“Mary! Someone’s at the door!” calls out Mr. Bennett relaxing in his favorite chair reading current political news the newspaper with random side comments to himself out loud so that no one who is listening can hear.
Slightly perturbed Mary stops practicing at the piano the song she has been playing for the last fifty-seven minutes. She has been working on for three straight weeks so with a “humph” and walks towards the front door.
Standing in front of her is Liz, Jane and Char. “Why aren’t you dressed yet? We’re here to pick you up?” asks Liz is a rather nagging tone to her younger sister as she shuffles in her costume through the door.
“Is it that time already? I nearly forgot! I’ve got my outfit ready it will just take me a minute!” hurries Mary in a very anxious state off to her bedroom to find her latest creative material invention.
Mr. Bennett peers over his paper at the three young women standing in his living room, not completely sure how to absorb what is being cast in his vision. “Is this is called fashion nowadays? It reminds me of something I use to wear when I was younger. Perhaps I have the opportunity of being in style again” curiously wonders but slight excited by that potential experience states Mr. Bennett.
The women giggle and Liz replies ‘Dad, I didn’t think about it, but the black patent leather one inch heeled zipper ankle boots in your closet that you refuse to throw away might actually have worked with my outfit.”
“Char, did you have something to do with this? I remember Liz wearing something similar last year that you dragged her to that conference in the name of fun” remembers Mr. Bennett amused at the memory “I was disappointed that you didn’t invite me too. I wanted to go as a Klingon.”
“Oh, you do remember! Yes, I revamped Liz and my costumes from the Sci Fi Convention last year. Liz wasn’t exactly that excited about going, but even she had a great time” looking over at Liz smiling who returns a large grim remembering the different aliens and galactic creatures that she meet and became friends with.
“Who were you girls? Char, it looked like you had large Cinnabons on your head as I recall” chucks Mr. Bennett knowing exactly what person she was trying to portray.
“I was Princess Leia and Liz was Wilma from Buck Rogers. We wearing the same white lycra pantsuits which I added the silver lame capes too. We just had different weapons. I painted a white motorcycle helmet with a red stripe for Liz’s outfit though” explains Char proud of her accomplishment.
“What are you this year and why?” curiously asks Mr. Bennett thoroughly enjoying the conversation.
At that moment screaming can be heard from upstairs “You can’t wear that!” shouts Kitty.
In response Lydia yells “Yes, I can! I can wear what I want! I’m not going to look as ridiculous as you!”
“I look fine! She isn’t a singer anyway! You look stupid!” angrily shouts Kitty as everyone in the living room hears stomps of footprints on each stair.
“So, I was asking why?” stunned looks Mr. Bennett as Marilyn Monroe and a purple dinosaur enter the room.
“Dad, tell her that Marilyn Monroe is not a singer! She can’t go dressed as her!” whines Kitty hoping to gain some support for her argument.
“Yes, she was!” returns Lydia in her blond wig, red ruby lips, and white fifty styles dress with a soft breathy and barely audible tone with an identical lip shiver and twitch “Hap – py Birth-day, Mr. President!”
Trying not to interfere, Char and Jane try to hide their giggles but don’t do a very good job of it.
“Interesting Lydia, where did you get that idea?” mockingly concerned asks Mr. Bennett intrigued with his daughter’s superb mimic abilities.
“We’ve been learning about JFK in my government class and watched a video this week about his life. Did you know that Marilyn Monroe was his mistress?” asks Lydia enamored with the whole idea of celebrity gossip.
“Yes, I think that I’ve heard that before. So did you learn about the Bay of Pigs, Civil Rights movement, and his assassination in Dallas?” asks her father.
“I remember something about Camelot and a guy named ‘Crush You!’ which sounds like a wrestling guy from WWF” honestly replies Lydia.
“I think you mean Khrushchev, not ‘crush you’. Seriously Lydia, do you ever pay attention in school?” incredulously asks Liz dismayed at her sister’s lack of knowledge of historical events that shaped the country.
“Whatever . . . I really liked Jackie O’s fashion sense. I think suits are coming back in this year. Besides who are you to talk with those outfits? Who are you trying to be, ABBA?” annoyed asks Lydia.
“Well, actually yes. I found the sparkly silver metallic lace up three-inch platform boots with the matching belts at the Thrift Store last week. I think they look rather good with the outfit and capes. What do you think?” asks Char knowing that Lydia has a keen eye for detail.
“Now that you mention it, Char, your costumes are excellent! I like the wigs as well. Liz, looks quite surprising good with blonde hair and I like your brunette wig as well” honestly observes Lydia.
“Thank you” acknowledges Char.
“However, you need to help Kitty out” disgustingly states Lydia shaking her head looking over at Kitty in the corner “I’m afraid she is going to embarrass us all in her Barney outfit.”
“I like it!” smirks Kitty piercing her lips in defiance “I think Barney is wonderful!”
“Where did you get the costume?” asks Jane a little curious herself.
“It’s from the day care where I work. I have to have it back on Monday for Hayden’s birthday on Monday though. I think it is rather cute, don’t you?”
Lydia rolling her eyes “I don’t think he should count as a singer.”
“He sings as much as Marilyn does” Kitty proceeds with squeaky a cappella rendition of “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family . . .”
“I think that I have missed something. Where are you going so I can give my fatherly permission to unleash my divas on to the world?” asks Mr. Bennett.
“You see, it was my idea. Collins asked Liz who invited Char over to his house for Karaoke because he likes to dress up as Elvis while he sings. I thought it would be more fun to have everyone go and have a costume party dressed with each of us dressed as our favorite singer. I talked to Bingley and he offered to have the party at his house because he has more room than Collins’ apartment” explains Lydia proud of her scheme.
“Oh, this makes some sense to me, I suppose. Jane, now who are you? I see the white apron and the blue dress with black flats. Are you Mary Poppins? She sings from what I hear” kidding asks her dad.
“No, but you are close. I’m going as Maria Von Trapp from “Sound of Music”. Julie Andrews is my favorite singer and she is in one of my favorite movies” smiles Jane “I even brought a guitar but it’s still in my car.”
“I seem to still be missing one daughter. Last I checked I still had five. Of course, Char, you are my ‘adopted’ daughter too. So, I guess I have six if I am counting correctly. Five plus one still makes six the last time I counted” smirks Mr. Bennett with a grin pleased with his joke.
Lydia looks at him a bit confused and then shrugs it off. She yells from the foot of the stairs hoping to obnoxiously reach Mary’s room, “Mary, where are you? We’re all waiting on you!”
The room is silent in disbelief as Mary enters. She is wearing a spiky orange wig with red plaid pant, orange t-shirt, purple suspenders with a man’s matching purple jacket, and large oversized blue tinted shades with one long dangling earring.
“Whooo are you?” asks Lydia barely recognizing her sister while the others stare in silence.
“I’m Elton John, can’t you tell? Although I’m considering changing my name and calling myself ‘Elton Jonette” frankly replies Mary in a no-nonsense tone.
“Come on Elton, we’re going to be late” states Jane motioning everyone towards the door. “Dad, can we borrow the mini-van? I highly doubt all of us will fit in my car.”
“Yes, let me get the keys. I haven’t moved it since your mother last parked” states Mr. Bennett looking out the large window at the minivan whose right rear tire is still hanging from the curb leaving the van parked mid-air at an angle and then shaking his head “I think she left the keys on her dresser.”
After he returns with the keys and receiving hugs from his daughters, Mr. Bennett shouts after the troop “Qapla’! Just in case you don’t know, means “Success” in Klingon!”
While the girls wave back and giggle, ABBA, Elton, Marilyn, Maria and Barney head towards the minivan for an evening of adventure and fun.
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