DIANE D The Musical Drama - Volume 1 - Part 1
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It is three weeks later. Diane D is at a TV Talk Show. She is sitting on a chair on stage with a 40-something white female TV talk show host name Joannie in front of a live audience. Joannie starts to interview Diane D and says, “Hey Diane D. Welcome to the show.”
“Thank you,” Diane D says.
“You’re welcome. Now Diane D, we have you here on the show today to talk about and promote The Diaz-Davidson Organization’s upcoming charity concert your family is going to have next week, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“So how are you doing now? We all heard that you were in the hospital a few weeks ago, right?”
“Yes I was.”
“Everybody here wants to know how’re you doing now?”
“Oh I’m doing much better now, thanks.”
“That’s good, we’re glad you’re doing better and doing okay. How was it like being in the hospital?”
“It wasn’t bad. I was being well taking care of.”
“Oh that’s good. Did you have a hospital roommate? Was another patient in the room with you?”
“No, not at first. When I was first admitted in the hospital, I had a whole room to myself. I think another patient came into the room a few days later.”
“Did you see who that other patient was or did they get to meet you or did you get to meet them? Because I heard the other patient in the room was an elderly woman. Did you ever saw her?”
“No. I never saw the other patient.”
“Well I heard the elderly woman’s 26-year old granddaughter was in the room with her during visiting hours. Now the elderly woman’s granddaughter wrote a letter to me, because she knew you were going to be on the show and she knows about your family’s upcoming charity concert. The elderly woman’s granddaughter’s name is Tina. Now Tina knew you were the patient in the next bed while she was visiting her grandmother in the hospital room. She told me in the letter that she didn’t see you at first, because you kept the curtain closed all around your hospital bed the entire time her grandmother was in the room with you. Tina said she wanted to meet you, but said you didn’t seem to want to be bothered with anybody else because you kept to yourself the whole entire time. Tina said the only people you seemed to want to be bothered with was your family and friends when they came to visit you. Is that true?”
“Yeah it’s true. I didn’t want to be bothered with anybody else but my family, because I was too sick to be bothered with meeting anybody. I was too sick to even think about the other patient in the room.”
“I see. And I heard you were in a lot of pain and you were stiff one day from some medication you were given the night before. All your muscles and joints were aching that day and you had a fever. Is that true?”
“Yes it’s true.”
“So, if you were stiff and all your muscles and joints were aching, how were you able to do anything for yourself, like eating and bathing? How were you able to bathe yourself?”
“I wasn’t able to bathe myself. My cousin and my friends bathed me.”
“Your cousin and your friends? You mean The Dianettes.”
“Yes.”
“All of them helped bathed you, except for one which is your cousin Charlotte, who arrived at the hospital a little later, right?”
“Right. Why are we talking about this?”
“Well Tina wrote in the letter that she was in the hospital room the same time the Dianettes was in the room bathing you. Tina told me she couldn’t see what was going on, on the other side of the curtain, because the curtain was closed tightly, but said she practically heard everything. Tina says you and the Dianettes seem to share a special bond with each other, from what she was hearing. Tina told me she admired hearing how the Dianettes were taking well good care of you. She said she heard them washing you up. She said she heard them drying you off, then she heard them rubbing the mineral ice all over your aches and pains then dressing you back up again, then finishing rubbing the mineral ice on you. Then she heard them feeding you after the food tray was brought in. I admire reading and hearing about what the Dianettes did for you also. A few other people admire hearing that too. Tina said The Dianettes seem to get along very well with each other, talking and laughing with each other and talking gently to you. She said the Dianettes all seemed to have a good time taking care of you. Tina said she was sort of envious of the close bond and the close relationship the Dianettes had with you and with each other. She says she remembers hearing the Dianettes telling you that you’re their life-size doll as they were dressing you back up and fixing your hair. You remember the Dianettes telling you that you’re their life-size doll?”
“Yes I remember that.”
“That’s good. Tina wrote that she wished she could have joined you girls while the Dianettes were taking care of you, but definitely wouldn’t have invaded or imposed on your privacy. Tina also remembers the commotion the Dianettes had with your husband Michael and your brothers, Nicolas and Mickey, because your husband and your brothers made them leave the room and they didn’t want to leave you. They wanted to stay and take care of you. Tina also remembers another relative of yours named Dana and a close friend of yours named Teresa who both came into your hospital room later on, then more relatives came in. Tina said when she left the hospital after visiting hours, she saw the police outside the hospital arresting your cousin Dana for assaulting a security guard right inside the hospital. Tina said she learned, that your cousin Dana had gotten arrested for doing the same thing you did to security guards years ago. Tina said while she was visiting her grandmother, she never got a chance to meet you, but said the next day when she went to visit her grandmother again, she got to see a glimpse of you while the janitor was cleaning the room. She said while the janitor was cleaning the room, the curtain was finally opened. She said she was finally able to see you, but when she saw you, you had your face turned the other way and you were sound asleep. Tina said when the janitor finished cleaning the room, he closed the curtain right back up and left the room. Tina said she never saw you again. Tina said she would have loved the opportunity to meet you and the Dianettes. What do you think about that?”
“Well first of all, this Tina said she definitely wouldn’t have invaded or imposed on my privacy. Well she just did! She just wrote about my entire life story inside the hospital! I don’t appreciate her writing about my private business inside the hospital and letting the public know about it! If I wanted the public to know about my life story inside the hospital, I would have let it out myself!”
“Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would feel this way about it.” Joannie sadly looks at Diane D and sees a look of anger on Diane D’s face as Diane D looks towards the audience. Joannie then looks towards the audience and says, “Does anybody have any questions for Diane D about her family’s upcoming charity concert?”
Lots of people in the audience have their hands raised. Joannie then says, “Oh, some of the audience members would like to ask you some questions Diane D.”
A staff member holding a microphone approaches a man in the audience. The man stands up to the microphone.
Joannie says, “Yes sir, what would you like to ask Diane D about her family‘s upcoming charity concert?”
“Hi Diane D,” the man says. “You know that letter we just heard about got me curious.”
“Curious?” Diane D says. “Curious about what?”
“I’m just curious to know, if the Dianettes bathed you, dried you up and rubbed mineral ice on you and everything, that means you were naked in front of all of them?”
“What does that have to do with the charity concert my family’s organization is going to have next week?”
“Nothing. It’s just that I would have loved the opportunity to be one of the Dianettes for that day, so I can help bathe you and rub the mineral ice all over you too.”
“Woooooh,” the audience says.
“Listen,” Diane D says, “I’m no
t here to talk about that! I’m here to talk about and promote my family’s upcoming charity concert! If you’re not going to ask me anything about my family’s charity concert, I don’t want to hear any other questions from you, okay?”
“Sorry.” The man sits back down.
“That’s right,” Joannie says. “Diane D is here to talk about her family’s upcoming charity concert! Next question!” Another man in the audience stands up. Joannie then says, “Yes sir, what would you like to ask Diane D?”
The man speaks into the Mic and says, “Well that letter we just heard about got me curious too, I want to know the same thing. Was she naked in front of her cousin and her friends? Because if she was helpless and needed somebody to bathe her and rub the mineral ice all over her, I would have gladly done that for her. She should have called me.”
“Wooooooh,” the audience says again.
“I don’t need you for that Mister!” Diane D angrily says. “The only thing I need you to do is help support my family’s charity concert next week, that’s all!”
“Please everybody!” Joannie says. “Let’s focus on Diane D’s family’s charity concert for next week, please! I’m sorry I even mentioned and told about the letter! No more questions about her hospital stay, alright! Next question!” A woman in the audience stands up. Joannie asks, “Yes Miss, what would you like to ask Diane D about her family’s charity concert?”
“Well I don’t mean to get off the subject about the charity concert Diane D,” the woman says, “but I just want to know, did your cousin Dana went to jail for assaulting that security guard in the hospital? Did she go to jail like you did and if your cousin Dana did go to jail, is she still in jail?”
“That’s not your concern Miss!” Diane D says.
“Sorry.” The woman sits back down.
An elderly black gentleman in the audience who’s wearing glasses stands up. He speaks into the microphone and asks, “Yes I would like to know the same thing Miss Diane D. How do you feel about your cousin Dana assaulting a security guard, causing the person to go from security guard to patient in that very same hospital?”
“I’m not here to discuss about my cousin Mister!” Diane D shouts.
“Sorry.” The elderly gentleman sits back down.
An older white woman in the audience stands up. She speaks into the microphone and says, “Diane D, it sounds like your cousin Dana has no respect for authority when that security guard was only doing his job. How do you feel about your cousin Dana assaulting a security guard the exact same way you assaulted security guards years ago which caused you to go to jail? How do you feel about your cousin Dana causing that security guard to be out of work temporary, due to the injury caused by your cousin?”
“Don’t worry about my cousin,” Diane D shouts, “leave her alone! I’m not here to talk about her incidents!”
“Sorry.” The older woman sits back down.
Two other men step to the microphone. “Yes sir,” Joannie says. “What would you like to ask Diane D about the upcoming charity concert?”
“Well I don’t mean to get off the charity concert subject either Diane D,” one of the men says, “and I won’t ask about your cousin Dana’s incident, even though I would like to. I just want to say, that letter we just heard about got me curious too, I want to know the same thing. Were you naked in front of your cousin and friends? I mean were you completely naked?”
“Why are you guys so interested in knowing about that?” Joannie asks.
“I just want to know!”
“If you really want to know Mister,” Diane D angrily shouts, “common sense should tell you, that a person is completely naked when they’re being bathed! I don’t think anybody gets bathed with their clothes on!”
The next man grabs the mic and says, “So that means your whole body was exposed in front of the Dianettes when they bathed you?”
“Yeah! Why?”
“It’s just that I read somewhere a couple of years ago, you were offered a million dollars by a magazine to pose nude in one of their issues. I heard you flatly turned the magazine down and told them you don’t do that kind of stuff. You angrily told the magazines to shove their money, because you don’t exploit yourself, you won’t let the world see you naked! Several of us fellows were disappointed when we read that you won’t let the world see you naked because we would have love to see you in that magazine Diane D! You told the magazine that you don’t make your private parts public, yet the Dianettes saw you completely naked when they bathed you.”
“That wasn’t a public situation I was in! That was a very private situation I was in, because I was sick!”
“You don’t have to get upset, I was just asking.”
“It’s too late I’m already upset! I really resent what you just said! I resent all you guys asking me these personal questions! First of all, I didn’t come on this show to talk about my personal business inside the hospital! All any of you need to know is that I was in the hospital, that‘s it! Second of all, I don’t appreciate any of you digging into my private business or into my cousin Dana‘s business! And third, how’re you gonna compare me being sick with my cousins and my very close friends caring for me and helping me, to making my private parts public, posing in that damn magazine! Since we’re on the subject and you can’t tell the difference between something that’s private and something that’s public, I’m going to tell you, since you’re all dying to know! When the girls came to the hospital to visit me, they saw the pain and suffering I was in! They didn’t want to just sit there and watch me suffer, they wanted to help me in anyway they can! They wanted to rub mineral ice on my aches and pains, but it says the skin has to be cleansed before any mineral ice can be put on it! Being that my entire body was aching, my whole body would have to be cleaned before mineral ice can be put on it, that’s why they bathed me! My mom was planning to bathe me later on that evening when she came back to the hospital, but the girls decided to bathe me, because they wanted to put the mineral ice on me as soon as possible! The girls called my mom up and told my mom she doesn’t have to worry about bathing me when she comes back to the hospital because they were gonna bathe me! It absolutely has nothing to do with making my private parts public! If I really wanted to make my private parts public you know what I would have done? I would have told the girls to open the curtain all the way so that everybody out in the hallway can see what’s going on! Or I would have told them to go out in the hallway and shout out to everybody to come into the room to see a show or I would have suggested bringing a video camera into the room to film everything then show the video to the public later! But I didn’t do any of that, I did the total opposite! When the girls told me that they were gonna get ready to undress me and bathe me, I told them before they do that, close the curtain all the way and close it tightly so nobody can come in or see and they did! My husband stood outside the doorway, guarding it the whole entire time I was getting bathed to make sure no one else came into the room! So I don’t know how the hell you gonna compare that with making my private parts public! I have morals, just in case you didn’t know! Now for your information Mister, that’s because my cousin and my very, very close friends who I grew up with and known practically my entire life seen me completely naked and bathed me, it does not mean I would allow you or anybody else to see me naked and bathe me! If I’m sick or disabled and can’t do for myself, the only people in this world I would allow to see me completely naked and bathe me or even touch me, are my family and my very, very close friends, that is it, no one else! So if you jerks are thinking about seeing me naked or bathing me, you better get it out of your minds and out of your heads right now, because you will never, ever see me naked or bathe me! Neither will those magazines! Neither will anybody else out there! Not if I can help it! Now if you guys are sooo interested in bathing somebody and seeing them naked, there are plenty of people out there who are willing to do that,
don’t expect it from me, because I am not into that shit!” The audience claps and cheers loudly for Diane D’s firm statement. Diane D angrily turns towards Joannie and shouts, “Is this what I came here for, huh?! Is this what I came here for?! These people didn’t ask me one question about my family’s charity event, not one question! I don’t need this garbage! I’m outta here!” Diane D angrily gets up from her chair! She turns, swings her arm and knocks the chair over with her arm and feet! A shocked Joannie and a shocked audience look on as Diane D storms off the stage!
“Diane D wait!” a shocked Joannie shouts. A shocked audience look at Joannie.
Backstage, Diane D bangs the door open and storms through the room shouting, “I’m going guys!” The entire staff backstage turn and look at Diane D.
“The show is over already?” Marilyn asks. “What’s the matter Diane? What happened?” Diane D storms out the exit door! Everyone goes to follow her.
Diane D is walking outside the TV Station and hollers towards Mickey, “Come on Mickey! We gotta go!” Diane D heads towards a van.
Mickey hurries to Diane D and asks, “What’s going on Diane?” Diane D angrily gets into the van as her relatives follow her into the van. Mickey then gets into the van. The van speeds off as everyone outside the TV studio looks on.
Forty-five minutes later, Diane D’s family, relatives and Michael storm into the back entrance of The Joannie Show TV station as some of the show’s staff look on. Barry approaches the staff member and shouts, “Let me speak to the manager or producer of this show!”
Joannie and a male white producer around 50-years old come into the back hallway. They approach Diane D’s angry family and relatives. “What’s the matter?” Joannie asks.
“What’s going on?” says the producer.
“I’ll tell you what’s going on!” Mary shouts. “Diane came back to the hotel screaming and hollering at the top of her lungs at us, saying that you and your audience members were asking her very private and personal questions about herself!”
“That’s right!” Barry shouts. “Diane said you ambushed her with all those personal questions about her hospital stay! She told us the personal questions some of your audience members were asking her!”
“Why did your audience members ask Diane those personal questions?!” Tomas shouts. “Who the hell are they to question her like that?!”
“Diane didn’t come on this show to talk about her hospital stay!” Margarita shouts. “She came here to talk about and promote our upcoming charity concert, not about her private business inside the hospital!”
“Yeah we all know about what happened on stage with Diane D,” the producer says. “We are very, very sorry for what happened. Joannie is very upset about the whole thing.”
“That’s true I am,” says Joannie. “I would really like to apologize to Diane D. Where is she?”
“Diane doesn’t want to step foot back in this building!” Mary shouts. “She wants nothing to do with you, your show or this place ever again! She feels you setted her up!”
“Setted her up?”
“Yeah! You invited Diane on your show to promote our charity concert, then you ambushed her with that darn letter you received from some woman named Tina! Then your audience members ambushed Diane with these personal questions and comments about her private business inside the hospital and ambush her with questions and comments about our niece Dana, saying that Dana is just like Diane for assaulting a security guard! How dare you! Diane is threatening a lawsuit against this whole show!”
“What!” the producer shouts. “A lawsuit?! Oh no!”
“We didn’t mean any harm!” Joannie says.
“Well the damage is done Joannie!” Margarita shouts. “Diane screamed at us and told us not to ever sign her up for anymore interviews from anybody ever again!”
“You and your audience members had no right to invade Diane’s privacy like that!” Tomas says. “How much did you or your production pay those morons in the audience to ask my granddaughter those personal questions?”
“What?” Joannie says. “How much did we pay them? We don’t pay anybody to ask any questions! People ask questions on their own! They heard about Tina’s letter and got curious about it, that’s all!”
“Who is this Tina anyway?” Margarita says. “She has a lot of nerve eavesdropping on the girls like that while they were helping and caring for Diane, then got the nerve to write a letter about it, then sending the letter out to a TV Show making the letter public! She’s got a lot of nerve! Where is she?”
“Tina was sitting out in the audience while Diane D was on the stage! She was hoping to meet Diane D. She says she‘s a big fan of Diane D and the Dianettes.”
“Diane says she never wants to meet this Tina, whoever this Tina is!” Barry shouts.
“Tina is the young woman whose grandmother shared a hospital room with Diane D. You remember seeing a young woman sitting with her grandmother on the other side of the hospital room Diane D was in? They‘re the ones who were on the other side of the curtain.”
“Yeah we all saw and elderly woman lying in the bed sleeping and remember a visitor she had,” Michael says. “The visitor was a younger woman, but we didn’t pay too much attention to her!”
“Obviously she was paying a lot of attention to us!” Nicolas says. “Especially to Diane and the girls!”
“She admires Diane D and The Dianettes so much, she just wanted to meet them,” Joannie says.
“Diane does not want to meet Tina, that’s it!” Mary says. “Now Diane might not want to meet Tina, but the girls said they can’t wait to meet Tina, so they can scratch her eyes out! They want to meet Tina and those punks in the audience!”
“Oh no Where are the Dianettes?”
“They were gonna come over here,” Barry says, “but they were so angry about this Tina writing and telling about theirs and Diane’s business, we told them we think it’s best for them not to come here, so they stayed home with Diane!”
“Well I want to meet this Tina!” Margarita shouts. “Is she still in the audience?”
“I think so,” Joannie says. “Let me go get her.” Joannie turns and walks away.
Joannie walks back into the TV stodio. She goes into the audience area which is now empty. All the people are gone already, except for a couple of people sitting in the seats. Joannie goes into the seats and approaches one of the people, the young woman Tina. She sits down next to Tina and says, “Tina?” Tina turns to Joannie as Joannie says, “Diane D’s family is backstage. They are all very upset.”
“They know about the letter I wrote to you and what just happened on the show today, don’t they?” Tina says.
“Yeah they know everything. They said Diane D came to them screaming and hollering at them about what happened on the show, then they came up here. They said Diane D is threatening a lawsuit against this show.”
“What! A lawsuit?”
“Yeah. Then her family said they want to meet you.”
“They want to meet me? Yeah I bet they do. They probably want to meet me so they can rip me apart. Well they won’t get a chance to rip me apart, because I’m outta here.” Tina gets up from the chair.
“Tina! Tina, wait!”
“Gotta go!” Tina turns and hurries away. She hurries out of the audience area as Joannie looks on. Joannie sadly looks on towards Tina. She then gets up out of the seat. She turns and walks away from the audience seats and goes towards the backstage.
Joannie enters the backstage area. She approaches Diane D’s family and says, “I just spoke to Tina. I couldn’t get her to come back here. When I told her you were all here and upset and want to meet her, she cut out. She’s gone and left the building.”
“Gone and left the building?” Mary says. “Well you and your entire production team better get ready, because we are going to sue you like you won’t believe!”
“Wh
at! Sue us! Please don’t!”
“It’s too late now! You should have thought of this whole entire thing before you and your audience members decided to invade Diane’s privacy like that!”
“Please don’t sue us! What if we make an agreement not to ever air this show? This show is supposed to be aired on TV tomorrow! What if we drop the airing of this show and never show it. Instead air one of our old shows tomorrow? Will you drop the lawsuit?”
“Like I said, the damage is done! We are going to sue, no ifs, ands or buts about it!”
“What if we make arrangements to have an out of court settlement?”
“Out of court settlement? We might settle for that! Either way, it’s still going to cost you a pretty penny!” Mary shouts as Joannie sadly looks at her.
The following Morning, Diane D’s family, relatives and the Dianettes are inside the living room of Margarita and Tomas’ mini mansion. They are all looking at a newspaper article. Nicolas enters the living room. He sees his family and relatives looking at a newspaper article. He approaches them and says, “Hey what’s going on? What’s everybody looking at?”
Barry brings Nicolas to the side and shows him the article. He says to Nicolas, “They printed this in the paper already about what happened with Diane on the Joannie show yesterday.”
“What!” Nicolas looks at the article as its headline reads: DIANE D LOSES HER COOL AND STORMS OFF TV TALK SHOW AFTER BEING AMBUSHED BY TV TALK HOST AND AUDIENCE MEMBERS! SHE AND FAMILY MEMBERS THREATEN LAWSUIT! “Boy,” Nicolas says. “They sure didn’t waste anytime to print this out.”
“No they didn’t.”
“Where’s Diane?”
“She’s in the kitchen cooking.”
“Cooking? Did she see the article yet?”
“Yeah we showed it to her already.”
“Oh yeah? How does she feel about it?”
“She is very pissed off about it. And she’s still fuming and pissed off about what happened on the Joannie Show yesterday. She keeps slamming the cabinet doors and banging the pots and pans. We hear the glass and dinner plates shatter every time she slams those cabinet doors. We tried to calm her down, because we didn’t want her to get hurt just in case one of the glasses break, then she threw us all out the kitchen.”
“What? Dad if Diane is real upset, she shouldn’t be cooking.”
“We know that Nicolas. We already told Diane not to cook, that we’ll do the cooking, but she paid us no mind. Then when she threw us out the kitchen, we left and decided it’s best to just stay out of her way right now.”
“I see. Where’s Michael?”
“He went to the store to pick up some things for Diane real quick. He should be back soon.”
“Did he see the article yet?”
“Yeah he saw it. He’s one of the first ones to see it.”
“Oh.”
Everybody suddenly hears the cabinet doors slamming and glass shattering from the kitchen and becomes startled! They all look towards the kitchen. “There she goes again,” Barry says. They hear the pots and pans banging and become startled again! Nicolas and Barry look at each other.
“Well I hope she doesn’t actually break any of those glasses and winds up hurting herself, Dad,” Nicolas says.
“Me neither, because if she continues to do that, we’ll have no choice but to go in that kitchen and stop her. I swear, if I hear another cabinet door slam, I gonna go in that kitchen and get her outta their whether she likes it or not.”
“I’ll be right with you Dad.”
Everybody hears another cabinet door slam and glass shattering. “That’s it,” Barry says as he leaves and heads towards the kitchen.
“Let’s go get her.” Nicolas turns and hurries behind Barry. The rest of Diane D’s family, relatives and the Dianettes hurry towards the kitchen. Barry turns to everybody and says, “Wait right here everybody. We’ll take care of this.” Barry and Nicolas go into the kitchen.
Diane D is in the kitchen dressed in a navy-multicolored halter top and dark leggings as she bends at the bottom cabinet. She pulls a large pot out. She stands back up and slams the cabinet doors again. Barry and Nicolas approach her and take the pot right out of her hand as Barry says, “Cool it Diane! Calm down! We know how you feel.”
Diane D grabs and shakes a meat cleaver shouting, “You know I ought to rip that Joannie apart for ambushing me like that!” Diane D angrily slams the meet cleaver down on some large meat that’s on the cabinet!
Barry and Nicolas carefully take the meat cleaver out of Diane D’s hand as Nicolas says, “Yeah, we all know how you feel about Joannie, her show and the article Diane.”
“Article! Are they still looking at that article? I’mma go rip that article up right now then I’m gonna go shove it down Joannie’s throat!” Diane D angrily walks away as Barry and Nicolas go after her.
Diane D enters the crowded living room. She goes past the Dianettes as she heads towards Marilyn and Mickey who are still reading the article as Barry, Nicolas and everyone else follow her. “Hand me the paper!” Diane D demands. Marilyn and Mickey hand the paper to Diane D. Diane D angrily grabs the paper.
Barry takes the newspaper out of Diane D’s hand and says, “No, let me have the paper! We’re gonna get to the bottom of this, okay?! We won’t know what’s gonna happen with this whole thing until we speak to the lawyers!”
“That’s right Diane, don’t worry,” Mary says. “We’ll take care of everything. We’ll see the lawyers tomorrow and get this whole thing settled.” Mary turns to the Dianettes and says, “Girls, why don’t you all take Diane upstairs to get some rest. I’ll finish the cooking. Take her upstairs.”
“Okay Aunt Mary,” Nancy says. Nancy, Margarita and Marilyn gently take Diane D as Nancy says, “Come on Diane.”
“We got her Mary,” Margarita says.
“Come on Diane,” Marilyn says as she, Margarita, Nancy and the rest of the Dianettes gently take Diane D away.
Mary, Barry, Nicolas, Mickey and some relatives stand around in a circle as they look on. They then turn to each other as Mary asks, “So what time did the lawyers agreed to meet with us tomorrow?”
“Ten o’clock,” Barry says.
“Okay, we’ll all be there.” Mary and her family turn and walk away.
It is one week later, around 12:00 Saturday afternoon. The arena lobby is packed full of people! There are large posters and large signs in the lobby that reads :THE DIAZ-DAVIDSON ORGANIZATION’S CHARITY CONCERT HAS BEEN CANCELED. CONCERT WILL BE POSTPONED TO A LATER DATE. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT THIS MOMENT. The people in the lobby are all disappointed as they read the posters and the signs! A teenage girl turns to the other teenage girls and says, “Diane D and The Dianettes aren’t gonna perform tonight. None of the Diaz-Davidson Organization is gonna perform.”
“I know,” says a second girl. “I was sure hoping to see them all.”
“Yeah, me too,” says a third girl. The teenage girls are all disappointed.
It is two weeks later. Nicolas, Mickey and some members of the Diaz-Davidson Organization are standing around the organization hallway talking. “Where’s Diane at Nicolas?” Stephanie asks. “I don’t see her, the girls or Michael.”
“Well Diane is still upset about the Joannie show Stephanie,” Nicolas says.
“She is? I don’t blame her.”
“Yeah so we all decided that it’s best just to leave Diane home until she completely cools off. Michael and the girls are home with her now.”
“They are?”
“Yeah.”
Mary comes into the hallway and shouts to everybody, “Okay now everybody!” Everybody turns to Mary as she shouts, “We’re going to discuss our upcoming charity event!” Nicolas, Mickey and the members of the Diaz-Davidson Organization turn and head towards the room. Nicolas and Mickey go through the doorway and go inside the room. Stephanie, Crystal, Howa
rd, Monique and Evette are about to go into the room, but Mary approaches and stops them. “Hey you guys,” she says.
“Hey Mary,” Stephanie says.
“Listen, I noticed that the room and the hallway out here is not as loud and noisy as usual. Now if the room and the hallway out here is not loud and noisy, that means a lot of the boys are missing. Where’re the boys at? Everybody is supposed to be in the room by now.”
“A lot of the boys are outside playing basketball.”
“They‘re playing basketball?”
“Yeah. I know I saw Mike and Mitch out there playing basketball.”
“What?” Crystal says. “You saw Mike and Mitch out there playing basketball? They’re back from Puerto Rico?”
“I guess so.”
Crystal turns to Mary and asks. “Mary when did Mike and Mitch come back from Puerto Rico?”
“They came back from Puerto Rico last week,” Mary says. “None of them or the other boys should be out there playing basketball right now. They should all be inside the room. We have to get this meeting started. We have to finish discussing the upcoming tour. Stephanie, Crystal I need you two, Howard, Monique and Evette to go out there and get all those boys out the basketball court and send them in the meeting room now.”
“Okay Mary,” Stephanie says.
Mary turns and heads towards the meeting room as Stephanie, Howard, Crystal, Howard, Monique and Evette turn towards the opposite direction and head to the exit. Another staff member Valerie approaches Mary and says, “Hey Mary.” Mary stops and turns to Valerie as Valerie says, “How did it go with Mike and Mitch’s case when they beat those four other boys with a baseball bat? Did those boys’ families press charges?”
“Of course those boys’ families pressed charges,” Mary says. “They threatened a lawsuit too.”
“They threatened a lawsuit?! So what happened?”
“Mike and Mitch’s parents Maria and Devin pressed charges and threatened a lawsuit against those four boys also.”
“They did?”
“Yeah. They’re claiming that the four boys threatened their younger sons and knocked them to the ground in front of witnesses, like the security guards and all the other people and planned on using that against the four boys.”
“Oh no. So what’s going to happen with Mike and Mitch’s case now?”
“I think the four boys’ families might drop the charges when they found out about Maria and Devin’s plan to use evidence against the four boys.”
“Wow.”
“Listen Valerie, I need you to go help Howard and the other staff members bring all the boys in.”
“Okay Mary.”
Mary turns and heads into the room as Valerie turns and heads towards the opposite direction.
Nicolas, Mickey, Marilyn and some members of the Diaz-Davidson Organization are standing in the organization meeting room talking and eating snacks. Other members, performers and athletes are talking and eating snacks too. Nicolas, Mickey and Marilyn go to the front of the room then go to the side of the room as Mary, Margarita, Barry and Tomas go to the front of the room and stand behind the long table. Everybody else in the room start to all sit down and face the front of the room. Mary starts to shout to everyone, “Okay now listen up everybody! Being that our last charity concert had to be canceled, we have to talk about and discuss our next charity concert! The next charity concert, we’re planning to take on tour again!”
“On tour again?” the organization members shouts. “Ariiiight!”
“And we’re planning to travel on several tour buses again!” Margarita says.
“Tour buses again?!” the organization members shouts. “Ariiiight!”
“But before we actually get started about going on tour,” Mary says, “we have to wait for all the boys to be sent in here.”
“Okay Mary!” The organization members and performers are excited and turn to each other as Mary picks up some papers and show them to Margarita, Barry and Tomas.
Chapter 20
Trouble At The Youth Basketball Game