Letting It All Out chapter 7
Tony came down the stairs, exhausted after another long evening trying to put Billy to bed. He knew the primary responsibility for Billy fell on him since he was his primary guardian, but at times like now he wished he had a partner to share in the exhaustion. Not any partner… Angela. Sure she was there for him, but it wasn't the same thing. She was off seeing Phantom of the Opera with Dr. Andy and he couldn't help but feel irritated, even though he had no reason to be upset when his initial actions started this whole thing with Kathleen. He was lost in his own thoughts as he sat on the sofa, completely missing Mona coming in from the kitchen.
"Hey Tony… anyone home?" she asked as she waved her hands in front of his face.
"Oh hey Mona. Sorry I'm just wiped out from putting the demon child to bed. Angela does a better job at it…" said Tony as he pulled absentmindedly at a string on his shirt.
"Like I said, who knows better than Angela how to bore a man in bed!" laughed Mona.
"Mona! It was funny the first time, but I'm over it! This is hard work taking care of him and we have to take him to school in the morning! Not all of us can go gallivanting around on a weekday no less…" started Tony as Mona interrupted.
"I wouldn't call going to see a Broadway show gallivanting around Tony. What it sounds like to me is that you miss Angela and maybe, just maybe you're jealous, hmm?" asked Mona.
"So what if I am? There's nothing I can do about it!" shouted Tony.
"Well that's where you are wrong bub! Talk to her Tony. I think you will find things with old what's his name are not all sunshine and rainbows and Broadway shows. She misses you too whether she's admitting it or not. She will be home soon… why don't you wait up for her?" asked Mona.
"I'm not going to do that! How desperate will that look Mona?" he asked.
"About as desperate as you look… you've caught a good look at yourself in the mirror recently Tony? Anyway… it's up to you… be miserable for the rest of your lives or do something about it before it's too late…" said Mona as she stood up and walked out the back door.
Tony was stuck in his own head, replaying Mona's words over and over again. He knew he had to take his mind off of things so he turned on the television. The final scenes of Casablanca came on. As Ingrid Bergman walked away from Humphrey Bogart's character on the foggy tarmac, Tony couldn't help but smile as he thought of his own Ingrid from so many years ago. An extra set of lips indeed, then and most certainly now. His mind wandered to the many kisses Anthony and Ingrid shared over the years, each one more passionate, more memorable than the last. He again was lost in his thoughts, this time more pleasant ones, when Angela walked in the door.
"Oh Tony! We keep meeting like this!" she laughed as she hung up her coat and walked into the living room and sat down next to him.
"How… how was Phantom?" he asked, his voice cracking, almost an octave higher than normal as he got himself and his hormones under control.
"It was nice! I love that show… I could see it over and over again but I'm exhausted. I don't know what I was thinking going out on a weekday! Tomorrow is going to come early!" she chuckled.
"It's a shame you weren't home tonight. Casablanca just finished… Ingrid…" he said with a smirk.
"Well Anthony… maybe it will be on this weekend when Ingrid is free…" she said with a seductive voice that caused Tony to audibly gulp.
"Anthony would be willing to rent it if it's not on… let's say Friday night?" asked Tony.
"Ingrid is free… it's a date then…" she said as she leaned over a placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.
"Well Angela is tired and turning in for the night. Big first day of school in the morning! Good night Tony!" she said as she got up off the sofa.
"Good night Angela… hey Angela, are you showering tonight or tomorrow morning?" he asked.
"I'm too tired now. I'll take one first thing in the morning. Why?" she asked.
"Oh just asking. I'll take one tonight instead. I didn't want to use up all the cold… I mean hot water on you…" he said as his voice again betrayed him. Angela just smiled at him and turned to head upstairs as Tony got up to lock up for the night.
Angela headed down to the kitchen the following night, the disastrous first day for Billy on her mind. She turned on the kitchen light and filled the tea kettle. She absentmindedly grabbed two mugs down from the cabinet, knowing the chances of Tony not being able to sleep and joining her were high. As soon as the kettle boiled, as if on cue, Tony walked through the kitchen door and sat at the table.
"Couldn't sleep either?" asked Angela as she placed his tea down in front of him.
"No… I just couldn't stop thinking about Billy. I was really hoping he'd have a great first day! I just want this transition into our family to be as smooth as possible!" said Tony.
"Oh Tony… he will be fine! I think you should go and speak to his teacher tomorrow morning and see what's going on. I'd go with you but I have an early client meeting I can't miss. He's going to be fine Tony! We just have to keep showing him lots of love and attention! He's going to blend into our family just fine Tony!" she said as she sipped her tea.
"I hope you're right Angela. If he's being bullied, that could really leave some permanent scars on him!" said Tony with some frustration in his voice.
"I know Tony. Remember… I know a thing or two about being bullied. That's why it's so important to nip this in the butt now while it's just starting so it doesn't become a problem down the line. If you want, we can schedule a meeting later this week with his teacher and I'll rearrange my schedule to be there" she said.
"That would be great Angela. You know… if I was around when you were younger, no one and I mean no one would have gotten away with bullying you… they'd have a permanent imprint of my fist on their faces!" said Tony as he took a sip of his tea.
"I'm sure you would have Tony! Although I doubt you would have given me the time of day later on in my teenage years but I appreciate the sentiment. You've always looked out for me Tony and that means more than I can ever express…" she said as she took his hand in her own.
"It's been my pleasure Angela but you don't need anyone looking out for you. You've got it together Angela.. in every way. And you're wrong… I would have stuck up for you each and every time" he said as he squeezed her hand back. They both continued to sip their tea in silence, words no longer needed to communicate between them.
The next day, Tony walked through the back door with Billy after the disastrous talk with his teacher. He still couldn't believe Billy was the problem, the aggressor… it was the last thing he expected when he walked into the classroom. The second thing he didn't expect or want to see was Andy in his kitchen wearing the ugliest racket ball outfit he had ever seen. He was happy when Andy headed into the other room, followed shortly by Billy, so he and Angela, and Mona, could talk in private.
Billy headed into the living room and sat down on the sofa, grabbing the remote and turning on some cartoons. Andy was still practicing his racket ball bouncing when he decided to sit down next to Billy.
"So Billy… I heard you are having some trouble at school. What's going on?" said Andy.
"I don't know… the kids wouldn't play with me so I hit them" said Billy.
"Well you're not going to make friends by hitting them" said Andy.
"Well you're not going to make friends with Tony if you keep kissing Angela. Only husbands can kiss their wives…" said Billy as he jumped off the sofa and ran into Angela's study.
Andy sat there speechless. He wasn't sure what he should say or do, when Jonathan came down the stairs.
"Hi Andy… how's it going?" asked Jonathan.
"It's ummm… it's going I guess… Can you let your mom know something came up and we will have to reschedule our racket ball game?" he asked as he headed out the door, not waiting for an answer.
Just then, Billy came racing back in with a yellow plastic baseball bat. The next thing Jonathan knew, he being it by Billy. As he watched his mom and Tony fawn over Billy, he couldn't help but wonder if Mona was right about Billy bringing them together and if he'd survive until it finally happened.
Later on while Tony and Angela were at the parenting class, Mona, Jonathan and Billy were sitting on the sofa watching television.
"Alright, I'm heading up to work on a research paper. You got Billy, Grandma?" asked Jonathan.
"Ed and I will be fine" said Mona as she turned on one of her own shows.
"It's Billy!" shouted Billy.
"You say potato…" said Mona. Jonathan rolled his eyes and headed upstairs.
"Mona, why does Andy kiss Angela? Shouldn't Tony do that? He's her husband right?" asked Billy very innocently.
"Why do you think they are married?" asked Mona, now actually focusing on Billy, not her show.
"Well they love each other. They live together and they go places together. Doesn't that mean they are married?" asked Billy.
"You know what Ed, you're a pretty smart kid you know that? Smarter than Tony and Angela, who I can only imagine are going to come home from that stupid parenting class with even more ways to be overbearing and drive you nuts kid!" laughed Mona.
"I know… can I go play with my toys in my room?" asked Billy.
"Sure. They should be back soon and then you're their problem… I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything…" said Mona as Billy ran up the stairs.
Later that night after Billy had finally been tucked into bed and fallen asleep, Angela and Tony tiptoed out of his room and downstairs. They both collapsed on the sofa, the day's events finally catching up with both of them.
"What a day Tony! I don't think anyone would have to pay me a dollar to go to sleep right here on this sofa!" she laughed.
"I know what you mean Angela. I'll be lucky if I make it up the stairs later! How about we see what's playing on television?" he asked.
"Sure! Sounds good! Hopefully it's something old and in black and white!" she said as she moved slightly closer to Tony. He reached for the remote and inadvertently ended up only inches from her. He slowly turned to her and met her eyes in a loving glance.
"You know Angela… I'm really sorry about you and Andy. Hopefully things will calm down around here in the next few weeks and you… you can see him again…" he said with sadness in his voice.
"You know Tony… as we were putting him down to sleep tonight, just you, me and Billy… I couldn't help but feel like this was where I am supposed to be. Andy is nice… he's successful, he's good looking but… I just don't love him…" she said as she continued to hold his gaze in her own.
"And love's important…" he said as his hand reached up to her face and gently caressed her cheek. Before either one of them could stop themselves, they leaned forward and once again their lips met each others in a passionate kiss. This time, they allowed themselves the chance to enjoy what they so desperately had wanted for so long. One kiss turn into another and into yet another until they lost all track of time. They were so engrossed in one another, they were completely unaware of the red head poking her head through the kitchen door, a very satisfied smile on her face.
The next day, after Tony fell asleep on the sofa to the sounds of Brooklyn, Samantha quietly headed into the kitchen to grab a snack before heading back to the dorms. As she entered the kitchen, she saw Mona and Jonathan sitting at the table.
"What's going on guys?" asked Samantha as she grabbed herself an apple from the bowl and sat down at the table.
"Guess who is history?" said Mona with a very satisfied smile on her face.
"What? Andy? Angela broke up with him? When? How?" asked Samantha.
"Well I don't know the details yet… I still need to corner Angela, but I know she sent him packing last night at some point after they got home from the parenting class. I'm guessing she again forgot about some lame brain outing he had planned and it went downhill from there. Now I was just getting to the good parts with Jonathan here so now I will continue. I came back in to get a snack last night and heard the television on. I figured I'd go and join whoever was sitting there, you know kill some time before my date. Guess what I saw when I started to walk in?" asked Mona.
"No idea Grandma… just spill it!" said Jonathan.
"Yeah Mona c'mon!" said Samantha.
"Tony and Angela full on making out on the sofa! There was some definite tonsil hockey going on there! Just when I'm convinced the hospital gave me the wrong baby, Angela goes and does something to renew my faith in our medical system…" said Mona.
"Eww gross Grandma!" said Jonathan with a disgusted look on his face.
"While I'm in agreement with the dweeb that the thought of them making out or doing more is gross, this is awesome news! Not that I ever doubted you Mona, but your plan took longer than I thought it would to get them both to come to their senses!" laughed Samantha.
"Well they are not together yet, but if what I saw last night was any indication, I doubt they will take another six almost seven years to get together. I think a toast is in order! Here's to Tony and Angela starting to figure out what we have all known since practically day one… they are truly made for each other because who else would put up with either one of them?" laughed Mona as the three of them doubled over laughing.
A year later...
As the reporters hovered around Tony and Angela, Mona, Samantha and Jonathan headed over to the side of the lake, still in shock at the sight of the Jaguar in the water. All they could do was shake their heads at the sheer stupidity of Tony and Angela's decisions that night.
"I wonder how much Georgio's Auto Boutique will charge to fix it…" said Mona as she looked at how much water damage there was done to the car.
"These two are unbelievable sometimes! Seven years to get together and then they want to hide it? From us? The three people who have been their biggest cheerleaders and not to mention co-conspirators in getting them together all these years!" laughed Samantha.
"And what do we get for our hard work and dedication? Being kept in the dark and lied to! If I weren't so happy for them I'd be really upset right now!" said Mona.
"It really did take them long enough! I thought for sure last year once Andy was out of the picture they'd have gotten together in no time! Especially when they came back from
The Starlight Lounge and spent the rest of the night dancing together in the living room. That music was on most of the night!" laughed Jonathan.
"I think we all thought something was going to happen after that night but there's no use in dwelling on that when we are finally in the here and now, able to enjoy the fruits of our labor! I think it's high time we let it all out and let them in on our scheme don't you think?" asked Mona.
"Absolutely!" said Jonathan and Samantha together as they walked back over to Tony and Angela, knowing this was only the beginning of their brand new lives.
The end!