Bob went through his funeral plan to the rest of his family, and managed to smuggle some messages to Cecil into the prison where his brother was currently incarcerated, detailing the plan and what he wanted him to do. Bob also had the rest of the family listen to what he had planned for them: Cecil and Robert Sr. had active roles in this plot, and Dame Judith if one counted disguising herself as a police officer and "replacing" the real one meant to escort Cecil to the crematorium for a last goodbye to his brother. Francesca and Gino, however, would simply fill the expected roles of the distraught widow with her now fatherless child.
Francesca listened quietly, the scowl on her face gradually becoming more pronounced. This plan was so silly and convoluted, with so many details that could go awry. Where would they get the money to build a restaurant and film a commercial? They'd also have to count on the Simpsons seeing the commercial, but suppose they were the type to ignore commercials or go to the bathroom during commercial breaks? The Terwilligers would be in for a long wait in that case. Also, what if other people saw the commercial and decided to come to the "Grand Opening"? What if someone noticed Bob get injected with the sleeping drug? What if there was a problem with the drug and Bob died for real? And wouldn't Bob's "corpse" be taken to get embalmed? Not everyone in Springfield could be a complete idiot.
Dame Judith apparently misinterpreted the reason for Francesca's scowl and gave her a condescending little smile.
"As the trite saying goes, dear, there are no small parts, only small actors."
After they'd gone through the plan three more times, Robert Sr. and Judith took a break to teach their grandson how to play cards. Francesca pulled Bob into the kitchen to whisper her concerns.
"Roberto, this won't work! There are too many things that could go wrong!"
With a slightly condescending smile of his own, Bob patted her arm.
"You don't need to concern yourself with the details of the plan, my love. Just focus on playing the weeping widow."
Francesca thought back to this conversation as she prepared for the fake funeral. After wrestling Gino into a nice suit and doing her best to comb the ridiculous hair (with absolutely no help from her mother-in-law), Francesca quickly donned her widow's weeds. Examining herself in the hotel room's full-length mirror, Francesca practiced her saddest face. Bob's mother had forced her to practice it for hours last night, shouting at her like a strangely refined drill sergeant. Quite a lot of rehearsing for such a small part in the plan. The grieving widow in the somber black veil was something to be expected at the funeral of a married man, but Francesca still wanted to do something that would make her feel like less of a background character in a TV show. She was little better than an ornament, a pretty and sad accessory. It wasn't Francesca's fault that she had no useful skills, like her father-in-law's medical expertise, her mother-in-law's acting ability, and her brother-in-law's persuasiveness.
At least these miserable thoughts made Francesca's reflected face look suitably unhappy. All she had to do was keep this up at the "funeral".
Dame Judith struggled to keep hold of an excited and very noisy Gino without appearing undignified. She scowled at Francesca and barked,
"Hurry up, Frances; we ought to have left five minutes ago! People will talk if they notice that the deceased's own family is late to his funeral."
Francesca gritted her teeth. "I have told you, my name is not Frances, it is Francesca. I was named after my grandmother, and I do not like it when-"
Judith imperiously waved her free hand to quiet her daughter-in-law.
"In the time you've wasted on your little rant, you could have easily finished getting ready. And it's both unladylike and bad for your teeth if you clench your jaw that way."
"I am coming," Francesca grumbled, adjusting her veil. She then snatched Gino's hand from the grasp of his grandmother and stalked out of the hotel room, resigned to her meager role in this stupid plan.
Franscesca Terwilliger, the weeping widow. The worthless weeping widow.