"Please be good for your Pa while I'm at the New Years party, Mary Jane." Melania told her daughter, as they were upstairs in her room and she was getting ready, putting a few last finishing touches on her complexion with some lavender scented face powder.

"I like it when you wear that, Ma. It smells so pretty! Makes you look pretty too." Mary Jane smiled. "When will I be able to wear face powder?"

"No...I don't want you wearing this."

"But you get to, Ma! Why can't I?"

"I am an adult...and how old are you?" Melania replied.

"Twelve..." Mary Jane replied, flatly.

"Do you see why you can't wear it?" She told her daughter. "Why are YOU even wearing this, Melania?" Melania thought to herself, and then another thought popped into her head and she reassured herself. "Its just a little party! That's all I'm wearing it for!...There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"Yes Ma." She said again, with the same emotion as before.

"Your Pa is stopping by to give me a ride out there. Then he'll take you to your Grandparents' house, all right?"

"All right, Ma."

Melania glanced out the little window and saw a buckboard pull up. "There's your father now. Come on...let's go, Mary Jane." Mary Jane was almost out the door as fast as you could blink an eye! She ran to meet her father.

"Hey Squirt!" George Jr. smiled, wrapping his arms around his 12 year old daughter.

"Hi Pa..." She replied, pressing her head against his stocky chest.

"How've you been? Was school good today?"

"Yeah...Except for that Sam Zust kid! Grr!"

George Jr. laughed at his daughter. "Oh Mary Jane, what did the boy do now?"

"He put a tack on my seat! I jumped up and hollered and then the whole class laughed at me! It was SO embarrassing!"

"Oh my...Did you get in trouble?"

"No Pa!...I told the teacher and showed her the tack and told her Sam did it!"

"And what happened then?"

"Sam got sent to the corner!" Mary Jane giggled.

"Well then, I'm glad you didn't get in trouble...you know your Ma and I wouldn't be too happy with that."

"I know, Pa..." She said, in a "we've been through this 1,000 times!" kind of voice.

"Speaking of your Ma, she ready?"

"Yeah, she should be down pretty soon..."

"I'm here...you don't need to wait any longer. Sorry George, was putting on some last finishing touches..."

"You mean some MORE last finishing touches, Ma!" Mary Jane said.

"And I must say, you look like a sight for sore eyes, Lana..." He smiled and gazed at her, maybe longer than he should've.

Melania smiled slightly. "Thank you, George..." George Jr. never was much for romance, but even a little saying like that made Melania smile.

"You're welcome." George Jr. grinned.

"My word, George...you haven't called me Lana in years!..." It had finally dawned on her that he had just called her the nickname he used to call her when they were courting.

"I guess, to me...it...felt like old times." George Jr. smiled a little. "I WAS going to call you Mel...but..."

"You dubbed me, Lana." Melania smiled.

"Sounded prettier...more feminine."

"I agree." Melania smiled. "It is."

Mary Jane beamed up at her mother and then at her father. She loved how they were talking to each other...and how they were looking at each other and smiling. She never told anyone, but she wished they were together. She was still young...and wasn't so sure why her parents hadn't married. Her mother never really told her. Mary Jane figured it was one touchy subject with her mother, and so she stopped asking about it.

"Well, I guess we better be going. Wouldn't want you to be late for that company shin-dig."

"All right." Melania smiled at George Jr. and lifted her up into the buckboard, after helping his daughter in.

Melania made it to the party and sent her daughter and George Jr. on their way. She talked with some of the women for awhile, when music started playing and Urban walked up to her and asked to dance with her. She accepted and the two set out on the dance floor.

"What a wonderful get-together." Melania smiled. "Don't you think?"

Urban grinned a little. "I don't just think...I know...I...uh...set things up. Asked Wissel if he would allow it." He didn't want to brag...but he at least wanted SOME recognition!

"You set this whole thing up?" Melania exclaimed. "My word, how did you ever get Mr. Wissel to agree to all this? I was wondering about that...You know how he can be."

"Cranky?...Controlling?..." Urban began.

"A real jerk!...A huge pain in the..."

"Melania!" He exclaimed. Urban couldn't believe what she, a woman, was saying about the head boss!

"What? He is!"

Urban leaned in a little and whispered into her ear. "You and I both know that...but HE sure doesn't need too!" He chuckled a little. "That you called him a jerk and such, is what I'm saying..."

"All right, Urban." Melania smirked, but then her lips turned upward. "I'm a little thirsty...Could we get some punch?"

"Of course, c'mon...I'll escort you." Urban grinned, having her grab hold of his arm. They got their glasses of punch and talked while they enjoyed their drinks. It soon got to midnight, and a New Year came, and the old one went...Shouts of "Happy New Year!" sounded all over the room.

"Hey Urban! Melania!" A man shouted from across the room. "Y'all were together when the New Year rolled around! Start a new tradition!...The new couple needs to kiss! What do ya say?" He shouted to everyone. Melania assumed someone put a little bit of the good stuff in his punch or something! Maybe someone had sneaked some whiskey in. She was pretty sure that guy was on the verge of getting drunk!

"We're not a couple!" She tried to say, but everyone was yelling, "Kiss her!...Kiss her!"

"Oh fine then!" Melania yelled. "You want a kiss?...I'll SHOW you a kiss! Goodness gracious!" She exclaimed and grabbed Urban by the front of his shirt and gave him one heck of a powerful kiss! She let go of him, and left him standing there as stunned as could be! He had NEVER been kissed by a lady like that before! Folks cheered! And some just stood there with their mouths gaping open!...Melania wiped her mouth a little bit and started toward the door, till the man who egged on this whole incident stopped her by putting an arm against the wall, preventing her from going further.

"You know...I kinda like my women...frisky...fiesty...aggressive...like you." The man said with a smirk, his eyes darting downward and then back up at her face. "What do ya say we...head to my place and have a little 'fun'." He said, wrapping a strong arm around her and gripped her shoulder.

"No..." Melania said coldly. "Now let go of me."

"Hey, girl...don't be like that." He rubbed her arm a little.

"Let...go...of...me." She spat at him, and sent him a piercing glare. The man didn't budge, so she jammed an elbow into his stomach. The man was just stunned, not hurt by the impact. As quickly as she could, Melaina took off her high heeled boot.

"What are you going to do with that?" The young man asked, sobering up a little.

"Oh buddy boy,...you don't want to know." Melania raised an eyebrow. "I suggest you get out of my sight as quickly as possible."

The man finally let go and backed away from her, eyeing the high-heeled boot that Melania kept lightly pounding into her hand. All the while, she was glaring at him. Well, the man shrank back into the crowd and Melania put her boot back on and walked out the door and started her way home. It was snowing a little, but she didn't care.

George Jr. pulled up with his daughter at the H & W Building.

"That's strange. Didn't your Ma say she'd be waiting outside for us?"

"That's what she said." Mary Jane knodded. "Look Pa! There's a lady up the road, walking!"

George Jr. squinted. "I think that's..."

"That's Ma!...What's she doing walking home? You said you'd come get her!"

"I know...Hold on, Mary Jane!" George Jr. ran the horses faster till they caught up with Melania.

"Lana! What are ya doing? We agreed I'd pick you up afterwards!" He said, bringing the horses to a trot.

"Sorry. Guess I forgot." Melaina told him sharply. "I'm sorry, George."

"What happened?" He asked her.

"I don't want to talk about it. Not right now."

"Okay...Well, get in." George Jr. brought the horses to a halt and helped Melania in.

"How was the party, Ma?" Mary Jane asked.

"Don't...ask." Melania glared at her daughter. Mary Jane sunk back into her seat.

George Jr. brought them home and Mary Jane immediately went inside and up to her room.

"Do you want to tell me what happened at that party, Lana?" George Jr. asked quietly as they were still seated in the buckboard.

"I'd rather not." She got up so she could get down from the buckboard, but George Jr. grabbed her hand, but he was as gentle as could be. Melania snapped her head around and just stared at him.

"You know...I'm always here if you need someone to talk to." George Jr. smiled a little. "For anything...I'm serious, Melania."

"Thank you, George...Goodnight." Melania whispered, and got down from the buckboard as their hands drifted apart and she went inside.