Time: During Season 4
A perfect beginning that started with the Past.
Lee and Amanda are in the Q-Bureau. Amanda is looking out the window and Lee is sitting at his desk.
"Amanda, are you sure you want to do it this way? We can just tell them that we are married," Lee said.
"No. No. I would like to do it this way," She walks over to Lee's desk and sits on the edge of it, "Getting married again is going to be great. This way no one has any hard feelings about not knowing that we did get married. Plus I want to give mother the fun time of planning it," Lee laughed at what Amanda just said, "Well she will."
"Yeah, I know she will," Lee didn't sound full of himself.
Amanda could sense that something was wrong with him. She knew that if there was something really wrong he would say something, but she thought, 'He is my husband. I have the right to ask.' "Lee, what's wrong. You sound like something is wrong?"
"I just wished that.. that.."
"Your parents could be here," Amanda finished for him.
"Yes. You know Amanda, my parents would of loved you," Lee said.
"And I would have loved them too. I wish that my father would be here also. You know he would have loved you too. He never really said, but I could always sense that he wanted a guy to talk too and do men stuff with you would have been perfect for that."
"Yeah. Okay let's go tell your mother," Lee said and he got up and was ready to grab his keys when Amanda grabbed them first.
"Only if I get to take the 'vette'," and she headed for the door.
"Amanda, no. Come on," Lee got up and started to walk up to her.
Amanda threw him her keys. Lee caught them, "Here take my car," and she ran out the door.
Lee ran after her.
Soon Lee reached the parking lot when he saw Amanda race out of the parking lot, "Careful!!" Lee screamed, but he knew that she didn't hear him. He ran into her car and was on his way.
Meanwhile....
Dotty was in the house cleaning out her closet and she spotted something, "What is this?" she grabbed it and it was an old and dusty box. She opened it up, took out a photo album and said, "Oh my gosh. I can't believe I forgot all about this. I knew he looked familiar." She grabbed the box and headed down stairs to get a better look at the photos.
Soon Amanda and Lee got to Amanda's house.
"Good job. You kept up," Amanda said teasingly.
"Thanks, it's not easy to keep up with a corvette in that pile of....."
"Don't even think about finishing that sentence. Now come on," she reached for his hand, "Let's go and tell mother," Lee took it and walked with her to the house.
"Mother? Mother? Are you home?" Amanda said when she entered her house.
"Yes. In here Amanda," Dotty called from the kitchen.
When Amanda and Lee got there they saw her looking through some kind of photo album.
"Have I got something to tell you!" Amanda and Dotty said at the same time.
"Really mother, what is it?" Amanda said.
"No go ahead," Dotty said.
Then Amanda and Dotty kept insisting that the other go first. Very soon Lee could not stand it anymore and whistled as loud as he could. The two women stopped talking immediately.
"Dotty, why don't you go first," Lee said.
"Okay. Here," and she handed Amanda a picture with a little boy that was wearing a black suit and a little girl that looked like she was wearing a wedding gown.
"Mother what is this?"
"Who does it look like?" Dotty asked.
"Well, the little girl looks like me, but I have no clue who this boy is."
"Amanda it looks like you got married," Lee said.
"She did," Dotty said.
Amanda was shocked, but Lee that it was funny so he said, "Amanda! I am going out with a married woman?! And you, you are cheating on your poor husband."
"Oh shut up," and gave him a playful slap on the arm.
"So who is this little hubby of yours? I think that I should met him," Lee said it still in a mocking voice.
Dotty said, "You have," Lee looked at her, "It was you."
Amanda and Lee said, "What?"
"Of course, from the first day that I saw you I knew that I saw you before, but I couldn't remember where and..."
Amanda cut her off, "This isn't Lee."
"Here," and she handed them another picture, but this time it was of the little boy, little girl, and four parents.
"Those are my parents!" Lee exclaimed.
"Yes, I know." Dotty said, "and we were good friends. Oh especially you two. We couldn't get you two away from each other. You were inseparable."
"Mother, would you please tell us about our little "wedding" here."
"Of course. The boys don't get home for another two hours, so sure. In the other room," Dotty got up and went into the other room. Lee and Amanda followed her and were still in shock.
When they got into the other room Dotty said, "So, where do you want me to start?"
"From the beginning," Amanda quickly replied.
"Okay. Let's see I don't have any dates on any of these pictures so I don't know how old you guys were. But I do know that it was the first day that the zoo opened up, and you begged me to bring you there. I tried to explain to you that it would be too crowed, but you didn't care and wanted to go. So I took you. After we ate lunch you and I got separated and this is the story that you told me."
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(FLASHBACK)
A little Amanda is sitting on a bench crying and soon she screams, "MOMMY!!!" and she puts her hands over her eyes and continues to cry.
Soon a little boy comes up to her and touches her shoulder. Amanda screams a little because she was not expecting someone to come over and help her. She looks up and sees a boy around her age.
"Are you okay," he asks.
Amanda doesn't reply because her mother thought her not to talk to strangers.
"It's okay. My name is Lee Stetson, and this is my mom. What's wrong?"
Amanda wiped her eyes and said, "My name is Amanda West and I lost my mommy," and she continued to cry.
Mrs. Stetson picked Amanda up, sat down, and placed her on her lap. "Now, now Amanda. Don't worry, we'll find your mother."
As soon as Amanda claimed down a little, she put Amanda down and said, "Let's go into a store and see if we can't get someone to call your mother over the loud speaker."
"Okay," and Amanda reached for her hand and Lee took the other.
In a half an hour Dotty came into the store. Saw Amanda and ran for her. She kneeled down and picked her up.
"Mommy, mommy!! Lee saved me!!"
"Lee?" She had no clue who she was talking about.
"Yes, Lee Stetson," Amanda said. Dotty put her down when she saw a woman approach her.
"Hi, I am Jennifer Stetson," she said as she extended her hand.
"Dotty West," she took it and shook it. She saw the little boy and assumed that it was the boy who Amanda was referring too and knelt down so that she could talk to him face to face, "You must be Lee. The little boy who saved my Amanda."
"Yeah," he said shyly, not liking to take all the credit, "My mom helped too."
Dotty stood up and said, "Thank you for all of your help, I think that we should be going now."
Amanda pulled on her mother's pant leg and Dotty looked down, "Mom, can't they come with us?"
Dotty said, "Mrs. Stetson, would you and Lee like to join us?"
"Yes, we would and the name is Jennifer."
"Okay, Jennifer. Let's go kids," Dotty said as they left the store.
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(Back to the present day)
"Oh it was a perfect day," Dotty said, "Your mother and I hit it off right away. We became two close friends."
Lee looked shocked and was thinking, "I can't believe that this woman knew my mother."
"Let me see here," she was flipping through the photos and found one, "Oh here is a cute one," and she handed it to Amanda and Lee. The picture was of Amanda and Lee sleeping in sleeping bags rather close to one another.
"When was this?" Amanda asked.
"It was about a few weeks later when your mother called me up, she said that they had to go out for the weekend and being the closest friends that she had she asked us if we could watch you, and we accepted. Oh Lee, you were a perfect little gentleman, and Amanda for once you were good too.
"What you mean that Amanda wasn't always this nice?" Lee asked.
"Oh my goodness no! She was nice around the family, and in public and of course in front of you. I think that she was trying to impress you."
"Really? I think that I am beginning to like this," he sat back, put his arm around Amanda, and get comfy to hear the rest of the story.
"You would," Amanda said.
"Anyways," Dotty continued, "Amanda was such a nice girl that day, but that night she got a little sneaky."
"What?" Lee asked.
"Oh boy I can remember it so well."
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(Flashback)
It was nighttime and Dotty just finished tucking Amanda and Lee into their sleeping bag, and went back into the house.
Minutes later she came back outside and found that Amanda and Lee were supposedly sleeping. So she took their picture and went back into the house.
When Amanda heard the door close again, she got out of her sleeping bag, and watched the house. When she saw that her mother's bedroom lights were off she said, "Lee! Come on let's go play outside."
"But it's dark out there."
"Oh come on mom left the porch lights on for us. Let's go play."
"But won't we get caught?" Lee asked.
"Come on, we'll be quite and sneak around like little spies."
"Okay, cool!! What you wanna play?"
Amanda went over to Lee and touched his arm, "Tag, and your it!!" and she ran away from him.
Dotty heard some noises outside and saw Amanda and Lee run after each other having so much fun. She decided just to let them have their fun. It took a little time before Lee finally caught Amanda. She was a little faster then him.
Their fun was cut down a little short though because it started to rain. Amanda and Lee didn't care they kept on running around.
Dotty ran down the stairs and when she reached the back porch it was a down pouring, "Amanda! Lee! Come in her now!"
When they came inside, they were soaked to the bone.
"Look at you two," Dotty said, "You two go and put on a new pair of pajama's and quickly."
The two little kids ran upstairs to change their clothes.
When they were done Dotty had some hot coco ready for them. While they drank that she went and put down another sleeping bag on the floor in Amanda's room.
Soon Amanda was in her bed and Lee was on the floor and they feel asleep.
During the night Lee was awaken by some thunder. He didn't like the thunder. He sat up to make sure that Amanda was still sleeping. She was, he got up and went into Doty's room. He poked her and she woke up.
"Lee what's wrong?" she asked.
A big crash of thunder was heard and he got scared, jumped on the bed and hugged Dotty.
"Are you scared of the thunder?"
"No, no. I just don't like it," he answered.
"Oh of course," Dotty said.
"What's going on," Tim said waking up.
"Oh, it's nothing honey. Lee just doesn't like the thunder,"
"Oh, you mean the same way that Amanda doesn't like the lighting?"
"Yes,"
Soon the thunder woke Amanda up too. Bolts of lighting then followed the thunder. She got scared and ran into her parents' room.
Seeing that her father was sitting up in bed she ran to him and hugged him for comfort.
"Lee, what are you doing here?"
"I don't like the thunder. You?"
"I don't like the lighting."
Soon the kids feel asleep next to each other in the bed.
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(Back to the present)
"Wow, I forgot about ever being afraid like that," Lee said.
"I thought that you just didn't like it," Amanda said teasing.
"Well, that too. That was probably the last time I was ever afraid of thunder."
"Oh, because of the colonel, I bet."
Lee looked shocked, "You know me Uncle? How?"
"Yes," Dotty answer, "If you let me continue I will tell you."
"Sorry mother, go on," Amanda said.
"Well about a month later your father and I had a wedding anniversary coming up and he surprised me a second wedding. We renewed our vows. It wasn't at all big. We just had your parents there. It was a little thing in the backyard, it was a nice little ceremony."
Lee looked at Amanda, "In the backyard."
Amanda got the picture and said, "That sounds perfect."
"Anyways after we renewed our vows we asked your parents if they wanted to do the same. They didn't really want to because it was our day, but we insisted and so they did. Then you," she looked at Lee, "Tugged on your father's pant leg and asked him something that no one else heard."
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(Flashback)
Matthew said, "We have to talk," he meant the adults.
Jennifer said, "What is it, honey?"
"Lee just asked me if he and Amanda could get married too!" He answered.
Dotty and Jennifer said at the same time, "Oh how cute!!"
"Well, what are we going to do?" Tim asked.
"Let them. I mean one of you two can do it," Dotty said pointing at the two men.
Dotty and Jennifer started talking. Dotty said, "We can shoot down to the store and get a little white dress."
"And then go to the bakery and get a cake and.....
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(Back to the present)
Amanda was yelling, "Hold it. Hold it! Hold it mother!!"
Dotty finally stopped talking and said, "What?"
"You went all out for a small wedding because he asked a cute question?"
"Amanda, we did it so that we would have memories of you two being friends, and it would be a fun story to tell our grandparents."
"All right mother. Go on," Amanda said.
"Well, as I was saying....." Dotty said.
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(Flashback)
"Girls!!" Tim yelled to get their attention, "Okay, let's tell them and then we can do everything tomorrow."
"Lee! Lee, come here a moment!" Matthew called.
"Yes dad?"
"We have decided that you can marry Amanda."
"Cool. Can I go tell her?"
Jennifer said, "No, you have to ask her first."
Lee looked at his father, "Lee, you should do what your mother says."
Lee ran over to Amanda. Dotty and Jennifer was ready to follow when their husbands held them back. Tim said, "Now, let them have some room."
Lee walked over to Amanda, took her hand in his and said, "Amanda, do you want to marry me?"
Amanda looked at him and said, "Marry you?"
"Yeah, it's the thing that they did today. I think that this means that we will be together forever, so we don't ever have to worry about being apart."
"Hey, that's neat. Okay I'll marry you," Amanda answered.
The parents came over. Lee said, "Well, she said yes. What's next?"
"Tomorrow, Amanda's father will marry you two," Dotty said.
"Okay, can we go and play now?" Lee asked.
"Just for a little while," Jennifer said.
"And be careful not to get dirty in those good clothes," Dotty added.
Early the next morning Amanda, Dotty, and Jennifer are at a dress store and they are having Amanda try on dresses.
"Mom, you got me up early on a Saturday, to try on dresses. You know how I hate to try clothes on."
Jennifer laughs and says, "Lee is just like that."
During the hour that they were there, they took pictures, and had a wonderful time. Even Amanda admitted that she had fun.
Meanwhile...... Lee, Mathew, and Tim, rented a tux.
"Tim, what are we going to do for a ring?" Mathew asked.
"Hmmmmm, that is quite a good question," Tim answered.
After a few seconds of thinking Mathew said, "Of course! Do you have a tie wrap?"
"Yeah," Tim opened a drawer, took one out, and gave it to Mathew.
Tim watched as Mathew wrapped the two ends together, and made somewhat of a little ring out of it.
"Hey, that's pretty good thinking Mathew."
Mathew just smiled.
Later in the afternoon, the wedding started. They had the back all set up so nice that it looked like a real wedding was taking place. Tim was standing in front of Amanda and Lee "marrying" them. Matthew was standing next to Lee, while Jennifer and Dotty sat in chairs next to each other crying happy tears while watching their only children getting married.
After they said their "I do's" Lee's father handed him the tie wrap ring. He told Lee to place it on her fourth finger. When Tim said, "You can now kiss the bride." Lee thought, "What? Hmm, do I really want to? Yeah Amanda is my best friend, but she's still a girl," before Lee had the time to protest Amanda quickly kissed him.
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(Back to the present)
Dotty was now on the sofa sitting next to Lee showing him and Amanda the pictures.
"Mother, these pictures are excellent. Who did them?" Amanda said.
Lee said, "Please tell me that you didn't hire a professional."
"Oh goodness no! That would of cost to much!" Dotty said.
"Then who took them?" Amanda asked.
"The colonel," Dotty answered.
"No, really Dotty," Lee said.
"Seriously. Here look," she turned the page and there was a picture of Lee, and Amanda standing next to a man that look like the colonel, but younger, "See that's the colonel."
Lee looked stunned. "What's wrong Lee?" Amanda asked.
"My uncle came to our "wedding" it's just shocking. I never knew him to be that kind of person to do something like this," Lee turned the page and started laughing. There was a picture of the family with cake all over them, "What happened here?"
"It looks like we were in some kind of food fight," Amanda said.
"Which was started be Lee," Dotty said.
"What? Why?" Lee said.
"Well, apparently when Amanda tried to put a piece of cake in your mouth, she missed and hit you in the face. You thought that she did it on purpose so you took a piece of cake and threw it in her face," Dotty said, while Amanda and Lee started to laugh.
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(Flashback)
Dotty and Mathew stopped them before it got too far. Jennifer walked up to the cake took a piece of cake and said, "Come on Mathew, have a little fun!" and threw it at him.
Mathew picked up a piece of cake, "Okay honey," and threw it. Jennifer ducked just in time, but it hit Dotty square in the face! So everyone started in. While cake was flying everywhere the colonel was running around taking pictures and trying not to get hit by the cake.
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(Back to the present)
Dotty said, "Oh boy was that a fun day and of course the dress was ruined, so we could not bring it back."
Dotty turned the page in the photo album and two envelopes were there.
Amanda saw them and asked, "What are these mother?"
"Oh my gosh," She took them out of the album, the envelope had turned yellow with oldness, "Before the end of the day, Jennifer and I decided that it would be nice if we each wrote a letter to each of you. We thought that you two would grow up together, be high school sweethearts, and some day actually get married."
"Then why the letters?" Amanda asked.
"We also decided that anything could happen to either of you two during your years of growing up, like moving away from each other. We hoped we didn't have to use these, but here I am giving them to you. So here," she handed them each an envelope and she moved back over to the chair to where she was originally sitting.
"Go ahead Amanda, you read yours first," Lee said.
"Okay," Amanda opened the envelope that had the name Amanda West "Stetson" and she took out the letter and read it.
"To out dearest Amanda,
If you are reading this letter then either your mother or I have told you about yours and Lee's wedding. I just wanted you to know that I am so glad that you and Lee became friends. I know that you two have a lot more of living to do and a lot more friends to make, but I can't see anyone else being mine and Mathew's daughter-in-law and I know that no matter what happens your and Lee's love and friendship is unbreakable. I am so glad that I got the chance to meet you and get to know you. You are the daughter that I never had. Do me a favor? If by any chance if you and Lee do split up, find him, be his friend again. Even if you are happily married with kids, go and find him. But I hope that you don't have to do that. You are a perfect person, so nice, and kind. Don't ever change, never.
Love,
"Mom and Dad" Stetson.
When Amanda finished reading the letter she had tears running down her face. She wiped them away and smiled with happiness because Lee's mom did know her and did like her. "Okay Lee, your turn."
"Okay," Lee opened the envelope and took out the letter and read it.
"To our new son Lee,
Lee, I am so glad that you where the one who became our son-in-law. You are a special young man. You don't realize how you, yourself has effected mine and Tim's lives in a good way. Tim has a new happiness and that is when he is around you and your father doing manly things. You are defiantly the son we never had. I know that you and Amanda will be going through a lot of friends through out your lives, but I know that I will never have this feeling of happiness with any other of Amanda's guy friends. No matter what happens between now and the future you and Amanda will always be friends. Even if one of you moves away you never will really forget each other. She will always be in your heart and the memories will always be in your mind. All you have to do is find them. Tim and myself have been very luckily to have met you and become friends with you. Lee, never ever change. You are a perfect gentleman, so sweet and caring. I will never forget you.
Love,
"Mom and Dad" West.
Amanda could see tears forming in his eyes, but before they came out he stood up, walked over to Dotty, and gave her a hug, "Thank you so much. It's nice to know that I still have a mother left."
Once Lee let go Dotty stood up and said, "Well, I have to....." and suddenly she saw something that she didn't quite she before, "Amanda, what is that on your finger?"
Amanda looked at her hand and noticed that her hand with the ring on it was finally reveled.
Amanda stood up and Lee walked over to her and put his arm around her waist, "Well mother, Lee and I have decided to get married."
Dotty placed her hand around her mouth.
Amanda said, "Mother are you alright?"
Dotty removed her hand walked over to them and said, "I am so excited for you! Lee is really going to be part of the family now!" and she gave them each a hug, "Now if you will excuse me I still have some things to finish up upstairs and I have to pick the boys up from school in a half an hour and bring in the clothes because it looks like rain. We will celebrate tonight after you tell the boys. I am so excited for you two, just think, while everyone else gets married to each other once you do it twice," and with that she left the room and went upstairs.
Amanda sat down and said, "Actually three times, but whose counting?"
Lee sat down next to her and said, "So we have the whole downstairs to our selves, what do you want to do?"
"I can think of a few things," she quickly kissed him and said, "Tag! Your it!" and she ran out the French door.
Lee got up and ran after her, "You know I'm not as slow as I used to be!"
"Is that why it took you a good three years to tell me how you felt about me!" and she kept on running.
Dotty was in her room when she heard little drops of rain coming down, she went to her window to see if it was raining. When she looked out her window she not only saw that it was raining outside, but she also saw Amanda and Lee running around after each other. She walked away from the window and smiled thinking, "Amanda has finally found her long lost friend. I'll let them play out there a little longer this time."
THE END
A perfect beginning that started with the Past.
Lee and Amanda are in the Q-Bureau. Amanda is looking out the window and Lee is sitting at his desk.
"Amanda, are you sure you want to do it this way? We can just tell them that we are married," Lee said.
"No. No. I would like to do it this way," She walks over to Lee's desk and sits on the edge of it, "Getting married again is going to be great. This way no one has any hard feelings about not knowing that we did get married. Plus I want to give mother the fun time of planning it," Lee laughed at what Amanda just said, "Well she will."
"Yeah, I know she will," Lee didn't sound full of himself.
Amanda could sense that something was wrong with him. She knew that if there was something really wrong he would say something, but she thought, 'He is my husband. I have the right to ask.' "Lee, what's wrong. You sound like something is wrong?"
"I just wished that.. that.."
"Your parents could be here," Amanda finished for him.
"Yes. You know Amanda, my parents would of loved you," Lee said.
"And I would have loved them too. I wish that my father would be here also. You know he would have loved you too. He never really said, but I could always sense that he wanted a guy to talk too and do men stuff with you would have been perfect for that."
"Yeah. Okay let's go tell your mother," Lee said and he got up and was ready to grab his keys when Amanda grabbed them first.
"Only if I get to take the 'vette'," and she headed for the door.
"Amanda, no. Come on," Lee got up and started to walk up to her.
Amanda threw him her keys. Lee caught them, "Here take my car," and she ran out the door.
Lee ran after her.
Soon Lee reached the parking lot when he saw Amanda race out of the parking lot, "Careful!!" Lee screamed, but he knew that she didn't hear him. He ran into her car and was on his way.
Meanwhile....
Dotty was in the house cleaning out her closet and she spotted something, "What is this?" she grabbed it and it was an old and dusty box. She opened it up, took out a photo album and said, "Oh my gosh. I can't believe I forgot all about this. I knew he looked familiar." She grabbed the box and headed down stairs to get a better look at the photos.
Soon Amanda and Lee got to Amanda's house.
"Good job. You kept up," Amanda said teasingly.
"Thanks, it's not easy to keep up with a corvette in that pile of....."
"Don't even think about finishing that sentence. Now come on," she reached for his hand, "Let's go and tell mother," Lee took it and walked with her to the house.
"Mother? Mother? Are you home?" Amanda said when she entered her house.
"Yes. In here Amanda," Dotty called from the kitchen.
When Amanda and Lee got there they saw her looking through some kind of photo album.
"Have I got something to tell you!" Amanda and Dotty said at the same time.
"Really mother, what is it?" Amanda said.
"No go ahead," Dotty said.
Then Amanda and Dotty kept insisting that the other go first. Very soon Lee could not stand it anymore and whistled as loud as he could. The two women stopped talking immediately.
"Dotty, why don't you go first," Lee said.
"Okay. Here," and she handed Amanda a picture with a little boy that was wearing a black suit and a little girl that looked like she was wearing a wedding gown.
"Mother what is this?"
"Who does it look like?" Dotty asked.
"Well, the little girl looks like me, but I have no clue who this boy is."
"Amanda it looks like you got married," Lee said.
"She did," Dotty said.
Amanda was shocked, but Lee that it was funny so he said, "Amanda! I am going out with a married woman?! And you, you are cheating on your poor husband."
"Oh shut up," and gave him a playful slap on the arm.
"So who is this little hubby of yours? I think that I should met him," Lee said it still in a mocking voice.
Dotty said, "You have," Lee looked at her, "It was you."
Amanda and Lee said, "What?"
"Of course, from the first day that I saw you I knew that I saw you before, but I couldn't remember where and..."
Amanda cut her off, "This isn't Lee."
"Here," and she handed them another picture, but this time it was of the little boy, little girl, and four parents.
"Those are my parents!" Lee exclaimed.
"Yes, I know." Dotty said, "and we were good friends. Oh especially you two. We couldn't get you two away from each other. You were inseparable."
"Mother, would you please tell us about our little "wedding" here."
"Of course. The boys don't get home for another two hours, so sure. In the other room," Dotty got up and went into the other room. Lee and Amanda followed her and were still in shock.
When they got into the other room Dotty said, "So, where do you want me to start?"
"From the beginning," Amanda quickly replied.
"Okay. Let's see I don't have any dates on any of these pictures so I don't know how old you guys were. But I do know that it was the first day that the zoo opened up, and you begged me to bring you there. I tried to explain to you that it would be too crowed, but you didn't care and wanted to go. So I took you. After we ate lunch you and I got separated and this is the story that you told me."
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(FLASHBACK)
A little Amanda is sitting on a bench crying and soon she screams, "MOMMY!!!" and she puts her hands over her eyes and continues to cry.
Soon a little boy comes up to her and touches her shoulder. Amanda screams a little because she was not expecting someone to come over and help her. She looks up and sees a boy around her age.
"Are you okay," he asks.
Amanda doesn't reply because her mother thought her not to talk to strangers.
"It's okay. My name is Lee Stetson, and this is my mom. What's wrong?"
Amanda wiped her eyes and said, "My name is Amanda West and I lost my mommy," and she continued to cry.
Mrs. Stetson picked Amanda up, sat down, and placed her on her lap. "Now, now Amanda. Don't worry, we'll find your mother."
As soon as Amanda claimed down a little, she put Amanda down and said, "Let's go into a store and see if we can't get someone to call your mother over the loud speaker."
"Okay," and Amanda reached for her hand and Lee took the other.
In a half an hour Dotty came into the store. Saw Amanda and ran for her. She kneeled down and picked her up.
"Mommy, mommy!! Lee saved me!!"
"Lee?" She had no clue who she was talking about.
"Yes, Lee Stetson," Amanda said. Dotty put her down when she saw a woman approach her.
"Hi, I am Jennifer Stetson," she said as she extended her hand.
"Dotty West," she took it and shook it. She saw the little boy and assumed that it was the boy who Amanda was referring too and knelt down so that she could talk to him face to face, "You must be Lee. The little boy who saved my Amanda."
"Yeah," he said shyly, not liking to take all the credit, "My mom helped too."
Dotty stood up and said, "Thank you for all of your help, I think that we should be going now."
Amanda pulled on her mother's pant leg and Dotty looked down, "Mom, can't they come with us?"
Dotty said, "Mrs. Stetson, would you and Lee like to join us?"
"Yes, we would and the name is Jennifer."
"Okay, Jennifer. Let's go kids," Dotty said as they left the store.
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(Back to the present day)
"Oh it was a perfect day," Dotty said, "Your mother and I hit it off right away. We became two close friends."
Lee looked shocked and was thinking, "I can't believe that this woman knew my mother."
"Let me see here," she was flipping through the photos and found one, "Oh here is a cute one," and she handed it to Amanda and Lee. The picture was of Amanda and Lee sleeping in sleeping bags rather close to one another.
"When was this?" Amanda asked.
"It was about a few weeks later when your mother called me up, she said that they had to go out for the weekend and being the closest friends that she had she asked us if we could watch you, and we accepted. Oh Lee, you were a perfect little gentleman, and Amanda for once you were good too.
"What you mean that Amanda wasn't always this nice?" Lee asked.
"Oh my goodness no! She was nice around the family, and in public and of course in front of you. I think that she was trying to impress you."
"Really? I think that I am beginning to like this," he sat back, put his arm around Amanda, and get comfy to hear the rest of the story.
"You would," Amanda said.
"Anyways," Dotty continued, "Amanda was such a nice girl that day, but that night she got a little sneaky."
"What?" Lee asked.
"Oh boy I can remember it so well."
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(Flashback)
It was nighttime and Dotty just finished tucking Amanda and Lee into their sleeping bag, and went back into the house.
Minutes later she came back outside and found that Amanda and Lee were supposedly sleeping. So she took their picture and went back into the house.
When Amanda heard the door close again, she got out of her sleeping bag, and watched the house. When she saw that her mother's bedroom lights were off she said, "Lee! Come on let's go play outside."
"But it's dark out there."
"Oh come on mom left the porch lights on for us. Let's go play."
"But won't we get caught?" Lee asked.
"Come on, we'll be quite and sneak around like little spies."
"Okay, cool!! What you wanna play?"
Amanda went over to Lee and touched his arm, "Tag, and your it!!" and she ran away from him.
Dotty heard some noises outside and saw Amanda and Lee run after each other having so much fun. She decided just to let them have their fun. It took a little time before Lee finally caught Amanda. She was a little faster then him.
Their fun was cut down a little short though because it started to rain. Amanda and Lee didn't care they kept on running around.
Dotty ran down the stairs and when she reached the back porch it was a down pouring, "Amanda! Lee! Come in her now!"
When they came inside, they were soaked to the bone.
"Look at you two," Dotty said, "You two go and put on a new pair of pajama's and quickly."
The two little kids ran upstairs to change their clothes.
When they were done Dotty had some hot coco ready for them. While they drank that she went and put down another sleeping bag on the floor in Amanda's room.
Soon Amanda was in her bed and Lee was on the floor and they feel asleep.
During the night Lee was awaken by some thunder. He didn't like the thunder. He sat up to make sure that Amanda was still sleeping. She was, he got up and went into Doty's room. He poked her and she woke up.
"Lee what's wrong?" she asked.
A big crash of thunder was heard and he got scared, jumped on the bed and hugged Dotty.
"Are you scared of the thunder?"
"No, no. I just don't like it," he answered.
"Oh of course," Dotty said.
"What's going on," Tim said waking up.
"Oh, it's nothing honey. Lee just doesn't like the thunder,"
"Oh, you mean the same way that Amanda doesn't like the lighting?"
"Yes,"
Soon the thunder woke Amanda up too. Bolts of lighting then followed the thunder. She got scared and ran into her parents' room.
Seeing that her father was sitting up in bed she ran to him and hugged him for comfort.
"Lee, what are you doing here?"
"I don't like the thunder. You?"
"I don't like the lighting."
Soon the kids feel asleep next to each other in the bed.
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(Back to the present)
"Wow, I forgot about ever being afraid like that," Lee said.
"I thought that you just didn't like it," Amanda said teasing.
"Well, that too. That was probably the last time I was ever afraid of thunder."
"Oh, because of the colonel, I bet."
Lee looked shocked, "You know me Uncle? How?"
"Yes," Dotty answer, "If you let me continue I will tell you."
"Sorry mother, go on," Amanda said.
"Well about a month later your father and I had a wedding anniversary coming up and he surprised me a second wedding. We renewed our vows. It wasn't at all big. We just had your parents there. It was a little thing in the backyard, it was a nice little ceremony."
Lee looked at Amanda, "In the backyard."
Amanda got the picture and said, "That sounds perfect."
"Anyways after we renewed our vows we asked your parents if they wanted to do the same. They didn't really want to because it was our day, but we insisted and so they did. Then you," she looked at Lee, "Tugged on your father's pant leg and asked him something that no one else heard."
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(Flashback)
Matthew said, "We have to talk," he meant the adults.
Jennifer said, "What is it, honey?"
"Lee just asked me if he and Amanda could get married too!" He answered.
Dotty and Jennifer said at the same time, "Oh how cute!!"
"Well, what are we going to do?" Tim asked.
"Let them. I mean one of you two can do it," Dotty said pointing at the two men.
Dotty and Jennifer started talking. Dotty said, "We can shoot down to the store and get a little white dress."
"And then go to the bakery and get a cake and.....
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(Back to the present)
Amanda was yelling, "Hold it. Hold it! Hold it mother!!"
Dotty finally stopped talking and said, "What?"
"You went all out for a small wedding because he asked a cute question?"
"Amanda, we did it so that we would have memories of you two being friends, and it would be a fun story to tell our grandparents."
"All right mother. Go on," Amanda said.
"Well, as I was saying....." Dotty said.
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(Flashback)
"Girls!!" Tim yelled to get their attention, "Okay, let's tell them and then we can do everything tomorrow."
"Lee! Lee, come here a moment!" Matthew called.
"Yes dad?"
"We have decided that you can marry Amanda."
"Cool. Can I go tell her?"
Jennifer said, "No, you have to ask her first."
Lee looked at his father, "Lee, you should do what your mother says."
Lee ran over to Amanda. Dotty and Jennifer was ready to follow when their husbands held them back. Tim said, "Now, let them have some room."
Lee walked over to Amanda, took her hand in his and said, "Amanda, do you want to marry me?"
Amanda looked at him and said, "Marry you?"
"Yeah, it's the thing that they did today. I think that this means that we will be together forever, so we don't ever have to worry about being apart."
"Hey, that's neat. Okay I'll marry you," Amanda answered.
The parents came over. Lee said, "Well, she said yes. What's next?"
"Tomorrow, Amanda's father will marry you two," Dotty said.
"Okay, can we go and play now?" Lee asked.
"Just for a little while," Jennifer said.
"And be careful not to get dirty in those good clothes," Dotty added.
Early the next morning Amanda, Dotty, and Jennifer are at a dress store and they are having Amanda try on dresses.
"Mom, you got me up early on a Saturday, to try on dresses. You know how I hate to try clothes on."
Jennifer laughs and says, "Lee is just like that."
During the hour that they were there, they took pictures, and had a wonderful time. Even Amanda admitted that she had fun.
Meanwhile...... Lee, Mathew, and Tim, rented a tux.
"Tim, what are we going to do for a ring?" Mathew asked.
"Hmmmmm, that is quite a good question," Tim answered.
After a few seconds of thinking Mathew said, "Of course! Do you have a tie wrap?"
"Yeah," Tim opened a drawer, took one out, and gave it to Mathew.
Tim watched as Mathew wrapped the two ends together, and made somewhat of a little ring out of it.
"Hey, that's pretty good thinking Mathew."
Mathew just smiled.
Later in the afternoon, the wedding started. They had the back all set up so nice that it looked like a real wedding was taking place. Tim was standing in front of Amanda and Lee "marrying" them. Matthew was standing next to Lee, while Jennifer and Dotty sat in chairs next to each other crying happy tears while watching their only children getting married.
After they said their "I do's" Lee's father handed him the tie wrap ring. He told Lee to place it on her fourth finger. When Tim said, "You can now kiss the bride." Lee thought, "What? Hmm, do I really want to? Yeah Amanda is my best friend, but she's still a girl," before Lee had the time to protest Amanda quickly kissed him.
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(Back to the present)
Dotty was now on the sofa sitting next to Lee showing him and Amanda the pictures.
"Mother, these pictures are excellent. Who did them?" Amanda said.
Lee said, "Please tell me that you didn't hire a professional."
"Oh goodness no! That would of cost to much!" Dotty said.
"Then who took them?" Amanda asked.
"The colonel," Dotty answered.
"No, really Dotty," Lee said.
"Seriously. Here look," she turned the page and there was a picture of Lee, and Amanda standing next to a man that look like the colonel, but younger, "See that's the colonel."
Lee looked stunned. "What's wrong Lee?" Amanda asked.
"My uncle came to our "wedding" it's just shocking. I never knew him to be that kind of person to do something like this," Lee turned the page and started laughing. There was a picture of the family with cake all over them, "What happened here?"
"It looks like we were in some kind of food fight," Amanda said.
"Which was started be Lee," Dotty said.
"What? Why?" Lee said.
"Well, apparently when Amanda tried to put a piece of cake in your mouth, she missed and hit you in the face. You thought that she did it on purpose so you took a piece of cake and threw it in her face," Dotty said, while Amanda and Lee started to laugh.
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(Flashback)
Dotty and Mathew stopped them before it got too far. Jennifer walked up to the cake took a piece of cake and said, "Come on Mathew, have a little fun!" and threw it at him.
Mathew picked up a piece of cake, "Okay honey," and threw it. Jennifer ducked just in time, but it hit Dotty square in the face! So everyone started in. While cake was flying everywhere the colonel was running around taking pictures and trying not to get hit by the cake.
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(Back to the present)
Dotty said, "Oh boy was that a fun day and of course the dress was ruined, so we could not bring it back."
Dotty turned the page in the photo album and two envelopes were there.
Amanda saw them and asked, "What are these mother?"
"Oh my gosh," She took them out of the album, the envelope had turned yellow with oldness, "Before the end of the day, Jennifer and I decided that it would be nice if we each wrote a letter to each of you. We thought that you two would grow up together, be high school sweethearts, and some day actually get married."
"Then why the letters?" Amanda asked.
"We also decided that anything could happen to either of you two during your years of growing up, like moving away from each other. We hoped we didn't have to use these, but here I am giving them to you. So here," she handed them each an envelope and she moved back over to the chair to where she was originally sitting.
"Go ahead Amanda, you read yours first," Lee said.
"Okay," Amanda opened the envelope that had the name Amanda West "Stetson" and she took out the letter and read it.
"To out dearest Amanda,
If you are reading this letter then either your mother or I have told you about yours and Lee's wedding. I just wanted you to know that I am so glad that you and Lee became friends. I know that you two have a lot more of living to do and a lot more friends to make, but I can't see anyone else being mine and Mathew's daughter-in-law and I know that no matter what happens your and Lee's love and friendship is unbreakable. I am so glad that I got the chance to meet you and get to know you. You are the daughter that I never had. Do me a favor? If by any chance if you and Lee do split up, find him, be his friend again. Even if you are happily married with kids, go and find him. But I hope that you don't have to do that. You are a perfect person, so nice, and kind. Don't ever change, never.
Love,
"Mom and Dad" Stetson.
When Amanda finished reading the letter she had tears running down her face. She wiped them away and smiled with happiness because Lee's mom did know her and did like her. "Okay Lee, your turn."
"Okay," Lee opened the envelope and took out the letter and read it.
"To our new son Lee,
Lee, I am so glad that you where the one who became our son-in-law. You are a special young man. You don't realize how you, yourself has effected mine and Tim's lives in a good way. Tim has a new happiness and that is when he is around you and your father doing manly things. You are defiantly the son we never had. I know that you and Amanda will be going through a lot of friends through out your lives, but I know that I will never have this feeling of happiness with any other of Amanda's guy friends. No matter what happens between now and the future you and Amanda will always be friends. Even if one of you moves away you never will really forget each other. She will always be in your heart and the memories will always be in your mind. All you have to do is find them. Tim and myself have been very luckily to have met you and become friends with you. Lee, never ever change. You are a perfect gentleman, so sweet and caring. I will never forget you.
Love,
"Mom and Dad" West.
Amanda could see tears forming in his eyes, but before they came out he stood up, walked over to Dotty, and gave her a hug, "Thank you so much. It's nice to know that I still have a mother left."
Once Lee let go Dotty stood up and said, "Well, I have to....." and suddenly she saw something that she didn't quite she before, "Amanda, what is that on your finger?"
Amanda looked at her hand and noticed that her hand with the ring on it was finally reveled.
Amanda stood up and Lee walked over to her and put his arm around her waist, "Well mother, Lee and I have decided to get married."
Dotty placed her hand around her mouth.
Amanda said, "Mother are you alright?"
Dotty removed her hand walked over to them and said, "I am so excited for you! Lee is really going to be part of the family now!" and she gave them each a hug, "Now if you will excuse me I still have some things to finish up upstairs and I have to pick the boys up from school in a half an hour and bring in the clothes because it looks like rain. We will celebrate tonight after you tell the boys. I am so excited for you two, just think, while everyone else gets married to each other once you do it twice," and with that she left the room and went upstairs.
Amanda sat down and said, "Actually three times, but whose counting?"
Lee sat down next to her and said, "So we have the whole downstairs to our selves, what do you want to do?"
"I can think of a few things," she quickly kissed him and said, "Tag! Your it!" and she ran out the French door.
Lee got up and ran after her, "You know I'm not as slow as I used to be!"
"Is that why it took you a good three years to tell me how you felt about me!" and she kept on running.
Dotty was in her room when she heard little drops of rain coming down, she went to her window to see if it was raining. When she looked out her window she not only saw that it was raining outside, but she also saw Amanda and Lee running around after each other. She walked away from the window and smiled thinking, "Amanda has finally found her long lost friend. I'll let them play out there a little longer this time."
THE END