Whatever happened when the book closed on the ending of Ugly Betty? What if Betty's publishing company with Mr. Dunn became a bigger success? What if Daniel stopped being stupid and settled down once more with Betty? Almost 30 years and two kids later, here they are. Maria Meade, Betty and Daniel's daughter, at the ripe age of 22 is setting out to find her own path alongside her brother Luis. What happens when her path collides with everything from not only her parents past, but her family's past in general?
AVERAGE MARIA CHAPTER 3
Betty
“So, Betty. You’re married to Daniel Meade, right?” Is this seriously the reason why she called me right after I got off the plane?
“Yes, Daria. Been with Daniel since 2010, married since 2011. My name legally is Betty Meade!” As much as I like Daria, I really don’t want to have to deal with any more than needed for this month. Already had to see her in person for the last week because of the Halloween issue going out to print later this month and the Christmas issue going to print late November. I really just want to get home and see my family.
“What’s he like?” I have a feeling where this conversion is going.
“Daniel’s the most loving, supportive, caring husband and father anyone could ever ask for. Is that all you wanted to know, Daria?” Please let it be all she wanted to know.
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, what’s he like in the, you know?” Should have just let this call go to voicemail.
“In what, Daria?”
“What’s he like in bed?” I seriously should have let it go to voicemail. Even after Daniel not being the playboy, he was in like 30 years, people still ask that. I really wish I was kidding. Now because of Daria, I now can’t get that image of my husband out of my head.
“Thank you. Daria. Now I can’t look at my husband the right way right now.” Speaking of Daniel, there he is.
“I’ll talk to you later, Daria.”
“Wait, Betty-” I hang up on her as I get closer to Daniel.
“Hey, honey!”
“Hey.” Quick kiss as I feel some of my bags leaving my hands and going into Daniel’s. We pull away and head outside.
“How was your flight?”
“Fine. Mostly spent it in seeing the inside of my eyelids.”
“So, you were sleeping most of the flight.” I thought it was obvious by me saying the inside of my eyelids.
“Yes. So, how did the photoshoot go today, and do we need to bail anyone out of jail?” Daniel unlocks the car. I know, surprisingly we have one in New York. Don’t use much because we live in New York and the fact this is technically Papi’s.
“The photoshoot actually went fine, and we don’t need to bail anyone out of jail. At least for now.” The trunk gets popped open and starts putting my bags in.
“That’s good. How’s Alexis?”
“Still a bitch.”
“That’s sad. I thought she would have changed since being in France the last 30 something years. And getting escorted out of her own brother’s wedding reception.” I close the trunk as the last of my bags besides my purse are inside.
“We’re talking about Alexis here. Oh, DJ isn’t no longer Daniel Junior anymore.” We get into the car. I buckle up as Daniel turns the car on.
“Oh, he was able to finally change his name?”
“Yea. Apparently did it when he was 20. It’s Daniel Jermaine now.” Daniel buckles up and pulls out of the parking spot.
“That’s good for him.”
“He was the only one between him and Alexis that was happy to meet Maria and Luis.” Well, that’s half the battle, I guess.
“It's wonderful that he accepted the fact that he has cousins.”
“Yep. And he was more than happy to do some of the poses that involved holding Maria and/or Luis.”
“That’s great! Anything else happened?”
“Saw Wilhemina and met a janitor that looked and sounded like my father. His name was Jim.” Not shocking with Wilhemina.
“Daniel, your dad’s been dead since 2007.”
“I know. It was still odd.”
“Also, isn’t Wilhemina stepping down sometime this month?”
“Next week. Mom’s making her decision on who the next Editor or Editors in chief of Mode will be sometime this week.”
“Do you know who she’s possibly picking?”
“No, but based on how everything went today, I have a feeling on who’ll be picked for the job.” Well, they couldn’t be any worse than Wilhemina.
Barely one foot inside and already the combined smell of what Papi’s cooking for dinner and obscene amount of hairspray. I turn my head to the living room and there’s Hilda trying to fry her niece’s hair with that amount of hairspray.
“Hi, mom!” Well, at least Maria can recognize my footsteps. While being blinded by her Tia’s hairspray.
“Hey, Betty! How was London?” The door shuts behind Daniel and I.
“Fine, besides my assistant deciding to now ask personal questions about my marriage.”
“That’s inappropriate. Has she asked about it before?” Daniel puts my bags in the bedroom as I take off my shoes.
“Not that I know of or wasn’t too busy to remember.” My feet hurt like crazy. Now I remember why I don’t wear heels that often anymore.
“Huh. Okay, Maria, you can open your eyes.”
“I can’t.” What did Hilda use in my baby’s hair?
“What do you mean you. Oh. Bobby! Need the wipes over here!” I look over to the other end of the living room. What is Bobby trying to get Luis to do now with his camera? I set my coat on the coat rack and go find the wipes that Hilda needs to allow Maria to see again.
“Hey, mom!”
“Hey, Chipmunk!” 28 years later and he still calls me Chipmunk.
“Your wife needs the wipes.” And light bulb. Not even sure how he didn’t even hear Hilda.
“Oh, right.” He hands Luis back his camera and digs around in his pockets for the wipes before they appear.
“Here.” I take them from his hand.
“Thanks. Here, Hilda.” I toss them over to her.
“Thank you! Here you go, Mi Sobrina.” Maria takes the wipe.
“Thanks, Tia.” And proceeds to wipe the hairspray off of her eyelids. I look around. We’re missing one.
“Hilda, where’s your child?”
“I don’t know. JUSTIN!”
“In here!” And he’s in Maria’s room. Probably raiding her closet for some reason.
“Justin, stop raiding your cousin's room! It’s kind of weird for a man in his forties to be raiding his twenty something year old cousin’s room! Especially when he’s already made her a closet that most people would kill for!”
“Ugh, fine!” Hangers dropping before my only nephew on this side of the family emerges from my eldest’s bedroom.
“To be fair, I tried to raid Luis’, but his room smells odd. To the point I thought I was going to puke.” I can think of at least 3 guys that Justin has been on dates with that at the time used the same cologne as Luis does and he still saw them again afterwards. Grantly, he stopped seeing them for different reasons, but my point still stands.
“Oh, hi Aunt Betty.” And straight to Maria he goes.
“Hello to you, Justin.” He does love Luis dearly but, kind of from a distance at times. Where did the curlers come from? And why did Hilda have that with her?
Why is Bobby trying to get Luis in trouble with God knows what or God knows who?
“Oh, hey Betty. Dinner’s ready!” And there’s Papi already at the table with the food. We all, even now Daniel who’s finally reappeared, head for the table like a herd of hungry Lions.
As we get seated and start putting food on our plates, we all start talking about our days. Tales of the salon from Hilda and Bobby, dealing with Alexis and Mrs. Mom from Daniel and the kids. Papi talking about what’s happened on his Telenovela. Justin with his latest clients as a fashion designer. My family may be loud, and chaos might follow everywhere we go but, moments like this. I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
“Jim”
It’s good that Martha let me borrow her apartment for the night. As I look out of the window into the apartment across the way with my laptop open to public records, I write down the names of the other family members of two of my grandchildren.
Ignacio Suarez
Hilda Suarez
Robert “Bobby” Talerico
Justin Suarez
Still need to look into the other family members of Daniel but, that’ll have to require looking into France’s public records. Or somehow getting that information out of him, but I have a feeling it won’t be easy to get it out of him. I sit down at the laptop and open the documents of Maria and Luis. I begin to type in the new information.
Maria Rosa Guadalupe Meade
Parents: Daniel Meade & Betty Suarez
Siblings: Luis Manuel Alexander Meade (Brother)
Other family members: Ignacio Suarez (Maternal Grandfather), Rosa Suarez (Deceased Maternal Grandmother), Claire Meade (Paternal Grandmother), Bradford Meade (“Deceased” Paternal Grandfather), Hilda Suarez (Maternal Aunt), Robert “Bobby” Talerico (Maternal Uncle), Alexis Meade (Paternal Aunt), Lucie Chainet (Deceased Paternal Aunt), Justin Suarez (Maternal Male Cousin), Daniel Jermaine Meade (Paternal Male Cousin)
Luis Manuel Alexander Meade
Parents: Daniel Meade & Betty Suarez
Siblings: Maria Rosa Guadalupe Meade (Sister)
Other family members: Ignacio Suarez (Maternal Grandfather), Rosa Suarez (Deceased Maternal Grandmother), Claire Meade (Paternal Grandmother), Bradford Meade (“Deceased” Paternal Grandfather), Hilda Suarez (Maternal Aunt), Robert “Bobby” Talerico (Maternal Uncle), Alexis Meade (Paternal Aunt), Lucie Chainet (Deceased Paternal Aunt), Justin Suarez (Maternal Male Cousin), Daniel Jermaine Meade (Paternal Male Cousin)
Even over 30 years later, people still believe that Bradford Meade’s dead. Died of a heart attack just after saying no to his fiancée/almost wife Wilhemina Slater, who later stole his sperm just after his death. The thing is, no one outside of Hospital staff and his now daughter-in-law Betty Suarez didn’t see his body after he was declared dead. Meaning it could have some random man that Wilhemina stole sperm from and someone or something else in that coffin.
Such a shame that no one curious enough hasn’t gone to the bother of finding out if Bradford Meade is really dead or not…