Part 2
And the band started to play the music’s intro while singing the lyrics:
“La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la”
Blair was slowly dancing to the music while a glowing Jo was watching. Then it was Blair’s turn to sing as she faced the love of her life.
“Joanna, I love you
You're the one
The one for me
I'm in love and I won't lie
She's my girl and always on my mind
She gives me her love and a feeling that's right
Never lets me down
Especially at night”
Jo was standing there, seriously blushing. Blair then came up to her and offered her hand. Jo gladly accepted and followed her.
“So, I'm gonna do the best I can
To please that girl and be her only woman
You see, she picks me up when I'm feeling low
And that's why, baby
I've got to let you know
With some facial encouragement from Blair, Jo started to sing the chorus. She wasn’t a great singer, but she was able to keep in tune with Blair and the band.
Joanna, I love you
You're the one
The one for me
Oh, baby”
“Got to be the one
The one for me
She's the kind of girl
Makes you feel nice
Jo started to slowly dance with Blair and Blair glared in her eyes while singing. Blair softly stroked the bottom of Jo’s chin. It made Jo blush and grin even more.
So, I'll try my best
To do what's right
I take her for a ride
Everything's fine
Joanna felt like she was in a wonderful whirlwind now, with Blair spinning her. It was a bit awkward, but she didn’t mind Blair taking the lead, she was always the better dancer. Jo was able to follow through, abeit a small stumble during the dance. Everyone chuckled, even Blair, but she recovered and kept on going.
“Searched
so far
Searched so long
To find someone
Someone to count on
Now I feel
I've got it right here
Found it in you, baby
You, my dear
Blair broke away from Jo and let her do a solo. Slightly embarrassed, she danced the best she could to the song. This was different from having Blair guiding her, but Jo managed the best she could, knowing that Blair loved it when she was relaxed enough to drop her hard shell and let others see the woman Blair loved.
“She's
the one, the one for me
She's the kind of girl
Makes you feel nice, so
I'll try my best to do what's right
Take her for a ride
Everything's fine”
Now the band was backing her up as Blair joined them to sing the chorus.
“Ooooooh,
Joanna
Ooooooh, Joanna
Ooooooh, oooooooh”
Then Blair returned to Jo for the remainder of the song.
“Joanna,
I love you
You're the one
The one for me
Ooooooh, yeah
Joanna (Yes, I love you)
I love you
You're the one
The one for me
Believe me, babe
When I say
Joanna (Yes, I love you)
Joanna
Ooooooh, Joanna, Joanna”
When the song finished, everybody broke into rousing applause. Jo showed her gratitude by simply smiling and voicing a soft “Thank you.” Blair, being the attention-seeking ham that she was, soaked it up and bowed to the audience while expressing her thanks enthusiastically. Jo shook her head in disbelief but she couldn’t complain, Blair was just being Blair and she wouldn’t want her to be any other way.
“That was great, honey. I loved your performance.”
Blair beamed, “Oh, thank you very much!” She then gave her partner a hug and a small kiss on her lips. Quite a few people said ‘Aaaah!’
Jo did have a question to ask her. “How did you know about this song? I didn’t think this was your type of music.”
“Tootie suggested it to me. I was stumped on a song to use and I brought it up to her. She told me about this song, gave me an mp3 of it and I listened. I really liked it. It was a perfect song to express my undying love for you.” That got even more ‘aaahs’ from the crowd. “Thanks, Tootie!” She said, elated.
Tootie smiled brightly and responded, “You welcome!”
Thank goodness that Blair thought about singing the song earlier than planned, because during the middle of the song, her mother finally came and brought two cakes with her. They were too small for the 200+ crowd in the gym. Her sister was there with the hefty gift, struggling to carry it.
Blair spotted her mother and sister near the gym door, “It’s about time you got here. You missed out on the song I sang for her.”
“Not really, Darlin’, me and Bailey arrived in the middle of it,” she said with her Southern drawl.
Bailey was lugging around the heavy present, “Yeah… Can I put this down now, Mom?”
Monica sighed, “Yes, Dear, put it with the rest of the presents.”
Bailey struggled to carry the gift to the table, but somehow, she managed and exerting every muscle in her upper body, she laid the gift on top of the table. As soon as she did that, the table collapsed! Bailey had a shocked, embarrassed look on her face. Everybody ran to check and see if their presents were alright. Jo smiled because she knew what the present was already, judging by the shape and weight. Blair just put her head down and muttered, “Yet somehow, I’m related to them…”
Her mother was not pleased, “Bailey, do you have better sense than that?” her mother scolded.
Bailey just lowered her head and apologized, “I’m sorry.”
Blair turned to her mother, ignoring the event that just unfolded, “Can you ever be on time for anything once in your life?”
“Oh, come on now, Darlin’, you know how we Warners are. We don’t always come on time, but we come just when the party really gets started!”
“You mean former Warner, your last name is now Mitchell.”
“Ah, yes, that’s true, Dear. Speaking of Mitchell, your step-dad couldn’t come today. He had to attend an important meeting in Los Angeles.”
“Well it’s his lost,” Blair shrugged. She wasn’t fond of him and Monica knew it, though she also knew it wouldn’t help matters if she pressed her daughter about it.
Jo could care less as well. “Yeah, I agree wit’ her. Can you finally put the cakes on the table with the rest of the food? I’m starvin’!” she complained.
Monica didn’t let her lack of manners bother her too much. In fact, she found it a bit cute, “Oh, Jo, no wonder my daughter is crazy for you, you’re so hot when you act butch!” she teased.
That got quite a few laughs from the guests. Jo was about to blow a fuse, but her lover quickly calmed her down, “Don’t pay mom any mind, she’s just teasing.” Then she whispered in her ear, “But you really do turn me on when you show your manly side at times.”
Jo blushed a deep red. A lot of people noticed, especially Tootie, “What did she tell you, Jo?”
Blair turned to face Tootie and chided, “If I tell you, then the whole world would know!”
“No. Just Me, and Natalie, and Mrs. Garrett, and Andy, and…”
The couple just rolled their eyes at Tootie’s typical gossipy behavior. Monica set the cakes down on the table and plopped a candle from her jacket pocket on each one of them. One had a “4” and the other had a “0”. Jo looked at both cakes strangely and asked Monica, “What kind of cakes are they?”
“Oh, those? This one is a chocolate mousse torte birthday cake with thin gold paper on top. And the other one is a vanilla bean cake with raspberry topping.”
“Thanks, Monica, but I don’t think that those two will be enough. Hell, Uncle Sal could finish one of them all by himself!”
Sal was close by to hear Jo’s comment, “Aay! That’s a midnight snack fo’ me!” he flippantly agreed.
Monica just laughed, “Of course, Sal, but I actually got one more that should be enough for this crowd. Bailey…”
Bailey sighed, “Alright…” and she went to get the cake from the limo. When she returned, she was carrying a typical supermarket-variety giant size yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Jo drew a genuine grin on her face.
“Now that’s more like it! Good ol’ regular American style.”
Bailey set the cake on the table.
“Now we can finally sing Happy Birthday,” Blair said.
With the backing of Kool and the Gang, everyone started singing. Jo didn’t want to admit it, but she was a bit choked up about them singing. After which, Jo blew out the candles and everyone cheered. Now came the time to open the gifts. She opened a few of them, but nothing was special about them. Just some cups, some books, and other typical birthday gifts. Luckily enough, none of them were broken from Bailey’s mishap. Then she came to Andy’s gift. She looked at Andy.
“Trust me, Jo, you’ll love it!” he said with a smile that seemed deceptive.
The gift was thin and square in shape, so she knew immediately that it had to be a CD. When she opened it, she found out that it was the Greatest Elevator Music and Smooth Jazz hits! She was not happy about it. “What the hell is this!” she barked to him.
“It’s a CD of Elevator Music and Smooth Jazz music!” he grinned like a Cheshire cat.
“What would make you think I would want an Elevator Music and Smooth Jazz CD?” she snipped.
“To help you mellow out!” he snickered and everyone else was laughing. That made Jo even madder. Blair saw it and had to calm her down. They had their private conversation in front of the crowd.
“What’s the big idea behind that CD? Is he trying to insult me?” she growled in a whisper.
“Look, Honey, you know Andy, he’s just pulling your leg. Don’t take it seriously.”
Jo calmed down a bit and whispered, “You’re right, Blair. It’s my birthday and I should be enjoying it.”
“Exactly, so stop being grumpy for once and just have fun!” Blair sighed.
Jo was able to break a smile and then joined in the laughter, but deep inside she wanted to kill him. Then she opened her next gift; it was from Monica. It was small, yet a bit heavy for its size. She opened it and everybody who saw it blushed a deep red. It was a pair of zebra-striped fur-covered handcuffs!
“Uh… why did you get me these?” she asked with a hesitant tone.
“So that when my daughter wants to be a bad girl, a cop like you can put her straight,” she beamed.
That drew dirty looks from Jo, Blair and a few others. Monica didn’t realize what she said until a few seconds later. “Did I say ‘straight’? Oops, no pun intended, really!”
There was a second of silence, then everybody laughed, except for Blair.
“Mom, do you have any shame?” Blair blasted at her mother.
“You already know the answer to that one, Blair,” Bailey cynically answered.
“Oh, be quiet, Bailey!” Blair spat. Bailey paid her no mind.
“Well, thanks, I guess…,” Jo said with uncertainly. Changing the subject quickly, she asked, “So what’s next? Oh yeah, the gift that Bailey got me!” She was able it pick it up with some ease, unlike Bailey, and unwrapped it. It was a brand-new front chrome rim for her chopper. Jo felt like she was in heaven.
“Oh, thanks a lot, Bailey! This is a gift that I’ll never forget,” she grinned like a happy fool.
“Gee, I don’t know who she like more, that rim or me…” Blair said in a disparaging, yet playful way.
“Ah, come on, Blair, you know the answer to that!” Jo protested. Blair quickly turned her gloom into a smile.
“Yes, I know, Sweetie.”
Jo then looked around and saw no more unopened gifts. “Well, it looks like there are no more gifts to be opened, so I guess -”
Then Sal interrupted her, “Wait a second! I still haven’t given you my gift.”
“Really?” she asked with a puzzled look.
“Yeah.”
“Well... Where is it?”
“It’s over there…” he said as pointed to the crowd. From the crowd emerged her mother, Rose. Jo started to cry as her mother approached and gave her a hug.
“Ma, you came!” she sobbed.
“Yes, I did, Joanna. Yes, I did,” she said while still hugging her. “I didn’t want to miss out on my baby’s 40th birthday.”
Jo smiled as she wiped the tears away, “Thanks for coming.”
Rose responded, “You betta’ thank yo’ Uncle Sal. He talked some much needed sense into my head!”
“Hey, fuggitaboutit, it was no big thing,” he said in his own modest way.
Jo came up to him and hugged him as well, “Well, thanks anyways. That’s why you’re my favorite relative.”
“Ah, Joey, don’t do that. You’re gonna make me cry in front of these people. That’s so embarrassin’!” he said as a tear slipped from his eye. There were tears from other people in the gym, including Blair who was waiting for this day to happen.
“Well, I think this will be a perfect time to eat!” Blair cheered.
Uncle Sal was a bit confused, “But, Blair, what about your gift?”
“My gift? Well, I want to wait until everyone finishes eating, because it’s really special.”
“You think everything you do is special,” Jo retort.
As usual, Tootie found the opportunity to butt in the conversation, “Actually, Blair’s right on this one. Believe me, Jo, it really is special,” she said convincingly. Jo saw the conviction in her eyes and reluctantly agreed.
“Okay, I’ll go along with the plan,” she agreed without any of her usual fussiness.
There was tons of food besides the cakes at the party, with varieties like foie gras, filet mignon, lobster thermidor, and various types of tapas. This was hardly surprising since everybody knew when it came to events, Blair always went over-the-top. Jo was worried that most of the guests wouldn’t have a clue what the food was, and they didn’t, but they ate it regardless. They were too hungry to really care. Besides, it wasn’t every day that most people had a chance to eat goose liver! As for the cakes, much to her surprise, Jo actually liked the Vanilla Bean cake. There was so much food that even the 13 members of the band were able to get some.
During the feasting, Blair was talking to some of the guests. She was talking about the one thing she liked to talk about the most – herself. Jo and Tootie were chatting with various members of the band. It was more Tootie’s type of music than Jo’s, but she did like a few of their songs from the 80s, so she didn’t mind having them here. Natalie was able to set up an interview with them for her newspaper.
About an hour later after everyone finished eating, Blair stepped up to the mike on the stage.
“Okay, everybody, listen up. Now that most of you are finished eating, I think it’s time for me to give Jo a gift she’ll never forget!” Everybody cheered except for Jo, she just rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Jo, you will need to sit down right here for this one,” she said as she pointed to the chair right next to her in the middle of the gym. “Okay, Kool and the Gang, play the tune that I told you earlier,” she requested.
“Yes, ma’am!” Kool responded.
“Thanks! Now, Natalie, get the present and hand it to Jo.”
“No problem!” she responded. Natalie went behind one of the bleachers and got the gift. It was a big box-shaped one. Jo’s eyes widen a bit when she saw the gift. She then placed the gift on Jo’s lap. Jo was quite astonished that it was very light. For a while Jo just looked at the gift, examining it suspiciously. Blair was a bit annoyed.
“Um, you’re supposed to open it. That’s what presents are for,” she said in a sarcastic tone.
“I know that!” Jo grunted. Jo proceeded to open the present and as expected, it was a big box. When she opened the big box, she saw… another present? Jo looked at it in bewilderment. “Wha’ tha’ heck is this?” she derided with her Bronx accent coming out strongly. There were quite a few people in the crowd that were chuckling.
“It’s another present. Are you going to open it, Sweetie?” Blair said adding a sweet smile at the end.
“Yeah, yeah!” Jo bellowed out and she proceeded to open the gift... And it was another box, albeit smaller. She opened it and inside was… yet another gift! Now Jo was beginning to steam up. This was turning out like a Matryoshka, the traditional Russian Nested doll where you opened up one of them only to find a smaller duplicate inside. Quite a few people in the crowd were snickering. “This is not funny! This is like one of those Russian dolls. Hey, I’m Polish, not Russian!” she spat to Blair.
“You mean half-Polish. If you were fully Polish, you wouldn’t know how to even open the present!” she teased.
“Oh, why don’t you ‘turn blue’, Blair!” she said using Blair’s infamous insult.
“Hey, that’s my saying!” Blair objected.
“I know,” Jo smiled. She then proceed to unwrap it, opened the box, and saw another present. Jo was getting irritated about it and she let it be known to Blair. “This is gettin’ very tiring, Princess. The gift betta’ be in this one,” she scowled.
“Open it and see,” she said with a cute grin. Jo wasn’t amused one bit with her response and she unwrap it as she did with the others. When she opened the box, she saw another box inside, but this one was very different.
She pulled it out and gave it a quick examination. It was a box that you put something small inside, like an earring or a ring. Curiously, Jo opened it and she saw a ring inside. It was a platinum ring with a beautiful 4-carat cushion cut white diamond in the middle and rose-like shaped small white diamonds on the side.
Not the romantic type, Jo questioned Blair about the ring.
“Hey, thanks for the birthday ring!”
A few people laughed at Jo’s cluelessness. Blair huffed and rolled her eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed about it.
“It’s more than just a birthday ring – Joey. You only get that type of ring in a very special occasion.”
“Isn’t this a very special occasion?”
“Yes, but not special enough. You don’t ever consider your own birthday special.”
“True, but I mean, what other occasions? I can only think of a few, like if someone won the World Series, or if someone just won the lottery and wanted to show their newfound wealth, or like what I once saw at a Knicks game. A man propose to his girlfriend with a -”
It finally hit her. Her lips started to quiver and it was nearly impossible for her to hold back the flood of joyful tears forming in her eyes. Due to her pride, she usually doesn’t want people to see her cry, but for this special moment she didn’t care.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered to herself as tears were streaming down her face. Blair, with small amount of tears rolling down her face, extended her right hand out to Jo. “Jo, may I have the ring.”
Without saying a word, Jo handed it to her and then Blair got down to her right knee. There were some cheers from the crowd and others were also in tears. As much as Blair rehearsed the lines throughout the week, it still was hard for her to say them. “Jo, I just want to let you know that we’ve known each other for over twenty-five years. In those twenty-five years, we’ve done a lot of things together, mostly arguing, but other things as well such as spending time together, taking vacations, and supporting and comforting each other when we needed it.
The reason why I’m doing this is because everybody keeps on saying that you’re the ‘leader’ or the ‘man’ in the relationship. You may wear jeans more often than I do, but let’s face it, I’m the one who wears the pants in this relationship!” That got quite a lot of laughs from the crowd. Jo just shook her head while smiling; she knew it was somewhat true. “But the truth is, I want to show everybody that there is no ‘man’ or ‘leader’ in this relationship. We’re both women and that this is a relationship of equals. Sometimes you take lead, and other times I do,” she said as tears were rolling down her face like a river. Jo was not much better as tears were flowing down her face as well.
You were always in my heart since that faithful day that I met you. I’ve dated a lot of men during my Eastland and Langley days, hoping to find that one who would ‘straighten’ me out like my mom said earlier,” she said as she emphasized the pun. It got quite a few laughs, especially from Jo. “But it didn’t work since you were always in my heart. In fact, my feelings for you got stronger as the years went by, until that faithful day when you told me how you felt about me and we kissed. I knew then that you were the only one for me,” she said while trying not to breakdown as the memories were flooding her mind.
“It’s amazing that we found love together. Some people say we shouldn’t be a couple because we are so different, yet others don’t want us to be coupled because of one particular similarity we share...” The room went quiet on that one. “Nevertheless, I just want to let you and everyone else in this world know that I love you and that nothing can come between us. I am totally devoted to you. I don’t want anyone else to be holding my heart but you, and I want to be the one to always hold your heart as well. Because of this, I want to take the first step of making my unyielding devotion to you official by saying these four precious words that someday lead to two more precious words.” Then Blair finally stopped speaking, she just looked at Jo’s watery eyes through her own cloudy eyes and then took a short breath. She finally uttered those four life-changing words.
“Joanna Marie Polniaczek, will you marry me?”
Okay, it was seven, but only the last four really mattered. Jo really began to choke up, she was trying to bring back her typical self-control but she couldn’t. She was literally in tears. She couldn’t believe that Blair would propose to her. All those times she dreamt about it, she was the one that did the asking, but the tables were turned and she didn’t mind.
Finally she managed to get back some of her composure. Looking to her lover deeply in her brown eyes, regardless of how hard it is at that moment, Jo took the mike from Blair and gave her response in a typical Jo fashion, “Ya didn’t hafta really go into this long speech, Blair, of course I will!”
Blair wanted to explode at that moment, but instead she giddily put the ring on her lover’s ring finger. Then Blair got off her knee and simply smiled like a thousand volts of electricity was surging through her, while Jo got out of her seat and embraced her. The crowd started to cheer wildly.
“Oh, thank you, grease monkey!” she whispered loudly into her lover’s ears as the crowd’s cheering continued.
“No need, Princess, I’m yours forever,” she whispered back.
While still embracing, they looked at each other lovingly, not speaking. No words were needed for their souls were doing all the talking. Their lips inched closer. Finally, their lips connected and they kissed passionately while their tongues were serenading each other like a ballroom dance. The crowd cheered and applauded even louder, but the two lovers were oblivious to it all, as they were lost in their own world.
It wasn’t until air became a necessity that they finally broke it off. Then as their foreheads touched, they looked at each other lovingly. But now it was Jo’s turn to speak as she grabbed the mike from the seat.
“Okay, I’m don’t have sumthin’ as long as Blair, but I do wanna say sumthin’. Blair, ever since the day we met, I knew deep inside that you would change my life forever. I dated men too, and just like you, none of them could touch my heart like you can. Not Eddie, not Harrison, and definitely not El!” That got quite a lot of laughs, especially from Andy and Blair. Jo continued, “But I gotta admit, deep down inside I was hopin’ to be tha’ one that did the proposin’, but I ain’t complainin’. I want everybody in the room to know that I wanna see the day that me n’ Blair can walk down the aisle and that it means sumthin’. Ya’ got that Governor Daniels?” she said with a serious look on her face.
Everybody turned to look at him. Red from embarrassment, he responded “You know that I’m all for it, but it’s up to the voter next years.”
Jo just smiled, “Yeah, I know, I’m just playin’ with ya! I understan’ tha’ situation.” Gov. Daniels just laughed along with the crowd. Then Jo said to Blair, looking deeply in her brown eyes, “But until that day comes, I will consider this as a symbol of our union, and that I am yours fo’evah!” she ended as she showed the ring to Blair. They hugged and kissed once again as the guests cheered and applauded even louder than before. The kissed lasted even longer and this time they ended it by embracing each other tightly.
However, the party wasn’t over, actually far from it, as J.J. Taylor would bring them back to earth.
“Well, I think this calls for a ‘Celebration’!” Most of the older people and those who were familiar with 80s music went hysterical when he said that, while the younger crowd was looking at them like they were crazy.
Kool then warmed the band up, “Okay now, a one, a two, a three!”
The drums got things started, then came the funky riffs from the rhythm guitar, after that was the trademark horns, and finally the famous intro.
“Yahoo! This is your celebration”
Now the party really got started! Everybody was getting into the music. Jo came up to Blair and offered a dance, “Do you mind?” she grinned.
“Of course, it’s your turn to take lead!” she winked back. Then they start to dance.
“Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)”
For the rest of the night, Jo and Blair along with the crowd danced to many of the band’s memorable hits, which included their ballads and Jo’s personal favorite, “Misled.” In particular, during an extended version of “Get Down on It,” a Soul Train line was formed!
Finally, the band called Jo and Blair to the front and J.J. addressed the crowd, “Well, I know that this isn’t a wedding, but I think I speak for everybody when I say that we want to see you two have a solo dance.”
Jo was reluctant, “Nah, thanks but no thanks.”
Blair on the other hand… “Come on, Jo, I know that you’re not very confident with your dancing, but this is a once in a lifetime moment. Will you do it for me, please?” she begged, looking like a sad puppy. Jo was having second thoughts about it, so Blair sweetened the deal. “I’ll let you watch your Yankees and Giants game in peace, and I’ll let you bring your friends over to watch.”
Jo knew that it was too good of an offer to pass up, so she agreed. “Deal!” she smiled and then she offered her hand, “But you lead!”
“I was hoping you would say that,” she winked. As they rose from their seats, the gym got dark, except for the one spotlight that was on them.
“All I want is forever” was a touching song for both Jo and Blair as they began to move together.. Then they danced to “Cherish” as the guests watched. Jo was actually good out there, although a bit stiff. Blair was a natural, as she showed off her dancing skills confidently. Some of the guests were in tears as they danced on the gym floor. Mrs. Garrett was in particular, as she watched the two girls she took care of dancing together. For years she dreamed of seeing this occasion, never believing that it would really happen.
When the dance was over, there was yet another round of thunderous applause from the crowd. And just like when they danced to ‘Joanna’, Jo just stood there thanking the crowd while Blair bowed and thanked them. Jo simply smiled as she looked at Blair. They were totally different, but Jo wouldn’t want her Blair to be any other way.
Instantly, the lights were switched back on and the party returned to its celebratory mood. Kool and the Gang performed three more songs, ending it appropriately with “Stone Love” as a reference to Jo and Blair’s relationship.
When the party ended, Natalie and Tootie along with Mrs. Garrett were thanking the couple in the parking lot.
“That was a wonderful party, somewhat untypical of you, Blair,” Natalie said.
“Why do you say that?” Blair asked. “It was rather over-the-top, which is nothing new in my parties,” she admitted.
“True, but you held it at a community center and that you got Kool and the Gang as the band. That’s so not like you.”
Blair smiled, “Well, I wanted to hold it at a place that has a special meaning to Jo.” She then smiled at Jo, who had a small blush on her face.
“Thanks. You could not have picked a better place. However, why Kool and the Gang? You know I’m more of a rock girl,” Jo questioned.
“Well I wanted to use an act that was accessible to many people. I thought that they were perfect since they do Pop, Dance, R&B, and even some sort of Rock from what I remembered. You know that I’m not very familiar with Pop music, but I do remember you playing ‘Misled’ quite often in our room, so I figured that they would be perfect. And of course, Tootie suggested it based on that one song.”
“I’m not complaining one bit!” Tootie cheerfully related, jumping in the conversation. “I don’t think you could not have picked a better band.”
“No disagreements here either,” Mrs. Garrett added. “They’re not from my time back in the 40s and 50s, but I’ll take them over any of those current artists today. At least they weren’t formed by a producer and they don’t sing about money or shooting people.”
Jo smiled, “That’s true. Well, it seems that everybody is happy about it, so there are no complaints on my end.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear that you had a fun time,” Natalie smiled.
“Yeah I did, but I still hate surprises!” Jo said jokingly and everybody laughed. “But I’m glad that you did this fo’ me, it makes me realize how much you guys care about me,” she said while trying not to choke up. She thought she had done enough crying for tonight. “I really want to thank you very much for this. It was by far the best birthday party I’ve ever had!”
The gang returned the favor by hugging her and saying ‘you’re welcome’, this time they were cautious of not squeezing her so hard.
Natalie then ended with, “Well, me and Tootie got to be going, we’re tired and we need to head back home, so take care and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Natalie slyly remarked.
“Well then, we would be bored to death,” Blair jibed.
Natalie and Tootie said their goodbyes and went to their cars. That left only Jo, Blair and Mrs. Garrett in the parking lot.
Mrs. Garrett was glowing and crying at the same time, “I thought I would never live to see this day. I’m so glad that I did. You two were like daughters to me.”
The two ladies hugged Mrs. Garrett affectionately, “Aah, Mrs. G., thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. My wish for you two is to love each other no matter what. I truly believe that you two are soulmates for each other.” She then looked at her watch and noticed how late it was. “Well, I have to get going myself. You two have a wonderful night and a wonderful life,” she said then she hugged both of the women. Finally she left.
Jo then looked at Blair, “Well, Blair, ain’t no use in bein’ out here at this time of the night. I know it’s my old neighborhood an’ all, but I’m no fool, I don’t wanna get robbed!”
“I’m with you on that, let’s get going!”
They got in their car and drove back home. Back at their place, Jo and Blair were in the bedroom. Blair was lying on the bed while Jo was changing.
“Thanks for the party, Babe,” Jo said as she bent down and kissed Blair on the forehead.
“No problem, Jo. Did you like your presents?”
“Yeah, especially that one present that stands out from the rest.” Blair was gleaming, thinking that she was referring to the engagement ring. But instead, Jo said, “The NYPD coffee mug.”
Blair lightly reached over and backhanded her on her stomach, “Oh, turn blue!” Jo just smiled.
“Not before I watch you turn red,” She smirked.
“Huh?”
Before she knew it, Jo slapped the fur-covered cuffs on her right wrist and cuffed the other end to one of the bedpost. Jo then read her version of the ‘Miranda Rights.’
“You are under arrest. You have the right to not remain silent when I go down on you. You have the right to moan as loud and as often as you want. Any devices to provide a stimulating experience can and will be use on you. You also have the right to beg for more...”
THE END