The Apple Doesn’t Fall Too Far...

“Charlotte! What happened to your eye?!” exclaimed DiDi.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” said Charlotte nervously. “I’m just clumsy… I tripped on the area rug when I got out of bed this morning and banged my head on the armoire when I tried to catch my balance.”

“Wow, that’s quite a shiner,” said DiDi. “How do you feel? Have you been to the doctor? Do you need me to take you? Would you rather cancel the meeting for another time?

"In answer to your questions," said Charlotte: “Fine...Yes...No... and NO!”

“So you’ve been to the doctor?

“Well, not exactly,” said Charlotte. "Clive called her right after it happened and I’m following the instruction she gave him...to keep ice on the eye and just ‘shake it off’.”

“Shake it off?” asked DiDi. “That was her professional advice? What does that mean, exactly?”

“Oh, you know," said Charlotte, “Not to take it – or myself – so seriously...to just get on with things as normal.”

“Un, hunh...” said DiDi, trying hard not to sound suspicious, “you said Clive talked to her...did you get to talk to her at all?

“I talked to her and that was enough,” said Clive, suddenly appearing from around the corner.

Without missing a beat, DiDi checked her concerns and turned on the charm.

“Oh, Clive, I’m sure you attended to Charlotte as devotedly as any husband could, but it’s a MOM thing, you know? We Moms tend to be very protective...even of other people’s children.”

“Well, no, I don’t know, actually, since I was sent to off to boarding school at a very early age...but I do look forward to finding out someday, soon, when Charlotte becomes a mother.”

“Charlotte! Are you...?” asked DiDi.

“Oh, no...not yet,” said Charlotte shyly.

“But it’s certainly not for lack of trying, is it, darling?” said Clive with a smile (that looked almost like a sneer), as he kissed Charlotte on the forehead.

“Well, ladies, this morning’s incident has already made me late for my meeting, so let me say ‘adieu’ and be off. DiDi, I trust that I’m leaving Charlotte in good hands with you since you’re a...mother.

Somehow “mother” lost all its maternal feelings when Clive said it.

“Sure thing!” promised DiDi, attempting an ingratiating smile.

Clive turned to DiDi to shake her hand. Suddenly DiDi saw an opportunity...

“I hate to be a ‘mother’ again, Clive, but hold still for a minute; it appears that in attending to Charlotte, you were unable to properly attend to yourself.”

“What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, just a few stray hairs on your shoulder...here, let me brush them off for you. We can’t let Skye and Raven Whitney’s son-in-law go to a meeting un-groomed.”

Before Clive could protest, DiDi swept into action...literally.

Sweeping two stray hairs from Clive’s shoulder, DiDi quickly linked arms with him and began walking with him to the door.

“There you go...now you’re perfect,” said DiDi, as she opened the door and ushered Clive out. “And don’t give Charlotte a second thought, I’ve got everything under control.”

Closing the door, DiDi leaned against it and pulled a plastic sandwich bag out of her pocket. Tucking Clive’s two stray hairs carefully inside, she gingerly tucked it back into her pocket and strolled confidently back into Charlotte’s library, assured that her true mission had been accomplished.

“Now, Charlotte, m’dear...where were we?”

To be continued...

***

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).

Fruit from the Poisonous Tree

Despite not wanting to, DiDi, Chris and Mitzi believed what Alicia Van Dine just told them…that her brother, Louis, had had some of his cellular DNA cryogenically preserved before he died in the hopes that he could be someday cloned…and that that day had happened 28 years ago.

Science had finally caught up with science fiction…the timeline was even documented when they went online to do some research on cloning.

Cloning Milestones:

1938
Cloning envisioned. Dr. Hans Spemann (Germany) proposed an experiment to remove the nucleus from an unfertilized egg and replace it with the nucleus from a differentiated cell.

1953
Structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) discovered by Francis C. Crick (U.K.) and James D. Watson (U.S.).

1970
Dr. John B. Gurdon (U.K.) clones a frog by transplanting the intestinal cell of a tadpole into an enucleated frog egg, which develops into an adult frog.

1973
First successful gene splicing (recombinant DNA) by Paul Berg and Stanley N. Cohen (U.S.). A major breakthrough in genetic engineering.

1978
Birth of first child, conceived by in vitro (literally “in glass”) fertilization to Leslie Brown (U.K.).

1980
U.S. Supreme Court rules that a genetically created new bacterium (a non-natural man-made microorganism) may be patented.

1984
Dr. Steen M. Willadsen (Denmark) clones a lamb from a developing sheep embryo cell. His experiment is repeated by other scientists who clone a variety of animals.

1994
Dr. Ned First (U.S.) clones calves from cells of early embryos.

1995
Drs. Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell (U.K.) create the world's first cloned sheep, Megan and Morag, from embryo cells.

1996
Dr. Ian Wilmut and his team clone the world's the first sheep from adult cells. The lamb born in July 1996 is named Dolly.

1997
Scientists at Oregon Regional Primate Research Center (U.S.) create first primates—two rhesus monkeys named Neti and Ditto—from DNA taken from cells of developing monkey embryos. They are not genetically identical because two different embryos were used.

1997
A team led by Drs. Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell (U.K.) create the first sheep with a human gene in every cell of its body. The genetically engineered lamb is named Polly.

1999
Dr. Gerald Schatten (U.S.) leads a team of researchers who become the first to create a clone (Tetra, a rhesus monkey) by embryo splitting.

1999
Dr. Xiangzhong Yang leads a U.S. experiment to clone calves from frozen cells taken from a Japanese bull. The experiment is successful and proves that cells can be stored for later cloning.

2000
The first patents for cloning are given to the scientists who cloned Dolly, giving their company, Geron Bio-med, exclusive right to the technologies they used.

2000
Japanese scientists clone a baby bull from a bull that was a clone itself, the first re-cloning case involving a large mammal.

2000
Five piglets are cloned by a company the eventually wants to reproduce organs for humans.

2001
Scientists at Advanced Cell Technology in Massachusetts clone human embryos for the first time.

2001
President Bush limits federally funded human embryonic stem cell research to stem cell lines that have already been created.

2001
A cat, called C.C. for “carbon copy” is cloned by a company that wants to go into business reproducing pets.

2002
California becomes the first U.S. state to approve a law legalizing the therapeutic cloning of embryos.

2003
Britain becomes the first country to issue research licences for human embryonic cloning to create stem cells. It specifies therapeutic, not reproductive, cloning.

2004
Britain announces the first embryonic stem cell bank.

2005
South Korea clones a dog names Snuppy, Dogs are considered particularly difficult to clone because of the complex reproductive biology.

Read more: Cloning Milestones — Infoplease.com

“And that’s just the stuff that was documented,” thought DiDi, driving over to Charlotte Whitney-Dosvanmangia’s house the following week, “God only knows what was going on that the scientists didn’t let us know about.”

The biggest doubt DiDi had was that the clone would have been delivered to full term around 27 years ago, however Charlotte’s husband – the alleged clone – appeared to be much older. But, as Alicia had explained…

“Remember, it’s a COPY, so there’s bound to be some degeneration of the original DNA material.”

It made sense...it also made the prospect that much more terrifying. Because if the exterior was so noticeably degenerating, what was happening on the inside? In particular, what was happening with his mind?

What happens when the mind of a crazed degenerate degenerates? DiDi shuddered at the prospects.

So, now, here she was, driving over to Charlotte’s, ostensibly to interview her about the upcoming Valentine’s Day fundraiser benefiting the Heart Association, but in truth, to find something of Clive Dosvanmangia’s that might have his DNA on it that she could get to the lab to verify Alicia’s story.

Charlotte was spearheading the event and DiDi was going to do a feature article about it for her column in the Monticello Gazette, the newspaper that Skye Whitney owned. She‘d asked Charlotte if she could interview Clive, as well, since he was making such a large financial contribution to the project and Clive had agreed.

DiDi took a deep breath as the gates opened to the exclusive Wonderland Estates. She would have to draw on all her skills as a former attorney, whenever she had to call a lying witness’ bluff in the courtroom.

“Calm and composed…just stay calm and composed,” she kept telling herself as she walked up the stairs and pressed the doorbell of Charlotte’s mansion. Within seconds, an unnerved Charlotte opened the door.

“Charlotte! What happened to your eye?!”

To Be Continued…

***

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).

For Auld Lang Syne -- Will She “Tak’ a Cup o’ Kindness“…Yet?

The ringing in of New Year’s Eve had seen DiDi making a toast to Chris Egan and Gavin Wiley in celebration of their marriage… and pondering what to do with the information Alicia Van Dine had presented her just a few short weeks before.

She was glad that Chris and Mitzi had been with her to witness what Alicia had to say, otherwise no one would have believed it…

FLASHBACK TO…

“So, basically, that’s it, ladies,” said Alicia contritely (and seemingly sincerely). “I take full responsibility for my nefarious activities of the past and I’m trying to make restitution not only for my sins, but also for my brother's, with what I have to tell you now.

“Before his death, my brother Louis had some of his DNA frozen in anticipation of the time when the technology for cloning humans would be perfected.”

Transfixed by what they had just heard, DiDi, Chris and Mitzi sat there speechless… a highly unusual state for this usually talkative trio.

“I’m not quite sure how to read the looks on your faces,” said Alicia, “but it’s imperative that you believe me.”

Chris was the first one to snap out of it: “Are you kidding me? After all the havoc you reeked on this town…”

“And with all of your lies and deceit…” interrupted Mitzi.

“Do you REALLY expect us believe you?!” concluded DiDi.

“In all honesty, no I didn’t,” said Alicia. “That’s why I brought you proof.”

“Oh, this oughtta be interesting,” Chris chortled.

“Are you trying to tell us that modern technology has unleashed a baby Louis Van Dine on us somewhere?” asked DiDi.

“Oh, I saw that in a movie once!” exclaimed Mitzi. “It was really scary… couldn’t sleep for days afterwards. John Rubinstein was in it, though… I had the biggest crush on him ever since I saw him on Broadway in Pippin…but it still gave me nightmares.”

In unison, Chris and DiDi both admonished: “Mitzi!!!”

“Sorry, I just got a little carried away,” said Mitzi. “Alicia, please, continue.”

“Nooooo,” said Alicia slowly, “he’s not a baby.”

“What are you saying?!” DiDi asked anxiously.

“It was almost thirty years ago that Louis embarked on a quest to clone himself when he discovered that he was infertile and would never be able to have children the regular way. Every couple months he would go to Switzerland where he’d have cells scraped from the inside of his cheek so that scientists could begin experimenting. He was hoping to see himself cloned before he died.”

“And?” asked Chris.

“It didn’t happen.”

“Thank God,” said DiDi.

“Before he died, that is.”

Again, the women were transfixed.

“Shortly after Louis’ death, cells were successfully cloned and impregnated -- or I guess ‘incubated’ would be a better term -- into seven young women. Six of them miscarried… but one of them carried to full term.

“Fortunately, I was able buy off someone in the lab to destroy the remaining cloned cells so that there could never be a second go-round at it,” said Alicia, “but unfortunately, I lost track of the woman who gave birth. Louis left instructions to a cadre of his followers on what to do once a clone was born…and more than enough money to have his wishes carried out.

“These people were all as crazy as my brother…just waiting for the “reborn” Louis Van Dine to reach adulthood so that he could fulfill the ’original’ Louis’ plan of world domination. I’ve spent my life trying to track this woman down. She died last year…but the boy…or rather, the man now lives in Monticello.”

“Yikes” squeeled Mitzi, “this is even scarier than the movie!”

“Yes, it is,” said DiDi, suddenly very calm -- as the before an impending storm -- “because it’s real.”

“You said you had proof,” said Chris, “where is it?”

“I want you to swab the inside of my cheek for DNA and take it to a lab so that you have your own results. Meanwhile, you need to collect a sample from my brother’s clone and take them to a lab so that you can compare the results. They should be a match and prove to you that I’m telling the truth.”

“And from whom exactly are we supposed to collect this sample?” asked DiDi

“You met him the other night, DiDi…you were in his home. He’s Sky and Raven’s son-in-law…he’s married to their daughter, Charlotte.”

TO BE CONTINUED!

* * * * *

Six-Degrees-of-Separation Trivia: Irving Allen Lee, who played Det. Calvin Stoner on EON co-starred on Broadway with John Rubinstein (who appeared in the movie, The Boys from Brazil, that Mitzi refers to) when he took over the role of “Leading Player” from Ben Vereen in the Pippin.

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).

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).

If It Walks Like a Duck and Talks Like a Duck…Then?

“Okay, now,” said Mitzi, “explain it to me again…how did you end up spending Thanksgiving on Wonderland Lane with the Whitneys and a bunch of androids?!!”



“I didn’t say they WERE androids, Mitzi, I just said that several of the women at Raven and Sky’s daughter, Charlotte’s, dinner party seemed to ACT like androids,” said DiDi, “…including Charlotte.

“Weird,” said Chris. “By the way, you haven’t touched your wine.”

“I’m driving, remember?”

“Yeah, right, but I’m walking, so…” said Cris

“And I’m DiDi’s designated passenger!” interrupted Mitzi.

“Here, Mitzi, you can have my glass” said DiDi, “and Chris, you take what’s left in the bottle…it looks like there’s at least another glass-full in there.”

“Thanks,” said Chris, “because I think I need some more alcohol to help me wrap my brain around what you just told us.”

“Did you get to touch any of them?” asked Mitzi. “What did they feel like? Were they cold…or 98.6 degrees like us?

“Look, you two, let me apologize for my choice of words sending your imaginations into a tailspin,” sighed Didi. “They weren’t robots! They just acted a little odd, that’s all.”

“Like, how?” asked Mitzi

“Well, for one thing, there were about half a dozen women who seemed to never stop smiling…and they were all so agreeable about everything.”

“Do you think there was something in the food?!” asked Mitzi

“Well, we all ate the same thing - which was delicious by the way; I don’t think I’ve ever had stuffing that was so moist and flav…”

“Enough about the food, already!” Mitzi squealed. “I want to hear more about the robots!”

“Mitzi, next time I’m drinking and YOU’RE driving,” DiDi retorted.

“Sounds like a plan,” said Chris, pouring the remainder of Mitzi’s wine into her own glass.

“You’re right,” sighed Mitzi. “As much as I love THE TASTE of a crisp Chardonnay with a great plate of creamy fettuccini, I forgot about the effect is sometimes has on me. Have I been too 'chatty'?"

“You’ve been just fine,” laughed DiDi. “But back to the story -- no, I don’t think the food was doctored up with anything…except maybe a little too much nutmeg in the eggnog.”

“So, what do you think it was?” asked Chris.

As if on cue DiDi’s cell phone suddenly began to vibrate on the table.

“Hmmm…I don’t recognize this number,” said DiDi.

“It might be the mechanic,” said Mitzi. “I forgot my phone, so I gave him your number to call me about what needed to be done on the car and when it would be ready.”

“Oh, okay,” said DiDi picking up the phone to answer it. “But you’re in no condition to get behind the wheel of a car, today. So if Cliff can’t drop you off tomorrow, I’ll come by and pick you up and take you there.

“Thanks, DiDi, you‘re a real pal.”

“And you’re smashed…Hello?”

“Hi, DiDi, I got your number from Charlotte. Please don’t hang up…this is Alicia Van Dine.”

Freeze frame: On DiDi’s shocked face as her cell phone slips out of her hand into the remains of her tiramisu.

Click here for an update on Mitzi Martin’s alter ego, actress Lela Ivey.

***

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).

To Everything There Is a Season....

Back from spending Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico with Gavin, Chris couldn’t wait to tell Mitzi and DiDi her exciting news. They’d decided to meet for lunch at Froman On Main, a popular eatery on the old site of Syd’s Tavern.

As per usual, Chris was the first to arrive. She picked out a sunny corner table, ordered a glass of sparkling water with a twist of lime and settled in to check messages and email on her Blackberry while she waited.

“It’s my fault that we’re late,” said Mitzi rushing in and leaning over to give Chris a quick hug. “The check something-or-other light went on when I started my car and I didn’t want to risk it conking out on me, so I drove it straight to the mechanic’s and DiDi picked me up over there.”

“So, where is she now?”

“Oh, she dropped me off before she went to park the car because she knew you were waiting.”

“But the restaurant has valet parking.”

“Uh, yeah…for seven bucks,” Mitzi retorted. “But you can get three hours of free parking in the mall across the street.”

“Mitzi, the valet is only five bucks.”

“Yeah, but you’ve still gotta tip the guy.”

“No, you don’t, that’s why you pay for the parking,” said Chris.

“Yes, you do,” insisted Mitzi, “That money goes to the restaurant.”

“Right…to pay the attendant’s salary.”

“But it’s probably minimum wage and not enough to live on,” countered Mitzi, "So…”

Spotting DiDi entering the restaurant, Chris was relieved to interrupt the conversation to wave her over.

“DiDi…as usual, you’re right on time,” said Chris.

“Hey, if that’s a dig for being late, I have a perfectly good excuse,” said DiDi

“Noooooo….trust me I was being absolutely sincere,” said Chris.

“Yeah, Chris and I were having a discussion and…”

“Oh my God!” This time it was DiDi’s turn to interrupt. “Is that…is that..?” she stammered.

“Absolutely,” said Chris with a grin, “Gavin and I are engaged!”

“Shut up!” squealed Mitzi”

“I will not,” said Chris.

“I didn’t mean it literally,” said Mitzi, befuddled.

“Oh, Mitzz, I’m just kidding with you,” said Chris, laughing. “Come on, gimme a hug!”

For the next several minutes the three women laughed and hugged and “ooh-ed and aaahh-ed” over Chris’ heirloom engagement ring.



“It belonged to Gavin’s mother,” said Chris.

“It’s beautiful,” said DiDi.

“Stunning!” said Mitzi.

“Who-d a-thunk it?” said Chris. “Marriage was never a goal of mine. I love my work and my friends and I’ve always been content whether there was a man in my life or not. So, to be getting married again in my fifties…”

“Gloria Steinem didn’t get married till she was in her sixties!” chimed in Mitzi.

“Anyway,” Chris continued, “it kind of caught me by surprise; but it just feels right, ya know?”

“Yes, sweetie, I know,” said DiDi wistfully. “Oh, Chris, I’m so happy for you!”

“And I hope you know how happy I am too,” said Mitzi. “So waddaya say I order a bottle of champagne to make a toast? And while we’re at it, can we order lunch, please, because I’m starving!”

While Mitzi called the waiter over, Chris turned to DiDi…

“Okay, so much for my good news, you’re up next. How was Thanksgiving with Cal and your soon-to-be daughter-in-law and her parents?”

“Hold on, the waiter is coming over…let’s get our order in, first, and then I want to hear all about it, too,” said Mitzi.

“Well,” said DiDi, “there was a snowstorm, so I wasn’t able to get there till the weekend, but her parents were lovely…just as warm and sweet as she is.”

“If you weren’t able to get out of town, then how did you spend Thanksgiving Day?” asked Chris.

“Oh, gee, DiDi, I hope you didn’t have to spend it all alone!” said Mitzi.

“No, I definitely wasn’t alone,” said DiDi, “but let’s have lunch first and salute Chris’ engagement and celebrate the season…and the fact that I already have all my Christmas shopping done. We can talk about how I spent the holiday later.”

“Hmmm…” said Chris, her private investigator’s instincts kicking in. “Sounds to me like there’s a lot more to this story.”

“If they only knew,” thought 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).

Thanks…and Glory Be!

Well, it wasn’t quite the happy Thanksgiving DiDi had expected, but she was determined to make the most of it.

Her plans had been to spend Thanksgiving with Calvin, Jr. and his new fiancee at her parents’ home in Wichita. But an unexpected snowstorm had canceled all planes landing and taking off from Monticello Municipal Airport.

Looking out the window and the continuous downfall of snow, DiDi recalled how -- when Cal had introduced her and Calvin to his new girlfriend, Nikki -- her “mother’s intuition” immediately told her that Nikki was “the one.” Two years later, she was proven right when the couple announced their engagement.

The plan was for the parents of the prospective bride and groom to spend Thanksgiving together as an inaugural celebration of the blending of their families. DiDi thought about how much Calvin, Sr. had been looking forward to this Thanksgiving…and how much she was dreading going to Wichita without him.

But God works in mysterious ways. Thanks to the unforeseen circumstances of the weather, she’d been spared having to make that trip. And thanks to Skype, she’d been able to have a wonderful “virtual visit” with all of them earlier that morning.

After that, she watched an episode of All My Children she’d DVR’d the pevious day. Ironically, it was an episode where one of the main characters had to deal with the unexpected death of her husband right before Thanksgiving.

Somehow, watching the actress express the character’s grief, helped DiDi feel better able to cope with what she, herself, was going through.

“That’s probably why soap operas are so popular,” she thought, “because the audience gets to know the characters and can relate what they’re going through with something they’re experiencing - or have experienced - in their own lives.”

Snuggling up on the couch in front of the fireplace, DiDi reflected on her own “soap opera” of the red-headed woman she’d seen twice now -- the last time was the previous week when DiDi’d been out jogging and saw the woman entering the gated community of Wonderland Estates.

DiDi had immediately called Chris Egan and driven over to talk to her about it….

“You really think that was Alicia Van Dine?!” Chris had asked, incredulous at the possibility.

“Well, I thought so after seeing her the first time outside the UNICEF benefit, but after seeing her the second time…I’m certain of it,” said DiDi.

“R-r-r-r-ing!”

The telephone snapped DiDi out of her reverie. “Hello…and happy Thanksgiving!”

“Hi, DiDi, I thought you might still be in town.”

“Sky?”

“Yes! I was watching the weather report and thought it might have derailed your Thanksgiving trip, so I’m calling to invite you to have Thanksgiving dinner with Raven and I and our family.”

“Well, uh…that’s very thoughtful, but I don‘t want to intrude,” stammered DiDi at the unexpected invitation.

“Come on, that’s the least I could do for my newest employee,” said Sky.

DiDi had finally decided to accept Schyler Whitney’s offer to write a weekly column for his newspaper, but she and Calvin had never really socialized much with the Whitneys…and quite honestly, she was fine with leaving it like that.

“Look, DiDi, this is going to be your first holiday without Calvin. I remember what it was like for Raven and me our first family holiday after our son Gerald died, so, if nothing else, please come just for the diversion…besides, it’s Thanksgiving…you have to eat. And the holidays always inspire Raven to make a “guest appearance” in the kitchen. Her pumpkin pie is not to be missed!”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to miss Raven’s pumpkin pie,” laughed DiDi. “So…what time, what do I bring and what’s your address again?

“Three o’clock…and you don’t need to bring a thing,” said Sky. “But, we’re starting a new tradition this year, our daughter Charlotte and her husband are hosting Thanksgiving. Her address is 9787 Wonderland Lane.... "

Cue the music!

***
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).