The Anniversary Party Part I-A Lattimore family reunion
"Hey, Rosalyn, how it's going?" Nick asks approaching the very attractive 34-year-old black woman that was standing near a table in Society. She was 5'8, with smooth, darker brown skin, dark brown eyes and a vibrant smile. Her long hair was arranged in a pretty updo and she was dressed in a pretty multi-colored striped bodycon dress to celebrate her parents anniversary. He smiles at her.
"You are looking well." He compliments her giving her a big smile.
"Hi, Nick." Rosalyn tells him flashing him a smile. "And Thank you." She tells him graciously. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you in a while." She comments to him.
Nick makes a face and then smiles. "I'm doing alright." He says. "I mean, I'm doing better than...uh the last time you saw me." He admits sheepishly.
Rosalyn nods. "I'm glad to hear that." She smiles. "You look like you're more... relaxed." She observes.
Nick nods. "I am. I took some time to really evaluate things and now I'm back working for my family's company. My dad stepped down and my sister is now CEO." He informs Rosalyn. "I haven't worked for my family's company for a while, but I'm back now and have gotten back into the groove of things. And I'm liking it."
"I'm happy to hear that." Rosalyn tells him. "Sometimes it's good to just take a step back when you need it and really assess things…" She remarks. "And I'm glad you got to do that."
"Yeah." Nick says. "How's work? Is everything going well for you?" He asks her.
"It is." She acknowledges. "All is going well at the television station."
"Good." Nick remarks. "And I want to thank you guys for inviting me tonight." He tells her graciously.
Rosalyn nods. "Of course, we are happy to have you be apart of this celebration. Especially since your daughter is a part of our family. And is now going to help add another member to it." She tells him happily.
Rosalyn and Nick chat for a bit more, as more guests start to arrive to Paula and Darryl Lattimore's Sr's. party.
"Hey sis." Monty says as he comes over and greets Rosalyn. "You look nice." He tells her.
"Hey Monty." Rosalyn greets her youngest brother with a smile. "You do too." They hug.
"Hey Nick." Monty says and shakes Nick's hand. "How are you doing?" He asks Nick.
"I'm doing fine." Nick tells him. "And how about yourself?" He asks.
"Good." Monty responds smiling. Monty then turns to Rosalyn.
"I'm glad you could make it." Monty tells her.
Rosalyn nods. "Of course, I wouldn't miss Mom and Dad's 35th anniversary party." She laughs. "How I would look if I didn't show up for this party and I am their oldest child." She puts her hands to her chest. "And only daughter". She laughs. And then pauses for a moment. "You know that I am happy to be here for them." She remarks to Monty sincerely.
Monty nods. "Yeah, let's just hope our super busy brother Darryl, shows up."
Rosalyn makes a face. "He should show up."
Monty shrugs. "He should, but he has like 1,000 different projects and you know it can be hard pressed sometimes to get him to come to family events, with his schedule." He reminds Rosalyn
A thoughtful look comes across Rosalyn's face. "Yeah with his film career really thriving, he often has a hectic schedule. But I talked to him a couple of days ago, and he said he will be here. And I believe him." Rosalyn informs Monty.
Monty nods. He chats some more with his sister and Nick as more guests spill into the room, including Victor and Nikki.
"Hello." Nikki says as she and Victor walk over to Nick, Rosalyn and Monty.
"Hi mom." Nick says kissing Nikki on the cheek.
"Hey dad." He says greeting Victor.
"Hello." Rosalyn says greeting both Victor and Nikki. "We are so glad you guys could make it." She tells them.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Newman." Monty says and reaches out and shakes Victor's hand.
"Thank you for inviting us." Nikki says graciously. She looks around Society. "You guys did a lovely job decorating this place." She tells them.
"Thank you." Rosalyn tells her. "We wanted it to look our best for our parents."
Nikki nods and smiles. "A 35th wedding anniversary is such a monumental occasion." She turns to look at Victor. "Isn't that right honey?" She asks.
Victor nods. "Yes, it is monumental indeed." He acknowledges.
Nikki pats his arm. "You know Victor and I have been together a long time." She informs Rosalyn. "We've certainly had our fair share of ups and down. And times where we were apart…" Nikki's voice trails off and she sighs happily.
"But through it all, we have always found our way back to each other. And after all of that and having our children and grandchildren…" She turns to Victor and they smile at each other. "And now with our first great grandchild is on the way… We are stronger than ever." She declares smiling.
"It took us a few tries, but we are still standing, eh. Darling?" Victor looks at her and puts his arm around her and she leans into him smiling. Victor and Nikki talk to Nick and the Lattimore children some more, while more guests start to arrive.
Phyllis arrives next.
"Hello." Phyllis says going over and greeting Rosalyn, Monty, and the others. They smile and acknowledge her.
"It looks nice in here." She observes. She folds her arms and smiles. "When are our guests of honor showing up?" She asks.
"They should be here in about 20 minutes." Rosalyn informs her. "Summer and Lincoln have gone to pick them up." The group chats a bit more and then Phyllis and Nick step off to the side to talk for a moment.
Phyllis gives him a look. "So how you are doing stranger?" She asks him. "I haven't really gotten the chance to talk to you much lately. I hear you are settling back into working at Newman."
Nick puts his hand on his face for a moment thinking. "Yeah, I am."
Phyllis makes a face. "And it's going well?" She inquires.
"It's going fine Phyllis." Nick then puts his hands in his pocket. "I'm getting back into the swing of things, and it's good."
Phyllis nods. "Un-huh." She pats Nick's arm. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. I think it's good for you to be back at Newman." She tells him. "I do believe that is where you belong." She remarks thoughtfully.
He shrugs his shoulders and gives her a look. "It's better than working for my loathsome brother." He frowns. "You know the guy who stole my company and my son… The guy that you have no problem working for."
Phyllis sighs and frowns. "Nick not this again. Adam gave me an opportunity and I took it." She shakes her head and folds her arms. "You know how upset I was a while back when I got ousted from Jabot. And how hard I scrapped to try and find a new opportunity for myself." She then makes gestures with her hands.
"And I kept getting rejected and it really burned me up, Nick." She sighs again. "To know that people didn't want me or appreciate what I had to offer. And then…" Her voice trails off.
"Adam came swooping in with an opportunity for you. An opportunity that came at my expense and at a company that I established." Nick interjects.
"An opportunity that I needed." Phyllis states firmly. "And I'm not going to apologize for that Nick."
Nick shakes his head. "Well you don't apologize for much, that's for sure." He remarks bluntly.
"I mean the opportunity was presented and I took it." Phyllis repeats. "But none of that should matter much now, because you are in a much better place than you were." She comments. "And I'm honestly glad, Nick." She states sincerely. "I know that losing Christian was a tough blow for you…"
Nick frowns. "Don't remind me."
"It was a tough blow, but you came through it. You had a really rocky patch after losing custody of him and I have to admit a lot of us were worried about you for a bit there." Phyllis admits to him truthfully.
"But you came through it. You found your way." She then pauses and thinks a bit about Nick's situation. "Mind you, you didn't lean on me, or even Sharon much, which honestly was a bit surprising…. You chose to lean on Lily…" She makes a face. "But nonetheless you made it through, and I'm glad. I'm glad for your sake, and your kids' sake, including our daughter."
Nick nods, a somber look coming across his face. "Yeah I knew I needed to pull it together for my kids. You know losing Christian really sucked but… I knew that I have other children who needed me to be there for them." He gives Phyllis a serious look. "And even if I wasn't able to completely let go of my anger, I knew I had to curtail it a bit and try and get it together."
Phyllis nods. "Right, because your children needed you. And they still do." She lightly pokes Nick in the arm. "And now you have a grandchild on the way who will also need you." She smiles at him. "So, you still have a lot of people who are depending on you to act right."
Nick laughs. "You are encouraging me to act right. That's funny."
Phyllis makes a face. "Maybe so, but you know I'm right, hypocrisy be darned."
Nick nods again and thinks about her comments. "Can you believe that Supergirl, my Supergirl, our daughter... is going to be a mother?" He asks a bit amazed.
Phyllis's eyes widen a bit. "It's something else. But it's truly amazing and I have to tell you. I can't wait." She confides in Nick smiling. "I mean I've already got to experience being a grandmother because of Daniel, but to see Summer bring her own child into this world, and raise it, is going to be a wonderful thing to watch." She touches Nick's arm and gives him a serious look. "For the both of us." She declares optimistically.
"And…" She continues. "You should look forward to that, instead of stewing in your hatred for Adam." She advises. "I mean I get it and I…"
"Know quite a bit about stewing." Nick remarks knowingly.
Phyllis makes a face. "Right, but don't let the negative feelings you have about Adam get in the way of you enjoying your life and all of the people that you have in it that you value. Like our daughter and grandchild." She advises.
Nick makes a face. "Yeah, it's tough, but I get what you are saying. And I love my children, including Summer. And I will love this grandchild like crazy."
Phyllis nods. "Good. Now let's focus on that and enjoying this party that will be thrown for nice people who will also be our grandchild's grandparents. And…" Phyllis gives Nick a playful nudge. "who have been married longer consistently than either of us could dream of being."
Nick laughs. "Yeah."
Phyllis and Nick talk for a bit longer. A few more last minute guests arrive including Darryl Lattimore Jr, the third and oldest Lattimore son. He is a tall, stockier built 33 year old man. He is a handsome man. He is a lighter brown skinned man, with light brown eyes, and has a short curly tapered afro hairstyle, and a neatly trimmed beard. He was dressed very sharply, in a very nice looking maroon colored suit. He looks as if he's just walked out of an important meeting with someone, as he often did. He takes the gift he has in his hands and places it on the table filled with other gifts for his parents. He then sees his family and heads over to them.
"Oh, looky here." Rosalyn teases him, smiling and folding her arms for a moment. "Glad to see you made it hot shot." She tells him jokingly.
"Hey, Roz." He reaches over and hugs his sister. She hugs him back warmly. "How are you doing?" He pulls away from her and smiles. "You know even with how busy I am, I was not going to miss mom and Dad's anniversary. Thirty-five years is something that definitely needs to be celebrated."
"I knew you were going to make it." Rosalyn says smiling at him. "This one over here was concerned though." She says teasingly indicating to Monty.
"Little brother you know better than that." Darryl Jr. jokingly admonishes him. He hugs his younger brother.
"How you are doing, Monty?" He asks.
"Good." Monty tells him and smiles. "I'm glad you came. Lincoln and Summer should be here with Mom and Dad in a little bit."
The siblings talk some more with each other, including catching up on the happenings in each other's lives. After they talk for a little more, Monty gets a text from Lincoln. He turns to his siblings.
"Lincoln just said they are almost here with Mom and Dad, so we should all be prepared to yell surprise. He will text me again when they are outside of the door." Monty then makes an announcement to the room of guests and everyone is on board. A few minutes later he gets a text from Lincoln saying they are outside of the door of Society. Monty informs everyone in the room.
A couple of minutes later, the Lattimore's siblings' parents, Darryl Lattimore Sr. and Paula enter the room, to a loud group chant of surprise.
They are indeed surprised but happy. They had thought they would be spending the evening having dinner with Lincoln, Monty and Summer. They didn't know that their two other children who had busy schedules would show up and that they would receive a party.
"Hey, Hey...Well this is a nice surprise." remarks Darryl Lattimore, Sr. He is a handsome older man in his late 50s. He is tall and has managed to keep himself in shape, even after he retired from the NFL. He he has lighter brown skin, dark brown eyes, has a close haircut and looks a lot like his oldest son, Darryl Lattimore Jr. He is an intelligent, sharp and confident older gentleman. He looks around the room of people and smiles, and his smile grows even widen when he sees the rest of his children at the center of the room.
"Wow, you guys, this is lovely." Paula Lattimore Darryl Sr.'s wife remarks graciously. She is a lovely looking woman in her late 50's. She has darker brown skin, darker brown eyes, that hold a lot of warmth and kindness in them. She looks a lot like her daughter Rosalyn and also resembles her son Monty. Her hair is long and it is currently styled straight. She is a little shorter than her daughter by about an inch. She smiles brightly at the room, especially at her children.
"Surprise, mom and Dad." Lincoln tells them smiling broadly. "You guys thought you were going to be in just for a quiet dinner, but we wanted to give you guys more. A 35th wedding anniversary deserves more than just a quiet dinner."
"Oh, honey, you guys didn't have to do this." Paula says looking at Lincoln. She reaches over and hugs him.
"But we are kind of glad you did." Darryl Sr. says laughing. He also hugs Lincoln and him and Paula head over to the rest of their children with Lincoln and Summer following behind them.
"I'm so glad you guys are here." Paula says hugging, Rosalyn and then Darryl Jr, and Monty. Darry Sr. also hugs and greets his children. "And you all look so good." Paula remarks smilling brightly at them.
"I didn't think I would see us all together until like Thanksgiving." She remarks honestly. "But I am so glad you came tonight." She repeats happily. "All my loves." She says happily and then leans against her husband. He puts his arms around her and kisses her cheek.
"You had to know we just had to be here, for you guys." Rosalyn tells them happily. "We could not let you celerbrate your 35th anniversary without showing you both what you mean to us. And what an inspiration you are to us." She tells them proudly.
"I just finished working on a movie in Toronto." Darryl Jr. informs them. "My schedule was tight, but I was not going to miss this very special anniversary for you guys." He reaches out and fist bumps his father. "Not too many people can say they have been as married as long as you guys have. Especially not these days." Darryl Jr, then laughs. "And especially not in my world, Hollywood."
"And I was already in town, so I decided to hang around for your party, too." Monty jokes.
Lincoln then puts his arms around both of his parents. "We all wanted to be here with you guys and let you know that we love you." He then releases them and moves over to Summer, putting his arm around her and kissing her. "And I hope to be married as long as you guys are." He tells them.
"We hope that too sweetheart." Paula tells him. "And maybe your little baby can one day throw a party for you guys like you have done for us."
Lincoln looks at Summer and they smile at each other. "That is the hope." He declares optimistically. The Lattimores all talk with each other for a bit more and then get some food and mingle with other guests at the party. After they are all done socializing for a bit, it becomes time for the kids to toast their parents.
Rosalyn goes to the center of the room. "Attention, everyone." She says flashing a radiant smile at the crowd. "On behalf of our family, we want to thank all of you for attending our parent's anniversary party tonight. 35 years together is truly amazing. Let's give it up for them." She instructs and claps her hands. The rest of the people in the room clap their hands, and Darry Sr. and Paula smile.
"Now..." Rosalyn continues. "My siblings and I are going to each toast our parents." She smiles. Rosalyn grabs a glass of champagne. "I guess I will start first." She says. She looks at her parents.
"Mom and Dad." She begins smiling. "You both know how much I love you guys. And I have appreciated all that you have done for me as my parents and role models." She expresses to them graciously.
"The united front and close bond that you two have demonstrated as a couple and as my parents, has always helped keep me grounded." Rosalyn smiles and pauses for a moment, continuing.
"You guys represent a great love, that isn't as common these days. And.. I hope that we all get to experience something like that one day." She lifts her glass and toasts her parents. "Thank you guys for being you, and for being a rock solid example for me and my siblings. I love you guys. Happy 35th." She toasts her parents and everyone smiles.
Next up Darry Lattimore makes his speech for his parents. He thanks them for being an inspiration to him and supporting him through his ups and downs. He thanks them for being there for him and all of his siblings.
"I know with my schedule, I don't see you guys as often as I used to, but it is my pleasure to be here tonight to celebrate this milestone with you guys. I love you." He finishes his speech and toasts the crowd.
Lincoln and Monty look at each other to see who will go next, Lincoln urges Monty to go and says he would like to go last. Monty nods and then toasts his parents. He also praises them for being there for him and being a positive representation of a loving married couple. He finishes toasting them and then it's finally Lincoln's turn to speak.
Lincoln goes to the center of the room and begins to toast his parents. "Mom and Dad." He begins looking at them. "I want to tell you guys how much I love you and how much I appreciate the example you are of a loving long lasting couple." He smiles at them and then looks over at Summer and smiles.
"I hope to have that type of relationship with my own wife and set an example for my children." Paula nods and Darry smile at him. "I appreciate you guys so much for all that you have done for me. You have been my family since I was young." He states. "One of the best things that ever happened to me was when you guys decided to adopt me..."
A somber look then comes across his face. "When my grandmother Evelyn died, I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't find someone to give me the type of love that she did... because my birth parents weren't really in my life like that." He admits. "But thankfully I met you guys when I started playing football and I met Darryl Jr, who became my best friend and later my brother." Lincoln looks over to Darryl Jr, who smiles at him.
"And you helped save me from what I believe would have been a very dark future, had you not came into my life. I'm so glad I have parents like you guys." He pauses for a moment and toasts his glass to them. "I love you and happy 35th anniversary." He toasts them and the crowd claps. After everyone stops, one person starts to clap very loudly.
"Bravo, Bravo." The white brunette woman in her early 50's says as she comes from behind the crowd. She has blue eyes and her hair is styled in a bob. She is an attractive woman, but she carries a troublemaking aura about her. There is a bit of steeliness to her personality.
She had managed to enter the restaurant without any of the Lattimores noticing her. Other people had saw her but assumed she was an invited guest. She steps closer to the center of the room and looks around for a moment her eyes resting on Lincoln. His eyes widen when he sees her. What is she doing here? He wonders to himself.
"Bravo, son." She tells him in a steely tone. '"I'm so glad you are here to acknowledge, your adopted parents." She places a strong emphasis on the word adopted.
"Oh my gosh..." Rosalyn says making a face. "How did she get here?" She asks.
"I see the devil is trying to make waves today." Darryl Jr. says shaking his head. "She is the last person that should be at this party."
"Man, what the heck is she doing here?" Monty asks frowning.
"Darryl..." Paula says turning to her husband. "What is she doing here?" She asks upset. "She has no right to be here." She claims strongly.
Darryl Sr. shakes his head and sighs. "She always has a way of showing up at the least opportune moments."
The brunette looks around the room and then back at Lincoln. "Good job son, toasting your adopted parents. I wish you would give me that type of love... you know being that I'm your birth mother and all." She reveals giving him a harsh look. People in the crowd turn to look at each other sensing that the brunette had arrived to cause trouble and wondering what she was up to.