Author's note: This chapter is the first part of Angela's birthday. Yes, it is long. And I was going to continue but then decided that I needed to post and then write a new chapter for the second part of her birthday. I wrote from the heart on this one. They say to write what you know! Enjoy. And please R&R-a bit of feedback helps me know if I'm going in a good direction. If you have specific comments, questions, please PM me. Thanks!

Chapter 12:

Angela woke up early on the day of her fortieth birthday. The baby was pressing on her bladder, urging her to get up yet again. She looked over at Tony and saw that he was still fast asleep, curled up on his side looking so cute and boyish. She leaned over to kiss his brow, careful not to wake him. It was still hard for her to believe that they were together now, and solid. After that first night, there was no going back. Unfortunately, the romantic mood had been somewhat upset when the kids had walked in on them their first morning, causing a big ruckus. Angela chuckled softly to herself, remembering Tony's outrage, Sam's surprise and Billy's attempt to crawl in with them. She herself had been mortified but she'd recovered quite well now. And it certainly was worth every second of their new relationship.

She carefully manoeuvred herself out of bed, her heavy belly making her movements awkward and slow. Ten more days until her due date but she was so ready to have this baby NOW. Her lower back ached, her feet were swollen and she had to pee every five minutes. It was seriously disrupting her sleep. Thankfully, Tony was a deep sleeper and wasn't bothered by her numerous trips to the bathroom. When she was done, she crawled back into bed hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep. Tonight was her fortieth birthday party bash at the Fairfield Country Club and she wanted to be as well-rested as possible. Tony, Mona and Samantha had reserved one of the dining rooms and invited the people who meant the most to her. Wendy and Isabelle were coming, along with her best grad school friend Emily. And of course Jack and her other work friends. Tony's close Brooklyn buddies, who Angela counted among her friends, would also be there. And, she reminded herself, Mrs. Rossini and Al too. Al, who had offered to do her party hair. She wasn't sure about that one. It was going to be a big celebration for a big birthday. Angela groaned when she thought of turning forty. Wait, as of today, she already was forty. Tony couldn't understand why it bothered her but then again, he wasn't forty yet. His turn was soon enough but it needled her that she was older than him. She tried to get comfortable in bed but turning from side to side involved heaving her huge belly. Finding a decent position was tricky because she couldn't sleep on her back anymore and every movement she made was unwieldy. She stretched and accidentally kicked Tony's leg. She held her breath, hoping that she hadn't woken him up.

Tony pretended not to have felt that hard kick against his shin. It had become rather disruptive sleeping next to a pregnant woman who got up every hour on the hour, shifted in bed five thousand times per night and kicked him. Often. He usually pretended to be asleep so that she'd just make herself comfortable but he realized how impossible that task was for her right now. He opened one eye and saw her fidgeting miserably.

"Hey there birthday girl. I'd sing "Happy Birthday to You" right now, but my morning breath would probably kill you and I love you too much to do that to you on your birthday", he teased her. "Another rough night, Angela?"

"Hi. I woke you again, didn't I? Sorry Honey", she looked at him apologetically.

"Don't worry about me. I'm not the one with a watermelon sittin' on my bladder. Do you want to try and get some more sleep? Billy won't wake up for at least another hour." He tried to get into a cozy spooning position with her so he could rub her back for a bit. "How does that feel?" Tony rubbed Angela's back in a circular motion, concentrating on her sore lower back and hips. She'd mentioned the aching areas a few times over the last couple of weeks now.

Angela tried to relax into Tony's back rub, stretching this way and that, testing out less awkward positions. Finally, she gave up and sat up feeling frustrated. "I'm going to take a shower. Maybe that'll get the kinks out of my back", she announced.

"Do you need any help in there?" he asked suggestively.

"No Tony, I do not. You wouldn't fit in there with this fat walrus anyway." Angela felt so big and ungainly, that it was making her cranky.

"Ay-Oh, Oh-Ay. Angela. You're no walrus. Don't say that. You're a beautiful pregnant woman; a very pregnant woman. I think that's sexy. The doctor said you were right on target with your weight gain. You're perfect." He looked at her, disturbed that she felt so badly about herself. He wanted her to feel as beautiful as she really was.

Angela smiled at him then; he always knew the right thing to say. She stood up and headed to the bathroom, still tired from her restless night. First thing she did was step on her bathroom scale. Bad idea. After reading the number, she regretted starting her birthday off on the wrong foot. She'd gained 34 pounds. Logically, she knew that her pregnancy weight gain was fine, but the number on the scale reminded her too much of her fat days. She shoved the scale out of the way and headed over to the mirror, frowning at the reflection that greeted her. It was obvious that she wasn't getting enough sleep—the dark smudges under her eyes attested to that. She had a hint of pregnancy mask too, a couple of dark splotches visible on her upper cheekbones. She checked her face for signs of aging; being forty made her self-conscious about her appearance. She lightly pulled her cheek upward, examined her skin and sighed with relief; not wrinkly. The right amount of make-up would probably fix her problem areas for tonight's party. That and a nap after lunch, perhaps.

She knew that Tony was attracted to her; his libido had proven that to her over and over again. A smile unwittingly appeared on her lips at the thought of her enthusiastic, virile lover. They'd slowed down as she'd gotten bigger and bigger and now, she was keeping him at arm's length. She felt so awkward and huge and didn't want to scare him away with her wobbly bits. He respected her personal space and let her set the pace of their sexual relationship during the later stages of her pregnancy. So now, it was pretty much non-existent and would remain so until well after the delivery. Angela was quite apprehensive about Tony seeing her post-partum belly, breasts leaking milk and stretch marks. She was making herself depressed now, just worrying about how she was going to engage his interest and keep him happy sexually. She certainly wouldn't want him looking around at some firm, young thing who'd never given birth. When she'd had Jonathan, she'd been young, only twenty-four and her body had bounced back from pregnancy quickly enough. Now, at forty, she wasn't so sure how fast she'd regain her pre-pregnancy body, if ever.

It was with those self-defeating and disheartening thoughts that Angela started preparing herself for her big day.

Tony readied himself quickly in the children's bathroom and hurried downstairs to get a special birthday breakfast going. He'd noticed Angela's mood take a downward spiral in the last week or so and attributed it to lack of sleep, discomfort from her pregnancy and missing her son. Samantha was also having a very difficult time since her break-up with Matt. Tony was still furious that Matt could have dumped his beautiful daughter so cruelly. Watching her mope around the house, not eating, and not looking for a summer job was starting to worry him. And if he had to hear "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips one more time, he was personally going to smash her cassette player to pieces. She'd become easily irritated by Billy, refusing to babysit and was spending most of her time locked up in her bedroom. Now he hoped that he could tempt her with a bit of French toast and sausages. And he hoped that both women, moody and fragile as they were right now, would enjoy the big party this evening. He'd planned everything, down to the last detail and couldn't wait to see Angela's expression when she opened his gift. Plus, there was a surprise from Jonathan waiting for her in the living room.

Tony made a breakfast worthy of a four star restaurant and waited. Billy came downstairs first and gobbled up his food before begging to go play outside and ride his bicycle. Tony tried to explain to the six- year-old that it was Angela's birthday and that they had to wait for her. Billy didn't want to wait and decided at that very moment to throw a loud tantrum. In the midst of Tony trying to calm the little boy down, Mona suddenly appeared at the door.

"Hi, what's going on here?" She asked before taking a plate and filling it with French toast, sausages and fresh fruit. She poured herself a coffee and sat down next to Billy, who was whining and complaining about wanting to go outside right now to ride his bike.

"Hi Mona, I'm glad you're here. Angela's still not down yet. She feels like a walrus today. And Sam, well, I'm just hoping Sam actually eats today. She's melting before my eyes. And this kid here", he pointed a finger at Billy, who was now repeatedly kicking the table leg, "needs a lesson in patience and manners." Tony let out a frustrated sigh. "Mona, can you please try to get the miserable women to come downstairs? I'd really like to celebrate Angela's birthday. On your way up, please feel free to put Billy in his room for a time-out!"

Samantha awoke to the sounds of Billy shouting about his bicycle. Not again. That kid was getting on her last nerve these days. He always wanted her, needed her, was calling her, asking her to look at him, to take him somewhere, to play with him and she just wanted to be left alone. She tried to drown out his whining by wrapping her pillow around her head and holding the edges against her ears. She heard Mona tell him he was getting a time-out followed by the sound of a door closing. This was followed by more noise- hysterical screaming and door kicking from Billy protesting his punishment. She tried to dive more deeply under her covers and pretend the world around her didn't exist. But then she remembered that it was Angela's birthday today so she forced herself out of bed. She heard a knock at her door and Mona asking to come in.

"Come on in, Mona. I'm getting up." Sam stood and stretched.

"Well hello. There's a perfectly delicious breakfast waiting for us downstairs. And Billy won't be bothering you; he's in time-out, if you haven't already heard from all the shrieking and banging." Mona was worried about Samantha too. She'd noticeably lost weight since her break-up and was clearly struggling with simple day to day functioning.

"Billy doesn't bother me, Mona," Samantha lied. "We should check on the birthday girl", she said, a pasted smile on her face. Mona wasn't fooled by the act and hoped to cheer the girl up today.

Sam quickly darted into the bathroom, then emerged ready to get Angela. She and Mona knocked on Angela's door and then barged in singing "Happy Birthday to You", very loudly and slightly off-key.

Angela was surprised and delighted by the happy intrusion. She clapped and laughed, then drew the two most important women in her life into a big hug. They both bumped into her belly at the same time, causing quite the giggle fest.

"Happy Birthday, dear. My little medical miracle having a baby in her advanced years", the teasing from Mona was predictable and Angela laughed it off.

"Come on, Angela. Dad's made some sort of huge feast for you this morning. Let's see what he's got", Samantha grabbed her hand and the three of them headed for the stairs. Mona let Billy out of his prison on the way down, admonishing him to behave today. Billy's crying had subsided to hiccups by then and he gave Angela a subdued Happy Birthday hug.

Tony was waiting for them in the living room. He gave Angela a big hug and wished her Happy Birthday. Then he kissed Sam on the head and told the ladies to sit on the couch because Jonathan had sent a surprise for his mother. He had their attention now. First he presented Angela with the bouquet that Jonathan had sent her; two dozen perfect pink roses. Angela started getting teary eyed as she opened the card. "Ooooh", she gushed, "he remembered my favourite flowers. He's such a good son."

Tony held up a video cassette and announced that he was going to play Jonathan's video birthday greeting. Billy sat right up against the TV in anticipation and the women on the couch, waiting. Tony popped the video into the VCR, pressed Play and waited. The image finally appeared on the screen—it was Jonathan sitting at the piano. He'd grown so much; the little boy in him was completely gone. This new young man then played the piano and sang his mother the birthday song; his voice powerful and in perfect pitch. When he was done, he faced the camera and gave his mom a huge smile. By now, all of the family members were gaping. Since when could Jonathan sing so well, or play the piano or look like he did now? They were all thinking the same thing, staring at the screen in disbelief.

"Hi Mom", Jonathan began in his new adult-sounding voice, "I wish I was there with you for your big birthday but school's not out yet. I know the baby is due soon and I'll come as soon as my exams are over. I really miss all of you guys and can't wait to see you again. Things are going well here for me. Rachel and I came in third place with our science fair at the regionals so yay to us!" He grinned then and gestured to somebody off-camera.

Rachel, the beautiful, lanky brunette came and sat beside him on the piano bench. She smiled shyly at the camera and waved, then blushed and smiled at Jonathan. "Hi to Jonathan's family! Happy Birthday Ms Bower. You have a wonderful son." Jonathan put his arm around the stunning girl and proudly introduced Rachel to the family. Her blue eyes twinkled with delight and she gave a final little wave before heading off camera again.

"Well, now you've met my girlfriend. I tried to get the dogs to come in front of the camera but the lazy things are sleeping. Hey guess what? I learned how to drive and am getting my license the second I turn sixteen, which is just around the corner. And, I'm competing in a beginner's surfing competition next week. So that's me. Mom, I love you and really hope that your birthday is very special today and that you feel much loved. I miss you, Mom. Oh and if you're wondering about the piano, it's a cinch to play after learning the accordion. Dad showed me. Alright, that's it for my message. Love all of you guys! Bye." They saw Jonathan stand up and walk towards the camcorder to turn it off, moving like an athlete, all lean muscle and vitality. He bent down to where the camera was, gave one last wave and turned it off.

The family stared at the blank screen for a few seconds. Mona spoke first, "Looks like the California sun can grow more than just oranges." She looked to the others, shaking her head in incredulity. Angela started getting teary eyed, dismayed that she'd missed such a crucial part of her son's adolescence in the past year. He'd left a slight teenager, shorter than her, thin and gangly, pale and bookish. The young man on the screen was tall and strong, tanned and confident. Obviously California had been the right choice for him, yet she couldn't help but feel that she'd lost something. She was so proud of him but missed her baby.

"Was that my baby? Did you see that, Tony? He can sing! Did you see how tall he is? He's built just like his father. And I'm so happy he has a girlfriend. Rachel is lovely." She exhaled in amazement and smiled widely. "Oh Tony, he's coming home soon. I can't wait to see him."

While Angela chatted excitedly about Jonathan's upcoming visit, Tony ushered the women into the kitchen to serve them breakfast. He had laid a pretty table for Angela's birthday and now put Jonathan's bouquet in a vase and set it at the centre of the table. Angela heaped her plate full of the goodies waiting for her. Samantha poured herself a coffee, took a small piece of toast and nibbled the edge.

Tony watched his daughter not eating yet again, his worry and frustration rising. "Samantha, eat!" He yelled it a bit too loudly, making her and Angela jump in response to his sharp tone. He piled some sausages and French toast onto Sam's plate and poured a generous amount of maple syrup over the whole thing. Then he waited, arms crossed for her to take a bite.

Samantha for her part, was incapable of eating. Ever since Matt had dumped her, there was a painful lump in her throat. Several times per day, the lump would explode, making her cry. That's why she spent so much time alone in her room. She didn't want them to know that she literally couldn't stop crying. The lump also prevented food from passing down her throat. As soon as she started swallowing a bite, she'd start gagging. She'd never felt like this before in her life and knew it wasn't normal but she didn't know what to do about it. She drank juice whenever she felt her blood sugar dipping too low but she'd barely eaten any solid food since Matt's phone call a few weeks earlier, at least not after the ice-cream pig out session with Angela. She wasn't trying to lose weight and was herself alarmed by her rapid weight loss. When her clothes started falling off of her thin frame, she dug into her box of old clothes from Junior High and started wearing those again. She felt so miserable these days that it took every ounce of energy to simply get out of bed and get dressed. Sam looked up at her father now, his face worried and impatient, arms crossed, foot tapping, waiting for her to take a bite of food. Angela and Mona were also looking at her with concern. Sam cut a small piece of sausage and forced it into her mouth, swallowed it with great difficulty and said, "yum". She felt like gagging.

"Eat more. Finish your plate", Tony ordered her.

Samantha felt like a small child the way her dad was bossing her around. But she wanted him out of her face and didn't think she had it in her to argue with him today. She tried a piece of the French toast, and gagged on it. She looked up and saw the alarmed faces around her and decided to try harder. If only that stupid lump would go away. She looked at her food and took another bite of the toast but spat it back out. There was no way she could eat.

"Samantha, what's wrong?" Angela put her arm around Sam's shoulders and pulled her against her. Tony sat down, tendrils of fear crawling down his back. Marie had been unable to eat when she was sick.

"I don't know, Angela", she sobbed. "I just can't eat. I can't stop crying. Ever since Matt dumped me. I think he was in bed with Betty when he called me", and with that, she ran out of the room. Angela looked at Tony and saw that he was alarmed. He went after his daughter to console her. Angela wanted to get there first, but she couldn't move quickly enough and barely had time to get out of her chair before Tony was halfway up the stairs to Samantha's room.

Tony found his daughter in her room, looking out of the window despondently. He put an arm on her shoulder, gently turned her around and enveloped her in a big, bear hug. She sought solace in the comfort of her daddy's arms, leaning her face into his chest, trying her best to disappear. Tony let her cry against him. When her sobs had subsided to the occasional sniffle, he pulled away and gestured for her to sit down.

"Talk to me, Sam. We've always been able to talk but I feel shut out over here." He loved his daughter and wanted to know what was going on in her life.

"Dad, I just feel horrible. This break-up was so much worse than any other. I can still hear that girl giggling on the phone when Matt gave me his break-up speech. Dad, it was so humiliating. I can't eat because I feel like I'm going to cry all the time." She confided in her dad, letting him know as much as she thought he could handle.

"So, you don't feel sick?" He held his breath.

"Sick? No Dad. I'm not sick. I'm just miserable."

Tony breathed an audible sigh of relief. Angela came in and knocked at the door. In her heart, Samantha was her daughter too and she was worried.

"Hi Sweetheart. Are you alright?" She sat on Sam's other side and patted her leg.

"She's miserable, Angela. I didn't realize that this break-up was different and so hard for her", Tony looked over to Angela, grateful for her support.

"Oh, so you told him?" Angela asked Samantha, surprised.

"Noooo Angela", Sam started panicking.

"Told me what?" Tony knew he'd been missing something. "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" Sam and Angela stated in unison. Angela looked over at Sam apologetically and squeezed her hand. She'd misconstrued the scene she'd walked into.

"What nothing? What are you two not telling me? What's going on? Are you guys keeping secrets from me?" Tony was suspicious.

"Dad, leave it alone. It's women's stuff. Okay?" Sam tried to pacify him.

"No, Sam, it's not okay. If there's something going on with you, I want to know. Especially if it has to do with you not eating, locking yourself in your room and crying all the time." He wasn't budging. He was getting to the bottom of this now. He looked at Angela but she looked away.

"Dad, do you really want to know? I mean, really? It's about sex." She looked at her father in defiance.

"Sex?" Tony felt a bit sick now. "You and Matt?"

"Yeah. I thought we were in it forever, Dad. And he dumped me over the phone like I was yesterday's news. I feel so used. I regret it, okay?!" She yelled it at him, suddenly feeling the lump in her throat start to clear.

Tony looked from Sam to Angela and back again. They'd kept this from him? He felt sucker-punched and was momentarily speechless.

"Dad, don't freak out! I'm almost nineteen. I'm pretty average for this and he was my first . . . and only, for a long time", she tried to reassure him seeing that he was clearly going into shock.

"Tony, I think Samantha's a bit depressed", Angela just wanted to help Sam and right now she clearly needed help. "Tony, are you alright?"

"Am I alright, Angela? Am I alright?" He shouted. "No, I'm not alright. Not only did my daughter have . . . have . . . you know! But you kept it from me, Angela. You knew and you didn't tell me!" He was furious now. Angela paled. She knew he'd be upset but didn't think that he'd blame her.

"Dad, don't get mad at Angela. I swore her to secrecy." Sam jumped in to defend her surrogate mother.

Tony looked at the two women sitting together, hands clasped and stormed out of the room. It was a show of sisterhood and there was no way he was going to be let in. He was outraged, hurt and felt betrayed by both of them. How could Sam . . . he couldn't think of it without feeling nauseated. And how could Angela keep such a huge secret from him?

He remembered them pulling this same exact stunt when Samantha had gotten her first period. Sam hadn't told him a single thing, confiding only in Angela, who in turn, had kept her mouth shut as per Sam's request. He'd found out later, quite by accident and had been hurt to learn that they had excluded him from such a huge milestone in his own child's life. She'd barely been thirteen, after all. And even though he'd been immensely indebted to Angela for helping and teaching Sam about that female business, he didn't like the secrecy. Now, Sam was almost nineteen, and they were discounting him again, except that this was much more serious. Feeling dejected and angry, Tony stomped downstairs wishing that this had not happened on Angela's birthday. How could he stay mad at her on the night of her party?

Tony sat on the couch, head in his hands, fuming. He was debating with himself how to handle the situation when Al suddenly showed up at the door.

"Al, what are you doing here?" Tony hadn't been expecting the kid.

"I'm here to create Angela's birthday do. I can do Samantha's too. And make-up. I've got everything", Al showed Tony his beauty kit, complete with scissors, combs, curlers, bottles of hair gunk, and cosmetics.

Tony let him in, gesturing to the staircase. "They're all yours." He needed to get out of the house for a while. He decided to take Billy for a bike ride, figuring that fresh air and exercise would help him calm down a bit.

Al headed upstairs, confident in his abilities to make the two women upstairs look magnificent tonight. It was his gift to them because they'd been so supportive of his studies and salon. Tony was like a brother to him and he was always grateful to him. And to Sam for managing his band so successfully. He considered them family. Angela was cool too, he decided. He got to the top of the stairs and yelled out, "Yo, I'm here. It's Al to do your hair." Samantha and Angela came out of Sam's room, surprised to see Al standing there with all of his hair paraphernalia. Al stared back at them, equally surprised.

"Samantha, you shrank", he exclaimed, then turned to look at Angela, "and you got huge!" One could always count on Al to speak his mind heedless of peoples' feelings. The censor mechanism regulating thought to speech wasn't very developed in him. He continued talking despite their annoyed looks, "You guys are going to need a lot of help to look good. But don't worry, I'm here and I can work miracles, even with old bats." He grinned at the two livid women, happy to be able to help.

Al decided to begin his transformation with Angela. She led him to her dresser, putting thoughts of Tony's anger out of her mind. Or at least she was trying to forget about it. It bothered her that he'd been so accusatory. She focused on Al's ministrations. First he cut some dead ends out of her hair and touched up her roots. While waiting for the colour to settle, he turned his attention to Samantha.

"Sam, what's up with your hair? It's a mess. Are you going for short or long?" Al looked disapprovingly at Sam's half grown-out hairstyle. "Ay Sam, maybe you should go for clean. You need a shampoo." Al fingered her slightly oily hair and shook his head.

"Fine Al. Fine. I'm going to take a shower. Are you happy now? Grow some manners, will ya!" She could volley an insult right back. Funnily, she was feeling better since yelling at her dad and unburdening herself. The truth was out and she felt a bit freer now. She headed off to her bathroom to wash up, looking forward to having Al fix her the mess on her head. She'd neglected her hair and it was neither short nor long nor anything. The dark dye had washed out and it was back to being plain old brown. She held the longer bangs back with bobby pins and pretty much ignored it, not much caring that looked was ghastly.

Al turned his attention back to Angela. Satisfied that the roots were done, he directed her to wash it out, then proceeded to style it with great care. An hour later, he was satisfied with his efforts. He'd chosen a classic chignon style; hair swept up elaborately on top of her head. He'd cut her bangs to better define her deep set eyes. Then, carefully selected a few curled tendrils to escape artfully. The style was reminiscent of the '60's but with a modern twist. She looked stunning. Angela looked at herself in the mirror and was pleased.

"Thank you, Al", she smiled at him. "Are you doing my make-up too?" She pointed to his cosmetics bag.

"Yeah yeah. First, let me take care of Samantha, yuck what a mess. Yo Sam, are you clean now?" He shouted into the hallway.

Samantha came into Angela's room marvelling at the glamorous hairdo. She gave her a thumbs up sign and took her place in the same chair.

Al looked at Sam's hair and sighed. He looked through his colour swatches and put them away. No colour. He turned her head from side to side, thinking and examining, a look of deep concentration on his face. Finally his face lit up. He knew exactly how to fix this disaster. He wet her hair, got the scissors and began to work.

"Uh Al, what are you doing?" Sam was nervous about the scissors. How much was he going to cut?

"Trust me Sam. I know what I'm doing, okay?" He kept cutting. Finally, satisfied with his efforts, he turned her around to see herself in the mirror. Her eyes widened in appreciation.

"Oh Al. Al, I love it!" Al had given her a very chic Vidal Sassoon-type bob. It was almost geometrical but still soft. Her bangs were gone; he'd incorporated the mid-length pieces into the sides. He showed her the back of her head with a mirror. It was so precise; the bob was just below ear level, the dark edges contrasting sharply against her white skin. She loved the dramatic look—it gave her the boost she'd so desperately needed since being dumped. She stood up and hugged Al. "Yo, it's okay Sam. Calm down. I still have to do your make-up. You need it. You're too skinny now so the problem is that you look about twelve. I can't put much make-up on you or you'll look like a kid playing dress-up." Al knew his stuff but communicating it effectively really wasn't his forte. Sam smiled at him, knowing he meant well.

He did a very light make-up application on Sam. Just some sheer foundation set with loose powder. For her eyes, he used a brown mascara and some neutral eye shadow. Then a bit of blush and pale pink lip gloss and he was done. He didn't want to do more and have her looking like a garish child. Simplicity was key.

Then he turned to Angela. Yeah, she'd need a bit more work. And he wanted to create a dramatic look for her to match the elegant upsweep. Al went to work, applying there, powdering here, adding colour, erasing flaws, making Angela's face the tableau to his artwork. He knew he was good at his job. He stood back to study his handiwork, noting that one thing was missing. He took out the black, liquid liner. He had to be careful with this stuff—it was like using ink. He cautioned Angela to hold very still, then swept the black liner above her top lashes. The effect was superb and very theatrical. She looked like a 1960's movie star now. Angela's jaw dropped when she saw her reflection. Gone was the exhaustion from her face. She looked young and sexy. She gave Al a hug too.

"Yo Ange, you're not bad for a knocked-up broad, huh?" Al was very proud of his work.

Angela and Samantha looked at each other and burst out laughing. Al simply shrugged and said he was going to meet them at the party with Mrs. Rossini.

Angela took him aside to give him some money but he refused it. "No, it's a present. Happy Birthday Mrs. B." And with that he took off.

"Thank you Al!" They both yelled down to him. He was such a strange guy but he'd found a way into their hearts and the work he'd just done on them was phenomenal.

Sam and Angela headed down to the kitchen. Samantha smiled when she passed her reflection at the bottom of the staircase. She admired her hair and the silky feel of it, its sheer lightness. She swung her head from side to side watching the bob swing around her head, then fall perfectly back into place. "Angela, I'm hungry. I'm actually hungry. I need food!"

Angela practically pushed Sam into the kitchen, shoved some food at her and waited for her to eat. And she did. Sam ate like she hadn't eaten since the previous pig-out fest. She stuffed her face full of cold sausages, congealed French toast and soggy fruit. She drank stale coffee to wash it down, let out a loud belch and burst out laughing. Angela was laughing with her. Tony and Billy came in at that exact moment. Tony stopped, his previous anger evaporating now at the sight that greeted him. Sam was eating and she looked happy and absolutely gorgeous. He went over to her and gave her a big hug. Then he looked over at Angela and was simply stunned. He'd never seen her look so beautiful.

"Hi" he said simply. He looked at her in awe. "I'm sorry I yelled at you guys. Obviously this women's club can be very therapeutic", he waited for Billy to go into the living room then said, "I'm your dad, Sam and I want to be involved in every aspect of your life but I know that an eighteen-year old young lady needs space and privacy. If you waited 'till eighteen to have . . . the thing you had . . . , then I'm okay with it. After all the boyfriends you've had over the years, I should be relieved that you didn't before. I'm sorry he hurt you Sweetheart. But next time, do you two mind not excluding me like that? I know I'm not one of the girls, but I love my daughter and want to know what's going on with her. Alright?" Tony made his point. He was so happy to see Samantha eating with appetite, knowing she was on the road to recovery and definitely healthy. He looked over at Angela then, simply wowed by her beauty.

"Hey birthday girl. You are gorgeous. Can I give you a birthday kiss?" He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Angela looked deeply into his dark eyes and fell headlong into the kiss he gave her. Samantha watched them happily but then realized she was a fifth wheel, so she went to talk to Billy in the living room. She needed to apologize to him for all the snapping she'd done at him lately. She wanted the kid to know that she loved him, and was very sorry for ignoring him during the past few weeks.

Finally it was time to leave for the party. Tony was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, looking at his watch, then looking up the staircase and back at his watch again. They were taking forever to get ready. He sat on the couch but Billy and his teenaged babysitter were taking up all the space, engrossed in their movie. He didn't want popcorn bits on his dress pants. So he stood up again and paced, looking at his watch again and back up the staircase for the umpteenth time.

Samantha came down first, wearing the same black and white dress she'd worn to Jesse's prom a couple of years earlier. The dress that Angela had managed to obtain after a crazy chase through Manhattan. Sam's new hairstyle made her confident and for the first time in weeks, she didn't look miserable. "I had to wear an old dress because my other things are too big on me", she explained to her father.

Tony looked at her, so happy that she was feeling better and twirled her around. "Samantha, you look beautiful", he admired his daughter but hoped she'd soon put some weight back on. She was so tiny that even this dress was loose on her.

Angela came down next. Tony simply stared at her in wonderment. She was wearing a Grecian style pale green dress with an empire waist. A jewel encrusted belt encircled it just below the breasts, allowing the soft chiffon to drape down elegantly over her pregnant belly. The dress had only one thick strap on the left shoulder, leaving the right shoulder bare and it perfectly complimented her stylish chignon and dramatic make-up. Tony was glued to the spot; in absolute awe of the stunning vision coming down the stairs towards him, her dress billowing slightly with each step. When he'd regained his senses, he held out his hand to her and said, "I believe your carriage awaits, my lady", then quietly so only she could hear, "You are the most beautiful woman in the world. I'm so lucky to have you."

To be continued . . .