The Setup
"Why can't Mom and Tony just get together, it's been over two years," Jonathan said with a sigh.
"Yeah, we gotta get 'em together somehow," Samantha said with a mischievous grin.
"Well, that's my specialty," Mona said with a wink to the two kids. She was baby-sitting, of course Mona wasn't your average baby-sitter, she was usually the one that needed to be watched.
"Ooh! What did you have in mind, Mona?" Samantha said inquisitively, excitement shining in her eyes.
"You just leave that to me, I'll take care of everything!" Mona said excitedly.
"Aww, come on Grandma, tell us, tell us!" Jonathan pleaded.
"It's pretty simple actually, I'll set them up on a blind date!"
"That's it? No plan B?" Samantha said.
"Oh, what do you know? It'll work," Mona said reassuringly.
"Yeah, Grandma's schemes always work!" Jonathan said enthusiastically.
Samantha was skeptical, "Except for that time when-"
"Samantha!" Mona cut her off. "Just trust me on this."
"All right, but you know Dad isn't exactly going to jump at the chance to go out on a blind date," Samantha said.
"Neither is Angela," Mona said with a sigh.
"And how are you going to do it without them figuring out that they will be going out with the other?" Jonathan brought up.
"I still have to work out some of the kinks, but this is going to work, it has to! You kids go outside and play, I'll try to figure this out."
Jonathan and Samantha ran outside and Mona sat on the couch in the living room trying to figure out how she was going to pull this thing off.
Tony came in and smiled, "Hey, Mone, how's my favorite red head?"
"Fine!" She smiled up at him sweetly, "And as your favorite red head, I can ask you to do something for me, right?"
"Anything, Mona, you name it!"
"Actually, it would benefit you more than me," she was quiet for a moment.
"Yea, and what is this favor that would benefit me more than you?" Tony raised his eyebrows.
"Well, now, keep an open mind about it, will you?"
"Yes, Mona, what is it?" Tony was getting frustrated.
"You see, I kind of promised one of my, uh, friends, at the office that you would go out with her."
"Hey-oh-oh-hey, you mean on a blind date?"
"Well, not exactly, she knows what you look like, she saw your picture, on, uh, the calendar," Mona nodded.
"Mona, it's August, I'm Mr. February, remember?"
"Oh, oh, yeah, I know, but Angela and I keep February up all year so we can look at our favorite, studly housekeeper!" Mona winked.
"Well, hey, when you got it, you got it!" Tony flexed his bicep.
Mona laughed, "So that means you'll go?"
"What? No, Mona, I'm sorry but I hate blind dates."
"Come on Tony, do it for me. And she is really looking forward to it; she practically fell in love with your picture. Besides, she's beautiful, and she's smart, and, um, she's got a great personality."
"Hey oh, I'm definitely not going now, great personality, that's the kiss of death!"
"Okay I admit I lied on that one, she's boring and dull and!"
"Harty har har. Mona look, I love ya, but I really don't want to, I was going to spend some time with Sam and Jonathan this weekend."
Samantha and Jonathan came through the kitchen door, "Sorry Dad, we're all booked up," Samantha said before she and Jonathan climbed the stairs to their rooms.
"See, Tony, they're busy, and it's just a couple hours on a Friday night." Mona pouted.
"Ahhh, come on Mona, what is that face? What is that face?" He stuck out his lower lip, imitating Mona. "Well, all right, I'll do it, but only as a favor to you Mona."
"You won't regret it, Tony!"
"Oh, and by the way, does this friend have a name?"
"Oh, yeah, it's, it's uh, Mary Beth, um, Jones."
"Mary Beth Jones, huh? I knew a girl named Mary Beth once, she didn't have any personality either," Tony stared off into space with a "come hither" look on his face.
Mona hugged him, bringing him out of his daydream, "Thank you, Tony."
"Welcome," he said as he leaned back into the sofa, returning to his dreamy state.
Later that night, Tony was in the kitchen fixing dinner, when Mona stuck her head in the door, "Hey Tony, is Angela home yet?"
"Yea, she's in her office working on some new account she landed to day, boy is she in a good mood," he narrowed his eyes, "don't spoil it."
"Of course not Tony," Mona smiled innocently.
Tony smiled back, "You stayin' for dinner?"
"Yep, set an extra place at the table!" Mona said before leaving the room.
A few moments later she was knocking on the door to Angela's office. "Come in!" Angela said.
"Hi Angela, dear, how was your day?"
"Oh, it was wonderful Mother! I got that big fabric softener account!"
"I heard. That's wonderful dear!"
"Yes it is. Did you need something?"
"Well, Angela, I was wondering if, uh, well, if you would do me a favor."
"What favor?"
"Well, one of my, uh, professors found out that you were my daughter, and he really wants to go out with you. Uh, he's heard of you and he loves all of your commercials, he said that, he said that it would be an honor to meet you. And he wants to take you out to dinner Friday night."
"Really? Well, that would be nice!"
"What? Angela what's wrong with you, you don't even know his name!"
"I'm in a generous mood. What is his name?"
"His name? Oh, it's," she paused, "John Smith."
"John Smith?" Angela questioned.
"Yeah," Mona nodded.
"John Smith?" She repeated.
"Thank you dear!" Mona said before flouncing out of the room, "That was easier than I thought it would be!" She said under her breath.
"John Smith?" Angela said again before she shrugged and returned to her work
