Taffy's friend's Dukeslike story inspires Hazzardesque activity as Angelica prepares for her birthday, and concocts mischievous schemes to keep Chuckie and the others away from it also, Charlotte is sad, Angelica says she wishes Taffy was her mother
A/N: I changed a bit of part 2 of "The Legend of the Alone Ranger." I had Angelica test more and Taffy tougher, but made Taffy able to be a bit milder. It's still possible, but I thought Angelica might try to scare the others with one fairy tale in particular. How I now think Taffy would handle "Hansel and Gretel" will be mentioned here. I decided I can't see anyone, especially a Taffy who has become a nanny, giving Angelica any leeway with that fairy tale. Again, someone else can use that and go into more detail, but in my opinion it wouldn't happen as I had originally in the other story.
I know some of you might not like seeing even a kid like Angelica get spanked even lightly, and that's okay, you don't have to read, but I hope y'all enjoy this sequel, anyway. I rated it K because from what others said, this is gentle enough, the way it happens, with nobody really getting hurt bad; and even what some suggested, that more than love pats might be needed, could have been anyway, but regardless, on with the story...
The Babies of Hazzard – Boss Angelica's birthday
"Taffy, how are you?" the young teen shouted, throwing her arms open as if she'd just seen a long lost friend.
Taffy chuckled as they embraced warmly. In reality, Rita, a member of the band Taffy used to be a part of, saw her every day at school; Rita was rubbing in the fact that Taffy had quit the band because of a special bond she had with a group of children known as the "Rugrats," and one in particular, Angelica.
"So, these are the 'minis' you left us for," Rita chided as they watched the children in the living room. "My mom says don't expect wide-eyed adoration from fans for a long time. You must have wanted it right away."
Taffy could take the teasing. It was true – at that age they really loved having her around. As she introduced Rita, she knew Rita understood the pride she took in her work. "Didi doesn't have any work for her college courses right now," Taffy told the Rugrats, "so she'll watch you while Rita and I work on our school project. Then, next week Rita will be coming over once or twice, too, while we do it," Taffy said happily. Her smile and generally warm demeanor had led them to dub her "Happy Taffy."
Angelica hadn't liked it, of course, when Taffy tried to discipline her; Angelica was quite bossy and mean. Still, she'd grown to realize Taffy loved her, almost like a mother, so she was finally grudgingly accepting it, though Taffy still had to get tough sometimes.
Rita played with the Rugrats for a while later that day, and enjoyed them. Didi was impressed; she agreed that while Taffy did some work, Rita could make do next week, since others would be there. Angelica had tested a little, but a look from Taffy had told her not to very much; Angelica was still a bit shy around people she didn't know well.
Taffy and Rita got a ride from Rita's mother Monday. "What did you think Saturday?"
"Pretty cool. Babysitting's not for me," Rita remarked. "But, it seems like your kind of thing. You've got the personality for it."
Taffy agreed. "You get used to it. Mrs. Farnsworth wants us each doing some on this project; I'm going to have to interview some people. While I'm on the phone for a while, tell the minis a story, maybe get them a snack, that sort of thing. I'll be right upstairs, and their Grandpa Lou will be taking a nap up there, too, once we relieve him."
"Cool. Let me see if I have the names right," Rita said, eager to help. "Tommy is two now, and Dyl is one; they're Didi and Stu's babies." She was right. "Angelica – ironic name with how bad you say she is – she's their cousin; her parents let her do everything."
"Right, part of that badness is because they let her do everything. Her mom, Charlotte, finally tried to take some Cynthia toys away. Before that Didi made her sit in a high chair a long time by herself. Obviously, that hadn't helped. Neither did Charlotte taking stuff away, she was so inconsistent. I've gotten Angelica to be better, after many months."
Rita knew Taffy's look – the extra sad face told her she didn't want to talk about what she'd eventually done to make Angelica behave. Taffy was normally always smiling and happy. "Okay, let's go over the rest. Suzie's four, like Angelica – Angelica's almost five, right?'" She was. "Phil and Lil are twins, three…no, two." Taffy said two, almost three, was right. "Kimi's not quite three, and Chuckie's three, they're half brother and sister, and I have to remember that Chuckie scares very, very easily."
Taffy clapped merrily. "You got 'em all!"
Rita thought it was a piece of cake, till Angelica seemed to hate every story Rita offered. Rita was stumped. Finally, she started her own, a toned down version of "The Dukes of Hazzard." The only things familiar to fans would be the flying cars, like the General Lee, and a boss who the Dukes tried to stop from doing bad stuff. All the Rugrats enjoyed her made up story.
Taffy came down from having made her phone calls and interviews. She laughed as the older children tried as best they could to tell her about the Southern story, complete with flying cars. Rita filled her in on the rest. "Thanks, Rita. You may not want to babysit full time, but you can entertain." She knew Rita liked the original "Dukes" TV show, and wasn't surprised that she'd come up with a fun story for the Rugrats based on that.
Balladeer Waylon Jennings spoke as things occurred in the background, as at other times.
(The story was especially fittin' because that evening, Angelica got an early birthday present. It was a new Cynthia accessory – Sheriff Cynthia. Complete with patrol car. She brought it to play with the next day, and really loved showing it off.)
"How come that man's talking while we're playing?" Tommy asked.
Angelica scoffed. "You dumb babies don't know anything; we got a balladeer 'cause this is a ballet!"
(She means ballad, of course. Anyway, Boss Angelica quickly went into the kitchen and grabbed some cookies.)
"Those look good," Cynthia said. "Come on, give me just a little piece."
Angelica slapped her hand. "Get away from there," she commanded the doll. To adults, she was playing at being like the boss in Rita's story, acting like Laurel and Hardy with her Cynthia doll. "Listen, if them dumb babies come by here, I want you to chase 'em away from my cookies," she commanded.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Well, if you had the intelligence of a real sheriff, instead of the brain of a box of Lego's, you'd know. Now, get to work, while I try to find out where those eyes are that's supposed to be in the back of Aunt Didi's head."
Chuckie came into the kitchen making car noises with his toy car. Tommy was right besides him, the best friends anxious to play together. "Oh, oh, either Angelica's got a new toy, or that story turned real," Chuckie said worriedly as they drove past.
"Don't worry, Chuckie, just hang on." Suddenly, Tommy and Chuckie drove their car into the back yard, and he and Chuckie jumped it over the bird bath. "Yeeehaaa" they yelled. Cynthia, meanwhile, tried to jump over it, but she landed in the bird bath.
The doll got out of the car. "Ooooh, what a horrendous crash." Sheriff Cynthia spied a bird trying to take a bath. "Ijit, what are you lookin' at?" Cynthia asked, clearly annoyed. "Ain't you never seen nobody use a car wash before?"
(She drives just like your friendly neighborhood Hazzard sheriff, Rosco, too. 'Course, to Didi, who didn't have no college classes today, it looked like the boys was throwin' their car over the bird bath, while Angelica tried to copy.)
Didi shook her head and walked out to the bird bath. "How does Angelica do it?" she asked herself. "Oh well, this is harmless, compared to what she used to do. If she isn't tormenting the others, I shouldn't complain," she mused, wishing Angelica took better care of her toys.
(Once Didi brought the car back inside for Angelica, and Boss Angelica an' Cynthia was alone, Angelica got to schemin' again.)
"What do you mean, you let them dumb babies get away?" Angelica hollered.
"I couldn't help it, I got stuck in a birdbath," Cynthia explained testily.
"Fitting place for such a birdbrain." She fumed. "We've got to think of some way to get those dumb babies out of here so we can play what I want to play."
"You mean what we want to play," Cynthia corrected her. "After all, Didi always says we're supposed to share. Shouldn't we split the play time 50-50?"
"Sure, I'll do you one better," Angelica said with an ornery smirk. "I'll let you pick 50 percent of 50 percent of what we play."
"Oooh, goody, two 50 percents, that's…" Cynthia started counting on her fingers. "Let's see, what is that…"
"Don't think too hard, you'll strain your brain. Now, listen," Angelica whispered. "My daddy gave me birthday party invitations I'm supposed to give to them dumb babies. We need to turn them into un-invitations. Now, I don't mind Suzie so much, so we can give her hers. Besides, the adults can understand her pretty well when she talks."
"Okay. So, since Chuckie's gettin' old enough they can understand him, we gotta get him a real one, too, right?"
"Ergh, no, of course not!" Angelica hollered. "He's the one I want there least! Now that he can talk, he might be able to tell some of the bad stuff I do." She gave Cynthia the invitations, and had Cynthia scribble out the names on the inside on the others', while keeping Suzie's the way it was intended, and hiding Chuckie's.
Cynthia "drove" her sheriff's car around to the different Rugrats later that morning, and gave each an invitation. She first stopped at Kimi's; Kimi was walking around with a tray taking orders at the restaurant Angelica owned, the "Bear's Nest." Kimi opened it, and asked, "Hey, what's this? It's got scribbles all over it."
"It's an un-invitation; you're not invited to Angelica's birthday party."
"What? What kind of mean stuff is Angelica trying to pull this time?"
"Hey, I just hand 'em out, I don't explain 'em." Cynthia next went over to Phil and Lil, who were working on a toy car. Finally, she gave one to Tommy and Dyl.
Chuckie was playing with farm animals with the others. "Hey, do I get one?"
"Sorry, yours musta got lost in the mail."
"Besides," Tommy said, "why would you want one? It's just an uninvitation. She doesn't want us at her birthday party."
Chuckie sighed. "It's just as well. She won't be able to be mean to us then."
('Course, Angelica's plan only worked till the adults showed up to start takin' their kids home that afternoon. Seems Drew an' Charlotte had told them about the party. Which, of course, led to a long talk with Taffy.)
"…I know you don't always like to share," Taffy said warmly as she cuddled Angelica in her lap, as Angelica's parents stepped inside. "But, these are your friends, and your parents – and I – want you to learn to get along with others."
"Well, what if I don't want to?" Angelica challenged. She felt safe enough around Taffy that she would test her, tough it was mostly verbal. Taffy punished consistently with timeouts and lost privileges. Deep down, Angelica respected Taffy. Taffy paid her lots of attention because she sensed Angelica needed a lot of help to mature.
She was willing to do whatever it took. "Well, you don't have to have a party."
"I want one, but not with those dumb babies!" She caught Taffy's stern look. "I mean my friends," she mumbled. Taffy did not like when Angelica insulted people, and often noted how nice she was to Angelica despite being much bigger. A point Angelica was getting.
Taffy was glad; she loved being "Happy Taffy" so much more than a tough Taffy. "That's right. It's fun to be nice and think of others, isn't it?" she asked merrily.
"I can't believe how you rub off on me," Angelica said, grousing a bit. "It used to be a lot more fun to trick those…to trick them out of toys and cookies, and boss them around."
(Y'all get the feeling if it wasn't for someone like Taffy, Angelica could have grown up to be as crooked as Boss Hogg? Makes you wonder, anyway.)
Angelica added, "I shouldn't think about scaring them with 'Hansel and Gretel,' huh?"
"I told you when we talked about that before, when you found that book, nightmare monsters always haunt the one using them," Taffy warned. "If I'd been your mother, that book never would have been around for you to find. If you scare them with that, you'll be in so much trouble with me…!"
Angelica shuddered. It seemed like it might be fun, but she recalled a few months ago, she'd continually been mean and cruel to the others, and even a few light fwaps from Taffy hadn't stopped her. Eventually, Taffy spanked her so it hurt for a little bit. Angelica didn't really remember it hurting, except in her feelings, though. They'd had such a long cry together after that; Taffy had been so sad and disappointed. Now, Angelica didn't even like the feel of light fwaps that didn't hurt, which she'd gotten as a warning a couple times since; Angelica knew that was supposed to be a spanking. She didn't know what Taffy would do if she scared them that bad; "Hansel and Gretel" scared her.
Taffy hugged her, saying, "But I would still always love you and comfort you and help you."
"I know. You spent the night at my house even after I was thinkin' about using it to scare them into letting me have all the cookies. I had a nightmare an' you came in and cuddled me an' slept with me."
Taffy remembered. She also remembered Angelica insisting she could do whatever she wanted, including scaring them. Taffy had taken Angelica aside and given a few light warning pats while reminding her it was wrong to be mean and cruel like that. Angelica's face had changed, as she suddenly got very contrite and asked, "Are you spankin' me?" Taffy had decided to say she was; she could tell Angelica figured she had been, as she knew it was wrong to act like she did. Just being patted lightly like that was no fun, and since she wasn't totoally riled up, that had gotten her attention. Indeed, she'd patted enough that it did tingle just an instant by the time Taffy was done; she knew Taffy meant business when it came to something like that.
"We talked aobut how those nightmare monsters always get the one who teases about them, didn't we?" Taffy asked.
"Yeah, an' I was scared." Angelica grinned and looked up at Taffy with great admiration. "Now if I see one in a nightmare, you take care of 'em right away!" She never teased the others about that sort of thing.
"Good, I'm glad." She'd begun to love Angelica almost as if she were her own little girl, in how she cherished and protected her – she had firm limits to keep Angelica from being mean, but she hated to see her hurt or scared. It had made Taffy sad to see Angelica have a nightmare, but it had further solidified that Taffy would always love Angelica.
Taffy was normally so nice, and despite how tough Taffy could get, Angelica loved her so much! She knew Taffy was teaching her how badly the others felt, when she wouldn't listen to any other attempt at discipline. It hadn't hurt for long even that worst time, but it had some, and, though she would normally never cry, the whole time, even after it was done hurting, she and Taffy had both been crying big tears as they hugged afterward. She knew that would happen again, too, if she was ever really cruel, but she didn't want to be like that!
She couldn't imagine disappointing Taffy like that again anyway; not with all Taffy did and how nice she was. Angelica would try to trick Chuckie and the others, or get her way, some other way. "I wish you were my Mommy sometimes," Angelica muttered. "'Cause you're not on a cell phone all the time, an' you love me, even when you make me listen."
(Taffy was really happy. She just hoped Angelica would behave up to and at her party. Of course, Charlotte was there, too, and Angelica's comment made her think. And, maybe try a little too hard again to make Angelica like her, as she repeated something the next day she'd done back when Angelica was three.)
At her house, Angelica walked in after being picked up from Didi and her husband Stu's. She saw a paint set sitting out. "What's this?"
"Oh, remember when I let you paint all over the wall that one time? I thought you'd like to do it again?"
"Do you feel all right? Aunt Didi, Uncle Stu, and Taffy all say that's really bad." Charlotte was thinking of changing her mind, when the mention of Taffy reminded Angelica of something in her backpack. "Oh, that reminds me. My teacher gave me something to give to you." She handed it to Charlotte. "I helped a blind kid today when we went to the park. Suzie was surprised. She said, 'You never would have stood up for him before.' And I said, 'that's 'cause Taffy's taught me how important it is.'" They had seen him when their preschool class went on a field trip to a park and saw the kid there with his mother.
"Oh…yes, yes, it is. I'm very proud of you. Let's go put this note on the refrigerator, and then, maybe you can make a pretty picture like last time, or…something." Charlotte sighed; the note even said something about her "nanny." She just didn't know what to do; she felt like Taffy was taking over more and more, and yet…. When her cell phone rang and she picked it up, she was almost relieved she didn't have to think anymore about what kind of influence, or lack thereof, she was having.
(Y'all, am I the only one with the song "Cats in the Cradle" goin' through my head?)
A few days later, Didi was letting Angelica out of timeout; it was Friday morning, hours before her party. "Sweetheart, you know you're not supposed to be coloring on walls. We've talked about this, haven't we?"
"I know," the girl muttered. "But, Chuckie told me to."
"Now, Dear, you know that is not true. I know you'd like to blame someone, but you and I both know Chuckie had nothing to do with it."
Angelica sighed. She'd been blaming Chuckie for that lately, but she knew what Taffy would say; and had said. Her mother let her, but she shouldn't. "Is my Mommy wrong and Taffy right?" she inquired.
"Usually your mother is right," Didi hedged, unsure how far to go here. She didn't want to overly criticize Charlotte, but she had had this problem at first, too; Charlotte had let Angelica paint all over a wall at home. "But, in this case, like a couple years ago, your mother made a mistake. It's okay to make mistakes. But, she also hired Taffy so you could have a nanny teach you right from wrong, in case your mother made a mistake." There, she told herself, I didn't criticize her, I made Angelica listen to what we've said, and I gave Charlotte credit for hiring us; especially Taffy. "And, she has me watching you for the same reason."
Angelica tried to think, and asked what, "What's a nanny again?"
"That's a person who cares for one child, rather than a whole bunch like I do. Or, at least, one family of children. Remember 'The Sound of Music?'" She did. "Maria von Trapp was a nanny."
"Okay, now I know. 'Cept Maria never punished the kids."
"Well…not that we saw. Plus, they behaved better." They talked for a few more minutes, and she was allowed to get up.
(Now, as you can see, Boss Angelica had been tryin' to get Chuckie in trouble for a while; she figured if the others were in trouble, they couldn't come to her party. Her mom had tried to get her to paint one of her "masterpieces" on a wall like one other time. Yeah, I know, but she couldn't win her daughter's favor with cookies; she couldn't eat any more than she already did. When taking advantage of that didn't work, Boss Angelica tried to come up with another scheme. Meanwhile…)
Tommy and Chuckie were driving along, when they were pulled over by Sheriff Cynthia. "All right, you dumb babies, I got you now. Khee, khee, I'm gonna write you a ticket for havin' expired license plates."
"What? What are you talkin' about?" Tommy demanded.
"We just got these plates," Chuckie complained.
"That's not true. You know how the adults set their clocks ahead an hour this spring?"
"Yeah," Chuckie said, not knowing where Sheriff Cynthia was going with this."
"Well, you gotta get new plates every five years. And, Boss Angelica said since you can turn time ahead, she just turned it ahead 20 years. So now, your plates are expired. Khee, khee."
"I don't like this, Tommy," Chuckie said worriedly, "what if she charges us ten cookies like last time; we won't get any cookies for a week."
Tommy told him to relax. "Well, now, wait, Cynthia, if it's been 20 years, that means your car hasn't got a tuneup for over 20 years." Before she could say anything, Tommy said, "Here, let's look under your hood to make sure it's okay," and opened it.
"Ijit, I don't need nobody to look under the hood. Why, see here, everything's…" Tommy brought the lid down on Cynthia's head, and they drove off as Sheriff Cynthia said, "Ooof, ijit!" She got in her car and chased after them. Tommy and Chuckie jumped over the bird bath, and Cynthia landed in the same spot. A bird looked oddly at her. "What? You again? Why can't you just mind your own beeswax?"
Cynthia walked up to where Angelica was sitting, looking at a book she'd gotten. "You again?" Angelica shouted. "How'd you get all wet?"
"I lost them dumb babies again." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Well, it was like this, see; I was all ready to write 'em a ticket, then if they woudn't give me all their cookies for a week, I was gonna cuff 'em and stuff 'em, and…" She looked oddly at Angelica. "How come you're not eatin' any? You're always surrounded by cookies. Why, I'll bet you've eaten every type of cookie there is."
"Oh, hush. They caught on to how I've been cheating them out of cookies 'cause of your phony speed traps, and now I can't have any snacks, 'cept for my birthday cake, for three days. Can you believe that?"
"What? Why, that just don't seem fair."
"I know; a girl can't earn a dishonest living no more. But, I've got an idea. You know how them boys like jumping that car lately? Well, I've got a plan that'll make them look like the bad guys."
(Angelica tried to get Cynthia to chase them, but there was one problem.)
Tommy and Chuckie were speeding along the living room floor. "Oh no, Cynthia's gaining on us," Chuckie cried out.
"Don't worry," Tommy said, as they approached Spike, Tommy and Dyl's dog. He honked his horn. "Hey, Spike!"
Spike stood for a second and turned toward Tommy and Chuckie's car. Upset at the noise and the car zooming through, he growled a little and lowered his head at the next car coming his way; a car which shot over him like a ramp.
In the play world, Tommy and Chuckie managed to maneuver under a ramp and around. Cynthia, meanwhile, hit the ramp and went flying high, going full force into a billboard – which in the real world was the television.
(That problem was simple – Cynthia can't drive. Angelica was sent upstairs after a long timeout; she was plumb out of privileges for that day, and so tired from the excitement she napped a little, which was uncommon but not rare for her since she was turnin' 5. Chuckie was picked up for a doctor's appointment while she was napping; but she didn't know that.)
When Angelica got up, she saw Chuckie wasn't there. She wondered if she'd gotten rid of him. Didi had a long talk with her about her behavior, and informed Drew, Charlotte, and – when she got there from school – Taffy. But as the day wore on, Angelica seemed satisfied – she saw no Chuckie. Maybe he really wasn't coming to her party. Perhaps her plan had worked.
She even pretended to be sorry when the adults talked about him not being there yet. "I really wish he could be here, but…well, next year, he'll behave better. I-I mean…"
"You mean what, Angelica?" Didi asked, with her hands on her hips.
"Well, it's just…never mind."
Taffy lifted her up and carried her a few doors away to her house, where the party was all set up. "I sure hope you're being nice to your friends. With how mean you've been cheating them out of things, they might not want to play with you anymore."
Angelica was so glad to be in Taffy's tender embrace. She knew she'd been behaving badly, and decided, for her own sake, she'd better play like she was sorry. She quickly got into the fun of seeing all the decorations. She came down in an all white princess outfit.
(Y'all, that might be a white dress 'stead of a suit, but if she'd put on a white cowboy hat, too, she'd look just a little too similar to Boss Hogg.)
"Did Chuckie really decide he didn't want to come?" she asked her friends. Part of her was starting to wonder.
Tommy wasn't sure. "Maybe he did."
Angelica frowned. "I really kinda wish I hadn't done all those things to him. Maybe a few," she hedged, "but not all of them."
"Well, it serves you right, Angelica," Phil and Lil said.
The adults could only understand Angelica talking; Suzie didn't know where Chuckie was, either, so she couldn't help. They thought about telling her, then decided they should wait to see how she reacted. As they were debating, Chuckie came in. "Sorry we're late, everyone," Chuckie's dad said.
"Oh, he's here?" Angelica asked, suddenly turning to see him.
"He just had a doctor's appointment," Chuckie's dad explained.
Suzie told Angelica to watch out. "You've got that look in your eye, and I don't like it."
"Where were you? I had you kicked out for good!" Angelica screamed without thinking.
"What'd I do this time?" Chuckie asked Tommy.
"Angelica, you said you were sad he wasn't here," Phil and Lil declared.
"I was only sad he wasn't here before I knew he'd be here. Now that he's here, I want him gone," Angelica said, clearly trying to control the situation.
"Angelica…" came her parents' warning tone.
Taffy told her to be nice in a whisper, so the others couldn't hear and it wouldn't embarrass her. She put her hand on her bottom as a warning, though not giving the "love pats" of before; Angelica knew even light pats were meant to be a "spanking," but Taffy sensed Angelica was too wound up – so, she'd do something in between that and the time she had to be toughest, if Angelica didn't listen.
Angelica wouldn't stop; her parents' voices didn't bother her that much, since they'd rarely disciplined. Taffy, meanwhile was listening to see what else Angelica would say.
"That's right," Angelica claimed, "I tried to make you crash your car so you couldn't come, I tried to blame you for all my bad stuff so you wouldn't come; what do I have to do to keep you dumb babies away from my party...Yikes!" Taffy had scooped her up and was carrying her up to her room, patting her bottom very lightly on the way.
Chuckie looked sadly at the steps as Angelica begged Taffy not to spank her. "I knew it would happen this way. This is how all the bad guys start. Cruella DeVille, Elmer Fudd…"
"I think Elmer Fudd's just hungry," Tommy suggested.
"Then why doesn't he go to McDonald's?"
"I don't know, but I gots a feeling Taffy's gonna make sure Angelica never gets like any of those," Tommy said.
(Y'all, while they was talkin' about that, that's one thing Taffy was makin' sure of.)
"Don't, Taffy, I'm sorry, I'll be nicer to Chuckie, I promise." She didn't think it'd hurt badly – Taffy had begun to cry that one time even carrying her to where she did it – but Taffy was a bit teary as she shut the door and sat on Angelica's bed, so she knew she'd get spanked with more than the really light love pats, and was a little anxious.
"You just promised that a while ago, before he came back," Taffy said. "It looks like you need more of a reminder of how it feels to be treated so mean. And how bad it is to act really sorry but not be sorry." She slapped Angelica's bottom lightly, so it tingled for a moment or two by the end, but didn't sting.
"Ow, I'll be good, Taffy, I'll be good. Ow," Angelica whined. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, trying hard not to cry as Taffy spanked her lightly. She knew she had to shape up; she knew what would come next if she didn't, and the long, hard cry they'd have together after that, if she didn't shape up.
Once Taffy was done, she hugged Angelica, weeping a bit herself, though she knew she hadn't hurt Angelica much. She still hated to hurt even someone's feelings, and told Angelica this.
"I know. I shouldn't like it either," the little girl muttered, rubbing her bottom as Taffy hugged her.
"That's right." Taffy stood Angelica up and instructed, "Young lady, you listen to me. You are going downstairs and apologize to Chuckie for all you've done to him the last few days, all that you've tried to pin on him, and everything. And, unlike when you thought he wasn't coming, this time you are going to mean it, and you will be nicer. I will be watching you, and if I see you being extra cruel to him once today…"
Angelica gulped. She didn't remember the one time hurting badly, but she knew it had some, and she didn't want that to happen again. "Y-yes, Taffy," she mumbled, making sure she didn't cry this time, not wanting to seem like a baby herself when she went back downstairs.
(Y'all, Taffy's usually not this tough, but when it comes to someone like Boss Angelica, well, she's gotta stay on her like a hound on a scent. She's too polite to say it, but Taffy might even be thinkin' 'bout Charlotte, an' the influence she has, hollerin' into the phone so much.)
Angelica apologized as she was told, and was nice to Chuckie the rest of the day, so Taffy didn't have to spank her any more that day.
Later, after the others went home, Taffy was snuggling with Angelica. "I'm glad you were so good the rest of the time," she said softly.
Angelica blushed, and hugged Taffy tightly, and said, "If I'd done more like I thought about, you'd have had to hurt my bottom," before looking at her with an embarrassed grin.
"I love you so much; it makes me so sad to think about hurting you."
Angelica remembered only one big thing vividly from the time she was baddest, and it wasn't any pain, though she knew it had hurt. She recalled, "You really cried hard that time."
"I know I did. You are improving. Remember how I was so proud of you with that kid the other day?" She did. "I wish you'd have been that nice here with your friends. Even then, I only had to hurt your feelings this time." Angelica grinned sheepishly. "It's hard to be your nanny, but I try. And, I wouldn't miss it for anything."
They talked about how she set limits, and Angelica admitted, "I love you with all my heart, Taffy. And all my brain, and all my arms and legs," she said to be funny. She paused, and then said, "Even my bottom."
Taffy could tell she was sad at even the light spanking she'd given her. "It's really sad when you won't listen any other way and get spanked, huh?"
Angelica grinned sheepishly, curling up in Taffy's lap for a cuddle. After a moment, she responded, "I still kinda wish you were my Mommy. I don't wanna be mean like I was. I just got so many mean ideas," she confessed lowly. "I'm glad you make me be nice, and you don't hurt my bottom like you could. I wanna learn to be nice just like you."
Taffy explained to her about the grace of Jesus, and His mercy, dying for one's sins and rising from the dead so one could be saved. Angelica wouldn't receive Him for a few years, but it was a start.
"I'm glad you see the love and mercy I have for you. But, I think your Mommy's feeling get hurt when you say you wish I was your Mommy. Not like your friends' today, but they hurt."
"I'm sorry."
Charlotte sat beside them, having heard the whole thing. "Angelica, I know I'm too busy sometimes. There are times I wish I'd had a nanny like we got you; I'd have learned to be a better businessperson, instead of being so harsh and critical and demanding. I'm just in some really bad habits."
"It's never too late to change," Taffy pointed out.
"I know," Charlotte remarked, "I guess I just need a lot of help. Taffy's giving you that help now, so you can grow up and be better than I am."
"I love you, too, Mommy," Angelica said. "I love both of you."
"Don't worry, sweetheart," Taffy said. "You don't have to choose. Just know Mommy and Daddy hired me so you could grow into a wonderful young lady. Sometimes, it's really hard. I wish I could be there more for you. At least, in the summer I will be."
"You probably see me as not being here even when I am," Charlotte told Angelica sadly.
"You're pulled in a lot of directions at once, Mrs. Pickles," Taffy said knowingly. "I felt like that before I decided to quit the band. I saw something I needed to do, that wasn't getting done. I made a choice, just like you've had to; to give of myself, so I could get something special back. I'm just glad you let me discipline her consistently. Even when I have to be so tough on her." She kissed Angelica gently, as the girl on her lap blushed.
"Well, she loves you. And, that's what I want her to see. That someone loves her and will put her first; it's why I was so glad Didi had the daycare." Charlotte sighed and confessed, "We kind of failed. We were too busy. So, she needed more one on one from someone like you. Don't feel bad when she says she wishes you were her mother. I'm just glad she's got someone she loves enough to say that."
(Times like that show Charltote and Drew weren't necessarily bad parents – they just had a kid who needed lots of help, and more one-on-one attention. But, they were willing to accept that it needed done. And, all involved did improve – especially Angelica, who turned out really good. 'Course, she did need it like taffy did today 2-3 more times over the next couple years. She sometimes tested Taffy's limits like most kids test their parents, 'cause she felt most secure with Taffy. And, she needed them light pats that didn't even tingle several other times, but still, Angelica really did try hard to improve, an' even by her preteen years she was real good. And, by adulthood, she was a wonderful woman who always thought of others, and even did lots for charity, in addition to all she did for her own family. And, who knew where to turn for forgiveness when she did mess up, which was rare.)
--
(Years later, Taffy sat on the set of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, talking about the special bond that had formed.)
"So, Taffy, they tell me your latest hit, 'It's What You Can Give,' had a special inspiration," the host said.
"That's right, Jay," the star replied. "I actually had a band when I was a teen, but I gave it up to do something very special. Just like I'm going to be slowing down for a good while in about, oh, a little less than nine months," she teased slyly.
"You mean you're…" Jay began as the crowd applauded excitedly. "Congratulations. Wow, we've had marriage proposals on here, we've had all kinds of great announcements; this is certainly up there with them."
"I'm just glad you've kept things clean and haven't shown the actual moment of conception," Taffy kidded.
Jay laughed. "Boy, you wonder where TV is going nowadays, unfortunately, that doesn't seem too far fetched for some shows. I guess the inspiration is the situation where you became a nanny, right?" It was. "I know people who've listened to 'The Rest of the Story' on the radio might have heard snippets, but tell us how that all came about."
"It's really been a long and eventful road, Jay." She talked about meeting the Rugrats, about her determination with Angelica, and about her desire to stay clean and sober as much for Angelica as for herself, especially when she became famous. She loved the good, wholesome entertainment that was so lacking in some parts of society. "I'll probably spend more of my time, till my little one's off to Kindergarten, speaking about the need to put others first, if I do any touring…."
Angelica called her the next day. "I heard you're going to be a mother. You'll make a great one." Taffy thanked her. "It's funny, with Chuckie and I together, we've talked with a couple other couples who have known each other for a long time. Usually it's the boy who torments a girl at that age. I put you through a lot with how I treated my friends, huh?" she said with a nervous laugh.
"You sure did. But, it's like I said last night; I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
"You're not mad that I've told Chuckie he'd raising our kids?" Angelica quickly added, "Don't worry, he's going to have firm limits and teach them from the start." She didn't add that this was because Chuckie worried that otherwise, he might have to be as tough as Taffy had been on Angelica. However, he wouldn't need to do that.
"Of course I'm not mad. Just be the best, most loving, most considerate businessperson you can be, if that's what you want to be. And, keep your work at work so you can spend lots of time with them when you get home. Just like I always tried after school and such."
"I will," she said with obvious admiration in her voice, no longer needing the reminder of how upset Taffy would be if she'd take advantage of people in a mean way. She wanted to be much more like Taffy, not her mom; and, Charlotte was okay with that. "My mom wishes she'd had an inspiration like you. But, I tell her it's okay. She sure knew how to pick a good nanny."