with ouir new baby."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Laine exclaimed. "But...I thought you said that you couldn't have children."
"We adopted," I explained. "He's from Sweden, his name's Sven, and he's two months old."
"That's wonderful," Laine said. "I'm really happy for you."
"Thanks," I said. The next thing I heard was the sound of a pill bottle opening and a drink of water being taken. "Laine?" What was going on?
"It's time for my medicine," she told me. You see, ever since Laine's accident, she's been having terrible headaches, and she has to take pain pills at least once a day.
After she swallowed the pills, I asked, "So, what did you mean when you said that you'd been meaning to call me?"
"Well," Laine said, clearing her throat, "I just wanted to say thank you for being there for me."
"Oh?"
"Mm-hm. You know, with all I've been through over the past few years, I really had time to think about things, mostly about what happened between us, both at Deidre's slumber party and when I visited you in Stoneybrook. I also had a chance to think about the way I'd acted toward you, and my attitude, that sort of thing." There was a pause, then Laine continued, "You know, Stacey, I really had a chance to look at everything with a clear head, and from your point of view, too. I realized just how wrong I was. As a matter of fact, you know that letter you sent me after I returned to New York?"
The letter! I'd barely remembered writing it, until she brought it up! All those memories came flooding back: Laine's visit to Stoneybrook and SMS, her blowing off Pete Black to dance with another guy, not to mention her being a total b*tch to everyone else, and the fight we'd had. As I watched her get on the train to go back to New York, I was sure that our friendship was over. And here she was, reminding me of a letter I'd sent her all those years ago.
"Yes?" I managed to squeak out.
"Well, I still have it," she told me. "I never threw it away. It's in a shoebox in the top of my closet. You know, when you sent me that letter, you really showed me just exactly what the hell I was doing, and for all that time, I've been meaning to call you and and apologize, but I've never been able to go through with it. I was just too ashamed, and too afraid, of what you might have said."
"I understand," I said as tears filled my eyes. "I've been wanting to tell you the same thing myself. And I--" The tears slid down my face as I tried my hardest not to start crying. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your accident, the way you feel, everything."
"And I'm sorry, too, Stacey, for shutting you out, and turning everyone in school against you, and for the way I'd acted when I was in Stoneybrook," Laine said, her voice breaking. "I never meant to embarrass you, or say all those mean things about your baby-sitting club. I was just afraid that I was losing you as a friend."
"Oh, you'll never lose me," I said. And the minute I said those words, the floodgates opened, and both of us were crying. It was such a catharsis, letting go of those bad memories that had divided us in the past.
"And you'll never lose me, either," Laine sniffled. "We'll always be friends."
"Thank you," I whispered, grabbing a tissue and wiping my eyes. "So, is Friday afternoon a possibility?"
"I suppose," Laine answered. "I'll talk to my provider, and get back to you, okay?"
"Okay," I agreed. "Talk to you later."
After we hung up, I felt like a humongous weight had just been lifted off my shoulders. I hadn't felt this good since the time my parents dragged me to this holistic doctor who would've made me change my life around (and schools, too) with the diabetes, and the three of us decided that not only should I have more say in my treatments, but we also decided that I didn't have to see him again. That was also when Laine and I made up after the fight we'd had since my diagnosis. As I sat on the couch and hugged a pillow to my chest, I thought about the events of the day: Sam and I had become parents, and Laine and I had officially buried the hatchet. For a moment, all was right with the world.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2008 17:04:03 GMT -5
CHAPTER 19: Dawn
We were in the living room playing Yahtzee one afternoon in early August when the phone rang.
"I'll get it," I said, then went into the kitchen. Sunny followed me, because she was going to start dinner.
It was a woman from Children's Services. "We've got a child that we'd like for you to take in," she said.
"Great," I said. We'd been interested in being foster parents for a long time, and had taken the classes last spring. We were wondering when a child would be placed with us.
"First of all, I think you should know that this child came from a home where she was physically abused," the woman said.
"Oh, that's awful," I said. "How is she now?"
"Well, she's doing all right, for the most part," the woman answered. "However, she's still going to need special care."
"All right," I said. "We'll do our best."
"Great. I'll be bringing her over tomorrow afternoon. 'Bye."
"'Bye. See you then."
When we hung up, I found Sunny standing over the stove, preparing dinner. "Who was on the phone?" she asked.
"Children's Services," I answered as I got the spices out of the cabinet. "They've got a little girl who came from an abusive home that they want us to take in."
"That's great," Sunny said. "How is she?"
"Well, right now, she's doing okay," I said, handing Sunny the lemon salt. "But with her previous situation, they say she's still going to need special help."
"I'll bet you're glad that they thought of us, huh?"
I nodded and gave Sunny a kiss. I couldn't wait to meet this little girl, and I knew we'd just love her.
The next afternoon, the doorbell rang. Sunny was putting on some clean clothes (I told you she likes to run around naked), so I went to answer it.
There stood a woman with graying hair, and she was wearing a teal business suit. "I'm Mrs. Evans from Children's Services," she said. "We spoke on the phone yesterday."
"Hi," I said, shaking her hand. "Come on in."
Mrs. Evans let herself into the apartment. Behind her was a little girl who looked like she was about five or six years old. She had long jet-black hair, almost as long as mine, deep tan skin, and dark brown eyes. She was also wearing a white Mexican sundress and sandals. "This is Tina," Mrs. Evans said.
"Hi, Tina," I said warmly. "Nice to meet you." I held out my hand to shake hers, but she shrank back and clung to Mrs. Evans' skirt. Her eyes were filled with uneasiness. Apparently, she was still a little shell-shocked from all she must have been through. "It's okay. I'm not going to bite you."
Tina looked anxiously at Mrs. Evans, who said reassuringly, "It's all right, Tina. She's just saying hello."
Tina looked back at me, then very tentatively took my hand. "Hola," she said in a tiny voice, thick with a Mexican accent.
At that moment, Sunny came back into the living room. "Hi," she said.
"This is Tina," I told Sunny, putting my hand on the little girl's shoulder.
"Hi, Tina," Sunny said. "You're just going to love it here."
"Thanks," Tina whispered.
"Here, let me take your bag," I said. I took her suitcase into the spare bedroom, then came back into the living room.
"Now, Tina came from an abusive home, so she may be kind of scared to be around people, especially if she doesn't know them," I heard Mrs. Evans explain.
"I understand," I said. Even though I was no longer living in Stoneybrook at the time, I remembered when Claudia told me about baby-sitting for the Nicholls', who moved into the Addisons' old house. According to Claud, Mr. Nicholls was very uptight and obsessively neat and tidy (kind of like my stepfathr, Richard, and Felix Unger, from The Odd Couple, gone crazy). I'm told he'd get upset whenever the slightest little thing was out of place. Once, Claud told us that she'd heard Mr. Nicholls hit one of the boys for, of all things, his newspaper being in the recycling bin. She told our friend, Erica Blumberg, and made sure Mrs. Nicholls and the boys, Nate and Joey, got the hell out of the house. The last I'd heard, Mrs. Nicholls took the boys and went to live with her sister. Even now, I've wondered what's happened to them since then.
After Mrs. Evans left, Sunny and I were standing there with this little girl, looking around the room and at us. I had the feeling that she was a little scared of being left alone in a strange apartment, but I also wondered what she thought of both of her foster parents being women.
"So, Tina," I finally said. "What would you like to do first?"
I almost expected her to say that one bit from "Annie", because it not only would've broken the ice, but it also would've gotten some laughs. Instead, she just shrugged.
"Would you like something to drink?" Sunny asked.
"Sure," Tina answered. She also noticed that Sunny and I weren't wearing any shoes, and looked at us with a puzzled expression on her face. Then, she kicked off her sandals. I guess she knew we did own shoes, but just didn't wear them very often.
That's when we first noticed her feet. The tops of them were a mess of scabs, and on her right ankle was a small scar, about the size of a pencil eraser. That could only mean one thing: a cigarette burn. Sunny and I have always thought cigarettes were disgusting, but seeing this sweet, innocent child with that burn mark on her poor foot made me hate them even more.
"Okay," I said, trying to hide how repulsed and infuriated I was to see this. "This way, please." And we led her into the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen, we heard Tina say, "Ohh, that's cold."
"Hmm?" I asked.
"Your floor," she said.
I could tell Sunny was also a little surprised to hear this. "You mean you never went barefoot before?" she asked, kneeling down to Tina's level.
Tina shook her head. "At my old house, the floor was too dirty, and you could get sick."
A shiver went up my spine. I tried not to imagine what it must have been like to not only live in an abusive home, but also a filthy one. "Well, you don't have to worry about that here," Sunny smiled. "These floors are so clean, you could almost eat off them. But don't try it, because it's really gross."
"I won't," Tina giggled. I giggled, too. I was glad to see that this little girl, with all the hell she must have endured, could still laugh, let alone smile.
I opened the fridge, and got out a bottle of this organic ginger ale. After I'd poured each of us a glass, Tina took a sip of it, and a huge grin spread across her face. "Wow, this is really good!" she said.
"Thanks," I said. "It's the Jamaican-brewed kind, which means that it doesn't have any sugar, preservatives, and all the other crap, like the regular kind."
We took our drinks into the living room, and set them on the coffee table. That's when Tina's eye wandered over to the mantle. "Is that you?"she asked, pointing to a picture on the far left.
Sunny went to get it, and sat down on the futon. "Yup, that's us, all right," she answered, gently pulling Tina next to her.
"Why are you wearing those funny clothes?"
"Those are our costumes, honey," I explained. "You see, this picture was taken during our college production of 'Godspell'."
"'Godspell'?"Tina said excitedly. "My uncle was in that one!"
"Really?" Sunny asked.
Tina nodded. "He was Jesus. He had the Superman T-shirt and everything!"
"So did our Jesus!" I smiled.
"What's that song they sing?" Tina asked.
"'Day By Day'?" Sunny guessed.
"Yeah, that's the one!" Tina said, then she started singing, "Day by da-a-ay; day by da-a-ay, oh, dear Lord...Umm, wait, how's it go?"
"Oh, dear Lord, three things I pra-a-ay," I prompted her.
"Yeah, that's it!" Tina grinned, then Sunny joined her. "To see Thee more clearly-y, love Thee more dearly-y..."
"Follow Thee more ne-e-arly day by da-a-ay," we all sang. Sunny and I both knew we'd love having Tina live with us.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2008 7:25:33 GMT -5
CHAPTER 20: Shannon
It was October 29th, which was the day before the wedding. We had the rehearsal dinner at Chez-Maurice, and some of us were enjoying this French film called "With A Friend Like Harry" as it played on the TV in the background.
After I finished eating, I decided to present the gifts to my attendants, Tiffany, Maria, Karen, Dru, and Marissa. I gave each of them a necklace. Bart gave his older attendants (his cousin, Peter, as well as all three of Kristy's brothers) each a watch, and the ring bearer (my cousin, Liam) a tie.
A few minutes later, I went to the bathroom. When I came out, I saw Bart. "Look, Shannon, I promise not to go sky-diving tomorrow," he said.
I laughed, then said in a loud voice, "Help! Help! I'm coming, Shannon! Don't marry--well, I'll think of his name later!" Bart got a good laugh, too.
When we calmed down, I said, "Okay, but if you do, don't forget your mousse, and watch where you land. Make sure you don't crush somebody's prize tomatoes."
"I'll be careful," Bart promised, laughing.
Tomorrow is going to be the most beautiful day in the world.
The next morning, I woke to the sound of my alarm clock, not to mention Billy Idol's "White Wedding" blaring from my radio. I sat up and looked at my wedding dress, and also remembered a similar scene when I saw "I Love the '80s" on VH-1, namely when the 1981 episode talked about the Luke and Laura wedding episode of General Hospital. Mom says my grandparents were shocked when they saw it, because, according to them, Luke raped Laura.
"Nice day for a white weddin'," Billy snarled to the music.
"I'm with you, Bill," I agreed. "I'm with you." And isn't it ironic that a song that's supposedly about anti-marriage is played at a lot of weddings nowadays?
After I finished my shower and took my pill, I put on a yellow sweatshirt and jeans, then went to the kitchen for breakfast, where Mom was busy making eggs Benedict, my all-time favorite thing for breakfast.
"So, are you ready for your big day?" Mom asked, handing me a cup of coffee.
"Yeah, I'm a nervous wreck, but I think I can handle it," I answered.
"I know you will," Mom said reassuringly. "If I was able to get through mine, I know you'll do the same."
"Thanks, Mom," I smiled, starting my breakfast. "Well, for once, my shoulder's not acting up, so that must be a good sign."
After Tiffany fixed my hair, I put my going-away outfit in my gym bag (a white long-sleeved shirt with a picture of a Bernese mountain dog on it, jeans, and socks), hung my dress on the hook in the backseat of my car, and headed for the church.
When we arrived at the church, I saw my attendants arriving with their dresses. I had asked them to wear pale yellow dresses, even though it was late October, and got flowers to match. Kristy once told me when her mom married Watson, that's what she and Karen wore.
Soon after we arrived, we saw Reverend Downey and his wife. He's going to retire in June, so our wedding would be one of his last, unless you count Byron Pike and Bebe Everett's, which was next month. Mom and Tiffany took me into the church office, and helped me change clothes, as Marissa, who was already dressed, arrived. After I was dressed, Mom handed the bouquets of flowers to my attendants and gave Marissa her basket to carry.
Soon, everything got underway. Before the ceremony, there was the music. One song in particular that I remember is Bart's brother, Kyle, singing "Truly" by Lionel Richie. He's got such a powerful voice for a sixteen-year-old, and the song was just beautiful.
Soon after that, it was time for Dad to walk me down the aisle. As we started walking past the pews, I looked out of the corner of my eye, and saw a tear rolling down Dad's face. I wouldn't have expected to see him cry until it was Maria's turn to get married. "It's okay, Dad," I whispered.
"I know," he whispered back. Just then, I saw Mary Anne pull a tissue out of her purse and dab at her eyes. I thought for sure she was going to get me started, and that was the last thing I wanted to happen. I'm still impressed at how well I was able to hold it together.
Rev. Downey started with the "Dearly beloved" speech, and I couldn't help noticing that he was grimacing in pain every now and then. You see, about a week ago, he got out of the hospital after a hernia operation. I really admired his determination. I'm also happy to say that when it was time for the rings, it wasn't like "Ramona Forever", if you know what I mean.
The reception was at the Thomas-Brewer mansion. I thought Kristy and Mary Anne looked great, despite the fact that both of them were pregnant. Kristy was entering her third trimester, and Mary Anne was in her second.
We had little egg-salad sandwiches, chicken cordon bleu, Caesar salad, and soda, iced tea, or water to drink. We also had a strawberry-swirl cake with white frosting, and the edges of the cake were lined iwth red frosting. After the guests had taken pictures of us cutting the cake, I surprised Bart by smearing a big chunk of it all over his face, making him look like the Joker with a hangover!
After we cut the cake, we opened the presents. I think our favorite one was the rotisserie that Jason and Kristy had given us. We also received some savings bonds from Bart's parents, and they told us that those were only to be used in emergencies. My parents gave us a set of wine goblets with the long stems, and they had sets of lines, in patriotic colors, running across them. They looked so neat when the light hit them.
After we finished opening the presents, we danced to "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker, which was our first dance as husband and wife. When we danced with our parents (I danced with Dad, and Bart danced with his mom), we danced to "Angel Eyes" by Jeff Healey. (Later, when I danced with Bart's dad, and Bart danced with Mom, we danced to "Beauty and the Beast".) Also, I could be wrong, but when Bart and I were dancing, I think I saw Liam lip-synch and pretend to play the piano, just like Joe did. It still amazes me that I was able to keep a straight face during that song, and it wouldn't surprise me if someone decided to send that to "America's Funniest Home Videos".
Next came the bouquet and garter toss. The bouquet landed at Tiffany's feet. Karen was just inches away from it, and I thought for sure that the two of them were going to turn this into a live performance of "Dynasty", complete with the very elegant, but extremely pissed-off, grunts and screams. To this day, not only am I thankful that didn't happen, but I'm also surprised that nobody suggested building a mud pit.
When Bart tossed the garter, it landed at his cousin, Peter's, feet, and he picked it up.
Today was the best day of my life.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2008 18:48:40 GMT -5
CHAPTER 21: Claudia
I returned to Chicago on Halloween afternoon. My first art show was scheduled to open the next night, November first. It would run through the months of November and December. I also remembered when Rosie Wilder and I had that art show in Mom and Dad's garage. The only difference between that one and this was that there was a lot more art work, not to mention actual refreshments.
After dinner (take-out from the local Japanese restaurant), I opened the fridge. Right there, next to the milk, was my absolute-favorite dessert in the world, custard pie. I cut myself a slice, poured myself a glass of milk, and took my snack into the living room. After I set them down on the coffee table, I looked over toward the mantle at the portrait of Mimi that I'd painted all those years ago. Sure, it was a little faded and yellowed, but it still looked as great as it did when it was first painted.
"Hi, Mimi," I said, picking up the cigarettes that were right beside the portrait. "Sorry about the cigarettes. It's just that I'm a little nervous about tomorrow night. After all, it's my first real art show. And, I mean, formal art show. A lot of really big-shot critics, professors, and artists will be there. I guess I picked the wrong week to quit smoking, huh?
"Oh, Kristy and Jason are doing all right. They'll be having their first baby in a couple of months, and Mary Anne and Logan's baby is due a few weeks after that. I can't wait for them to meet Mallory and Ben's twins! I just wish I could've been there for Mal when she was having them. She told me that after they were born, she was out cold for almost 24 hours. At least she didn't have to see the doctor sitting there like Johnny Bench!
"Well, wish me luck tomorrow night, Mimi. I never would've done any of this without any of your support and your believing in me...I love you."
As I sat down on the futon and lit my cigarette, I smiled up at the portrait. I knew Mimi's spirit would always be with me.
When I arrived at the Chicago Art Museum, I saw my friend, Ashley Wyeth (who, by the way, is no relation to the artist, Andrew Wyeth), whom I've known since eighth grade. Ashley understood me as an artist, and tried to get me to quit baby-sitting, and the BSC, to focus on art. Now, she lives across the hall from me in our apartment building, and is an artist, too. She works full-time, and I work part-time during the school year and full-time on weekends, holidays, and during the summer. "Hi, Ashley!" I called.
"Hi, Claudia. Are you ready for our art show?"
"Yup."
We walked up the steps to the museum entrance, and standing there, near one of the columns, were Shannon and Bart. They were taking their honeymoon in Chicago, and must have decided to stop and see the artwork. "Hi, you guys," I called.
"Hi, Claud," Shannon said.
"How's it going?" I asked.
"Great," Bart said. "How do you think the exhibit's going to do?"
"Well, the doors will be opening in about half an hour, but I'm sure people will like it," I answered. "You know, you're the first ones here."
"Really?" Bart asked.
I nodded. "I can't wait for other people to see it. How do you like Chicago?"
"Great," Shannon said. "So far, we've been to the top of the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Building, we went to a Bulls game, and this morning, we went shopping on the Magnificent Mile. Tomorrow, we're going to the Medieval Times. We're leaving the day after that."
"Great. Well, I hope you enjoy the show," I said.
"I'm sure we will," Bart grinned.
About half an hour later, the doors opened, and everyone trickled inside. I just knew that my first real art show was going to be a success. As I watched people look at my work, I said a silent prayer, thanking Mimi again for always believing in me, and being there for me. I can quite honestly say that none of this would've been possible if it weren't for her, and I knew she was proud of me.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2008 6:33:58 GMT -5
CHAPTER 22: Abby
It was now the day before Veterans' Day. I was getting my groceries out of the car when I saw Anna coming down the hall to her apartment. She was apparently coming home from orchestra practice, where they were practicing for the Christmas concert next month. "Hi, Abby," she called, waving to me.
"Hi, Anna," I answered. "Would you like to come in?"
"Sure," she said. I handed her a couple of bags, and we walked down the hall to our apartments. Anna lives around the corner from me, and we also happen to live in the same apartment complex where Jason's parents live. (My apartment is completely dust-free, because I'd made sure to tell Jason's stepfather, Steve, who's the building superintendent, about my allergies.) "I haven't really had much time to talk to you since you came back from Israel. How was your trip?"
"It was great," I said. "In fact, I got some pictures developed last week, and I'd like to show them to you."
"Okay," Anna said as I set my bag of groceries on the floor, dug into my purse for my key, and unlocked the door. The two of us stepped into my apartment. Anna set her violin case on the kitchen table, and I got a couple of peach wine coolers out of the fridge. In case you're wondering, neither of us are big drinkers. When I do, I have only one drink, and I prefer either Zima, Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Silver, or wine coolers. I wouldn't touch beer, wine, or anything like that with a ten-foot pole. I also have to be careful about how much I drink, and how often, because of my asthma and allergies. If I drink too much, I could get really sick. Anna, on the other hand, isn't picky about what she drinks, and like I said, she isn't a big drinker, either.
After I got our drinks and put the groceries away, I took the photo album down from the top shelf of my bookcase, and sat next to Anna on the couch. "That's the hotel where Mom and I stayed," I said, showing her the first picture. "In fact, right across the road from it is a church, and that church is supposedly built on the same location as the stable where the Nativity took place."
"Wow," Anna commented.
As I flipped through the album, I showed her other pictures. There was one of Mom and me standing on the Mount of Olives, which was taken by one of the locals, one of me making a silly face in my bed in our hotel room, one of Mom standing about a hundred feet from where Golgotha (the "Place of the Skull") supposedly was, one of the trees that were planted in the name of Adam Walsh, one of the entrance to what had supposedly been the Garden of Eden (the sword that covered the entrance was still intact; if you ask me, I think it would've made a great nudist resort, because after all, it was the first one), and there was a whole page of other sites: the entrance to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, with an inscription that read, "HE IS NOT HERE, FOR HE IS RISEN!" I had also taken a whole roll of film of our hotel and the surrounding area.
"Wow, that's impressive," Anna commented.
"Thanks," I said.
After I put the photo album aside, Anna said, "Oh, I have something to show you." She held out her left hand, and on her ring finger was a platinum ring with a pear-shaped diamond. It had to be an engagement ring.
"Congratulations," I said as I picked up our empty bottles and put them in the recycling bin, which was hidden behind one of the cupboards. "Who's the lucky guy?"
"He's the conductor of the orchestra, and his name is Eli," my sister answered.
"Have you set a wedding date yet?"
"We're touring the United Kingdom in the spring, and we're planning to get married as soon as we return," she told me.
"Really? That's fantastic!" I said. "When is this tour, and how long will you be gone?"
"We're leaving on May first, and we'll be gone the entire month. We're touring, in this order: London, Dublin, Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff, and Edinburgh. Depending on our schedule, we just might be able to do some sightseeing in between. And we've been invited to perform at--get this--Buckingham Palace!"
Both of us started jumping up and down and squealing excitedly like we were seven years old again. This was great!
After we calmed down, Anna said, "Oh, that reminds me. I'll have to get on the Internet and look up some travel information. To answer your question about the wedding date, though, Eli and I will be married on July first."
"Have you told Mom the news yet?"
Anna nodded. "I told her over dinner last night. She's really happy for me, too."
"And so am I," I smiled. "Mazeltov." And we gave each other a hug. "Oh, make sure to take lots of pictures on your trip, especially a picture of one of those guards."
"Are you sure I won't get into trouble?"
"Anna, think about it," I said. "You could do the entire 'Springtime for Hitler' number for them, and they wouldn't move a muscle! Hey, did I ever show you that picture of me, Kristy, Stacey, Mal, and Jessi with that one guard from the Tower of London?" I asked as I picked up the photo album and opened it to where we'd left off.
"Oh, you mean that one where you're all wearing your BSC T-shirts and making those faces?" Anna asked.
I grinned and nodded. "Kristy and I even gave that guard rabbit-ears. Poor guy!"
"Do you still have it?"
"Yup," I said, turning to the next page.
As we looked at the picture and laughed ourselves sick, I was really happy for my twin sister, and I knew Dad was happy for her, too.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2008 10:11:49 GMT -5
A/N: In case you're wondering, I've never been to the Holy Land. Some friends of mine have, though, and I've seen their slides.
CHAPTER 23: Mallory
It was the day before Thanksgiving. Ben, the twins, and I were leaving to fly to Hartford. We planned to stay with Mom and Dad for Thanksgiving, as well as Bebe and Byron's wedding, then go back the following Tuesday.
During the flight, I reflected on how much my siblings had grown in the last ten years. The triplets are now attending a technical school in Hartford, where they're planning to be auto mechanics. Their plan was to have Adam and Jordan do the dirty work, and have Byron pump the gas and run the cash register, and it wouldn't surprise me if they decided to open a garage together. Vanessa attends NYU, where, like me, she's planning to be a high school English teacher. The only difference is, I teach Literature, and she'll be teaching College Prep, and write poetry in her spare time. When Vanessa was a kid, she would speak in rhyme constantly, and it drove us nuts. The only relief came when she was upset, then she wouldn't do it. Nick also attends college in New York, where, strangely enough, he's planning to be a Presbyterian minister. Margo attends Stoneybrook University, where, surprisingly enough, she's going to be an EMT. I was a little surprised to hear that, considering the fact that Margo had the world's weakest stomach and constantly got carsick when she was a kid. Claire is now a junior in high school, and she's a PSEO (Post-Secondary Enrollment Options) student, which means that she takes high school classes in the morning and college classes in the afternoon.
Anyway, we arrived in Hartford, and Mom, Dad, and Vanessa met us at the airport. I thought for sure that the triplets would be there, since they also live in Hartford, but they weren't. I was also looking forward to the wedding, and I knew everyone else was, too.
On Friday evening, while everyone was at the church and rehearsal dinner, Kristy, Jason, Ben, and I sat around and talked almost as soon as we'd put the twins to bed. "So, how are you feeling, Kristy?" I asked.
"I'm doing all right. I just can't wait for the baby to be born," she answered. Jason put his arm around her, and laid a hand on her stomach.
"I know what you mean," I said. Ben reached for my hand, and squeezed it. I smiled.
I'd been in her position a few months ago. You see, Kristy had organized a BSC reunion for the weekend of the SHS graduation. Obviously, I couldn't go, because I was expecting the twins at the time. I guess that it was just as well, because on the SHS graduation day, I went into labor, had an emergency C-section, passed out from blood loss (thankfully, I didn't need a hysterectomy), and didn't wake up for almost 24 hours. (Ben once told me that on his way home from the hospital that night, he was listening to the country music station, and heard the song "Don't Take The Girl" by Tim McGraw, and it really hit home with him.) I'm just glad Ben didn't pass out during the actual procedure, because if he had, I would've told the nurse to take a Sharpie and write "WUSS" on his forehead.
Anyway, Kristy had set up her stepfather's WebCam for the occasion. At the time, Kristy had been in her second month. Now, she's in her eighth month, just like I'd been at the time of the BSC reunion, and she had to get special permission from her doctor to travel. Luckily, if anything goes wrong, she only lives an hour and a half away. Anyway, during the reunion, Kristy had burst into tears as soon as she announced to our BSC friends that she was pregnant. That was a real surprise to most of us, becuase we've almost never seen her cry.
Later that evening, everyone came home from the rehearsal dinner. We sat around and talked for a little while, then went to bed, because we knew that we'd have to get up early to be at the church.
Tomorrow is going to be magical.
The next day, we were up by 8:00, and the ceremony didn't start until 11:00. Vanessa and I fixed Margo and Claire's hair, with all three of my sisters being in the wedding. It reminded me of when Dad had lost his job, and Vanessa tried to make money by calling herself "Miss Vanessa" and styling kids' hair on the playground. Bebe had asked Karen, who had just started at a beauty college in Stamford, to be the maid of honor. Byron had asked all three of his brothers to be ushers and groomsmen. I thought that was very nice, considering the fact that when Nick was eight and the triplets were ten, the triplets didn't want to have anything to do with him. Byron had also asked Dawn's brother, Jeff, to be the best man.
We had sent invitations to all of the BSC members, but the only ones who were actually able to come were Kristy, Stacey, Dawn, and I, mostly because we had family members in the wedding party. Claud couldn't come, because of the art show; Mary Anne and Logan couldn't, because not only were they entertaining Logan's cousin, Lewis, but even though Mary Anne wasn't quite in her third trimester, she didn't want to take any chances; Abby couldn't, because she was visitng relatives on Long Island; Jessi couldn't, because of performing in "The Nutcracker"; and Shannon couldn't, because she and Bart were still adjusting to being husband and wife. Bebe and Byron had decided not to have a ring bearer or flower girl, which I decided was all right.
We arrived at the church at 9:30, and were met by Kristy, Jason, and Karen. Kristy looked great, despite her condition. I had even let her borrow one of my maternity dresses for the occasion. I thought it was nice to see her in something other than a turtleneck and jeans.
We took our seats about half an hour later. Ben, the twins, and I sat in the back row on the groom's side. I held our daughter, Andrea, and Ben held our son, Justin.
"I sure hope Byron doesn't go sky-diving today," I whispered to Ben.
Ben laughed. "You think he would?" he asked.
"I doubt it," I answered.
Before too long, the ceremony got underway. Bebe looked beautiful as she came down the aisle with Steve. She was wearing a long-sleeved wedding dress with no train, which she'd borrowed from her stepmother, Diann. I'm told that Diann wore that dress when she married Steve.
'I'm just glad Mary Anne's not here', I thought. If I know her, she'd be bawling. And speaking of which, Bebe was trying her hardest not to, even though I think I might have seen a tear rolling down Steve's face.
When Reverend Downey pronounced Bebe and Byron husband and wife, we applauded, then he introduced them as "Mr. and Mrs. Byron Pike."
I thought the ceremony was just wonderful.
At the reception, which was at the Community Center, Jason again told us the story of his mom and Steve's wedding. I'm really glad that Bebe and Byron's wedding didn't turn out that way.
Later, they did the bouquet and garter toss. Karen caught the bouquet this time, even though it landed at her feet at Shannon and Bart's wedding. I also glad that we were spared from watching her and Tiffany Kilbourne tussle over it. (Oh, and Jeff caught the garter.)
All in all, this was the best day ever.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2008 20:22:21 GMT -5
CHAPTER 24: Kristy
It was now two days before Christmas. Around 8:00 that evening, Jason and I were sitting in the living room, watching "It's A Wonderful Life" on the DVD player. The movie was already up to the part where George Bailey gets his redemption, and he's running through the streets, wishing everyone in Bedford Falls a Merry Christmas. I still remember when Andrew tried that, and he looked so cute, up until he slipped on a patch of ice and busted his tailbone. I can still hear the hollow thud of that kid's behind hitting the ice, and it still makes me shudder to this day. Not even Ashlee Simpson's performance at the Orange Bowl could've compared to that.
Anyway, I got up to go to the bathroom, and Jason pressed the stop button.
"I'll only be a minute," I told him.
"I know," he smiled. "I just didn't want you to miss anything."
When I got to the bathroom, I saw a trickle of blood mixed with water on the bathroom floor. Right away, I knew what was happening. "JASON!" I yelled.
Jason came running into the bathroom. "It's time?" he asked.
"No, I spilled ketchup on the floor," I said sarcastically. "What do you think?"
"Okay, just calm down," he said, starting to calm down himself. "I'll get the bag, and we'll go to the hospital."
I followed him out the door. During the ride to the hospital, Jason called both sets of parents, as well as the doctor, on his cell phone. As we rounded the corner to enter the hospital parking lot, the Beach Boys' "Little St. Nick" was playing on the radio, and we were singing along. (Speaking of that song, I don't know which version I like better, that one, or the one by John Denver and the Muppets.)
When we found a space and pulled into it, I felt the first contraction. "I can't move," I told Jason.
"What do you want me to do, love?" he asked. "Bring the doctor out here and deliver the baby in the parking lot?"
I laughed a little, then said, "It's not funny, Jason."
"All right," he said. He grunted and groaned as he lifted me out of the truck.
In fact, when he set me down, just for fun, I started slapping him and yelling, "YOU STUPID JERK! MY KID'LL PROBABLY BE BRAIN-DAMAGED BECAUSE OF YOU!" Then I groaned, pretending that a contraction had seized me. (By the way, Jason was not driving like a maniac. In fact, he's one of the most careful drivers I've ever seen. That's another reason why I fell in love with him.)
I could tell that Jason was laughing, but he was still a little surprised, especially on the way inside, when I was swatting him away and saying, "Don't touch me, just don't touch me. I'm just going to have this baby without you touching me."
I was also pretty sure Jason was looking at people as if to say, "I've never seen this woman before in my life."
As soon as we'd checked in, the nurse took me to the labor and delivery room. Jason followed with our bag. I changed my clothes, and they gave Jason a sterile gown to put over his. Then, with Jason's help, I climbed into the bed. It was really hard, because I was in the middle of a contraction. Jason rubbed my back until it had passed.
As the next contraction seized me about ten minutes later, Jason rubbed my knuckles and spoke to me in a low, soothing voice, obviously talking me through it. I laid my head back against the pillow.
About three hours later, it was midnight, which meant that it was Christmas Eve. I hoped the baby would come soon. I didn't mind what day it was, though.
When another contraction seized me, about five minutes after midnight and seven minutes after the last one, I grabbed Jason's hand and squeezed it really tightly, and no, I didn't give a rat's ass if I was breaking it. I was just in so much pain.
Around seven in the morning, Dr. Wright came in. After he examined me, he said, "Well, Mrs. Everett, time to start pushing."
I groaned and laid my head back against the pillow. Jason turned my face toward his and said, "You can do this. I know you can. You're a strong person."
Jason briefly left the room, and when he returned, he was wearing the same surgical garb as the doctor. "Ready?" Jason asked.
"I-I think so," I stammered.
"Okay," Dr. Wright said. "On the next contraction, I want you to take a deep breath and hold it for a count of ten, okay?"
"Okay," I said.
"Take a deep breath...now," he said.
I took a deep breath, like they asked, and held it while Jason and the doctor counted to ten, then let it out. "Very good," the doctor said, but when he looked at the fetal monitor, he said, "Oh, nuts."
"What?" Jason asked.
"The baby turned on us. We may have do either manipulate it back into a proper position or do a C-section."
"Try to manipulate it back into a proper position," Jason told the doctor. "I think Kristy's scared to have a C-section after what happened to her friend, Mallory."
"I am not!" I snapped defiantly. Then, I did something that surprised not only the two men, but also me: I grabbed Jason by the nuts and twisted as hard as I could.
"Ow!" he cried. "Okay, okay!"
About five minutes later, I was asked to push again. "The baby's making nice progress," Dr. Wright said. "In fact, I see the head starting to emerge."
Jason looked down. "Here it comes," he said.
"Just give a little push now," the doctor said, "and we'll have the shoulders out, too."
Within minutes of straining, pushing, and screaming "GOD, GET IT OUT OF ME, YOU QUACK!" at the doctor, the baby came out, and we heard the first cry.
"It's a boy!" the doctor announced. "You have a little boy!"
I fell back against the pillow, let out a huge breath, then sobbed my heart out. Jason and I were just over the moon, having brought this whole new life into the world. Through my tears, I managed to look at the doctor and gasp out, "If you even think about singing 'It's a boy, Mrs. Everett, it's a boy', you'll be in traction in one second flat!"
Jason gave me a kiss on the lips. "I'm so proud of you," he said, "for giving me a son."
"What should we call him?" I asked. We looked over our list of names.
"Daniel," Jason suggested. "That way, I can sing that Elton John song to him, but I promise not to drive him crazy by constantly singing it."
"Daniel, I like it," I said. "How about Daniel James?"
"Daniel James Everett," Jason repeated. "D.J., for short. I like it."
I was hoping they wouldn't start singing that "A son, a son, a SOOOON!" bit from "Tommy", because if they had, I would've found some way to give Jason a scar on his other cheekbone. Thankfully, they didn't.
Jason and the doctor bent over little Daniel. "You want to cut the cord?" the doctor asked.
"Sure," Jason said. The doctor showed him what to do. Jason cut the cord, then a nurse wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed him to me.
The baby started crying. "Shh," I said, jiggling it a little, and trying to control my own emotions. Jason stood beside me. He kissed my cheek, then leaned over and kissed little Danny's forehead.
We just couldn't believe our own little Christmas miracle.
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