Episode I

A Chapter by David J.

Jean tries to convince Trudy to call Frank; Janice has news for Joe; Clarice is filled with remorse.

(At Trudy’s House; In the Kitchen)

(Trudy’s friend, Jean, is sitting at the kitchen table while Trudy is over at the counter, making them both a cup of coffee.)

Trudy: I’m thinking about going to see a movie tonight. (Walks over to Jean and hands her a cup of coffee.) Do you want come with me?

Jean: Oh, Trudy. Why don’t you call him?

Trudy: (Sits down.) Who?

Jean: Frank.

Trudy: Nope. Sorry but I can’t do that.

Jean: Why not? Trudy, he’s told you how sorry he is.

Trudy: I don’t care. Sorry isn’t just going to make the pain I feel go away.

Jean: Oh, Trudy. . .

Trudy: Jean, I know you’re my friend and only trying to help but I would really appreciate it if we just stopped talking about him.

Jean: All right then.

Trudy: I appreciate what you are trying to do and all. I really do. But this is my affair and I’m going to deal with it myself.

Jean: Okay. Sorry for interfering.

Trudy: It’s alright. . . Now, are we going to see a movie together or not?

(End of scene.)

(At Joseph and Janice Reilly’s House)

(Janice opens the front door and steps inside. She closes the door behind her as Joe comes out from the kitchen to greet her.)

Joe: Ah, you're home.

(Janice doesn't say anything. She takes off her coat and hangs it up.)

Is something wrong, dear?

Janice: Pink slips were handed out to workers today.

Joe: Oh no.

Janice: In two weeks, I will officially be out of a job.

Joe: Ah, come here. Come sit down and let me give you a nice rub.

(Janice sits down on the couch. Joe sits down next to her and starts massaging her shoulders.)

Janice: Oh, that feels good.

Joe: So do you know what you're going to do now?

Janice: Well, I guess for starters, I'm going to finish my last two weeks there. And in the meantime, I'll also start applying to places.

Joe: Hmm-mm. . . . Honey, have you considered talking to your father.

Janice: Now, Joe, you know how I feel about handouts. I want to get a job because I deserve it.

Joe: Janice, you're perfectly qualified.

Janice: Yes, but that's not what others would think. To them, the only reason I would I have gotten that job is because I'm the boss' daughter. No, I'm going to look around town and see what's available.

Joe: Well, at least keep your father in mind. After all, finding a job may be hard with the

recession the way it is.

Janice: I know. I know. Ugh, where are the kids right now? It's awfully quiet.

Joe: Sarah's at the neighbor's house. And Michael and Andrew are both out the friends.

Janice: Did Michael and Andrew say where they were going?

Joe: Andrew was going to the movies. Michael was going over a friend’s house or something.

Janice: Did they say when they'd be back?

Joe: I told them to be home by ten.

Janice: Good enough for me. I could do with the silence just to get my head together, compose

my thoughts.

Joe: Would you like a drink? Coffee, maybe?

Janice: It's been a long day. How about a sherry?

Joe: Coming right up.

(Joe heads into the kitchen.)

(End of scene.)

(At the Cedarmill Cinemax Theatre)

Olive: Now playing. Dark Shadows, starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins.

Selma: And apparently that woman right there is supposed to be Elizabeth. And Helena Bonham Carter is Dr. Julia Hoffman.

Anna: She looks more like a clown than Dr. Julia Hoffman, if you ask me.

Olive: And this girl is going to play Carolyn. She looks much too young. As does the actress playing Victoria. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the rest.

Selma: I think they picked the right man to play Roger. He bears some resemblance to the original actor. Oh, his name escapes me at the moment.

Olive: Louis Edmonds.

Selma: That's it.

Anna: One thing that bugged me when I saw the trailer the other night was the way portrayed Elizabeth. She seemed way too happy and energetic.

Selma: I noticed that too.

Anna: And then later on, I found a poster of her. They had her standing there in a black dress with a gun in her hand and a smile on her face. I didn't like it. It made her look "gun-happy".

Selma: Well, I guess we really can't judge until we actually see it. So what do you say? Do you want to when it does come out?

Olive: I don't know, really. I saw the trailer too and thought. . . Well, to be honest, I didn't quite know what to think.

Anna: We can figure out if we'll see it when the time comes. Right now, let's figure out what we're going to see today.

Olive: Oh, I wish Fanny was here with us.

Anna: I know. But I did promise her we’d visit after the film got over.

Olive: I at least hope she’s feeling a bit better today.

Anna: She sounded better when I talked to her on the phone earlier.

Olive: Oh, well that’s good.

Anna: Now back to the original question, what are we going to see today?

Olive: I wish "The Artist" was still playing. I really wanted to see that one.

Selma: I heard that was good. . . Either of you up for the Titanic 3D?

Olive: Nah. 3D doesn't do much for me.

Anna: Same here. And 3D costs more. I don't get why people want to pay more to see the same movie they saw a couple of years ago. . . Why don't we see the Hunger Games? I've heard good things about it from a few people.

Olive: That didn’t appeal to me either.

Selma: Nor me.

Anna: Well, we have to pick something.

(Jim Turner comes over and greets Anna, Selma, and Olive.)

Jim: Hello, ladies.

Anna: Ah, hello Jim.

Selma: Hello, Jim.

Olive: Hello, Jim. How are you doing?

Jim: Quite well, thank you for asking.

Anna: Where is Clarice?

Jim: She's at home with a stomach bug. I offered to stay home with her but she insisted that she was well enough to stay home alone. She didn’t want me to catch her illness or have it spoil my evening so she insisted I go see a movie or something.

Anna: Oh, well, give Clarice my regards.

Jim: I'll be sure to.

Selma: Wait a minute; does this mean you're here by yourself?

Jim: Yes, but it's no big deal, really.

Selma: Well, why don't you join us?

Anna: Yes, why don't you?

Jim: Oh, well if you insist. What are you ladies seeing?

(End of scene.)

(At Jim and Clarice Turner's House)

(Clarice is glancing at herself in the mirror, putting some final touches on her hair. She pulls out two different shades of red lipstick and holds them up to her face, trying to see which one looks better. She goes back and forth a few times before finally choosing one. As she applies it, the doorbell rings. Clarice quickly hurries and then heads to the door. She straightens out her dress real quick before opening the door. It's Harvey Turner, Jim’s brother.)

Harvey: His car's not in the driveway. Is it safe to come in?

(Clarice smiles and nods, opening the door more and moving her hand as a gesture for him to come in. Todd comes in and Clarice closes the door behind him. Todd then moves closer to Clarice, putting his arms around her. They both smile slyly and then start to passionately kiss.)

(End of scene.)

(At the Cedarmill Cinemax Theatre)

(Jim, Anna, Selma, and Olive are exiting the theatre. Anna looks over to the ticket counter

Anna: Trudy! Oh, Trudy!

Trudy: Oh. Hello, Anna. Selma. Olive. Jim.

Anna: How are you doing, Trudy?

Trudy: Rather well. Jean and I are on our way to see the Hunger Games.

Anna: Oh. Well, what a coincidence. The four of us just got finished seeing that movie.

Trudy: Really? Was it any good like the reviews say?

Anna: Indeed it was.

Trudy: Well, in that case, we don't want to be late. Um, I'll see you ladies later.

Anna: Of course. Good-bye, Trudy.

Jim: Lovely to see you again, my dear.

(Trudy waves good-bye as she and Jean head into the theatre.)

Well, she's certainly holding up well.

Anna: Hmm, I think it's an act. I think she's trying to keep up appearances.

Olive: Oh, the poor thing. Hopefully things will get better for her.

(End of scene.)

(At Jim and Clarice Turner’s House)

Harvey: I should get going. Jim will be home soon.

Clarice: Yeah. . .

(Clarice looks up at Harvey and smiles. Harvey looks into her eyes. He leans in closer and they share a passionate kiss.)

Harvey: (Pulls back.) Shall I call you later?

Clarice: (Chuckles.) We'll see.

(Harvey opens the door and leaves.)

Good night, Harvey.

(Clarice closes the door and then goes into the kitchen. She grabs a rag, turns on the sink, and hums a little tune as she begins to wash some dishes. Shortly after she starts, the front door opens. It’s Jim.)

Jim: Dear?

Clarice: I’m in the kitchen!

(Jim enters the kitchen.)

Jim: Ah, I see you’re feeling better.

Clarice: Yeah, about an hour or so after you left. Probably because of the medication I took. Anyways, I was feeling better so I thought I might as well get some things done around here.

Jim: Well, I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.

Clarice: How was the movie?

Jim: It was okay. I ran into Anna, Olive, and Selma there and they insisted I tag along with them so I did. We wound up seeing Dark Shadows.

Clarice: That new film with Johnny Depp and . . . what’s her name from Sweeney Todd?

Jim: Yeah. It wasn’t the best film ever but I suppose it could have been worse.

Clarice: I had my doubts about it when I saw the trailer. It just looked too . . . comedic to me. And those promotional posters they released didn’t help matters any. They looked like clowns with that make up on, especially whatshername playing Julia. And that poster with the woman playing Elizabeth, it made the character look “gun-happy”, at least to me anyway.

Jim: You’re not the only one. Anna thought so as well. (Small pause.) By the way, did Harvey stop by at all tonight?

Clarice: Harvey? No, he hasn’t been here. Why do you ask?

Jim: Well, as I was approaching the house, I could have sworn I saw his car drive by. So I thought maybe he might have stopped by here.

Clarice: He hasn’t but you know, it probably wasn’t even him you saw. I mean, it’s incredibly late and you really can’t tell what is what in the dark.

Jim: Yeah, you’re probably right.

Clarice: Do you want me to whip you up some dinner?

Jim: No thanks. I grabbed something on the way home. Besides, I got to go to bed anyway. I have an early start tomorrow.

Clarice: Honestly, Jim. I don’t like the way those Lothrop brothers are treating you. They’ve been giving you way too many hours and far too much work. It can’t be good for you.

Jim: Dear, what am I going to say? They’re my employers. And besides we do need the money anyway.

Clarice: Not that badly. You know, I have half a mind to go down there myself and give them what for.

Jim: And what good would that do, dear? You know, at this point, we should be grateful I wasn’t one of the ones pink slipped.

Clarice: Pink slipped? What are you talking about?

Jim: This morning, pink slips were handed out to about a hundred employees. That’s actually why I wanted to take you out tonight. As a little celebration-type thing that I wasn’t one of them.

Clarice: Oh, Jim, I, I had no idea.

Jim: Well, I didn’t really want to tell you. No need to make mountains out of molehills. Plus, in all honesty, it wasn’t just about the layoffs. I, I know you’ve been feeling neglected lately, what with me working such long shifts at the factory. And so I thought, you know, tonight might help make up for that.

Clarice: Oh, I feel so guilty.

Jim: Clarice, you were sick. There was nothing you could do about that.

Clarice: . . . Right. (Turns away.)

Jim: Anyway, like I said, I need to get to bed. I start early tomorrow. (Kisses Clarice on the cheek.) Good night, dear.

Clarice: Good night. . . I’ll, um. . . I’ll be in with you shortly.

(Jim nods and heads to his room. Clarice stands at the sink, looking down. She puts her right hand to her face. She then quietly starts to sob. She puts her hand over her mouth as she shakes her head. “What have I done,” she mouths.)

(End of scene.)

next chapter