Lester's POV

It's amazing how fast my second year of college flew by. I am half-way through earning my degree in computer science. Now, I'm getting ready to work full time over the summer, hopefully earning enough to get a new car, so I can give my current car to either Carlos or Stephanie.

Stephanie and Carlos both applied to and were accepted to West Point Military Academy. I am surprised that Steph wanted that life. I knew Carlos was considering it, but I thought he changed his mind once he met Stephanie.

Today, Stephanie, Carlos, Abuela, and I are traveling to New Jersey for Valerie's wedding. Abuela and Carlos weren't invited initially, but thanks to my mom's well-placed comments to Burg women, Ellen Plum was forced to invite us. Stephanie was thrilled to have us by her side for the monstrosity that will be Val's wedding. Unfortunately, Steph will be staying with her parents for a week and will be missing her senior prom.

I'm seated next to Abuela, while Stephanie and Carlos are sitting next to each other. Steph has her head on his shoulder, fast asleep, as he is watching her sleep.

"Are you going to survive not seeing her every day?" I tease my cousin.

"No. Steph's going to be miserable. I'm glad Mama and Papa are allowing me to visit after the wedding when her family thinks Steph is going back to Miami, so she can accompany me. I know they wanted to spend more time with me, but it will have to do. Besides, we'll be in New York come September, so they can see me more often then."

"I just want to warn you, Joe Morelli is the best man."

"What?"

"Yeah, I know. Apparently, Steve, Valerie's fiancé, is Joe's cousin on his mother's side. They were close growing up. Steve has no brothers, so he chose Joe. Steph doesn't know yet, but she's going to flip. They will have to dance together at the reception at least once."

"I can't believe that idiot is going to be touching her. Why would her mother pair her with the man who raped her?"

"You've met Mrs. Plum. She's not normal. She wants Stephanie and Joe together. After all, he's a wonderful Burg boy, who will provide Stephanie with the Burg family she doesn't want. Steph's parents are going to flip when she tells them she's going into the military."

"Well, at least we're going to be at the wedding. I can keep Joe away from her then, but she'll be stuck with him at the rehearsal dinner unless I can con my way to that, too."

"Ain't going to happen, Carlos. You're not the right nationality. But Paul could probably get us to the wedding brunch."

"How?"

"Steven has political aspirations. Paul is Senator Juniak's right-hand. Juniak is also Steph's godfather. I'm sure he can apply some pressure. He always supported Steph more than her own parents."

"So that's how Steph got her nominations then."

"Yes, Senator Juniak took care of it," I tell Carlos. I look at Steph, fast asleep. "I can't believe she's sleeping."

"I'm glad she is. She doesn't like flying, especially take-off and landing. I don't know how she expects to be in the military and not like planes, but one never knows."

When we land in Philly, we head to the baggage carousel and retrieve our luggage. Waiting for us are my parents. Mary Lou was watching the girls. Somehow, Mom convinced Mrs. Plum to let them pick up Stephanie. At least she had another hour of peace before facing the Plums.

My parents joined us, giving me a huge hug. I saw them a few months ago, for Easter, but they act as though I haven't seen them in years. They are equally enthusiastic about seeing Carlos and Stephanie.

"I thought my parents were picking us up?" Stephanie stated.

"We convinced them to let us, especially since there are a lot of last-minute preparations. There was no need to take a couple of hours out of their busy day for an airport run when we were going to be here as well." Tia replied.

"Oh, thank God. I'm glad to have a few more hours parent-free. Are you sure I can't stay with you?"

"You know that we'd love to have you. But you know your mother, mi hija."

"Maybe I can convince my Grandma and Grandpa Mazur to stay with my parents. Then, there won't be any room for me in the house."

"Do you think she'd do that?" I ask Steph.

"For me, yeah, I think she will. You know she's the only one who's supportive of me being in Miami."

We all piled into the minivan. Paul drove with my Mom sitting in the passenger seat. Abuela Rosa and I sat in the second row, while Carlos and Stephanie sat in the third row. We passed the time from Philly to Trenton with idle talk, catching up on Burg gossip and the happenings of the Plum household. I know that Stephanie was not looking forward to reuniting with her parents. When we pulled up to our house, we saw Mrs. Plum arguing with Mrs. Mazur. I wonder what is going on.

"What do you mean, Stephanie's dress was accidentally ruined? What will she wear? We had to special order the gown for Stephanie specifically. That dress doesn't come in that shade of pink. What will she wear? She won't match the other girls, and that's not proper."

"Ellen, get over it. It will be fine. Stephanie is the Maid of Honor, so she can wear something different. Look, I'll take her to the bridal shop, and we'll find something that will match the other dresses. Don't get your panties in a twist, it will be fine. Oh, and by the way, your father and I are planning on staying here in Trenton until after the wedding. We can't travel that far anymore."

"But Mother, where will I put Stephanie? We already have Val sharing with Steve's older sister; his two younger sisters are on the pull-out couch. Steve's parents only have a one-bedroom apartment here in Trenton, as their main home is in Jersey City."

"Let Stephanie stay with the Rizzi's. She gets along with them, and I'm sure they won't mind."

Mama replies, "it wouldn't be a problem for Steph to stay with us. I know how busy everything is in your household. It would be our pleasure to host your daughter."

It looks like Mrs. Plum had no choice but to relent, and she didn't look happy. "Fine. Stephanie, go with your grandparents. It seems your grandmother was careless and ruined your dress. Now, you need to get a new one."

I guess Stephanie got the memo, or from years of practice, knew how to react because she gave an award-winning performance. "Grandma, how could you destroy my dress? I loved that dress. I was looking forward to wearing it. Now I won't be dressed the same, and I'll have to wear something that I won't like as much."

Carlos and I were holding in our laughter because we both knew the truth. Steph absolutely detested that dress, and we don't blame her. It was the ugliest dress that we've ever seen. However, her mother and sister, who just decided to grace us with her presence, both bought her lie.

"Grandma, my wedding is going to be ruined! How will the pictures look?"

"Valerie, relax. Other dresses came in the same color. It'll be fine."

"But Mom, who's going to alter it if it doesn't fit Steph perfectly? You know nothing fits her bust or her hips."

"I can. I am a seamstress." Abuela responded. "I was a dressmaker when I was a young woman. I can fix her dress in an hour or so if needed."

"See, Ellen, no harm, no foul. Henry, let's go. We need to get my baby granddaughter a dress."

"Yes, dear."

"I'll see you later, and thank you, Mrs. Rizzi, for allowing me to stay with you."

I shake my head. We're back in the Burg, and already Steph is back to her "Burg" manners. Well, I guess she must appease her harpy of a mother.

A/N: Happy and Healthy 2020 to everyone! New Years Eve is always a very bittersweet day for me. Growing up, New Years was my favority holiday, due to the large family party we would throw. My grandma, who was a modern woman stuck in the wrong generation, was always the life of the party, without the need for alcohol. She was, in some ways, a tamer Edna Mazur. Fifteen years ago, on December 31, 2004, rigtht at the day started, my grandmother passed away. It wasn't sudden, it was expected, as she was in a coma for a couple of weeks. We all feel that she waited for the 31st so she could celebrate in Heaven. Even know, 15 years later, I still miss her tremendously, and wish my kids could have met her. I try to honor her spirit by wearing an insane light-up New Years tiara, but unfortunately, our party now consist of about 10 people.

So, I am always a little reflective on this day. This year, I have written 13 stories in the Plum Universe (I'm including Night, even though I started it last year). It is because of the encouragement and support of my readers that I continue to write. Every time I think I've run out of ideas, I hear a song, watch a movie, or see an article in the paper that gives me inspiration for a new story. That was how this story started...with me walking to work one day. I wouldn't be writing without your mostly positive remarks, your mostly constructive criticism (especially early on), and your encouragement. I would love to call out some of you individually, but that number is too large. So, to my Babes out there who respond to every chapter, thank you. To my fabulous beta Susan, I owe my better grammar and story development. To grammarly, THANK YOU! I no longer have as many typos and grammatical errors to fix; I'm sure Susan also thanks you. ;-)

Now, for the great new. Part II of the story is complete, and Susan will begin the arduous task of editing 104 pages. I will start writing part III soon, and yes, I'm still working on Night's sequel. That is my goal for 2020, to complete the Night trilogy (and Spring Break). Wish me luck!

Misty (aka Mary)