The Tiramisu Thickens…

“And I haven’t even had anything to drink!”

Trying to look nonchalant, DiDi, quickly rescued her phone from the tiramisu and wiped it off with her napkin while attempting to regain her composure.

“Hello…are you still there?” she asked, putting the phone back to her ear.

“Yes…what happened?” Alicia asked anxiously.

“Oh, I’m having lunch with my friends Chris and Mitzi. After a couple glasses of wine, I guess I just got a little clumsy and ended up dropping my phone into my dessert.”

“But, DiDi,” said Mitzi, “you didn’t have any…”

Off of DiDi’s sharp look of consternation, Mitzi thought better of contradicting her and didn’t finish the sentence.

“Do they know it’s me that you’re talking to?!” asked Alicia with alarm.

“Uh…nooo,” replied DiDi, hesitantly, “why is that important?”

“I’ll explain everything later, when you’re alone. Can I call you later?”

DiDi hesitated.

“DiDi…DiDi? Are you…”

“I’m thinking about it,” DiDi replied. “Don’t rush me.”

“Well, we don’t have a lot of time,” said Alicia urgently.

“Look,” snapped DiDi, “I told you I’ve had a couple glasses of wine…at least give me a chance to clear my head.”

Chris and Mitzi exchanged looks of concern mixed with curiosity…wondering what in the world was going on…and who the usually unflappable DiDi could possibly be talking to to make her lose her composure.

“You’re a lousy liar, DiDi,” said Chris calmly.

“What?!”

“I heard you when you dropped your phone and said you hadn’t had anything to drink,” said Alicia.

Alicia’s challenge triggered DiDi‘s “mama bear protecting her cub” mode and she could no longer retain her equanimity.

“You’re calling ME a LIAR!?” she hissed into the phone. “Wow, that’s a helluva lot of nerve coming from you.”

Now Chris and Mitzi were seriously concerned: “Is everything okay?"

"What’s wrong, DiDi?”

“Oh, God…you’ll never be able to keep this from them now,” said Alicia. “I can hear Chris and Mitzi in the background…they’re already suspicious.”

“Right,” said DiDi, “and since you’ve already discerned that I’m a terrible liar, what do you propose to do now?

“Look, can I meet you at your house in an hour?” asked Alicia. “And now I think it’s probably best that you bring Chris and Mitzi with you.”

“You have yet to give me a good reason…actually I need two good reasons,” said DiDi. “One, WHAT is so important that you have to tell me; and two, WHY I should believe you.”

“In answer to your last question…I’ve changed, DiDi, and I…I have a lot to make up for.”

“That’s an understatement,” snorted DiDi.

“Yes, I know,” continued Alicia, “not only for myself, but to try and make restitution for at least some of what my brother did…especially to you. I’m sorry but that’s the best reason I can give for why you should believe me. Now YOU have to decide whether or not to do so. If you don’t …well then, the answer to the first question is moot.

The sincerity in Alicia’s voice made DiDi want to believe her, but she still wasn’t sure. There was only one way to find out…

“Okay, I’ll meet you at my house in an hour.”

“What about Chris and Mitzi”

“I don’t know, I’ll have to ask them. Do you need my address?”

“No, I’ve got it.”

“Okay, see you in an hour.”

Before Chris and Mitzi could bombard her with questions, DiDi beat them to it.

“Look, I’ve got to be back at my house in an hour. I don’t know how you two are gonna feel about this, but you’re both welcome to come with me…to meet with Alicia Van Dine.

There is a moment of hesitation and then a sudden…

“Check please!” said Chris.

“Yes!” said Mitzi to the waiter, “and can we please get a triple order of tiramisu to go?!!”

***

What's Christ Weatherhead who played Alicia Van Dine doing today? Click here to find out!

EYE ON MONTICELLO is going on hiatus for the holidays and will return with a new episode on Wednesday, January 5. Meanwhile, I invite you to leave comments on how YOU predict “The Mystery of “Wonderland Lane” will be resolved! ;)

Also, if you’d like to keep the EYE ON MONTICELLO blog series going, please forward it to friends and ask them to post it on their face book pages and blogs so that we can build circulation. This time off will give them an opportunity to catch up and read the earlier episodes. A number of you have emailed me of your desire in seeing classic episodes of EDGE OF NIGHT make a return on cable TV. I can assure you that a large circulation of EYE ON MONTICELLO will capture the attention of sponsors and maybe we can make that happen… Something to aim for in 2011!

Meanwhile, have a safe, joyful, fun-filled holiday everybody! & C U next year!!!

XO, Mariann/"DiDi"


Mariann Aalda played DiDi Bannister-Stoner on Edge of Night from 1981 to its final episode on December 28, 1984. She also played Grace Battles on Guiding Light and Lena Hart on Sunset Beach on daytime and starred in the primetime series The Royal Family and First & 10 and recurred or guest-starred on such shows as Designing Women, Grace Under Fire and The Parkers, among others. With a penchant for comedy, she's also done stand-up in clubs across the country and is the co-creator of M.O.I.S.T.! -- the "sex-istential" comedy-with-music celebrating the seasoned woman -- which she co-wrote/produced/performs with Iona Morris (ex-Fiona Griffin, As The World Turns).