Defrosting the Fridge
The doorbell rang signaling the arrival of another visitor. From somewhere in the house, a gruff voice was heard.
"Stanley! Get the door, son!"
"I got it!" Stanley shouted as he walked to the door and opened it. He grinned as the familiar figure stepped into the house, and the door was shut.
"Sup?" Stanley asked as he and his uncle high-fived each other. "How's Aunt Cheryl?" he asked as he led his uncle through the familiar house and into the kitchen.
"She's parking the car." Theo said as he put the bag he was carrying down. "There she is now." He said as he heard the door open, and close again.
"Who is it, Stanley!?" his mother shouted from upstairs.
"Uncle Theo!" shouted the boy as he continued to get the stuff out of the freezer.
They were joined in the kitchen by Cheryl Huxtable, Rudy, and Kenny. Kenny grinned as soon as he saw his brother-in-law.
"Hey, Theo." He said as he and Theo exchanged a greeting.
"He probably just came over here because he smelled dinner cooking." Kenny grumbled as he started to wash his hands for the barbecue. "Same with Stanley here. As soon as you two smell any hint of food, it's straight to our house."
"Quit your grumbling, Kenny!" Rudy said as she shoved him playfully. "I invited Cheryl and Theo. I don't know why Stan's here, though." She said looking at her only son questioningly.
"Can't I come by for a little family visit?" Stan asked as he grabbed a popsicle and started unwrapping it.
"Food first, if you want to eat at our house, my dear." Rudy said as the doorbell rang.
"Hon'?" Kenny asked as he looked out the window. "Who else is coming over here?" he asked.
"I invited Sondra, Pam, and Vanessa."
"I wish grandma and grandpa could come." Stanley muttered as he put the popsicle back in the freezer.
"I told them to send us a post card from Europe, son. They should be sending us one soon." Rudy said sighing.
"I invited Olivia." Stanley said as he walked off to the living room to get the door that everyone seemed to have forgotten. He smiled as he opened the door.
"Stanley, my dear, how are you?" Olivia asked as she walked in the house.
"Good, Madame Olivia. Please, come hither to mine kitchen, and greet the family." He said as they both broke into laughter.
"I can't believe you're twenty and on your own." Olivia said as they both walked into the kitchen.
"It's almost as if he never left." Kenny said with a sad expression on his face. "At the first whiff of food, he scrambles over here four times a week." He sighed. "I'll never be able to get rid of this boy."
"Just to be fair, I used to be the same way with my dad." Theo said as he started to get the buns and condiments out for hot dogs and burgers.
"Teeo, I remember dose days." Cheryl piped with laughter. "Your mum and dad weren't sure if dey were ever going to get rid of you." She said as she started to laugh. "Where are de rest of dem darlins yuh keep hidin' from me, Rudy?" she asked.
"Felicia refuses to come out of her room. You know thirteen year olds. The last time Jenny was here, things didn't go so well, so she's probably not going to be here for a while. I did call her, though, and I asked her to come down for the defrosting of the family freezer. As you can see, Stanley's already here, and so is our dear Olivia. Miriam is supposed to be here with her family soon, and my oldest is hoping she can make it down here. She has a paper due tomorrow, and it's really got her under stress."
"I hope Sara makes it." Kenny said as he stared at the clock on the wall. "I can't have a barbecue without my eldest daughter." He said as he started to gather his supplies. "Anyone want to help me barbecue?" he asked. At that moment, everyone scattered. "Fine!" Kenny shouted as he started to head to the back yard. "You'll help eat the food, butcha won't help cook it! I don't care!" he shouted. "Just remember, it's six dollars for little kids, and ten for adults. Fifteen if you're someone we're all trying to get rid of, Stanley." Kenny said as he watched his son running out of the dining room, and into the living room.
He wasn't out there long, before the sliding glass door opened, and out came a sullen looking Felicia. She had puffy red eyes, and a really sad look on her face.
"No!" Kenny shouted pointedly at her. "Whatever it is, no. I know you're not coming down here to help me with the barbecue, and I know you're not coming down here to wish for more homework, so whatever it is, the answer is, … nooooo." He sang softly.
"You haven't even heard what it is, yet, daddy." Felicia said bitterly.
"Okay. What?" Kenny asked as he turned on the gas for the grill.
"I need nineteen ninety five." She requested. "Before you say no, I need to tell you what I need it for." She said bitterly.
"You keep talking, I already know the answer." Kenny said bitterly.
"I need to send out for this very good state of the art cream. See—"
"—Is it going to give you more money than what I'm paying for it?" Kenny asked as he started organizing his supplies. "Is it going to make you famous? Get better grades in school? Grow taller, sprout wings, get a house of your own—"
Felicia looked at him awed, and turned around ready to leave.
"Come on, girl, I was just kidding." He said as he grabbed her by the shoulder to try and get her to come out here.
"Tell me what's the matter?" he asked.
"Dad, everything's the matter. I'm a girl, I'm the youngest, and I'm in this family." She said as tears filled her eyes. "Because every sister that I have has gone through this, no one wants to help me. They think that what I'm going through is not a big deal. Well you know what?" she asked as she kicked the grill.
"I know you didn't pay for that, so don't kick it again, young lady, or else." Kenny said gruffly as he started to steer her away from the grill. "Now, calm down, and tell me what's going on." He said softly.
"My face." She muttered as she looked at him sadly. "Don't you see?" she asked softly as she hung her head.
"I see nothing." Kenny said as he looked at her carefully.
"My upper lip, the side of my nose, above my chin, and even on my temples." She muttered.
"You have acne, Felicia." He said smiling at her.
"You noticed!" she shouted as she began to cry.
"Honey, how can I not notice, you pointed it all out to me!" Kenny shouted as he hugged her in his arms. "You pointed it all out to me, darlin'." He explained. "Now, what do nineteen ninety five, cream, and your face have to do with each other?" he asked.
"Well, if I order within the next twenty four hours, and have this cream rushed to me, I can have a pimple free face within thirty minutes of receiving the cream." She muttered. "Please, daddy, if you give me this—"
"—I swear, daddy I'll never ask for anything else again." Kenny finished for her.
"But dad—"
"-This is really important." Kenny finished for her.
"Please dad, all—"
"-The other girls are getting it." Kenny finished for her again. "Leslie, I had three older girls before you. And honey, it's not that you're last. Or the youngest, or that no one thinks any of what you're going through is a big deal." Kenny said as he held her close. "It's that it truly is okay." He whispered. "You look lovely, Felicia. No one cares if you have a little acne, darlin'." He said as he kissed the tears on her face. "I love you, your mother loves you, and the boys in school won't care about you with acne, they won't care about you without acne, and they won't care about you, Felicia, because they're boys." He said as he kissed her again. "No one will notice pimples, or anything like that. And if you're worried, ask your mother about it, she has a closet full of headbands, and they hide pimples very well." He said as he hugged her tightly.
"But dad, state—
"-Of the art." Kenny finished for her. "Felicia, I know." He said softly. "But honey, remember what I said to you. No one cares." He whispered in her ear.
"How do you know? You're a man." She sobbed.
"And Felicia, I wasn't born a man. Your grandpa delivered me, and I was a baby, just like you." He said softly. "The only difference is," He leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"Eeeeeewww! Dad, that's gross." She said as she laughed.
"It got you to smile." He said as he kissed her. "forget about this pimple cream, and go ask all the ladies in the house how they dealt with it. And don't tell me there's no ladies, because your mother is a lady, aunt Cheryl is a lady, Olivia is a lady, Pam Charmaine Sondra and Miriam are all coming to the party. We might even see Aunt Vanessa. Who knows. Nelson and his sister are coming, and everything will be okay." He said as he steered her toward the sliding glass door.
"I love you, daddy." Felicia said smiling at him. "You have a mix of Grandma and grandpa in you." She said with a grin.
"Get out of here, you weirdo." Kenny said as he watched her go. "Okay grill." He said rubbing his hands. "It's just you, and me. Bring it on." He growled.
Kenny and Rudy Richmond had a full house by the time the food was ready to go around. Denise and Martin were the only ones missing, as they were both in Iraq. Pam was there with Arron, Lance and Charmaine were there, ("Who invited these two Hillman students to my house!?" Kenny had exclaimed.) Vanessa Brickey and her husband were there, Sondra came with Elvin and the twins, Marlin came around, ("Another one I didn't invite." Kenny said as he let Marlin find Olivia and settle down.) his daughters all showed up, including his Jenny. He was a happy man.
"Honey, I think this house is even fuller than back when dad owned it." Kenny said as he looked around at all the people.
"I think it's the Huxtable vibes." Theo said grinning. "People see a party, and they just want to join in." he said with a smile.
"I think that it's because the Huxtables and the Richmonds are very good hosts, and can't turn anyone down." Lance said smartly. "Theo, my man, if you ain't gonna eat that, can you pass that bowl of potato salad, porfavor?" he asked with a smile.
"Uncle Kenny!" Nelson said smiling. "Tell us the story of how you and Aunt Rudy fell in love?" he asked.
"I don't think so." Kenny said seriously. "Your auntie might cry." He said bitterly.
"I think it's a very sweet story, and should be told for all to know." Olivia said as she looked meaningfully at Kenny.
"Well, a long time ago, in a land far, far away…," Rudy said with a giggle.
"Seriously, mom, I wanna hear this." Stanley said as he grinned at his father. "Go on, dad."
"My mother didn't tolerate liars, Kenny, and neither do I." Rudy warned.
"Well, it was a long story." Kenny said sighing. "And very sad. So, all of you better know that before you keep eating." He said bitterly.
"A long time ago I met Kenny when I was going to school as a little girl. I brought him to this very same house, and I introduced him to my parents."
"From then on, I always felt at home here. Dad was very nice to me, and mom always had a lot of things to share with me about women."
"See," Rudy interrupted. "Kenny's brother was—"
"—Is." Kenny put in.
"—One of the most sexist people ever born." Rudy said grinning. "So he filled Kenny's head with all kinds of bull."
"As the time went on, I realized that Rudy and I had become very best friends." Kenny said smiling as he remembered. "Sadly, though, that was one sided, and Rudy didn't see me the way I saw her. I wasn't at that stage yet where I could say I was in love with her." Kenny explained. "But then, she started to date another boy, and I knew I was seriously smitten with her."
"What's smitten?" Stanley asked.
"Captivated. Hypnotized. I was in love with your mother. However, she had it bad for another boy."
"His Name was Stanley." Theo put in. "He was one of the first students that I got to work with at the community center. He was a dyslexic, outgoing boy who knew what he wanted out of life, and just didn't quite know how to get it."
Everyone looked at Stanley, and then at Rudy, and then their eyes shifted to Kenny.
"Yes, I named my only son after this boy." Rudy explained.
"You're okay with that?" Lance asked shocked as he looked at Kenny.
"The story gets complicated. Let Rudy tell a part of it, and soon enough, you'll find out why I am more than okay with my son being named Stanley." He explained.
"I started to date this boy on and off for a couple years." Rudy said as she put down her food. "Kenny followed us everywhere. He was the third wheel of our couple. He got a girlfriend that he was trying to make me jealous with. She dumped him, and Stanley got her to come back for a little while."
"He knew that if he didn't help me get my girl back, he was looking at the situation reverting back to the way it was when it was just us three. He didn't like that." Kenny said softly.
"Kenny's then girlfriend decided that dating wasn't for her. She wanted a career, and a better life for herself, and felt that it wasn't in Brooklyn." Rudy explained. "Kenny really still loved me. Stanley and he worked it out, however, and Kenny finally gave up on me. The last thing he said before he left Stanley and I alone for good, was that if you really love someone, you have to let them go." Rudy said as a tear fell from her cheek on to her potato salad.
"Stan and I became best friends. I still didn't date, because I felt like there was no one but Rudy. I really loved the way she was, and I still love the way she is." Kenny said as Rudy started to cry softly. "Stan and I had fun together doing all kinds of things. You could say I became kind of like the brother he always wanted, and the nicer brother I never had." Kenny said as he put down his fork.
"But one day, Stanley was at the wrong place at the wrong time." Kenny said as Rudy started crying even more now. Since Stanley was sitting beside her, he wrapped his arms around her as she cried into his leather jacket.
"Stanley was in the bad part of the neighborhood, and got shot." Kenny said to the crowd of people who had gotten very quiet. "We found him at the hospital in a coma." Rudy was shaking so hard as she cried in her son's arms. "Stan didn't make it." Kenny said softly as he wiped a tear from his eye. "He was pronounced dead soon after, and I was left to pick up the pieces between Rudy and I. You have to understand, Rudy lost her first love, and I lost my best friend. So," Kenny cleared his throat. There wasn't a dry eye left in the house. "When Rudy gave birth to our son, we both didn't need to talk it over, or compromise. We knew that we wanted him to be named after our best friend."
Rudy was clinging to her son so tightly, Stanley thought for a second that his mother may actually think she was hugging the man she mourned.
"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss Stanley Santana." Kenny said softly. "I'm sure the same goes for my wife." He said as he looked over at Rudy.
"That's beautiful." Charmaine sobbed as she wiped her face with her napkin.
"Oh, no, baby." Lance said as he took a handkerchief out of his jacket. "Your face is much too delicate for those napkins, here, cry on this." He said as he handed it to her.
"Oh, Lance!" Charmaine swooned as more tears came streaming down her face.
After the food was all put away, and everyone had had their fill, Rudy was alone in the kitchen putting the rest of the paper plates away that hadn't been used. Everyone was in the living room, doing whatever it was that people did these days. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around.
"Mom?" Stanley said softly as he looked into her eyes. "Did my dad lie about any of that in the dining room back there?" he asked softly.
"No, sweetheart." Rudy said softly.
"Does this mean that you don't really love dad the way you should?" Stan asked softly.
"Stanley, I don't want you to ever think that. I love your father very much. He has been my solid rock for the last twenty-seven years." Rudy said softly. "Besides, we have five children to show for that." She said as she hugged him. "I guess now you know why I love you so much." She said softly. "You remind me a lot of Theo, and Stanley when they were growing up." She whispered.
"Do you think that Stanley's watching you from up there?" Stan asked as he held his mother at arm's length.
"Yes." Rudy said as she looked into her boy's eyes. "He's happy, and I'm happy with Kenny. I don't regret making the choice I did. Kenny was the right man for me." She whispered.
"What if Stan was still alive today?" Stanley asked as he looked back at the living room full of people.
"No one knows." Rudy said softly. "I'd like to think that maybe I would've still fallen in love with your father. Honey, it took Stanley getting shot for me to see how sensitive an caring Kenny can be. Only the Gods above know what would've happened if Stanley Santana was still alive." Rudy said softly. "But I do know this. I love you. And nothing is ever going to change that. And even though I still miss Stanley very deeply, I don't regret marrying your father. He has been amazing to me for the longest time." Rudy said softly. "And someday, you'll find a girl that will be just like that to you." She predicted.
"I love you, mom." Stan said as he and Rudy Hugged again.
"I love you, too, my boy." She said as she hugged him back.
"And stay out!" Kenny said as he watched Sondra and her family drive away.
"Is that everyone?" Rudy asked as she came walking into the living room.
"Yes, ma'am." Kenny said as he turned off the porch light. "How about you?" he asked.
"Felicia is up in her room with Olivia, all tucked in. Miriam and Jenny are all tucked in as well. It was getting too dark for the boy, so I asked Marlin to stay here as well. He's using Stanley's old room." She explained.
"Well, I'll tell yuh, this house never stays empty." Kenny said as he and Rudy walked up stairs. "Never a dull moment with you and yours." He said as he entered their room.
"You gave part of yourself to make these children." Rudy grumbled.
"Honey, Olivia's boyfriend is not my son, I don't know what he's doing in my house. Olivia is not my daughter, and I still let her stay here. Why? Because ever since my father in law, everyone has heard about this house, and said, "Oh, it's okay. The Huxtables have room." And after the house became ours, "Oh, it's okay. The Richmonds have room." I'm telling you, we will never have an empty place." He sighed as he closed the door.
"I love you, Kenny." Rudy said as she was getting ready to go to bed.
"I love you, too, Rudy." Kenny said as he too started to get ready.
Note:
Sara is named after Claire Hanks Huxtable's sister, Sara Hanks. Miriam is named after Miriam Makeba. Falicia is named after Phylicia Rashad, spelled differently.
In the show, we never found out what Kenny's last name is, so I just made it Richmond, after Deon Richmond, who actually played his part. We never find out what Stanley's last name is, so I made it Santana after Merlin Santana, who was actually shot.