Chapter 6

"So what's the movie options?" Andrew asked as he walked into the living room with a bowl of freshly popped popcorn.

Oswald pulled his head out of the cabinet under the TV with an old VHS in hand. He turned to look at Mickey already sitting on the sofa and asked, "What is Death Bed?"

"The bed that eats," Mickey added with a smile. "Basically the bed eats everything."

"Eh," Oswald said, putting his head back in the cabinet to replace the tape.

"Come on, it's a good movie," Mickey defended as Andrew took a seat beside Mickey. The taller mouse offered the bowl, letting Mickey grab a handful.

"You said I could pick," Oswald said, his voice muffled by the cabinet.

"I'm surprised you don't have all your movies digitally by now," Andrew commented, noticing Oswald almost inside the low cabinet now.

"There's just something about having physical media," Mickey said with a shrug. "Don't get me wrong, all those tapes have been backed up, just in case."

"That's smart," Andrew said with a nod.

"How do you have The Lone Ranger?" Oswald called out as his feet were all that was visible of him through the small door. "I didn't think they were Disney owned."

"They're under ABC," Mickey offered off handedly.

"I wonder if corporate is trying to have a monopoly on media," Andrew thought aloud.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Mickey mumbled as he grabbed for another handful of popcorn. He looked back at the cabinet under the TV only to notice Oswald had disappeared. "Oswald? You wanna light?"

"I thought this was movie night, not 'Where's Oswald'," Andrew said with a laugh.

"Ha! Figures you would have a copy of this," Oswald said from within the cabinet.

"What?" Mickey asked.

Oswald crawled his way backwards out of the cabinet with a VHS in hand. "Megaforce, it'd just got to Wasteland when I left so I still haven't seen it," Oswald explained.

Andrew looked at Mickey and asked with a laugh, "Let me guess, the famous Mickey Mouse likes B movies?"

Mickey gave him a shrug. "What can I say, I like the esthetic of low budget films."

"Which remote's for the tape player?" Oswald asked, looking through the remotes sitting in a line under the flat screen.

"Small square one with rubber buttons," Mickey described. Morty's book bag sitting against the entertainment system caught Mickey's eye, reminding him of the two's fight of earlier. Turning back to Andrew he said, "I promised not to tell their mom, but earlier Morty and Ferdie got into a fight."

"Let me guess, Morty started it?" Andrew asked with a sigh.

"Well that wasn't even the problem, the boy apologized for it without being asked," Mickey said. "The point, I think, was more about family relations, you know, calling people family who technically isn't."

"Hey, don't blame me on that one," Andrew defended. "I've popped the question to her more than once. I keep getting the same excuses."

"Like what?" Mickey asked. Static from the TV took his attention momentarily as Oswald quickly turned the volume down.

"It started with just her last name, how she didn't want to change it again," Andrew admitted, keeping his eyes on the popcorn in his hands. "I got that, she's had the same last name for years. I was fine with that. Then she tacked on how expensive it would be, I offered to just elope. Then it turned into 'well, the kids have been through a lot to have another dad'," his voice up an octave to try and sound like Amelia. Dropping it back down he added, "but I think they need someone stable in that roll." He turned his gaze back to Mickey and admitted with a sigh, "I've just about given up."

"So Morty and Ferdie don't call you Dad?" Oswald asked, watching the TV as he fast forwarded through the previews.

"Amelia wants them to so when she's around they do. I don't enforce it because I know they don't want to."

Oswald paused the tape on a screen reading Feature Presentation and turned around to look at the two. "Mick, maybe you should bring it up to her."

"Maybe you're right." Mickey grabbed for another handful of popcorn and threw the puffs into his mouth before adding, "Before she leaves, I should."

"It probably won't happen tonight," Andrew pointed out as Oswald came over to sit down on the mouse's other side. "Who knows when the girls'll get done."

"Hey, did you leave me any popcorn?" Oswald asked, leaning over to look in the bowl only to see a few remaining popcorns in their unpopped brethren. He glared up at the two mice, getting a laugh from Mickey.

"Guess we need to pop some more," Mickey said, the serious tone gone from his voice.

-.-.-.-

"This is a lovely color," Amelia complimented, looking at the still wet nail polish on her left hand.

Minnie kept her eyes to painting the mouse's right hand as a smile pulled at her cheeks. "I love using it. It goes with practically anything," Minnie admitted.

"What dress are you wearing tomorrow, Min?" Ortensia asked, her voice coming from the bathroom.

"That new blue one I got, with the darker blue sash," Minnie called out to her.

Amelia put her left hand back on the newspaper covered table and watched as Minnie finished applying the first coat of color to her right hand. "You don't think it was a bad idea to ask Mr. Whiskers to watch Morty and Ferdie as well, do you?"

"He suggested it," Ortensia called out from where she still searched. She took a moment before sticking her head out of the bathroom and looked down the hall to see them at the living room table. Catching Amelia's eyes from behind Minnie's head she added, "I know he can seem grouchy at times, but he does like kids."

Amelia gave the cat a smile before watching her disappear back into the bathroom. She turned her attention back to Minnie's work to see she had just finished the first coat, putting the brush cap back on the polish. "I guess I've just been a mother too long," Amelia admitted. She held up her hands to look at the drying paint, admiring the color in the light.

"You care about your kids and your father-in-law," Minnie said, smiling at the mouse across the table from herself. "Nothing's wrong with that."

"Weird to think about having a father-in-law," Amelia admitted with a laugh. She put her hands back on the paper and leaned around Minnie to glance down the hallway. "Though finally having a sister is nice," she said loud enough for the cat to hear.

"And to think, one day we'll have another sister," Ortensia said as she stepped out of the bathroom with a bottle in hand.

Minnie looked up at the ceiling as she smiled. Leaning back in the chair she said, "You know that'll only happen when he's ready for it."

"You can't tell me you've never planned it out though," Amelia said, knowing the mouse stayed up with the trends.

Minnie opened her mouth, as if about to say something, only to close it again. Ortensia sat down a cerulean blue nail polish next to the red Amelia was wearing and a pink already pulled out, eyeing the mouse. "Alright," Minnie said, leaning her head on the back of the chair so she faced the ceiling. "There's a scrap book."

"Oh?" Ortensia smiled as she asked, "Where?"

"Under my mattress, bottom right," Minnie said, already knowing the cat was curious. She raised her head as the cat scampered back down the hallway, a smile pulling at her face as she realized she had been wanting to tell someone all of the plans she had made.

"Let me guess," Amelia started, leaning on her elbows against the table as she smiled at Minnie. "The only place you could think of Mickey wouldn't find it?"

"So far, but I've had to move it a number of times," Minnie admitted as she dropped her head to look at her friend. "It started hiding in my sock drawer, you know, thinking Mickey wouldn't have any need for unmentionables, only for him one day to run in my house in excitement. He wasn't talking sense, all I could understand was that he needed something, so I told him to just go and get it. Guess what he comes running out with."

"What? Why on earth?" Amelia asked, a surprised smile filling her face.

"What'd he take?" Ortensia asked as she came down the hall with an old scrap book in hand. She placed it on Minnie's side of the table, away from the polish, and looked at Minnie from where she stood beside her.

"My bloomers," Minnie explained with a laugh as she turned to look at the cat. "He said after the fact they needed a way to trap a thief who fancied lady's clothes and paid for me to get new ones but it showed me I needed a new place to hide this." She placed a hand on the scrap book, the edge under had thumb exposing the paper pressed together to make the hard cover. "It spent time in the kitchen, bathroom, attic, and even the garage before I realized under the mattress was the only place he wouldn't go. I hope."

"I noticed under the bed was never an option," Ortensia pointed out with a smile.

"That crazy mouse's been under my bed for a few things," Minnie admitted.

"Well, come on, open it up," Amelia said, nodding her head at the book. She held up her hands to show her nails and said, "You've got me drying in suspense."

Minnie let out a laugh as she pushed the book sideways so all three could see it. She opened it to the first page, it labeled in well-practiced cursive 'Wedding Plans'. "This was before I started dating it," Minnie admitted.

"That's from thirty-four!" Ortensia realized as she looked at the black and white photo of a wedding dress cut out of a catalog. She turned to Minnie and said, "Bertie wore this for her wedding, uh, Bertie Mutt, one of Oswald's co-stars for a while."

"Is this from the Sears and Roebucks catalog?" Amelia asked, leaning closer to see a smaller clipping.

"That and an Ajax catalog, for the most part," Minnie admitted.

Ortensia turned to the next page to see this one dated in its title, 'Plan 2 for Spring 1953'. Ortensia looked at Minnie and asked, "How many plans are there?"

Minnie kept her eyes to the book as she bit her bottom lip. Without looking up at either of her friends she admitted, "Twenty-four."

Ortensia started flipping through the pages, watching as the years and fashions changed.

"Hey, stop there," Amelia ordered just as the page fell. "Go back one."

Ortensia pulled the page back to see it dated 1982 only to let out a laugh.

Minnie smiled at the magazine cutout of a male model wearing a yellow suit with white accents. "I know, he would never wear that but it did go with the wedding dress I wanted at the time," she said, glancing over at the magazine cutout of a white dress with yellow accents.

"I wanna see your most recent one," Ortensia said, already reaching to turn the pages farther into the book. Finding a blank page she turned back until landing on one titled 'Fall/Winter 2015'.

"I started on this one last year," Minnie commented, resting on her elbows to look at the print outs on the page. A smile pulled at her face as she put a hand on the ball gown styled wedding dress. "Still like this dress best."

"Starry night theme?" Amelia asked, looking over the table decorations and cake designs taped to the page.

"Ever since we did a version of Midsummer Night's Dream, I liked the idea of a night themed wedding."

"How did eloping turn into a night wedding?" Amelia asked, eyeing the girl.

"It was more because of how long it took us shooting the night scenes," Minnie admitted with a smile.

"Now if only he'd pop the question," Ortensia pointed out as she leaned over to look at something in the book closer.

"Can we trade men?" Amelia asked, gently touching her nail polish.

"Are you ready for the second coat?" Minnie asked, getting the older mouse to put her hands back on the newspaper. As Minnie started painting again, she asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Andrew seems to ask at least once a month," Amelia said, rolling her eyes. She dropped her eyes down to watch Minnie work as she added, "Don't get me wrong, I do love him, but I've been married three times now, devoiced twice, that's all my heart can take."

"What happened to your third husband?" Ortensia asked, pulling out the chair beside Minnie to sit down.

"He died in the war," Amelia admitted. She shut her eyes tight as she added, "I still miss him."

Ortensia thought a moment before asking, "Was he Morty and Ferdie's father?"

Amelia nodded her head before opening her eyes back open. "Yeah. You'd think after all these years it wouldn't hurt so much."

Ortensia reached across the table and laid her hand on Amelia's arm. "It's okay to still have moments of grief. And no one can fault you, you have moved forward. But what's to say Andrew won't turn into the next best step for you?"

Amelia stared at the cat for a moment, processing her words, before furling her brows. "But what's the point? Why go through- make Morty and Ferdie go through another marriage and another divorce?" Amelia asked.

"How long have you and Andrew been together?" Ortensia asked, raising a brow.

"Eighteen years."

"Now did anyone else, excluding your first husband, last this long?" Ortensia asked, taking her hand back so she could sit straight in the chair.

"How would you know that?"

"Just answer the question," Ortensia said, smiling at the older mouse.

She let out a sigh before saying, "No."

"I guessed," Ortensia said, answering Amelia's question. "I may not've known the others but I see how you and Andrew are together." A smile that reached her eyes appeared as she threw her thumb at Minnie. "Your relationship reminds me of theirs."

Minnie capped the red polish as a smile pulled on her face. She sat the bottle back with the other two as she said, "Except I've only gotten faux proposals." She thought for a moment before adding, "Well, from Mickey anyway."

"Faux proposals?" Ortensia echoed.

"And I'm gonna guess fans are who have actually proposed," Amelia said with a laugh as she looked over Minnie's work.

"Not fully, there was Mr. Slicker," Minnie admitted. "That was back in thirty and I almost did marry him."

Amelia looked shocked for a moment before her memory caught up with her. "Oh right, because of your parents, wasn't it?"

"They were about to lose the farm, yeah," Minnie nodded. She turned to Ortensia and admitted, "I had mistaken some of Mickey's gestures over the years. Does make me wonder how many times he's had to break the news to me."

"Oh," Ortensia started as her thoughts reminded her of the day. "Speaking of him, we got talking while preparing some of tomorrow's food and he was thinking you might have his old photo albums."

"Yeah, how old are you looking for?" Minnie asked.

"Actually I'm curious about the other people in the family," Ortensia admitted.

"I'm sure I can dig those out," Minnie said with a nod.

"Flipping through photos, hopefully I won't damage your work," Amelia said, holding her hands up to show the nail polish. "I always end up doing something I shouldn't right after painting them myself."