Wedding Bells Are Ringing – Chapter 7
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Please go back to chapter 6, and read the following section if you haven't done so, starting with: "Hey, Kel, I'm so glad you made it." It will help you greatly understand part of this chapter
Hello folks. I know it's been a long time since I've posted anythinig FoL-related. In fact, it's been a long time since I've posted any fanfics. Truth is, there were several reasons why I stopped working on fanfics. First, I lost interest in fan fictions for a while. I was more focused on deviantart/tumblr. Fan arts and fan comics were my passion for the time, and they still are. I'm stll working on the Jem fan-comic, and also the Mai-Hime fan comic, among other things. Work was also another reaon why I didn't work on fanfics for a while. I was too busy to focus on it. As for Facts of Life fanfics, I was gonna quit entirely on writing FoL fanfics, because I was having trouble finding a beta-reader, and there seems to be what I thought at the time, a rather lack of interest in my stories, especially the CinAnn ones.
It wasn't until factsoflifefanatic sent me an PM stating her interest in beta-reading my stories that i got back working on FoL again. She sent it back in March, but I didn't bother to check FF until May, but I'm glad I did. Now after working with her for over a week, I have gotten excited working on FoL again, especially this story, which was at the time the least exciting to me, as compared to Body Language. When I first started this, I had quiltedheart as my co-writer for the story. Now that's she no longer part of the FoL, as far as I know, I had to find myself a new writer. That's where factsoflifefanatic comes in. So for now until she decides to quit, it will be me along with factsoflifefanatic writing this story. Until then, thank for reading, and hello again!
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After nearly three minutes of Jo's futile attempts to get Blair out of the room, she finally resigned. "You know what, Blar? I had enough of this, so g'bye!" Jo then stormed out of the main area. As she was storming out to the front entrance, Kelly, along with some of the bridesmaids, caught up to her.
"Hey, where ya goin'? Don't let Blair get to ya like this," Kelly pleaded.
"I'm not!" Jo spurted with tears flowing down her face. "But I can't keep chasing her forever. I'm gone, Kelly. Don't bother askin' me where I'm goin,' because I don't know myself. I just needa get away for a while, so please."
With that ending note, she left the church. As she was moving towards her car, the other bridesmaids approached her from both sides, asking questions, but she didn't say a word. The cameramen were also following her, but she still kept her silence. She just quietly got into her car and left.
The bridesmaids went back to the church and talked for a few minutes.
"Oh my God, will the wedding ever happen?" Nancy asked in shock.
Sue Ann shrugged and followed it with, "I dunno. It seems that Jo really had enough this time."
Cindy shook her and said, "Knowing Jo, she will disappear for a good while."
Blair was still in the small room, seething over the fact that Kelly was one of Jo's bridesmaids. Deep down, she knew that it was a possibility, yet it still irked her to see Kelly in the church.
Nancy than knocked on the small room's door, with the cameramen behind her.
"Come on Blair, can you please come out? Jo's gone."
"No! As long as that redheaded she-brute friend of hers is still out there, I'm staying in here!" Blair protested. Her face was now a total mess, as her mascara was smeared from her crying.
"Blair, you're being very unreasonable. Kelly was Jo's choice, and you must respect that!" said Molly as she tried her best to reason with Blair.
"Molly, please be quiet. This is my wedding, not yours."
Molly started to turn red, like her hair, and she barked right back at Blair, "See, that's the problem. You're acting like the wedding is all yours. You're basically controlling just about everything, making all the decisions; and the one time Jo actually makes a decision, you flip out about it! That's totally unfair!"
Blair didn't bother to respond to Molly, for she didn't have an answer to refute Molly's comment.
However, Kelly had something to say. "Ya kno' what, Blair? I was actually goin' to apologize to you for what happened at the engagement party. But since I see that you're still a spoiled bitch, I'm glad that I didn't. I'm outta here."
Kelly then started walking out of the church with Kimberly and the cameramen following her.
Just as she was about to leave the church, she turned around to face the cameramen and said, "Look, I don't wanna be followed by you guys. If ya continue to follow me, I'll have ya arrested." Then she headed out, with Kimberly right behind her.
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While Kelly was walking, Kimberly tapped her on the shoulders.
"Are you okay?" asked Kimberly with a small smile on her face. She was still blushing; admiring that Kelly was even more beautiful up close.
"Yeah, I'm alright. What's your name, sweetheart?"
Kimberly blushed even more as she responded, "Kimberly. Kimberly Drummond."
"Say, you're that rich guy's . . ." Kelly had to pause to remember his name. ". . . um, Phillip Drummond's daughter, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah, that's my dad."
"Cool! I met him once, through Jo. He's a real nice guy."
"He really is a great dad," said Kimberly as her smile broadened. "So, what's your name?"
"Kelly. Kelly Donovan." She smiled as she offered Kim a handshake.
Kimberly was obviously smitten with Kelly's beauty. Kelly was two years younger than Jo, but she was quite a catch for a 44-year old. She had flowing, curly red hair that touched her shoulder blades and sparkling blue eyes. Her face carried a few winkles, but not too much to take away from her natural beauty. Like typical Irish-descent redheads, Kelly also had a few freckles, but they didn't diminish her beauty either. She was not as curvy as Blair, but she was shapelier than Jo. In fact, when she and Jo would go out, she attracted the attention of more men. However, she was like Jo in that she was not very girly and she rarely wore a skirt. Yet, she was not a total butch. The term tomboyish would best describe her.
Kimberly was three years Kelly's senior, yet she was able to keep some of her own girl-next-door cuteness. Her brown hair, with some gray mixed in, was cut to a bob, as she rarely let her hair grow long nowadays. She had a slimmer figure than Kelly's, yet Kelly had a hard time taking her eyes off Kimberly's body.
"We both have the same initials too! That's so cool!" elated Kim. Kelly chuckled in response and Kim even found her laugh quite cute. "Anyway, do you want to go and have a cup of coffee?"
"Sure, why not?" Kelly responded as she smiled. She didn't care where they went; she just wanted to be around this beautiful woman as much as she could. Her heart was beating like crazy for Kim, just as Kim's heart was beating for Kelly. "How about the Europa Cafe? It's two blocks away. It may not be the prettiest place in the world, but they make great coffee," suggested Kelly.
Kim smiled as she responded, "Why not? I've never been there before."
Kelly had a huge grin on her face. "Cool."
So, they walked to the coffee shop together.
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"Is she finally gone?" Blair asked after a couple minutes.
"Yeah, she's gone," Natalie shouted through the door.
Blair stepped out and sighed, "Thank God!"
But Molly wasn't finished with her. "Thank God for what? You practically drove Jo and Kelly away, and quite possibly Kimberly too."
It totally surprised Blair when Molly said 'Kimberly.' "Kimberly? What makes you think she would want to drop out of the wedding?"
"Because of Kelly. From what I saw just a few minutes ago, there's an instant attraction between Kelly and Kimberly."
That thought made Blair a bit queasy and question Kim's taste of a potential partner.
"Eww, that girl never had any taste when it came to lovers – men or women."
"I could say the same for all the boyfriends you had before Jo," Molly derided.
Blair got really upset with that comment. "Look who's talking about bad taste in men. It's Ms. Feminazi herself."
Molly gritted through her teeth, "What did you just call me?"
"What are you . . . deaf? I called you a feminazi."
"Blair, that's completely unfair. Limbaugh used that term to demean women."
"Yeah, but maybe he had a point. You want to be with men you can control – men that you can brainwash to believe in what you believe in and do what you want."
"Like you, Blair," Molly shot back. "Why don't you look in a mirror and, instead of admiring yourself, take a good look at the person below the surface. Trust me, Blair, it's not pretty."
"Who are you to attack my looks?"
Everyone wanted to stop the verbal war between Molly and Blair, but no one got involved just yet. Meanwhile, the cameramen just continued to capture the spectacle on film.
"I'm not attacking your appearance, Blair," Molly continued, "but you should take a good, long look at yourself before accusing me of trying to make people do what they want."
"I do nothing of the sort."
"Um, hello? This whole last-minute wedding plan was your idea, not Jo's. You think you're in charge of this whole wedding, but it's not all about you. I know that's an alien concept to you, Blair, but you gotta get it through your airbrain, as Jo would say."
"Don't you call me names, you Raggedy Anne, she-Hitler, wannabe." Natalie, Tootie, and Sister Meg, had to literally hold Blair back from jumping on Molly, while Cindy and Sue Ann kept the redhead from charging the blonde. Nancy just looked on in shock.
"Don't you EVER put me in the same breath as Hitler. His regime went out of their way to silence feminists – going as far as to kill them. You should know better than that, Blair."
Blair's face began to fall in shame as Molly continued, "And what do you think they did with homosexuals, huh? He sure didn't invite them over to his house for brats, schnapps, and strudel. They represented the flaws in a perfect race. Case in point, Ernst Röhm."
Clearly, Blair was feeling bad about what she said.
"Face it, Blair, we're in the same boat here."
Blair shook her head in agreement as she reflected on the number of times she went to hear Gloria Steinem speak on the importance of limiting infighting. Division is what keeps groups from reaching their goals. Right now, it was important to stand united.
"I'm sorry, Molly. I never should have called you those names."
"Apologies accepted, but I can't be around here right now," said Molly as she wiped a tear from her face. "Because at the moment, Blair, you're giving off negative energy." With that, Molly left. Eventually, all of the bridesmaids followed Molly's lead and left Blair to think about what she said and evaluate her actions. Blair didn't say anything; she just moped as things seemed to be falling apart around her.
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As the bridesmaids got outside, it was still a sunny and warm mid-afternoon; it was perfect to offset the chaos that took place minutes ago.
Molly was obviously upset after getting into a shouting match with Blair. She understood that Blair was mad at Jo for choosing Kelly as a bridesmaid, considering their history, but Molly just didn't understand why Blair couldn't put their differences aside for this one occasion. Why was it such a big deal? Blair needed to realize that it was both their day and that Jo should have some input. Otherwise, their partnership was in jeopardy.
"Molly, hey, Molly, wait up," shouted Natalie.
"Dang, girl. You're goin' so fast that I should break out my old roller skates just to keep up with you," said Tootie.
"Sorry, I didn't realize I was walking so fast," apologized Molly.
"Fast? The way you were going, Mr. Bradley woulda had more luck putting you on the track team at Eastland. Right, honey," Cindy asked her partner.
Sue Ann huffed as she came up to Cindy's side, "Right."
"I just don't understand Blair. Doesn't she get that she's jeopardizing her and Jo's relationship before it even officially starts," asked Molly still upset.
Sister Meg came up beside her and gently laid a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "If there's one thing you need to know about Blair is that she's persistent and will keep at something until she gets her way."
"But Meg, with all due respect, she can't make people do what she wants," replied Molly.
Ignoring the fact that Molly didn't properly address her as Sister Meg, she responded, "Blair has had a very privileged life, Molly, with people who cater to her every need. I don't agree with it, but I've come to accept it. I think, to a certain extent, Jo has learned to live with it as well, but Jo is also a very independent person who holds her pride very high. I think that this incident was just the breaking point of something that has been boiling for quite some time."
"But, she's going to ruin everything," Molly said through sadness.
The other girls were stunned because Molly typically didn't wear her emotions on her sleeve and they couldn't recall seeing her so close to tears. Sister Meg sensed the tension and stepped in.
"How about we all go discuss things over a cup of coffee or something?"
"Sounds good to me," said Tootie.
"We're down," said Cindy as Sue Ann just nodded in agreement.
"I'll go back and help Nancy round up her kids and we'll meet you there," said Natalie. As Natalie started to walk off, she suddenly turned and asked, "Umm, where are we going to meet you?"
"Meet us at the Europa Café," Cindy responded.
"Okay," answered Natalie.
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Nancy was outside of the chapel trying to corral her ten kids. She wanted to make sure that Molly was okay, while giving Blair time to herself, but trying to control all of her kids was difficult. What was worse, was that the cameramen were just taping the spectacle instead of offering any help.
"Hey, Nance, you need a hand," asked Natalie as she approached the Butler brood.
"Nat, I think I need a few hands," Nancy laughed.
"Well, the other girls want to meet at Europa Café for a cup of coffee."
"I'd love to go, but I promised to take the kids to Baskin Robbins. How's Molly?"
"She's fine."
"Mommy, mommy, let's go," pleaded one of the youngest children as she pulled on Nancy's hand.
Nancy shook her head and looked at Natalie. "I hate bribing them, but sometimes it's the only thing that works."
Natalie chuckled and said, "Maybe you should just say what Mrs. Garrett used to say – Quiet."
At that, the kids got silent for a second.
"See," said Natalie, "sometimes it still works."
Nancy just smiled as she started herding her children toward Baskin Robbins.
"Hey, Nance," called Natalie stopping Nancy in her tracks, "one of us will let you know what happened later."
"Thanks, Nat," said Nancy as she walked down the sidewalk.
Natalie started to head toward the café, but stopped as she saw Blair in a very heated discussion with a man she recognized as one of the crewmembers from Nancy's show. Blair had tears rolling down her face and she was pointing to the young man in front of her. Natalie, being ever in investigative reporting mode, opened the door a crack to listen to the confrontation.
"Don't you know who I am? I'm Blair Warner."
"Ma'am, I understand that, but we have creative license to do with the footage what we wish."
"Not at my expense. I did not agree to anything. I did not sign anything allowing you to exploit my personal business. If you show that tape, I will have you so bogged down in court that you will never find another gig anywhere."
"Miss . . ."
"It will be career suicide," yelled Blair as she stormed off.
The man looked conflicted as he started to gather his things to follow the cameramen and Nancy.
Natalie knew that Blair wasn't kidding. She would do everything in her power to stop the fight between her and Molly from being televised. However, that didn't mean that she wouldn't need a little help. The ever vigilante reporter reached into her bag and pulled out her iPad 2. She knows that you never know when a good story would come along, so Natalie was always prepared. She typed in the name that was on the man's name tag so she could contact him later, then headed off toward Europa Café.
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Once Natalie got to the meeting place, it didn't take long to spot her crew. Although the place was roomy, their group was unique and stood out to the investigative reporter. As she approached her group, something caught her attention. At one of the tables by the window sat Kimberly and Kelly. Normally this wouldn't garner a second glance, but something about the sight struck Natalie as odd. Both girls had their hands on the table, but Kelly's were resting on top of Kimberly's hands. Kimberly was giggling and tilting her head to the side in a coy manner while Kelly talked. Then Natalie's eyes traveled downward. Under the table, Kelly was taking her feet and gently running them up and down Kimberly's legs from her calf to her ankle. The sight brought back images of Jo and Blair when they first started dating. There was no way that Natalie could keep this breaking development to herself.
As Natalie approached the group, she was about ready to burst.
"Hey, Nat," piped in Tootie, "where's Nancy?"
"Oh, she took her kids to Baskin Robbins, but you won't believe what's going on."
Tootie, ever the one for the latest gossip, asked, "What is it, Nat? Spill it, girl!"
"Oh, there is just so much stuff going on you wouldn't believe it."
"Well tell us," exclaimed Sue Ann.
Natalie finally sat down as she started. "Well, first Nancy's camera crew got the whole fight between Blair and Molly on tape . . ."
Molly looked down and away in shame.
Natalie continued, ". . . and Blair went completely ballistic on one of the guys. Talk about your Blair witch project."
"More like Blair bitch project," Molly muttered under her breath.
The girls ignored Molly's comment and looked on in amazement.
"But guess what? That's not even the best scoop of the day," said Natalie.
"Well, don't keep us waiting, Nat," said Cindy.
Natalie took a breath and continued, "I saw Kelly and Kimberly at a table – together."
"Well, that's no surprise," said Tootie a little disappointed. "They're both in the wedding party after all. If there'll be a wedding that is."
"Since they're here, we should invite them to come over and join us," said Sister Meg as she began to rise.
"Umm, I don't think that's such a good idea," countered Natalie.
"Why not, Nat," asked Sue Ann.
"Yeah, it seems to be extremely rude not to ask them to join us," added Cindy.
"You don't understand. They're here together. Not just as friends, if you know what I mean."
Molly chimed in and said, "Well, it would confirm what I saw earlier."
"Wait," interjected Tooties, "you're not saying . . ."
"Yes, Tootie, I am. I think those two have the hots for each other. Sorry, for being so crude, Sister Meg," finished Natalie as she looked at the nun.
"It's quite alright, Natalie. I may be a nun, but I'm also human."
"Oooooo, this is just like one of Blair's old romance novels," piped in Tootie not wanting to change the subject just yet.
"Wait a minute, Natalie" started Sue Ann, "how do you know they're here – together. They could just be getting acquainted since they're both friends of the brides."
"Oh, they're getting acquainted alright," quipped the reporter. "Do you remember how you used to steal glances at Cindy when you thought no one was looking?"
Sue Ann blushed.
"Molly here was all over your body language and got me to watching you guys. You guys were the perfect pair with whom to sharpen my journalistic skills and practice my powers of observation on. Trust me, you guys were bound to get together."
"So. What does our body language have to do with those two," asked Cindy.
"Duh. Isn't it obvious? That same silent chemistry existed between Jo and Blair too. Of course, they were more vocal about it."
The girls were just looking at her in disbelief.
"I may be wrong, but everything points to there being an instant attraction between Kelly and Kimberly. Molly, you're the expert on body language and non-verbal cues. Why don't you take a peek and see what you think."
Molly got up and followed Natalie to where they could see Kimberly and Kelly, but they couldn't see them.
"See, look at that," Natalie whispered as she indicted how Kimberly was giggling and exposing her neck and how Kelly was stroking Kimberly's knuckles. "Tell me that doesn't look like they have something going on between them."
"Well," stated Molly, "it sure looks like there's potential there for sure. The look they gave in the church was for real."
After their quick analysis and confirmation, they headed back to their table.
"Well," asked Tootie.
As they sat down, Molly claimed, "Nat's right. It sure looks like those two have something going on."
"Ooooo. Well, at least something good came out of this day," chimed in Tootie.
"Yes, but what about Blair," asked Natalie.
"Knowing Blair, she's probably thinking right now that Jo will come back tomorrow or something like that, so I don't think she's worried about that. However, I know that she's very worried about the entire rehearsal being recorded and the potential airing of it. I think she will be focused on making sure the video doesn't get out," Molly noted. The rest of the table nodded.
"And she's probably gonna go shopping as soon as she can. It's like therapy for her," Sue Ann added.
Tootie then spoke up. "Excuse me; I gotta go to the bathroom."
She got up and left the table; however, she wasn't heading in the direction of the bathroom.
Although it was obvious where Tootie was heading, Molly looked at Natalie and said, "She's not going to the bathroom."
Natalie shook her head in agreement with Molly.
"This is Tootie, we're talking about here. Where else would you expect her to go when there's potential for a good piece of gossip," Cindy reminded them.
"Yeah, but I just hope she doesn't blow her cover, or ours for that matter," Molly said with concern.
"Don't worry, Molly. Tootie's an expert in covert operations. She can teach the CIA a thing or two," Natalie assured her.
The rest of the table laughed.
Tootie came back about three minutes later, which would have been enough time to make it look like she went to the bathroom.
"Ooooooh, you shoulda seen what I saw when I came outta the bathroom."
"Tootie, don't even try to kid us," started Cindy.
"Yeah, we know you weren't in the bathroom because the bathroom's that way," said Sue Ann pointing.
The girls started laughing again.
"Fine, but listen," said Tootie anxious to tell her news, "Kelly and Kimberly were holding hands. They were going to kiss!"
Tootie exaggerated the truth as usual, but the rest of the girls squealed anyway. Molly just shook her head because she knew that Tootie was blowing it out of proportion. She could tell by the look on the gossip's face and the way she was talking animatedly with her hands. Everything was screaming, "This is an inflation of the truth." However, with the way the day had gone, the girls needed to have some fun and Molly didn't want to be a spoilsport. The girls continued to squeal . . . loudly. Everyone in the café could hear the commotion, including Kelly and Kimberly.
"Did ya hear dat?" Kelly asked Kim.
"Yeah. It must be a bunch of excited school girls," Kimberly shrugged.
"Lemme go check it out."
As soon as Kelly got up, Kim grabbed her right hand and pulled her back down.
"No need. You could spend your time on better things," said Kim, who winked and continued flirting with Kelly.
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When Jo got back to their house, she immediately packed her clothes, and all of her necessities, which included her toothbrush, hairbrush, feminine products, and a few magazines that catered to her tastes, such as Popular Mechanics, Motorcyclist, American Cop, and also Maxim... Hey, she likes girls! Then, with her backpack on her back, she went to her garage and hopped onto her motorcycle. She left her home without even leaving a single note.
She drove in the direction of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, thinking that would be the last place Blair would ever find her. As she drove on her cycle, tears of frustration, anger, and sadness flowed from her eyes. She was totally frustrated and angry that the woman she loved would do this to her, over and over again. She was getting tired of it, and she wanted it to come to an end. If she wasn't so much in love with Blair, she would have broken up with her long ago, but her heart wouldn't let her. She knew that no one else in this world would love her the way Blair did.
As she finally crossed the Pennsylvania border, she was thinking of finding a place in Easton. However, when she thought about it, she concluded that Blair might look for her in that city, remembering that they stayed there in the past when they were at the Poconos. So, Jo decided to head north, past Monroe County, past Pike Country, as far as she could go without having to make a gas stop. She got as far as the township of Hawley, PA, which was located in Wayne County. She rode up to two and a half hours. By the time she got where she was going, the LED screen on her 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14 indicated that it was near empty. She figured that it was the perfect time to look for a room. There was a Motel 6 nearby. She checked it out, but it wasn't up to her standards so she left. Her finickiness made her realize how much Blair had spoiled her when it came to hotel accommodations. If this was over thirty years ago, she would have been fine at the Motel 6, but now that she had gotten used to five-star hotels, she couldn't be bothered. She eventually settled on staying at The Settlers Inn. It wasn't like the Waldorf-Astoria, but it sure beat Motel 6.
When she finally got her room, she got her laptop setup. The inn provided free Wi-Fi, so she didn't have to worry about Internet usage minutes and whatnot. Based on her skills in detective work, she knew how to make a mostly-anonymous SMS and phone call. Using Tor, she went to an anonymous SMS text-sending website, and sent a text to a particular number…
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Back at Natalie's classic six apartment in the vibrant Morning Side Heights, Natalie was watching Disney's The Princess and the Frog with her two children and her husband, Robert, when she suddenly got a buzz on her iPhone 4, which meant she was getting a text. She looked at it and saw "111980." She immediately knew who it was.
"Something wrong, honey?" Robert asked.
"Yeah, it looks like a very important text. I gotta take care of it right now. Take care of Bobby and Sally for me."
"Sure thing."
She went to her workroom and picked up her Android phone from her desk. She waited until the Redphone appeared on her phone, showing that someone was trying to call her. Redphone is an encrypted voicecall app, which makes it very hard to trace. She picked up and answered in a low voice.
"Jo, is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me," Jo responded in an equally low voice. They had this setup so Jo could relay some important info from her job to Natalie.
"Where are you?" Natalie asked, though she knew that Jo wouldn't directly tell her.
"Somewhere not in New York City. That's as much as I can tell you."
"I see. Well, the rehearsal ended about twenty minutes after you left. Blair and Molly got into a shouting match over Kelly's role in the wedding."
Jo sighed on the other end. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Because it's Blair we're dealing with here, and Molly is just as volatile as Blair."
Jo shook her head on the other end. "Listen, I'm gonna be gone for a few days. I need to get away from all this, and especially from Blair."
There was some trepidation in Natalie's voice when she asked, "Does this mean you and Blair are going to..."
"No! Not at all. Blair will always be my other half, but she needs to learn a lesson here. I will only talk to her when she finally gets her head outta her ass and she finally agrees to have a serious talk with me. You understand?"
"Totally," Natalie confirmed.
"Now, don't tell Blair or anyone else that you have heard from me. This is only between us."
"Not even Kelly?"
"Not even Kelly. I want Blair to eat some humble pie before I tell her where I am."
"I got you."
"Good. Use Redphone to communicate with me, but don't call me no earlier than two days from now, unless it's a serious emergency, and I mean A SERIOUS EMERGENCY. Got that?"
"Got it."
"Good, now take care," Jo said as she ended the phone call.
Natalie closed her eyes and sighed. "This is not going to be easy on Blair."
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Meanwhile, Sue Ann and Cindy were having dinner with their children, enjoying the Chicken Tikka Masala with Aloo Paneer that Sue Ann had made earlier. Their Queen Anne home was in the vibrant and highly-prestige area of Park Slope, Brooklyn. The couple had four children – two adopted and two biological, with Cindy and Sue Ann giving birth to one each. While they ate, Cindy and Sue Ann told their children what happened at the church.
"So what's going to happen between Blair and Jo?" Emily asked. Fifteen-year-old Emily is the biological daughter of Cindy and Sue Ann's oldest brother, via artificial insemination.
Sue Ann rolled her eyes at first, then she told her daughter, "Blair had one of her moments when she found out that Kelly was going to be one of Jo's bridesmaids. She totally flipped out. The sad part about it was that it all got recorded."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Max asked in a very sarcastic tone. Max is Sue Ann and Jeff's – one of Cindy's friends from her modeling days.
"Because 'Drama' happens to be Blair's middle name," Cindy replied.
Sue Ann gave her that look and said, "Oh, you shouldn't be speaking about drama."
Cindy asked in puzzlement, "What are you talking about?"
"You're just as much of a drama queen as Blair."
"No way!" Cindy protested while folding her arms.
"Yes way!"
They went back and forth, jibbing each other, as the children laughed until they decided to stop.
Opposite Sue Ann at the dinner table was a seven-year-old Japanese-American kid named Yuji. He is Cindy and Sue Ann's adopted son.
"Mother Sue Ann, when will Melina coming back?"
"She will be coming back on Friday, baby. I know you miss her."
Melina is their Filipino housekeeper. She was on vacation to visit her family back home.
"I hope she brings some dolls back, like she did last year," Anna replied. Anna is the couple's adopted daughter from Colombia.
"I'm sure she will, honey. She knows how much you like those dolls," Cindy told her with a sweet smile. Anna smiled back.
"Now, back to the rehearsal. Is it bad enough that Blair and Jo will probably break up?" Max asked.
Sue Ann shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, dear. I hope it doesn't lead to a breakup."
"Blair has had it coming for a long time," Cindy muttered, though it was loud enough for Sue Ann to hear.
"Oh come on, sweetie. Don't say that!" said Sue Ann.
"Sue Ann, Blair has been pushing Jo around for too long with her whimsical decisions and her flaky attitude. I think she needs to be more respectful with Jo's time, and just about everybody else's for that matter. She needs to be taught a lesson," said Cindy rather irritably.
As Sue Ann was about to respond, Emily got a call.
"Hello? …Hey, there sweetie, how are you doing?" she flirted.
Sue Ann asked, "Is that Rebecca?"
Emily nodded and returned to the conversation. "So did your mom say it was okay? Great! I'll tell my moms after I get off the phone."
"Tell us about what?" Cindy asked. Everyone was now looking at Emily.
"Becca, sweetie, I'll call you back later? Okay, bye!" She got off her cell and explained the conversation to Cindy.
"The group PINS will be having a concert on Saturday and her mother okay'd it. So I was wondering if you would let me and Becca go see PINS? It's their first time here in NYC!"
"Only if one of us go with you," said Cindy.
"I knew that you would say that, so I was hoping that you would come with us."
Cindy was usually the one Emily and Max asked for stuff like this, since she was considered the "hipper" of the two moms.
"Sure. I don't mind listening to some music. I assume that it's a rock band?"
"Yeah. They're an all-girl rock band from Manchester. Their sound is kinda like Joy Division, a bit New-Wavish."
Cindy's eyebrows rose when she heard that. "Oh really? How do you know about Joy Division? That was my time, when I was your age." If the truth be told, she only knew about the band through Molly, who listened to them back then.
"Oh, I saw the movie Control. It was great," Emily elated.
"Really? Molly told me about that movie, but I never got around to seeing it," Cindy informed her daughter.
Sue Ann changed the subject and said, "I'm rather jealous of you and Becca?"
Emily paused for a moment before she spoke. "Why?"
"Because you two can go anywhere without any fear. Cindy and I couldn't do that back in the day."
"Oh, mother Sue Ann. That's true, but you can do it now, so there's no need to look back."
"Yeah, but I still remember when we went to see Duran Duran back in '84. We couldn't even hold hands for fear that someone might see us or a security guard would kick us out," Sue Ann said with a touch of sadness. She felt that part of her childhood was ruined because of homosexual intolerance.
"Like Emily said, there's no need to look back. We're actually lucky to even be in this position. Do you know how many gay and lesbian couples from the past wish they had the option to marry?" Cindy reminded her. The last thing she wanted was for her lover to dwell on something from the past that they couldn't control.
Sue Ann thought about it for a minute and smiled. "Yeah, you're absolutely right," she said.
Max then asked, "Mother Sue Ann, did you say that the rehearsal was recorded?"
"Yeah, there were cameramen there for Nancy's show. Blair got upset with them because they were more focused on Nancy than on her."
Emily giggled while Max just shook his head in disapproval. "It will be something when they show it on TV."
"I highly doubt it, knowing Blair," said Cindy.
"Why? Likely once it's recorded, it will be up on YouTube or somewhere else," Max added.
"No, not likely. Knowing Blair and her law background, she will do everything in her power to stop the footage from being released. She will use every tactic she knows to stop it from airing, either through bribery or through some legal action," Cindy responded.
"To be honest with you guys, I hope it doesn't get out. It was very embarrassing." Then she looked at Emily. "Emily, I hope that if you and Becca get married, your rehearsal doesn't end up like Blair's!"
Emily and the rest of the family laughed as they continued eating their dinner.