This story was written in conjunction w/Nikki, member of numerous Full House yahoogroups, including one of her own. She's busy w/tons of other stuff, though. She just helped me write this, which is Part 1. It's my concept for a sequel to "Eloise at the Tanners." Her Part 2 concept never got off the ground; thanks for being patient, and understanding while waiting.
Still, this is a workable one-shot in and of itself, TV Universe this time, for the most part, as Michelle's behvior is closer to that, as has been figured out; except for mention of the Mother's Day card, which is Book Universe, as that ties it in with the Eloise at the Tanners story. . Hope you like my take on why Jesse could ride a horse so well in the ep. where D.J. got her horse & also in the finale. He had to get lessons from somewhere; you'll see where.
THE TANNERS AT THE PLAZA
Michelle Tanner, four and a half, bounced out of the limousine that had been sent to pick up her and her family. She ran up to what she figured (correctly) was the front door to the Plaza Hotel, and stunned the doorman by flinging open the door as best she could, given her size, and squeezing through and bounding inside before he could attempt to reach the handle for her.
"Must be a friend of Eloise's," the doorman muttered.
Eloise, who was celebrating her seventh birthday today, opened her arms wide. "Michelle," she exclaimed. After the two blonde-haired girls in maching white shirts and black play skirts embraced, she led Michelle from the entrance through the lobby to the front desk. "I just must introduce you to everyone. There is so much to see and do today, and we are already late, late, late."
"What's the hurry?"
"Why, it's my birthday, of course. It's why you came. So we can have the most incredible Western rodeo princess carnival circus birthday there has ever been!"
Eloise bounced happily as she spoke. She was incredibly verbal, and very excited - she seemed to go a mile a minute. And, she loved to do everything there was to do. Hence, since she couldn't decide on what type of party to have, she'd combined a bunch.
"Oh, Eloise." Her nanny jogged up to them. "Where are your manners? You should thank her for coming. It's rather far from here to San Francisco, after all."
The birthday girl looked and sounded apologetic. "Sorry, Nanny. Thanks for coming, Michelle." Eloise was usually very polite, but could often get way too excited to remember her manners. Just as she often got way too excited to remember to stay out of others' business. She lived at the top of the Plaza hotel with her mom, who traveled a lot on business, and her nanny. The family had met Michelle and the rest of the Tanners when Eloise's mother appeared on Michelle's dad's TV show, "Wake Up, San Francisco."
"Hi." Michelle's dad walked in carrying a package and a card. Danny Tanner walked up to his youngest daughter and held it out. "I think you forgot something, Michelle."
"Oh, yeah. Happy Birthday," Michelle said, taking them and handing them to Eloise. "Where's the cake?"
Eloise rolled her eyes. "We'll have cake in a little bit. Now, where is the rest of your family?"
"Oh, we've got a special surprise for you. You know how Michelle's Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky were with Jesse's band at a county fair in upstate New York? Jesse and Becky made a special trip down here just for today."
"Oh, boy! I get even more guests!"
Becky was clearly gaining weight as she walked in. The pregnant woman had married the girls' Uncle Jesse within the last year. Jesse had moved into the Tanners' attic apartment after the girls' mom died in a car accident when Michelle as a baby.
Comedian Joey Gladstone walked in next, along with Michelle's older sisters, nine-year-old Stephanie and fourteen-year-old D.J.. "Hey, everyone," Joey said.
"Oh, this place is so beautiful!" Stephanie said, beaming.
"Yeah, it's almost better than getting to shop at Macy's."
Danny stated adamantly, "Well, this will have to do. We took a vacation out here and came today as guests, but we don't exactly have the money to go on a Macy's spending spree."
Nanny explained that Eloise's mother would be a little late. As Jesse and Becky stood around and talked to the Tanner sisters - who hadn't seen them in weeks because of the band tour - Nanny asked if anyone would mind helping to set up the party. "Eloise wanted everything, and with all the different things involved, we are busy, busy, busy!"
Jesse motioned toward the other men. "Yeah, tell you what, why don't we let Eloise show us up to her place, and you guys help set up. I'd love to have a look at a real life penthouse, just like Elvis must have stayed in when he was on top." Jesse was a huge Elvis fan.
"Good idea, Jess. You can tell the girls all about some of the stuff you've seen in person, instead of just having a few minutes over the phone."
"Trust me, Danny, some of the stuff, we couldn't describe; you'd have to see it in person." Jesse made a face. "Especially the stuff you step in.'
As Nanny, Eloise, Jesse, Becky, and the Tanner girls rode the elevator, Stephanie marveled at the surroundings. "This is so amazing. That limo was really something. It had a TV, a VCR, a refrigerator, an ice cube maker. Even a microwave. It's like having a little house in your car."
"Had you ever been in a limo before?" Nanny asked.
Stephanie lowered her head and closed her eyes. Finally, she answered, "Sort of. When my mom died. But, it was nothing like that." Since her died when she was only five, Stephanie often missed her quite a bit. For some reason, though she'd ridden in one since, the limo just reminded her of her mom's funeral. She supposed it was a couple in their motel where they were staying. Before leaving today, they'd been talking with them and the wife had said she'd lost her mother the previous month and ws still grieving. Of course, that woman had been elderly, but still…
D.J. put an arm around Stephanie. So did Becky, who said, "It's okay. This place won't be Heaven, like your mom's in, but it sure will be close. There's lots of neat stuff here."
"Yeah, even that limo's closer to Heaven than some of those county fairs," Jesse remarked. "I just hope if Heaven has horses, God's made a way so they don't have to go to the bathroom."
"Don't worry, Uncle Jesse," Stephanie said, her mood suddenly brightening at the comment. "He is God. I'm sure He can do it." It was important for her to keep her faith at such times. She knew something good had come out of Pam Tanner's death, after all, that being Jesse and Joey moving in and Jesse meeting Becky. But, having the humor of Joey's silliness or Jesse's macho comments often helped a lot.
Eloise spent several minutes once upstairs bounding around her penthouse, showing everyone everything. As she did so, Stephanie began to smile consistently again. She'd been trying to blot out thoughts about her mom's death and enjoy the Plaza. But, it was taking the boundless energy of Eloise to fully remove those sad thoughts.
Becky suddenly realized that, "You guys rode in a limo with the Beach Boys, too."
"Oh, yeah!" Steph brightened quickly. "I don't know why I forgot about that. I guess with our great grandma in Greece dying just a few weeks ago, it made me think. They were here last summer, to celebrate their anniversary. Well, not here," she said, pointing the ground. "But, here, in the states."
"I know. Uncle Jesse told Papouli to come out any time he wanted. I guess it's not like your mom, who could probably fly here and back to Greece in a day if she wanted, but he said he'll try to save up sometime in a few years," D.J. remarked, looking at Eloise.
"Oh, Greece, yes. Mommy went to Greece this spring, but all they had were old things. She was telling me about the old buildings that were all a thousands years old. I think her motel was a thousand years old, too. And even the television!"
The others laughed. "I think her television was a little younger than that," Becky said gently.
Michelle placed a tiara on her head, one of the ones Eloise was giving to all her friends as souvenirs. Eloise hardly ever got to church - like school, she found it boring. She found sitting still anywhere boring.
Turning back to the earlier comment, Eloise asked: "Do you really think God could make anything fancier than this?"
"Yeah. I'm sure He could. He does every day." D.J. turned to Becky as Joey entered to get more decorations. "I'm sure Eloise would rather live out in the country like you used to than in this place, Aunt Becky. It's fun, but...I'd much rather be outdoors."
Stephanie was forced to agree. "Yeah, maybe I would, too; after a good hundred years in here."
"Stephanie enjoys playing outside, too. In fact, she played baseball this spring, on a team. But, she's just not into things like horses like my aunt Becky and I are," D.J. explained to Nanny with a laugh.
Michelle overheard and was eager to play with Jesse now that he was there for a few hours. She'd missed him a lot. And, it reminded her of something she loved doing. It was usually with Danny or the childlike Joey, but she wanted to take advantage of Jesse being there. "Let's play horsey, Uncle Jesse!"
Jesse sighed. He and Becky had driven a couple hours, and now, he was expected to play horsey? "Aw, c'mon, Michelle, Joey's the horsey guy. He'd probably even eat hay."
Joey shrugged. "If I thought it would get a laugh." He headed downstairs with a few boxes.
"Look, Michelle," Jesse said as Michelle gave him a pouty face. "You're closer to five than you are four. You don't need me giving you a horsey ride. Especially not in a big fancy penthouse where really rich people could come in and see me. I mean, what if one of 'em wanted to offer me a record deal."
"Okay." Michelle sighed, and walked over to Aunt Becky. "Sorry, Big Bird," she said to Becky's' tummy. Michelle had decided that, till they learned if it was a boy or a girl, the baby should be called "Big Bird." Of course, only she called it that, but it still drew giggles from Eloise.
"What do you mean, sorry, Big Bird?'" Jesse wanted to know.
"You don't want to practice so baby Big Bird can play cowgirl or cowboy someday."
"Aw, Michelle, don't do this to me. It just ain't fair."
"Poor baby Big Bird. His Daddy will never learn to play horsey with him," Michelle said, pretending to cry.
"Aw man. Okay," Jesse said, getting down on his knees, "come on, I'll give you a horseyback ride." He started crawling with Michelle on top of him. "But you better not put any feed bag over my mouth."
"Yay, ride em, cowboy!" Michelle said as she pumped her fist in the air and wiggled as Jesse crawled on his hands and knees with her on top.
Suddenly, she plucked the tiara off her forehead and began twirling it.
D.J. strutted toward her. "Michelle, you don't want to ruin your tiara. It might fly off and hit something and get bent." She then whispered to Stephanie, who had come up beside her. "In case she doesn't stop, grab the camera from my bag. This is the perfect blackmail photo for later."
Stephanie nodded and left. This kind of activity was so much fun. It really reminded her of the happy times with her mom. Indeed they'd shared so many fun memories that were just like they were when Pam was still living. It's just that sometimes, it was hard to remember that when such a tragic death occurred. She'd heard someone say once that children didn't mourn like adults did, and sometimes memories would come at odd times.
Rushing back in the camera and snapping these funny pictures removed all of that, though. This was just plain silly. D.J., in fact, was like a mom to her, in a way. Not as much as Michelle, perhaps - who'd made her a Mother's Day card this spring. But, she was kind of close.
Eloise giggled. Not only was Michelle acting extra silly, Jesse was the saddest horse she'd ever seen. "Come on," Eloise encouraged him. "Horses are supposed to be fun, fun, fun! You want to have a good time, don't you?"
"Neigh," Jesse said mournfully.
"Our Uncle Jesse can actually ride a horse pretty well," D.J. said as Stephanie snapped several photos of Michelle twirling her tiara, bouncing up and down, and doing something which sounded like yodeling only in the mind of a four-year-old. Of course, Eloise was young and imaginative enough to pretend it was, anyway.
"Yeah, no thanks to you and Steph. I still think you and your mom set me up."
Eloise sensed a funny story about to unfold. "Tell me about it. I love a good story." It was the one thing she could sit still for a couple minutes, anyway - as long as it provided for fun or entertaining times later. After all, that was how she learned who was getting married there and what weddings or parties she might be able to sneak into uninvited.
"Yeah, Uncle Jesse. Please," Michelle begged.
"Okay, but I don't tell stories while I'm a horse." Jesse got up once Michelle got off, and sat in a very comfortable seat. Becky snuggled beside him, and Michelle crawled onto his lap. "It all started when Steph was a toddler, two and maybe three months old or so, soon after D.J.'s seventh birthday." As he spoke, he flashed back to the days when he wore very long hair, and his wonderful big sister, Pam, was still living.
"Hey, Pamela," Jesse said as he walked in the door in a leather jacket. It had been months since he visited; D.J. had remembered him as just coming by once in a while to bring gifts; "once a year" she'd said, though it had only seemed like that little to her because she had been so young.
However, Pam had called and said she wanted him to come over. He used his hand to brush back his extra long hair and asked what was up.
"Jesse, I've got a big surprise for you."
"Surprise? You mean like the time you surprised me by coming' home and telling' me you and Danny had eloped?"
"Okay, not that big. Guess who's getting horseback riding lessons?"
Before Jesse could claim it was most certainly not him, D.J. came running down the steps. "Guess, what, Uncle Jesse, I'm getting horseback riding lessons!"
"All right! High five!" They slapped hands. "Now, listen, your Uncle J wants to tell you something very important. When you take those lessons, don't ever stand behind the horse. Those things got a kick worse than anything."
"I won't, Uncle Jesse."
"Jesse, there's something I was hoping you could do..."
"What is it, Pam?" He caught D.J.'s gaze. "No. No, I do not want to go anywhere near a barn. They stink, and they don't play rock and roll music in em."
Pam nodded slowly. "Well, okay, Jesse. I think you've matured enough then."
"Good, I'm glad you don't want to make me..." His smile vanished quickly. "Matured? Matured enough for what?" Little Stephanie came toddling in from the kitchen, and he cringed. "Oh, no. You're not leaving' me alone with no ankle biter."
"Unka Jesse," Stephanie declared happily. She ran up to him - and started trying to climb him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jesse said as he hefted her up to his level. "Listen, little lady, I am not Mt. Everest."
"Rats. I was hoping you'd ask her why she was climbing so she could say what I taught her."
"Why, what'd you teach her, Deej?"
D.J. walked up to Stephanie as Jesse stood her on the ground. "Steph, why do you climb? Remember what I taught you to say?"
Stephanie held a finger in her mouth for a second, thinking heavily. Finally, she blurted out, "Cause it dewe."
Pam let out a delighted giggle that soon infected the others; even Jesse to a small degree. "Isn't that precious, Jesse? She was climbing something because it was there. Just like a mountain climber would say. You'll hear that a lot, I'm sure, she's in a big time climbing phase. You know from being here other times where her timeout chair is if she's naughty and climbs on something she shouldn't." Pam felt two and a few months was too young for putting her in her room, so she used a little chair set in the alcove of the living room for now. Danny let her do that, but was reluctant to ever punish Stephanie yet himself.
"Yeah, I know, Pam. Hey, don't worry, I've helped when one of you has been here, specially with Danny on the road lately for the college basketball stuff he's been covering."
"He decided to just try doing the NCAA tournament for the station this year, but he said he's on the road too much. For the next few weeks, though, he's glad you're willing to help; his friend Joey is over helping sometimes, too."
"What, that guy who thinks he's a cartoon? Hey, don't worry. I'll keep her entertained enough, you don't have to call him."
"Let's play ba'wina."
"I don't play ballerina...you're gonna cry on me if I say no,' aren't ya?" he asked as Stephanie prepared a potty face. "Don't worry, Pam," he said tiredly as he sat in a chair and watched the little girl twirl. "I'll probably just watch her dance all afternoon."
"Did you play horsey with her, Uncle Jesse?" Michelle asked back in the present.
"What else could I do for a while, except that and dance? Only problem was, I decided I was too tough for that. So I turned my back one minute, next thing I know, she'd crawled like a monkey from the cupboards, up the drawer handles to the counter. I thought she was goin' for the refrigerator next. I tried to stop her, but she just kept goin' back till I said That's it, young lady, you climb up there once more you're going to timeout!' And, she listened. You gotta know how to talk to kids."
Stephanie wasn't too down about hearing that. She knew from stories of D.J.'s babysitting that, "Two-year-olds can be pretty tough. And, I was a climber; I can remember at age five climbing the curtains and scaling the rod when no one was looking." She failed to mention a time she'd run away to Becky's, after she'd done something really bad at home. When Jesse had entered Becky's, Stephanie had hidden in the closet and climbed into one of Becky's coats. "But, you and Dad and everyone have always been nice and patient. You do a great job. Just like Mom used to do." This is a cool story."
"Do you remember Mommy a lot?" Michelle asked.
"I try to. Stories like this really help."
"Yeah, lucky for me you didn't know I wasn't really planning to enforce any timeouts; never have yet. Your mama came in just as I was lecturing you again, except I coudln't figure out what you'd managed to get or where it was from; I only knew it didn't look like you should have it."
Jesse had snatched something from the two-year-old's hand. "Now listen, Stephanie, you know better than to take...whatever this is from...well, wherever you got it...Oh, Pam, thank goodness you're here," Jesse said, very relieved, as he turned around.
"Mommy!" Stephanie ran up to Pam and the two hugged.
Jesse looked at his sister while the two were tenderly embracing. He hated to admit he couldn't handle something, but a two-year-old was more than he wanted to handle. He would become much more willing to help with the kids after Pam's death, but for now, he wanted to be free and independent.
"Look, ah...well, Steph was...pretty good. But, you know, about that horse riding, maybe I can take D.J. there and, you know, leave her there for a while. Or, maybe stay there and chat with one of the farmhands or whatever you call em. They might have some pretty ones."
"Stephanie really keeps you moving, doesn't she?"
"Well, there's that, there's having to play ballerina and actually dance, there's acting like a horse, there's the fact she's not potty trained yet...I was just gonna let her pull her diaper off and go around without one if she went."
"Does that mean you'll ride with me now, Uncle Jesse?"
"Now, wait, D.J.. Just cause I said I'll take you doesn't mean you're gonna turn me into a cowboy. The only thing I want to be on top of is something with a motor that goes Vrum, vrum, vrrrrummmmm!'"
"But even that didn't last," D.J. said with a laugh. Back in the present, she reminded Jesse, "The times you tried to back out of something when it came to taking me riding that year, or even coaching my soccer team a couple years ago, I just had to remind you it was me or a baby."
"Yeah, and you know what? Funny thing is, after a couple more years, even before your mom died, I would have chosen Stephanie over being with horses. And, I'm gonna be a great dad now; you girls have taught me so much," Jesse said fondly. "But, you caught me at the right time. And, I guess I can ride pretty well now. Although I still can't stand the smell."
Eloise bounced excitedly. "Tell us about when you first rode."
"Aw, you don't want to hear that..."
"You may as well tell, Jess. I think D.J. remembers enough Eloise will hear anyway, and so will Michelle. She's certainly told me some great stories," Becky informed him.
Jesse relented. "Oh, okay. I guess I can't be humiliated more than I was. But just one little story, and then you kids have a party to get to."
"Better get on your horse, Uncle Jesse," D.J. insisted as she rose into her saddle. "I'm going out on the trail today."
Jesse sighed. "Do I have to?"
"Horses don't need diapers, you know. But, you could be watching Steph..."
Throwing back his head, Jesse said, "Oh, all right. I guess I'd still have to do diaper duty with her, huh?" He mounted the horse by simply hefting himself over the top, and off they went with the guide.
"Now, isn't this better than a motorcycle?" the guide asked excitedly.
"Not really. My dad was never one of those kinds to talk about how being out in nature builds character, but I think my niece is. And I'm just as disgusted at D.J. making me ride this thing as those kids whose dads would force them to go camping for a week."
D.J. knew he was teasing, but wanted to hear him say it. "Come on, Uncle Jesse, you like spending time with me, at least."
"That may be true, D.J.. But I think the worst thing your dad did was not encouraging you to continue bowling after that seventh birthday party you had. "Course, I don't like bowling much, either." Jesse heard a long, loud noise as he finished his sentence. "What in the world is that? We're nowhere near a hose. And why would someone want to water this great big lawn?"
"Uh, Uncle Jesse, that was..." D.J. noticed the shocked look developing in Jesse's face. She knew it was just now registering. "Look at it this way, Uncle Jesse. You don't have to change your horse's diaper."
Jesse shifted back to the present. "That and when it went number two a while later convinced me that I didn't want to keep up with the riding. As if the smell wasn't enough, the stink when one of those suckers go to the bathroom is just impossible to imagine."
"Hey, at least I never told you Riding horses builds character,'" D.J. teased.
"You may as well have."
Stephanie smiled. The best way to remember Pam was not her death, but her life - and she was full of it. In a way, she was just like Eloise.
D.J. told Eloise and Nanny, "I still like horses. I don't have any time to ride anymore; but, Becky still has Rocket, the horse I bugged Dad to get. He ended up talking to Becky instead and we arranged she would buy him. And, one of these days, Michelle, you might just enjoy riding a real horse."
"Let's go now, D.J.," Michelle said excitedly. Jesse rolled his eyes.
"Michelle, you'll be able to ride a mechanical one in a few minutes," Stephanie reminded her.
Nanny glanced at her watch. "I think it is about time. Danny and Joey should be done helping to set things up. Let's go downstairs."
The family was amazed at how the hotel's ballroom was decorated. Of course, it had to be decorated in a very complex manner to fit all the themes that Eloise had wanted for her party. Michelle quickly raced over to the mechanical pony and began bouncing on it.
Hey, you gotta put a quarter in it, Jesse explained.
Not if I use my imagination. She pulled a carrot out of her pocket that shed grabbed off of a vegetable tray that was being carried to another party. Michelle tried placing it in the mechanical beasts mouth.
Oh, honey, dont do that, you might break it.
Michelle looked strangely at Danny, but obeyed, knowing D.J. would expect her to. For now, that was enough, though she was clearly excited by all the things there. I dont have any hard carrots, she explained, meaning metal, as it was much harder than a normal carrot.
Danny took the carrot from her. Well, the only kind of 'hard' carrot this one takes are the kind that make a dollar when you put four together. Where did you get this?
"From that man who was carrying it.
Eloise smiled and explained, That was for another party. But, theyre used to me taking stuff like that. So, he probably didnt pay attention.
I'm sure theyre really used to that by now, Becky said with a friendly grin.
Oh boy, cake, Michelle spouted, her eyes suddenly focusing on a large cake like a laser-guided missile. She hopped off the horse and said Race ya to Eloise as she darted toward it.
Freeze, D.J. said as Michelle failed to heed the cries of several family members as they ran after her.
Michelle was stopped at a stool as she knelt in front of the triple-decked cake. Isnt this for us?
Yes, please note the plural, though, Stephanie deadpanned. Us, not you!
Ill have mine now, Michelle said as she dipped a finger into the icing, her excitedness broken only by D.J.s harsh glare as she pulled her youngest sisters hand out of the frosting.
Michelle, Eloise may seem to run wild compared to the rest of us, but she does have some self-control! D.J. scolded her.
Danny stepped forward. Its okay, Deej, let her have some fun, were on vacation.
Im trying Dad; I just dont want her to lose all self-control, D.J. explained, thinking of the time last year when Michelle had dived into a bunch of samples of wedding cake Jesse and Becky had brought home. Turning back to Michelle, she said, Michelle, you know better than to be getting at the cake before its served. You may enjoy some cake and ice cream here, but when we get back tonight you will get no dessert back at the motel if you try that again.
Deej...honey, I think sometimes you make too big of a deal out of things, Danny remarked lowly so Michelle couldnt hear. He wanted to make sure Michelle knew D.J. had his support, unless things got too bad. When D.J. had tried once to prevent Michelle from wearing a tutu to bed when she was two, for instance, Danny had intervened, and said that children that age shouldn'tt be too limited, and that they were allowed to have a favorite outfit they always wore.
Now, however, he decided that hed let D.J. correct this. After all, Michelle likely wouldnt want any dessert after all shed eat at the party. And, he did like a certain amount of structure - in fact, he liked a lot of it. He just didn't always expect Michelle to have the same amount of structure that the rest of them had.
Therefore, Danny suggested they play party games, and began setting up a few different ones. However, when Michelle was uninterested for the moment, he also let her ride the mechanical horse, color, and just have fun. Until, of course, they realized that Michelle and Eloise had disappeared.
The new seven-year-old and four and a half year old sprinted through the Plaza, excitedly hitting railings with sticks, having pretend fights with dragons, and jumping on unused beds. However, while Eloise had the self-control - generally - to just need yelled at a little bit, Michelle did not.
"Looking for Michelle?" Nanny asked D.J. as they wandered the lobby. D.J. sighed and nodded. "I know the feeling; believe me. I've had that look on my face many times. Eloise's mother has finally arrived, but now I don't know where Eloise is."
"You might want to look over here," said a tired maid as she pointed to a room with so many feathers, it appeared to be a chicken coop. Until the maid explained: "From the pillows, Eloise and her guest were having a pillow fight with gobs of pillows!"
"I say, that is definitely not the place for that - they could have easily found better place than this room. Why, this is just messy, messy, messy." D.J. asked about a broken vase, and Eloise's mother, following after them, promised to pay for it.
"All right," D.J. said, taking a deep breath to control herself, "I'll give Michelle the benefit of the doubt and assume Eloise broke that. But…" Suddenly a large splash was heard. By the time D.J. and Eloise's nanny and mother arrived at the scene, though, all they could do was assist the waiter in wiping up the spill.
"Oh my," the waiter said, shaking cobwebs loose from his head, it seemed. "Finally,…after so much of Eloise…I knew it would happen…"
"What would?" Nanny asked the waiter.
"I-I saw two of her…one shorter of course, but still…she has multiplied! I knew if I stayed here, the stress would get to me," the waiter moaned.
"Relax," D.J. assured him, "you didn't see two of her. You simply met my younger sister, Michelle."
"Oh, thank Heavens. I was just getting this punch ready to take it out to the party, and then…well, " He sighed. "It is times like this that I am glad our hotel has plenty of chairs! Because she needs a long timeout! I mean…they do. You're sure it's not the stress?"
."I'm sure. Let's go," D.J. said to Nanny and Eloise's mom. They followed in the direction the girls had probably gone, until…Well, whatever it was, D.J. had just found Eloise, and Eloise was holding her hands in front of her. "Please don't be mad at Michelle," she begged D.J..
"Eloise, I know she's your friend. And, you like her. But, she's been very naughty today. And, you really shouldnt have let her wander off, knowing she might not be able to keep out of trouble like you can." Eloise protested that she'd just followed Michelle. "Well, you should have led her back here to the part."
"But, I don't want her to get in trouble. Will you pinky swear that she won't get in any trouble. It is my birthday, you know."
D.J. knelt and placed a hand on Eloise's shoulder. "It's wonderful how you think about others. I'm very proud of that," she said as if speaking to a babysitting charge. "But, I think we both know that you'd be in just as big a trouble with Nanny if you were to act like she has. Michelle has been deliberately disobeying the rules."
Eloise lowered her head and closed her eyes. "I guess I'm in trouble, too?"
"I don't know which one of you knocked over the waiter or broke that vase, but you do need to apologize. And then, I think you need a timeout, too," Nanny said.
D.J. confirmed this. "And Michelle needs a stern lecture, too.. I'm sure she'll listen to me when I lay down the law. I can pinky swear about that, that I'll just have to lecture and put her in the corner." And not even ground her, D.J. didn't think. She figured - rightfully so - that Michelle would know she was in big trouble.
"Is that the absolute best, best, best you can do?"
"Fraid so, Eloise. But, it's still something, right?"
Eloise sighed and held out her pinky, wrapping it around D.J.'s. She wished she could have kept Michelle from getting in any trouble, but this was the best she could do, she decided. After all, D.J. was right. Eloise couldn't dream of acting like Michelle had. She surmised that she should be glad D.J. was promising thins. "Okay. Pinky swear."
"Pinky swear."
I'm so glad she's good enough I never have to worry about even thinking of anything physical - in fact, I wouldn't," D.J. comforted herself. Her feelings are the only things that need hurt, and a stern lecture and timeout are good enough for that. I dedicated myself years ago to being Mom-like, and just talking was always enough for our mom. And, weve got a kind of mother-daughter bond.
She finally asked Eloise, "Now, tell me where Michelle is."
"This way."
As Eloise was walking to show everyone where Michelle was, D.J. saw something out of the corner of her eye.
It was Michelle.
D.J. marched over to Michelle, put her hands on her hips, and spoke very firmly. Michelle, are you opening the gifts that Eloise got?
No I'm not. What gifts? Michelle asked as she swiftly hid a partly opened package behind her back.
Oh, I think you were, D.J. said more angrily, giving her best glare. Michelle would have one more chance to tell the truth, or else D.J. would really scream. However, she would be a lot more calm if Michelle confessed. I can see wrapping paper all balled up at your feet, she finished.
As expected, Michelle was easily cowed by the glare. She stared at the ground with her head, and looked up at D.J. with just her eyeballs, just as Eloise had done moments before, but sniffling a little, too, being younger. "I'm sorry, D.J.. I just opened the one that rattled nice."
Eloise smiled. "I tried to talk her into not punishing you."
D.J. motioned for Eloise to leave them alone. Her mother made her sit for several minutes in a secluded part of the lobby, away from anyone else, while D.J. put her hands on her hips and loudly scolded Michelle for how out of control she'd been. She then knelt down, held Michelle's face so she was forced to look into D.J.'s angry glare, and exclaimed, "You are in very big trouble, young lady."
"But Daddy says we're on vacation an' not to punish me." Shed overheard what Danny had said after all, even though hed tried to whisper.
I don't' care what Daddy says, I love you very much, but you need to be held accountable for breaking the rules. You are going up to Eloise's room with me, and you will sit, sit, sit until I tell you to get up! She chided herself on starting to sound just like Eloise's nanny.
Michelle wiped a tear from her eye. "Yes, D.J.."
"And then, I'll come up with some privileges to revoke for tomorrow, believe me! Daddy may not always correct you or enforce the limits, but you know full well he's always supported me when I do."
Michelle sniffled as she rode upstairs with D.J. and Nanny. She didn't hear the pair talking about how D.J. was so much like what their mom must have been like, or the comments about her looking like Dennis the Menace in that rocking chair in the corner though she did look quite a bit like him. She just knew she was a bad girl, and she was determined to start behaving better. She couldn't believe she'd been that out of control.
The hug from D.J. once timeout was over felt extra good this time. Michelles conscience was forming more and more, and this was a major step. Michelle decided on her own, before she was even told, that it was best to always listen to the more lenient Danny, even if she suspected or even knew he would not enforce the rules some particular time. It was much better to listen to him than it was to a very loud D.J.. She much preferred the nice, friendly D.J.
Michelle decided to apologize to D.J. for the way she had acted right away. I'm sorry D.J.. I didn't mean to make anyone mad, she murmured once allowed out of timeout.
That's OK. I'm happy to see youre in the mood to be good now.
Yes, I am! Im going to be a very good girl!
Danny passed D.J. an apologetic look as he walked into the room. As usual, hed gotten too carried away with the vacation and the fun, and not paid attention to the need to keep Michelle under control. It was a leftover from the days when he couldnt stand to punish her at all, but let D.J. do all the timeouts and remove any privileges.
Of course, he also tended to plan vacations to the hilt, as hed done in Hawaii one year. He wouldnt plan this one that much, but he did have a very fun addition to tell them about as the rest of the family gathered to hear him.
I have an announcement to make.
What's up dad? Stephanie asked.
Well, as you all know, Uncle Jesse has to go to Florida for a few days with his band. It's part of his tour. So what I was thinking was that maybe for the next few days we would all go to Disneyworld and keep Uncle Jesse company. What do you guys think of that idea? Everyone in the family cheered excitedly. I thought you would all be happy with that news.
Stephanie smiled broadly. That place was so fabulous and glamorous! So much her mom missed in her life - but yet, one thing that always made up for it was the awesome family she had surrounding her..
The Taanners, Eloise, and her nanny and mom were gathered up at Eloise's penthouse after the party. "That was so much fun!" D.J. said..
"I'd be exhausted even if I wasn't pregnant," Becky commented, thinking of the whirlwind of activity.
Jesse chided her that, "We could always go back to our room early and…" Noticing Michelle was still away, though Danny was reading her to sleep, he finished with, "And, well, do our taxes."
"Did you say thanks to Eloise?" Danny could tell if Michelle didn't say it now, she wouldn't; her eyes were already quite heavy, and he figured he'd be carrying her in to the motel. Michelle muttered a soft, extremely happy thanks.
"Thank you for coming, Michelle. And all of you." She turned to D.J. as Danny carried the sleepy girl downstairs. Jesse and Becky also left; they would go in a limo back to their motel, while another would take Joey, D.J., and Stephanie later. "I'm glad you're not mad at me for going crazy with Michelle," Eloise said thankfully.
Stephanie shrugged. "It sounds like a normal day here, from what your mom and nanny say."
"Well, kind of. I am seven now, though. And it makes me sad to think I got her in trouble. I should know how to help guests. Especially because we have so many." The others couldn't help but laugh at how Eloise spoke like she owned the Plaza. Then again, why not - she acted like it, too.
"I don't always do what's right, either," Stephanie assured her.
"None of us does," D.J. remarked. "But, one thing our mom always said was that God loves us, no matter what. I remember asking her once when I was about eight, if she loved Elvis like our Uncle Jesse. She said yeah, and she'd even heard a record where he sang 'Amazing Grace,' and he was really good."
"What's grace?"
"That's when God gives us a gift we don't deserve, Dear," Nanny explained.
Stephanie said, "It's what we celebrate at Easter. How God loved us so much, He took the punishment for each of our sins as Jesus. He died doing that, and then rose from the dead, so anyone who trusts Him to forgive them can tgo to Heaven. It's a perfect place tht's more amazing that we can imagine. And, you just have to trust Him to forgive you, and He will." She finished thoughtfully, having gazed out the window for a moment while speaking. "It's why we can have hope, why I know I'll see our mom again. That's where she is right now."
"You don't even have to sit in church to receive that gift, Dear," Nanny encouraged her, sensing a great opportunity. As Eloise thought a moment, Nanny whispered, "Oh, yes, I've prayed for this and many other things. With her, you need a lot of faith. And, probably a whole team of Guardian Angels," she ended with a smirk.
"I want that gift," Eloise remarked. D.J. smiled as Eloise prayed and in her heart received God's forgiveness for her sins. D.J. considered how she'd helped Stephanie understand and would one day help Michelle the same way. It was so wonderful to be part of such a great family. She knew the trip to Disneyworld would be lots of fun. But, no matter what they did together, it was always filled with love and warmth, so they could get through the tough times.
Stephanie pondered the same thing, too. She was certain her mom was looking down and smiling proudly.