The Long And Winding Road
Notes: The usual disclaimers apply, and remember that all episodes after "Holiday" and "This Charming Man" aren't canon in this story.
Chapter 70 -- That's Showbiz
"Everything okay?"
Sitting in the TV station's break room staring off into space on the following Tuesday afternoon, Ellie nevertheless heard the questioning voice and looked over to see legal department intern Wayne Harrison standing just inside the doorway.
"Of course," she answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Even though we only met a couple of weeks ago when you saved me from wandering around the hallways like a lost puppy, you seem like someone who's always on the go around here. Guess I'm not used to seeing you take a few minutes for yourself to just relax."
"You caught me," Ellie said. "I always try to find some spare time to relax at least two or three times a year."
Her sarcasm made the young man laugh.
"I'm sure I can relate," Wayne suggested while entering the room and moving closer toward the table where Ellie was sitting. "Just when I think my day can't get any busier…"
"And yet you wouldn't trade the experience for anything," Ellie interjected with certainty.
"You got it. Though I don't exactly mind that it looks like today I'll actually get to leave on time. What about you?"
"Yeah," Ellie replied. "I'll be out of here in about an hour and a half."
"That being the case, would you have any objection to the idea of us going out after work and getting something to eat."
"No thanks," she answered quickly.
Since Ellie didn't take any time to think about Wayne's invitation, he was concerned that he may have offended her.
"Hey, I didn't mean to put you on the spot or anything. We don't know each other that well, but you're the nicest person I've met since I've been here. I'm sure that could be considered faint praise since I work in Legal, but it's sincere. And I wouldn't mind getting to know you a little better. Of course for all I know you could have a boyfriend, in which case I've really overstepped."
"Don't worry, you didn't put me on the spot," Ellie assured once she was certain he was finished with his explanation. "And I'm not seeing anyone. But I already have plans tonight. That's why I was in here just now. Mentally preparing myself. I suppose you could say that this evening I have a date with a camera."
As Ellie elaborated on this for the noticeably confused Wayne's benefit, several miles away Manny was more curious than confused. Emma had invited her over that afternoon to discuss something. Manny wasn't sure what it could be, but Emma had given her the impression that it was something serious. Having arrived at the Nelson/Simpson home a short time ago, the pair was now hanging out in Emma's downstairs bedroom.
"So what's up?" Manny asked.
"I wanted to talk to you about the wedding," Emma revealed. "JT and I have set the date."
"That's great, Em," Manny responded excitedly.
"Yeah. Things are moving along nicely. And…well, I'm not sure how you'll react."
"To what?"
Meanwhile, Emma's intended was sitting in the Van Zandt kitchen with Liberty.
"I know a Monday is a weird day for a wedding," JT discussed, "but me and Emma both thought it made sense. Since friends from work want to come to the wedding and Mondays are TMD's slowest days, we can make due with a skeleton crew holding down the fort that evening. It's also easier to reserve the church for a Monday ceremony than any other day of the week. And doing it the third Monday in August, that'll still give us a couple weeks before her first semester starts."
"It all makes perfect sense to me," Liberty commented.
"By the way, we're having it at First Community Church. The wedding. Not her first semester."
"I figured you meant the wedding," she responded, shaking her head.
As Liberty considered the couple's church selection, something occurred to her.
"Say, isn't First Community…"
"The church my mother went to," he confirmed. "Yeah. That was Emma's idea. She said she thought it would be a way of including her in the day. Is she a great wife-to-be or what?"
"Indeed. And how is the apartment quest coming along?"
"We have a few more weeks before we need to have something definite," JT replied. "And several of the complexes we liked back when we were looking weeks ago always have a few vacancies. The biggest challenge will be narrowing down the choices to one."
JT then took one final drink from his glass before setting it back down on the table.
"Want another Coke?" Liberty offered.
"No thanks. But I do need you to help me out with something."
"Is this going to be the pitch to get me to lift all the heavy boxes when it comes time for the two of you to move your things into the new apartment?" she kidded him in a sarcastic tone.
"But of course," he responded in similar lighthearted fashion. "After all, being a mover and a shaker doesn't mean moving boxes. I need all the help I can get."
"Truer words were never spoken," Liberty fired back, which caused JT to laugh.
"Actually," he began again moments later in a more serious tone, "this has to do with the wedding."
"Not a problem," she assured him. "Just name it."
"I want you to stand up for me."
Once again, Liberty found herself taken by surprise courtesy of JT.
"You mean…"
"Best Man obviously isn't the right term," JT suggested. "But Best Person… That sounds good. How about it, Liberty? Will you do it?"
"JT…I don't know what to say."
"Liberty Van Zandt doesn't know what to say?" he teased. "Someone should alert the media at once."
"I know that nowadays it's becoming slightly less unusual for a woman to stand alongside the groom and a man to do so for the bride. Still, are you sure this is what you want?"
Liberty knew he wouldn't have asked her if he wasn't certain, but she still wanted the confirmation.
"It wasn't a tough choice," JT explained. "I'm lucky to have some very good friends, and I'm going to ask Sean to be my groomsman. But what it comes down to is…after Emma, you're the one I'm closest to. And you've had a big part in being there for both of us, so I can't think of a better choice. Besides, knowing that you have a certain rebel streak inside of you, I'm sure you'll be up for something like this that's a little unconventional."
Liberty smiled, momentarily remembering back to a time when they were in Grade 8 and JT referred to her as a rebel. She had always considered that particular conversation to be the first true step on the road to the pair becoming friends. Another year went by before she came to the realization that she could either continue to chase after a romance that wasn't going to happen, or she could choose let go of those feelings and allow room for that potential friendship to develop. While Liberty was not typically one to give up a challenge, she never regretted her choice.
Even with the rare "what if" moments her mind once entertained, she felt that she and JT had ultimately formed a bond that was closer than if they'd actually had whatever passes for a romantic relationship at the age of 13. Though she had given up a grade school crush, she instead was able to have a friendship with him that continued to grow over time. To the point where he was her best friend, and she was being asked to have this special role in his wedding.
"If I were to accept," Liberty spoke up, "you should know that I don't intend to hire a bunch of strippers for some sort of bawdy bachelor get-together."
"That's another plus about this arrangement," JT reasoned. "We'll save money on strippers and you'll get to be the one to jump out of a big cake."
Resisting JT's efforts to get her to laugh, Liberty attempted to look stern.
"I'll be glad to do that," she said. "But you'll have to convince Sean to jump out of a cake first. In front of the same group of guys, and wearing similar skimpy clothing as I would be expected to wear."
JT tried to look as though he was giving this serious consideration.
"So that's a Yes!" he soon exclaimed. "After all, with my powers of persuasion…"
Liberty finally cracked and began to laugh, and JT soon followed.
"No," he eventually said, "I'm not looking for a stripper-fest. I had a chance to see a stripper years ago, but strangely enough I fell asleep waiting and missed out on the grand performance. I'm sure that's a sign that I wasn't meant to see that kind of show. Anyway, there's only one woman who interests me.
"So Liberty, all jokes aside, how do you feel about standing up there with me while that one woman and I tie the knot?"
"I would be honored," Liberty replied without further delay, which clearly pleased JT.
Back at Emma's, Manny hoped she didn't appear too surprised by what she had just heard.
"Em, of course I'll be your maid of honor," she said excitedly.
As much as Manny had tried to prepare herself for the possibility – perhaps even the probability – of not being asked, she was both ecstatic and comforted that Emma had just made the request.
"Are you happy, Manny?" Emma kidded her. "It's kind of hard to tell."
"Very funny. But I'm a little confused. You said you weren't sure how I was going to take it. Is it because we've had more than our share of ups and downs, and you didn't think I'd want to do this? Because it can't be any further from the truth."
"No, it has more to do with my choice for a bridesmaid. I'm planning on asking Ashley."
"Oh," was all Manny could think to say.
"I know that the two of you have never… Well, we both know the history there. But you know she and I have been friends for awhile. Since our days working on the GM foods situation. Then she was a big help when I was getting SITE started. And we've always…"
"Em, you don't have to sell me on it," Manny interrupted, knowing her friend's explanation could easily continue on for some time.
"I don't?" Emma asked, somewhat surprised.
"She and I aren't going to lunge toward each other at the front of the church and start swinging fists. You were a little preoccupied at the time so you probably don't remember that just a few months ago, she and I sort of teamed up as peacemakers when you and Ellie Nash had your…situation…at the mall."
"That was definitely a forgettable experience," Emma remarked, preferring not to think about that encounter. "But now that you mention it, the two of you did seem to be past all the old anger. I suppose there's no reason for me to be concerned."
"Exactly," Manny confirmed. "And even if the anger WAS still there, this day is going to be about you and JT, so I know she and I would have been able to put up with each other long enough not to disrupt the happy occasion."
"You're right. Don't mind me, Manny. I'm probably just entering that nervous bride mode."
"Well as your newly appointed maid of honor, I'll help make sure there's no reason to worry about a thing."
"Good to know," Emma said of Manny's pledge. "By the way, I want to make sure we continue to keep Liberty in the loop on everything. You see, JT's planning to ask her to be the female equivalent of his Best Man but I'm sure she'll still…"
"He is?" Manny interrupted. "That's so sweet. I love it."
"Me too. I'd planned to ask her to be part of the bride's side along with you, but when JT mentioned the other night that he wanted to ask her it just sounded so right."
At that point, Manny started to think about the situation. She began to wonder if Emma wouldn't have asked her to be maid of honor if JT hadn't already chosen to ask Liberty to stand beside him. Emma hadn't given even a hint as to if this was the case, but Manny couldn't help but speculate.
Still, Manny could imagine Sean's voice asking her why it should matter since things were working out fine for everyone. And she knew he would be right. After all, it wasn't as though Emma would have asked her if she didn't want her to be involved.
She ultimately opted to take optimistic approach rather than that of self-doubt. Emma wanted her as maid of honor, otherwise it wouldn't happen, whether she was Emma's first choice or fifth. As far as Manny was concerned, she was Emma's only choice, and she was very happy to be asked. Case closed.
"Manny…are you with me?" Emma questioned her unresponsive friend.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry. Zoned out for a minute. Things are really starting to happen."
"I know. And I'm so glad you said Yes, because I can't imagine you not being a part of my wedding."
"Thanks Em."
"But there's just one more thing I think we should get settled up front," Emma added.
"Oh?" Manny asked, starting to feel a knot in her stomach.
"For the wedding…you're not – repeat NOT – wearing a bright pink dress."
Manny breathed a quiet sigh of relief and smiled, though she still felt the need to defend one of her preferred colors.
"Emma, pink has a way of going great with any occasion."
"Then find a pink motorcycle jacket for your next road adventure with Sean," Emma challenged.
"Well…okay, maybe not with EVERY occasion," she allowed while starting to laugh.
Several hours later in TMD's lobby, JT was standing quietly off to the side watching as Ellie offered her comments for the camera. Once she was done and the camera was off, JT walked over toward her and the crew.
"That was great," he told them.
Ellie then looked on as JT and the production supervisor spoke briefly. The crew soon made its way out the front door to get some nighttime exterior shots of the building and the well-lit parking area.
"If what I said – or the way I said it – sucked, feel free to tell them to chop me out of the whole thing," she suggested to JT once the others were gone.
"Not on your life," JT responded, not swayed by his friend's self-doubt.
"I was thinking this afternoon about what I would say and what I wouldn't say," the redhead explained. "After all, even though there's a lot that COULD be said, there's only a limited amount of time. But I also didn't want to think about it too much because I didn't want my opinion coming out sounding like it was scripted."
"Well now you can take it easy," JT said, hoping to ease her mind. "Everything was fine. We also got some good spontaneous comments from customers between screenings about 20 minutes ago. Not long before you got here. The cameras also got some good shots all around the place this afternoon, both inside and out."
"I still think you should have made an on-camera appearance," Ellie encouraged. "In fact, I'm sure it's not too late to shoot something."
"Thanks, but I wanted the focus to be on the customers and the place itself. Anyway, I recorded my voice-over this afternoon. I think the editing process must be a lot like magic, because it's hard to believe they're going to be able to fit all the different parts together into an ad that looks seamless."
"It can certainly be like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, from everything I've observed working on Caitlin's show. But the process sounds a lot more difficult than it really is, at least when you have good people with a lot of experience."
"Hey, you want a snack?" JT then offered. "Or something to drink?"
"No thanks," she answered, deciding this was probably a good time to leave and not wanting things to become uncomfortable. "I'll grab some dinner on my way home. In fact, I should probably head out now. The camera crew will be done getting their shots in a few minutes and I know you'll have to wrap things up with them before you go home to…"
"There's no rush," he told her.
"But…"
"JT," Spinner's voice interrupted from behind the concession counter, "could you come over here for a second?"
JT looked over to see a customer with Spinner.
"Ellie," JT said as he turned his head back toward her, "I'd really like to talk to you if you can spare a few minutes."
"Okay," she said with slight reluctance. "I'll wait for you. But I really shouldn't stay too long."
"You can relax in my office," he offered. "This shouldn't take much time."
As Ellie walked past the refreshment area on the way to the office, JT made his way toward Spinner and the customer. After a brief conversation, the customer was satisfied and went back in to continue watching his movie.
"I did try to tell him that we don't take checks," Spinner explained, not wanting JT to think he didn't make the effort to handle the situation himself. "But he wanted to hear it from someone in charge."
"Don't worry about it," JT assured him. "It happens."
"Who ever heard of writing a check for popcorn and a drink, anyway?"
"Hey, about a year ago there was this college guy who tried to get us to give him some popcorn, promising that he'd pay us back the next week. At least this guy tonight didn't seem like a scammer. Just hopeful to do things his way. But you can count on him coming back out here in 15 minutes to buy something, cash in hand. The need for popcorn can convince even a guy who'd rather pay later to pry some cash out of his wallet."
Spinner laughed, but he didn't doubt JT's prediction. Based on his time working at The Dot, he'd seen his share of uncommon customer requests, too.
"By the way, JT, thanks again for making sure I got to be in the commercial."
"No problem," JT responded. "But it was just as part of the background with you behind the counter. So I don't think it'll get you discovered by a talent scout."
"Funny. Anyway, it was cool. And this'll be the first time I've ever been seen on TV in color."
Curious, JT knew he had to question his friend about this.
"Spin, when were you ever on TV before? And why was it in black-and-white?"
"I'm sure you've done it too and just didn't know it," Spinner suggested. "You know how at those corner gas station/mini-marts there are these small TVs hanging from the ceiling over the counter? You can watch yourself as you're paying for your stuff. Only it's always in black-and-white, so they're either really cheap or they're going for that small-budget indie look like the way some of the stuff we show around here is done."
"Those are just closed-circuit TVs, Spin," JT attempted to explain. "In case there's a robbery, they'll have the situation recorded."
"I know all that," Spinner insisted, "but don't you think that after awhile all that stuff winds up going out on a satellite feed too? Everything else seems to. I don't have satellite TV, so I don't know for sure. But it's still cool to think that maybe we all get the chance to be guest stars of a closed-circuit TV channel."
Hearing that, JT honestly didn't think there was anything he could add.
"I've…never thought about it like that before," he finally remarked moments later. "Trust me."
"But today was much better," Spinner added. "That ad is gonna look great."
"I hope so."
"I think Liberty's gonna like it when she sees it," Spinner continued, sounding hopeful. "Don't you?"
"It's a safe bet," JT replied. "But be careful. It all starts with your cameo in this commercial. Soon she's going to want to go to the gas station with you to see a live performance of you purchasing a tank of gas and a pack of Twinkies. Just don't let all the praise go to your head."
Spinner rolled his eyes and began to clean off the counter while JT went to his office.
"Hey there, stranger," he greeted Ellie once inside the room. Sitting in the chair in front of JT's desk, Ellie stood up and turned to face him upon hearing his voice.
"Stranger?"
"You didn't have to get up," he commented rather than immediately answering her question
"It's okay," Ellie responded. "I can't stay long."
"Yeah, you mentioned that before."
"So what's with this 'stranger' business?" she again questioned.
"Just a joke," he said as he made his way toward the desk and near to where she stood. "It's just that in these last couple of weeks you've been kinda scarce around here."
"Don't worry," Ellie told him. "I've seen two shows here in the last two weeks. And you know that once we finally stopped playing phone tag, we were able to talk a couple times about when I should be here to do my part for the commercial."
"And for me to tell you that I'm getting married next month," JT added.
Ellie didn't say anything right away.
"That too," she finally responded several quiet moments later.
"Which you told me during our first successful phone call that you'd already learned about a few days earlier. Again, I wish I'd gotten to be the one to tell you the news. But like you said, we kept missing each other."
"The important thing is we DID continue to keep in touch, and it's so good that this commercial is really one step closer to being an on-air reality," Ellie remarked, much preferring to discuss the advertisement than the engagement.
"I hope you're not trying to avoid me," JT suggested, wanting there to be no tension between them. "After all, I know that Emma has never been on your list of favorite people."
"There's no avoiding," Ellie hoped to make clear. "I've been busy. You've definitely been busy. That's all."
"And what about your being in such a hurry to get out of here tonight?"
"No particular hurry," she claimed. "Look, you making this big step with Emma wouldn't keep me from sticking my head in here after seeing a movie to talk about that film, other films, what we've each been up to, etc."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"But with marriage comes certain inevitable changes," she admitted. "As much as Emma may be willing to tolerate our friendship, it might create less aggravation for you if we stuck to having our conversations during daylight hours. Maybe even shorter conversations if that's what's best."
"I understand what you're saying," JT granted. "You're right that a lot of things are going to change next month, and I'm looking forward to it. But the friendships won't change. Not with the people who are friends with both me and Emma, and not with the ones who are friends with just me. Maybe there won't always be the same amount of time to hang out, but I'm not going anywhere."
Not one to easily develop and maintain new friendships, Ellie had not wanted the one she'd built with JT over the last couple of years to fall by the wayside. But she had been concerned about this possibility since she first overheard about the engagement. So, though she tried not to be obvious about it, Ellie felt reassured that their friendship would remain solid, even with his impending nuptials.
"Don't forget that it's a two-way street," Ellie reminded. "You ever need anything…"
"I know," JT said, knowing she meant it. "And there IS one thing I want you to do for me."
"What's that?"
"Show up," he answered simply.
"Huh?"
"Obviously it's up to you," he prefaced. "Emma and I are starting to put together our list of who we're inviting to the big knot-tying event. Soon we'll send out invitations. Naturally, you'll be getting one. And…"
"JT, I don't think… What I mean is… I'm not exactly the going-to-weddings type."
"Maybe, but it's not like I'm asking you to be a flower girl. After all, Spinner would be crushed if we gave that job to anyone besides him."
Ellie couldn't help but laugh at JT's joke, just as he had hoped. But he also noticed that she still appeared concerned about attending.
"Seriously, Ellie, you should be there. "There's no reason for you NOT to attend."
"Even the fact that for a time I wondered what it would be like if you and I were a couple?"
Though Ellie had said this intentionally – blurting it out quickly so that there wouldn't be a chance to stop in mid-sentence – it was still hard for her to believe that he now knew. Though tempted to make a quick exit, she knew she had to stay and deal with this once and for all. Still, she turned so that she was no longer directly facing him.
"I… I hadn't planned to ever mention that," she followed up rather than waiting for a response. "Not that I'm ashamed for having that curiosity. There just didn't seem to be any sense in bringing it up. But with you wanting me to be at your wedding – and the probability of you offering a lot of reasons why you think I should be there - you needed to know the one reason why I definitely should not be invited."
Not hearing JT say anything in response, Ellie wasn't sure if he was shocked by, annoyed with or indifferent to her admission. But she wasn't ready to turn back to see which emotion might be written on his face.
For his part, JT needed a moment. Though he didn't consider her confession a bad thing, it caught him off guard. He also appreciated the fact that during however long she had those feelings for him she hadn't pushed them onto him or tried to let it interfere in their friendship or in his relationship with Emma. So he wanted to reassure her and not say the wrong thing.
A thought soon came to him, but JT waited an additional moment to see if she'd turn back toward him. Once he realized she wasn't going to, though, he knew it was up to him to speak up.
"Mind if I ask you a question?"
"You don't have to," she replied. "I'll explain. Or try to."
Ellie slowly walked away from him, stopping at the filing cabinet near the door. She turned so that she was once again facing him, but she focused her eyes on the floor rather than looking him in the eyes.
"It was months ago," Ellie began. "Not any one particular moment. You're fun to be around, JT. Interesting to talk to, well beyond just our shared interests. You understand me, which isn't a common occurrence in my life. At some point I realized that it wouldn't be difficult at all to fall… But I never gave it serious consideration or truly thought about acting on the feeling. I have a lot of respect not only for you as my friend but also for your relationship. Sure, at the time I didn't think Emma fully appreciated you, but I still respected the relationship.
"Maybe I should have said something to you then, for the sake of total honesty. But I don't want you to think I've been lying or being secretive all this time. I put those thoughts away, and I've never allowed any of it to affect our friendship."
"I'm glad you told me," JT said after she was done. "But it didn't answer the question I had in mind."
"Oh. What was it you wanted to ask?"
"Was I the guy?" he asked simply.
"The guy?"
"A few months ago we were sitting in here one night. I was telling you about how Emma and I had worked everything out after our fights about me buying this place. Then I asked how things were going in your own social life. You mentioned there was a guy, but that there was no way anything could happen and so you weren't going to do anything. I remember you tried to downplay it, saying it wasn't like you felt a special connection to him. But your voice wasn't so convincing about that."
"Yeah," Ellie quietly confirmed. "You were that guy. I was vague enough so that I was sure you wouldn't know what I meant. And at the same time I was able to declare out loud – if only for my own benefit - that I would never try to make anything more out of what was just…one of those unplanned thoughts that's never meant to become a reality."
"I had wondered about that conversation," JT recalled. "Was almost sure it sounded like you meant me."
"I'm sorry," she offered.
"Don't be," JT was quick to respond. "I didn't know for sure, so I never mentioned it. Hadn't thought about it again until now. After all, if I'd been wrong, it would have seemed like I had a huge ego to just assume. I can't say I've ever had any of the same kind of curiosity. But I don't want you to take that in a bad way, because it's not you. You see, that goes for everyone who isn't Emma. When it comes to any of my not-so-platonic thoughts, whether rated 'PG' or right on up to 'No One Under 18 Admitted' levels, she's been it since months before we even got together."
Ellie understood and knew not to take his comment as a negative about her but as further proof of his confidence in his relationship with Emma. While very much relieved that her revelation hadn't resulted in bringing an end to their friendship, there was still one more factor that she knew had to be considered.
"Are you going to say anything about this conversation to Emma?" she asked. "I'll understand if you feel like you need to."
"There's nothing for me to tell her," JT replied. "After all, you didn't do anything but mention some thoughts you had awhile back that you were never going to act on. Anyway, I'm glad you've told me. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't flattering. It is. But the main thing is that you not feel bad about any of it. Which starts with you stopping with the 'stare a hole into my carpet' routine. It's okay to look up at me."
Ellie slowly looked up at her friend once again and was reassured to see that his face looked as calm and relaxed as his voice was sounding.
"Much better," JT remarked. "I know you're not going to agree right now, but you telling me all this shows exactly what a good friend you are. Which is just more of a reason why you'll soon be getting an invitation in the mail."
"JT…"
"Now that you know that those old feelings aren't going to be a problem, was there any other reason you don't think you belong in a church pew watching your buddy get hitched?"
"That was it," Ellie admitted.
"Then no excuses, Ms. Nash" he said in a lighter tone. "I want all my friends to be there. So just consider it the high price you have to pay for being associated with me."
"I've never figured out how you do that," Ellie said after she was done laughing at JT's last comment.
"What's that?"
"Make it so damn easy for people to feel at ease, even in uncomfortable situations," she elaborated.
"I could tell you, but then I'd have to lock you away in the secret dungeon I keep underneath this theater. Oops! I guess now it's not a secret anymore."
"Go ahead and send the invitation," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Like I wasn't going to…"
"And I'll consider attending," she noted sarcastically.
Just then, the production supervisor knocked on the open door, and JT motioned for the man to come on in.
"And that's my cue to leave," Ellie announced.
"See you later, Ellie. And thanks again for going in front of the camera. For everything."
She smiled, nodding her head.
"You're welcome, JT," Ellie then said. "Only next time I won't work for free."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. My asking price will be nothing less than a bottle of water and a bag of Doritos."
JT laughed.
"You stars with your huge demands," he jokingly complained. "No wonder mainstream films never come in under budget."
Leaving JT's office, Ellie sighed in relief. Things between the two of them were fine. She also told herself once again that she really could keep those old feelings out of the way.
'In that box. In the back of the closet. Never again to see the light of day. The way it has to be.'
An hour later found JT and Emma at his place sitting on the floor in front of the couch. A bowl of popcorn the only thing separating them as they put together a list of people each of them wanted to invite to their wedding.
"Interesting choice," Emma noted while writing down the initials for the pick JT had just made.
"Yeah, well once you've teamed up with someone to help a guinea pig give birth, you've got a bond with that person for life."
"I'll pull out one of the yearbooks this week and make sure we get Ms. H's name spelled correctly,"
"Good idea. Now…who is Zeke?"
"My boss's assistant," Emma reminded him. "He was a big help my first week, especially considering how frazzled I was because you had just gotten out of the hospital. You met him once when you went with me to drop some copy for a new pamphlet off at the office on our way to lunch."
"Oh, was that the guy who has two thumbs on one hand? Weirdest handshake I've ever had."
"No, that was Anthony. He's involved with distribution."
"Naturally," JT remarked sarcastically.
"I think we've got just about everybody," Emma then announced. "Doesn't take too long when we have a lot of the same people in mind. And there's still time if we think of any others over the next few days who slipped our minds."
"By the way," JT interjected, "I noticed that when I mentioned Ellie's name a few minutes ago, you just wrote it down and didn't say anything. Not that I'm complaining, but I just wanted to make sure you're okay with her being there."
"Would she have been on my Top 1000 list of possible invitees? Nope. But she's your friend. She was willing to be there for you during the worst time in your life. It wouldn't make sense for her not to also have the opportunity to be there during a far better time. Besides, the only person I'm going to notice that day is you."
"Have I mentioned how much I like the way you think?" JT asked.
"Probably, but don't let that stop you from saying it again whenever you feel the urge."
"Though I still don't know why you'd put Toby's name on the list," he added.
"I know you two lost touch," she began to explain. "And honestly, it's never really occurred to me to suggest ways we could all keep in regular contact. But the other day I came across a picture of you, me, Manny and Toby. We couldn't have been older than 13. I think it would be nice to have him come back here for the wedding."
"If you want him here, that's good enough for me," JT reasoned, despite his lack of enthusiasm for Toby's potential presence.
"Glad to hear it," Emma remarked. "All this compromise and being reasonable…do you think maybe we're overqualified for marriage?"
JT laughed.
"Well, there IS this thing I've heard of called 'make-up sex,' which actually doesn't have anything to do with putting make-up on each other. I guess it's called 'M.U.S.' for short. Anyway, I'm sure we'll be able to come up with little things to argue about sometimes after we're married. If only to get right to the M.U.S."
"Once again, JT, you prove to have a creative – not to mention mischievous – way of thinking. And once again, I love it."
"Good to know. And speaking of creative, I was reading this morning about this local club that has deaf karaoke on Tuesdays. I guess it would have to be people who are mostly deaf. If they were completely deaf, that would unusual. So, what do you say? Should we see about getting some of them for the reception?"
Emma rolled her eyes.
"And then sometimes," she commented, "you have an insane way of thinking."