Early the next morning, I was awakened by a loud pounding on the door. I lifted my head from my pillow to see the clock and found it was only a little before seven. I rubbed my eyes and got out of bed, grabbing a bathrobe on my way down the stairs. I opened the door.
“Mom?”
She hugged me. “Hi honey! I thought you were picking me up at the airport.”
“I thought you got in at 12:06.”
“Try 6:12.”
“Dang! I am so sorry!”
“It’s okay... easy to get that confused, especially when you have so many other things on your mind.” She walked in and set her bag down. “So, when do I get to see that son in law of mine?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Where is he?”
“Atlanta.” She slowly nodded. “It’s their last concert for awhile... a month actually.” I paused. “So... would you like breakfast?”
“Yeah, if you feel like making anything.”
“What would you like?”
“French toast?” She suggested, a hopeful smile on her face.
“No problem.”
“You know how to make it?”
“Uh-huh. Diane taught me. I have to know- it’s Lance’s favorite.” She gave me a smile and began looking at all the framed pictures around the living room. I began the toast and stepped back into the living room. “Cappuccino?”
“You’ll go buy some?”
“No. I’ll go make some. I bought a cappuccino machine.”
“Absolutely!” She followed me into the kitchen. “Your really bending over backwards to make him happy, aren’t you?” My mom asked after a minute.
I stopped what I was doing and turned to face her. I slowly nodded. “But, I’m not doing all this for only that reason... I try to make him happy because I love him more than anything.”
“I can tell,” She said softly after giving me a smile. As I finished preparing the breakfast, she watched me. I then lead her to the back patio of my apartment. We sat at a small table, and as I reached for a mug of cappuccino, she grabbed my hand. “This still amazes me,” she said as she looked at my engagement ring. I smiled because of the look on her face. “What a rock!” I looked down at my own hand. My mother was right- the diamond was a lot larger than my other rings, so it definitely got some attention.
“I’m still in shock that I found him at 17, ya know?” I took a bite of toast.
My mom nodded. “Some people just get lucky. Actually, I was thinking on the way down here that from the night that you and Lance got together, you were one of those girls that you would normally hate.”
“Your right!” I exclaimed with a laugh. “I never realized how deep the hatred actually went until I searched the internet. I have found at least 150 Kelly Arquette hate sites. Not to mention twice that many dedicated to all five of us. From what I’ve found, Alex is hated the most ‘cause of Justin.”
Mom laughed. “So, how is everything going since you transferred from Ohio to here and moved?”
“Really good. We are alot closer now than we used to be because we spend more time together now. Well... kinda. There’s still the times when Lance leaves on tour for up to three months without being home. We talk every day that he’s gone, but there are times I’d do anything just to be in his arms and have him say ‘I love you’ without being hundreds of miles away.”
She nodded in understanding. “And the wedding plans?”
I sighed in exasperation. “You had to ruin the serious moment by asking, didn’t you?”
“Well, I...”
“Everything is going wrong!” I drank the last of my cappuccino in one gulp. “Let’s see... where do I start? How a bout how they’ve messed up my dress twice, four of the five tuxes don’t fit, Alex’s dress is screwed, the church is double booked, and Lance broke two of the bottles of wine for the reception.”
“Whoa... that’s some problems.”
“Your telling me!” I finished my breakfast and stood. “I’m going to go get dressed. I’ll be back.” I went to my room and got dressed in white Tommy capri pants, a white tank top that showed my mid-riff, and black Tommy shoes with no socks. My hair was pulled back in half pigtails.
“So, what’s up for today?” Mom asked me as I reappeared in the kitchen.
“I was thinking we could shop for the new house.”
“That sounds good. Are you ready?”
“I am.” I grabbed a set of keys and walked out the door. Mom followed me as I walked to the passenger side of the Pathfinder. I attempted to unlock the door, but no luck. It was then I realized I had Lance’s keys to his 4-Runner in my hand. “I guess we’re taking that one instead,” I said as I unlocked the passenger door of the car for my mom.
Then, I got in myself, started the vehicle and pulled it out of the driveway. “So, this is Lance’s?” She asked, turning around and inspecting the back of the car.
“Yup,” I replied, with a look in the rearview mirror.
“It’s nice.”
“I know. And it’s great for hauling furniture and stuff like that. It’s comfortable no matter what your using it for. In fact, both back seats recline all the way down.” It took me a second before I realized what I had said and to who. “I mean... I... um... never mind...”
“Kelly? I don’t want to know how you know.” She paused for a second and began talking again. “Wait... if this is Lance’s why do you have it?”
“When he leaves for a concert, he sometimes leaves it with me, because Stacy has this habit of borrowing it and not filling it up with gas when she’s done.”
“I bet it’s because the seats recline all the way down.”
“Shut up.”
She smiled at me. I drove in silence until her voice broke it. “Kelly, you just ran a red light.”
“Oops... my bad. Oh well, at least there was nobody...” The flash of lights cut me off. “Around to see.” I slowly pulled off the road and dug my license out of my purse, mumbling the entire time. “Stupid... dangit... I can’t believe I... four letter word... dangit!” I rolled the window down and waited for the officer to come over.
Soon, I heard the light pad of soft soled shoes on pavement. I looked up to see the officer. He was around 5’5”, had sandy blonde hair, gray eyes, and his nametag read ‘B. A. Griffiths.’ “How are you ladies this morning?”
“Fine,” Mom and I answered in unison.
“Do you know why I pulled you over?” He asked.
“Yes sir. I ran a red light.”
He looked surprised. “As long as you know. Now, ma’am, may I see your license and registration?”
I handed my license to the officer while my mom checked the glove compartment for the registration. After a moment, she said, “Kelly, I can’t find the registration.”
I looked up at the officer. “Um, sir? We can’t find the registration.”
“So, you don’t have it?”
“No, I can’t find it. This isn’t my car.”
“Well, then, Miss Arquette... who’s is it?”
“It’s my fiancée’s.”
“And he would be where?”
“Atlanta,” I answered.
“And why is that?”
“Business.”
“Ma’am, would you mind stepping out of the vehicle?”
I got out of the car and followed the officer to his patrol car where he motioned for me to sit on the passenger side.
“21-42, Orlando,” he said into the radio.
“21 go ahead,” the dispatcher answered.
“Florida... Arquette... Kelly... A- Apple... DOB- zero, three, twelve, eighty one....” he put the radio down. “Okay, so that isn’t your car?”
“Correct.”
“It belongs to your fiancée’.”
“Right.”
“And he is in Atlanta on business.”
“Right.”
The officer slowly nodded. “I see.”
A voice came through the radio. “Kelly Andrea Arquette. Orlando Florida.”
“10-4,” Officer Griffiths said. Then, “License plate number 129 NSC.” He turned to me. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your fiancé’s name?”
“Lance Bass. But since your running the plate, it would be under James Lance Bass.”
“42-21.”
“Go ahead,” Officer Griffiths answered.
“1998 4-Runner limited edition... Bass, James, L... May 4, 1979.”
“10-4, thank you.” He handed me my license. “Well, Miss Arquette, here’s your license. Be careful in the future. We wouldn’t want you dead before you wedding day. Your free to go now.” I stepped out of the car and returned to the other.
As soon as I got into the driver’s seat, my mom began asking questions. “What happened?” I started to answer, but she interrupted. “Did you get a ticket?”
“No. He let me go with a warning.” With that, I pulled out onto the road towards our destination.
“What are you doing?”
“I just remembered that I have to try my dress on again.”
“Oh...” She slowly replied. “Want me to come with you?”
“Sure.” The two of us went into the store and before I had the opportunity to say anything, Claire, one of the saleswomen I had gotten to know quite well greeted me.
“Hi Kelly!” She grabbed a long garment bag from a hook behind the counter. “I think we got it right now.” She handed me the bag and I disappeared into the dressing room.
I unzipped the bag. The dress was beautiful. I noticed all the extra fabric was gone. I kept my back to the mirror as I changed. I zipped the dress, took a deep breath, and turned around. I gasped as I saw my reflection. The dress fit like a glove.
After a silent moment, there was a knock on the door. “Kelly?”
“Come on in mom.”
She opened the door and stepped inside. “Oh Kelly.” Her voice caught in her throat and her eyes filled with tears. She crossed the room and hugged me. Moments later, she held me at arms length. “Kelly, look at yourself.”
I turned and stared at my reflection. “What am I supposed to be seeing?”
My mom set her hands on my shoulders. “There’s no doubt about it... Lance is going to fall in love with you all over again.”
