Author's Note: About fourteen months ago, Bianca Foley arrived in my life and now, after thirty six installments
and nearly a thousand pages, I think I have finally reached the end of this amazing girl's story.
It's the big day for Ed and Rose and Bebe is the maid of honor. Fantasy carriage rides and a
wedding in the Disney Wedding Pavilion as well as a serious conversation with mom, it's a very
busy weekend for Bebe.
I may be AWOL for a little while so I can work on some other things, try to come up with some new
ideas, and get over saying goodbye to Bebe. Thank you, everyone for all of your support throughout
this long story! I couldn't have done it without you!
As always, I live for your comments and critiques! ~Clara
This version of Bebe: A Disney Wedding - Day 2 / Epilogue has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.
Day 2
"Familiarity breeds contempt - and children."
~ Mark Twain.
"Hey, Siri," Nancy spoke to her phone, "what is today's weather going to be like?"
"The weather in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, today, calls for clear skies and sunshine with a low of fifty-six degrees and a high of seventy-seven degrees."
"Sounds just about perfect." She smiled at Bebe, both in their prettiest undies as they nibbled some toast and sipped tea. Their dresses were upstairs in The Bridal Suite with Rose. In fifteen minutes, they'd don their robes and head up to help Rose and then Mia, Sofia and Cora get ready for the big day. It was 6:08am and the sun was not yet up, but they needed to be ready so that they could be taken by horse drawn carriage, Cinderella's carriage, in fact, to Magic Kingdom to take wedding party pictures before 'rope drop,' the Disney World Term for opening the park for the day.
"Do think that you and Bruce will get married at some point?" Bebe asked, a smile playing of her face.
Nancy shrugged and considered that. "I don't know, Beebs. We've only been dating a couple of months. I mean, I like him... I like him a lot... I'm pretty sure that I actually love him, which would be a first for me, but I'm not sure that I'd be a great mom for Cora."
"Why?"
"Well... Bruce and I both work long hours and... I don't know... I never thought of myself as 'mom material.' Cora is the first child I ever dealt with, other than you, of course, but we were both children, then."
"And you don't like being with Cora?"
"Oh, no, no, I LOVE being with Cora, but she is different with me than she is with Bruce, or even you. She smiles and hugs me and all, but she worships you. How did you get so good with kids?"
Bebe thought about that. "I don't know. When I was a camp councilor at that YMCA camp for a summer, I had a good time with the kids, but... When I started taking hormones and thinking about living life as a woman... I guess that kids just seemed like a logical part of that life and I began wanting to take care of them. Whenever I could, I started holding Ella's little brother and playing with him and any other babies I could get my hands on. It's like I crave them. I love being 'the big girl' when I'm with Sofia or Mia, and It's like I'm addicted to Cora."
"Do you want to be a mom?"
"Oh... more than anything. I mean, I'm not stupid, I know that I can't 'HAVE' a child, like give birth, but I want a family, Nan. Little dresses and glitter and tiaras..."
Nancy smiled. She never in a million years would have thought a conversation like this would happen with her younger sibling. "No boys?"
"Oh, of course, boys. Little ball caps and bow ties... I'll take a dozen of each, thank you."
"Two dozen, kids!? You'd better get a grip, there, Bebe. One or two will be a lot to handle. Don't go crazy."
Bebe laughed. "I'm just fantasizing."
"Yeah, well, I know you. Fantasies become obsessions for you. Make sure that you keep some perspective. Even Angelina Jolie doesn't have twenty four kids. And I suppose that Blaine would be the father of this brood?"
Bebe sat and nodded. "Of course. Can I be honest about something, Nan?"
"Of course, sweetheart."
"I know that I've been obsessed with Blaine for a long time, and recently, my therapist asked me to evaluate our relationship. She gave me a sheet and had me write down the good things and the bad. I spent an entire, two hour session doing it and, when I was done, the whole left side was filled with good things and the only thing I'd written on the right side was, 'He makes me scared to lose him.' She thinks I'm emotionally dependent on him. Do you?"
Nancy exhaled and shook her head. "Wow, Bebe. I don't know exactly how to respond to that. I mean, and I'm just being honest, you've always be pretty dependent on Ed, even before he was your caretaker, and once Rose came on the scene, you became attached to her, too. I think that emotional dependence is a big part of your personality, BUT - you always pick great people to attach yourself to. So, yeah, I do think that you're emotionally dependent on Blaine, but I can't imagine a better guy for you, so what difference does it make?"
The bridal suite smelled of singed hair and hairspray when Bebe and Nancy arrived. Meg, the hair and makeup coordinator from 'Civil Disobedience,' was not only a guest at the wedding, but she was on the job this morning. "Hi!" Bebe called from the doorway. "Rose?"
"We're in the bedroom," Meg called out. "The bride can't speak. I'm doing her lips."
When they entered the bedroom, they found Mia and Sophia sitting on the bed, their mouths open, just like Rose's, watching the process of creating a bridal-princess intently.
"She's got a few more coats to go," Meg said without looking up. When she finished Rose's lips, she grabbed a tube of very pale pink lip gloss and applied it to each of the little girls' lips. Both Nancy and Bebe knew that the application of the lip gloss was a simple procedure and didn't need this much attention, but it was sweet that Meg had made them feel like they were a part of the preparations.
Rose's hair was done both high on her head as well as down her back. She had a lot of hair, but some of this had to be extensions or just additional pieces, but they all matched her own hair, perfectly.
"Oh, Rose," Bebe gushed. "Your hair... you look incredible."
"Anks," Rose uttered without moving her lips.
"Oh, but Meg," Bebe teased, looking at Oscar's girls, "I think you messed up. The bride is supposed to be the most beautiful girl at the wedding and look at these two! They're gorgeous!"
The little girls grunted their 'anks' as well, keeping their lips still, just like Rose, and they both giggled.
Nancy watched Bebe's natural interaction with the children and smiled. She'd make a great mother. No doubt about it.
"Maybe I should go get Cora," Nancy said. "I'll text Bruce and see if he's bringing her up."
"I have a plan for you, two, as well," Meg smiled at Bebe and Nancy. "Nancy, I'm going to do yours in the same kid of bob that you usually wear, but add a little texture to it, if you don't mind."
"Sure," Nancy said as she completed the text. When Rose had asked Nancy to be a bridesmaid, Nancy was both surprised and flattered. When she found out that her participation would also require her to submit to Meg's skills, she was a bit less enthusiastic, but Meg had done a nice job on her for The Emmy Awards, so she hoped that she wouldn't go nuts on her today.
"Bebe, I'm going to do something a little more elaborate for you, but still comfortable and easy to wear. Could you plug in my hot-curlers, please?"
As Bebe did that, Nancy read the reply to her text. "Oh, they're on the elevator right now."
"Cool!" Bebe shouted as she ran out of the bedroom and out of the bridal suite.
"What's that all about?" Meg asked.
Nancy shrugged. "Who knows."
When the elevator door opened, Bruce and Cora were greeted with the sight of Bebe standing at the end of the hall, her arms swinging wide. "Cora!" She shouted with greatly exaggerated enthusiasm.
Cora let go of her father's hand and ran as fast as she could to her favorite person in the world, giggling all the way. She let out an ecstatic shriek as Bebe caught her and swung her in a circle, hugging her tightly.
"I missed you, so much," Bebe laughed as she kissed Cora's head, the fits of giggling continuing.
"You know," Bruce sighed, "before she met you, I never would have seen my daughter running full blast through a hotel hallway."
"Oh, it's good for her." Bebe grinned as she swooped the child around in her arms.
"Bebe," Bruce smiled, "she used to have manners. She very impetuous when she's around you."
"And I'm impetuous when I'm around her," she smiled at Nancy's handsome boyfriend. "You've got a great little girl, Bruce, and I love her to death. If I'm really being a bad influence, just say so."
He looked at his daughter, so happy in Bebe's arms, and shook his head. "That's ok, Bebe. She's happy when she's with you and that means a lot." Suddenly, he looked away, looking a little embarrassed. "Umm... your robe, Bebe..."
She looked down and realized that, while playing with Cora, her robe had come untied and her bra and panties were exposed. "Oops," she laughed, pulling it closed. "I didn't mean to flash you, but you were in the operating room when I had surgery, so, you've definitely seen worse."
"Yeah, but that's different. That was a professional situation and I wasn't dating your big sister at the time."
Bebe smiled at his discomfort. She'd never made someone blush like that before. "Sorry."
Bruce kissed Cora's cheek, "Now, you be a good girl for Bebe and I'll see you at the wedding, ok?"
"Ok, daddy," she smiled and hugged Bebe tightly.
Then he kissed Bebe's cheek and said, "Goodbye," leaving Bebe shocked that Bruce had just kissed her.
When she brought Cora into the bedroom, Nancy said 'hi' to the child, then looked at Bebe. "Everything ok?"
"Yeah, fine," she smiled, "except your boyfriend just kissed me goodbye."
"Really!?" Nancy laughed. "Lips?"
"Cheek, but I was surprised anyway."
"Well," Nancy laughed, "I guess it's all in the family. I'll give Blaine a kiss, later."
The next few hours were a blur of hairspray and lingerie. They dressed the girls, first. Their little dresses were white, sleeveless confections with scoop necks, plain tops that ended in wide red sashes with little splashes of mistletoe scattered around them. The girls wore petticoatslips that were wide and feminine, but the dresses also had petticoats sewn in, so the result was a wide expanse of feminine fluff.
"Thank you for including Cora," Nancy whispered to Rose. "She's so happy to be a part of this. I know she wasn't part of your original plan."
Rose smiled. "My pleasure, but, to tell you the God's honest truth, I never really planned on having Oscar's girls involved. It was all Bebe's idea. I said we were getting married and, suddenly, I had flower girls. When you started dating Bruce and we met Cora, how could we not include her?"
"I have something for each of you," Bebe told the children as she produced three, small boxes from the pocket of her robe.
When they opened the little gifts, the girls all let out a quiet, "Whoa."
Each contained a delicate, gold necklace with a small, gold Mickey Mouse hanging on it. Bebe helped each put their's on then fussed over each, telling each how beautiful she looked.
Nancy was the first to get her gown on. Her's was a tribute to the clothing of Princess Jasmine. As she always preferred, it was simple, but elegant. It was a deep green gown, sleeveless, with a plunging neckline. The halter top was resplendent with green beads of various sizes, while the skirt was comprised of layer after layer of sheer, green material that flowed around her legs, elegantly. Meg had given Nancy's hair wonderful fullness and done her makeup to be enhanced by the green of the gown. It all worked together in such a way as to make Nancy's already beautiful body, breathtaking.
Once Bebe had helped Nancy into her dress, Nancy turned to help her.
Bebe's dress was a tribute to Belle's ball gown. It was an off-the shoulder gown made from soft, deep red material. The bodice fit tightly and cuddled her breasts over her strapless bra. It narrowed to a triangular waist, then spread wide in a bell shaped skirt that kept its shape with the largest petticoat any of the women had ever seen. When the dress was all in place, Bebe's feet were in the center of a circle of soft, noisy fabric, eight feet around. It was all that she could do to get her feet into her three inch sandals.
Finally, Nancy and Bebe turned to Rose to help her into her gown. It was a masterpiece of fashion design, based on Cinderella's gown, but fit for a bride. Spaghetti straps supported the white bodice, that scooped low and exposed her perfect cleavage and supported dozens of diamond shaped crystals. It stretched gorgeously around Rose's slender, athletic chest, showcasing the perfect breasts beneath. The high waist domed out in layer after layer of sheer fabric, similar to Nancy's dress, but was supported by wide and voluptuous petticoats, similar to Bebe's. The outer layer of the skirt was also adorned with crystals and there was a Christmas-red fringe exposed at the bottom of the elegant creation.
The style combined elements of both Bebe and Nancy's gowns, was in perfect harmony with the idea of the traditional bride's gown and made Rose sparkle like the star that she was. She was beautiful, gorgeous, unique, precious and startling.
The little girls were mesmerized by the beauty of the women's dresses, especially Rose's, and when each of them, girls and women alike, all had tiaras made of Swarovski Crystals pinned into their hair, each of them felt like real royalty.
Then came a knock on the door. Bebe opened it to find a man dressed in an elaborate costume. A powdered wig with horizontal curls on the sides, a gold tail-coat, long, gold vest, gold knickers, white tights and wearing pattern leather shoes.
"Milady," the man bowed, "I am your coachman and I am here to escort the bridal party to their coach."
Bebe curtsied, a skill she'd mastered in 'The Taming of the Shrew.' It had become such a habit that she'd had to work hard to not curtsy when spoken to after the show closed. This time, though, with the elegant gown and elaborately dressed gentleman and the magical atmosphere, it not only felt right, it was fun.
"Just a moment, kind sir," Bebe spoke in her posh, Bianca accent, "and I shall gather my mistress and her retinue and we shall depart with thee, anon."
The 'cast member' smiled, happy to have such a cooperative guest. "I shall be waiting, milady."
Bebe held up the hem of her skirt so she could walk, then said, in her same Bianca accent, to the women and girls, "Our escort has arrived, mistresses. Shall we depart?"
Rose was amused and used a much more pretentious accent when she replied, "Yes, let's shall."
Each woman took the hand of a little girl as they headed to the hallway and each felt more special than they'd ever felt before.
Despite their attempts to keep the date of the wedding a secret and keep low profiles while at the parks, they caused quite a stir in the lobby of The Grand Floridian. Any bridal party would have, of course, but the opulence of the dresses caught the attention of everyone in the lobby. Then, as recognition kicked in, they stopped for a good number of photos until Disney handlers moved them along. Even Nancy enjoyed the attention.
"You're not nervous, are you?" Don patted Ed's shoulder.
"Me? Naw. I love Rosie and she loves me. Why would I be nervous?" Ed shrugged.
"Because there's enough food to feed a small village in Bangladesh on your plate, but I don't think you've eaten a bite."
Ed looked at his plate. "Oh, yeah." He shrugged. "I'm not nervous, really. I'm just not hungry. Anyone want some of this?"
Don, Oscar and Blaine all shook their heads and patted their very full bellies.
"I guess," Ed explained, "that I'm not really worried about being with Rosie, it's just that I'm a little freaked out by the idea of actually being married. I mean, I was fine with it before, but now that the day is here... I'm kinda freaked out by it."
Don and Oscar laughed at that, but Blaine shrugged. "I can't wait to married," he said a bit shyly.
"Really?" Oscar laughed. "You just want to settle down? No wild oats to sew or anything?"
He shrugged again. "I don't know... I mean, I'm happier when I'm with Bebe than when I'm not... so why not just get married?"
"So, Bebe's the one, then?" Don asked, his arm around the boy's shoulder.
"Yeah."
"No question about that?"
"No. None. I want to be with Bebe, you know, forever."
Oscar reached over and slapped Blaine on the back. "Atta boy. Know what you want and go get it."
Blaine blushed a little.
"But not for a good long while, yet, though," Ed smirked. "Finish high school, then college, then get a good job, then get married. Ok? Maybe when you're, like, twenty-five or so, get married."
Blaine nodded. "Ok."
"So, Don," Oscar smiled, "what college did you graduate from?"
Don smiled back. "I didn't graduate, Oscar as you well know. Two years at Juilliard, but I did not graduate. I got a part in a movie and one thing led to another, so... I never finished."
"And you're married, right?"
Don smiled and nodded.
"And you, Ed?" Oscar was enjoying this. "You graduated from what college, now?"
Ed looked from Oscar to Blaine and back. "Two years at Wentworth, but then things changed."
"No diploma?" Oscar teased.
"No."
"But you're getting married, today. Hmm."
Don and Ed smirked at Oscar as Oscar went on, "And you, Oscar?" Oscar interviewed himself. "Oh, I graduated from Pasadena City College with an associate's degree in Communication Sciences - graduated second in my class, as a matter of fact. Oh, that's wonderful Oscar and are you married? Nope, not at the moment - married once at nineteen and a second time at twenty six. Both ended in divorce. And do you have a good job, Oscar? Not bad, actually. I bring in about eighty-five grand a year, but with two girls and an elderly mother to care for, that doesn't go very far. So, yeah," he smiled at Blaine, "make sure you get that degree and a good job before you get married."
The table sat silent for a moment, until Oscar asked Ed, "And exactly how old are you, Mr MacNeal? Twenty-five or so?"
Ed started at Oscar for a good ten seconds before turning his gaze to Blaine. "We will discuss this at another, more private, time, but DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PROPOSE TO MY NIECE TODAY. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"
Blaine smiled and sipped his grapefruit juice. "Got it."
The little girls stared out the carriage windows in amazement as the replica of Cinderella's carriage drove bumpily through a nearly deserted Magic Kingdom. Word had gotten out that the bride involved in today's photoshoot was Rose Menard from 'Civil Disobedience' and that Bebe Foley would be there, too, so there were quite a few 'cast members' reporting to duty well ahead of schedule, and oddly, many of them had their phones with them.
Nancy disembarked from the carriage and when the 'cast members' caught sight of her exotic gown, there was an audible gasp from the onlookers. There were 'awws' when the saw the little girls in their charming little outfits, and when the coachmen helped Bebe down, there was applause, probably more for the dress than the fact that Bebe Foley was there.
But when Rose stepped out, the onlookers nearly cried at the bridal beauty of the woman and the dress. She was, truly, a sight to behold.
Bebe and Rose waved to the small crowd of employees that had gathered.
"Wave to them," Bebe told the girls. "You're princesses."
The girls smiled and waved and loved the reaction.
"Come on, Nan," Bebe scolded. "You're a Princess, too. Wave."
Nancy's first reaction was to retain her professional demeanor and just smile, but then she looked at the little girls, particularly Cora, and she knew that this was an opportunity to show Cora that her father's girlfriend was not a stick-in-the-mud. So, Nancy joined in the waving and found that it was quite a nice thing to do - especially when Cora grinned at her.
"Everyone just stay there and let us take some pictures!" Bebe called to the assembling crowd. "After we're done with our pictures, we'll take one with all of you in it."
"Umm, Ms Foley," one of the footmen said, nervously, "I don't think we're allowed to do that."
"Oh, I understand," Bebe smiled. "You aren't, but I am. Don't worry about it. You won't get into trouble."
The young man rolled his eyes. "Ok..."
The photographer had done these shots hundreds of times before, although he typically did them with less auspicious clients. He set up each shot quickly and and executed each one without fanfare, but kept things personal and fun.
When all the pictures were taken, the photographer thanked them, but Bebe stopped him from leaving. "Could we put all those people on the steps of the castle, so we can stand in front of them and take a picture?"
"Umm..." now it was the photographer's opportunity to be concerned. "Actually, Miss, we're not supposed to do anything like that. We're just supposed to take the pictures you chose and get you back to the Grand Floridian. It's only a half an hour to rope-drop and they all have jobs to do."
"I see," Bebe smiled. "Well, if they have jobs to do, then let's get this done quickly so that they can get back to their own jobs." She raised the hem of her skirts and headed towards the crowd to tell them how to organize themselves.
"Yes, but... Miss...." The photographer tried to stop her.
Rose laid her hand on the photographer's shoulder. "She's going to do this, regardless of what anyone does to try to stop her, so there's no point in arguing about it." Rose smiled, then took the hands of both of Oscar's girls, Nancy took Cora's, and they walked toward the castle steps to be ready for Bebe.
The man shook his head and shrugged.
"Hi, everyone!" Bebe called to the crowd, which had grown to at least two hundred people at this point. "As you have probably figured out, Rose is getting married to my Uncle Ed, today." The crowd cheered, but quieted quickly so they could hear Bebe continue. "We'd love to take an individual selfie with each and every one of you, but that's not possible. So, if you'll all just put your phones and cameras away, we'd love it if you could all move quickly and carefully onto the stairs of the castle and we'll have the photographer take one picture of all of us. Just follow me on Instagram and I'll post it there so you can capture it for yourself. Do you guys want to do that?"
They all cheered, then moved quickly towards the stairs.
"She's a born actress," Nancy laughed, marveling at her younger sibling's ability to be charming and friendly as she and the other people moved towards the stairs.
"No," Rose shook her head, "she's a born superstar."
At nine thirty that morning, Rose and her party were waiting in the bride's room at the Disney Wedding Pavilion, while Oscar and Blaine greeted guests and guided them to their seats.
"You look very handsome, honey," Joanne kissed Blaine's cheek, then unconsciously fussed with his black bow tie.
"Thanks, mom," he smiled.
"Oh, this is just breathtaking!" Joanne looked about the Disney Wedding Pavilion Chapel in awe. The light colored, hard wood floor led to an alter with a ten foot, arched window behind it and through the window, Cinderella's Castle, which resided at Magic Kingdom, just across the lake, was perfectly framed. The white pews and silver-grey walls led upward to a white ceiling, arched, and the whole room spoke of a feminine dream of a wedding.
"The whole place is just beautiful, don't you think?" She asked Blaine.
Blaine looked around, impressed, certainly, but not as deeply affected as his mother. "Sure. Yeah, I guess. Umm, mom, Mrs Foley said she wanted to talk to you when you got here."
"Oh?" She looked around. "Where is she?"
"She's in the 'Groom's Room' waiting. Ed and Don are already in the room down front with the priest."
"Ok," she smiled and walked away, but the smile faded quickly as she wondered what this woman could possibly want to talk to her about just minutes before a wedding. Was she really that self centered, or was it really important?
She knocked on the door to 'The Groom's Room.' "Hello? Marilyn? It's me, Joanne."
The door opened and Marilyn looked lovely in a lavender dress. "Hi, Joanne," she smiled, then hugged Joanne as she ushered her into the room. "I'm sorry to have this conversation right now, Joanne, but I'm afraid that we won't have another opportunity." Marilyn offered Joanne one end of the couch and she sat on the other. "May I ask you a question that has been bothering me all night?"
"Ok," Joanne replied, hoping that this didn't turn into a 'big thing.'
"Well... let me start by just saying that I'm only trying to get my head around everything that has happened out in California since John moved away."
"Bebe."
"Oh... I'm sorry, force of habit. Bebe."
"Ok."
"So," Marilyn took a deep breath, "when Nancy and I flew out for the premier of the show, John... sorry... Bebe told me that Blaine didn't know... well about John, I guess is one way to put it."
Marilyn thought for a moment. "That's probably correct. Why?"
"Well, may I ask when Blaine did find out."
Joanne sighed and thought. "Oh, my... well... huh, you'd think that I would have that date burned into my head, but I'm really not sure. It wasn't all that much later, I'm sure of that. Why?"
Marilyn nodded. "And how did Blaine handle that?"
"Oh, well, of course, I wasn't there when the conversation took place, but when he got home... well. He was crushed. He was angry and, to tell you the truth, he really couldn't believe it."
"And you?"
Joanne thought about this for a moment. "Well... for some reason, I wasn't all that surprised. I mean, I really liked Bebe, right from the moment that I met her, but at first she wasn't very comfortable with herself. It's as if her friends, Ella and MK, were pushing her into being the kind of girl that they were and she was almost... frightened, I guess. I definitely felt that, at times, I was 'teaching' her about things that any girl should already know. When I found out that she was not born a girl, well, that kind of explained a lot."
"I see. Were you shocked, though?"
"Oh, I don't think that 'shocked' is the right word, exactly. Why?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, every time I see her... I am shocked. I can't believe that this is the little boy that I raised and I'm really trying to wrap my head around it. It's not easy, Joanne. It's a lot harder than everyone else seems to think."
Joanne nodded and considered that. Yes, it had to be hard, especially when you don't see the development - just the results, and having those results broadcast on network TV every week, too...
"Did Blaine and Bebe break up?" Marilyn obviously had been thinking a lot about how things must have gone.
"Oh, sure."
"For how long?"
"Oh... a couple of hours, I guess."
"A COUPLE OF HOURS!?" Marilyn was shocked. "Blaine found out that his girlfriend was a boy and they only broke up for A COUPLE OF HOURS!?"
"Yes," Joanne was calm and smiled. "Marilyn, Bebe told Blaine against the wishes of Ed and Rose. She put herself on the line to do the right thing. That's what she always seems to be doing. You raised her very, very well. When Blaine came home, he was devastated, and, of course, I was surprised, but, as I said, it did make a bit more sense to me."
Joanne continued, "After Blaine slammed his bedroom door, my first inclination was to let him be, but... before Bebe, there was a gap between Blaine and me and I didn't want that to happen again, so... I did what Bebe would do - I did the right thing. I comforted my son and I asked him how he felt about Bebe before she told him her secret. He told me he loved her and that's why it hurt so bad."
"I bet it did," Marilyn shook her head in sympathy.
"Then I asked him how he felt about her after she told him, and he said he hated her."
Marilyn nodded. That made sense to her.
"So, then I asked him what exactly had changed."
Joanne waited until Marilyn answered that question. "She told him the truth."
"Exactly. She told him the truth. So, I asked him if Bebe would be a better person if she hadn't told him the truth. He struggled with that, but eventually conceded that she was a better person for having told him the truth, so the real problem wasn't that Bebe had once been a boy, the problem was that Blaine couldn't handle the truth."
Marilyn's eyes were moist, but she was determined not to cry.
"As we spoke, Blaine finally reached the realization that he had been much happier with Bebe than he had been without her and that he was hating her because she had actually done the right thing and told him the truth. He asked me what he should do, and I couldn't answer that for him. He was quiet for awhile and just thought things through while we held hands. Honestly, Marilyn, those five or ten minutes were the most painful and, ultimately, the most wonderful minutes of my life. I felt more connected to my son than I'd ever felt in my life."
Marilyn couldn't help let a tear fall, now.
"Finally, Blaine asked me, 'Mom... if I love Bebe... does that make me gay?'"
"Well, it would have, wouldn't it?" Marilyn asked sincerely.
"Marilyn... the fact that I love a man doesn't make me better than a woman who loves a woman, so why label ourselves? I told him that it just made him someone who loved Bebe, unless he chose to view himself some other way."
Marilyn just nodded.
"He stood up and he said that he did love Bebe and that he wanted to be with her, so I drove him back to Ed and Rose's and I never heard him mention Bebe's sex until Bebe announced her surgery, but that's another story."
Marilyn dabbed her eyes, careful to not mess up her makeup. "So... I'm the only one who is having a problem with all of this, then. Joe keeps telling me to just leave it alone, but, Joanne... it's so strange to think of your son cutting off his penis. I just wonder if I should have done something to stop him."
"To what end, Marilyn? To leave him a sterile man who probably would have developed breasts at some point, anyway? Marilyn, I never knew John, but... honey, Bebe is the most lovely young woman I have ever met. Maybe you didn't think that you were raising a daughter, but somehow you did and she is amazing. I am truly sorry that you lost your little boy, Marilyn, but... if you can accept your daughter for who she is, you'll be very proud of her. I promise."
Marilyn stood and sniffled back her tears. "Thank you, Joanne. I can't tell you how much you have helped me."
Joanne stood, too, and hugged Marilyn. "I'm glad. Are you going to be ok?"
She nodded and sniffed again. "I'm going to be fine."
"Here we go, big guy," Don said quietly into Ed's ear as Pachelbel's 'Canon in D' was played on the organ, but Ed's attention was focused on trying to catch a glimpse of Rose. He knew that he'd feel better as soon as he saw her.
First down the aisle was Nancy with Oscar escorting her. Ed was shocked at how beautiful she looked. Nancy was always 'pretty,' but she looked as beautiful as any actress Ed had met since arriving in LA. And she moved so beautifully. She was obviously growing more accustomed to being dressed up and in the public eye, but when he noticed that she gave Bruce a shy smile, Ed knew that there was a new sensuality in her life, now, too.
She was followed by Bebe accompanied by Blaine. The dress showed she had grown a lot in the last year. In fact, it showed so much shoulder that it made her look too much like a beautiful, grownup woman than Ed would have liked.
"Your little girl is growing up, Ed," Don whispered, aware that the younger man was shocked by his niece's gown up persona. "She's sixteen, now, but she's a good girl, Ed. Be proud of her."
Ed shot his friend a smirk. "She's growing up too fast," he chuckled quietly. "So's Blaine, and that's my concern."
Don laughed, but their attention returned to the aisle as everyone oohed as Sophia walked down with a silk pillow with two rings on it and she was followed by Mia and Cora who strewn rose petals in preparation for the bride's entrance.
Suddenly, the music changed to a 'Hornpipe' by George Frederick Handel and Ed's breathing ceased as his attention was riveted to the entrance. What if she had second thoughts? What if she suddenly realized how much better she could do than him? What if she just decided not to go through with it? What if...
But there she was. Breathtakingly beautiful. Her smile shining and her father looking nervous at her side.
Ed took his first breath in what seemed an eternity and his heart beat firmly in his chest.
Rose walked straight and elegantly down the aisle, smiling at the guests and, finally at Ed. How could life possibly be as wonderful as it had become? He didn't deserve any of it, especially not Rose, but thank God and fate that he had her. Rose. Rosie. God, she was gorgeous.
As they reached the front pew, Rose's father stopped, turned to his daughter and raised her veil. He placed a kiss on her cheek, then offered her hand to Ed, who stepped forward and took it with a big smile on his face.
"Take good care of her," Mr Menard whispered to Ed.
"I will," Ed whispered back, but his eyes never left Rose's eyes as he escorted her to the alter.
Bebe handed her small bouquet of roses to Nancy, then she bent at her knees and adjusted Rose's long, wide veil and train, adjusting it until it presented itself perfectly.
It was not a full Catholic Mass, but rather a twenty minute long service, throughout which, the bridal party did not sit.
Finally, the priest turned to Ed, "Edward, I believe that you have written your own vows."
Ed nodded and turned to face Rose. He spoke in a strong voice, "Rosie," she smiled, knowing that the members of her family in attendance would know how much she hated that name, "sometimes I look at you and I can't believe that I could ever be so lucky as to have met you, let alone have you in my life. I didn't know it, but before you, I didn't know how to be happy. I didn't know how to love someone else and I didn't know how to live. I will love you now and forever and I will be there with you in joy and in sadness, in good health and bad and I will be true to you all day, every day, from now until we are parted by death. And even then, I will find you and love you throughout all eternity. Thank you for asking me to be your husband and thank you for becoming my wife."
The priest smiled at him, then turned to Rose. "Rosemary?"
Rose smiled at the priest, then at Ed. "Ed, when I first met you, I thought you were a funny and goofy guy with the sweetest smile I'd ever seen. I watched how you took care of Bebe and, later, how you took care of me, and then, one day, out of the blue, I suddenly realized that I loved you. That I loved you like no else had ever loved anyone else before. You are my heartbeat, my breath, my light, my darkness, my waking, my sleeping, my everything. Ed, I will love you and be true to you every moment of everyday of my life."
"Edward and Rosemary, " the priest smiled, "do you take each other as your lawfully wedded spouses from this day forth and until death do you part?"
"We do," they responded.
"May I have the rings?" The priest asked.
Don stepped forward and motioned for Sofia to come to him. He untied the laces on the pillow, released the jewelry and held the rings in front of the priest to receive the blessing. The priest handed the smaller ring to Ed, who held the ring just above the tip of Rose's ring finger on her left hand.
"With this ring, I do thee wed," he smiled as he slide the ring onto her finger.
Rose repeated the process, placing the larger ring on Ed's left hand.
"I now pronounce you man and wife," the priest said, the window behind him framing Cinderella's castle across the lake at Magic Kingdom. "You may kiss the bride."
The hundred and fifty assembled friends and family stood and applauded as Mendelssohn's 'Wedding March' sounded from the organ and the couple kissed, then exited down the aisle.
They assembled a receiving line on the walkway that led back to The Grand Floridian, with Rose and Ed at the start, followed by Don, Bebe and Blaine, Nancy with Cora, and Oscar with Sofia and Mia. Many of the guests were mutual friends from the show, but there were also family members who wondered at the relationships between Ed and Bebe or Rose and Bebe.
"So, if Rose is your cousin," several people said to Bebe, "then we must be related somehow, too, right?"
"I would imagine so," Bebe replied with a big smile and a kiss on the cheek. "We'll have to figure that out." Then she'd move smoothly to the next guest.
"How come we never met you before," one of Ed's younger brothers asked. "I met John Foley, but never Bebe Foley. Are you guys related?"
"Yes," Bebe smiled, then looked to the next guest.
Maureen Weldon, the director of 'The Taming of The Shrew' suddenly was the next in line.
"Maureen!" Bebe shouted.
"Oh, Bebe, Bebe, Bebe! Look what you've become! I'm so proud of you!" She hugged Bebe hard, surprising her. Maureen had always been a bit cold and distant.
"Maureen, this is my boyfriend, Blaine. Blaine, Maureen is the director who cast me as Bianca."
Maureen smiled and shook Blaine's hand. She was surprised when Blaine said, "Well, I guess that I have a lot to thank you for, then."
Maureen smiled, glanced back at the smiling sixteen year old girl with the modest, but tastefully displayed cleavage and she smiled, then leaned back and whispered in Bebe's ear, "Would I be correct in assuming that you are one hundred percent female, now?"
"You would be," Bebe giggled.
"And are you happy?"
"Happier than I could ever have been before." Her smile was huge and sincere.
"I'm so happy for you, then," Maureen stood back and took in the vision of femininity in the elaborate red dress. "Oh, Bebe, you are a very lucky girl." Then she took Blaine's chin in her hand and shook his head from side to side. "And you are probably the luckiest boy on earth."
"And don't I know it!" Blaine laughed.
The guests boarded luxury bus coaches to be transported to The American Pavilion at Epcot for the reception. The rotunda of the hall, which had been built in beautiful tribute to the Georgian architecture of the rich colonists in The Virginia Colonies, was even more ornate than usual, with white buntings hung among the white columns beneath the vast, domed, white ceiling.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the 'cast member' costumed as a butler from the eighteenth century, with an elaborately embroidered long coat and a powdered wig called out, "pray thee cast your attention to entrance as we greet the wedding party. First, may I introduce the flower girls and ring bearers - Mistresses Sofia, Mia and Cora!"
The crowd applauded as the slightly confused little girls crossed the dance floor to the head table, where Joanne was waiting and waving them forward.
"Next, may I introduce the bridesmaid and groomsmen - Mistress Nancy, accompanied by Master Oscar and Master Blaine."
Again, the crowd applauded as Nancy entered with Oscar on her right arm and Blaine on her left. They, too, crossed the dance floor and took their places at the head table.
"Good sirs and madams, I give you the Best Man and the Maid of Honor - Master Donald Ferry and Mistress Bianca Foley."
The applause this time was huge. Don smiled and waved to the crowd as he escorted Bebe to the head table. Bebe waved, too, but when she caught sight of her mother and saw how she smiled at her, she waved a little harder and smiled even more broadly. The smile seemed oddly... accepting and loving.
"Pray thee, good sirs and madams, please stand as the bride and groom enter. For the first time, please welcome Mr Edward McNeal and his wife, Mrs Rosemary Menard-McNeal."
The crowd applauded and hooted and hollered as the handsome young husband and his beautiful young wife crossed the floor and stopped at the center of the dance floor.
"For the newlywed's first dance," the 'butler' called out, "the happy couple has chosen to dance to the song 'Beauty and the Beast.'" He nodded to the costumed conductor of the small orchestra that was set to the side of the room, and the familiar music began.
The singer was a 'cast member' as well and she sang the first verse, beautifully,
"Tale as old as time
True as it can be
Barely even friends
Then somebody bends
Unexpectedly..."
As the second verse began, the sound of the singer changed to a more pop oriented sound and then the sound of anothe band came from the other side of the room.
"Just a little change
Small to say the least..."
The people who had been watching the dancing, turned and saw Chrissie and the rest of the girls from Dusty Rose playing along with the small orchestra. When they recognized who was singing, they applauded, wildly, but Chrissie held up a hand to quiet them and keep the attention on the bride and groom.
"Both a little scared
Neither one prepared
Beauty and the Beast."
"At this time," the 'butler' called out, "would the rest of the wedding party join the bride and groom on the dance floor!?"
Blaine and Nancy came out onto the floor with Cora, who they held against Nancy while they danced. Oscar escorted Sofia, with whom he danced, while she struggled to follow his lead, and Don and Bebe had Mia with them. Bebe held Mia while Don embraced them both and led them through the dance.
"Ever just the same," the 'cast member' singer stepped forward with a wireless microphone in hand from one side of the room, while Chrissie did the same from the other. They met in the middle, near the edge of the dance floor and sang together, Chrissie taking the harmony where appropriate.
"Ever a surprise
Ever as before
Ever just as sure
As the sun will rise."
By now, the onlookers were wiping tears from their eyes. How perfect could a wedding be? The bride and her court dressed as princesses, the groom and his court looking sophisticated in their tuxedos, a beautiful orchestra playing a beautiful song and the most popular band in the world playing along. Add to that, the beautiful little girls being included in the dance and it was all just too beautiful to take in.
Finally, the song came to an end.
'Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the Beast.'
When the music had finished reverberating through the room, the guests applauded and the dancers began to leave the floor, until the tinkling of champagne glasses compelled the new couple to stop and kiss each other for the amusement of the guests.
"Those dance lessons definitely paid off," Don said to Bebe, as he pushed her seat in for her. "Even with your little friend clinging to you." He kissed her cheek.
"Thank you, Don," she smiled.
"You look amazing," Blaine said as he sat next to Bebe.
"So do you," she bit her lower lip as she looked him up and down. "You should always wear a tuxedo."
Blaine put his arm around her. "Will you dance with me when the party music starts?"
"There's music playing, now," Bebe said. The small orchestra was playing 'Fly Me To The Moon.'
"No. I mean when Dusty Rose is playing." He kissed Bebe's naked shoulder sending shivers through his girlfriend.
"Of course," she smiled as he kissed her, again, this time right at the spot where her shoulder met her neck.
Bebe leaned back a bit and kissed Blaine. His lips were soft and yielding and so were hers. "I can't believe how beautiful you look in that dress," Blaine kissed her again. "Like an Angel." Another kiss. "Or a Princess." One more kiss.
"Alright, you two," Nancy came up from behind them, "enough of that."
"Yeah," Cora said in her little voice, "enough of that." She maneuvered her way between the two of them and pulled herself onto Bebe's lap.
Blaine chuckled. "Oh, good. A chaperone."
"Well, it seems that you may need one," Nancy chided. "Besides, your friend is here." She indicated a man approaching from the dance floor. "You don't want pictures of the two of you playing tonsil-hockey on TMZ tonight, do you?"
"Nancy, Blaine, Bebe," the man said with a bit of his ever present anxiety in his voice.
"Mr. Meadows," Bebe smiled. "Are you enjoying yourself? I understand the bacon-wrapped-scallops are delicious."
"I don't care for scallops," he said, dismissively, "thanks. I would like to bring my photographer in, now, if that's ok, though."
Before Bebe could say that it was really Rose and Ed's call, Don reappeared and slapped the reporter too firmly on the shoulder. "Austen, my friend. What a coincidence. What brings you to Disney World? Hoping to try out the Avatar ride? Or maybe the new Star Wars ride?"
Meadows scowled. "You're a riot, Ferry. You know why I'm here."
"I do, and did you enjoy the ceremony?"
"Yeah, it was very nice. I just wish that I could have had my photographer in there, too."
"Oh, come now, Austen. You know the rules as well as I do. No cameras allowed in the chapel. Not our rule - Disney's. Besides, Disney has hidden cameras taking video and photos throughout the ceremony. You'll be the only one getting copies - I promise."
"Great," Austen Meadows was clearly uncomfortable being in and amongst the friends and family of the celebrities upon whose reputations he made his living, but he was getting a huge exclusive, so he was willing to be a little uncomfortable.
"Tell you what," Don smiled his friendliest smile, "have your photographer come on in and have a little food, maybe a drink or two, and when it's time to take pictures, I'll let you know, ok."
"Listen, Ferry, I didn't travel three thousand miles to have the chicken with green bean almandine, ok. I have deadlines to meet."
Don put his arm around Meadows' shoulder and led him away from the head table. "Bebe looks pretty amazing in that dress, Austen, doesn't she?"
Meadows glanced back at the startlingly beautiful young woman in the red gown. "Yeah, I guess."
"Still think she's a boy?" Don laughed.
"You can be a real jackass, sometimes, Ferry, you know that?"
"Alright, everybody!" Chrissie shouted into the microphone. "Let's get this party started! One! Two! One! Two! Three! Four!"
After two hours of swing and adult contemporary music from the small orchestra, everyone expected Dusty Rose to kick things off with one of their mega-hits, but, instead, they kicked into a slightly countrified version of The Beatles classic, 'I Saw Her Standing There."
'Well she was just seventeen
And you know what I mean
And the way she looked
Was way beyond compare
Well, I'll never dance with another
Since I saw her standing there...'
The floor was immediately filled with dancers, young and old alike. Bebe grabbed Blaine's hand and ran him to the dance floor where they were greeted by Cassie, Annie, Ella and MK. With arms over their heads, big smiles and total disregard for their hair or the integrity of their strapless gowns and dresses, they shouted and they danced and sang at the top of their lungs.
"Mom," Nancy touched her mother's shoulder to get her attention. "Could you come out into the hall for a few minutes. I'd like you to meet a couple of people."
"Sure, honey," Marilyn stood, then touched Joe's shoulder. "Come on, Joe. Family stuff. This is important."
Nancy led them into a quiet corner where Bruce and Cora were waiting.
"Mom... Joe... I want to introduce you to some people who are very special to me. This is Bruce and his daughter, Cora."
"How do you do, ma'am," Bruce shook her hand, then turned to Joe, "sir."
"Well, it is nice to finally meet you, Bruce, and you too, Cora," Marilyn smiled. "I understand that you two work together. Is that right?"
"Yes, Mrs Foley," Bruce smiled.
"Dr Foley," Nancy whispered to Bruce.
"Oh, I'm sorry... Dr Foley. I am sorry. Nancy told me that you were a professor. I guess, I'm just a little nervous."
"Mom," Nancy interrupted, "Bruce and I have been dating, off and on, for a couple of months, now, and I thought that you should get to know each other."
"Oh, well, that's lovely, dear. Is this something serious?"
"Mom," Nancy was uncharacteristically nervous during this meeting and she had hoped that her mother would be tactful and pleasant. So far, she'd been very pleasant, but that was a less than tactful question. "It's only been a couple of months..."
"Well, dear, Joe and I were only dating a couple of months before he..."
"Mom..." Nancy was getting more uncomfortable by the second.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Nancy," Marilyn smirked, playfully. "I'm just asking..."
"Well," Bruce interrupted, "since you brought it up..."
He looked at his daughter and nodded. Cora stepped over to Nancy and held up a small package. "This is for you - from both of us."
"Oh, how nice," Nancy smiled and stooped to kiss Cora's cheek. "Thank you, so much."
She tore the paper and found a red, jewelry box, the size that would normally contain a necklace. "Ooh," Nancy teased, "I wonder what's in this?"
Bruce raised his eyebrows in a 'I don't know' fashion and waited for Nancy to open it.
When she did, she sputtered and took a step backwards in shock, her face going white with surprise. "Oh, my God!"
Marilyn reached out, concerned. "Nancy! Are you ok?"
Nancy began breathing again and placed a hand on her bejeweled breasts as she struggled to not hyperventilate. She turned the box to show her mother.
"Oh, my," Marilyn breathed as she made room for Joe to see the lovely diamond ring in the platinum setting that the box contained.
Bruce got on one knee and took Nancy's hand in his. "Nancy Foley, I know that it's only been a few months, but I know what I'm feeling and I hope that you're feeling the same way..." he smiled as he organized his words, but Cora couldn't wait any longer.
"Will you marry us?" she blurted out, a big smile on her face. Then she put her hands together in a begging fashion and pleaded,
"Pleeeeaaaasssse?"
Nancy's head was racing. This all happened much quicker than she'd expected, but Bruce was handsome and smart and successful... "Of course, I'll marry you," she blurted as the tears started. "Both of you!"
She picked Cora up and hugged her tightly and, when Bruce stood, he joined in the hug.
"Geez, Bruce," Joe laughed. "You should have done that on the dance floor where everyone could have seen."
Bruce laughed. "Obviously, you have not spent a lot of time with Nancy. She would have killed me if I'd done it there."
"Well, congratulations kids," Joe put his arm around Marilyn's shoulder. "Looks like there's going to be another wedding to plan!"
"Oh, lord," Bruce laughed, "I hope you're not expecting Dusty Rose to play at our wedding, Nancy. I'm a simple anesthesiologist. I don't have my own TV show."
"I don't need a big wedding, Bruce," Nancy held Cora and held her on her hip, "but I do want to go show my sister my ring!"
"Oh, my God!" Bebe yelled from the dance floor, then she showed her sister's left hand to all of her friends, before grabbing Nancy and pulling her to the bandstand, arriving just at Dusty Rose completed playing Lady Antebellum's 'Need You, Now.'
Chrissie saw Bebe and handed her a microphone. "Look, everyone!" She shouted, excitedly. "Bruce proposed to my sister, Nancy, and she said 'yes!'" She held Nancy's left hand up for all to see the ring. The crowd applauded and Ed pushed Bruce up onto the bandstand as well. Cora climbed up behind him.
Ed took the microphone from Bebe and held his arm towards the newly engaged couple and said, "Let's hear it for the happy couple!"
More applause and Bebe picked up a Cora so she could see what was happening.
"Do you know what this means?" Bebe asked the little girl.
Cora shook her head, a bit overwhelmed by the volume of the applause.
"It means that my sister, Nancy, is going to be your new mommy and I will be your Auntie Bebe forever!"
"Yay!" Cora shouted as she hugged Bebe's neck
It was well past midnight when Nancy and Bebe finally made it back to their suite at The Grand Floridian. Both were exhausted, but filled with joy and expectations.
"Oh, Nancy, what an unbelievable day! Ed and Rose married and you and Bruce engaged! This has been the most romantic day, ever!! MY SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED!!! Have you set a date?"
"Beebs, we've only been engaged six hours," Nancy smiled, both at her sister's exuberance and at the pretty ring on her hand. "We'll probably wait until the new hospital is opened and things are settled. Turn around, I'll unzip you, then you can get me."
Bebe turned and Nancy lowered the zipper. As the dress was lowered to the floor, Bebe asked, "Are you moving in with Bruce?"
Nancy held out her hand and helped Bebe step over the massive skirt. "Well, actually, that is something we have discussed." She turned and allowed Bebe to lower her zipper. "After his first wife died, Bruce sold the condo they lived in. He said it was too big and expensive. He lives in a pretty small place, right now. So... I know that the condo is in your name, but would you mind if Bruce and Cora moved in with me?"
Nancy stepped out of her gown, as well.
"Are you kidding!?" Bebe's eyes were wide. "You'll still just be two floors away AND Cora will be there, too!? That's perfect! Oh, my god! I can babysit! I mean, I can babysit all the time! Like, after school, or when you and Bruce are working! I can stay on the couch down there, or we could make Rose's old bedroom into a guest room for Cora and she could be upstairs with me! This is awesome!"
The younger sister hugged the older tightly. Both women in their best bras and panties and their heels. Their breasts pushed together in sisterly affection.
"Oh, I am so glad that you're my sister!" Bebe said in a voice muffled by the soft skin of her sister's shoulder.
Nancy kissed Bebe's hair, then raised a hand to hold that head tightly. "Bebe... I am so, so, so blessed to have you as my sister. Without you, who knows where I'd be? A drug addict? In jail? Maybe even dead. I never expected my life to be like this, Bebe. You make everything wonderful."
Bebe looked up at her sister's face. "Nan... remember that night that you picked me up at the airport in Providence? That first time that you saw me dressed as a girl?"
Nancy winced at the memory. "I do. I wasn't very understanding, was I?"
"I thought you hated me. That you'd hate me forever. I don't think I've ever been that sad before."
"I'm sorry, baby. I was overworked, overtired, overstressed and over medicated. I shouldn't have been the way that I was."
"Nan... I think that today, knowing that you're happy and healthy and clean... I think that today may actually be the happiest day of my life."
Nancy smiled. "Argh... I love you you death, Bebe. I really do."
Bebe gave one last, overly forceful hug. "I love you, too, Nan. I really do."
The door to the suite opened and a waiter pushing a tray-cart was waiting. "Your brunch, Ms Foley," he smiled. "May I bring it in?"
Bebe was still in a robe, despite the fact that it was nearly noon, her hair was wet and she'd not put on any makeup. Yesterday, she'd looked like a twenty-something princess. Today, she looked like a sixteen year old girl-next-door who'd just gotten out of the shower.
"Yes, please come in. Just put it over there, by the table."
"Yes, Miss," the man complied, then headed for the door.
Bebe grabbed her purse and handed the man a twenty dollar bill. "Thank you."
"Oh, THANK YOU, Ms Foley," the man smiled as he left.
"Nan!" Bebe called down the hall, as she broke a small piece of bacon off and nibbled it. "The food is here!"
There was a knock on the door. Bebe opened it and found her mother in the hallway looking fresh and ready to face the world.
"Hi, mom."
"Hi, baby," Marilyn entered and kissed Bebe's cheek. "Well, you certainly look a lot more relaxed than you did yesterday. Oh, you looked absolutely gorgeous in that dress, honey. Absolutely gorgeous!"
A little surprised that her mother was being so complimentary, Bebe smiled. "Thanks, mom. You look like you're ready to go out to dinner. I love that dress."
"Oh, well, thank you, Bebe. In fact, Joe and I are going to make a day of it before we go home tonight. Dinner at Ohana and drinks with Joanne, then we're off to the airport for a midnight flight home."
"Hi, mom. You look nice," Nancy kissed her mother. "Oh, brunch is all set up. Let's eat before it gets cold."
"I'm starving," Bebe said.
Nancy laughed. "You'll eat three mouthfuls and be full. You should see her eat, now, mom. She eats like a bird."
"But I look sexy!" Bebe teased as they all took their seats.
"Look, kids," Marilyn held up both hands in a 'wait' motion, "before we do anything else, I have something to say."
Both Bebe and Nancy paused and waited, hoping that this was not going to be another scene like the one at Le Cellier.
"I love you, both," Marilyn started, "and I have done a pretty poor job of showing you that, lately, and for that... I am very sorry. I have been selfish and self centered and I behaved as if I didn't think you loved me back. But... I know that you do... both of you."
"I don't know exactly when I started feeling sorry for my self, but at some point, I began to resent the fact that you were both young and happy and successful... and I guess that I was jealous that you had each other while I was alone... and I took all of that out on you two this weekend and... I'm very sorry."
"Oh, mom..." Nancy started to speak, but Marilyn continued.
"No, Nancy... what you said to me at that restaurant on Friday... well, that really hurt, but it hurt because it was true. I'm so sorry. I really am."
"Nancy," Marilyn took Nancy's hand, "I'm so sorry that I never saw how hard you were working or how much you were struggling. I should have. I'm so happy that you are past that, now, and that you've found happiness with Bruce. He seems like a great guy and that little girl of his is just precious."
"Thanks, mom." Nancy smiled.
"And you," Marilyn took Bebe's hand in her other hand. "My beautiful little boy. Thank goodness you've found someone like Joanne to help you. She is a wonderful woman... but... Oh, Bebe... I looked at you yesterday... how beautiful you looked in that dress... how you interacted with your friends... how you are with Blaine and how you mothered those little girls... oh, baby... you are just a perfect young woman and I am so very, very proud to be your mother."
"Oh, mom," Bebe leaned over hugged her mother tightly. "I love you."
"I know, baby, and I love you, too. Both of you." She squeezed their hands and smiled at them in a way that she'd not done in a long, long time.
"We love you, too, mom," Nancy smiled.
"So, from here on out, I promise that I will cherish every second I spend with my two, beautiful girls and that I will show the world how proud I am of each of you. Now, if either of you has anything to add, then let's get it out. If not... let's eat."
"I vote for eating," Bebe smiled.
"Me, too," Nancy smiled as well.
"Are we all set?" Austen Meadows asked his crew. "Come on, guys, the clock is ticking here. Let's get things together. This has to be edited and ready for five o'clock."
The men bustled around the large living-room of the palatial estate on the California Coast. "I think we're ready, now," the producer said. "We just need to mic her and we're ready to go."
"Great," Meadows walked you the doorway and called down the hall. "All set, any time you are, Bianca."
The actress hustled down the hall and smiled at her long time TMZ connection. "Sorry. We had a bit of a mess in there." She laughed at the unglamorous pre-recording issues. "Cora's helping me out with them, today, though."
Meadows nodded and indicated a chair near glass doors that overlooked a beautiful view of the ocean. "No, problem. Is this good for you?"
"Sure," Bebe said nonchalantly and sat, then remained still while the sound tech attached a microphone to the side of her head, hidden by her hair.
"Could you just say a few things for me, Ms Foley?" The tech asked.
"Testing, testing," Bebe said in a flat, experienced tone. "One, two, three, four, five, testing, testing."
"That's great," the man smiled and backed out of the interview area.
Meadows sat in the chair opposite Bebe and looked to his producer. "Ok. Let's get this done."
"Ok," the producer nodded. "Recording in five, four, three..." she held up her fingers for 'two and one.'
Suddenly, Meadows' demeanor was that of a charming interviewer, rather than an anxious reporter. "Thank you, Dan," he started with the link to the studio anchor who'd be introducing the segment. "I'm here with... well, I guess calling you 'America's Sweetheart' is kind of a cliché at this point, but still seems very appropriate."
Bebe laughed. "I'll never get tired of it."
Meadows smiled. "Of course, I'm with Bebe Foley. Bebe - the last episode of 'Civil Disobedience' airs tonight, it must be a very emotional experience for you, and everyone in the cast. Twenty years, more than five hundred episodes spanning the tumultuous years from nineteen sixty one to nineteen eighty one, more than fifty Emmy Awards for the show and its cast, seventeen for you, alone - not to mention your other accolades along the way, two Grammy Awards, two Oscars for Best Supporting Actress, one for Best Actress, and two years ago, a Tony Award for your work in a revival of 'City of Angels'... that's a hell of a track record for that little fourteen year old girl from Massachusetts that I met way back when."
Bebe smiled and blushed a little at the praise. "I think that little girl would be pretty shocked to find herself in this position twenty years later, too, Austen."
"So, why, Bebe? Why is one of the most popular shows in the history of broadcasting calling quits while it's still so popular?"
Bebe laughed and thought about it. "Well, it's certainly not because we're tired of doing it. The writing and directing have remained top notch all the way through the series and we certainly all love each other... I think it's got more to do with just... life, Austen. I mean, we lost Marion to cancer a few years back and that made us all consider how we'd like to live our lives from then on. Don's character has gone from being a beat cop to being a captain and even the character would have to consider retiring pretty soon... Uncle Ed's character is a Detective Lieutenant, at this point, Rose's is a politician... they've all had long, interesting paths, but we all just felt that it was time to put the show to rest."
Meadows nodded, "And will it be hard to say 'goodbye' to your character, Alex, after all these years?"
"Oh, harder than I would have thought, Austen. We wrapped the final episode two weeks ago and it was like we were saying goodbye to family members. 'Alex' has been very good to me and I'm going to miss her, terribly."
The interview went on to thank the fans and production staff, then eventually settled on Bebe's personal life.
"And how are things at home, Bebe?"
"Things are great, as always, Austen. My husband, Blaine is doing great things as a research scientist in an institute connected with The Dusty Rose Foundation, and all three of my children are doing great! My oldest daughter is in first grade, my son is starting preschool and my youngest is turning one tomorrow."
"Three kids under six years old sounds like a handful," Meadows laughed.
"Well, they can be, but I'd be fibbing if I said that I was doing it all by myself. My husband is always involved with the kids and I have some professional help with them as well. Oh, and my wonderful niece, Cora, is a great help. She's earning her PhD in Renaissance Literature at Stamford, just like her grandmother, but during her off months, like now, she's staying with us."
"So," Meadows headed for the conclusion of his segment, "I guess this is 'goodbye' to 'Alex' and all of her 'Civil Disobedience' family, but certainly not to Bebe Foley. We'll be seeing you in several films, next year, and I understand there is talk of another TV series, as well."
"It's just talk right now," she smiled, "but I've got my fingers crossed."
"I think we all do, Bebe," Meadows smiled. "And back to you, Dan."
"Aaaannnnd we're clear," the producer called.
"Thank you, Mr Meadows," Bebe stood and took off her mic. "It was a pleasure, as always."
Meadows thanked her and said his goodbyes, then Bebe turned to the entrance to the room where Cora stood holding little Alison, Bebe's youngest adopted child. Cora had become a striking woman, taller than Bebe, slender and athletic, a volleyball star in high school and college, her smooth, mocha skin and exotic face, not to mention her beautiful smile, all combined to make her one of the prettiest women Bebe had ever met, and, just as she had adored Bebe, Bebe's children adored Cousin Cora.
"Here she is, all cleaned up," Cora smiled and bounced the child.
"Aww," Bebe reaches out and took the child, "did you spill all over yourself? Yes, you did," she teased Alison, getting a big smile in return. "We can't have you being dirty today. Not with Grandma Marilyn and Grandpa Joe coming all the way from Massachusetts for your party."
"And to watch mommy's last performance on 'Civil Disobedience,'" Cora said in the same sing-song voice.
"Oh, no one cares about that. We only care about Ali's birthday day, huh?"
"We're here," Joanne called from the door.
"Hi, mom!" Bebe kissed her mother-in-law, who was a fixture in there home most days. Then to her mother and her husband, she said, "Hi, Mom. Hi, Joe," and there were kisses all around. Nan and Bruce will be over in an hour or so. So will the girls," which meant Annie, MK and Ella. Cassie was in Canada for a conference on meteorology, her chosen field. She'd miss the show, but be back in time for the party. "Uncle Ed, Rose, Don and Viv will be here before the show."
"Hi, baby," Marilyn kissed Bebe, squeezed Alison's cheek, then moved along to Cora to hug her. "How are you, honey? How's your thesis coming?"
"I'm good, Grandma. The thesis is going great, but I'd like to have you go through it with me while you're here, if you don't mind. It's so good to see you." Cora kissed her grandmother.
"You'll be joining us at The Cape this summer, won't you?" Joe asked.
"I wouldn't miss it, Grandpa," Cora smiled and kissed Joe. "It's my favorite part of the summer."
"Daddy's home," Blaine called from the garage entrance. He had little Valerie and Jonathan in tow. "Look kids! Grandma and Grandpa are here!" The kids ran to greet all three of their grandparents and their favorite aunt.
"How'd it go?" Blaine asked Bebe, then gave her a kiss.
"Oh, fine. You Know Austen. He plays softball with me."
"Good. Big night tonight, though. I'm glad everyone's coming over."
"Me too." She linked her arm through her husband's and looked around at the faces in the room. So many people that she loved were here and more would be here tonight. This probably wasn't the life that destiny had intended for little John Foley, but it was a truly amazing life and Bebe Foley often had a hard time believing it was her's.
She took a deep breath, smiled and kissed Blaine's cheek.
"What was that for?"
"Because I love you." Bebe smiled. "I'm a very lucky girl."
The End
MUSIC LINK:
Beauty and the Beast: A Tale As Old As Time HD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDUhINW3SPs
