She was Right

by

franfanatic@hotmail.com
(franfanatic@hotmail.com)

Upon hearing the word from Niles that Fran had invited James, his father, over to the house for dinner, Maxwell was in a furious rage.

"MISS FINE!" He yelled, so loud they heard it in Michigan.

Oh God, what could I possibly have done now? Fran thought as she walked down the hall to Maxwell’s office.

"Wha-? What’d I do?" She asked, hopping playfully on his desk.

"Miss Fine," Maxwell said getting up, he couldn’t be tempted by her cute little outfits and sweet- talk anymore, "Why the bloody-hell did you invite my FATHER, not to mention his GIRLFRIEND, over for dinner!?!" He demanded.

"Well… I thought that you guys should be friends because one day he won’t be around and you’ll regret not spending time with him…," she explained, looking at him with big, innocent brown eyes.

He felt his stomach tie in knots, but he could not take it anymore. Sure, he loved her, but he couldn’t admit to it. It seemed everyday she’d do something to send him over-the-edge. Whether it was stealing his white-out to do her nails or losing the actors that were signed to perform in his Broadway musicals because of her star struck influences. He needed to get serious.

Finally, he worked up the courage to tell her, after 4 1/2 years, and he could barely say it.

"Miss Fine, I-I…can’t play this little game anymore. You’re always messing things up. I…just can’t handle it any longer." There. He said it, a little harsher than he had planned.

"What? I was just trying to help... and what do you mean by ‘playing this little game’? You mean that things between me and you are just a game?" She screamed, tears forming in her eyes. She stormed out.

She packed her bags and stood at the bottom of the stairs, the same stairs that she had gracefully walked down so many times before.

"Fran, please, please don’t go!" Gracie pleaded.

"Yeah, Fran, we love you, please don’t leave us," Brighton added in.

But all she could choke out was, "I love you guys." Tears streamed down her face, her mascara running down to her chin. She hugged and kissed each child, then turned to Niles, who was also crying.

"Who am I going to gossip with now?" Niles said between sobs. Fran smiled and gave him a little shrug.

Maxwell was no where to be seen, but he could see what was going on from behind his office door which he had cracked open slightly.

As Fran walked towards the door, she stopped just as she was turning the knob. She spun around, longing to see Maxwell with his arms widely spread wanting to take her back. But he wasn’t there. In his place were 3 of his creations, all reflecting a little bit of Fran. Gracie was growing into a beautiful adolescent girl. She had overcome her fear of life thanks in large part to Fran. Brighton had transformed from a mischief little twerp to a handsome teenager. And Maggie reflected Fran the most. In fact, she even wore one of Fran’s outfits and her makeup was done perfectly thanks to years of Fran’s teachings.

Fran slowly reached for the door and knew it’d be the last time her presence would ever be in that house. Maxwell wasn’t coming after her. She closed the door. That sound echoed throughout the entire house, shattering everyone’s hearts.

She took a taxi back to her parent’s house in Queen’s hoping to find comfort for her grieving. But Sylvia wasn’t very welcoming.

"Franny, I’m cuttin’ ya outta the will!" Sylvia threatened, "How could you just leave without letting him cool down?!"

"Ma… he was serious about this. He made it clear he never wanted to see me again."

Seasons passed. Fran and Val found a little apartment in Queens they both could afford. Fran got a job at The Chatterbox, giving $5 haircuts.

As time went on, the Sheffield home fell apart. Gracie’s shrink was back on speed dial. Maggie turned 18 and moved out with her boyfriend. Maxwell refused to speak to her. Brighton, who was 16, stayed out late with his buddies doing God- knows- what and cut classes everyday.

Maxwell became too overloaded with work to even notice. C.C, who was first excited when Nanny Fine left, realized what was going on. She saw the emptiness and longing-ness in Maxwell’s eyes. She realized that she would never fill Sara or Fran’s place.

As more seasons slowly passed, Maxwell realized it been 2 years since Fran had left. One night, he took a walk around the dark house.

How could this house that was once so full of love be so cold and empty? He cried to himself.

In Val and Fran’s apartment, the same thing was going on. Not a day passed when Fran would catch a whiff of someone with the same cologne as Maxwell or hear a British accent and she would get tears in her eyes.

One night, Maxwell got a call from Joan, James’ once girlfriend, now wife. James had had a massive stroke and was paralyzed from the waste down. Worried and scared, Maxwell got into his limo and drove out to the hospital in Jersey, where James and Joan were vacationing.

On the drive to Jersey, Fran’s voice echoed through his head. "One day he won’t be around and you’ll regret not spending time with him." He then realized how right she was and how wrong he had been. But he knew there was nothing he could do now because he figured a beautiful and "young" woman like Fran would be married by now.

He arrived at the hospital just as they were wheeling a body, covered in a white sheet out of the room. He was too late. Joan, who Maxwell had never met, hugged him tightly and for once he respected the woman, despite the fact that his father had left the family to be with her.

"Joan, I am so sorry. So sorry I never accepted you until now, now that it’s too late," Maxwell sobbed on her shoulder.

"It’s alright, darling, you didn’t know," she let a few tears trickle down her cheeks.

"Yes, I could have listened to someone whom I respect and love very much," Maxwell said, crying even harder thinking about how he let Fran get away.

Maxwell went home a few days later. He really wanted to call Fran and tell her how right she was. Niles would walk in the office sometimes and see him staring at his desk starting to dial Fran’s parent’s number, then hang up. He couldn’t stand to see the man he worked for suffer any longer.

Niles called Fran’s parents one day without Maxwell knowing.

"Hello?" Sylvia’s distinct voice answered.

"Is Miss Fine there?" Niles asked.

"No, she doesn’t live here anymore, oh, and she’s probably at work at The Chatterbox."

Niles hung up and was out the door so fast that Sylvia couldn’t ask who it was.

The taxi pulled up to The Chatterbox and Niles stood at the window, staring at Fran laughing at some joke while snipping someone’s hair.

C’mon Niles, you can do this, be brave. Don’t leave there till you get what you want, he said to himself over and over again.

Niles walked in through the door. Fran looked up from the head of hair she was cutting and immediately recognized Niles. What is he doing here? I haven’t seen him in years. Fran wondered.

"NILES…!? What are you doing here?" Fran asked, a little worried. She ran over to him and hugged him, despite him being British. Tears filled in her eyes. It was the first interaction she’d had with any member of the Sheffield home since the day she left.

"I came down here to get you, Fran, it’s an emergency. The house is a mess, and everyone there needs you. James died and he realizes how right you were. Maxwell and the children, and I… and maybe even C.C. miss you!!" Niles pleaded for Fran to come back to the house.

"I…I don’t think I could face that man. It’s been so long."

"Miss Fine, please. They need you." Niles pleaded some more.

Fran knew she needed to go back. And she wanted to. She took off work and went home and showered. She found one of her shortest-and cutest- mini skirts. She put on her usual load of makeup and took a taxi across the bridge from Flushing to Manhattan. When she arrived at the curb of the house, she walked up the steps to the glass door and peered inside. There was Niles, dusting the center table.

Fran tapped lightly on the glass door, so only Niles could hear her. Niles looked up slowly, figuring it was C.C. and ready to make a face at her. But it wasn’t C.C. He ran to the door, quietly. When he opened the door, he whispered," Okay, he’s in his office, been in there for hours, going in there and talk to him!"

"Pray he takes me back," Fran said.

"Miss Fine," Niles said, looking her straight in the eye, "Welcome home."

She tip-toed through the quiet house to his office. She thought about waiting outside his office, but she was afraid he’d be in there all night. She opened the office door a crack and peeked inside. The desk was covered with stacks of papers. He was sleeping face down on top of one. Her heart raced as she tip-toed closer and closer to the man she loved. Tears were streaming from her eyes. She was so afraid that if she didn’t say the right words, she’d really lose him. She knew this was her last chance she had to be with the man she loved.

She got closer to his desk and hopped onto the corner of his desk the way she used to. Ironically, it was the only place she could find that wasn’t completely covered in papers. She crossed her legs and waited patiently for him to awake, which didn’t take long, because she sort of shook the desk purposefully when she jumped onto it.

His head rose slowly and he blinked a couple of times.

"Hi, Max," Fran said in a low, "demure" voice.

"Fran… FRAN!?" Maxwell jumped out of his seat. He was so surprised-and happy- to see her there he began to cry.

"It’s been a while," Fran said, running her fingers along the edge of his desk.

"I… I know," He was so nervous in her presence. He had planned an apology out for months… if only he could now remember it, "Fran, I’m so sorry. For everything. You were right, my father did die, and I am regretting it now. I’m so ashamed of what I did. A thousand times I’ve wanted to call you, but I’ve been too afraid. I was so sure that you’d be married by now, but I’m guessing you’re not. I just… I…" But Fran cut him off with a long, passionate kiss. A kiss that she’d waited so long to give him. They were both crying now, but they knew that they were in love.

"I love you, Fran, and I always have," Maxwell admitted, "I just never ever showed you. But maybe this will help to show you how much I love you." He reached for something in his desk drawer. "This was my great grandmother’s. I inherited it from my father and there’s only one person on the planet I would like to give this to." He got down on one knee and opened the box, revealing a massive diamond ring, "I know I’ve always had problems with commitment, but I think I’m ready to commit now. Will you marry me, Fran?"

"What do you think?" Fran answered. She’d waited for this moment all her life (and so had her mother.) But like all fairy tale endings, Fran knew that this was only the beginning.

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