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Disclaimer: This story is based on Characters copyrighted by Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only and cannot be redistributed without permission from the author. I retain the rights to the plot, not the characters. No infringement is intended.
A/N : This story is a little bonus companion story to Journey Of Love. It was intended at first to be part of a chapter in that story. But Amanda wanted more time! LOL, she had something to say and would not be silenced! LOL
Amanda Stetson and Ann Sheridan, Mattie Stetson’s future mother-in-law, made plans to go shopping together for their mother of the bride and groom dresses. It was a bonding experience that Amanda was looking forward to observing. Ann had a favorite boutique that she liked when she needed a dress for a special occasion so she suggested they go there. Amanda happily agreed.
The saleswoman greeted Ann like an old friend. “Annie, it’s so nice to see you!”
The two hugged, and as they parted, Ann introduced Amanda, “Stacey, this is Amanda. My son Nick is marrying her daughter, Mattie. We need the mother of the bride and groom dresses, and I told Amanda we just had to go here first.”
Stacey looked to be in her early forties. Tall and lean, she wore flats so as not to add to her height. It also was more comfortable since she was on her feet so much. Her hair was blonde and cropped short.
“Oh, how wonderful! Congratulations! This is the first of your children to get married, right, Ann?”
“Yes, we are so excited. And Mattie is such a lovely young woman. We couldn’t be happier,” Ann stated sincerely.
Amanda smiled at Ann’s comment and replied, “Thank you, Ann. We feel the same about Nick.”
Stacey turned to greet Amanda. “Nice to meet you, Amanda. We just got in some new gowns this past week. Is there a color or style you are interested in? Also, when is the wedding?”
“Thank you, Stacey. Well, my daughter told us to try and stick to pink or purple hues since the bridesmaids’ dresses are pink. They are getting married in August, and it will be an outdoor evening wedding on our property.”
“That sounds perfectly lovely. Evening weddings are so romantic. Where did Mattie and Nick meet?”
“They met at my older daughter’s wedding last November. Nick was one of the groomsmen,” recalled Amanda.
“What a wonderful way to meet! You must have older children since you are more mature than most mothers of the brides.”
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Amanda replied, “Ah yes, I do. I have two boys from my first marriage. Philip and Jamie. I guess I seem umm, as you said, a bit more mature because there was a gap of around fifteen or so years between having Jamie and JJ, my oldest girl.”
Stacey nodded and addressed Ann, “I think I have something perfect for you to show off your blonde hair and blue eyes. Amanda, I may have something suitable for an older mother of the bride.”
Amanda was shocked. Again Stacey mentioned her age. She and Ann followed Stacey to the evening gowns in the back of the store.
“Now let’s see. Ann, I know you’re a size ten. Amanda, let me guess. I would say you are an eight. Am I right?” Stacey surmised.
Amanda protested, “Ah, no, hardly. I am between a size four and six. The dress I got last year for my other daughter’s wedding was a six.”
“As you know, Amanda, as we age there are many imperfections we need or want to hide, such as tummies and arms that sag. I would recommend a gown with spandex in it to hold you in as well as three-quarter sleeves,” Stacey suggested.
“Ah well, I don’t have that problem, Stacey,” Amanda stated.
“Amanda, listen to Stacey. After all, she is the expert,” Ann encouraged as she started to look through the racks.
Amanda rolled her eyes and bit her lip. She could tell this was going to be a challenge.
Stacey pushed a gown into Amanda’s hands. “Go try this on Dear, while I go help, Ann.”
Amanda sighed and decided to go along with trying on the dress. Standing in the dressing room, she looked in the mirror and groaned. The dress was far too big for her. But worse, she felt It was not her style. Maybe her mother would like it. It was a pink column gown that was polyester and chiffon. It had three-quarter-length sleeves and the bodice was covered in beads. As Stacey promised, it had spandex inside to control the tummy. She shook her head. No, Mother would not like it either. Amanda worried about how she was going to get out of this nightmare.
“Knock, knock, Amanda. How are we doing in there?” sang Stacey.
“Oh, Stacey, ah ….I think I want to look a little further,” Amanda replied.
Stacey opened the curtain to inspect Amanda. Ann was behind Stacey, wearing a gown.
Ann gushed, “I think it’s perfect for you, Amanda! See, I told you Stacey would find you something.”
Amanda smiled hesitantly. “Yes, yes you did.. but I think I want to look some more.”
Ann replied, “I am finding a wonderful selection. I hope you can find a gown that addresses your age group. Like Stacey said, something with sleeves to hide your…”
Amanda cut off Ann’s words with clenched teeth. “Hmmm yes. Well, I don’t need to hide my arms,” she insisted.
Stacey turned her attention to Ann. “Now, I think the off-the-shoulder ones are perfect for you. You’re such a young and vibrant mother of the groom.”
Frustrated, Amanda just about bit through her lip. “I would like to try something like that as well.”
Stacey looked annoyed. “ I don’t recommend it.”
Amanda smiled sweetly. “Humor me.” Amanda brushed past the two women and went to the section where her size was located. She tried on a few more dresses, but there were none in the color hue that Mattie had requested.
Ann continued to try on a few different gowns. She finally settled on an off-the-shoulder Lavender gown that had a sweetheart neckline. It was a trumpet gown and had a lace overlay on the bodice.
Stacey asked Amanda, “What do you think? Did you like anything? What about the first dress?”
“Stacey, I am going to keep looking. The first dress is too big for me.”
“Are you sure? We could alter it for you,” Stacey offered.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Amanda replied firmly.
After both Ann had paid for her gown and they had walked out to their cars, Ann remarked, “I hope you find something acceptable, Amanda, that will show off your remarkable inner beauty.”
“Thanks, Ann. I know I will.” Amanda fumed as she drove away, saying to herself, Don’t underestimate this old lady..humph!
When Amanda came home, Dotty greeted her as she sat on the porch. “So, how did it go, Dear?”
“It was a disaster, Mother!”
“Why, what happened?”
“The consultant that Ann uses at the boutique, Stacey, was okay, but when she met me, she made me feel I had one foot in the grave because I’m an ‘older mother.’” Amanda put her fingers in the air, signaling quotes. “She said I had to hide my figure and flabby arms! Mother, I don’t have flabby arms, and I’m not fat!” Amanda wailed.
“Welcome to my world, Darling. Just because I’m in my eighties, people talk to me like I’m stupid! They also think I can’t hear! I get treated like I’m invisible. You most definitely don’t have flabby arms, nor are you fat! The nerve! Is she the owner? I would have demanded to speak to the proprietor or the manager and give them a piece of my mind. That’s not how you treat a customer!” Dotty ranted. “Come on in, and we’ll have some tea together.”
“Okay, Mother. But I don’t think the saleslady was being malicious. I think she thought she was being helpful. It probably didn’t help that I was wearing a bulky sweater. But I felt she had a bias because of my age. Because I am over sixty, she acted as if I couldn’t look beautiful or sexy.”
As they walked inside, Dotty replied, “Believe me, I understand. Darling, Why do you think I decided to take flying lessons with Captain Curt years ago? I was feeling like you. People began to look at me differently. And then I remembered that song by Frank Sinatra, “Young at Heart”. So I resolved that I could either have a positive attitude and be young at heart, or I could let others dictate how I feel about myself.”
“You’re the most young at heart person I know, Mother.”
“Thank you, Sweetheart. So you didn’t find anything?” Dotty put the tea kettle on the stove, as Amanda started to sit down at the kitchen island.
“No Mother. The consultant kept pushing a dress on me. I didn’t want to argue with Ann and Stacey. I tried to keep the peace and not ruffle any feathers with Mattie’s future mother-in-law. I almost bought it for you, but I knew you wouldn’t like it either. I felt like I was some dried-up prune. I took a picture of it to show it to you.
“ Oh, my poor Dear. Well, let’s see it.”
Amanda took her phone out and showed Dotty the dress. She looked back at Amanda. “What nonsense. That is absolutely not the gown for you..or me! They should burn it! What are you going to do about a dress then?”
Amanda took the kettle off the stove and poured the hot water into the two teacups her mother had set out with teabags. They sat down together at the kitchen island.
“ I guess I will go back where Mattie got her wedding dress. If I don’t find anything, I will go where I got my gown for JJ’s wedding.”
As they were talking, Lee came in from outside.
“Hey, Beautiful!” Lee reached out to kiss Amanda, but she held her arm out and put her hand up to stop him.
Amanda sneezed, “Hold it, Stetson! Were you stacking hay?”
“I sure was. Now, where’s my kiss,” he insisted.
“Shower first, Buster. You know the drill!” Amanda sneezed again.
“Okay, okay. I keep forgetting about the new shower.” Lee turned around and disappeared into the mudroom.
Dotty patted Amanda’s hand.”Well, Dear, I’m going to take a nap. Don’t worry, you’ll find something you are comfortable with. Don’t let it get you down. You are still an attractive, vital woman with an equally alluring husband, who continues to be an eleven.”
“Thanks, Mother…oh, and Mother, if I ever start talking to you like you’re deaf or treat you like an invalid, say something.”
“You can count on it, Dear.” Dotty gave Amanda a peck on the cheek and went out the back door to her cottage.
A few minutes later, Lee came in from the mudroom, dressed in a robe. Amanda was looking at gowns online. As she glanced up to see her husband coming into the room, her heart skipped a beat. It amazed her that he could still affect her this way after twenty-seven years of marriage. She could feel her body react to the image of the beads of water on his chest that peeked through the opening of his robe.
“So, do I get my kiss now?” Lee asked eagerly.
“Yes, you sure do!” Amanda gripped the collar of the robe, pulled Lee toward her, and captured his lips. He responded right away and deepened the kiss. Both hummed their approval to each other as they tasted one another.
When they broke apart, Lee exclaimed “Wow, I guess you missed me. Is it time for dessert?” Lee smiled and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Later,” Amanda promised as she smoothed the robe’s collar.
“Can’t wait!”
“Go put on some clothes while I heat up dinner.”
“Okay. By the way, how did the dress shopping go? “
“Awful. I’ll tell you all about it at dinner.”
As Lee walked past her to head up the stairs, Amanda gave Lee a little pat on his behind.
He called back to her, “You little tease.” He grinned, and his dimples came out in full force.
Later at dinner, Amanda recounted her story about the shopping trip with Ann. Lee was very understanding and supportive. Dotty had joined them for dinner and got indignant again for Amanda.
At bedtime, Lee was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, and Amanda stood in front of the mirror, looking at her body in her bra and panties. She raised her arms over her head to check for sagging. Just a little wiggling, nothing major, she surmised. Just gravity. Then she turned sideways, checking her stomach. Her skin was a little loose but it wasn’t fat. That was from having four babies! Checking her bottom, Amanda patted it. Still, firm she nodded to herself. Lee came out of the bathroom in his boxers and watched her. Amanda stepped on the scale. It revealed she weighed just seven pounds shy of the weight she was when she first met Lee.
“This is really bugging you, huh?” He questioned.
“It would bug you too if people were implying you were some old, dried-up hag. Do you think that Lee?”
“You are far from it, Honey.”
Lee came over and put one arm around her slim waist, and pulled her to him. “You still fit perfectly against me, and when I put my arm around you, there is still plenty of room. ‘You are a sexy,” kiss, “desirable,” kiss, “senior citizen.” kiss. Lee had placed a kiss on each shoulder and was now nibbling on her ear.
“Ouch, hey!” Lee doubled over in pain as Amanda hit his stomach hard.
“ You had to say ‘senior citizen’?”
“That’s what we are after fifty-five! Look at all the senior discounts we get. You know how you love your discounts.”
“Yes, I admit it. I do! But I also don’t like being stereotyped as being old, hideous, and fat just because I am over sixty. Ann has to be ten to fifteen years younger than me, either in her late forties or early fifties. You know there is not as much pressure on men to still look youthful as they get older.”
“A-MAN-DA! You are obsessing over this too much. Remember, you’re only as old as you feel. You don’t act or look old. So don’t let them make you feel old.”
Amanda pointed her finger at him. “Wait, I bet you know how old she is. You are doing the security checks for the wedding. So, how old is she?”
“Hey, you know I can’t tell you all that information. It’s private. That’s a need to know only for those of us doing the checks.”
“But you know! Come on! I won’t tell.”
“Yes, but I don’t see why it matters so much to you,” Lee admitted.
Amanda struck a seductive pose in the doorframe, “Because I’m curious. Just tell me.” she pouted. Amanda strutted over to Lee, pushed her body against him, and on tiptoe, reached up and nipped the base of his neck.
Lee groaned, “You don’t play fair. You know what that does to me!” He wrapped one arm around her waist and, with his other hand, ran through her shoulder-length hair to hold the back of her head. He captured her mouth, and they kissed deeply.
After a few seconds, Amanda pulled back.“Tell me…please.” she purred.
“I-I can’t..oh, Amanda.” he groaned as she slid down his body and teased him in all the right places.
Amanda whispered, “Just say ‘yes’ if I guess right. Early fifties?”
Lee groaned, “Ah-oh god, Amanda…No…But I like this game.” Lee seized Amanda’s mouth again and continued where he left off on the last kiss.
Amanda pulled back from their kiss. “Hmm-I like it too. Early forties?” Amanda sucked on Lee’s neck.
“Umm, oh no!” Lee then found Amanda’s ear and began to nibble on it.
“Then she’s in her late forties,” Amanda said triumphantly, nipping his neck.
Lee’s breathing became ragged. “Ah… yes,” he gasped.
Amanda smiled, “I knew it!”
Lee began an assault down to her chest. Amanda could feel her legs getting weak with desire and begged him, “Take me to bed.”
“With pleasure.” Lee picked Amanda up and carried her to their bed.
Later, as they lay satisfied with each other, Lee rested his head on his hand as he leaned on his elbow. He looked at his half-slumbering wife. With the other hand, he traced a path with his fingers over her shoulder. “You are one hot senior citizen.” He kissed the shoulder that was nearest to him.
Amanda smiled sleepily and caressed his chest, “So are you!”
***********
On the day of the wedding, the photographers gathered the parents to take pictures before the ceremony. When Amanda greeted Ann, she gasped at the sight of Amanda in her gown.
“Amanda, you look gorgeous! That gown is stunning. You were right. You didn’t need sleeves. Good thing you didn’t listen to us.”
Amanda’s gown was orchid in color and was a one-shoulder column chiffon dress that had crystals that ran diagonally across it. The crystals were scattered across the back as well. A cascading ruffle on the shoulder crossed the back.
Amanda grinned. “Thank you, Ann. Lee picked this out for me. You look beautiful, too. ”
Lee came up and placed his hand in the small of Amanda’s back. “Sweetheart, we need to pose for pictures by the tree. Excuse us.”
Lee led Amanda to the tree. While the photographer was checking the lighting, Lee placed a kiss on her bare shoulder. “I love your shoulders,” he murmured into her ear.
Amanda blushed after she heard the click of a different photographer taking their picture at that moment.
It became Lee’s favorite picture of them together. Amanda had tilted her head sidewise toward Lee as he kissed her shoulder. Lee had the picture framed and gave it to Amanda for Valentine’s Day.
During the reception, when there was dancing, Dotty came up to Lee and whispered something into his ear. He smiled and nodded. Amanda looked puzzled at her mother. Lee went over to the bandleader and requested a song. He nodded and said, “We will play that next.”
The song ended, and the music Lee requested started to play. He went over to Amanda and invited her, “Dance with me.” She nodded as he put his hand on the small of her back and led her to the dance floor. She didn’t recognize the music until the singer began the words:
“Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you
If you're young at heart
For it's hard, you will find to be narrow of mind
If you're young at heart.
You can go to extremes with impossible schemes.
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams
And life becomes more exciting with each passing day
And love is either in your heart or on its way…”
Amanda’s face glowed, and her eyes glistened.
Lee confessed, “Mrs.Stetson, you will always be young at heart in my eyes.” He gave her a tender kiss on the lips, as they continued to dance cheek to cheek.
The End