CHAPTER 30

A/N--This is still the 5th year anniversary date of Lizzie's suicide.

A/N2--(9 Dec) I goofed on the calendar when I originally wrote this chapter. Instead of the flashbacks being set one month after her suicide, they should be set nearly six months after. Sorry for the previous inconsistency, but when you write multiple stories within a story, it's an easy error to make.

That afternoon, Miranda's phone rings.

Miranda: Hello?

Jo: It's Jo.

Miranda: How are you? I've been thinking about you guys today.

Jo: Thanks. It's hard to believe it's been five years.

Miranda: Yeah. David and I are stopping by the cemetery later.

Jo: Blinks. I thought you would like to know that Melina had the baby today. They named her Elizabeth JoAnn, after Lizzie and myself. They're gonna call her Bethany.

Miranda: Wow! Congratulations, grandma!

Jo: Thanks. She blushes.

Miranda: How's Melina feeling?

Jo: Tired, but good.

Miranda: How about the proud papa?

Jo: I don't think reality has set in yet. Actually, that goes for all of us. I can't believe Matt's a father.

Miranda: That does sound unreal.

Jo: Laughs. Yeah, it does. Anyway, she's at Memorial Hospital in room 315. I know they would love it if you and Gordo, umm, I mean David stopped by.

Miranda: We'd love to. We'll stop by on the way to the cemetary. Mom's gonna keep the kids for us. I'll let you go so you can get back to your grandbaby. Congratulations again. Bye.

Jo: Thanks. Bye.

They hang up.

Miranda calls her husband and tells him the good news. Then, she walks back to the study, and looks at her children's baby books. "Wow," she thinks to herself, "sometimes I can't believe I'm a mom." Laughing somewhat, she continues in thought. "Matt's a dad? Now, THAT'S something that's hard to believe." She finds a picture of Lizzie McGuire in her daughter's book. "Lizzie would have loved her niece. I know she would have been such a great aunt. Matt and Melina are gonna have a big adjustment." She puts the album away and gets out her daughter's journal. She resumes writing...

Being a teenaged mother has been both a rewarding and tough job. Sometimes I wish your father and I had waited to "start a family" until we were older, but I wouldn't trade you and your brother for anything. After Lizzie's funeral, life went back to normal; well, actually, life went back to normal for everyone else. Classes went on without Lizzie, teachers still gave out assignments, and your father and I still had homework. However, for your father and me, everything changed. We were no longer a trio; it was no longer Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda. Now it was Gordo and Miranda. Lunch was the hardest. We used to eat at one of the courtyard tables. However, after your father and I kissed the day of the funeral, things became awkward between us. Your father ate lunch in the computer lab, and I ate off campus. Besides classes, we didn't see each other much, until nearly six months after Lizzie's suicide (school was almost out for the summer). We decided to go out to the cemetary together.

FLASHBACK SEQUENCE

Gordo and Miranda meet after school and walk to the florist's. They walk around, looking at different floral arrangements.

Gordo: What kind of flowers do we wanna get?

Miranda: She liked pink carnations.

Gordo: That sounds fine. I wanna get a couple red roses too. I always gave her one when we'd go on a date. He looks away.

Miranda: Takes his hand and they walk to the counter. We'd like a bouquet of flowers.

Store Clerk: Oh, out with your boyfriend, eh? I think I've got just the thing, something romantic.

Gordo: Annoyed. Look, my girlfriend's dead. She killed herself six months ago. We're taking the flowers to her grave. So, I'd suggest you cut the attitude and fix us a bouquet for my girlfriend and her best friend.

Store Clerk: Embarrassed. I'm sorry. I just thought... Well, the two of you holding hands... The pair look down at their hands and break apart, as if they were tossing a hot potato. The clerk clears his throat. Hey, I'll fix you a bouquet free of charge. Just name it and I'll get it for you. I shouldn't have assumed.

Miranda: I'd like some pink carnations, red roses, and daisies.

Gordo: Daisies?

Miranda: When we were little, we would make wreaths out of daisies and wear them on our heads. Our moms called us their little fairy princesses. I'll have to show you a picture sometime.

Gordo: Laughs. I bet you were really cute.

Miranda: We were.

The clerk fixes the bouquet and gives it to Miranda. The pair leave the store and walk to the cemetery in silence. Neither realize they resumed holding hands. They get to the gravesite and Miranda puts the flowers in the vase. They sit in front of the temporary marker.

Miranda: It looks so empty.

Gordo: Whadya mean?

Miranda: There's no headstone yet.

Gordo: Oh. They sit in silence for a few minutes. I can't believe she's gone.

Miranda: Me too. Sighs. I remember when I met her. We were in preschool. Some kid started picking on Lizzie, so I put paste in the kid's hair. We immediately became friends.

Gordo: Laughs. Miranda to the rescue. Lizzie was the only one who didn't laugh when I threw up on Miss Stokes' rug during Magic Circle Story Time.

Miranda: Remember picture day in 7th grade?

Gordo: That sweater was priceless! No wonder she begged to borrow a shirt from just about the entire school.

Miranda: She was willing to throw herself in front of that bucket of paint to save my outfit.

Gordo: Yeah. I thought her picture was cool, though! She was covered in green paint, and held that paint-covered sweater like a showpiece.

The pair laughs uncomfortably. They leave the cemetery and go to Miranda's house. Without realizing it, they continue to clasp hands.

AT MIRANDA'S HOUSE (flashback sequence continues)

Miranda and Gordo walk through the front door. She calls out to her mother, but no one answers. Guess no one's home, she states. She sees a note on the kitchen counter.

Miranda,

Your Aunt Rosa's in town, so we went to the day spa. We'll be back later tonight. Here's money for pizza. Your sister's staying at a friend's house. Remember, your dad has that business trip today. I'm trusting you, mija.

Mom

The pair goes up to Miranda's room.

Miranda: Ah, here's the picture of Lizzie and I with wreaths made out of daisies. Gordo smiles. We made wreaths for our moms and our next door neighbour took our pictures. She shows him the series of photographs.

Gordo: Looks at a picture of young Miranda. He comments softly, so cute.

Miranda: What?

Gordo: Oh, nothing. He leans forward and kisses her.

Miranda: Her eyes widen. Wow! She mouths, and returns the kiss.

SEQUENCE ENDS

(Miranda resumes writing)

We didn't mean for it to happen, but that's the day you were conceived. That may be too much information for you, mija, but that's how you came to be. After that day, we realized we needed each other. We decided not to hide our feelings from each other, however we didn't let our parents know at first. They knew Lizzie and your father had been dating and we weren't ready to tell anyone. Besides, we didn't want it to get back to Lizzie's parents. How would they feel if they knew their daughter's boyfriend and best friend were now dating? Of course, we weren't able to hide our relationship from them for very long.