Cheers: The Malones Sam and Diane
Money Matters
Early September 1993
"Sam, I have another scheduled doctor's appointment this week, on Friday. It's not necessary that you go along unless you want to go."
"Do you want me to go?"
"Well, the nurse did say that the results of the genetic testing are in, that the results look great but she wanted to know if we wanted to be told the sex of our babies. I'm not sure about this, it's all so new to me. Wouldn't it be easier to plan if we did know though?"
"I'd like to know Diane but if you don't want to know, the Doctor and I won't tell you," Sam said as he laughed at his own joke.
"Smartass," Diane laughed, "Let's both go."
Sam and Diane's schedules were not as carefree as they had been the month before, just after their wedding. Diane had been hired by a small private college in Boston to teach on a part time basis. She had a syllabus and lesson plans to do along with the current script she was rewriting for one of her colleagues in California, something she had promised him she'd do before she left L.A. They had dinner out several times a week simply because, until they had established a routine, it was easier.
Finishing their always superb Italian meal at Pomodoro in the North End, Sam and Diane walked over to a small bakery for a cannoli and coffee. It was a gorgeous September night in Boston, warm and clear. They held hands as they walked not talking to one another but overwhelmingly content to be together.
"Diane, I think it's time to buy a house. My apartment will be too small when the babies come. If we do start looking, I'd like to look at a neighborhood that is in between Cheers and your college so that neither one of us has a bad drive home."
"I agree, the apartment is too small. I do have some money saved from the screenplay I wrote. We could use that money for a down payment."
"Really, is it a lot?"
"I think I have about sixty thousand left. I splurged a little on clothes, I had to buy out my lease in California, and I bought a car when I got here. Money goes fast doesn't it?"
As they were eating their desserts and having coffee Sam said to Diane,
"You know something sweetheart, it just occurred to me that you know very little about my financial life and I think you should know more about it. It's important."
"Oh Sam, you know I don't care about money and such things. People place too much emphasis on money and not enough on the things they love doing."
"Diane, I've never had the luxury of not worrying about money and besides, what about people who like making money? It is extremely important that you know what we have in case something ever happens to me."
"Sam, don't scare me like that. I just got you back and the thought of ever losing you is not something I want to think about."
"Diane, you are the mother of my soon to be born children. You would be solely in charge of their futures if I wasn't here. Look, we're older parents and I just want to insure that our kids have the things they need in life. For instance, do you know that I have a safety deposit box?"
"No Sam."
"Another for instance, you know that I own Cheers but did you know I also own the apartment building I live in? Do you know what I owe on each of them? I think it's time you attended one of Sammy's School of Practicality Seminars," Sam said as he smiled at her.
"Really? You do? Okay Sam, maybe you're right and we should talk."
"Great, I'll have Norm pull all the paperwork together this week. Let's go to the cabin for the weekend and we'll go over all of it. Before we leave for the cabin on Friday I want to stop at the bank with you and empty out the safety deposit box. There are some things of yours in it, from way back when."
"You're a mystery man Sam Malone and I love it."
On the way to the Friday morning Doctor's visit Diane pulled out a present she had gotten for Sam. In the bag were two infant sized Boston Red Sox onesies that she had seen at a store. She was certain he'd love them. Sam had a present for Diane too. He pulled out of a bag two pale pink onesies with the imprints of "I Love My Daddy" on them. They both laughed at their idiocy. No matter what the sexes of their twins were, they obviously they were covered.
After going over the good news about genetic testing, Dr. Young asked Sam and Diane if they were certain about wanting to know the sexes of their twins. They assured her they were certain.
"Sam and Diane, you are among the luckiest. You are having a baby boy and a baby girl."
Emotions overwhelmed them to the point of not being able to speak. Sam and Diane gave each other one of the strongest hugs of their lives and held each other. Sam lifted Diane's chin to kiss her.
"Thank You" was all he could say through his tears and she smiled at him through her tears of joy.
The doctor smiled at them and left the room saying to them, "Those are two lucky little babies you have there."
Sam and Diane left the office walking hand in hand toward the car. Once in the car they embraced and kissed again not wanting to let go of each other. They looked like two teenagers making out in the back of a Chevy instead of a forty something aged couple making out in the front seat of a corvette, expecting twins, and ecstatic.
On the way to the cabin they stopped at the bank to unload Sam's safety deposit box. Diane waited in the car. Sam had brought along a beer box to place the contents in and closed the box.
"Sam, I can't wait to see what's in the box. Can I open it?"
"Let's wait til we get to the cabin. I want to explain some of the things in it to you. Some of the things you'll recognize right away, other things I have to explain."
"I can't wait," said Diane as she took his hand and squeezed it, "Let's stop for lunch along the way then go for groceries."
"Okay, Mrs. Malone. Why don't I grill salmon for dinner tonight?"
"That would be a perfect ending to a perfect day," said Diane.
They put the groceries away together then Sam took Diane's hand and led her to the bedroom. He slowly unbuttoned her blouse as she unbuttoned his shirt. They gently undressed one another which added to their passionate love making and fell asleep in each other's arms. Safety deposit boxes and finances could wait until after their afternoon rendezvous was over.