THE HOUSEWARMING
DANIEL, FLAT ON HIS BACK AGAIN......by Terri
Chicken Cordon Bleu
on to next part of STORY
Hot! Hot! Hot!
Rose put Julie in her high chair and opened a jar of strained apricots for her afternoon snack. John gave her a piece of zwieback.
Rose chided, "John, I want her to eat her fruit first. That's a lot of carbs in that."
John said, "Since when is Julie on the SouthBeach diet or Atkins or whatever the fad is now? Maybe we should just take her to the gym and let her work out." He turned to Julie. "What do you say, princess? Daddy's little girl wanna use the crunch machine?" Julie laughed and smacked her hands repeatedly on the high chair tray.
"I take that for a 'yes.'"
John got up, grabbed his car keys and said, "I'll be home around five, hon. Then we can start moving some of the personal stuff into the house, after we make an appearance over next door at Jim's housewarming."
William looked up with sad eyes. "You really are going to do it, aren't you? Leave me?"
Rose gave him a hug around his neck. "Oh, come on now 'Daddy', you know what they say, 'birds gotta swim, fish gotta fly.'"
William sniffed into his kleenex. "You got it wrong but I get your meaning, dear."
Rose said. "Oh yeah. It's 'birds gotta swim, fish gotta FRY!"
William nodded. "Yeah. That's it."
John pulled out of the drive. Julie stood at the door and waved 'bye-bye' to her daddy.
Rose picked up her purse. "I appreciate you watching Julie, Celeste. I'm going to miss the 'on call' babysitter."
"Nonsense, dear," Celeste said. "You are only four houses away. I am always here."
Rose sighed."Yes, but like El said, it is four huge yards. I need to finish up the errands that I was afraid to do because Jim would embarrass me to no end. I mean, he has a good voice but PUL-LEEZE!"
She got in her car and headed for Westchester County Hospital. She took the elevator to the fourth floor and stopped at the nurse's station.
"Please, may I visit with Daniel Gwinnett?"
The nurse looked at the chart and said, "Yes, but only for a few minutes. Room 404 to the left."
Rose made her way down to Room 404. She knocked on the door. No answer. She gingerly opened the door and said softly, "Daniel?"
A muffled voice, weak, came from the bed behind the curtain. "Hey. Over here."
Rose came quietly into the room and pulled the curtain back. There lay Daniel, pale and full of tubes.
Rose said with dismay, "DANIEL! Oh, Daniel! You look awful!"
He smiled weakly and said, "Nice to see you too, sugar. I guess you can't have a 2000 lb tree fall on you and run a marathon the next day."
Rose pulled a chair up and sat down. "We were all worried about you."
He said, "Even you?"
She retorted, "Yes, even me. You are my brother-in-law and my husband's twin brother. If anything happened to you, John would be devastated."
Daniel groaned. Rose jumped up. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Daniel tried an evil grin. "Sure is..now go pull that curtain shut..."
Rose picked up a pillow and said tartly, "You're disgusting, Daniel. I could very well suffocate you with this pillow and no one would ever know. They will think just good old cadiac arrest."
Daniel took a deep breath and let out a raspy one. "Then you'd have no one to hate, Rose. Your hatred of me is what keeps me going."
"I don't...hate you, Daniel."
"Loathe?"
"That's more like it."
Daniel tried to laugh but ended up coughing. Rose looked at him worriedly. "Is there anything I can get for you?"
He shook his head no. Rose asked, "What is the prognosis?"
Daniel said, "Well, I have two broken legs but they were clean breaks so they expect a total recovery. I had internal bleeding so now I am spleen-less. Just alot of scrapes and bruises and a concussion where I hit my head on the corner of the bed. Stitches in my scalp. They think I could be in here for another six weeks."
Rose said, "Wow. You are fortunate. John said it was touch and go that first night."
Daniel said, "Yeah. Not ready to cash in yet. Kind of makes you re-evaluate your whole life."
"And what did you discover, Daniel?"
He smiled. "That I wouldn't change a single solitary thing of what I've done."
"Shame of it is, I believe you."
Rose stood up. "I've got to go. John and I are moving into our new house tomorrow."
"Oh, yeah? Great. That means old William won't be breathing down your neck. By the way, Rose, you are glowing. I mean that sincerely."
Rose looked down at her expanding stomach and sighed. " Glowing. Don't you mean growing?"
Daniel shook his head no. "No, you kind of sparkle. But then, you always did. Hey, I think I feel a poem coming on. If you could just write this down for me..."
Rose threw the pillow on him and flounced out the door.
He whispered, "Thanks for the visit, sweetheart."
But she never heard him. He sighed and flipped on ESPN. Again.
READY TO PARTY.............by Coralynn
"Rose!" Marilyn yells, as Rose returns to the big house, "I got 'em!"
"You got 'em?!"
"Everybody's coming to Jim's housewarming tonight, even the Clintons!"
"Great! Haven't seen them in awhile. I thought Bill was off signing his books all over the country."
"He has a short break before he goes out again, so he's able to come. Hillary is home, also, so we're in luck. We have everyone else attending, too."
Rose laughs, "Even Grace Wheeler?"
"Yep! She's on the wagon, you know, so she should behave better than she usually does. Rhys and Mageara are coming, and so are all the guys.....Rafe, Hots, Slim, Moose, Mike, Luke, Jerry, Henry8.....and of course Jack and Marthy and Vinnie and Sheila. I also asked Abby Bennett and Jeremy Pennypacker if they're off duty tonight, and they are!"
"That's a nice sized group! You must have worked on it all day!" Rose declares
"Yep! sure did. I told everyone it was semi-formal. No tuxes, just business suits, and the women were told to be dressy, but not formal. I know the guys love parties where they can wear jeans, but since the Fab Five are supposed to have brought Jim's wardrobe up to snuff, I figured the least the other men could do is dress well."
"Is this going to be catered?"
"Jim is supposed to fix the food himself," Marilyn answers, then, frowning, adds, "I think that could be a problem."
"Huge problem. Let's order some backup food for him, OK?"
"Good plan, let's!"
JIM, MASTER CHEF........by Coralynn
Jim props up the recipe for the main course he's supposed to make for the housewarming party. Ted showed him how to do it, now he wishes he'd paid better attention.
"Wellll, how hard can it be?" he asks the empty kitchen.
He squints at the recipe. How can I make this for 25 people? he wonders.
4 boneless, skinless chicken
breast halves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 slices fully cooked ham
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
SAUCE:
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons white wine or
chicken broth
Directions:
(1). Flatten the chicken to 1/2-in. thickness. Spread mustard on one side;
sprinkle with paprika. Top with a ham slice. Roll up tightly; secure with toothpicks.
(2). In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and pepper.
(3). Brush chicken with mayonnaise; roll in crumb mixture. Place in a shallow
2-qt. microwave-safe dish; cover loosely. Microwave on high for 7 minutes.
Turn the chicken; cook 7 minutes longer or until juices run clear. Remove
toothpicks; set aside and keep warm.
(4). In a 1-qt. microwave-safe dish, heat the butter on high for 30 seconds;
stir in the flour until smooth. Cook, uncovered, on high for 30 seconds.
Add
milk and salt. Cook 3-4 minutes longer or until thickened.
Stir in cheese
until smooth. Add the wine or broth. Serve over chicken.
"This must be for one person, this recipe," he concludes, "So I'll just make it 25 times as big. Now, where did the guys put the chicken?"
Then he remembers, when the chicken was brought into the kitchen Ted left it in the refrigerator, but Jim then put it in the freezer, a smart move if he does say so himself.
He retrieves the large package of frozen chicken and opens it gingerly.
"Flatten the chicken to a half an inch?" he frowns, takes a wooden mallet and proceeds to beat the frozen chicken, which refuses to flatten. "Close enough!" he decides.
"Paprika? Uhhhhh, the guys bought so many little cans........let's see, this one looks like it!" he dumps in the entire container of cinnamon.
"Bread crumbs!" he rummages around looking for something that resembles bread crumbs. "HUH! Bread is made of flour, so......let's see, we put in a cup of that!" he dusts his hands off in satisfaction.
Then he looks for mayonaise. What kind of container does that come in? He sees some French dressing, and happily stirs that into the mixture.
Looking at the directions again, but without his glasses on, he decides to dump all the ingredients together in one large bowl. "WOW," he exclaims, "this is easier than I thought!"
"Oh I almost forgot the ham!" he raps himself up side of the head.
He looks around for ham, but, without his glasses on, finds it hard. "Ham is from a pig, like pork. I know! I know! I have pork chops in the freezer, too!"
He throws in six frozen pork chops and gives the concoction another stirring.
He remembers Ted using some cheese, now what kind was that? I know! he looks in the newly stocked cupboard and finds a jar of CheezWhiz. This has to be it! he happily spoons out the contents over the pork chops. OH YUM! his mouth is beginning to water.
After pouring in a generous amount of brandy, which is even better than wine, he decides, he shoves it all into one big roasting pan and puts it in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour. After all, his Mom told him that everything is cooked in a 350 degree oven for an hour, no exceptions.
He slams the oven door shut and goes upstairs to get dressed for the party, humming "Aquarius" as he bounds up the stairs.
MEANWHILE at their apartment, via closed circuit television:
"NO!" Ted is yelling.
"You showed him how to make this?" Kyan is baffled.
"I didn't think he grasped it very well, but I left the recipe for him to follow! Doesn't the man read English?"
"Hope the emergency rooms at the hospital aren't full tonight, because if anyone eats that junk, that's where they'll end up!" Carson giggles.
Ted puts his head in his hands and groans, "Marilyn said this guy would be a challenge and we thought that would be a good thing. If the rest of the housewarming is as bad as his cooking, we're in for a long night, fellas!"
_____________.......by Terri
Abby was going through her closet. She pulled out a blue dress...no...red? No, too flashy...yellow? Yes! It was a yellow sundress. She pulled her auburn hair into a twist and clipped it. Her mother, Marcella, came into the room.
"Out on a date with Jeremy?" she asked.
Abby said, "Yes. It's to a place you would never imagine, too! That weird guy at the Garden of Earthly Delights restaurant? He was the recipient of a makeover from those five gay guys on TV. Now they are having a housewarming and Jeremy and I have been invited."
"NO!" tore from Marcella's lips.
Abby turned around, surprise etched all over her face. "Whyever not?"
Marcella tried to recover from her fumble. "It--it's just that you hardly know him! I mean, he's a very strange man."
Abby pulled out a pair of sandals. "That he is. But don't worry--I know some of the people there. They were character witnesses for Rosamond Gwinnett when she was on trial for murder."
"Murder? That nice young woman? That woman who is expecting a baby?"
Abby tried to match up a purse. "The very one. She was being blackmailed by the murder victim and it turns out the district attorney's wife was being blackmailed also. The DA's wife ended up beaning her with a potroast and then stabbing her with Rosamond's kitchen knife."
Abby dumped the contents of one purse on the bed and transferred some things to the one she picked out.
"Anyway, it turns out that this Jim person--think his name is Livingston--inherited quite a bit of money and property. But he's a burnout from the '60s scene. Looks like he did one too many hits of acid. Can you imagine anyone letting themselves be taken over by drugs like that? Although I must admit, it would be cool to have been at Woodstock! Four days of one big love-in!"
"Yes it was.." Marcella said.
"What, Mother?"
"I said "Yes, I can imagine it was."
Abby continued, "And Haight-Ashbury! Wow, that must have been wild!"
Marcella murmured, "I heard it was. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix.."
Abby laughed. "You act like you knew them all, Mother!"
Marcella laughed self-consciously. "Well, it's just that I listened to their music so much I felt like I did."
Abby slipped her sandals on and buckled them. "YOU?! Mother, you listen to nothing but opera and classical! I could never have pictured you in tie-dyes and love beads and a headband and poncho! Don't make me laugh!"
Marcella twisted a kleenex in her hands. "Abby, I wish you wouldn't go. This makes me nervous."
Abby said, "If it makes you feel better, I'll stay far far away from the host. You forget that I am a criminal profilist since I got my promotion and I am dating a police officer. Soon to be a detective first class! And there's the doorbell right now so Jeremy is here!"
She gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek. "Will you be alright by yourself, Mother?"
Marcella nodded. "Certainly, dear. I am going to watch a movie and drink a glass of wine and then get to bed. After I talk to your father."
Abby waved. "Give Dad a kiss and hug from me!"
She went downstairs to greet Jeremy.
Marcella tried to fight the rising stem of panic in her inner soul. Kiss Dad for her.
'Oh, Abby! Some mistakes you never stop paying for. And just when you thought it was just a bad dream, something comes along to bite you in the behind. Some things there just is no reasonable explanation for. God, please keep them apart!
For all our sakes.'
She went downstairs, turned on the VCR and poured herself not one, but two glasses of wine. Because she needed it.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN..........by Coralynn
Jim stands in his bedroom putting the finishing touches on his outfit. The suit fits well; he turns this way and that in front of his full-length mirror and remarks, "Had I known I would look this good, I might have bought one of these years ago!"
Then he thinks, 'yeah, but no one would have recognized me. No one would have come up to me on the street and asked me how's it hangin'!'
He picks up the tie Thom recommended he wear with the suit and loops it around his neck. "Never could get the hang of this!" he mutters.
He tries tying it one way, then another. In desperation, he goes to the phone and punches in the number over at the big house next door.
Eleanor answers the phone from her room. "Jim! About ready for us?...........ok, I'll get William...." she lays down the receiver and yells out the bedroom door, "William! Jim on the line for you!"
William has been ready for over thirty minutes, and is glad for something to do while he waits for everyone else. Picking up the phone, he hears Jim pleading, "Ya gotta come over here! I don't know how to tie this *#$#&$ tie!"
"You come over here instead," William tells him, "We aren't supposed to see the inside of your house till we all arrive together............right...........ok, see you in a minute."
Jim runs over to the big house and bangs on the door. William opens it and advises, "We have a doorbell, Jim. Come on in, I can get you fixed up super quick, then you can get back to your house so you can let in your guests."
"I have the food all cooked," Jim says proudly as William ties the tie. "You should smell it! Smells like Christmas!"
William isn't sure what aroma Jim is referring to, but lets it go. "Get along now Jim!" he smiles encouragingly as the other man expresses his thanks and leaves the house.
William announces in his most authoritative voice, "We're leaving now! NOW!"
A few straggle down from their upstairs bedrooms, some come out of their first floor rooms, all in their finest suits and dresses.
The women go into the kitchen and retrieve the large box of catered food they had delivered and hope they won't need it, but just in case.......
"We still have two minutes," Marilyn informs him.
"And that's the time it will take us to walk over there!" he informs her.
"We don't ride over?" Rose frowns.
"We walk over. This reminds me of the time a few years ago when you and I went to the TV studios in Manhattan, remember? You wanted to hail a cab, but I made you walk."
"We ended up on the subway, William!" she corrects him, "And it scared me half to death!"
Wiliam chuckles at the memory, then asks Marilyn, "What's in the box you're carrying?"
"A housewarming present!" she tells him, "you know how we sent over our presents a while ago? Well, this is one I forgot to send." She exchanges winks with the other women, who try to keep straight faces.
They arrive at Jim's house just as several cars are also arriving.
"Looks like the gang's all here!" Bess exclaims happily. "What are we supposed to say when we see Jim's house? Are we supposed to tell him it looks great? What if it doesn't, do we lie?"
"It'll look great, Bess," Marilyn assures her, "The Fab Five have excellent taste. You won't have to lie!"
Everyone congregates on the front porch as William rings the bell.
They hear Jim yelling, "OK, OK, keep your pants on!" as running footsteps echo from within the house.
At the Apartment of the Fab Five:
"Keep your pants on?!" Carson shakes his head, "we tried to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, but obviously failed!"
Jai bops him over the head with a magazine, "Give the guy a chance!"
When the large group has filed into the living room, a collective, "Ahhhhhhh!" is heard.
"You like? you like?" Jim is juming up and down with glee.
Eleanor gives him a quick hug, "This is marvelous, Jim. Beautiful."
"I couldn't've done it without the guys, though. HEY! I cooked dinner!"
"All by yourself?" Hotspur asks, sitting on a couch.
"All by myself. Can't you smell it?"
Bethiah snifs the air, "Must be a secret recipe!" she comments, wondering what on earth is making that weird smell.
Roger introduces himself, "I'm Roger Bidwell. My wife, Beth, and I are close friends with William...."
"HO! Any friend of William's is a friend of mine!" Jim blusters as he shakes hand with Roger over and over and over till Roger finally releases, leaving Jim standing there shaking hands with the air.
"Come see the rest of the house!" Jim leads them into the kitchen. Those who saw it in it's "before" condition are impressed. The others also compliment Jim on his modern appliances and scrupulous cleanliness.
Jim then leads them up to the second floor and insists on showing them each of the eight bedrooms.
"See this bed?" he boasts as he leaps up on it and proceeds to jump, "this one is better than a trampoline!"
Over at the Apartment of the Fab Five:
"I can't believe I'm seeing this!" Kyan groans.
"Child-like, isn't he?" Thom adds.
"And his hair is standing up on end!" Kyan sighs, "That's not the style I recommended!"
"But the music on the speaker system is nice," Jai tells them, trying to find something positive to say.
___________.......by Terri
Billy Bob and Bobby Joe settled in to watch the baseball came. They opened up a box of supreme pizza and opened their bottles of beer. Mary Ellen and J. R. came down the stairs.
Mary Ellen was dressed in a simple black dress and her pearl necklace. Bobby Joe nudged Billy Bob. "Look!" he whispered. "Your mom is wearing pearls. This looks serious."
Billy Bob groaned and set his beer down. "Mom? Dad? Where are you going? Out to dinner?" he said hopefully.
Mary Ellen picked up her purse and said succinctly, "My cousin, James P. Livingston, has had a total makeover, both on my grandfather's house and his own person. We have been invited to the 'grand opening' as it were."
Billy Bob said incredulously, "You gotta be kidding! And you are going?"
Mary Ellen said stiffly, "I intend to find out what happened to the Waterford crystal and the Limoges. Ready, J.R.?"
He shrugged his shoulders and gave the young men a 'what can I do?' expression.
They nodded their sympathies and went back to the game.
J.R. and Mary Ellen pulled up in front of the Livingston house on Winding Willow. She craned her neck.
J.R. said, "It looks like some sort of fancy landscaping has been done. Look at that lampost by the sidewalk. Looks pretty good, Mary Ellen. Kind of a Tudor looking house.
Mary Ellen sniffed, "So what? If I know James, the inside will smell like hashish and there will be people sitting on pillows with rubber hoses around their arms and hypodermic needles lying everywhere. And a blacklight."
J. R. parked the car and opened the door for Mary Ellen. A two-fold reason there--J.R. was a Texas gentleman. And Mary Ellen insisted on it.
He assessed the vehicles in the driveway. "Looks like his friends aren't bums. Look at the BMWs and SUV's here. No Beetles with peace signs and flowerpower on them."
Mary Ellen looked. "They must be party-hanger-ons. Jim does NOT know people like this. Last I saw him before the will reading, he was in a VW bus with peace signs and painted all these wild colors. He stuck his head out of the window, flashed me a peace sign and hollered, "Peace, Mo-Mo!" I was with Chip Dillard. You remember Chip, darling. He was the varsity captain of the football team at Texas A&M."
J.R. grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, I remember."
Mary Ellen managed a smile. "But I fell in love with YOU--a Texas wildcatter. Just like the Ewings! You struck oil, and I had the land."
J.R. rang the doorbell. It played, 'Ina-gada-da-vida' in chimes.
Jim was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on his chicken cordon bleu. He put a garnish of lettuce leaves on the platter. Hey, he figured. It's green. He heard the ring at the door. "Would someone please get the door. My hands are full of food!"
Eleanor said, "I hope he's not stirring whatever it is with his hands!"
Rosamond said, "I'll get it. I'm nearest the door."
She opened up the door and came face to face with Mary Ellen and J. R. Montgomery.
Mary Ellen and Rose both said, "YOU!!" at the same time.
Rose said, "Oh! Hi! I mean..hello!" She looked past them, shielded her eyes with her hand and said, "Are you alone? Any one else out there?"
Mary Ellen said imperiously, "Of course we are alone!"
Rosamond blurted out, "Were you invited?"
Mary Ellen retorted, "Yes. Were YOU??"
She stepped inside.
Rose saw Senator Montgomery and broke out in a genuine smile. "Senator!! How wonderful to see you--and looking so good!"
J.R. hugged the woman who used to be his daughter-in-law and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Rosamond! You look as pretty as a new-born calf!"
Rose blushed but said, "You always had a way with words, Senator! But right now I feel more like a cow!"
Rose grabbed Senator Montgomery's arm and walked right past Mary Ellen like she wasn't there. Rose thought, 'OK, Mo-Mo---you are on MY turf now!' She felt empowered. Like she finally had the upper hand.
She looked up at J.r. "I'd like you to meet my husband. John? Here's someone I would like you to meet. Senator J.R. Montgomery? This is my husband--John Gwinnett."
John stood up and held his hand out to J.R. "A pleasure to meet you, sir." J.R. took John's hand and said, "Well, well! So this is the man that wooed you away from my son!"
John didn't know what to make of it. But J.R. just said, "Water under the bridge, Mr. Gwinnett. Can't say as I blame you."
Mary Ellen exclaimed, "J.R.!! What a perfectly horrid thing to say!"
J.R. said, "Mary Ellen, you know what Billy Bob is like. Controlling."
And he whispered to Rose, "Just like his mother."
Rose started to laugh and caught herself. J.R. said, "How's that little filly. Julie."
John broke out in a smile. "Beautiful as can be. Would you like to see a picture?"
J.R. said, "I'd love to!" as they went into the kitchen.
Mary Ellen took Rose's arm and hissed, "I know what you are up to and it won't work!"
Rose pulled her arm away and said, "What are you talking about?"
"Sweet-talking my husband and making me look like the enemy!"
Rose shook her head as she walked off. "I don't have to do a thing, 'Mo-Mo.' You do a very nice job of it all by yourself."
The fab five sat down and yelled at the TV, "Oooh, nice shot, honey! Right between the eyes!" Kyan yelled.
Carson said, "Look at that thundercloud over that society matron's head. It's as black as her dress!"
Thom said, "Isn't that what witches wear? Black?"
They all high-fived each other and glued themselves to the TV screen.
Celeste, being the diplomat, came over to Mary Ellen. She extended her hand to her and said, "I don't believe I have had the pleasure. I am Celeste Cipriano."
Mary Ellen took her hand and said, "Hello. I am Mrs. Mary Ellen Montgomery."
Celeste said, "I understand that you are Jims' cousin? It IS a small world."
Mary Ellen said, "Yes, isn't it? I certainly didn't expect to see my ex-daughter in law at this function."
Celeste raised her eyebrows and said, "No? Why not? After all, Rose and John are Jim's neighbors, as am I."
Mary Ellen said, "What? Rose lives on this street?"
"Yes, she and John bought the house two doors down from here."
"THE COOPER HOUSE??"
"Yes, do you know it?"
Mary Ellen said, "I surely do. It is only one of two houses on this street that is from the American Revolution. Do they know it is on the National Register of Historic Places?"
"I don't know. They remodeled it and Architectural Digest is interested in it for their winter issue."
Mary Ellen looked at John and Rose, talking and laughing with J.R.
She said to herself, 'Huh. Imagine that. I don't think they even know what they have there...'
DINNER IS......SERVED..........by Coralynn
Mary Ellen's thoughts are interrupted by new arrivals. William and another man she can't identify, greet a disconcertingly familiar looking couple.
"Bill! Hillary!" William greets them, "I'd like you to meet our host," turning to the other man, "This is James Livingston, who has become not just a neighbor, but a friend."
That's Jim?! Mary Ellen can't believe her eyes. He's shaking hands with a former President and a Senator? NO! This can't be!
The Fab Five are rolling on the floor laughing. "Did you see the look on that snooty woman's face when the Clintons came through the door?" Carson exclaims.
"That witch is Jim's cousin, too, the one he calls Mo-Mo! No way could she recognize him with his makeover!" Kyan remarks.
"Sweet revenge..." Jai manages to say through his laughter.
Mary Ellen decides to find J.R. He is also a Senator, after all. She can't find him in the large room full of people. She walks out into the kitchen where the oddest aroma assails her nostrils. Not in here either, she concludes and walks back to the living room, seething.
Jim manages to get everyone's attention, announcing "Dinner is...served!"
The group migrates to the dining room and find their place cards and as they're taking their seats, the doorbell rings once more.
"Go ahead and serve the meal, Jim, I'll get this one!" William says as he walks back out to the living room and opens the door.
WandaSue has arrived at the same time as Penelope and Sally, but is being ignored by the other two women.
William wonders how they got invited to this party. "Yes, ladies, do you have invitations?" he asks, hoping they don't.
"Yes!" all three wave the invitations in the air and enter. William's heart sinks, ohhhh no, not these three trouble-makers. What's next, Travis McGee?
He smiles and informs them that dinner is just beginning and leads them into the dining room, where he can see Jim putting an enormous platter down on the table.
Eleanor, Celeste, Rose, Bess, Bethia, Marthy and Marilyn exchange distress signals with their eyes.
"Dig in!" Jim says proudly as he lifts the silver cover off the huge platter.
"My, it looks delicious!" Bill comments as he is the first to serve himself.
"Yes, it certainly does!" J.R., who has finally surfaced, agrees.
Jim, in his eagerness, dishes up some of the concoction for several of the people sitting near him, then takes a generous serving himself.
He gets his fork poised over his plate and says to the group, "A VOTRE SANTE!"
The Fab Five hold their collective breath. Ted is stunned....."that doesn't look anything like chicken cordon bleu to me! Oh my God, what are those, pork chops?"
Celeste takes her first bite, chews, and has the almost overwhelming urge to spit it out. But where? Is that cinnamon, she wonders, and, if so, what's it doing on chicken and pork chops? She looks at several of the others and notices the unmistakable expression of shock on their faces.
"What do you call this dish?" Hillary asks Jim as she forces herself to swallow before laying down her fork.
"Chicken Cordon Bleu!" he answers, grinning. He takes his second bite, a third one, a fourth one, as everyone looks at him, fascinated. He's actually going to eat this stuff!
"Would you excuse us for just a minute?" Marilyn asks Jim who is on his fifth bite.
He nods as Marilyn, Eleanor and Bess rush out into the kitchen where they've hidden the box of catered food. Hauling it out of the refrigerator, they quickly find serving dishes and platters, then carry it into the dining room.
"What's that?!" Jim asks, rubbing his now whiskerless chin.
"This is the second course!" Eleanor tells him, maintaining an innocent expression and vocal tone.
"HA! What'd'ya know? A second course!" he turns to Eleanor, confused, "Did I cook that as well?"
"You probably did!" she replies, barely succeeding in stifling a laugh.
A look of relief comes over everyone's face, as they're pretty sure they know where the new food came from.
"Cheating!" Ted yells at the TV set. "I'd call it a stroke of genius!" Jai contradicts. "I'd call this whole thing a disaster!" Carson begins to laugh again. "Whatever. This one is going to put our ratings through the roof!" Thom raises his wine glass in victory.
DIVINE.....by Terri
"Jim, this is divine!"
"What IS this?"
"Oh, my! Let me have some more of that lobster quiche over there."
"Jerry, real men don't eat quiche!"
"Eleanor, forget it! You are talking to a man with no eyebrows!"
That drew a round of laughter. Mary Ellen sat there concentrating on her plate. She looked at the china. Noritake, I'll bet. But I can't up-end it to look. Aha! This must be the Waterford crystal!
The fab five sat around scrutinizing the entire dinner party. Carson said, "Ye gads! Is that who I THINK it is?"
Jai said, "No, it can't be...I mean, who would have invited him?"
Thom said, "Well, there's some very high-falutin' people there. Wonder Woman of the sports world,,my favorite, the Conquering Chef!..."
Kyan looked. "Oh look! There they are! The hottest couple in daytime television! And is she expecting?"
Carson yelled out, "Way to go, Mr. Hottest Couple! Are they dating?"
Kyan said, "No, they are married."
Carson raised his eyebrow at him. Kyan colored. "Well, that's what I HEAR!"
All four of them look at him. He stumbles around, "I saw it in the Daytime Digest while I was standing in line at the supermarket. I SWEAR!"
They continue to stare at him. He said defensively, "Well, I did!" More stares. Finally Kyan broke down. "OK, OK, I'll admit it! I WATCH THE DAMN SHOW, OK? Just go ahead and shoot me!"
Carson said, "OK, who else watches the show? Come on, how many of you are closet Planet freaks?"
One by one their hands go up. They each look at each other and start to laugh. Carson said, "What a bunch of losers you are!"
Jai said, "Oh, so what! We all know that Daisy is carrying Biff's baby!"
Carson said without thinking, "No, it's Brad's baby!"
He then realized what he said and shut up. The rest of them formed a letter 'L' with their index finger and thumb, put it up to their foreheads and chanted, "LOSER!!!"
Mary Ellen was sitting between Wanda Sue and Hotspur. Wanda Sue turned to her.
"Well, well, well! If it isn't my most favorite mommy-in-law!"
Mary Ellen turned to the dinner companion on her left. "Excuse me?"
Wanda Sue looked at her and said, "Excuse YOU?? Don't you recognize me?"
Mary Ellen shook her head no. "I'm sorry..I don't have any daughter in laws. My son is divorced from..THAT one. Over there."
Wanda Sue rolled her eyes. "I can't believe it! You don't recognize me? Because I sure as hell know YOU! Your family wrecked everything fifteen years ago! I was your precious Billy Bob's babydoll!"
Mary Ellen looked closely at the woman with the mile-wide hips and the remnants of poison ivy scabs on her arms. "W-W-Wanda Sue Skaggs?"
Wanda Sue mimicked her. "T-T-That's right! What are you, Porky Pig? Th-th-that's all, folks!"
"But you are in Texas..aren't you?"
"Au contraire, mumsy! I now reside in town called Pleasantville, USA."
Mary Ellen could not believe that she had her son's two ex-wives at the same dinner table. This one made Rosamond look like the Holy Grail of ex-wives.
Wanda Sue said, "Yessiree, Moms! OH! And here is the kicker! I am not an ex-wife! I am still your dear son's beloved spouse."
Mary Ellen got light-headed and fell face first in her lobster Newburg.
Hotspur and Senator Montgomery picked Mary Ellen up out of her food. J.R. quickly handed her a napkin. Mary Ellen wiped off the sauce. Wanda Sue assumed a wide-eyed innocent look.
"My word, Mrs. Montgomery! Are you alright?" Hotspur said.
Mary Ellen managed, "Yes, I just felt a little faint. Is it incredibly warm in here?"
Hots said, "Not really. The air conditioning is new."
The fab five doubled over with laughter. Ted said, "What a waste of lobster!"
Carson said, "Think if she blows her nose, chunks of lobster would come flying out?"
The rest of the four yelled, "GROSS!"
Jai said, "Too bad it isn't clams, she could add to that pearl necklace, which must have cost a pretty penny!"
Thom asked, "Who IS she, anyways?"
Kyan said, "I think that is Senator John Montgomery from Texas and that is his wife. She's some high society dame."
"How do you know?"
"My uncle is from Texas. I used to visit him and we were at some function and he was there. They knew each other."
"Ah. Wonder what she means by two daughter in laws."
Carson said, "She pointed to Blondie over there. And then she was talking to Ms Double Wide over there."
"Could Senator Montgomery's son be a Mormon? I mean, he could have two wives?"
Kyan said, "No, remember? That one is married to that guy sitting over there...the one with the black shirt on. Looks quite nice on him. I don't think he can be improved on. But that guy sitting next to Ms Lobster Newburg? Sheesh! Would I love to do a make-over on HIM! All that red hair and that brawn? I could turn him into the next Eric the Red."
"OK guys, let's continue to listen and pass that wine. I think we may need it!"
Rose smiled at Bill. "Yes. Finally on our own. But it is kind of scary, too. I have never been on my own before."
Mary Ellen thought disdainfully, what do you call that year of hell you put my son through? You certainly were 'on your own' then! He lost so much weight because you couldn't cook.
Then it finally hit Mary Ellen. The ex-president was making idle chit-chat with that little trollop!
She leaned forward so she could listen better.
"....so maybe next week sometime we could meet for a round of golf. How about it, John?"
"Great. Thursday is the day Jerry, Roger and I usually play. We can make it a foursome."
Rosamond leaned over and laughed. "At least you can't change the rules like we did that night on Monopoly!"
Bill guffawed. "Lord, that was a night! Remember when.." and he couldn't stop laughing. Jerry leaned over. "What's so funny?"
John laughed. "He and Rose are talking about that Monopoly game!"
Jerry laughed and El said, "I'll never forget how funny Luke looked wearing Beth's shirt!"
Mary Ellen leaned so far over that she accidently put her elbow in her salad.
Wanda Sue said, "Whoopsie, Mumsy! Have you had too much of the bubbly?"
Mary Ellen snapped, "Of course not! That salad plate was put way too close to me!"
She looked at Wanda Sue and thought, this obnoxious creature could be a source of information.
She said to Wanda Sue, "I didn't know the Gwinnetts were such good friends with the Clintons."
Wanda Sue stuffed a crab cake in her face. "Huh? Oh yeah. Those snobs--especially that Rosetramp--hangs with the nobs and nancies of the world. You think she'd hang out with the garbagemen? Uh uh, not them! They're like some sort of 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Snobby.'"
Wanda Sue helped herself to another quiche-tart and turned her attention to her plate.
Mary Ellen thought, 'well, well! So they have connections to the Clintons. Wonder if this could help Billy Bob into the governor's mansion. Question is--do I enlist Rose's help or do I try to coerce her? After all, she owes him after destroying him and breaking his heart..."
WOODSTOCK REMEMBERED..........by Coralynn
Abby disregards her mother's advice about staying away from Jim and approaches him, holding out her hand.
"Mr. Livingston, this is a wonderful party and I so appreciate being invited," she begins, "I'm Abby Bennett, we almost met in a restaurant yesterday. Perhaps you remember."
Jim's smile broadens, "Yeah! You're Sunshine's daughter! You look just like her!"
Abby shakes her head, "She told me that she never met you."
"HA! Never met me? We were at Woodstock together!"
"She told me she was never at Woodstock, either," Abby adds.
Jim reaches around and pulls out the brand new wallet from the back pocket of his pants and flips it open to the only picture he has ever carried with him. He holds it out to Abby, who, after looking at it, is dumstruck.
"That woman looks like me!" she exclaims.
"That's right! It's your Mom! Sunshine!" Jim tells her as he flips the wallet shut again and stuffs it back into his pocket.
"I'm confused," Abby admits, "Why would she say she'd never been to Woodstock when you have a picture of her there and it is definitely her."
"Well," Jim puts his arm around her briefly, "Some people want to forget they were there."
"But why?"
"Who knows? Maybe they don't want their kids to know they did dope!" he grins.
Abby snorts, "Huh, my mother? I can't picture her doing drugs."
"Exactly!"
Abby lets out an audible breath, "I'll bet she never thought her past would surface like this....."
"Not only Woodstock in '69, but she was there for the 10 year reunion in '79. It wasn't as good....poorly attended....no rain and no mud......fever bands......but she was there with me. We lit up the sky with diamonds!"
"Ten years later?" Abby is incredulous.
"Yep! Guess she couldn't stay away from me!"
Abby finds it hard to envision her mother so besotted with James Livingston that she would go to all the trouble of making her way to Woodstock ten years later. Hmmm, she thinks, if this was held in the summer, then it must have been about a month before my parents were married! Did my Dad know she went there?
"Mr. Livingston, would you do me a favor? I need to scan that picture and send it to my home computer."
"Yeah?!"
"I'll just need it for about ten minutes," she promises.
"Wellllllll, ok, but bring it right back. I've carried it with me every day for 35 years!"
Abby knows that Eleanor has a computer, so, when she requests using it, Eleanor is happy to assist her. They go into the computer room, lay the picture on the scanner and within minutes it's on the hard-drive. A few minutes later it's been emailed to Abby's home computer. She thanks Eleanor and returns to where Jim is now sitting, sprawled out on a couch with a happy look on his face.
"Thank you," she says as she hands back the photo.
"My pleasure!" he puts the picture back in his wallet lovingly. "So," he decides to plunge right in, "do you look anything like your Dad?"
"No. Not a bit. My Mother says I look like her clone, which she always say is a very good thing!"
Abby returns to where Jeremy Pennypacker is listening to William tell of the mishaps of cooking live on TV, everyone laughing uproariously at his anecdotes.
Jim stretches, then stands up as Marilyn announces that the presents are now to be opened, but his mind has drifted to long ago but no so far away to a field in the Catskills.
FOR ME?!........by Coralynn
Jim sees the large pile of house warming presents and emits a whistle, "Wow! You guys! You didn't have to buy me anything!" then happily sits down amidst the pile and tears the wrapping off the first one.
"LOOK!" he shouts, "Ohhh thank you, Bill and Hillary! Look, everyone, books.........and they're even written by......Bill......and Hillary! You guys didn't have to stay up all night writing books for me!" he flips open one of them and reads aloud, "'To Jim, our new neighbor and friend. Welcome!, Hillary Clinton,'"......he opens the other one and reads, 'Welcome to town, Jim. We'd love to have you over for lunch one day soon, signed Bill Clinton'.........hey, Bill, how's about tomorrow, you busy?" he calls out.
"Be there at 1 !" Bill calls out in return.
Mary Ellen can't believe what she's hearing. The Clintons are inviting that burnout to their home? Why? because he's friends with William and his group? This is beyond believing! This is a travesty of justice!
"Looks like that one put a nail in the vampire's coffin!" Carson laughs. "You mean a stake through the vampire's chest, don't you?" Ted corrects him. "This one we have to show on television!" Jai adds, "The look on that jealous woman's face is priceless!" "Plus, she still has some sauce from that lobster newburg on her pearl necklace!" Carson points out. "She's going to be livid when she sees herself on the program! I love it!" Kyan cheers.
__________________.........by Terri
Jim opened more presents. It was hard to buy for a man who all of a sudden could buy anything he wanted to. But he got a variety of odds and ends, things mostly pertaining to the '60's. Rafe and Slim bought him a home-dying tie dye kit for his tee-shirts. Hots and Mike bought him an obscure album from Woodstock. Complete with Celeste on the front cover. A lot of the gifts were along those lines. A lava lamp made its appearance. Rose and John gave him an 8x10 autographed picture of Jimi Hendrix. Beth and Roger gave him the one of Janis Joplin and Jerry and El gave him one of Jim Morrison. William and Celeste gave him a three-picture frame for them.
"Wow! Autographed by the Lizard King himself! Where did you guys find these? I mean, you guys weren't even born during Woodstock!
All three of them said in unison, ''E-BAY!"
Ted was in mid-pour when they heard Jim say, "Far out!" when he opened his autographed pictures. He said, "Did I just hear him say what I think he said?"
Carson said, "What...'far out'?"
"NO! That he got those autographed pictures! If I had those, I'd say 'far out' and maybe even 'groovy'! What neat presents!"
They all applauded. Jai said, "See? As culture expert, I can safely say he will always have a '60's mentality!"
Thom said, "Just so it isn't a Charles Manson mentality."
Kyan said, "No, he's gentle as a kitten. He told me something interesting when I was cutting his hair."
"What?"
"You know that picture in the magazine where that guy is putting flowers in the rifles of those soldiers or National Guards or whatever they were?"
"Yeah! Don't tell us it was JIM!"
Kyan laughed, "No! He was the guy standing next to him. He never had his picture in the magazine."
They all groaned.
Kyan said, "Really got you on that one, didn't I?"
Mary Ellen leaned over to her husband from her spot in the back. She said, "I am using the powder room."
J.R. said, "I'm not going anywhere."
She tiptoed out of the living room and up the stairs. She ran her hand over the bannister. This was the very bannister I slid down as a child. She crept up the stairs and into the bedroom she used to use when she visited her grandparents. Grandmother was nice, Grandfather was an old coot and now he's gone and left everything--everything of VALUE--to that burnout! She looked around. This must be where James is sleeping. She went to his closet and opened it up, looking through it. Suits? For HIM?? She looked at the labels. Brooks Brothers. Barney's.
Carson passed the hor d'oeuvres around. "I can't believe it! LOOK!!! Alien in sector seven!"
The other four crowded around the screen.
"I don't believe it!"
"Wow! She must be really desperate!"
"Think she'll steal something?"
"No, but I think she will be embarrassed as hell when we show this on TV!"
Mary Ellen moved to the bathroom. She looked around. Matching towels..shampoo--the expensive kind from the salon, NOT White Rain or Suave---after shave..
She carefully opened the medicine cabinet and took out a plastic bag that was crammed in next to the toothpaste. What is this? Oregano? She opened it up and sniffed it. She dipped her finger into it and put it to her tongue.
The fab five rolled on the floor, convulsed with laughter.
"I can't believe it!"
"Should we call the police and tip them off NOW??"
"MoMo is a stoner!"
Mary Ellen took another taste. Not exactly Italian seasoning..but close.
"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"
Mary Ellen jumped a mile and spilled the contents all over the sink.
She hissed, "J.R.! What is the big idea? You just about gave me a heart attack!"
He said, "Mary Ellen, are you out of your mind? What are you doing? Snooping?"
She snapped, "Of course not! It is a reconaissance. You know--know your enemy. Look! Jim is such a moron he keeps his herbs in a medicine cabinet where the humidity can destroy them."
J.R. looked at the 'herbs' that have spread all over the bathroom.
"Uh..darling, that is not an herb. At least not the kind you cook with."
"Certainly it is! I took a taste and that is oregano."
J.R. said, "No, that is pot."
"Pot?"
"Marijuana. Looks like Jim's old habits die hard...what is the matter, Mary Ellen?"
"Oooh...I feel woozy! J.R.-----I tasted some! OMIGOD! I've become a---a BOULDER!"
WHAT JUST HAPPENED HERE?.............by Coralynn
J. R. leads the way out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and out into the hall, expecting Mary Ellen to be right behind him.
She quickly scroops up the spilled pot, whisks as much of it as she can into the plastic bag and jams it all into her purse. Running after her husband, he has no idea that she hasn't been three steps behind him the whole time.
Jim is still opening presents, expressing his appreciation with undiminishing gratitude.
Sally Jennings can bear it no longer. She waits until she sees Marilyn standing alone, then casually walks over to her and whispers, "Can I have my coin back now?"
"What?" Marilyn hasn't thought about it since she confiscated the coin back at The 1643 House.
"My coin!" Sally's voice rises enough to be picked up by the microphone attached to the small camera mounted on the wall behind them.
"OH!" Marilyn remembers, "I don't have it with me right now, Sally, but I can drop it by your house tomorrow if you promise not to use it to take anyone time traveling....."
"I can't promise that!" Sally's voice rises ever louder, "With WandaSue still alive, I can't predict....."
"OK, ok then, I'll bring it over tomorrow, but please, please use it judiciously!" Marilyn tells her before she walks away.
"Just one minute here," Carson holds up his hand as if to stop something, "What is this about time travel?"
"Must be a code word for something!" Tom speculates.
"These heteros, will we ever be able to decode their stange expressions?" Kyan shakes his head.
A sudden whoop of glee rises above the muted sound of conversation in the large room.
"BESS!" Rose almost screams, "You didn't tell us! When did this happen?"
All eyes go to where Bess is sitting holding out her left hand for inspection. The other women rush over to see what the excitement is all about.
"A diamond! Does this mean..." Marilyn is all but jumping up and down.
"We're engaged!" Bess' face is radiant.
WandaSue, sitting not far from them, wonders what the deal is. So the little twerp is engaged, so what? What she hears next makes her more interested.
"SLIM! You old dog!" John is pounding WandaSue's brother on the back.
Slim is engaged? WandaSue thinks, That loser?
"NO!" Rafe's voice rings out across the room, "You're my girl, Bess!"
Oh-oh, there's trouble, WandaSue thinks, hey, maybe Rafe will attack Slim....yeah, that sounds like fun! she watches to see what will happen next.
Bess stands and confronts Rafe, "I haven't been 'your girl' as you put it in quite a long time, Rafe!"
"But you loved me! Once. Then you dumped me because I kept behaving like a highwayman. But I found Dr. Phil, and I reformed. Besides, Bess, you're too young to get married!" he thinks that'll put the capper on it.
"I was too young when I was your girl, too," she reminds him.
"And you will ever be young...." Rafe says wistfully.
"How poetic!" Kyan remarks to the other guys.
"If she doesn't want him....." Carson comments before he's smacked with throw pillows and falls on the floor.
William and John make sure they're standing by Rafe in case he decides to do something rash. But Rafe's ire is spent as he goes outside to cool off.
Bill and Hillary stand and make their way over to Jim. "We have to leave now," Bill explains, "early day tomorrow."
"Ohh yeah, that's right! You have to cook lunch for me!" Jim beams.
"That and a few other things," Hillary smiles at him.
When they see that others look ready to depart as well, Bill tells them, "We don't mean to break up the party. Please don't leave just because we are."
"It's late," William glances at his watch, "and I also have to be up early tomorrow. Gotta try out a new recipe at home before I spring it on the viewing public."
"Try not to blow up the kitchen!" Celeste kids him.
"Have I ever?" he kids back.
Eleanor interjects, "Almost! You came pretty close back a few weeks ago, remember?"
By now everyone looks like they're about to leave, and form a line to express their appreciation for the party.
WandaSue, however, gets up and leaves without the benefit of social niceties. She doesn't give a fig for that Jim guy. She's just glad she finally got to attend one of the rich-bitch parties as an actual guest for a change instead of an intruder.
J. R. and Mary Ellen express their appreciation, walk out of the house, and are soon seated in the car. Mary Ellen pats her purse and thinks, Tomorrow I turn this pot over to the Police. Mr. James "I'm so rich I can hardly stand it" Livingston is going to find himself behind bars. Maybe then I can appeal the inheritance and get back what should be rightfully mine!
Travis McGee, drug-sniffing dog in his patrol car, sees the line of sedans and limos begin their long drive between the house and the road.
"This is what I've been waiting for, Jaws!" he tells the dog, "I know John Gwinett is at that party, and I know what he's been doing.......selling drugs to his fancy schmancy friends!"
He sets out orange cones, puts up barracades not far from the end of the driveway and waits.
"What's happening here?" Hillary asks as Bill stops the car just feet from the wooden barricade.
The cars behind them stop as well. Over a loudspeaker, they hear the voice of Travis McGee shouting, "Everyone out of their cars! This is a routine inspection point!"
Car engines are turned off as the occupants of the cars get out to see what on earth this Cop is inspecting anyway.
"Jaws!" Travis yells as the dog comes bounding out of the back of the police cruiser.
William walks up to Travis and demands, "What are you up to now, McGee?!"
"I have good reason to believe that there has been drug activity going on at the party you were at," Travis ends his sentence with a preposition.
William laughs. Bill and Hillary, nearby, hear the laughter and join him.
Travis McGee's eyes enlarge and all but fall out of his head when he sees the Clintons.
"Uhhhhh, uhhhhh, not you!" he tries to wave them off.
"Oh, but you set up a roadblock, so you must inspect us as well," Bill tries to keep a straight face.
"Jaws!" he calls the dog over and lets him sniff around the Clintons. "Clean!" he tells them, "You're free to go!"
He removes the barricade so that Bill and Hillary can proceed, then repostions it.
"NEXT!" he yells as he and the dog make their way down the row of passengers and cars. The dog has no reaction to anyone, car or person, till they reach the Montgomery car, at which time the dog begins to bark in agitation, then grabs Mary Ellen's purse in his mouth and tries to wrest it from her grasp.
"Let go, you miserable mutt!" she yells at the dog.
Travis turns on his flastlight and trains it right on Mary Ellen's face, "Hand it over, lady!" he demands.
"Hand what over? Your dog is a menace!"
"You have an illegal substance in your purse!" Travis says almost gleefully.
J. R. intercedes, "Officer, you and your dog have made a mistake. I am Senator Montgomery, and this is my wife. We are here visiting our son and came to the housewarming at 244 Winding Willow, as a relative of my wife's inherited the property and....."
"And so what?! I don't need your life story, bud. This purse is hot!" he grabs it away from Mary Ellen. "Get in the squad car, lady!" he orders her.
"Now just a minute...." J.R. finally realizes the magnitude of the problem.
"You can meet her at the police station, Mr. fancy Senator!" he gloats, then yells out, "OK, everyone is free......be on your way!"
J. R. is pacing in front of the jail cell Mary Ellen has been confined to, as the drug report comes back, "She has marajuana in her sytem!" Travis reads off the report "I think that clinches it!" he glowers at her.
"NO! That's my cousin Jim's pot, I just made a mistake and....."
"You made a mistake alright, lady, thinking you could deal drugs and get away with it!" Travis says smugly.
"At least post bail!" J. R. yells.
"I'd say 500 thou might do it! She does pose a flight risk, after all. She could jet off to Columbia and get another fresh stash if we don't keep close tabs on her!" is Travis' pronouncement.
Alan Carson rubs his head and groans. Something about this episode doesn't ring true for him, but.........the woman was found to possess 11 ounces of pot, far exceeding the amount necessary for arrest, and if it was found in her sytem there's not much he can do about it. It still feels fishy to him, however. He puts on his coat and heads for the door. I don't need to stay here and watch that clown, Travis, strutting around like he's a super-cop, no, I'm heading on home.
"It's a wrap!" Kyan declares as he stands and stretches. "This show is going to be one of our best!"
"And we can show all those little naughty things that happened at the party because we get to stretch it out over two hours," Jai adds, yawning.
"This is going to be hot!" Carson laughs as he gets his jacket and proceeds to leave their TV apartment. "See ya later!"
"You did ask Vinnie and Sheila to drop over, didn't you?" William asks Eleanor after they arrive back at the big house.
"Yes, and they said they'd be right over..........and here they are now, pulling into the drive."
"What's it all about?" William is curious.
"You'll see!" Eleanor runs over and greets the Papponettis. They walk into the house in which everyone else has also arrived home. "Marthy and Jack! A minute please?" she directs at the newlyweds.
They walk into the living room where everyone is seated. "Another party, El?" Marthy grins at her.
"No, just an annoucement. You know how house #1 won the money at The 1643 House. Since Bess is the only one of us who truly needs her quarter million, Celeste, Marilyn and I have decided to give ours to you. Vinnie, here's a quarter mil, and Marthy and Jack, here's a check for half a million. Now you'll be able to at least put down a hefty downpayment on that house you've been eyeing."
Marthy all but screams in her excitement, "Oh my God! Thank you! Jack! We can buy the house!"
Jack hugs her, then swirls her around the room, her feet leaving the floor.
"But why are you giving us money?" Vinnie asks, "We already have a house."
Celeste sits by them and takes Sheila's hand in hers, "Because you are such hard workers, and I know Sheila has her eye on some new fall clothes. Why not splurge?"
Sheila reaches over and hugs Celeste, "You must be a mind reader!"
Oh yeah, Celeste thinks, and more, much more.
Back to Table of Contents2
[ Read / Sign my guestbook ] Get a free Guestbook