I thought this one was going to wait until I finished "The Season 8 etc...", but it turns out the end result of this story is referenced in that story, so here it is. Someday I may come back to tweak, but for now I need to get back to work on "The Season 8 etc, etc, etc." Next chapter of "Season 8..." will be posted much later today.
Spoilers for "The Two Tonys".
September 1988
September; time for another anniversary in the Bower/Micelli household. After short deliberations Angela was hit by an inspired idea for an anniversary gift for Tony. She was secretive for weeks regarding the surprise, causing much speculation throughout the house. The closer the date of the anniversary approached, the more she smiled in anticipation of Tony's reaction to the gift.
Three days before the anniversary, an ebullient Angela came down to breakfast and made the following announcement, "attention family; starting tomorrow, the basement will be off limits for everyone due to anniversary preparations."
"Everyone? Even me?" Tony asked, "how am I supposed to do laundry?"
"Yes, everyone," she looked around the table making sure they all understood that she meant it, then she turned to Tony, "and especially you; you'll have to finish the laundry today."
"Way to mess with the schedule, Angela."
"Trust me, it will be worth it," she smiled a smile that Mona Lisa would have envied. "Oh, and you are completely banished from the house from 8am to 6pm tomorrow."
"Banished?"
"Yes, it shouldn't be too difficult to manage. It's your heavy class load day; so you're gone for most of the day anyway, just be gone...longer," and with that she practically waltzed out of the kitchen to pick up her coat.
Mona spoke first, "well, at least we know The Big Surprise has something to do with the basement."
"And Dad's banished, so it's definitely something he's not supposed to see until the actual anniversary day. Of course the rest of us are effectively banished for most of the day too since we'll be at school. So it's something she wants to keep from all of us."
"Not me, I can stay here and spy," Mona offered.
"I think she might notice that you're not at the office," Sam pointed out.
"Oh sure, she can take the day off, but I have to go to work," Mona played the martyr, then switched back to curiosity, "well, if it's going in the basement, it's probably bigger than a bread box."
"Maybe it's a new washer and dryer?" Jonathan guessed.
"No, she's far too happy for it to be something that prosaic," his grandmother answered, emphasizing the 'happy' with an overly sweet voice.
Tony pulled out a chair and sat down, "but, what? What would necessitate such elaborate plans?"
They still hadn't come up with any ideas when Angela returned from grabbing her coat and briefcase. She pulled her mother away from her breakfast so they could be on their way to work; effectively ending any further anniversary speculation.
The next day, Tony, not wanting to ruin Angela's surprise banished himself from the house even earlier than Angela had requested. He was still confused by the all the subterfuge, but he was willing to give Angela the needed space for whatever she was cooking up. He was suddenly frightened. Angela couldn't be cooking again, could she? He dismissed the idea as ridiculous, after all, there was no place to cook in the basement. Unless she was planning to put a stove in the basement, he was safe. And as it was next to impossible that Angela would put a stove in the basement, he relaxed. Still, he was no closer to an answer to the mystery of The Big Surprise and it was starting to really bug him. What would Angela get him? And why couldn't he come up with any ideas? He sighed, he'd have to put anniversary thoughts out of his mind for now, it was time for class.
Angela's plan was working; the kids were at school, Tony was at school and even Mona was doing her part by holding down the office. She'd cleared her work schedule and would check in with her mother, but right now it was time to focus on the basement. The delivery men arrived; set up seemed to take forever, but that was caused more by Angela's anxiety than by any actual procrastinating by the workers. In due time they were gone, their precious cargo now taking pride of place in the basement.
Angela then set to work on the rest of the preparations, she attached two large sheets to the ceiling, they fell all the way to the floor, creating a curtain and effectively hiding the anniversary present. Where the sheets met in the middle she pinned a large bow. She stepped back and surveyed her work.
"Mom? You home?" Jonathan called out.
Of course she was home, everyone knew she was home, Jonathan was just hoping for some clues to The Big Surprise.
"I'll be up in a minute, Jonathan. Don't come downstairs!" Angela yelled up to her son. Satisfied that her work was complete, Angela picked up the accoutrements of preparation and threw them in a bag. She ran upstairs and locked the basement door, effectively cutting off anyone from peeking. Jonathan saw this and was disappointed, he was hoping for a sneak preview.
"Hi honey," Angela put the bag on the floor and hugged her son, "how was school today?"
"Fine. How was being home today?"
"Just fine," she smiled, completely ignoring the question to which Jonathan really wanted the answer, then she picked the bag back up and made her way upstairs to hide it in her room.
Now Jonathan was defeated; since he arrived home from school earlier, Sam had charged him with finding out details. She'd come home and he'd have nothing to report, other than his mother's continued enigmatic and ecstatic state of being, and they were all sick of that by this point. He wondered if he could get his mother to celebrate the anniversary early so they could get this perpetual mystery over with, but didn't think it likely. Both his mother and Tony viewed the anniversary date as sacrosanct; they celebrated on the day of only. It would be useless to try and convince her to celebrate early.
Jonathan had an idea, he quietly left the house and tried to open the basement door on the exterior of the house. Locked. He had to hand it to his mother, she was thorough.
"Hi Jonathan."
A startled Jonathan turned away from the door to face his mother, "hi, Mom; so how 'bout those Yankees?"
Angela put her arm around her son and pulled him away from the door, "I don't think they're hiding in the basement," she smiled.
Jonathan gave a half-hearted, "ha." Now in addition to not having any news for Sam, he'd have to tell her he'd been caught looking for answers. This afternoon had gone from bad to worse.
"How about we go in and decide where we want to go for dinner tonight, 'k?"
"Sure, mom." What else could he say?
At 6pm Tony called to see if it was safe to come home, Angela gleefully told him it was. The family went out to dinner. If the family thought Angela was giddy before, they hadn't seen anything yet. Her eyes were aglow and her overall demeanor was beyond that of a child on Christmas. Santa had come early this year and she couldn't wait to share the present he left. Neither could anyone else for that matter.
Angela excused herself to powder her nose.
Mona waited until Angela was out of earshot, then put in her two cents, "all right, that's it, we need a plan. Sam; tomorrow get Angela out of the house by going shopping. Tony, Jonathan and I will reconnoiter the house. We are solving this mystery."
The kids nodded in agreement, but Tony put a stop to all of it, "absolutely not. This obviously means a lot to Angela, I won't have anyone ruining her plans. If I can be patient for her sake, then so can all of you. Do I make myself clear?" He glared at each of them in turn, the kids said yes resignedly. Mona didn't give in quite so easily, but eventually she rolled her eyes and acquiesced, "fine, we'll let Angela have her little secret."
"Thank you," Tony answered, "now, can we get back to dinner?"
The rest of the evening passed by with no further incidents.
Finally, the day arrived. Mona was knocking on Angela's bedroom door bright and early. Angela answered the door, still groggy from sleep. Mona made a mental note that she didn't get what she wanted most for an anniversary present this year, to catch Tony in Angela's room. Another year lost, Mona inwardly mourned and set her hopes on next year. Then she stopped herself, another year? She hoped it wouldn't take Tony and Angela that much longer to face the truth.
"Mother, what are you doing here so early?"
"It's your anniversary."
"It's our anniversary; everyone's."
"Stop arguing with me over one letter. We're tired of waiting and guessing. We want to see what's in the basement."
"I hadn't planned to do this in my pajamas."
"Make a new plan."
Angela looked out into the hallway, everyone was there, also in their pajamas, she gave in, "OK."
A chorus of "yays" was heard as everyone rushed downstairs. Angela unlocked the basement door, grogginess was giving way to joy as the family made its way to the forbidden lair.
Angela stood in front of the curtain, facing the most beloved people in her life, she was bubbling over with excitement as she cleared her throat, "welcome everyone. I'd like to say a few words on this very special occasion." Everyone, except Mona, inwardly rolled their eyes; Mona didn't bother to hide her eye rolling. Angela was unfazed, "As we mark another year together, I'm reflecting on all the wonderful times we've had. We've been so lucky to have each other through thick and thin, to share our hopes and dreams together, to grow, to love, to cherish each other. As we begin a new year together, I hope this gift will serve as a constant reminder of fulfilled dreams, dreams yet to come true and dreams we haven't even dreamed of yet. It seems like only yesterday..."
"Angela," Tony very gently prompted, "we do have other things to do today."
"Right, well then, without further ado." Angela unpinned the bow from the curtain and pulled one side back. She looked at everyone's faces for their reactions.
"Wow," Jonathan said.
"Awesome!" Sam's eyes lit up. The two of them ran past Angela toward the gift. Mona stayed back to watch Tony and Angela closely.
Tony was in shock. Angela smiled, she hoped he would be beyond words and he was.
He took a step or two forward then stopped, "Angela, you put a pool table...in the basement?"
"Uh huh, isn't it beautiful? Now you don't have to go all the way to Brooklyn to play."
He was still almost speechless.
"Isn't this great, Dad? We can play any time we want," she grabbed a cue stick from the rack and put her arm around Jonathan, "I'll even play with Squirt here."
"Gee, thanks, Sam," Jonathan answered.
Angela smiled more; the kids were happy with the pool table. Tony was over the moon about the table, she could see it in his eyes. Unbidden, she felt her strongest emotions overcome her, her love for Tony. For once she didn't repress it immediately, today, she let herself enjoy the feeling for a very brief moment before she repressed it.
Mona saw the love on her daughter's face, and once again hoped it wouldn't be much longer before they acknowledged their feelings. She was still angry with them for once again stepping back after Angela's birthday. They were so frustrating. Maybe the pool table could be a catalyst, Tony could spend a lot of time teaching Angela to play pool. It would definitely be something to keep an eye on.
Tony had managed to walk to the table, he touched it to make sure it was real.
"Should I pinch you to make sure you're awake?" Angela asked innocently.
"Please!" Mona encouraged.
"Mother!" Angela responded, she didn't need her mother interfering right now.
Mona kept quiet, but that didn't keep her from thinking that she'd love to give Angela a few suggestions for locations to pinch Tony.
"I invited Mrs. Rossini and your poker buddies over on Saturday so you can show it off," Angela announced.
This dragged Tony's attention away from the table, "wait, they knew about the table and we didn't?"
"No, they just know they are invited over on Saturday for a party. The table is a surprise to them too."
That was good, Tony would have been angry if his friends knew about this amazing gift before he did.
Mona was impressed, not that she would say so to Angela. Her daughter had found an anniversary gift that not only would Tony love, but the whole family could enjoy together. She wondered how Angela ever came up with the idea.
Tony was still in shock. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect a pool table in the basement. Never. Suddenly his anniversary gift to Angela seemed...paltry to him. Of course it wasn't. Later in the day it would be Angela's turn to be over the moon as Tony presented her with two pink rosebushes for the garden in the back yard.
Jonathan and Samantha were walking around the table, admiring it from all angles.
"Can we play, mom?" Jonathan asked.
"I think Tony should have first break." Angela pulled a cue stick down from the rack on the wall and ceremoniously handed it to Tony.
"Thanks, Angela. Now I feel like I should say a few words; but I won't." Instead he let his actions speak for him as he sent the cue ball on its journey, with a satisfying 'crack' the rest of the balls scattered around the table, one or two dropping with a satisfying 'thud' into the pockets.
Angela was thrilled, she could see the euphoria in Tony eyes, it was exactly the reaction she'd wished for. The whole family stayed around the table for as long as they could that morning, playing and enjoying each other's company. Tony stood back for a moment to take in the scene; the kids were laughing, Mona was holding court and there, at the opposite end of the table was Angela, looking happier than he had ever seen her. He gave in for just a minute and let himself indulge in his love for Angela. They caught each other's eyes and smiled, they went back to their self-imposed policy of denial.
Angela put her arm around Samantha to hug her. She kissed the side her forehead, "happy anniversary, everyone," she said.
"Happy anniversary," the family answered; and it was.
Saturday arrived and Tony was showing off the new pool table to the delegation from Brooklyn. Mrs. Rossini, Tiny and Philly made the trip and they were impressed by the surprise. Angela was still elated over Tony's reaction to the gift and it showed in the way she was playing her hostess role to the hilt. She wanted Tony to shine in the spotlight, so she took care of their guests. She dressed for the part as well, gone for the day were her power suits, today she wore a soft skirt and top. In her hair was a cute bow, she wore a charming apron, and a strand of pearls. The domestic look was working well for her today.
Angela hurried the kids upstairs to help her bring down more food; leaving the floor open for discussion.
"I still can't believe Angela put a pool table in the basement," Tony said as he casually hit a ball.
"Well, she knows you play, right?" Tiny asked.
"Of course, a couple of months ago she even convinced me to throw a game to boost Tony Petardi's ego. It still bugs me."
"Petardi? That jerk Darlene married?" Philly questioned.
"Yeah."
"So Angela watched you play pool?" Tiny clarified.
"Yeah."
This was all the guys needed to hear.
"And you're wondering why there's now a pool table in the basement?" Philly said, amazed.
"Yeah," Tony answered, starting to feel a little annoyed, he wasn't on trial here, but it was starting to feel like it.
"Tony, you can be a smart guy, but some times you're pretty dense," Tiny took his life into his hands with that remark.
Tony was a little offended by this remark, but held his temper, for the most part, "what are you talking about and it better be good."
"Angela watched you play pool for how many hours?" Tiny continued.
"I dunno, a few," Tony shrugged, not understanding what they were getting at.
"And didn't you teach her how to play?" Mona knew he had, Angela told her; she just wanted to make sure this was part of the conversation.
"I taught her how to hold the cue stick, yeah; and don't even think about saying any off color remarks that are running through your heads." He glared at Mona, she looked at him very innocently.
Philly dared, "so you were leaning over her, showing her the finer points of the game."
"No, I was not leaning over her; get your mind out of the gutter."
"Uh huh," the guys were not convinced.
"I set up one shot for her, she hit one ball into the pocket."
"Then what happened?"
"What am I, on trial here? We had roast beef sandwiches."
"Aw, you two had a lunch date," Mrs. Rossini sighed.
"It was not a date," Tony protested, though no one believed him.
"Look Tony, we get it; she's smart, beautiful, loaded and most conveniently located under the same roof," Philly explained.
"You forget the most important...she's my boss. Got it. Boss. End of discussion."
It was most certainly not the end of the discussion.
"Yeah, just yesterday my boss bought me a pool table for our anniversary." Philly said, everyone except Tony laughed.
"Guys, it's for the house," he protested.
"Uh huhs" were uttered all around.
"It is; the kids play, Mona can make a killing, and maybe even Angela will improve her game," he looked at Mona and silently pleaded with her for help. She refused to come to his rescue.
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind you giving her a few pointers," Tiny continued, "just think Tony, leaning over the table behind her; making sure her hands are in just the right place...on the stick."
The guys chuckled.
"You done? You gonna play now? Mona, are you going to let them talk about your daughter like this?"
"Yes."
He should have known.
"So she watched you leaning over the table, probably envying the table," Tiny egged on.
"Watch it," Tony warned., "remember this is Angela you are talking about, don't be absurd." Which pretty much only confirmed everything the guys were thinking, no way would Tony be this bothered if they were talking about any other woman.
"I'm with the guys Tony, this is a direct result of that game," Mona weighed in.
"What? You're being ridiculous."
"I agree with Mona," Mrs. Rossini said, "think of it as your reward for throwing the game."
Tony had to consider this; Angela was staunchly supporting him throughout the game, his own personal cheerleader; and it was only at her insistence that he gave Petardi a run for his money. Then a stunning realization hit him, it was only after Angela told him Petardi made a pass at her that he felt the need to teach Petardi a lesson. That was a secret he wasn't sharing with anyone; if they were reading this much into the presence of a pool table; a chivalrously defended pass would have all of them setting a wedding date.
Tony shook his head, "are you guys gonna play or not?
"We're back," Angela sing songed as she and the kids came down the stairs. Tony walked over to meet them and help them with their burdens.
"Hey Angie, why don't you take a shot?" Tiny prompted.
"Angie? To this day I don't know why you let them get away with that," Tony remarked.
"I like it," Angie answered.
"The better question is why don't you call Angela, 'Angie'?" Tiny asked.
"Because it's not her name," Tony answered.
"It is today," was Mona's unspoken thought.
"That's ok, I like the way Tony says 'Angela', there's a musicality to it."
Tony tried to ignore that, he really did; but he knew there was no hope, he was going to hear it from the guys on that. He leaned against the wall, resigned to his fate.
Mona just shook her head, one more remark like that from Angela and she would be out the door buying wedding bands for her stubborn daughter and the man she was crazy about.
"I don't know, guys, I'm not very good. Tony tolerates me at the table, but I sure he has no patience for me."
"This is Tony, Angie; he has no patience for anyone," Philly said.
Tony smirked at him.
"Go on," Philly encouraged, he handed her a cue stick.
"Well, all right, just one," Angela complied. To everyone's amazement she hit a ball into a pocket. She was so pleased with herself she jumped for joy.
"All right, Angie," Tiny acknowledged, "where'd you learn to play like that?" he instigated.
Tony glared at him.
"Tony taught me!" she said with an over the top giddiness that baffled Tony. Who was this woman and what had she done with reserved Angela?
"Did you see Tony? I hit it in!"
"I saw; very well done."
"Thanks," Angie glowed. They held eye contact until they both realized everyone was staring at them. Angela handed the cue stick back to Philly, "refreshments anyone?"
Mona had no doubts about who Angela was being, she was being Angie Micelli. She'd never say it to her daughter or anyone else in the room; but it was the truth, and it was a good look on her. Mona had to admit to herself that she was in awe, she didn't know how; or when, but somehow Angela had developed a crush on a man she'd been in love with for years. That took talent and she had to admire her daughter's ability.
Angela looked around the basement, her eyes seeing visions no one else could, "we'll put a fridge over here," she pointed in one direction, "and a wet bar next to it." She continued to look around, "and a tv, and a stereo," she counted on her fingers, "oh, and a card table, so you don't have to play poker cooped up in the kitchen anymore...and seating, a comfy couch for tv watching. What do you think?" she asked Tony. Tony was astounded by her ideas, she was planning to remodel the entire basement.
Before Tony could answer, Philly joked, "when can I move in?"
Angela smiled, Tony gave his friend a 'knock it off' nudge, then answered Angela, "sounds great, Angela," all the while wondering why she was bothering to consult with him in the first place. She owned the house, if she wanted to put wallpaper patterned with pink and purple polka dots in the basement she could. Everyone would question her taste, but she could still do it.
The guys exchanged glances, it hadn't escaped anyone's notice that Angela used "we". Not "I" as she could have used as the owner of the house; but "we", implying an "us". And sailing the specific ideas past Tony? Just more fuel for the inevitable eventual wedding toasts in their minds.
The remodel did come to fruition; the fridge, the wet bar, the entertainment, the basement was turned into an almost self sufficient apartment. There were many parties there over the years; but in addition to fun the basement also provided sanctuary when a member of the family needed solitude. And someday that solitude would be very appreciated.