After the service, everyone was invited to a reception at the Peach Pit.
"I want to thank you all for the love and support you've shown us this last
week. And for the love you gave Nat for many years," Joanie began,
overcoming her tears. "Nat would not want us to grieve over him, so I'm
not going to let us be sad about his death. Instead, I want us to
celebrate his life. He loved you people and he loved having this
restaurant - a place where you all could gather and he could see you and
talk to you. So I want you all to eat, drink, and be happy."
Kelly walked over to where the others were sitting. "Hey you."
Dylan got up, "Kelly," he greeted her with a hug. Kelly hugged him then turned to the woman seated next to him and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Kelly."
"I'm Cassie," the other woman returned the handshake and warm smile. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"You too," Kelly said sincerely.
"Ms. Taylor is that you?"
Kelly turned at the familiar voice. "Mr. Walsh." She smiled as she hugged him. "It's about time you came back here."
Dylan started to sit back down in the booth, but Cassie stopped him. "Let me slide out before you sit down. I need to go to the ladies room."
"You're going to go call your mom aren't you?" Dylan said, knowingly.
"Now that you mention it," she replied with a sly smile, taking the cell phone out of his inside jacket pocket.
"You checked on him on the way over here."
"But he was crying. I just want to."
Janet interrupted her. "You don't have to have a reason to check on your baby." She turned to Dylan, "Mothers can call as much as they want. In fact, I think I'll come with you and check on ours." She scooted out of the booth and Steve handed her the cell phone without question as the two women left the table.
Brandon laughed as he sat in the chair next to Kelly. "Who would have ever thought that you two would be the first to have kids."
"Sometimes, I can't believe it myself," Steve told him. "But I love it."
"Me too," Dylan agreed.
"Everything they say about it giving you a whole new perspective and completely changing your life?" Brandon inquires.
"All true," Dylan tells him. "But it's great. You should try it sometime."
"Donna and I are," David supplied. Everyone looked at them expectantly.
"We're pregnant," Donna confirmed.
The group all smiled and congratulated them with hugs and slaps on the back. "I can't believe you didn't tell me," Kelly said to Donna.
"We just found out a few days ago. With everything else going on, we didn't think it was the right time to tell everyone."
"I think they call it the 'circle of life,'" Brandon told them. "It's to be celebrated."
"Well," Donna said smiling, "we are happy about it. We've been trying for a while now."
"It's wonderful news," Kelly said beaming.
"What's wonderful news?" Janet asked as she and Cassie returned to their seats.
"I'm going to be an aunt!" Kelly told her proudly.
Janet turned to Donna and David, "You're?!?!?" They both grinned and nodded. Janet screamed then hugged them both.
"So Brandon, how's Brenda?" Donna asked, wanting to draw the attention away from herself.
"She's great," Brandon told her. "She wanted to be here, but they've just opened a new show and she's also started teaching...it just wasn't possible for her to get everything taken care of in time."
"No wonder I never get anything but short e-mails from her," Donna said.
"She stays busy," Brandon agreed.
"And she and Phillip are still happy?" Kelly asked.
"Very much so," Brandon said. "I expect an engagement announcement any time now."
"We met him last year," Dylan said taking a sip of his coffee. "We went through London on our honeymoon."
"You met Brenda?" Kelly asked Cassie.
"Mmm hmm," Cassie nodded. "We saw the play she was doing at the time and then had dinner with both of them. She's an amazing actress."
"She always has been," David told her.
"And to think that it all started here," Brandon said, indicating the Peach Pit.
"What?" Cassie asked confused.
"You see, I used to work here - that's my retired uniform right over there," he said indicating the framed shirt on the wall. "And one time she agreed to fill in for me. Only, she had to turn into this character, named Laverne to do it.." He continued telling her the story with the other chiming in and telling more stories of their own as they strolled down memory lane.
Kelly walked over to where the others were sitting. "Hey you."
Dylan got up, "Kelly," he greeted her with a hug. Kelly hugged him then turned to the woman seated next to him and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Kelly."
"I'm Cassie," the other woman returned the handshake and warm smile. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"You too," Kelly said sincerely.
"Ms. Taylor is that you?"
Kelly turned at the familiar voice. "Mr. Walsh." She smiled as she hugged him. "It's about time you came back here."
Dylan started to sit back down in the booth, but Cassie stopped him. "Let me slide out before you sit down. I need to go to the ladies room."
"You're going to go call your mom aren't you?" Dylan said, knowingly.
"Now that you mention it," she replied with a sly smile, taking the cell phone out of his inside jacket pocket.
"You checked on him on the way over here."
"But he was crying. I just want to."
Janet interrupted her. "You don't have to have a reason to check on your baby." She turned to Dylan, "Mothers can call as much as they want. In fact, I think I'll come with you and check on ours." She scooted out of the booth and Steve handed her the cell phone without question as the two women left the table.
Brandon laughed as he sat in the chair next to Kelly. "Who would have ever thought that you two would be the first to have kids."
"Sometimes, I can't believe it myself," Steve told him. "But I love it."
"Me too," Dylan agreed.
"Everything they say about it giving you a whole new perspective and completely changing your life?" Brandon inquires.
"All true," Dylan tells him. "But it's great. You should try it sometime."
"Donna and I are," David supplied. Everyone looked at them expectantly.
"We're pregnant," Donna confirmed.
The group all smiled and congratulated them with hugs and slaps on the back. "I can't believe you didn't tell me," Kelly said to Donna.
"We just found out a few days ago. With everything else going on, we didn't think it was the right time to tell everyone."
"I think they call it the 'circle of life,'" Brandon told them. "It's to be celebrated."
"Well," Donna said smiling, "we are happy about it. We've been trying for a while now."
"It's wonderful news," Kelly said beaming.
"What's wonderful news?" Janet asked as she and Cassie returned to their seats.
"I'm going to be an aunt!" Kelly told her proudly.
Janet turned to Donna and David, "You're?!?!?" They both grinned and nodded. Janet screamed then hugged them both.
"So Brandon, how's Brenda?" Donna asked, wanting to draw the attention away from herself.
"She's great," Brandon told her. "She wanted to be here, but they've just opened a new show and she's also started teaching...it just wasn't possible for her to get everything taken care of in time."
"No wonder I never get anything but short e-mails from her," Donna said.
"She stays busy," Brandon agreed.
"And she and Phillip are still happy?" Kelly asked.
"Very much so," Brandon said. "I expect an engagement announcement any time now."
"We met him last year," Dylan said taking a sip of his coffee. "We went through London on our honeymoon."
"You met Brenda?" Kelly asked Cassie.
"Mmm hmm," Cassie nodded. "We saw the play she was doing at the time and then had dinner with both of them. She's an amazing actress."
"She always has been," David told her.
"And to think that it all started here," Brandon said, indicating the Peach Pit.
"What?" Cassie asked confused.
"You see, I used to work here - that's my retired uniform right over there," he said indicating the framed shirt on the wall. "And one time she agreed to fill in for me. Only, she had to turn into this character, named Laverne to do it.." He continued telling her the story with the other chiming in and telling more stories of their own as they strolled down memory lane.
