Remember WENN and it's characters are copyright AMC/Howard Meltzer prods and Rupert Holmes. No infringement is intended. Elizabeth (Bethie) Singer, Mrs. Florence Grey, and any original characters are mine. As is the story.

Thanks to my beta readers, and all the comments I received from the sneaks. Enjoy this look at WENN from Bethie's point of view.

Bethie's Day
A Baby Singer story #4
By Michele Savage

July, 1942

The loud noise woke me up. It was really scary and dark in my room except for the flashing light outside the window. I felt around for my horse but couldn't find it. The noise again ... I tried to be brave but I started crying anyway. I crawled to the end of my crib and stood up. That was a new trick I learned. I have to hold on to something, or I'll fall, but I can stand up.

Here's another new trick I've learned. The louder I cry the faster mama or daddy comes to get me. So I yell really loud. The crashing noise again. Mama hurry up! I don't know what that is and it's scaring me. Wait ... I hear her. She's coming. There she is! Mama! I stamp my feet and reach for her when she gets to my crib.

"It's only a thunderstorm, Elizabeth." Mama told me when she picked me up. Well, I didn't know. All I know is that its loud and I don't like it. I hugged her around the neck really tight. Mama hugged me, too and told me I didn't need to be afraid. It still scares me even though she's here.

I pointed to the doorway. Can I please go sleep with you and daddy?

Oh, goody. She's taking me in there. Wow, it's dark all over the house. Even the light in the hall that mama always leaves on is off.

"Darling, it looks like the power is out. I think the flashlight is downstairs." Daddy's awake too. He kissed me when he walked past. Oh, take me with you! I reached for him, but he told me to stay with mama.

"Will you be alright?" Mama asked daddy putting her hand on his arm, stopping him. She sounded worried.

"I'm okay, Mittens. Now that I'm fully awake and know it's a storm." He told her and squeezed her hand and left the room.

Mama walked to the bed and sat, "We'll wait for daddy here." She told me.

There's another bright flash. A loud boom always follows that. I hid my eyes in mama's neck. But I didn't cry.

"Here Elizabeth, let's get under the covers." Mama lay down in front of me so I couldn't see the window. She made me lay down too, and covered us both up. "There, that way you can't see the lightning."

Lightning ... is that what it's called? Well, it's not so scary now that I can barely see it. I put my fingers in my mouth and sucked on them, because that always made me feel better too. Thanks mama. I smiled at her, and she smiled back. I love my mama. She chases away lots of scary things. I think she's pretty, too. But don't all babies think their mama is the prettiest?

My mama used to wear lots of nice things. I liked playing with her necklaces, but sometimes I got my hand smacked if I pulled too hard. I broke one of them once. Mama was mad because the little white balls rolled everywhere. It took her and daddy a long time to pick them all up. She stopped wearing her really pretty necklaces after that.

She doesn't wear hats very often anymore either. She told daddy it was because I was too grabby, whatever that meant. I just wanted to move the feather because it was tickling my nose. I didn't mean to pull it off her head.

"I also brought a couple candles. Why waste the batteries in the flashlight." Daddy said when he came back. He put the candles down on the table next to mama's side of the bed and lit them. Because mama was laying on his side, daddy got into the bed on her side. "Are we having a slumber party?"

"It would seem that way." Mama said and smiled at daddy. I took my fingers out of my mouth and did my best to tell daddy that the noise and the flashing lightning was scaring me. I can't talk yet, but daddy always understands me. I pulled myself up to him and pointed to the window, just to make sure he knew what I was talking about.

"That thunder is loud isn't it, little pumpkin?" He told me. I nodded 'yes' and he hugged me. Then he told me a secret, that the thunder scared him too. Mama chases the scary things away for daddy too. He told me so.

Daddy yawned, "I don't suppose you want to go back to sleep, Bethie."

Um...no. I don't. I noticed the book on the table by the candles that mama and daddy were reading to me. I pointed to it and told daddy I wanted to hear a story. I like it when they tell me a story, because they always do different voices.

Daddy picked up the book and handed it to mama. She smiled and told him, "It's not often I want to put my audience to sleep." She opened the book while daddy turned me around to sit on his lap so I could see the pictures.

The story they are telling me is about a little girl who gets lost and has to find her way home. And she has a good lady helping her. But there's a bad lady who is mean to her. Some times I don't understand the story much, but I like looking at the pictures. And mama and daddy are having too much fun telling it to me.

Now the bad lady is trying to stop the girl, Dorothy, from getting to the Wizard's castle. When mama does the bad lady's voice it makes me laugh. I laid back against daddy's tummy and watched the faces she made. "I'll get you, my pretty." She tickled me and made me laugh harder.

"You know, you do the Wicked Witch's voice rather convincingly." Daddy teased. Mama looked at daddy and told him in the witch voice that she'd get him too. He laughed and asked her if that was a promise. I didn't hear what she said then, but daddy liked it. And they forgot about my story.

I turned around and hit daddy on the chest. Hey... finish my story! The witch was just sending her flying monkeys. I threw the book at mama and it hit her in the leg. I yelled and got their attention. Finally.

"Elizabeth, that wasn't necessary." She scolded me. Well. Pay attention to me, then. Not daddy.

Daddy made me lay down in between them. "Why don't you lay down Bethie and try to go to sleep."

No! I don't want to lay down. I tried to sit back up, but daddy put me back down. I started to cry, but then mama said they'd read more to me if I was quiet. So I stopped crying and listened. The monkeys came and took Dorothy away, and I fell asleep.

I woke up when I heard noises. I saw it was light outside and the sun was shining. Mama and daddy were both awake. I crawled to the end of the bed near where mama was getting her clothes out for the day. I had to get her attention because my diaper needed changed. She saw me and took me back to my room. Mama changed my diaper and then picked out a pretty yellow dress for me to wear.

I like this dress because it's comfortable and cool because it's really hot outside. It has pretty white flowers on it too, and lace on the bottom. She put matching socks on my feet and white shoes. I hate shoes and socks. But mama makes me wear them. She always tells me, 'it isn't proper for a young lady to be barefooted.' I don't care. It's more comfortable.

I usually take them off as soon as mama is out of the room. Daddy just tells her that I'm a baby and going barefoot isn't going to hurt me. Then she always says something about being raised on a farm and daddy just rolls his eyes and makes a face at her behind her back. That always makes me laugh.

When mama finished dressing me she took me back into her room so she could finish getting her clothes out while daddy was in the shower. She set me on the floor in front of the long mirror. I crawled up to see my reflection. The mirror is funny because it looks like I can reach through it, but I can't. I can see mama making the bed behind me.

I turned around and pointed to her and told her I could see her. She was busy, so I crawled to the end of the bed and used the bedspread to stand up. She saw me and smiled.

Mama knelt next to me, "You are going to be walking soon, Elizabeth." She took my hands off the bed and held them in hers. "Can you come to mama?"

No 'cause I'll fall. I want to though, but I'm afraid to lift up my foot.

"I won't let you fall, sweetie." She reassured me. I know she has me and won't let me fall, so I tried to lift my foot. I put it down real quick, but I didn't fall. I looked at Mama and smiled.

She smiled back and nodded, "See. You can do it."

So I tried again. I lifted up my foot and put it down and lifted up the other one. I didn't fall. I can do it! So I practiced over and over. Mama pulled me toward her and it was almost like I walked! She hugged me really tight, because she was proud of me. I was proud of me too.

"That's very good, Bethie." She told me. She never ever calls me daddy's name so she must really be happy with me. I'll have to keep practicing that. I can't wait to show daddy.

Mama put me in front of the mirror again and this time she had a comb. "Here darling, comb hair." She pointed to the reflection in the mirror and I could see her combing my hair. I reached for the comb. Let me comb yours mama. She gave it to me and I turned so I could reach her hair. She sat in the floor and put me between her crossed legs so I could comb the front of her hair.

My hair is the same color as mama's but mine has more curls. She says I got the those from daddy. My hair isn't as long as mama's either. Hers is as long as her shoulders and mine is a little longer than my chin. Mama told me if I pull my curls out straight it would almost be as long as hers, but I like my curls.

She finally took the comb away and turned me around so she could fix my hair. She had a yellow ribbon that she tied in my hair and made a pretty bow on top. Mama let me go so I could see myself. She let me stand up in front of the mirror and kept her hands on my waist so I wouldn't fall. I like looking at myself, so I know what I look like.

I have brown eyes. Like daddy's, mama says. She has brown eyes too, but she always says mine remind her of daddy's. Hard to resist.

I have four teeth, too. Two on top and two on bottom in the middle of my mouth. My other teeth are coming in and it hurts sometimes, but mama lets me chew on a soft cold washcloth, and that makes it feel better.

"You look very beautiful." Daddy crouched down behind mama. I saw him and turned around. I lost my balance, but mama caught me. She picked me up and handed me over her shoulders to daddy. "And you're a pretty little pumpkin, too." I smiled and gave daddy a kiss. He hugged me close and stood up, then helped mama stand.

"Why don't you two go downstairs and get some breakfast while I get ready for work." Mama shooed us out of the room. Before we left, daddy kissed mama good morning. And he kept kissing her. I leaned back and forth; come on daddy, I'm hungry!

Mama backed away. "Go, before she tears your shoulder off." She laughed.

We went downstairs and daddy put me in the play pen. I hate this thing. I feel like I'm in a cage. But daddy never leaves me in here long, so I stood at the side and waited for him to get the milk and fix my breakfast.

He finished that and moved me to my chair in the kitchen. Daddy sat and ate a bowl of cereal with me. We always eat breakfast together. After breakfast, he always fixes me a bottle to take out on the front porch with us.

Daddy and I always go sit on the porch swing and wait for mama to finish getting ready. It's nice and warm outside and I like swinging with daddy. Sometimes he sings to me and sometimes he talks to me.

Today, we were swinging and Mrs. Grey stopped by. She lives next door to us. Mama doesn't like her much, because she says that Mrs. Grey is a nosey busybody. I don't really know what that means, but daddy always jokes that if there is something happening in our neighborhood, Mrs. Grey will know about it ten minutes before it happens.

"Good morning, Mr. Singer." She walked up the stairs. She keeps her white hair pulled into a bun on her head. And she always wears hats. Not fancy ones like mama wore, but she always wears them.

"Morning, Mrs. Grey." Daddy said. He was always nice to her.

"I see you have that precious Elizabeth with you." She said patting my shoulder, "and don't you look lovely in your yellow."

I smiled at her. Yes, thank you. It's my favorite dress. Well, that's what I tried to say. I wish I could talk so people could understand me. I talk a lot, but, other than daddy most people just pretend they know what I'm saying. Daddy always listens to me and somehow he figures out what I mean.

"It's her favorite dress." He told Mrs. Grey. "She seems to like yellow."

Well, yeah. It's a pretty bright color. I like bright things.

"Just coming in from your morning walk?" Daddy asked our visitor. He scooted over on the swing so she could sit with us.

"Yes." She sat and thanked daddy. "Did you know the Cliftons three houses down are expecting?"

"No. I didn't know that." Daddy said, sounding interested but he wasn't really. He always said when it comes to Mrs. Grey, being an actor has it's advantages.

"I saw Lillian this morning and she had that look about her." She explained. Daddy nodded.

"It was that same look I noticed on your Hilary, when she was expecting this precious little one." She tickled my chin. I hate it when she does that, so I brushed her hand away.

Mama came out of the house then, "Jeffrey, did you ... oh, good morning Mrs. Grey. Excuse me for one moment. Jeffrey, did you pack Elizabeth's lunch."

"Oh dear, you all are rushing for work and here I sit wasting your time."

"No darling, that's quite all right." Mama told her, "I can finish the baby's lunch. My husband loves entertaining women."

Daddy looked at mama and said, "Of -all- ages." Mama glared at daddy and went back into the house.

"Well, I really must call the cab." Daddy told Mrs. Grey, "Can I help you home?"

She smiled and it looked like she blushed a little, "You are a dear, Mr. Singer. I'd love it if you helped me home."

We stood up, and daddy helped Mrs. Grey to her feet, making sure the swing didn't go out from under her. He held her arm as we went down the steps. "Your grass looks like it could use a mowing." Daddy said, "If you'd like, I can mow it Saturday when I do ours."

"Bless you, that would be wonderful." She said, her voice happy. "It's so hard to get those boys of mine over here. It seems like they move away from home, start their families and suddenly, they forget they have a mother."

Daddy laughed, "Well, don't you worry Mrs. Grey, I'll keep your yard looking nice." We got to her front door and he held it opened for her.

"Thank you, very much." She said. "You have a good day. I'll be listening. I just love The Hands Of Time."

"You have a good day too. Mrs. Grey." Daddy said. I said bye and waved to her, too. I think daddy likes Mrs. Grey more than he tells mama. I like her too. She's always nice to me. Except when she tickles my chin.

We walked back home and went into the house. Daddy set me on the floor and went into the kitchen to talk to mama. He told me to stay put. Ha! Who's he talking to? Now that I can crawl, I can go exploring.

I crawled over to my toy box. Daddy took off the lid, so I wouldn't hurt myself. I pulled out the baby doll that Grammy Eugenia gave me. No, I don't wanna play with that. Where's my horse. I tried to think where it was the last time I saw it. Oh, I know. In my room. Upstairs.

Daddy looked out of the kitchen to make sure I was ok. I smiled at him. Yeah, I'm ok. Go back to what you were doing. I got some more toys out of my box and put them on the floor. I looked back and daddy was gone. Oh, good. Time to go get my horse.

I crawled to the bottom of the steps. That's really high. Maybe I should let mama or daddy get it. No, I can do it. If I almost walked this morning, I can crawl up the stairs. Piece of cake. Uncle Scotty always says that.

I went up the first two steps. This is easy. I went up the stairs a little wobbly at first, but, I got better the more I went. I stopped halfway up and sat on the step I was at. Looking down it looks really high. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. I looked back up to where I was going. That doesn't look bad. I really want my horse, so I can make it. I finished climbing.

When I got to the top, I looked down. Wow, I did it! I clapped for myself. Now to get my horse. I crawled to my room, because I know that's where I dropped it last night when I was scared. There it is. On the floor. I got it and started to go out of my room, when I decide I wanted to play with the drawers.

I went to my dresser and stood against it. I pulled at the middle drawer but my hand slipped and I fell. Ouch. I landed hard on my bottom.

Okay, that drawer won't open, we'll try this one. I pulled at the bottom one and it finally came open. Whew, that was hard work. Hmm, what's in it. I knelt at the edge. Oh, diapers, and pajamas. I pulled the stuff out of it and put it in the floor. I like playing in drawers. They make good hiding places.

"Elizabeth!"

Uh, oh. Mama. She's still downstairs looking for me. Maybe I'll have enough time to hide in here. I can hear both of them looking for me now. I laughed. This is fun. I climbed in the drawer and lay down. I peeked over the edge and waited till they figured out I was upstairs.

I hear someone coming upstairs. I lay flat so they couldn't see me. I waited but I didn't hear anything else. Maybe they didn't find me!

I peeked. Aaah! Oh, it's mama. She was kneeling right next to my drawer. "Elizabeth Singer, how did you get upstairs?"

The flying monkeys? Nah she probably wouldn't believe that. I sat and reached for her. I did it all by myself, mama! I climbed the stairs looking for my horse.

"Did you climb those steps by yourself?" Mama asked me when she picked me up.

I gave her a funny look, I just said that! Where's daddy? He would know. I tried to wiggle out of her arms. Put me down mama, Daddy would be proud I climbed the steps. But mama held me tighter and stood up.

Oh, wait... my horse. I looked for it; there it is, on the floor by the clothes pile I made. I hit mama's shoulder. Stop! I started to fuss and pointed at my horse. Mama put me in my crib. No, mama! I don't want to go in here. I started crying really loud, to show her I really wasn't happy about this! I put my fingers in my mouth and lay down. But I didn't stop crying.

She knelt back down and put my mess back into the drawer.

"Darling, the taxi is here...why is Bethie in her crib?" Daddy! It's about time. I stood up and reached for him. Please daddy, I don't wanna be in here.

"I just set her in there so she was out of the way, while I refolded this mess she made." Mama told daddy. "You can take her out." Mama reached and picked up my horse. "Here, she wants this. It's probably why she came up here in the first place." She gave my horse to daddy.

I looked at her. Mama, you did understand me! She stood up and I reached for her. She picked me up and wiped the tears off my face. I hugged her real tight. I'm sorry I cried. I was the one that didn't understand. I thought you were mad at me. I gave her a big kiss. I love you, mama.

*********************

"WENN, how can I help you."

WENN is where mama and daddy and me work, and the lady answering the phone is Grammy Gertie. I stood by her desk and watched her talk into that funny looking telephone. She finished talking and picked me up.

"Good afternoon, Miss Elizabeth." She told me when she put me on her lap. She turned on her radio and I could hear mama and daddy. I smiled and pointed to the radio. I tried to say 'daddy and mama' but it didn't come out that way. I hit the desk hard. I wish I could talk!

"Yes honey, that's your daddy and your mother." I didn't like the way she said, 'mother'. Grammy Gertie doesn't like my mama much. I don't know why. Mama says that everyone likes her.

I decided that I didn't want to be here. I tried to get off her lap, but she held me tighter. "Now you stay here until your parents get off the air." No! I want down. I squirmed enough that she put me down. "You stay out of trouble."

I gave her a real innocent look. I'm eight months old. Why kind of trouble can I get into? I smiled at her really wide.

She laughed, "Trouble is your middle name, Elizabeth." No it's not. My middle name is Booth.

Her phone rang and she turned to answer it. Good. Time for me to go. I crawled down the hallway, but stopped when I got to the doors. One side is the studio where mama and daddy are. The other side is the green room. That's what everybody calls it.

I stopped and sat because it's dangerous between those doors. Someone is always rushing between them. Uncle Mackie tripped over me once. It hurt us both. He hit his head on the wall when he fell, and I got kicked in the side and I hit my head on the floor. Mama and daddy were both really upset, but it was just an accident.

They took us both to the hospital to make sure we were ok. I was ok, just scared. I did have a blue mark on my side for a while and a knot on my head. Uncle Mackie had to stay all night. He told mama that he sacrificed his own head to make sure he didn't fall on me. She was glad and to thank him, she and daddy helped pay his hospital bill. So now, I go past those doors really fast, and everyone always looks before they leave the rooms.

Maybe I'll go see what Aunt Betty is doing. I crawled quickly past the doors, but tripped over my shoe. Darn shoes. I sat up and tried to pull them off. It's always hard work. Mama ties them really tight so I can't get them off. I concentrated really hard and finally got them off. I left them on the floor and started on my way again.

Hey, Uncle Scotty's door is open. Not all the way, but I can push it open. I decide to go in to visit him. I like Uncle Scotty. He plays with me a lot. Mama is always arguing with him, but daddy likes him.

He and Aunt Betty are getting married. I don't know when, but Uncle Scotty sure was happy when she told him they could get married. I know, I was there. They were at my house while mama and daddy went out.

I pushed open the door and crawled in. Hi Uncle Scotty. Hi lady. There is a lady in his room talking to him. I don't know who she is, but she kinda looks like Grammy Eugenia.

"Well, who is this darling?" she asked. She leaned down to pick me up, but I didn't know her, so I stopped, sat down and just looked at her.

Uncle Scotty peeked over his desk. "Oh, that's Hilary and Jeff Singer's baby, Elizabeth."

"Aren't you a dollbaby." The lady said.

Yes I am, thank you. I crawled to Uncle Scotty and pulled myself up to stand by his leg. Who is this lady? He picked me up and sat me on his lap. "Aren't you supposed to be with Gertie, Shortstuff?" Well, yeah ... but she's boring. Can I play with that paper? I took a paper that he had on his desk. I showed it to him. Could you read it to me?

"No, LizzyB that's a contract, it would bore you to tears." Uncle Scotty took it away from me because he said it was important. I pointed to the radio. Mama was talking. I said mama, but it came out wrong. Then Uncle Scotty got that funny look on his face he always gets before he has an idea. "You know, Mrs. Mellon, this gives me a wonderful idea! The Pittsburgh Public Library has been wanting a second show, right?"

"Why yes." She answered him.

I talked to her too, and hit the desk, but Uncle Scotty told me to stop. "If you want to talk to sponsors, LizzyB, you have to be quiet and listen to what they are saying." He put his hands over mine to keep them on the desk. I pulled my hands out from under his and set them in my lap. Mama has been teaching me to be polite.

"What about a bedtime story for kids." He went through a booklet that he kept on his desk, "Let's see, what runs before A Book At Bedtime? An hour of music. Oh, good." He closed the book and looked at the lady. "I'll tell you what. I'll do some creative scheduling, and then we'll run a half hour children's version of your show."

"Oh, I love the idea. But who are you going to have read the story?"

"Elizabeth, you really must stay put." Mama! I turned to Uncle Scotty, mama reads good stories to me. Daddy too.

"Hilary Booth. Just the person I wanted to see."

"Oh?" Mama said, when she picked me up.

"You know Mrs. Mellon here right?"

Mama smiled really big and turned to the lady, "Yes, of course. And how have you been doing?"

"Just wonderfully." Mrs. Mellon answered her, "And that's a lovely daughter you have."

"Thank you." Mama said, "She does take after me, of course."

Uncle Scotty made a funny noise, "Yes she does." Mama gave him a nasty look and then asked what he wanted to see her about.

"There's my little pumpkin." Daddy came to the doorway. I leaned to him, I wanna go with you daddy.

"Here darling," mama gave me to daddy, "Why don't you take her, so I can speak with Scott and Mrs. Mellon here."

We started to leave, but mama stopped us, "Oh Jeffrey, find her shoes would you please."

I knew mama would notice that.

"Where did you take your shoes off?" Daddy asked me when we walked down the hallway. I pointed to the floor where I left them, and he picked them up for me. We went into the green room and daddy sat me down on the floor by the little table. He put my shoes on the big chair by the radio.

"You're probably thirsty, aren't you Bethie?" Daddy asked me, and then got out my bottle from the refrigerator. He gave it to me and I took a drink. Yummy orange juice. I was thirsty. He picked me up and we sat on the couch. I'm sleepy too.

Daddy let me lay across his lap and rocked me a little bit. I dropped my bottle and went to sleep.

When I woke up again, I was in my bed at work. Mama and daddy were sitting in the room with me, but they were at the table eating. I'm hungry, too. I yelled to get their attention and mama came to pick me up. "You took a long nap, sweetie. It's dinner time already." I guess I was tired.

Mama carried me over to the table and gave me to daddy while she fixed my dinner. I stood up and leaned on daddy's tummy and watched mama get my food. I told her what I wanted. She brought my food over and took me from daddy. She sat me on her lap and let me eat. Peas and carrots. Yuck. Mama I don't want to eat this.

"Elizabeth, we go through this every mealtime."

Okay, I'll eat it. But I won't like it. I let mama feed me because she says it's much neater than when I feed myself. But I still help her hold the spoon.

Aunt Maple came in while I was eating. Mama got up and put me in the high chair. "Maple would you make sure she finishes her dinner while we go do Sam Dane."

"Sure, Hilary. Bethie and I'll stay right here." Aunt Maple calls me Bethie, too.

I watched daddy and mama leave and waved. I looked at my dinner and offered Aunt Maple a handful of peas. Oops, I squished them. Sorry.

"Look at your dirty hands." Aunt Maple got a napkin and washed the peas off my hands. "What do you have there to eat? Looks like peas and carrots and yummy spaghetti. I hope your dad made that spaghetti." No mama did, why? Do you want some?

We finished my dinner and then Aunt Maple sat on the floor and played with me. I have a ball that Uncle Mackie bought me that I like to play catch with. We stretched our legs out and touched our feet together to make a place to roll the ball back and forth. Aunt Maple moved her skirt up a little so the ball would have room to roll. We laughed when I sometimes threw the ball too hard and it bounced over her head. "Hey, you! I think you are doing this on purpose." She said when she crawled to get the ball under my crib.

"Uh, gee Maple, this is an angle of you I never really expected to see." I turned and saw Uncle Mackie. He was smiling.

She pulled out from under the crib really fast. "Oh, Hi Mackie. I was getting Bethie's ball." She same back over to me and sat again. "Hey, you wanna play?"

Mackie came over and sat on the floor with us. "Sure, whatcha playing?" Aunt Maple showed him how we were sitting and pretty soon we were playing catch. This is fun! I bounced the ball again too high and this time it went over Uncle Mackie's head. It bounced to the door.

"Hey, watch where you are throwing that thing." Uncle Scotty came in. He picked up the ball and brought it over to us. He crouched down to us. "So, uh ... what are we doing?"

Playing catch. Wanna play? I asked.

"You can take my spot, Sherwood, I've got to get into the studio." Uncle Mackie got up and Uncle Scott sat down with me and Aunt Maple. We rolled the ball back and forth. I was laughing and trying to talk with them.

"You want to talk real bad don't ya Shortstuff?" He asked me.

Yeah, I do. Mama said I could talk if I really tried. Uncle Scotty leaned over to me and said, "can you say, Hildy?"

"Scotty!" Aunt Maple said hitting him on the leg. But she laughed though.

He waved her off, and looked at me again. "Hil-dy. You can say it." Mama hates that name. But it would be funny. Maybe I should practice that. It sounds easy to say. I tried saying it, but it sounded funny.

"Hilary would have you drawn and quartered for that, Scott." Maple told him.

"Yeah, I know." He told her and laughed, "Very exciting." I crawled up to his lap and climbed up. I watched his mouth as he repeated the word to me. I put my hands on his lips to feel how he was saying it, but, he pretended to bite my fingers. That made me laugh.

Aunt Maple turned up the radio and I could hear my daddy talking. I climbed off Uncle Scotty's lap and crawled over to the radio so I could hear better. I knelt up by the speakers. Daddy was talking with a quiet sound. Aunt Maple said it was Sam Dane. I think it sounds like the voice he uses for the tin man in the story he and mama are reading to me. I pointed to the speaker, and looked at uncle Scotty, "dada." I said.

"Yeah sweetie! That's your daddy!" Aunt Maple came to sit next to me. She rubbed my hair.

I said it! I said something! I smiled real big and clapped. Aunt Maple clapped too. I turned to Uncle Scotty and he was smiling at me too. Wait ... if I said that, maybe I can say some thing else! I can say that word Uncle Scotty was teaching me. I crawled back to where he sat and told him I wanted to practice.

He helped me try to say it for a while.

"Scott Sherwood, what are you teaching that poor child!" Gee Aunt Betty sounds mad.

"Oh, nothing dear." Uncle Scotty told her. Aunt Maple laughed and said she needed to be in the studio.

"Come here Elizabeth," Aunt Betty took me from my seat on Uncle Scotty's lap, "Your Uncle Scott is trying to get himself in trouble." She rubbed her hand on top of his head messing up his hair. She smiled, "Don't you have work to do."

"Yeah, probably." He stood up and kissed Aunt Betty on the nose. "I'll see you later for supper." He left the room.

Aunt Betty walked to the refrigerator and got herself a drink. I saw my bottle in there and told her I wanted it. She took it out and gave it to me. After that we left the room too. We walked down to her typing room.

I like coming in here. Aunt Betty always gives me some paper and a pencil to write with. She sat me on the floor next to her desk, and I made pictures. I decided I'd make one for mama. I can't hold the pencil very good but I try. Aunt Betty said to be careful. She doesn't keep the points real sharp, so it doesn't scratch me. I finished the picture and let her look at it.

"That's very pretty Elizabeth. Is that for your mama?" I nodded to her that it was. She picked me up and sat me on her lap. "You want to sign it?" I told her yes. She put the pencil in my hand and held my hand while we both wrote, 'To Mama. Love Elizabeth.' "There." Aunt Betty said, "Your Mama will love that."

"What will I love?" Oh, Mama! I made you something. I waved the paper to show her. She picked me up and I gave her her picture.

"Thank you Elizabeth." Mama balanced me in one arm and looked at my drawing. It had lots of circles and lines on it. "That's very pretty." She said it like she was proud of me. I smiled real big and gave her a hug.

Daddy came running into the room then and made us all jump. He stopped and slid on the slick floor. It was funny, he had to grab the door frame to keep from falling. "Did you say 'daddy' little pumpkin?" He was real happy. Mama looked at Aunt Betty because she didn't know what daddy was talking about. Aunt Betty shrugged her shoulders and mama looked at daddy again. He took me from mama and hugged me real tight.

I laughed. Yeah daddy I did say it! "Maple told me she said 'dada' in the green room when they were listening to the radio." He told mama. She smiled and came and put her hand on my back, "Did you say that sweetheart?" I nodded. I'm practicing a word for you mama, but I don't know if I can say it yet. I pointed to her and tried, "h'ldy" Well, that was close. Mama took a deep breath and got mad. Daddy started laughing really hard. I smiled too. Aunt Betty was trying to hide her smile. Mama gave daddy a real nasty look and he stopped laughing all of a sudden. But he was still smiling.

Finally mama smiled but it looked like she didn't mean it. "Scott Sherwood is a dead man." Mama said and then stomped out of the room. When mama left the room, daddy started laughing again.

We could hear mama yelling at Uncle Scotty, but I couldn't tell what she was saying.

"Betty, you should have married him sooner. At least then you could have cashed in on his life insurance." Daddy told her.

"I'm not real happy with him myself, Jeff, he knows how much Hilary hates that." Aunt Betty told daddy. "He shouldn't have taught Elizabeth how to say it."

Did I do some thing wrong, daddy? Daddy seems like the only person that is happy about me talking. "No Bethie, it's ok. But can you say 'mama' for me?" Daddy looked back to Aunt Betty, "It's ok Betty. It's not like its the last word she'll ever say." He smiled, "and you know Scott, he'd have taught it to her eventually anyway."

Aunt Betty smiled, "true."

Mama came back in the room and smiled really nicely at daddy. "Do you feel better now?" Daddy asked her.

"Oh, much." She told him, and then told Aunt Betty, "Don't worry Betty, dear. He isn't too dead. I saved some for you."

"Good." Aunt Betty said, "Now it's my turn." She left to go talk to Uncle Scotty. Mama took me from daddy and sat in the chair that Aunt Betty had been using.

She sat me on the desk, "Now Elizabeth, I think its wonderful that you are starting to talk." She smiled at me when she talked. She didn't sound mad, so I listened, "But you mustn't say things your Uncle Scotty teaches you. Because it will only get him in trouble." I smiled at her, ok mama, I understand. "Now you can say any word you want, just don't say Hildy please."

I turned around and pointed to daddy, "dada." Daddy smiled real big and hugged me. "Yes, little pumpkin, I'm daddy." Mama stood up and was watching us with a big smile. She looked at the clock and told daddy that they have to go do that new show that Uncle Scotty told her about today. She gave me a kiss, "If you can be quiet, Elizabeth, you can come with us."

Oh boy! I love going into the studio. I get to sit with Mr. Foley. He has lots of neat things to play with. We walked down the hall to the studio, "I see no one has bothered to put your shoes on." Mama was in front of us, so daddy stuck his tongue out at her. I smiled, but didn't laugh because I didn't want to get daddy in trouble.

We went into the studio and daddy plunked me down by Mr. Foley. I waved at Grammy Eugenia and she smiled and waved back. She plays the music. I like to listen to it because it's pretty.

Mr. Foley made a sound with one of his toys. I turned around and looked at him and he moved me back so I sat in front of him on his table. He put his fingers in front of his lips and told me to "shh." I nodded and did the same thing. He nodded back at me.

Mama and daddy started their new show. I helped Mr. Foley make the noises that he needed to. Sometimes I got a little too excited and made a louder noise, or one at the wrong time. But Mr. Foley didn't get mad, he just helped me make it right.

Mama and daddy were telling a story about a princess who had to live in a cabin with three witches. And when she got older she met a prince. They were going to get married but an evil witch made the princess go to sleep for a long time. And she didn't wake up until the prince kissed her.

Daddy gave mama a real kiss because he doesn't like the sound that Mr. Foley makes. Mr. Foley gave daddy a mean look, because he doesn't like it when people tell him how to make his sounds. I think daddy just wanted an excuse to kiss mama.

After the prince and the princess lived happily ever after, Mama and daddy and me went back to the green room. I yawned and put my fingers in my mouth. I'm starting to get sleepy.

"It's time for all good little pumpkins to be thinking about going to bed." Mama told me. She sat down with me in her lap and put my shoes on. No mama, I don't want those on. I started to cry a little.

"You have to have your shoes on Elizabeth, we are going home." Home? Already? Well, it has been a long day. I looked for daddy and he was getting all my things together. He put my toys in the crib so they weren't on the floor. Daddy took me from mama and I lay my head against his shoulder. I sucked on my fingers and closed my eyes. "Do you have everything, darling?" I heard daddy tell mama. I didn't hear what mama after that because I went to sleep.

EPILOGUE

Jeff and Hilary stood at the side of the crib and watched their daughter sleeping soundly, her stuffed horse tucked into her blanket next to her. Hilary smiled when Elizabeth grinned at something in her sleep. She turned to Jeff and quietly observed, "I often wonder what goes through that active little mind of hers."

"Well," Jeff responded, brushing a loose curl away from the baby's face, "Today she spoke her first words, it won't be too much longer and she'll be explaining to us in great detail what she's thinking about."

Silently they crept out of the darkened room, Hilary making sure the hall light was on, and walked down the steps.

"Oh," Hilary remembered as they walked to the kitchen, "about her little trip up the steps this morning. I talked with Maple and she said she'd be happy to have her brother build us a gate for the staircase."

Jeff set about to making sandwiches for the both of them, "While he's at it, you think he'd make one for the front steps too? I don't want her to take a nose dive off the porch any time soon." He sat down with the sandwiches and handed Hilary a glass of water that he'd just poured.

"Oh that's a good idea." She answered. They lapsed into a silence as they ate their late meal.

"Oh Jeff," Hilary spoke swallowing her last bite, "I forgot to tell you, Elizabeth walked a bit this morning. It wasn't much, I was holding her hands and helping, but she did take a couple steps on her own."

"She's growing so fast." Jeff smiled, "It won't be too much longer and she'll be yelling back and running away."

Hilary laughed, then sighed contentedly.

"What is it, darling?" Jeff asked, noting the pleasant smile on his wife's face.

"Look at us." She stood and put the dirty dishes in the sink. She turned facing him, "A little over a year ago, we were more concerned with getting back on a Broadway stage, or whether or not Brent and Elizabeth Marlowe get back together." She walked back to her husband and sat herself across his lap, draping her arms across his shoulders, "and now we are more concerned with, how many teeth our daughter has or when she'll take her first true steps or what word will come out of her mouth next."

"It's a rather refreshing change, don't you think Hilary?" Jeff responded, nuzzling against her neck.

"Yes," she continued, oblivious to the lips of her husband's against her ear lobe, "or how painfully I can maim Scott Sherwood if Elizabeth says Hildy again."

Jeff laughed and pushed her off his legs to a stand, "It's nice to know that some things don't change." He stood behind her and started to walk around her out of the room.

"Not everything changes." She said slyly and stepped toward him.

He chuckled and started running through the dining room, Hilary not far behind. He stopped abruptly and turned, catching her by the waist. "Still think you can outrun me, huh?"

Hilary laughed gleefully as she was unceremoniously dumped onto the couch. "Actually, I let you catch me." She muttered between laughs.

Jeff turned serious as he sat and pulled her into a lingering kiss, "You are a lot more fun to catch then Bethie is."

The End

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