"This is it?" Nic looked up at the huge building.
"This is it." Marcy opened the door & led the way inside. "We can put our stuff up in my house then we can come down. Mr. Fieri will be here soon."
"This staircase is huge!" Puck couldn't see walking up them every day.
"There's a lift right here." Marcy wondered why he went straight to the stairs.
He blew out a breath. "Thank everything!"
Mercedes giggled. "Q, your boyfriend hates stairs."
"He's not alone. I'm glad we're living on the lower level." Quinn walked to the elevator.
"We should go up six at a time like how we came here." Marcy suggested. "Six go."
Six people got on the elevator & rode it up. Then the process was repeated until everyone was upstairs.
She unlocked her front door & opened it. The twins ran in & disappeared from sight. She went inside. "Go to the playroom!"
The others walked in slowly in awe.
"This place is amazing." Quinn walked slowly.
"& you want to live here?" Nadine looked around. "I don't blame you!"
"Let me show you to your rooms." Marcy waved them to follow her. She led them upstairs & to the rooms. "This room is for Ms. Nadine & her kids. This room is for the Changs'. This room is for the Fabrays'. & this room is for you guys."
"Can we see the twins' room?" Judy asked.
"Sure." Marcy led the women to the twins' room. It had murals on the walls, plush carpeting & quite a few toys & books.
"It's so cute in here!" Maddie looked around. "It reminds me of my nursery."
"Where's your room?" Quinn asked.
"Right across the hall." Marcy said not unkindly.
"Why across the hall?" Mercedes was confused.
"So I wouldn't be one of those mothers that is always up & checking on them. I wanted them to have to space to themselves."
"You are determined to be a good mother." Jeanette hugged her.
"I don't have many sheets so you will each have just one or two. I hope none of you get cold."
"We'll make due." Jeanette wondered if she changed the subject on purpose.
"Okay, let's go downstairs."
M&MC
Mr. Fieri was a short, bald man with a pot belly & easy smile. "Hello! Welcome to the tour!"
The family was there with a couple others.
Mr. Fieri led them through the entryway & to the living room, giving stats. He led the way into the dining room & gave the rundown of that as well. They all walked into the kitchen & he showed them nice little touches like the double ovens, the island, the huge kitchen table that was built in to a booth, the windows & the brick pizza oven.
"I love this!" Mercedes pointed to the pizza oven. "I'm going to make pizza all the time!"
"You'll never get rid of us." Puck said.
"Never ever." Mike agreed.
"I love pizza." Quinn wanted this place so much.
Mr. Fieri showed them the half bathroom off the kitchen before showing them the freezer then the pantry. He led the way to the laundry room then the sunroom.
Mercedes pulled on her mother's hand. "Can't you see this space filled up with plants?!"
"Yes, I can. All this natural light is going to be amazing for them." Rose gestured to the full length windows & glass doors leading to the courtyard in the back.
Mr. Fieri led the group to the den, which had real brick just like the kitchen & sunroom. He led them through the three extra rooms that were nicely spaced & mentioned that they could be spare rooms. Lastly he showed them the only full bath on the lower level.
He led them up the winding staircase to the second level & pointed out a full bathroom & plenty of closets before going through four bedrooms. They were spacious & comfortable.
Then he took them into a bedroom that had a half bath. It was bigger than the rooms they'd seen so far & had a huge closet.
Quinn twirled as she surveyed the room. It was even painted a dark steel. "I want this room."
"Are you sure? We haven't even seen the masters yet." Mercedes questioned.
"I'm sure. This is the room for me. It's got everything I want."
"This closet is another room!" Nic ran to her mother.
"Ridiculous." Nadine whispered.
"Now to the master suite." Mr. Fieri led the way to the room with double doors. He threw them open & showed off the sitting room. There was two sets of French doors & a single door. He led the way to the single door first.
It was a closet that put the others to shame. It had two windows & plenty of space for shoes & accessories. It had stations for different accessories & even had a built in mirror & vanity. It had a revolving rack & plenty of drawers & cabinets inside of the closet.
"I cannot wait to go shopping." Mercedes breathed with wide eyes.
"Madre." Rose murmured.
"You're so getting this room." Quinn teased.
Mercedes pulled her to a set of French doors & threw them open. It was a spacious room that must be where the bed would go. She went to the big bay window then to the balcony overlooking the city & the horizon.
"This is the best spot." Quinn looked all around.
Mr. Fieri had led the group into the room. "Please follow me into the master bath."
"It cannot get better than this." Mercedes took one last look at the fading sunlight & let Quinn tug her to the bathroom. "I stand corrected."
The bathroom was huge with a his & hers double sink, a closet, a closet where the toilet was, a Jacuzzi style tub & a shower that had Italian marble.
"You can swim in the tub." Maddie pointed out.
"It's even better." Marcy said.
"So totally my room." Mercedes whispered.
Mr. Fieri led them from the rooms & closed the doors behind him as the large group went into the hallway. He led them downstairs, pointing out more closets, more details & more facts about the whole building.
"If you will follow me to the sunroom, I will show you the courtyard in the back." He led them to the sunroom. He unlocked the door & stepped outside. They went down the stepping stones all the way to the backyard.
"The tenant upstairs planted trees & produce in the back." Mr. Fieri told the large group. "There's space for a tiny patio set. There's plenty of sun & privacy."
"What about trash pickup?" Someone asked.
"Every Tuesday."
"How far away is the nearest grocery?" Someone else asked.
"It's right around the corner." He promised.
"Do we park on the street?" Another person asked.
"There's an underground garage. Let me take you to it." Mr. Fieri led the way back inside, locking the sunroom behind him.
He led the way outside the condo & to a previously overlooked door. He pushed it open & led the way down until they reached a dark space. There was nothing down there. "If we go this way, we'll see it opens up on the street."
He led the way outside & they could see what he meant.
"This place has everything but a pool!" Someone exclaimed.
"There's a community pool a few miles away & a gym with a pool a couple miles away." Mr. Fieri led the way back inside from the front door. "Everyone living here has a key to this door. Hopefully you keep it locked at night."
He turned so he'd be facing the huge group. "Any questions?"
There was a few… until Marcus asked if they could pay the full amount now.
"Yes, you can. I take cash, check & debit."
Marcus turned to Mercedes & Quinn. "Is it everything you want?"
"Yes!" Both exclaimed.
"Alright." He turned to Mr. Fieri. "We can pay now."
"Would anyone else like to buy?" He looked amongst the group.
"I will." Michael said.
No one else spoke. "We'll contact you later." Someone said. There were murmurings of agreement.
"You have my number. Have safe travels home." Mr. Fieri showed them out then closed the door. "I spoke with you on the phone, yes?"
"Yes, you did." Marcy said. "This is my family."
"You have a large family." He approved.
She shrugged. "This is Mercedes Catherine & this is Lucille."
Both waved. "Hello!"
He waved back. "I have the paperwork. Would you all like this residence or another?"
"Do they all look like this one?" Jeanette asked.
"Exactly alike." Mr. Fieri swore.
"We want the top one." Mike said.
Puck nodded.
"There's only one available because this young lady has the one on the left." Mr. Fieri told them.
"We know. We're okay being on the right." Mike said.
"We'd like the one we just saw." Mercedes told him.
"I have the paperwork. If you'll follow me to the kitchen." Mr. Fieri led them back inside.
"Hey, Mad? Nic? Want to go upstairs & watch TV?" Marcy asked.
"Sure." Maddie didn't care.
"Hey, guys. I'm going to take them upstairs. It's about time for the twins to go to bed." Marcy hooked a thumb behind herself.
"Okay." Nadine touched Nic's arm. "Be good."
"Mom!" Nic whined.
"We'll go with & help." Laura vowed.
"Who's we?" Marc asked Mal.
"I think that's us." He told him.
"Come on." Laura picked up a lagging Mickey.
Marc scooped up Mally. "Fine."
Laura, Marc, Marcy, Mal, Maddie & Nic went upstairs with the twins while the others went to the kitchen to fill out the paperwork.
M&MC
Mercedes sat on the window seat in the second biggest bedroom with Quinn. "I can't believe this is ours."
"Me either. I just hate that we're losing five thousand dollars every month to pay Pop back." Quinn leaned against the wall. "It's going to take us sixteen plus years to pay him back. I know. I had Marcy do the math."
"It's worth it. I can't wait for our stuff to come tomorrow. & we'd be able to pay him back way before sixteen years was up."
"I was being dramatic."
"I know. You usually are."
Quinn swatted her. "I gotta paint over in here some kinda way. It's close to being silver but not quite."
"I have to paint my room, too. I miss my mural. I need someone to paint my name on my wall."
"What about when you & Mikey get married?"
"When?!" She blushed.
"Yes, when! You're too cute to break up."
"I could always move upstairs."
"No, you're not." Quinn shifted so she could put her feet on the floor to get up.
"Okay, I might not." Mercedes did the same.
"Might?" Quinn gave her a look.
"Okay, I'm not!"
Quinn smiled at having won. "I'm not ready to go to bed. Want to explore the neighborhood?"
"We can't leave Marcy & Laura out. They'd never forgive us."
"Neither would Maddie."
"Who's going to stay with the twins?"
"Their father! Besides, there's a ton of adults upstairs." Quinn led the way downstairs & locked the door with their new keys.
They went upstairs to Marcy's condo & went looking for everyone. They searched the kitchen first. They found Nadine & Jeanette talking over tea, one of the few foodstuffs Marcy had.
"Hey? We were thinking of exploring the neighborhood. Will you guys watch the twins so Marcy will go?" Mercedes asked.
"Of course." Nadine said. "I love those kids like they were my own grandkids."
"They might as well be. You're part of the family now." Jeanette said.
"Thank you." Nadine smiled.
"Do you know where Marcy is?" Quinn asked.
"I think she's upstairs helping everyone set up for tonight."
"Thank you." They went upstairs & looked through the bedrooms until they found Marcy in the twins' room, packing more clothes for them.
"Why are you packing clothes?" Mercedes asked.
"So I don't have to worry about doing it later. These are the clothes I'm taking back to the States."
"That's smart. You never let moss grow under your feet." Quinn said.
Marcy raised a brow. "What do you want? You don't start giving out those backhanded compliments unless you want something."
"We want you to come out with us." Mercedes cut to the chase.
"No." Marcy shook her head.
"Why not?" Quinn pouted.
"I can't go out! I have kids!" She hissed as she pointed to the two children, asleep in their cribs.
"Ms. Nadine & Mrs. C agreed to watch them." Mercedes crossed her arms.
"If they wake up in the middle of the night & I'm not here, they may freak out."
"They won't wake up. That's what cell phones were invented for. It'd be good for them to depend on family." Quinn listed.
"Fine. I just don't want to go out."
"That is not true." Mercedes rolled her eyes. "This is purely about the kids."
"You're still a good mother if you don't have your eye on them 24/7. Relax." Quinn added.
Marcy pursed her lips. "Forgive me if I don't take your advice."
"Yeah. I get it. I gave away my chance to give motherly advice."
"I meant because I don't listen to you anyway."
"Oh."
Marcy raised a brow. "Anything you want to talk about?"
"Not unless it's over a glass of wine."
"Fine. I'll go out."
"Thanks!" Quinn brightened.
"Can I see your closet?" Mercedes asked.
"Why? That's so weird." Marcy closed the dresser she was at.
"I just want to see all that you have. You don't have any furniture so I want to see if your closet's full. Is that so weird?"
"Yes."
Mercedes set her hands on her hips. "Let me see your closet."
"You're straight up straight jacket worthy." Marcy zipped up the bag that held the clothes & set it in the rocking chair.
Mercedes pursed her lips. "Come on. We're going to your closet."
"I'm going to my closet anyway. I need to pack my clothes."
"Good. Come on." Mercedes took her hand & pulled her out of the room. Quinn followed behind chuckling.
They walked to the master bedroom & went to the closet.
Mercedes looked around. "This is sparse! You have no clothes!"
"Of course not! I told you, I was broke! I needed to spend my money on things we needed."
"I'm not knocking you!" Mercedes said quickly. "I'm just saying that we need to go shopping. As soon as possible."
"I don't want to go shopping."
"You never want to go shopping. Be a girl for once!"
"I wear skirts & makeup now. I am being a girl!"
"Be girlier! We're going shopping this whole month. This closet is going to get filled!"
Marcy rolled her eyes as she grabbed a duffle bag. She opened it & started pulling clothes out of drawers & putting them into the bag.
"What are you even packing?" Quinn wanted to know.
"A bunch of shorts & tanks."
"Won't you need more than that?"
"I'm going shopping, aren't I?"
Mercedes clapped. "I promise; I won't make it all boring & uncomfortable!"
"I need that in writing." Marcy closed the bag.
"Come on. We're going to ask Laura & Maddie to come with."
"Mad went to sleep."
"What?!" Mercedes & Quinn exclaimed.
"Yeah. She said she was tired so she checked out when I put the twins down."
"What about Nic? Is she awake?" Mercedes asked.
"Probably. Though Ms. Nadine made her go to bed."
Mercedes giggled. "I know she hated that!"
"She had a fit." Marcy acknowledged.
"Do you want to change?" Quinn asked.
"Are you?"
"No."
"Then I won't. I don't feel like finding other clothes." Marcy shooed them out.
"I feel like eating." Mercedes said as they went to the Fabrays' room. "What about you guys?"
"We had dinner on the plane. I could eat." Quinn opened the door.
"We can get fruit & coffee at the cafe down the street." Marcy said.
"You're going out?" Laura asked from where she was lying on her cot, texting.
"Want to come with?" Mercedes enticed. "We could make it a girls thing."
Laura sat up & swung her feet to the ground. "I don't want to stay here. The guys are so annoying & I want stimulating conversation."
"Def. can't get that with them." Marcy smirked.
Laura snatched up her purse. "Let's go."
M&MC
"You pushed our cots together?" Marcy asked as she finally toed her shoes off.
Mal lifted his head. "I thought you would want to be close."
She was too tired to change clothes or wash so she promised herself a shower in the morning as she crawled into her cot. "Why would you think that?"
"Because you do." He wrapped his arm around her.
She snuggled into him as much as being on two separate cots would allow & yawned. "I don't think so, Slick."
He leaned forward & kissed her lips gently. "When are you going to see that almost ex-boyfriend of yours?"
"Sunday. He's coming home & I texted for him to come over for an important talk." She was nearly asleep.
He kissed her again before closing his eyes. "Sweet dreams, my dream come true."
A gentle snore was her response.
M&MC
"I see the trucks!" Maddie yelled as she ran into the kitchen.
"It's early." Mercedes looked at her phone. It wasn't even nine o'clock yet.
"Guess we're not going out for breakfast." Marc slumped over his coffee.
Marcy didn't have much food in her home…
"You get the furniture off the trucks & we'll get breakfast." Rose decided.
"We'll get something handheld so you can eat it quickly & move." Judy agreed.
Mike stood up. "We might as well get started."
Marcy stood as well. "I'll go put the stickers on the doors."
The men left.
"Are we going to help?" Nic asked her mother.
"Yes, we are." Nadine said. "Where do you want us?"
"You could help direct the flow of traffic?" Marcy suggested. "You could stand by my office & have them bring the books & my desk in there."
"I can do that." Nic wanted to help anyway she could.
Mercedes looked at Maddie. "Do you want to do that for us? We chose a room for our office."
"Okay." Maddie sighed heavily. "If I can't do anything bigger."
"Honey, we can't lift big objects. It will destroy your body." Jeanette rubbed her shoulder. "Just direct the flow of traffic for your sisters."
"Let's go." Marcy drummed her hands on the island counter. "I want to get this over with."
"It's going to be a long day." Quinn acknowledged.
The women moved out of the kitchen, Mercedes, Maddie & Quinn going to their apartment & Marcy placing stickers on the doors.
Nadine decided to stay behind with Jeanette to direct the flow of traffic in the boys' apartment as the twins were confined to their playroom.
Rose & Judy walked around until they found a bakery. "What should we get?"
Rose frowned as she looked through the cases. "Everything is so sweet."
Judy looked at a particular case. "Why don't we just get croissants? They have fruit filled ones."
"Really? Those must be good."
Judy went up to the cashier & spoke in Italian. "We'd like two dozen of your fruit filled croissants please. A variety."
"Okay. We can do that." The woman smiled.
Rose found another pastry. "Can I get a cheese Danish please?"
"Sure."
"Why'd you want a cheese Danish?" Judy asked.
"It's not for me. It's for Marcy." Rose said.
"Are we going to talk about that?"
"I really don't want to."
"But you sent her away. Your own child."
"& you let your husband kick yours out."
Judy blinked. "I was wrong. I've made it up to Quinnie. I'm still making it up to Quinnie."
"& I'm going to make it up to Marcy."
"They're not the same. Quinn is like me. We'd rather not rock the boat. Marcy is strong. She doesn't need you-"
"Of course she does!" Rose frowned. "I'm her mother. She's always going to need me."
"She's done amazing on her own."
"She gets it from me."
"I think she gets it from Po."
Rose cracked a smile. "He is pretty self-reliant."
"Pretty? If I didn't know it was impossible, I'd swear he gave birth to himself!"
"She is like him."
"I don't want to fight. I just don't think it's going to be easy to come back from."
"She is making it hard."
"Po." Both giggled.
"Oh, I don't know what I'm going to do. Marc & Mercy don't know how to treat me or the situation & Marcus is being a stonewall."
"It will take him a long time to forgive you. I still haven't forgiven Russell."
"I don't want a divorce though. I can take him being mad at me, as long as we don't divorce."
"Hopefully you can work it out. I wouldn't want to have to choose sides."
"You'd choose his. I know it."
"I would."
"Jeanette is pretty angry with me. I know it. I can feel the judgement rolling off her in waves."
"After Michael disowned Mike, I think it really shook her up. She wasn't prepared for him to do that & it really hurt her. This must remind her of that time."
"I didn't want her out of the family. I just wanted her better." Rose felt like crying.
"For better or worse, she is."
"Here you go. Two dozen fruit croissants & a cheese Danish." The cashier handed over two boxes & a small container.
Rose handed over her credit card.
"We should go to the store & buy juice." Judy said.
"We'll go after here. How hard can it be to find a store?"
M&MC
"Where's Mom & Momma Rose?" Laura asked as she put a book on a shelf.
Marcy, who'd stopped by her office to check on the progress, shrugged. "They've been gone for a while."
"I hope they're okay."
"Thanks for putting my books up but shouldn't you wait until they're all here?"
"You packed them alphabetically."
"Did I?" Marcy didn't remember that.
"Yes. By author. I'm doing it by the Dewey Decimal System. You got most of it."
"Are these all the books?"
"I don't know. They haven't brought any more in, in a while."
"I wish I knew how they were packed. I'm gonna go see if there are any more." Marcy walked out & downstairs. She bypassed the movers as she took the stairs.
She stood outside out of the way as they brought more stuff inside. She walked to a truck & peered inside it.
"Yes, ma'am?" A mover brought a box out.
"I was wondering how many boxes are left that have "books" written on the side?"
"I can check." He moved to the back of the truck. When he came back, he picked up the box he had set down. "Five."
"Thank you." She smiled & turned to go back inside but saw two figures walking up. "Where have you been? You left like two hours ago."
"We were lost." Judy huffed. "We were looking for a store-"
Marcy pointed behind them. "It's three blocks that way."
"We didn't know that." Rose grumbled. "We found a bakery easily enough but finding a store was much harder."
Marcy nodded once. "Do you need help, Ms. Judy?"
"Yes! Thank you, honey." Judy handed over two jugs of juice.
Marcy led the way to her condo's kitchen. She set the juice on the island counter & turned around. "Well I got to finish helping."
"What are you doing?" Judy asked as she set the three jugs she had left beside the other two.
"Putting my closet together. It's harder than I anticipated."
"Because of how organized you are." Judy guessed correctly.
"Yeah, I'm organizing it by season & color. I did everything else like shoes & accessories first but the clothes! I hate putting clothes on hangers!"
"What have you been doing for two hours?"
"I set up my studio & all my instruments. Broke down all my boxes. Helped Mal set up a room so he'd have one for himself. Arranged the things in my room & now, my closet. I've been checking on the twins."
"Are they too hungry?" Judy worried.
"They're so happy to have my TV in their playroom, they're not paying attention to nothin."
"You gave them your TV?"
"Yeah. Since I bought those new TVs Thursday. I'm putting one in here (the little one), one in my & Mal's room & the other one in the den."
"Have you set up your bed yet?"
"Yes! Mal set it up for me & I'm so happy! I'm burning that cot!"
Judy laughed. "It served its purpose."
"Well I gotta go before I don't."
"Wait!" Rose held out a hand. Marcy turned. Rose held out a small container. "This is for you."
"What is it?"
"Take it."
Marcy took it & peered inside. "A pastry."
"A cheese Danish. I know how you like them."
"I haven't had a cheese Danish in years."
Rose wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Her face was still blank. "You should eat it with apple juice. We got you some."
"Cool." Marcy set the Danish aside so she could grab a glass & get some juice. She filled her cup with ice from the fridge & poured a glass full. Then she took it & her Danish upstairs.
Rose looked at Judy with a smile. "She didn't hate it."
"She didn't hate it." Judy agreed. "Let's text the kids that the food's here."
M&MC
Mercedes pulled her shirt over her bottom. She was exhausted. All the boxes were off the trucks & now they had to put things up before their purchases arrived. It was work!
Quinn walked into the closet. "I'm tired."
Mercedes laughed. "I was just thinking the same thing!"
"Mom texted me that they're back. Want to go eat & finish this stuff later?"
"Sure." Mercedes stepped around boxes of clothes & followed Quinn out. They went downstairs & out of the condo then to the elevator to go up to Marcy's.
Mike came from his & Puck's apartment. "Hey."
"Hey." They waved.
"You heard about food?"
"Should have known that's why you were leaving." Quinn rolled her eyes.
He pulled her hair. "You could stand to eat, Twiggy."
She pushed him. "You're skinnier than me!"
"I also do stuff."
"Hey, I worked to get this size! You've always ate like a horse."
"Cut it out, you two. You both get on my nerves." Mercedes took Mike's hand.
"I like you plump." Mike wrapped his arms around her & walked close to her back.
"Me too. You're soft." Quinn took her hand.
"Thank you." Mercedes swung their hands. "Where's Puck?"
"He left first. I just wanted to make sure all my stuff was in my room. I don't think I'm going to unpack much." Mike said.
"You are so lazy." Quinn opened the door.
"There's no point in trying to rush & unpack when we're not going to be here for another month."
"You're right." Mercedes realized. "Why are we getting everything perfect when we won't be here to enjoy it?"
"So you won't have to do it later." Marcy said as they reached the kitchen.
"That's a good point, too. I don't want to have to move in then do more work." Mercedes didn't know who to choose.
"So you're all done?" Quinn asked as she surveyed the bakery box contents.
"Nope. Laura's putting my books up & I have to put away my clothes but other than that, I have to put my gifts up. Then I'll be done."
"Gifts?" Mike picked up a pastry & handed it to Mercedes.
"The ones I unpacked in the States. A lot of that was kitchen stuff & crap I can use throughout the house. I put some away but there's a lot I haven't touched & I still have to open more."
"Is that what you're going to do tonight?" Mercedes kissed Mike to thank him then took a bite.
Marcy finished pouring juice for the twins. "Yeah. I figured it won't take much to organize the rooms & I can stay up opening gifts."
"When do you plan on sleeping?" Quinn poured herself some juice.
"On the plane ride back to America."
"You're going to fall out one of these days." Mercedes warned.
"I'm seventeen years old. I can stay up forever." Marcy grinned as she sailed out.
"Where are you going?!"
"To put away my clothes!"
Mercedes rolled her eyes. "She's going to fall out & I'm going to be there to say I told you so."
"No, you're not." Puck, who'd been eating, smirked. "You're going to be there to nurse her back to health."
Quinn sat at the booth with him. "He's right. She's going to fight you the entire time, too."
"But you're going to be there for her anyway." Mike went on as he poured himself grape juice.
"I can't stand any of you." Mercedes sat next to Nic. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine." Nic said pleasantly. "You guys have a lot of stuff."
"It's been a lot of movers, huh?"
"Yep. But I like your house. Can I come visit?"
"Sure you can. Just ask your mom & we'd love to have you."
"I know I want to see Noah but I want to visit you, too. & your sisters. Even Quinn."
Quinn brightened.
"We can take you to see all of Milan." Mercedes said. "Shopping here is ridiculous."
"Can't wait to go." Quinn drank some juice. "My closet is begging for me to fill it."
"I've just thrown my clothes in that closet." Mercedes admitted. "It takes forever to organize. I think I might just organize it when we get here."
"I can't believe you said that." Marc walked in, stretching his back.
"I'm not an organizing freak."
"Yes, you are. Just an artsy freak, too." He went to grab a glass.
"Forget you!"
"Never that." He poured himself a glass of cranberry juice. "I'm unforgettable."
"The ego on people." Laura walked in.
Marc sucked his teeth. "I know that can't be coming from Lady, the queen of thinking she's hot stuff?"
"I am hot stuff." She poured a glass of juice & left.
He rolled his eyes. "She got half of that right."
"Which part?" Mike asked.
Marc threw an ice cube at him & left.
"See how deep he is?"
Puck laughed. "Deep in what?"
"Denial." Quinn sang. "He so loves her."
"He's seriously brokenhearted over her." Mercedes added.
"Does it hurt?" Nic wanted to know.
"So much he goes out with ten girls a night." Mike answered.
"Why are your siblings so cool?" Puck demanded.
"They are not cool!" Mercedes hit the table. "They're hurting people that need to realize that… S-E-X doesn't solve romantic woes!"
"I beg to differ." Mike didn't believe that.
"It doesn't!"
"Not that. That they're hurting so much. If we ever broke up, I'd be so sad over it that I'd never want another woman again."
Mercedes beamed. "Aww!"
Quinn smiled. "Good answer, Sonny."
Puck rolled his eyes as Mercedes & Mike kissed. "Suck up."
M&MC
Mercedes stood up & pulled her shirt over her bottom. She blew her hair out of her face & looked over her closet. She was finally finished.
She'd decided to work on the rest of her room but had to get with the closet because it wasn't going anywhere. It was easier than expected when she got in a rhythm. But it took longer than setting up her room.
Her phone went off so she went to her vanity & checked it. It was a text message from Maddie. The trucks with their purchases just arrived.
She turned out the light & walked out, going to Quinn's room. She walked right in & found Quinn hanging pictures on her wall. "Hey, the trucks just pulled up."
The blonde turned. "Okay. Just let me hang this last one."
"Your room's really coming along."
"Thanks. I had Puck & Mike move my bed four times."
Mercedes laughed. "They're probably a little heated with you."
"Probably." Quinn let the picture go. "Is this straight?"
Mercedes eyed it seriously. "Yes."
"Yay!" Quinn clapped once before coming to the door. "Let's go."
The two walked downstairs & went outside as the movers talked with Marcy & Michael.
"What's going on?" Quinn asked.
"Everything is mixed together so we're going to have to tell them what stuff goes where." Marcy said. "No big but a woman has to be out here at all times."
"Mom can do it. She remembers everything, right?"
Marcy shrugged. "Maybe?"
A mover had a clipboard in his hand. "We're going to unload them one at a time. We'll start with this one. There's two movers per truck so we have six movers in all."
"We have six guys & a bunch of women."
"We wouldn't want you women to hurt yourselves."
"If that wasn't physically accurate, I'd be extremely upset."
The mover grinned. "I'm not trying to offend."
Michael smirked. "She'd get you if you were. Evie doesn't play."
Marcy tried to reign in her smile. "Let's open the truck & get started."
The mover unlocked the back of the truck & opened it. "Okay. We have sofas."
"Just sofas?" Mercedes asked. "This might be easier than I thought."
"Yes, ma'am. This is filled with sofas & chairs."
"Okay, the black leather is going upstairs & to the right. The blue suede is going upstairs to the left & the brown floral is going to the left."
"Okay." The mover whistled & the other five workers came over. He repeated the directions.
By that time, the others (excluding Nic & Maddie, who were watching the twins) had come outside.
"Ms. Nadine? You & Mrs. C help set up the guys' apartment. Laura can help me. & Ms. Judy can help Mercy & Quinn." Marcy instructed.
"What about me?" Rose asked. "I could help you."
"You should stay here. They'll need to know what goes where."
That wasn't a directive to stay away from her so Rose was happy. "I'm on it."
Marcy turned to the men holding her large sectional. "Let me show you the way. We'll take the stairs slowly cuz there's a lot of them."
"Aw man!" One man whined.
"Just think, you'll have earned Tiramisu after this."
He perked up. "Good point!"
Mercedes turned to the men holding her & Quinn's sofa. "You don't have to worry about too many stairs with us but it's a lot of stuff. You'll deserve Tiramisu, too."
The men chuckled.
"Let's go!" Quinn cheered as she raised her arms above her head.
The movers went in slowly so as not to damage the seating. Then Mike, Michael, Marcus. Marc, Mal & Puck started lifting things from the truck.
Mercedes, Quinn & Judy led the duo helping them into their condo. They went into the room they'd designated to be their living room & pointed to the exact place they wanted their couch.
Then they waited for them to come back with the other one.
This went on well for a while. They were able to get the sofas & chairs set up exactly how they wanted. Then they were able to set up the den.
They all went outside to open the next truck.
A worker unlocked & opened the next truck. "This seems to be filled with tables & chairs."
"Whose table does this belong to?" The worker next to him asked of the first piece.
Mercedes looked it over. "It's that square one Marcy bought. There should be two."
The man checked behind it. "It is."
"Those go upstairs to the left." Rose told them.
The men nodded & took both tables at the same time. The other workers came outside. Rose told them what went where & Quinn & Mercedes went back inside with their tables.
Judy picked up a small end-table & brought it inside. "Does this go in the den or the front parlor?"
Quinn looked at it. "Living room."
"Q? You go set up the den, I'll stay in the dining room & Ms. Judy, you set up the tables in the living room. Luckily it's glass so Mikey has to put it together later & we can have the rug down." Mercedes directed.
"It's not on that truck." Judy realized.
"Nope." Quinn confirmed. "It has to be on the last. All the lamps, bookcases, rugs & knickknacks must be."
"When do you think Bed, Bath & Beyond will be here?"
"Probably soon. We'll have to get this knocked out so we can have time to do this." Mercedes pointed out where two chairs went.
"There's always tomorrow morning to get everything perfect." Judy reminded her as she left.
"She's right. We're not leaving until after lunch." Quinn remarked.
"I just want us to have enough time. We still have to set up the kitchen." Mercedes took two chairs from a mover & set them right.
"Let's put that off til tomorrow. We can have help & everything." Quinn walked out.
Mercedes hoped so. She took two more chairs from an incoming worker. She set them at the long table. Thankfully they'd have enough time to go shopping for things like placemats & runners the next day.
Once the dining room had all the chairs, hutch, china cabinet, wine racks & sideboard; Mercedes went outside to see the third truck being opened as movers took the pieces for the sunroom inside.
"We're moving right along." Rose put her arm around her.
"Yeah, we're going." Mercedes hoped they'd keep the speed up. They had been at this for an hour & a half.
A mover unlocked & opened the last truck. "The last one."
"We can pack the elevator." Marcy pushed her sleeves up. "Instead of carrying things up the stairs?"
"Good idea." Marcus was tired of the stairs. He wouldn't have to go to the gym for at least a month after this.
"What's going upstairs?" Mike asked.
"A lot of stuff." Nadine told him. "We bought you guys a bunch."
"Do we really need all this junk?" Puck complained. He was ready to call it quits.
"Yes!" Mercedes slapped his abs.
"Fine. Let's do this. The quicker we start, the faster it'll be over."
"That's the spirit." Marcy joked.
They began moving things inside & this time the women could help. Marcy went to put the twins down for a nap so Nic & Maddie ended up helping, too.
Mercedes put all the table lamps where they belonged & plugged them in. Then she pointed out where the floor-lamps went. She grabbed as many rugs as she could lift (or drag) & put them in the appropriate rooms.
She went to check that the bookcases were being put in the correct rooms then snagged Mike so he could get to building them.
"Why aren't I outside helping when I could be doing this later?"
"Because you might not want to do it later."
He inclined his head. "I'd do it anyway."
She kissed him. "I have a surprise for you."
"Don't know how thrilled I am for you to say that."
"Be happy! It's a good one!"
"Okay." He seriously doubted that.
"Anyway, I need to make sure everything's out of the truck. You stay here & build these." She left & went outside.
Rose pointed to the top of the building. "Those go upstairs. To the right."
Mercedes moved out of the way & made her way to her mother. "How much is left?"
"Not much. It's almost empty." Rose waved her hand in front of her face to create a breeze. "It's not a moment too soon. I can see the BBB van coming."
"I hope the beds arrive soon. We can't make them if they're not here."
Marcy walked out with two movers & signed their clipboard. "Thank you."
"No problem. If you have any questions, call the store & if you could take the time, please fill out the survey at the website on the back of the invoice." One of the workers shook her hand.
"Will do." She took the paper from him.
The other four movers came from the building & piled into the trucks to head out. They shut the last truck & drove off, beeping their horns.
A van pulled in front of the building.
"More stuff?" She raised a brow. "The guys are going to hate that."
"Why do you say that?" Rose asked.
"They're busy building stuff & hate that."
"We can do this." Mercedes waved a hand. "We should do something big for dinner for them. To thank them for their help."
"Because we weren't working?"
"Marcy!" She giggled.
"I'm kidding. Yeah, we should totally cook them something." Marcy grinned.
"I could make my lasagna." Rose offered.
"Where's the store?" Mercedes asked.
"Don't ask." Rose exhaled loudly.
The doors to the van opened & two women stepped out. "Hi! Is this the address for the Fabanges order?"
Marcy raised an eyebrow. She'd done the same thing when her sister had mentioned that name for the order form. "Yes."
"Thank goodness! We were a little confused by the address." The woman laughed. "We know this is the metro district & were wondering why a shop needed bath supplies!"
"Yeah, this is an apartment complex."
"So we have a large order. Everything in the van is yours."
"Cool." Marcy turned to Mercedes. "Will you text for the ladies to come help? We should put everything in your kitchen until the van's unloaded."
"Why?" Rose didn't get it.
"We can sort it out later but it'll take too much time to do it out here & we want to get this over with."
"Smart thinking."
"I'll send a mass text." Mercedes brought out her phone & did so.
Marcy, Rose & the two women took as many bags as they could carry & went to the kitchen. They set them down on the table & went back out for more. By that time, all the women were out there.
With all of them working, they were done in two trips.
The women from the company had someone sign their clipboard & they were off. The women from the family sat at the kitchen table & sorted through the bags.
They divided it up by apartment but also by room. Then Laura, Nic, Maddie, Marcy, Nadine & Jeanette took the bags going upstairs, upstairs.
Mercedes, Quinn & Judy took their bags upstairs in the condo & started putting things away. They left a sheet set in every bedroom then went to every bathroom & put things such as soap holders, lotion pumps & the like inside.
When they were finished, they heard a beeping from the street.
They went outside to find the mattress store van had pulled up. Mercedes was glad but realized the guys were all busy building things. Who was going to set up the beds?
Rose was already outside shaking hands with the delivery people.
"Do we know how to set up beds?" Mercedes asked Quinn.
"No." Quinn chewed on her bottom lip. "But you know what Marcy would say."
"If I don't know by now, I'll never know?"
Quinn giggled. "No! Bet I learn. We can learn how to do this."
"Did you hear that?" Judy asked them.
"No. What?"
"There's two more vans coming. This one is filled with the frames & headboards."
"That'll be easy to set up." Marcy said from behind them.
Mercedes & Quinn jumped. "Don't do that!"
"You're not funny!"
"Another van has just the box springs & the last has the mattresses." Judy went on.
"We can carry that stuff." Marcy insisted.
"Can we put headboards on?" Mercedes challenged.
"Bet we learn."
Quinn grinned. "I bet we will, too!"
M&MC
In the end, it was easy. The frames just needed to be popped into place & the headboards ended up easier than anticipated. The box springs dropped into place & the mattresses topped them like comfortable cherries.
By that time, the guys had built everything that needed building. They were beyond sweaty & tired so the girls suggested they take naps.
Puck had balked at the idea. He insisted he was a man & men did not nap. Marcus said he was a man (an old one at that) & he most def. took naps. Puck decided to take a nap.
The women conjoined in Marcy's kitchen. "We were thinking of making something for the guys. As a thank you for all their hard work."
"That's a great idea." Judy exclaimed.
"No!" Rose, Jeanette, Mercedes, Quinn, Marcy, Laura & Maddie threw out a hand.
Judy pouted. "I can help!"
"Help me with the salad." Marcy insisted. "I'll make a chopped one."
"I'll make garlic knots." Laura said.
"I'll make twice baked potatoes." Jeanette offered.
"& I'm making my lasagna." Rose tossed in.
"I can make cream spinach." Quinn went on.
"I'll make baked apples with gelato." Mercedes offered.
"What can I make?" Nadine wanted a job.
"What do you want to make?" Marcy asked.
"I don't know. There's already so much food."
"Maybe you can have the guys put up the TVs? Then place the bookcases. That'll keep them busy & out of the kitchen so we can cook."
"It's not cooking but it's a job."
"Aren't you tired of cooking every day?" Mercedes baited. "Have someone cook you dinner once in a while."
"You're right." Nadine smiled. "Truthfully? I hate cooking."
"So do I." Marcy & Quinn admitted in unison.
"Who's going to cook for my son? He only knows how to make toast."
"Mercy." Quinn said without shame.
Nadine laughed. "Everyone needs a plan."
Quinn felt good that she made her laugh (& that she didn't bite her head off for not cooking for her son). "We need to go to the store. Marce has no food."
"I have dried & canned food. Just nothing fresh." Marcy defended.
"We need fresh food." Mercedes laid her head on Laura's shoulder.
"We can go to the store. No big."
"You're offended." Maddie took her arm & held it.
"Duh! But that's okay! You're no longer welcome here. Get out."
"Come on. We're sorry." Quinn took her other arm. "We know you are very busy."
"That wasn't it. I knew I was going to be gone for a week so I put off going to the grocery store."
"Oh. Right. That makes sense."
"I'm so glad you aren't starving yourself." Jeanette wiped off fake sweat.
"You can't have any of my salad." Marcy deadpanned.
Jeanette giggled. "We should get started before the guys wake up."
"We don't even know where the store is." Maddie said.
"I got to get the twins up but after, I'll show you. Just make a list of everything we need." Marcy stood up.
"Can I stay here & play with them?" Nic wanted to know.
"Sure. If the moms stay, we can all just go & carry stuff home."
"Are you sure you don't want to go?" Nadine asked.
Nic nodded. "We play with all their toys."
"Okay."
M&MC
"Who got you the pots & pans?" Jeanette asked.
"I don't know but I wrote them a beautiful thank you note." Marcy ripped off leaves of romaine.
"I think it's more than one person because they're two different colors." Quinn pointed between the red pot she was stirring & the yellow dish Mercedes was slicing apples into.
"What about you? What kind did you get?"
"I don't know. I left mine in the box. Mercy & I devoted a room to storage & we're putting my kitchenware in there."
"I'm just glad it was one of the things I'd already opened so I could use them. I didn't have much kitchenware."
"Have you opened all your gifts?" Judy asked.
"Nope. I have so much left. I put it in my sitting room to sort through tonight."
"When are you going to sleep?!" Nadine was at the booth watching them all work.
"On the plane tomorrow."
"But not if anyone's up. Marcy cannot sleep when someone is awake." Laura teased.
"Why not?" Nadine asked.
"Quirk." Marcy shrugged. She brought her phone out of her pocket & turned on music. She set the phone on the counter & resumed tearing off strips of lettuce.
"No New Year's day
To celebrate
No chocolate covered candy hearts to give away
No first of spring
No song to sing
In fact here's just another ordinary day
No April rain
No flowers bloom
No wedding Saturday within the month of June
But what it is
Is something true
Made up of these three words that I must say to you"
The women worked in silence for a while as Stevie Wonder's voice washed over them.
Quinn put the whole container of cream into the spinach & stirred it gently. Then she added seasoning to taste. She set in on the back burner & would warm when time.
Marcy chopped romaine lettuce, salami, pancetta & mozzarella in a bowl & put it in the fridge to chill. She made a light dressing, which she also chilled.
Jeanette baked potatoes then when they were cooled, scooped out the insides in a bowl with chives, pancetta, sour cream & cheddar cheese. Then she spooned heaps into a baking dish before covering it with more cheese & baking again.
Laura made breadstick dough & a glaze of butter & garlic before rolling out strips of dough & twisting them into knots. She brushed them with the garlic butter then let them rise. She'd bake them when the lasagna came out of the oven.
Mercedes peeled & sliced granny smith apples into a baking dish & covered them with lemon juice & cinnamon. She'd bake them during dinner.
Rose, who had the hardest, longest job, made three dishes of lasagna. She put them in the oven for 45 minutes.
Together, the women cleaned the kitchen then left to finish making the houses presentable. Rose & Jeanette stayed behind to keep an eye on the food.
Mercedes & Quinn went to start unloading their books while Nadine nagged the boys to unpack. Marcy & Laura opened as many presents as they could. Nic & Maddie watched the twins.
When the food was done cooking; Jeanette called the girls so Laura could bake the bread, Quinn could reheat the spinach & Marcy could coat the salad with dressing.
Luckily Marcy had dishes from her presents so Maddie set the table. Nic brought the twins in & sat them down at the table.
"I don't know where Michael & Marcus are but Mike, Noah & Mal are still putting away their things." Nadine stated.
"Where's Marc?" Laura asked. "Not that I care."
"He's still asleep."
"He's not waking up until he smells food. I might have to take him a knot." Rose joked. Except she was serious.
"He's hard to wake up?"
The Fabanges women burst into laughter. "Hard to wake up?!"
"He's a light sleeper?" She guessed.
"Marc doesn't wake up until Marc wakes up." Quinn explained.
"There's no noise that can wake that boy." Mercedes added.
"He either has to smell food, be touched or wake up on his own."
Marcy went on.
"& by touched, she means beaten. He's not waking up unless he's under attack." Laura finished.
"Wow!" Nadine was in awe. "He's really that bad?"
"I made him go to bed exactly eight hours before I wanted him to get up for school or else he'd be late." Rose said.
"But he's not the only one who's hard to wake up." Jeanette teased. "I know one little girl that tries to hide from you."
Mercedes blushed. "I don't do that anymore."
"Mercy?!" Nadine laughed.
"That's better than the Kung Fu whooping you get when you try to wake up Marcy." Judy pinched the girl's cheek.
"Marcy fights." Laura told.
"She was like that even when she was little." Rose smiled. "She'd still be asleep & reach out to hit you. Even as a baby."
"You have to wake her up gently!"
"I would always sing her awake."
"I guess you Jones kids like your sleep!" Nadine laughed.
"Sleep is good." Marcy shrugged.
"Dinner is ready whenever we want to call the boys in." Jeanette said. "We're just waiting on the garlic knots."
Mercedes put the apples into the oven. "Do you have anything to drink, Marcy?"
"Of course. I wasn't that broke." Marcy left the room & came back with three bottles of wine.
Nadine's eyebrows rose. "Wine? Is it special enough for that?"
"Special?" Quinn was confused.
"I think I might just have some juice with the kids."
"They'll have wine." Laura lifted a shoulder.
"Who?! The kids?!"
"Yeah. I put a little in their sippy cups with juice." Marcy set the bottles on the table.
"Why?" Nadine couldn't close her mouth.
"Helps put them to sleep."
"Are you serious?"
"Fifty/fifty."
"The laws here are different." Mercedes caught on to her issue. "Wine is legal for children of a certain age."
"Can I have some?!" Nic piped up.
"Legally, yes."
Nadine was blown away. "Well!"
"Would you like to try a glass in case you want another brand?" Marcy asked.
"I'm not much of a wine drinker. Unless I'm having a hard day."
"Here." Marcy went to get a corkscrew & popped the top. She grabbed a (new) wineglass & filled it. She gave it to Nadine.
Nadine tasted it. "Wow! This is pretty good."
"I have some diet Sierra Mist if you want a spritzer."
"No. But I def. want that for Nic. I guess having her to try once is okay. It's just an experience being here so this is something she can always have but I want it seriously diluted."
"You don't drink much soda, do you?" Judy asked.
"Only for dinner." Marcy admitted.
"Marcy!" Jeanette admonished. "You can't have that much sugar!"
"It's not like it's every day. Just a couple times a week. & it's only one glass."
Laura took the garlic knots out of the oven & put them in a bread basket. "I'll take a spritzer, too. I haven't had one in a long time."
"Me either." Mercedes & Quinn spoke in unison.
"I want one, too." Maddie didn't want to be left out.
Nic smiled, happy to be having wine. "Yay!"
"How much wine do you give the twins?" Nadine asked.
"About a tablespoon." Marcy set out enough wineglasses. "Who's going to get the guys?"
"I'll do it." Mercedes offered. She snatched up a knot. "Where are Daddy & Papa Mike?"
"I don't know." A chorus replied.
"I'll find them." She left the room & went upstairs for Mal & Marc. She checked the room the Changs' were in before. "Mal?"
"Hey?" Mal lifted his head from the bed.
"Why are you sleeping? Shouldn't you be unpacking?"
"Shhh! Don't tell Puck's mom!" He blinked blearily.
She laughed. "Dinner's ready."
He rolled out of the bed. "Marce said I couldn't get in "her bed all sweaty & gross"."
"We just put sheets & stuff on all these beds!"
"I wasn't getting back on a cot!"
"Go wash up for dinner." She pointed outside of the room.
"Is that food?" He noticed her hand.
"It's for Marc." She held it protectively to her chest.
"He doesn't need it. C'mon, Mercy. I'm hungry. Breakfast was a long time ago." He whined.
"If you go wash up, you could have dinner." She backed away.
"Why does Marc get it? Do you like him better than me?" He pouted.
"You stop it! Go wash up & get some dinner!" She wasn't falling for that!
He grumbled as he left. "You don't like me anymore."
Mercedes tried not to take that personally. She left the room & went to the room where the Jones' were staying & woke up Marc. She waved the garlic knot in front of his nose & waited for his brain to tell him good stuff was going on.
He rolled over & opened his chocolate eyes. "Mercy?"
"Want a garlic knot?" She broke it in half.
He reached for it but she stepped out of range. "Hey!"
"You gotta get up."
Marc sighed before getting up. "Now can I have it?"
She gave it to him. "Dinner's ready. Go wash up."
He ate the knot in two bites & left.
She walked through the other bedrooms but didn't find her male role models. She went downstairs & looked through those rooms but didn't find them.
She knew they couldn't be in her & Quinn's condo because the door was locked so she went to Mike's & Puck's. She barged in & went through their rooms. She found all four men in Puck's room (both he & Mike decided not to take the master suite), talking.
"Dinner's ready."
"What'd you order?" Michael stood & stretched.
"We cooked."
"Why didn't you say that?" Marcus stood quickly.
"Wait a minute. Who's we? Judy didn't make anything, did she?" Michael wanted to know.
"No. She helped Marcy chop things for the salad but that was about it."
"Tell me Sweetpea didn't just make salad." Marcus pleaded.
"There's meat in the salad, Daddy."
He blew out a breath. "Okay!"
She smiled, amused. "Come on."
The four followed her out.
Puck leaned over to Mike. "Is Mrs. Fabray that bad at cooking?"
Mike gave him a look. "Yes."
He grimaced. "Is Q like that?"
"No. Quinn can cook. She's not the best but you won't ever starve with her. Well actually you will. She hates to cook."
"I was just wondering… how are we gonna eat over here. I don't know how to cook."
"I know how. People call it bland but I just don't overly season my food!"
Puck gave him a strange look at that last bit. "Bro? Come back."
"Sorry." Mike rubbed a hand over his face. "They talk about my cooking."
Puck chuckled. "I can season my own food. Or bland's good. I ain't gonna cook so whatever you make will have to be good."
"I'm not cooking every day! You better go out or ask Mercy."
"Mama won't mind?"
"She loves cooking. Especially for other people. The more you like it, the more she'll cook."
Puck grinned & rubbed his hands together. "Score!"
They made it to the other condo & went inside. Mercedes turned around. "Go wash up & come to the kitchen. You'll be really surprised by what we made."
"What is it with women & surprises?" Michael wondered as she walked off.
"Sweetpea's the only woman I know who hates surprises. Every other one is seemingly addicted to them." Marcus added.
"I don't know." Mike admitted. "It's creepy."
"I keep telling Mama, surprises are weird." Puck shook his head.
The four washed their hands of the subject & went to the bathroom off the kitchen, taking turns washing their hands.
They went to the kitchen & inhaled deeply. It smelled just great in there.
"We were threatened- I mean promised a surprise." Mike said. "What is it?"
"Lasagna." Rose told him.
"Chopped salad." Marcy added.
"Twice baked potatoes." Jeanette put in.
"Creamed spinach." Quinn threw in.
"& garlic knots." Laura finished.
"& for dessert." Mercedes pulled the baking dish from the oven to check on it. "Baked apples."
"All good things!" Marcus said.
The group sat down & Marcus blessed the food. Michael picked up the wine bottle closest to him. "I've never had this one before."
"It's my favorite." Marcy said.
"Don't you have any beer?" Marc asked as Michael uncorked it.
"Why would I have beer? You know I don't drink that bottled pee."
Laura, Quinn, Maddie & Nic burst out laughing.
"It's not-" Marc narrowed his eyes. "Beer is good!"
"Beer is gross."
"No, it's not." Mercedes smiled to keep from laughing herself. "You need to open yourself up to new experiences."
"How new is beer? I had it three years ago & it sucked then. I doubt it's improved."
"You never know."
"I do, too. The sun will always rise in the east. There will always be monetary value. A sperm & egg will always make a baby. Beer will always taste like piss."
"To each his own." Marcus said amongst the laughter.
I Just Called to Say I Love You - Stevie Wonder