I've found I am not happy with posting only one chapter a week. I hadn't intended for there to be such long pauses between chapters when I wrote it, so for this week, and this week only, I am posting more than one chapter.

A few days after the sock hop, a meeting was convened at Mona's apartment. The attendees included: Samantha, Jonathan, Mrs. Rossini by phone proxy and of course, Mona herself. The single item on the agenda: Tony, Angela and Their So-Called Relationship. The group had been dubbed the "Enough is Enough Club" in deference to their views on the situation. Mona called the meeting to order, "All right, everyone, we all know the problem; it's gone from cute to probable to non-existent to 'get on with it already, will ya?'. The point is, how do we get them to get on with it? The floor is open to any and all suggestions."

Various assents were heard throughout the group, but a few minutes of silence reigned as, even though every one of them had long considered their options in pushing Tony and Angela together, as of yet, no one had been able to construct a viable plan.

Jonathan looked bewildered, "we've tried setting them up, leaving them alone, disappearing from the house, what else can we do?"

"There has to be something," Sam threw in, she wasn't quite ready to give up on them yet, she didn't want her dad to be alone. "What if we…," Mona and Jonathan looked at her in great anticipation, "...told them to meet us somewhere only we don't show up? Someplace out of town…romantic…I don't know." Samantha gave up in exasperation, she was at her wit's end with the two recalcitrant lovebirds.

"Why would we be meeting them out of town in the first place?" Jonathan asked.

Sam shrugged, "who knows?" which effectively ended that idea. "What if I tell Dad to meet me someplace for dinner, someplace quiet, and Jonathan tells Angela to meet him at the same place, but we don't show up, leaving them alone with each other."

"It's been done," Jonathan reminded her.

"Hmm, true; but perhaps the timing is better now. Your Valentine's Day plan was good, Jonathan," his grandmother told him, "and five years of continued unresolved flirtation may make them a little more willing to face the truth.

Sam chuckled in remembrance, "yeah, they were so cute, trying to pretend they hadn't been out together."

To this day Mona rued the fact that everyone's favorite non-couple let that moment slip away, "All that work you did, Jonathan, all for naught. This place would have been much more fun if they had just faced the truth," she pouted.

"In all fairness, Mona, it may have been too soon," Sam admitted.

"I don't think so," Mona disagreed.

"Grandma, if it were up to you, you would have had them together on the day Tony moved in."

Mona couldn't argue with that, she just added, "your mother would have been much happier."

Both Samantha and Jonathan shook their heads at Mona. Then Sam laughed outright, "I still can't believe you told them they should have sex, Jonathan."

He grinned, "an eight year old can get away with a lot, and I still can't believe you hid on the stairs and listened to the rest of that conversation."

"Did you think I was going to miss out on one bit of that? I knew Mona would expect a full report. I was surprised that Dad didn't check to see that I actually went to bed."

"And your report didn't disappoint, Sam. The only disappointment was those two and their stubbornness."

Even though Sam had filled her in on the events of that Valentine's Day years ago, Mrs. Rossini started to feel left out of the conversation, she piped in, "hello, remember me?" Here; in Brooklyn?" Mona rolled her eyes. Mrs. Rossini took their silence as a cue to continue, "if we are going for nostalgia, how about the carnival?"

"The carnival?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, the one everyone came to just after Tony and Sam moved to Connecticut."

"Oh, that's good, Mrs. Rossini! It would be easy for us to lose them there," Sam effused.

As much as she hated to admit it, and she never would publicly acknowledge it; Mona liked the idea. Instead she said, "we'll consider it with our other ideas."

"What other ideas, Grandma? Short of throwing them a surprise wedding what other option do we have?"

"A surprise wedding, there's a thought with some merit," Mona said.

"How would we do that?" Jonathan asked.

"I'm not sure," Mona answered, but her eyes were focused far away and there was a devious glint in them. Sam thought that if her Dad and Angela could see that look they'd elope so quickly that Mona wouldn't know what hit her.

"Grandma, unless you are going to call a florist and a minister immediately, could we please get back to the carnival?"

Mona retreated from her reverie at her grandson's request, but instead of dropping the surprise wedding idea, she mentally filed it away for future reference. The quartet decided to pursue the carnival idea, Sam would be in charge of coaxing her Dad, and of course Tony would have no problem with convincing Angela when the time came. Their plan of action set, the Club ended their meeting, hoping that no future meetings would be required.

Shocking as this would be to the membership of the "Enough is Enough Club", both Tony and Angela had been trying to resolve the same situation in their own minds. Of course, it did not occur to either one of them to consult the other; that would have made far too much sense. No, their methods consisted of lonely thoughts and lonely walks and far more introspection than was necessary.

Once again Angela had wandered to the playground and was idly twirling on a swing, this was quickly becoming the one spot she could disappear to and no one would find her, for that reason alone she loved it. Here she could lose herself in her thoughts without interruption. Today's thoughts, of course, once again focused on Tony and the state of their relationship.

Summer would be disappearing soon and with it her chance of capturing Tony's attention. Soon he would be back in school and the whirlwind of activities inherent to his senior year would greatly infringe on their time together. There was an insistent thought at the back of Angela's mind that she batted away every time it tried to bring itself to the forefront of her mind: What would Tony do after he graduated? They'd never discussed it. Would he stay in his current job until Jonathan graduated from high school? Although Angela was sure Jonathan would appreciate that, she was sure Jonathan would understand Tony moving to another place of employment.

Moving.

Tony moving.

For reasons she didn't have to look too far to understand, Angela had come to see Tony as a permanent resident of the house. The thought that he could take another job and move out shocked and scared her more than she cared to admit. How would she ever get along without him? She'd always thought that they were just waiting until he graduated to be together; but what if he didn't see their relationship that way? Angela stopped swinging at a further realization: what if he had never seen their relationship that way? He was the one who nixed moving forward in Jamaica, leaving both of them in a very unsettled state. Angela thoughts were jumbled, she'd never really considered that there would be a day when Tony would leave, and now she was stunned by the thought that she could be confronted by this situation in less than a year.

What could she do? Everything was up in the air between them and if she left their relationship undefined until after he graduated she could very well find herself alone. It was a very sobering thought. They'd played their little games, but her heart had had enough and was demanding she resolve the situation before it was too late. Why were they waiting anyway? Wasn't dating part of the college experience? Angela winced at that thought.

How much longer could she go on in a relationship where she risked losing him? Again. No, she had to do something, say something that would make her feelings for him clear. But how? Nothing so far had worked. Angela dug her feet into the ground to give herself a good push off, idea after idea flitted through her mind as she lost herself in the sway of the swing.

Maybe she should take him out to dinner? She threw that idea out almost immediately; it would elicit too much neighborhood gossip and if she couldn't get an acknowledgment out of him in private, she certainly wasn't going to hear the words, 'I love you' from him in public.

Throwing her arms around him and kissing him passionately? She scoffed at the thought, and silently berated herself, "Yes, Angela, just throw yourself at him, I am sure that would work just fine."

She moved on to the next idea, there was always the ploy of getting drunk. That could work, their inhibitions would be lowered and…she dismissed that idea too, it was cowardly. It may have worked for them once, but they had come a long way since then and neither had set out that night with an intention of winding up in the other's arms.

How about inviting him to stay at the agency's suite in Manhattan after the upcoming Adweek banquet? But how to make that experience end differently? They'd stayed in numerous hotels together and managed to the same Grand Canyonesque chasm they shared at home.

Angela was literally going nowhere. The sun was setting and the perfect plan still had not presented itself to her. This afternoon had been like a very frustrating day at work; one of those days where the team threw out idea after idea because nothing was working. Knowing the best option on a day like this was took take a step back and focus on another project for a while, this was what she did. She concluded that Tony must be planning something for their anniversary, even if he hadn't shared it with her yet, and hopefully she could turn whatever he was planning into a means to her own ends. Then she turned her thoughts toward finding the proper anniversary present.

It had to be just right, something powerful; something intimate, but not too intimate. Something…masculine, but tender. Something he needed, something that would remind him of her. Something that reminded him of her love every time he looked at it. Time. Perhaps a watch would be appropriate? Angela stopped and mulled over the idea. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. A watch would be something practical but romantic at the same time. It would also be a nice link with the watch his father had given him; one person to whom he was precious had given him a watch and now another person to whom he was precious would give him another watch. Her decision made, Angela decided to start shopping, she'd think about what to inscribe on the back of the watch some other time, she didn't know when, just some other time.

Tony was at a loss; to all outward appearances he was fixing dinner, and he was, but the real work was happening inward. He had been trying to think of the perfect way to celebrate their upcoming anniversary, but not having much luck. It was difficult to plan a non-romantic romantic evening. He'd considered a private dinner for the two of them, that kiss in Washington encouraged him to the point where he thought that such an evening would be welcomed, but he was reluctant to pull out all the stops just in case he had misinterpreted her. It was the same dilemma that had been running through his head all summer: was Angela ready to move their relationship forward or not? And if she was ready, was he? Even as the anniversary grew closer, he still didn't have the answers.

The more he thought about it, the more he shied away from the idea of an anniversary celebration for two. Leaving out the rest of the family on their anniversary was not how he wanted to celebrate, they'd always tried to make this day a family event, and for the most part, they'd succeeded; changing the style of celebration this year could be awkward. What he had to do was find an activity that could have romantic possibilities, yet include the whole family at the same time. It was a problem he had yet to resolve.

Although he didn't know it, the answer to his predicament was about to be presented to him. The phone rang, Tony was so lost in thought that the noise startled him. He hurried to the wall to pick up the phone.

"Hi Dad!" Sam said brightly, even perhaps a little too brightly, but Tony didn't notice, he was glad to hear from Sam, it distracted him from trying to resolve The Angela Situation.

"Hey, Sam; how's it going?"

"Oh fine, fine; how's everything with you?"

"Fine here," he answered, even if it wasn't exactly true.

Sam was encouraged by the uncertainty she heard in her father's voice, "so...the anniversary is coming up and I haven't heard the plans yet; what's going on?"

Yes, she was playing this for all it was worth; with Jonathan standing next to her listening to the whole conversation.

Tony wasn't thrilled with this subject, he was hoping to avoid any topic that even had the slightest connection to Angela. Then he realized that conversations with Sam invariably circled around to Angela at some point; he wondered why he'd never noticed that before.

"Haven't talked with Angela about it yet." A candidate for The Understatement of the Year Award.

Sam and Jonathan exchanged a look; a silent agreement about the state of their parents' relationship; no wonder it had been taking so long for them to get together when they couldn't even discuss anniversary plans. Obviously, their decision to give a little push had been the correct one. Sam prodded, "I'm shocked, Dad; for two uber-planners as yourselves; I'd have thought you'd had this worked out weeks ago."

"Uber-planners?" Jonathan mouthed to Sam; she gave him a 'work with me here' look in return.

"Yeah, well, our powers of organization seem to be out to lunch. I can't come up with a plan I like. We've done a family dinner so many times...I want to do something else this year."

"It is the most hallowed night on the calendar, it certainly deserves your full attention."

"Don't be sarcastic, Sam. I know you and Jonathan...," both Sam and Jonathan froze for a moment, wondering if Tony had somehow figured out he was listening, "...and Mona all think Angela and I go overboard; but it is an important date in all of our lives and should be celebrated as such."

Relieved that her father hadn't realized Jonathan was listening, Sam answered contritely, "yes, Dad; I'm sorry. I'm just surprised, that's all. What other ideas have you come up with?"

"That's just it Sam, none." He left the answer at that, he didn't want to get into a discussion about the current state of his relationship with Angela. How could he? He didn't even know the current state of his relationship with Angela.

Sam sighed, "hmm, movie night?"

"We have movie nights all the time, I want something...more."

"You have dinner all the time too, what's the difference?"

"Plenty."

"Ok, how about a trip?"

"A trip?"

"Family weekend in Vermont or something." Why Sam threw this idea out there she wasn't even sure, all she could do was hope her Dad didn't go for it.

"I don't know how we could all coordinate schedules on that."

"Good point," Sam answered, greatly relieved, "Dad, think; what are some of the best times you and Angela have had together?"

Tony shrugged, "I don't know, Sam; there's a lot."

"There must be something. What's the best memory you have about Angela?"

"Nothing I'm sharing with you."

Sam was taken aback, she hadn't expected an answer like that at all; and all it did was intrigue her. She and Jonathan looked at each other; both surprised.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the train trip to Washington, would it?" Sam was playing with fire here and she knew it, but she really wanted any crumb of a detail she could get out of her father.

"No, Sam; although I will say I thought your comment about us was unfair."

"Why? Nothing has happened; and I don't know what you two are waiting for anymore."

"Sam, my relationship with Angela is not up for discussion."

"Is it up for discussion between the two of you?"

"That was out of line, Sam."

"Dad, I just want you two to be happy."

"That's all I want too."

"Then why aren't you together?"

"Sam, I said this wasn't a topic for discussion."

"Fine. So how about that anniversary? I'll refrain from pointing out to you that for two people doing their best to ignore anything between them that celebrating an anniversary might not be the best way to stay apart."

"Thank you for refraining."

"You're welcome." Sam wasn't sure where this conversation had gone wrong; all she had to do was suggest a trip to the carnival and now her father was coming close to losing his temper. She decided to change tactics; she gasped, pretending as if this thought was hitting her for the first time, but didn't oversell it, "Dad, I know what we could do, remember all those years ago, just after we moved in, we all went to the carnival? We could go there again."

Of course he remembered, they were all still trying to get to know each other, no one really sure if their unusual situation would work. When Tony suggested they go to the carnival it seemed like a good group activity, it was a place where everyone could relax and have fun. Plus, it alleviated some of Sam's homesickness for Brooklyn. The carnival had worked its charms on all of them and even if it wasn't a perfect evening, they'd started forming the basis of the family they'd become. What better way to mark another year together than by revisiting a place that had been so important to them in the beginning? He liked Sam's idea and smiled,"yeah, that was fun; well, except for Angela throwing up on me."

Sam chuckled, "yeah, I doubt it was the highlight of the night for her too. So, what do you think? I'd even put up with spending time with Jonathan for some cotton candy." She and Jonathan smirked at each other over the phone receiver as only a brother and sister could.

"The carnival...," Tony considered, "that's not a bad idea, Sam."

"As long as we keep Angela away from the Tilt-O-Whirl," Sam added.

Tony laughed and Sam relaxed; if he could laugh the crisis was past. Although she was still tantalized by the memory her father wouldn't share with her, she was astute enough to know she wasn't going to pry an answer out of him no matter how hard she tried. She settled for letting it go; for now, hopefully someday very soon both her Dad and Angela would be more willing to talk about their past with the rest of the family. If not, she could work on Angela alone, she was sure she could get Angela to talk; and maybe from her memories she could discern what her own father wouldn't tell her.

"The more I think about this, the more I like it, Sam."

Jonathan and Samantha exchanged smug looks.

Tony continued, "it's a good family activity, with a nod to tradition. I'll bring it up with Angela later." He didn't add his thought that it would also be a good place for losing the rest of the family and spending time alone with Angela; hopefully on top of the Ferris Wheel. He reconsidered, "no, wait, I'll tell Jonathan and Mrs. Rossini; but not Angela and Mona, it will be a nice surprise for them. I'll just tell them I've made plans, but I won't be specific, that'll work."

Sam made a mental note to later tell Jonathan the comment currently running through her head, it was something to the effect of; "Mona won't be surprised, but I am sure she has feigned surprise often enough to pull it off once more." Knowing this conversation was over, she could hear it from her father's suddenly distant tone of voice, Sam called her father's attention back to her long enough to say goodbye. After hanging up the phone, Sam and Jonathan high-fived; pleased that this phase of their operation had worked so well, but both still wondering about the details Tony wouldn't share.

Tony thoughts on the anniversary were coming into focus. The venue was set, now all he had to do was buy a gift, but that would be simple in comparison to the dilemma he'd just solved. The day had definitely taken an upturn from Sam's phone call.