Back to Fan FictionThese characters do not belong to me; they are the property of Fran Drescher, Sweetheart Productions, et. al. Any reference to real names or characters is unintended.
by
Jackie
(unmaven@netzero.com)
It was a busy day for Fran, but when she sat down to relax she couldn’t believe that she had been working at the Sheffield’s for ten years. When she realized this she was shocked. Fran decided to go to the kitchen to get a snack, but now it was fruit and yogurt. A couple of years ago Mr. Sheffield had made Fran get a check up and they found her sugar and cholesterol levels were high, so she had to cut back on some of her favorite foods including the ice cream and cake that got her through a lot of crises in her life. Now she only ate them occasionally. She was glad that no one was home because she just wanted to be alone. After getting her desert Fran sat back down on the couch. As she ate Fran began to think about her life. She thought by now she would be doing something else besides being a nanny, or at least be married. At one time Fran envisioned marrying Mr. Sheffield but after a certain period of time she realized that wouldn’t happen. Of course she thought about other guys she had dated, a couple of whom she really was in love with, but for some reason or other things hadn’t worked out with them either. So here she was all these years later with nothing to show for it. She was very tired but she would have to leave to go home to her apartment in Queens to get up early for another work day tomorrow. Fran had come to the house to help Grace as she did a couple of times a week, but now she had gone out to rehearse for a school play and wouldn’t be back till later.
A few years ago when Brighton had graduated high school Fran had started saving money since she knew her job would be ending once Grace finished high school. Now that Grace was actually in her last term Fran wasn’t even living with them anymore. She lived in a small apartment in a private house in Queens and worked in a beauty salon where she washed hair, did nails and helped out the stylists. Eventually Fran hoped she could be a full time stylist. Fran saw Grace on the days she was off, and sometimes like today when Grace needed her she came after work. Now making ends meet was tough, but thankfully Mr. Sheffield usually gave her some money when she came to look in on Grace. When Grace needed her during the week she had to cut her workday short. It was a lot to for Fran to do but it was as much an obligation as a need. When she didn’t see Grace for a bit Fran actually missed her, as she did Maggie and Brighton. She only saw them once in a while since Maggie was living in California with her husband Michael and Brighton was at Harvard.
Fran was surprised that Maggie and Michael were still together. Their marriage had started out a little shaky, and from what Fran could put together she thought that Michael may have cheated on Maggie. But things had changed since Michael had retired from modeling and was working in advertising, while Maggie was working in costume and set designs thanks to her father and Fran. Brighton was at Harvard studying business and had a steady girlfriend, so Grace was the only child at home now.
When Grace started her senior year of high school both Max and Fran decided that it would be better if Fran got a part time job in the city so she would be there in the afternoon when Grace came home. Most weekends though Fran had gone out with Val or stayed in Queens with her parents. Of course she missed the full salary that Mr. Sheffield paid her, but she made some money in the dress store that she worked in. When Grace started her last term of high school Fran decided it was better if she moved out entirely. It wasn’t an easy decision. They both knew they would miss each other but felt it was best for Grace. Even though Fran moved out of the Sheffield’s house she still had her room and Max still took her out to a function now and then when she could make it. Of course there were no more new gowns – whatever Fran wore was recycled. Fran thought they even had a better time when they went out now because they were not together all the time. Once they even made out in the car but it never happened again. One time when Fran was still living at the house she barged into one of Mr. Sheffield’s meetings with someone who was interested in investing in one of his plays and essentially ended it. He was quite angry with Fran, although he rescheduled the meeting for another day, Mr. Browne did mention that his wife is very attractive to which Max replied “she isn’t my wife, but my former employee”. Mr. Browne said to him “she seems to be very interested in you, maybe even in love, why don’t you marry her”. Max didn’t reply, he just said, “it’s a personal matter let’s just leave it at that”. But after the meeting ended Max asked himself if he did make a mistake by not marrying Fran, he was beginning to think that he did.
A few months went by and Grace was set to graduate from high school. She was the salutatorian of the class and made a short speech at the graduation. Everyone including Niles and C.C. attended. Although Niles had retired from working at the Sheffield’s he still kept in touch with them. He was thinking about going back to his family in England but hadn’t made a decision about it yet. Niles was excited to be at Grace’s graduation but of course C.C. didn’t want to be there so she begged off before they went to dinner. Fran had tears in her eyes after the graduation ceremony was over. Mr. Sheffield made a joke about it, but he thought he may have said the wrong thing because Fran was almost like a mother to his kids. Most of the time when they had a problem they went to Fran, although many times when Fran needed his advice about something with the kids she went to him. In fact that’s what happened a few months ago when Fran interrupted Mr. Sheffield at a backer’s meeting. He was still mad at her about it, but maybe he should let it go. Mr. Sheffield knew the children wouldn’t have turned out like they did if he had raised them himself. Then he started to think about Sara, but he put those thoughts aside, it was a time for enjoyment and not sadness. After the meal they all went home for cake and coffee. After dessert Grace got some graduation presents, Fran gave her a make-up kit; it wasn’t much since money was very tight. Grace said the present was fine – taking care of her all these years was enough. Later Maggie said she had to get back to Michael at the hotel, they were trying to make up after a huge disagreement they had a few days ago. Niles decided he wanted to leave also, he had given up hope but maybe Max and Fran would have some time alone and get together. Brighton decided to go to his hotel room where he was staying with his girlfriend.
Since everyone else left Grace decided she would go out and leave her father and Fran alone. She decided to go to a graduation party for awhile at a friend’s house. Both Max and Fran told her to be careful of the guys at the party and to leave if there were drugs or alcohol. Grace couldn’t believe how old those guys sounded. She didn’t understand why they weren’t together.
After everyone left Mr. Sheffield decided to go into his office for a little while. He couldn’t believe how much everything was changing in his life. His kids were growing up and Fran wasn’t living in the house anymore. Now that Grace had graduated how much would he see Fran after the summer? He had already made arrangements with her to help Grace with getting ready to for college and go with him to her dorm. Then he began to think about Sara, how would the kids of turned out if he and his wife had raised them – different to some extent, but how much? All of these thoughts were too much for Mr. Sheffield. He decided to come out of his office, then he saw Fran; she was just going to let him know that she was getting ready to go home. He looked into her eyes and touched her on the shoulders then he asked her if she would go out to for some coffee with him. Fran wasn’t sure if she really wanted to but she told him it was fine. Even though she had to get up early to go to work the next day Fran decided to go anyway. She had given up hope of ever getting married, but maybe she and Mr. Sheffield could start fresh and have a relationship. As they were walking to the café they held hands. When they ordered Mr. Sheffield asked her what she wanted to drink, and she said “Mr. Sheffield, I would like a decaf latte,” he said call me Max, don’t call me Mr. Sheffield , we’re friends now. Fran said, “Ok, no problem”. Then they sat down and started talking. Fran could tell that Max was depressed. They stayed in the coffee house for awhile then Fran said she felt tired so they left. Max called a cab to take her home, but before she got in Max kissed Fran, then she kissed him back.
Grace was happy that she was finished with high school. She decided to go away for a few weeks, and was staying in a hostel near Harvard. She saw Brighton several times during her vacation. But during that time Fran and Max didn’t speak to each other. Fran noticed that she missed him as well as extra money he slipped her. Except for her work and seeing Val on the weekends Fran felt lonely. Finally Max called Fran to let her know Grace was home so she could help her get ready for college. A few days later Fran went over to the house, of course Max and Grace were happy to see her. She basically spent her days off with Grace going shopping. They also tried to plan how she would fix up her space in the dorm room. A couple of weeks later Fran took off a few days from to go to New Jersey with Max to help Grace settled in at college. They were going to stay for three days and two nights. Max treated Fran to the hotel. One night they decided to have dinner and see a movie. By the time they were ready to go back to the room Fran felt like they were a couple. When they got back to the hotel neither wanted to go to their own room even though they were adjoining. They decided to go to Max’s sitting room. Fran stayed for awhile, but when she thought things were going too far she told Max they should stop making out, she didn’t want to do this anymore. Fran decided to go to her room. Max asked her what happened they were getting so close, she said “you had your chance years ago already, it seems like it is too late now.” After that Fran walked out, she felt badly but how many times had they gone through the same scenario and nothing happened. Fran didn’t want to deal with it any more. Max was upset by this, but he understood Fran. He was confused about his feelings, he needed to make a decision, either go for it, or end his relationship with Fran.
The next morning they had breakfast together and Max tried to patch things up. He made some progress but during the trip home Fran was only cordial to him. She almost wished she could have gone home by herself but she didn’t want to bother with public transportation. When they return Max drops Fran off at her apartment. After that trip they didn’t speak for a few months.
When Fran realized that Max wasn’t serious again she decided to look for another relationship. This time she decided to use a dating service. She met a guy named Michael. They had a lot in common and she enjoyed his company, but she still didn’t have feeling for him like she did for Max. She wondered if she could ever get him out of her system. Hopefully if she went out with Michael longer she could learn to love him. They had gone out for a couple of months when Michael told her he had planned a trip with some friends for the New Year’s holiday so he had to go, he couldn’t disappoint them even though he would of liked to spend the time with Fran.
The holidays were very lonely for Fran. She tried to call Max even though they hadn’t spoken since the summer. When she called him, Fran got his answering machine so she assumed he was on vacation. Even though she had a boyfriend Fran wished she were with Max on his holiday to wherever. After that Fran went to bed and cried. She felt depressed, everyone including Val had something to do for New Year’s and here she was alone. Fran wished she could go shopping but those days were long gone. She realized that not being with Max seemed like a divorce. Even though they weren’t married they did spend a lot of time together. They went to parties, premieres, vacations, dinners, even an occasional date. Now she wished she hadn’t stayed with the Sheffield’s that long – “because breaking up is hard to do”. Fran barely made it through the holidays.
When the new year started Fran got a call from Max. Since the kids were basically grown up he decided to go away by himself. Thankfully going on that vacation helped the loneliness he felt without Fran. He visited with his family and relatives, but he also made some business contacts. He discussed doing a production in London with some theatre people, but he wasn’t ready at the moment, although he would definitely consider it. He wished Fran would have been with him on his trip to London, he missed her a lot so he returned her call. Fran was happy to hear from him, at least he hadn’t totally lost interest in her or else he wouldn’t have contacted her. They spoke for a while. She told him that she was seeing someone. Max didn’t sound too happy about that. He didn’t say anything but she could hear it in his voice. He told her that Brighton had talked to him about getting married, what did she think? Fran said that she isn’t a member of the family, so she didn’t want to express her opinion. Max said “then as a friend tell me what you think”. Fran said Brighton should do want he wants and that’s her answer. Max wasn’t satisfied but Fran said she wasn’t saying any more. Max was upset that Fran didn’t want to get involved, yet what she said about not being a member of the family was true.
Several weeks later when Fran was dozing off one night after a hard day of work her phone rang and it was Brighton calling her. He wanted to tell her that he got engaged. He was marrying the girl he met in school, Jessica. Fran said that was great, she was excited for him. Brighton said he and Jessica wanted her to go out for dinner with them. Fran didn’t want to go but she couldn’t disappoint Brighton. So of course she said yes. Brighton said he would arrange something with his father so they could all get together. Fran didn’t know how to feel at the prospect of seeing Max again. It seems no matter how much she tried to cut ties with the Sheffield’s some how she always ended up seeing them again. Fran thought that taking care of the kids for almost ten years somehow made her part of the family even though she didn’t want to be. Brighton asked Fran if she wanted to participate or get involved in the wedding. Fran said she had to think about it, did he ask his father. Brighton said no, he didn’t need his father’s permission anymore; he was almost twenty-four years old so he could do what he wanted to. Then Brighton ended the conversation by saying that he would call his father and arrange for all of them to meet. Fran wasn’t looking forward to it but she said OK. Of course several weeks later Fran got a call from Max asking her to go out to dinner. That evening cost Fran almost a week’s pay, between getting a dress, having her hair done and buying new makeup. She didn’t know how she would make it through the month. She hadn’t asked her parents for any money in a long time perhaps she would have to for a change.
Fran came to the house so they could go out for dinner. Max was surprised to see that she looked really nice but he could tell that she was stressed. They made polite conversation but neither of them wanted to make a move even though they had missed each other a lot. Fran wanted to have a good time, but she was thinking about all the money she spent, plus her relationship with Michael was shaky. He wanted more of a commitment than Fran could give him. He asked her to move in with him but she wasn’t ready for that yet. Neither did she want to give up her apartment. When they got to restaurant Brighton and Jessica were already there. Brighton hugged his father and Fran. Then he whispered in Fran’s ear that he missed her a lot. All of a sudden Fran felt awkward. This was really a dinner for parents, not a father and a nanny. Fran would just have to deal with her feelings, she couldn’t really ruin Brighton’s evening. Then he introduced Jessica to Fran and his father. Jessica had met Max several times before. They made small talk during dinner. Jessica reminded her of Brighton’s mother a little. The meal was delicious and everyone had some wine. Fran was definitely in a good mood now. She hadn’t eaten like this in a long time. She missed living with Max, but that was in the past. After dinner they went to the house since Jessica had really never seen it all and hadn’t been up to Brighton’s room. The kids stayed for an hour and then got ready to leave. Fran said she would leave with them but Max wanted her to stay. Fran knew she knew she would be busy the next day. Now she had two jobs on Saturday. In the morning she worked at her salon job, in the afternoon she worked in a cosmetics place applying make-up and doing makeovers. Once in awhile when they asked her Fran worked at the cosmetics place the whole day. She hoped that she would make good money working Saturday since she had spent so much on this evening. Fran almost felt dizzy with all the thoughts going through her mind, how she would make ends meet, seeing Max and Brighton again, her relationship with Michael. Max saw that Fran looked stressed again – he went over to her, then took her hands into his, asking her if she was OK. Fran says no, then Max goes to hold her, he looks into her eyes and asks Fran again what is bothering her - Fran says” I don’t want to talk about it, then she tells him, just hold me”. Fran tries to calm down, she definitely feels better – that feeling of missing Max so terribly was gone. But when she looked up she saw a lonely look in his eyes – then he kissed her. After that Fran felt like she could talk to him. She told Max she couldn’t believe that Brighton was getting married, and so young, he is not even twenty-four years old. She told Max he probably wanted some stability in his life that marriage would hopefully bring. Then she told him she wondered about him being a grandfather since she spoke to Maggie and she said they were thinking of having a baby soon – she didn’t tell him that they were already trying, and she said Brighton might have a baby soon after he got married too. Fran asked how he felt about it. Max said he didn’t know. Then Fran decided to talk about other things. She said didn’t want to get involved with the kids too much anymore, she still cared about them a great deal, in fact she missed Grace and Maggie because she hadn’t seen them in awhile. Then she mentioned that she didn’t want to participate in the wedding because she wasn’t a member of the family. Fran in fact asked Max, “Do you want me to come to the wedding”. Max then touched her cheek and say “Fran, of course you have to be there, you are like the children’s mother. Fran replies” I’m not, I just their friend, I not part of the family”. All of this talk upsets both of them. Max doesn’t know what to say, so he just blurts out” “I’m sorry Fran, I really am, I didn’t do the right thing, and now it’s causing a problem. Fran says nothing. Max kisses Fran not knowing what else to do. All of a sudden the feelings between them are so strong that Max decides to take Fran upstairs to the bedroom. She hasn’t been there in a long time. When they enter the Fran sees the room has changed. Max kisses Fran again then closes the door. She is nervous but excited, she knows they may never marry but she needs to be with him. The longing for Max is too much sometimes. They look at each other; he takes his hand and touches her backside. Fran calls out his name wanting him more than ever; she doesn’t care about the consequences. Then he takes Fran in his arms and walks her over to the bed. She starts taking off her clothes, while Max takes off his pants. They lay down then Max helps Fran’s take off her lingerie while she unbuttons Max’s shirt. They get comfortable with each other. After a while they start stroking each other, when she touches his face she feels a little stubble, it gets her so excited. For a minute Fran gets back to reality, she asks Max if he has any protection, he answers, of course, “I would never to anything to harm you Fran”. He touches her body more, then she says to him, “did you plan this”, He replied – “maybe”. She gave him a playful slap, but then he starts stroking her thighs, then slides his hands up to her breasts and it become more serious. They make love for a while, later they are exhausted and go to sleep next to each other.
The next morning Fran awakens. She is afraid that she will be late for work. Quickly Fran looks at the time. It is only 6:00 am it but it will take her awhile to get home. She hopes the railroad is on schedule or else she will be late for work. Again Fran felt panicked because she would need to take a taxi to get to Penn Station, which would cost her more money. As she was getting dressed Max woke up and noticed that Fran wasn’t in bed. He looked at the clock, it said 6:10 am, he saw Fran rushing around, then he asked her, “Fran, its only 6:00 am on Saturday, why are you in such a rush to leave, didn’t you enjoy last night?” Fran told him that she works all day on Saturday. She has to be at work by 9:00 am, it would take her at least an hour and a half to get home, she couldn’t afford to miss any customers she needed the money. Max told Fran not to worry, he would take her home. She would make it back in plenty of time. He told Fran to take a shower and he would get breakfast ready. Fran was shocked, Max said it is just a continental breakfast; anyone can make coffee in a coffee machine. Meanwhile Fran took a leisurely shower, she couldn’t believe how relieved and happy she felt. They had a somewhat leisurely breakfast then got ready to go back to Fran’s place. She got there with an hour to spare. When Fran opened the door to her apartment Max couldn’t believe how small it was. When he came in he entered a decent sized living room, then there was a small kitchen with an eating area, a small bedroom, he noticed Fran hardly had room for all her things in there. Then he checked out the bathroom which was so tiny that it only had a shower. He told Fran that this apartment was just a little bigger than her room and closets at his house. Fran said she was lucky to get the place; it was only nine hundred dollars. Max asked her if that what she paid a month, Fran said yes. He couldn’t believe that this little place cost so much. Again Fran said she was lucky to get it because most apartments that size rent for about one thousand dollars or more a month. Max was shocked; he didn’t realize rents were so high in Queens. Meanwhile Fran started to change her clothes for work. Max was surprised when she came out in an outfit similar to what she wore when she worked for him. Max said she looked nice, but Fran said she didn’t care for this style of clothes anymore but she needed to wear it for work. When she was ready they left. As Fran was closing the door, she saw her landlady. Rita reminded her that she couldn’t have anyone staying in the apartment with her, “even this nice good looking gentleman”. Fran said she was just came back to change for work. Well, Rita said,” perhaps you’ll get married and move in with him. He seems like he might have a nice place, then I can rent out your apartment for more, so we will both be happy.” Fran says, “don’t count on it, we’ve been together on and off for years”. Rita, says, “You never know what the future holds, but just pay your rent and don’t have any one sleep over”. Fran says, OK, I have to leave for work. Max gives her a passionate kiss in front of her landlady; of course Fran enjoys it, but says to Max, “Why did you do that it will give her ideas”. Then Fran said goodbye to everyone saying she didn’t want to be late for work.
Time passes quickly and Brighton’s wedding is coming up. Fran couldn’t believe that she had been going out with two guys for awhile. Even though things had been heating up with Max Fran still didn’t want to give up going out with Michael, but with the wedding approaching Fran didn’t have time for both guys anymore so she told Michael that she needed a break for awhile. She didn’t know whether he believed it or not, but what could she do. Fran needed to help Grace get a bridesmaid’s dress, plus Max said he would pay for her outfit but she needed time to go and pick it out. She couldn’t believe how sweet of him that was. Lately she had been sleeping over at the house more often. They were definitely becoming closer. He asked her to be part of the wedding party, but Fran refused, she would feel out of place.
Things were falling into place for the wedding. A few days before the ceremony Maggie and Michael came to New York. Fran was able to get some time to have lunch with her. During the meal she told Fran that she is four and a half months pregnant. Fran was thrilled to hear that. She knew that Max would be too, even though it would probably scare him. They would wait to till him till after the wedding. A few days later the wedding took place. Fran sat near the front with Niles, C.C. and Max’s mother. She knew that Max’s mother didn’t like her but at least she couldn’t be angry that she was in the wedding party. While the ceremony was taking place Max gave a quick glance over to Fran. He felt lonely standing there by himself. Again, he felt he did the wrong thing by not marrying Fran. This day could have been more joyous with her by his side. Later at the reception Fran gave Brighton and Jessica a big hug and kiss. At the reception she sat at the table with Niles, C.C. and a few other people but Fran felt bored and out of place. Of course C.C. was drinking quiet a bit, so was Niles. He had cut back since his heart problem. Fran was never much of a drinker so she kept it to a minimum. Max came over to Fran to ask her to dance a couple of times. They danced one slow dance but of course they couldn’t get too romantic. Fran even danced with Brighton. All in all she felt didn’t really wasn’t having a good time even though it was a joyous event. She was glad Brighton finally found someone that would put some stability in his life. After dessert Fran decided to make her get away even though the reception wasn’t over yet. A little while later Max came to look for her, he couldn’t believe it when C.C. told him she left. At first he thought C.C. was making one of her jokes, but she told him that she wasn’t kidding. After that Max felt he wanted to get away too, so as soon as he could he left to go to Fran’s. When he arrived at the apartment and rang the bell she was already in her jeans. He gave her a kiss and asked her what she was doing. Fran said she was getting ready to go to do her laundry, asking him “why did you come by? Max said he wanted to spend more time with her at the wedding but it didn’t work out. Fran wanted to tell him that if he had married her it wouldn’t have been a problem, but she didn’t say anything. Meanwhile Fran said if she didn’t get to the laundromat soon it would be too late to do a wash. Max said he would come with her. Fran said she would be ready to leave in a couple of minutes. Meanwhile Max snuck into her bedroom and put the necklace he bought for her in the drawer. He would give it to her when they came back. Fran was glad for the company while she was doing the laundry. They mostly made small talk. Max even helped Fran fold the laundry. He hadn’t done anything like this since college. By the time they got back to the apartment they were both tired. Then Fran told Max she wanted to relax this evening. She really wanted to be by herself but she couldn’t chase him out. Then Max said he needed a cold drink. In the meantime he went back in the bedroom to get Fran’s necklace. After she came back with the drinks they made a toast then he gave Fran the necklace. She opened it up, it was gorgeous. It was a diamond circle with a beautiful gold chain. Fran fell in love with it, she asked Max why he bought for her; he said he wanted to thank her for coming to the wedding. Of course Fran went over to kiss Max. At first it was just a friendly kiss, but the smell of his cologne and the feel of his body made her put her arms around him. She called out his name, then they sat on the couch kissing and holding each other. Even though Fran had wanted to be alone, now that feeling was gone, she wanted Max to stay. She asked him if was hungry she would make something to eat, of course he said yes. Fran knew that when you are in the wedding party, you don’t eat usually eat much. She told him to go to the living room, she would put something together. When she was in the middle of preparing dinner Fran came out to check on Max. She saw that he was on his cell phone. When he was done with the call he asked Fran if she had a computer, he needed to use one. Fran said she didn’t have one and barely knew how to use them. Max told her he would get her a laptop and perhaps the kids would teach her to use it or she should take a class.
After dinner Max helped Fran with the dishes. Then they relaxed for a while. It was getting late and Max was talking about leaving. Fran said she wanted him to stay but the landlady said no one was supposed to sleep over, if she found out Fran could lose her apartment. Max kissed her and said that if she had a problem he would handle it. Fran gave him and kiss, then he told her to take a shower and he would open the couch so they could sleep together. After Fran came out of the bathroom Max went in. He couldn’t believe how small the bathroom was; he hardly had room when he stepped out of the shower. By the time he laid on the couch with Fran, he was totally exhausted. He hadn’t had such a long crazy day in a long time. At least this time his day was good instead of times when things were bad. Both Max and Fran woke up refreshed the next day. They had breakfast but after that Fran had to go to work again, but Max had the day off. He realized that Fran worked very hard right now, much more than she did when she was the nanny. Max decided that he would go home before Fran left for work since he didn’t want anyone seeing them together, especially, Rita, Fran’s landlady. Max gave Fran a kiss before he left, but as soon as he stepped out he saw Rita. She said to him, “I was wondering about Fran last night; it was so quiet, now I know why.” Max asked her, “What does that mean?” She said a lot of times she hears Fran cry at night, I guess she is sad, but last night apparently you were there so she was quiet. Then Rita said” The girl leads a tough life, a lot of times she can’t give me all the rent when it is due, she always pays up so I let it slide, you should try to help her out more, you seem like a well-to-do young man”. Then she tells him, Oh, don’t worry about the sleeping over, as long as it’s not every night.” Max then says to her thanks for all the information.
Several months pass and of course Max and Fran still see each other but not all the time. In fact she went back to seeing her boyfriend Michael off and on. After the wedding Max got very busy with work, but when they did see each other he did he made sure to give her at least a couple of hundred dollars although he didn’t tell Fran why. Another couple of months passed and Max got a call from Maggie in California asking if he and Fran could come out when she would have her baby. Max said of course he would come but he would have to ask Fran about it. He asked Fran to dinner one evening and they discussed going out to California. Fran said she didn’t think she would be able to, she couldn’t miss work. Max asked her if she took any vacations, Fran said once in awhile she took a day off and went to Atlantic City. Max said she hadn’t done that in a long time as far as he knew. Fran said she didn’t. She hadn’t taken off a vacation day in almost a year because she needed the money. Max said it’s settled “you’re coming to California, you need a break and Maggie needs you there”. Fran said, “what about my bills”? Max replied, “Fran, don’t worry, everything will be taken care of.” Fran said she would think about it. The next day Fran told Max she decided that she wasn’t going. She told Max, “It’s a family thing again. I’m not part of the family.” Max didn’t know what to say, but he told her “Maggie asked to you come, she wants you there”. Fran replied, “I’ll feel out of place again, I’m not going”. Several days later Maggie called Fran and convinced her to come, so Fran ended up getting ready for the trip. Thankfully Max gave her money to spend or she wouldn’t be able to get any clothes. The night before the trip Max decided to sleep over at Fran’s. They went out for a light dinner. When they came back to her apartment Fran did a few last minute things for the trip. Later she felt tired and they went to bed. Now that they were together she couldn’t believe how much she missed being with Max. They were off on a ten day trip the next morning; of course her landlady Rita heard them as they were leaving. She said “have a nice time”. Both Max and Fran said thank you and left.
Later that day they arrived in California. They rented an apartment near Maggie’s place. Fran had never been to California and so far she loved everything about it, the scenery, the weather, the fashions, even the food. The first day they spent some time with Maggie, the next day they had dinner with Maggie, Michael, Madeline and William, his parents. Madeline couldn’t believe how close Fran was to Maggie and Max, she couldn’t understand why they weren’t married. She was glad that they both came to here to be with her daughter-in-law. A couple of days later Maggie had her baby. Fran stayed with Maggie in the labor room. Max even came in for a little while both Maggie and Fran were happy about that. At least Maggie’s husband was there when his daughter Sara Rebecca was born. She looked like her grandmother and even had her blonde hair. When he saw his granddaughter Max cried, even Fran got emotional over Maggie’s new baby. Max was so glad that Fran was with him, he didn’t know how he would have handled things with out her. Even Madeline again saw how close Max and Fran were. She took him aside and told him “to marry that woman already.” A couple of days later Brighton, Jessica and Gracie came out for a few days to see the baby. They all had a family reunion at Michael’s parents’ house. They had a great party and everyone had a good time. The next day Fran and Max went off for a holiday in California. They spent five glorious days with each other just sightseeing, relaxing, and eating. Before going home they visited Maggie one more time.
Fran is back from California for about a week. She thought that maybe that trip would bring them closer together, in a way it did, but she is back in her apartment doing the same old thing. Her vacation was great but now that it is over Fran is feeling depressed. One afternoon when she felt more down that usual she gets a phone call at work from her mother. Fran was annoyed when her co-worker told her about it, but she said it seemed important. Fran said, yeah, “I bet it is, she’s always trying to nudge me about my relationship with the guy I’m seeing. Carmella told her she better pick up the phone, it seemed important. When Fran took the call her mother told her that she was sick and would have to go to the hospital the next day. Of course Fran was very upset about this. She told her mother that she would be there after she finished work. Fran called a taxi to go to her mother’s. She hardly ever took them, she couldn’t afford to spend the money, but this was an exception. Fran stayed with her parents for awhile but then her mother said she wanted to be alone so Fran grudgingly left. When Fran came home she went to bed but of course she hardly slept. She almost was late for work the next day because by the time she did fall asleep it was almost morning. She had to rush to get ready for work. She got a strong cup of coffee before she started her job. Even though she had the coffee Fran was still in a daze. Later in the morning Fran called her mother. She told her that she needed later surgery in the afternoon. Fran was very upset because this was so sudden. It made her even more worried that her mother sounded so weak. Then Fran immediately told her boss that her mother was sick and she wouldn’t be in for a few days. On top of everything else Fran realized that her rent was due the next week and now she wouldn’t have enough money for it since she wouldn’t be getting paid for a few days. Then Fran decided to call Max, she didn’t know why, she just needed him, even though they are only going out with each other she felt like he is her anchor when she has a problem. She knows that she loves him and deep down Fran knew that’s why no other relationship worked. When Fran tried to call Max’s office no one answered. Fran began to panic. Then she remembered that he gave her his cell phone number for emergencies. She had only used it once before, but now she felt she had to call him. Fran felt better when he answered, but said to her “what’s up Fran” which made her feel that he was angry at her. Then she told him that her mother needed surgery this afternoon, she told him it all seemed to come on so suddenly. Max could tell by the tone of her voice that she was definitely worried. He asked Fran if she wanted him to come to the hospital. Fran said “it’s up to you, whatever you think”. Max knew that he had to go or else is relationship with Fran would be over. He would have been lost without Fran in California. She made what could have been a terrible trip into a great one. After he got off the phone he told the cast of the play to stop and take a break. Then he told C.C. that Fran’s mother had a medical emergency and he had to leave right away. C.C. said “OK, whatever”. At this point she knew that Max and Fran would always be together so there was really nothing she could do about it anymore. After that he told the cast that he had a family emergency and that they would have to halt rehearsals for a few days. The musical was definitely not off and he would contact them when he was ready to come back. C.C. asked why he said to them it was a family emergency, Max said, “Fran is like family to me, what else could I say”. Then he left for Queens wondering how badly Fran was taking her mother’s illness. By the time Max arrived at the hospital Sylvia was already in surgery. He saw Fran sitting there with a strong cup of coffee and store bought cake. When Fran saw Max she ran towards him, then she gave him a big hug. She brought him to the waiting area. Then she introduced him to her father, whom after ten years of knowing Fran he finally met. Morty’s mother, Lilia was also there along with Fran’s sister and husband. Max felt very awkward meeting all of these people. He felt he would have to get through this. After the introductions Max sat down and talked to Fran for awhile. Later he volunteered to get sandwiches and coffee for everyone. He went out to the deli and got turkey sandwiches for everyone except Fran. He got her a turkey wrap and a Snapple drink which was more expensive. Getting all this food took Max over a half an hour, Max was happy to be away but Fran was getting worried that he wasn’t coming back, she was glad when he returned. Then they sat for a couple of more hours till the surgery was finally over. Then after a little while Morty and his mother decided to go home. A little while later Fran’s sister and husband left also. That left Max and Fran there alone. He asked Fran if she wanted to leave since everyone else was gone but Fran said no. They stayed for several hours. Max and Fran walked around; then Fran sat down and fell asleep for a little bit till she woke up again. It took several hours but finally Sylvia was sent to the ICU. When they told Fran her mother was there Fran became hysterical so Max had to calm her down. They explained that the surgery was serious and some of her intestine was removed so they would have to keep an eye on her. The doctor said she should be in a regular room in a day or so. Fran wanted to see her mother so she went in for a few minutes. At least she seemed somewhat alert even if she was in pain. After they left the room Fran was still shaken but Max told her she would probably be better in the morning but if she didn’t make enough progress he would make some calls to see he could get her mother some more help. It was getting late and Max decided that they should go home. Fran protested but Max said she needed to get some rest or she would end up getting sick then she wouldn’t be able to help her mother. Fran still didn’t want to go home but Max said he would give the nurses his cell number and home phone number so they could reach her anytime. Max said they were going home and that was that. Then Max called a cab and a few minutes after they got into the settled in Fran fell asleep. Max was glad that she was getting some rest. Just before they got to the house Fran woke up. She panicked that they missed any call about her mother, but Max said he didn’t get any messages so she should be OK. They get out of the cab and Max helps Fran into the house. Fran asked why he brought her here he said that her place was too small. When they get inside Fran takes Max’s hand and holds it tightly, she then tells him” I don’t know what I would do without you” she puts her head on his shoulder and there are tears in her eyes. Fran knows that this is not the right time to express her feelings but she tells Max “I love you”. Max looks into her eyes and kisses her deeply. Fran responds but only for a moment then pulls away, Max asks her why – she says “I can’t do this right now, my mother is sick.” Max says to her “just let’s get some rest”. Then Fran goes upstairs to take a bath but she tells Max to please stay near the phone for her, he says “of course Fran.” After Fran goes upstairs Max goes into his office and turns on the computer then starts to look for engagement rings. He finally realizes that he wants Fran in his life permanently; especially after she told him that she loves him. A little while little Fran comes downstairs and Max quickly navigates to another website, he doesn’t want Fran to see what he is doing. She asks him if he is going to come upstairs soon. After that Max closes up and goes upstairs. He puts down the phone on his night table and gets into bed. Fran saw that he brought the phone. Then she kisses him again and tells him that she loves him. Max then says to her “let’s get married”. Fran tells him in her deep voice that “I don’t want to get married out of pity”. Max replies “you jut told me twice that you love me, isn’t that reason enough? Fran says “I don’t know”. Max kisses then says “I think it is enough, but this feeling of love isn’t only one way, darling, “I love you Fran,” I’ve told you before my life isn’t the same without you”. When your mother is OK again, we’ll get married, OK, darling”. Fran kisses Max then they hold each other and Fran falls asleep in his arms. Max can’t fall asleep because he is thinking about things, but eventually he does. The next morning the wake up late and Fran is upset that she missed the first opportunity to see her mother. They decide to have breakfast and then go the hospital. When they get to visit her mother Fran finds that she still isn’t that much better. Max wants to go back to work but he knows Fran needs him so he stays with her. The next day Max decides to call someone he knows so he can get another doctor to see Sylvia. A couple of days later Sylvia seems much better so Fran decides to go back to work. Max resumed rehearsals the day before. The next week Max doesn’t see Fran that much because she is taking care of her mother. That Saturday night he decides to stay with Fran. She tells him that she is worried about paying the rent because she didn’t work for a few days. He tells Fran not to worry and he asks Fran how much her rent is, then he writes her a check for the amount. She tells him that she assumes it is a loan, but he tells her not to worry about it. A couple of days later Max decides he wants to give Fran a ring like the ones that teenage girls get from their boyfriends when they are going steady. He goes to the fancy jewelry stores but they tell him that they don’t have it. Then for the first time in a while he misses Maggie, he could have asked her and she would have told him the exact thing to buy. He knew shopping was one thing Fran and Maggie had in common. He decides to call Maggie and even though she is busy she sends him an e-mail. A few days later Max gets the ring and gives it to Fran. She thinks that it is cute but was disappointed because Max didn’t give her an engagement ring. Fran shows the ring to her mother who thinks it is stupid. She tells Fran, either you get married already or drop him, this is silly. About a week later Sylvia’s health seemed to improve so Max decided it was the right time to give Fran an engagement ring. He takes Fran out to dinner in one of the exclusive restaurants in the Time Warner building near Central Park. After the meal he gives her the ring, a seven carat square diamond which cost him twenty five thousand dollars. Fran looked at the ring and she was speechless so he knew that she liked it. Then she gave him a long deep kiss. Then they left the restaurant and went to Central Park and took a carriage ride. Afterwards they went home. The both felt like they were in a dream world, because such beautiful evenings are more of a story than reality. The next day Fran tells her mother that Max gave her a beautiful engagement ring. She would show her in a few days; right now she had to spend time with Max. Even though she was staying in Manhattan for now, Fran went to work everyday in Queens. When she had a day off she called Val to meet her for lunch and tell her that she was engaged. Even Val was surprised because she thought that after all this time Max would never ask her to get married. After about a week or so Fran realized her engagement ring wasn’t right for work. She told Max about it, he was a little disappointed but he said they would get another one. Fran decided they go to her uncle’s jewelry store in Manhattan. They went one day after work to take a look, and even Fran didn’t like the rings but she purchased a little bracelet since she didn’t want to leave without buying anything. Fran told Max that she didn’t understand how he stayed in business because he sold such junk. Finally they ended up buying another ring at Cartier’s. This one was only two carats but it was still five thousand dollars. Max said that’s enough buying rings for now, but Fran said “we still need to get matching wedding bands”. Max said, “Getting married these days is very expensive”. Fran said “what are you saving your money for?” Max said “for us”.
Several more weeks passed and the excitement of the engagement passed. One day Fran asked Max when they wanted to get married. Max said he didn’t know. Fran got very upset, asking him if he was just stringing her along again. He gave Fran a kiss and said if she had a date in mind to tell him. She said that she didn’t want to wait much longer maybe in a few months. Fran also said that she wanted a destination wedding if that was OK. He said to Fran that was fine as long as he didn’t have to schlep across the world, like Africa or some really exotic place. Fran said no, she just wanted to get married in California. Max was relieved and said that wasn’t a problem. Max said she should start making arrangements right away if they wanted to be married soon. The next day Fran made enquiries at her job about a wedding planner. She found someone and had a meeting with her a few days later. The wedding planner, Susan, said the type of wedding she wanted usually cost about fifty thousand dollars. Fran said she didn’t want to spend that much. Could they have something similar that wasn’t quite as expensive Susan said if they had fewer than two hundred fifty people it wouldn’t cost as much. Fran was relieved. She said they didn’t want such a big wedding anyway. The place wouldn’t accept less than a hundred twenty people and that would run about twenty five thousand dollars. Fran said she hoped they could afford that. Then they continued to discuss the wedding plans and then Susan asked Fran about her fiancée. When she told her that she was marrying Maxwell Sheffield, Susan said “don’t worry about the money, darling, he’s loaded”. Fran said she would talk to Max about it, they decided on the date and type of reception they wanted. As soon as that was done Fran had to work on getting a wedding gown. Fran told Max that she wanted a Vera Wang wedding gown. Max was a little annoyed because he knew those gowns were very expensive, but Fran told him that she would get one from the store and it would cost less. She could also call her cousin Todd to help her with it. Besides that she had to work on getting dresses for Maggie, Grace and Val. Of course the kids were thrilled that Max and Fran were getting married, they thought it would never happen. Fran had to call Niles to tell him, with all the things going on she didn’t get a chance to let him know about the engagement.
Finally things settled down somewhat but with all the planning Fran had to do for the wedding she had to cut her work schedule to five days a week. One weekend when she took off Max took her out and when the came to the restaurant the kids made a surprise engagement party for them. Even Maggie came in from California. Fran was surprised by it, but of course Max knew about the entire thing. Everyone had a god time and they brought presents that they knew Fran and Max didn’t need but they did it just for fun.
Several more weeks passed and the wedding was getting closer. Max had gone out to California a couple of times to check on the arrangements. Then it was the week of the wedding, Fran was nervous, she had taken off over two weeks vacation from work. Even though she was marrying Max she was still worrying about money. She also exhausted from moving all the things out of her apartment. Her landlady Rita was thrilled that Fran was getting married to Max as much as she was happy that she could charge more for the apartment. Fran had wanted to go out to California a week before the wedding but Max said he was too busy so they only left two days early.
On the day of the wedding Fran was nervous. Her mother was even more hyper than Fran which didn’t help. The ceremony took place under a flower filled canopy in a garden surrounded by a lake and the mountains were in the background. When the ceremony was over Max and Fran kissed each other passionately. They were finally husband and wife after all these years. Max told Fran, “I love you”, it made her feel happy. After having a few minutes for themselves they joined the wedding reception. They a large selection of hors d’oeuvres and for the main course they had salmon served three ways in a pastry shell with a light cream sauce, with hollandaise sauce or poached in a white wine sauce. Fran thought that this would save some money. They had a beautiful three tier wedding cake with a yellow filling inside and mocha and chocolate frosting, plus a dessert and coffee bar with all kinds of petite fours, tarts, cookies and fruits plus many different kinds coffee drinks. For entertainment there was a live band and a couple of singers. One of the singers did some Barbara Streisand songs. Of course Max and Fran danced together several times, but Fran also danced with Brighton and also her father. Max danced with Fran’s mother and his daughters. They also mingled with their guests. When things were winding down they decided to get away so that they could be alone. Max had reserved a honeymoon suite in one of the most luxurious hotels in California. When they entered the room there was a bottle of champagne with cheese and crackers waiting for them. The next morning they were off to Acapulco for a week of sun and relaxation. This trip was such a treat for Fran. This spot really fit her personality, while Max enjoyed the quieter side of things.
After the honeymoon Max and Fran started to get back to their usual routines, although Fran was now working in Manhattan. She was working for the same cosmetics company there that she did in Long Island but changed beauty salons. She was nervous about working for a new place. The first few weeks Max and Fran saw each other every night and went out on weekends, but as the weeks went by they were busy working saw each other much less. One weekend Fran was off, Max was working the entire time. She had to believe that was what he was doing since she knew his schedule for many years. After many weeks of hardly seeing each other Fran decided to move out of their bedroom. It seemed whatever passion they had at the beginning of their marriage didn’t exist anymore. The first night Fran was in her old room she hardly slept. The next morning Max just said goodbye to Fran as he was leaving. It seemed to Fran that her marriage was over before it began. After another week Max and Fran finally spent some time together but when they went out Fran didn’t feel the closeness between them. Of course when the work week started they went back to their old pattern of just passing each other in the house, perhaps having a quick bite together and maybe just eating dinner together or seeing a quick movie on weekends. But during the work week they just said a few words to each other in passing before leaving the house in the morning or going out for the evening.
Fran was really getting worried about the state of her marriage. With her mother now fully recovered but on a strict diet one day she decided to take her out to lunch. She told her that she and Max hardly saw each other even though they lived in the same house. They just said a few words to each other in the morning if they had a quick breakfast together and occasionally they went out together on the weekends. Fran said she moved out of the bedroom because a lot of times Max wasn’t in the bed when she went to sleep or woke up. Fran asked her mother if she thought she should get a divorce. Sylvia said why, “You’re living rent free and all the bills are paid for you, you’d be crazy to get a divorce.” Fran told her mother that she still had to pay for some of the things that she bought. Sylvia said it doesn’t matter, maybe you and Max have to try harder; you need to get into a routine. Fran said to her mother that maybe she is right; she would give the marriage some more time. Meanwhile after another week or so passed and Max missed his wife. Here they were married and he was working harder than ever but he felt lonely. He realized that he hadn’t spent much time with Fran in the last couple of months. They were living in the same house but hardly but it seemed they were seeing each other less than when Fran was living in Queens. Right now it seemed as though he didn’t have any family in his life when in fact there were many people, his wife, his children, their spouses and granddaughter. Since it was Saturday he decided he would cancel his dinner plans. When Fran came home from work they would spend some quality time together. He knew C.C. wouldn’t like it. He could beg off saying that he was tired. In fact he was tired of always going out with C.C. He realized that things were getting totally out of control since he was spending more time with her than his wife. In the meantime he would do some errands and relax before Fran came home. He went out for awhile and decided to get her some flowers and rent a movie in case she wanted to stay in. By the time he got back it was nearly dinner time. He called out Fran’s name, but she didn’t answer so she obviously wasn’t home yet. It was late in the afternoon on Saturday and Max was missing his wife more than ever. In the meantime he went into his office and turned on the computer. He kept on looking at the clock hoping Fran would be back soon. More than an hour later he heard the door, he went out of the office quickly so he could greet his wife. He saw that Fran looked tired and pale. Now that they were married he didn’t want Fran to look like that. He realized he had to pay more attention to her. Then he said to her “Fran it’s late to get home from work on a Saturday, I missed you, let’s go out to dinner”. Fran said to him, Max, I’ve had a long day at work. I really don’t want to go out this evening. Maybe you have something else to do or someone else to go out with this evening”. Max was really upset by that comment. It told him how hurt Fran was that he wasn’t spending enough time with her. Max said to Fran that they didn’t have to go out and he would heat up two dinners that the chef cooked for them. He would also get some wine and seltzer for them to drink with the meal. He told Fran to go and freshen up and in a little while he would have dinner ready. Fran shook her head up and down then Max went over to her and held her tightly. Max took Fran’s hands and put them around his back. He needed to feel her on his body. With her hands around him Fran started to cry. This time Max said nothing. When she finished he gave her a quick kiss. When Fran was upstairs he went to get dinner ready. In the couple of years he lived alone he had learned how to prepare some food. He quickly set the table and went upstairs to change. When he came down Fran was napping on the sofa. He woke her up and they went into the kitchen to have dinner. They made some small talk. They hadn’t been together much that week so they both felt awkward at being alone with each other. After dinner Fran helped Max clear the table and put the dishes, glasses and cutlery into the dishwasher. Then he took her hand and they went into the living room to watch a movie. He hoped that the romantic movie he picked would create the kind of atmosphere that he wanted for the evening. After a little while he saw Fran started to relax then he kissed her lips, stroked her legs, her arms and then her breasts. Of course Fran got excited, it happened whenever she was with him. She started kissing him and stroking his chest. Then she put her head on his shoulder and he held her tight. This was the first time in a couple of months that Fran felt happy on a Saturday night. Later when they were watching the news Fran fell asleep. Max kissed her and then took her upstairs. He whispered into her ear, “tonight you are sleeping in our bedroom”. They went inside and closed the door. Even though Fran was exhausted they made love. Later they went to sleep and the next morning they woke in bed together. The first thing Max did was to give his wife a kiss and asked her what she wanted to do. Fran told him that she had to work today. Max told her that they weren’t poor, she didn’t need to work Sunday’s anymore, but Fran said she needed to. Max told her to take the day off but Fran said no. She said she just had to work in the afternoon, so Max said they could go out for brunch and then go out to dinner and a movie after work. Fran said that he would have to pick her up after work wouldn’t that be a problem for him. Max said to her why would picking up his wife after work be a problem? Fran said she didn’t know. Finally Max seemed to be changing, she hoped that it wasn’t just for a weekend, hopefully thing would improve. They went out for a light breakfast and then Fran left for work. Max went home and called C.C. He told her that she had to come into work for the afternoon because he wouldn’t be working tomorrow. C.C. said that she had plans for the day. Max told her she had to cancel them and reschedule for the next day. Later Max picked Fran up after work. She introduced him to the co-workers. Everyone said how lucky she is to be married to Max. Fran hoped so because so far her marriage wasn’t that great at all. They actually enjoyed their evening together. The next day Max took Fran on a trip and they did some shopping. When Fran went to work the next day her co-workers noticed the difference in how she looked. A few days later at dinner Max asked Fran if she wanted to go to Massachusetts to see Brighton since Fran had mentioned she missed seeing the kids. The next week Fran took off a few days from work and they headed up to Massachusetts. They would visit Brighton and Jessica. Grace would also come up by herself. She was still seeing her boyfriend but of course he didn’t want to come. They had breakfast and dinner with the kids but during the day they just spent time alone. Fran felt that her marriage was improving. But the next week wasn’t as good as the last few were. They saw each other very little for a few days. By that time Fran was tired and depressed again and so was Max. This time he decided he wouldn’t let the situation get out of hand. That evening he waited until Fran came home for work which wasn’t till after ten o’clock at night. He asked her why she was coming in at that hour. She told him it was the night that the store stayed open late. He said that maybe she didn’t have to work such long hours. Fran said that she needed to. Max then mentioned to her there was a charity event that weekend and he wanted her to attend it with him. Fran said she couldn’t take off from work again she just did the other week. Max said if they both worked so hard they wouldn’t have any time for each other. She told him that she wanted them to spend more time together. Fran said that “for a change you are right”. She decided that she would just work a few hours that Saturday and not at all on Sunday. They went to the affair and they both had a good time. He realized that Fran had learned to talk with people and she really made the evening a success for him. For the next few weeks their relationship seemed to improve but then it hit a snag for a couple of weeks again. One week Max told Fran that he would be busy Saturday night. Fran decided she didn’t want to be alone so she called Val. They decided that since her boyfriend was out of town with some friends and Max was also busy they would go out to a club. Fran was excited to do something different for a change. She hadn’t been to a club in several years. When they got to the club they had to wait a while but the finally got in. They decided to get a drink and sit down instead of mingling. Then a guy came up to Fran and they started talking for a few minutes. Fran realized that she wasn’t interested in him, her marriage was better than it had been in a while and she just wanted to be with Max. She told Dan that she was sorry but she wasn’t interested in meeting anyone. He asked her why she came. Fran said she came with her friend but she didn’t realize that she wasn’t interested in meeting anyone until she got here. Fran decided that she didn’t want to stay at the club any longer. She Val if she wanted leave, but she said no so Fran got into a cab and left. Thankfully Max had just come home a few minutes before. When Fran came in she was glad to see Max and went over and hugged him. He asked her where she went and what happened. She told him that she and Val decided to go to a club for a change of pace. They got a drink and sat down, then a guy came over to her and started talking and she told him that she wasn’t interested. After that she decided that she didn’t want to stay. She asked Val to leave but she wanted didn’t want to so she got a cab and came home. Fran hugged Max harder and told him “there’s only one guy that I’m interested in – Max asks her “who is that guy”? Fran said nothing but called out Max’s name and kissed him passionately. He felt more excited than ever. He lifted Fran’s chin and kissed her. Then he said “how about we go to a club tomorrow”. Fran said “great that would be really fun”. After that they went to bed and had the best sex in a long time. The next day Max made a reservation for them to go to the club. He told them to make a fuss when he gave his name. Fran was excited when she entered the club with Max. He looked great, she didn’t know who told him how to dress, she guessed he called Maggie. Then they went to find a table and Max went to get them drinks. A few minutes later the guy she met the night before saw her and came over. He asked her what she was doing here since she told him she wasn’t interested in meeting anyone. Fran told him tonight she brought her guy. They were talking and Max hadn’t come back, of course Fran was getting nervous. She was thought Dan might be thinking she was making up a story about her date. It took almost ten more minutes till Max came back. They all talked for a little bit and then Max said Fran was his wife. Fran told Dan that she only went to the club because her friend dragged her. Then Dan said”Yeah, I remember, that ditzy blond”. Finally Max had enough of this guy and told him that they wanted to dance. Max escorted Fran to the floor and they began dancing. Fran didn’t know he could dance that well. They stayed at the club for a couple of hours then Max they both had enough. They weren’t in there twenties anymore so the club scene got too much for them.
After that weekend Max knew he had to work on his marriage. He loved Fran and saw how easily he could lose her. It would be hard to find another woman that loved him as much as Fran does. Over the years there were other women interested in him, but he knew they were only after his money and status. Fran loved him for the person he is which he knew was hard to find. He finally went to his lawyer to make up a portfolio with some of his financial and legal papers for Fran to look at. He’d known her for close to thirteen years so it wasn’t like he was giving his information to a stranger. He took Fran to the lawyer’s office one day during lunch. He knew this was a start to improving their marriage. He also wanted Fran to cut down on the hours she worked. It seemed like she was just working to stave off the loneliness in her life. The bank account that he had set up for her after they got married had more money in it than it should. Max was going to make sure Fran didn’t work as much anymore. He was going to discuss working for him a couple of days a week. He wanted her in his life more. Fran wasn’t sure if this was a good idea but he told her that if they both kept working so much their relationship would suffer. In the meantime he mentioned to Fran that they should have the family get together that she had wanted to make. Fran was hoping that their relationship would blossom. She didn’t want the marriage of her dreams to end.
The End
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