Scene: 1
"Chris?" Nicole said as she relaxed into Chris' arms as he wrapped them around her.
"Yes, sweetie?" Chris replied as he placed a kiss on her head and looked up at the stars from their blanket on the ground.
"I'm worried about Shannon," she stated.
"Shannon?" Chris answered, almost unbelieving. "How come you had to go and ruin such a nice evening by bringing her up?"
"Now Chris," Nicole said sternly as she turned to face him, "don't you think you're being just a bit harsh?"
"No," he replied flatly, "I don't. Don't tell me that you are feeling sorry for her. I mean, she brought all this upon herself."
"But her behavior lately is nothing like the Shannon that I knew, the one I grew up with. I think Uncle Sal's death was harder on her than even I thought. Maybe it was a bad idea talking her into moving into his old house with me."
"There you go again, making up excuses to cover for her lousy behavior," Chris scowled. "Death is just a natural part of life. It's hard, yes. I should know that just as much as anyone. I lost my grandfather a few years ago, but you don't see me acting like Shannon is."
"But death affects different people in different ways. Besides, how close were you with your grandfather? Shannon kind of adopted Uncle Sal as her second father. How would you react differently if it had been your father who died instead of your grandfather?"
"Yes, I would have been devastated," Chris agreed, "but I wouldn't have gone out and played one friend against another and made it my sole mission to break up a happy couple just because I was jealous. Why are you defending her?"
"Because no matter how much you hate her, she will always be my sister." Nicole said, completely pulling away from Chris. "We have always been close and seeing her act this way really worries me, Chris. This is not like her and I think we should help her."
"She needs help all right." Chris said angrily.
"You could try and have a little more sympathy, Chris," Nicole scolded.
"Look, Nicole, I'll agree with you that she is having problems, but that's as far as it goes. If she needs help, she can look elsewhere. I don't want her near me messing with my friends and trying to break us up."
"Now I think you're going just a bit too far, Chris," Nicole glared at him.
"Too far?!" Chris raised his voice. "I'm not the one going to such great lengths to make excuses for her."
"But she's my sister!" Nicole said, raising her voice as well.
"She's also a witch!" Chris screamed, frustrated with the whole situation.
"Maybe she won't need to break us up," Nicole said softly, tears of anger streaking down her face. "Maybe I'll do it for her."
"Fine!" Chris said, standing up, his face turning red. "If that's the way you want it, so be it!"
"Fine!" Nicole yelled as she stomped off into the night.
Scene: 2
Willard ran into the apartment, slammed the door behind him and locked it. Feeling a sense of relief wash over him, he turned his back to the door and slid to the ground in an effort to catch his breath.
"Willard?" Called Wally from his place on the couch. "Willard, are you still trying to hide from that Hudson woman? I think you're overdoing it a bit. I mean, she hasn't bothered you for almost a week now. I think she must have gotten her eyesight back, taken one good look at you and decided she must be crazy."
"You don't know her like I know her," Willard hissed. "She'll never give up. She's all over me like a wet T-shirt. She had one look of the studmuffin, lady-killer named Willard and couldn't control herself. It's understandable, but annoying none-the-less. You wouldn't know what it's like Wally."
"Stud-muffin? Lady-killer?" Wally repeated disbelieving, then his face changed as he came up with a reason for Willard's stranger-than-normal behavior. "Willard, have you been eating dog food again? Remember what happened last time you did that? It took me forever to convince the police not to take you to jail for peeing on that fire hydrant."
"No Wally, I haven't been eating dog food!" Willard yelled. "You'd think my own brother would show a little sympathy, but it's obvious that you're just jealous of my manliness and ability to attract a woman."
"Oh brother!" Wally rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Willard, you're becoming absolutely impossible to live with. Maybe you should take a vacation or something, we could both use some time to relax."
Willard started to yell something when he realized that Wally was right. He could use a vacation. "A vacation?" He murmured. "But where would I go?"
"Somewhere far, oh so far, away from here." Wally replied softly.
"What?" Willard asked.
"Oh, uh, I said you should go somewhere that you won't have any fear of this Hudson woman." He looked down at the coffee table which contained the day's mail. "Here," he said picking up one of the pieces and bringing it over to Willard.
"What's this?" Willard asked.
"It a free airline promotion we received in the mail today for an airline called Amirid Air. Apparently they are trying to expand their business and sent out free round trip tickets to some island in the South Pacific. I was gonna give it to mom for Mother's Day, but it looks like you could use it more than her."
"South Pacific, eh?" Willard mummered as he took the envelope from his brother. "I think I could live with that. I'll have to be careful though with all those beautiful ladies around - I'm liable to be mobbed."
"By a pack of wild dogs maybe," Wally muttered under his breath.
"Well, I'd better get packing then!" Willard continued, not hearing Wally's comment.
"Yes, please," agreed Wally rolling his eyes. Realizing he was
going to be rid of his brother for a few weeks, he cheered instantly.
With a spring in his step he walked back over to the couch, picked up
his beer and continued to watch the big wrestling match on TV.
Scene: 3
Shannon walked out of the house and into the cool night air. That was the lamest display on amateurism I've ever had to endure, she thought to herself as she replayed the events of Twanky and Joel's latest seance fiasco in her head.
Wishing she had brought her jacket with her, but not wanting to turn around and retrieve it, she kept walking down the street. She headed towards the park and her favorite tree. If there is one place I can get my head straight, it will be there.
Finally, she reached her destination and sat down beneath the large oak tree. It was a quiet night, and no sounds could be heard except the muffled chirping of crickets. Shannon thought about how bad her life had become and about how awfully she had treated all the people she loved. Now everyone was mad at her, even Wiley. She was ashamed and didn't know how to fix things. She began to weep.
"How could I have been so stupid?" She sobbed. "What can I do? Uncle Sal, tell me how to make everything right!"
"Are you okay?" a gentle voice called out, breaking into Shannon's private moment.
Shannon looked up. She should have been angry at the interruption by a complete stranger, but she didn't have the energy. Besides, it had been a while since she had heard a friendly voice. "Thank you for asking," she managed as she wiped the teardrops from her cheeks, "but I'll be fine."
"You don't look fine," the woman replied. "Perhaps I can help you."
"Frankly, I don't see how. My problems run deeper than anyone can possibly understand," she spoke.
"Are you sure? You were calling out to someone just now, looking for an answer. Uncle Sal, was it? Perhaps you should go to him. Tell him what's troubling you?" the woman offered.
"I can't," Shannon replied. "Trust me, you wouldn't understand that one."
"Maybe I can, and maybe I can't. But whatever is wrong, you look like you could use a friendly ear to listen to you. I've found that when something is upsetting me that just to talk to someone can lighten the load. I used to do that with my father until he died last year."
Shannon glanced up and looked at the blond-haired woman standing before her. Maybe she would understand, she thought to herself. It couldn't hurt at any rate. And she's right, I really could use a friendly ear at the moment. "What's your name?"
The woman smiled, "It's Hudson. What's yours?"
"Shannon."
"It's nice to meet you Shannon," she held out her hand. "Tell you what, it's getting a little chilly out here and you don't have a jacket on. Why don't we go over to Sorbo's café, have a nice cup of hot chocolate, and you can tell me all about it, okay?"
For the first time in a long time, Shannon felt the twinges of
cheerfulness start to nudge their way back into her heart. "Okay."
Scene: 4
"Oh, that's such a lovely outfit on you Lilith. I love it! You wear it so well." Angela beamed.
"Oh, yes, it sure is um...interesting." Lilith said through a forced smile. This is the lamest and stupidest thing I've ever had to wear, she thought to herself as she looked herself over in the mirror. It was bad enough that the dress she wore was the most horrid shade of pink, but the white bloomers she wore under it were absolutely hideous. "So, tell me Angela, exactly when did the hospital change its dress code?"
"Oh, last week. It was my idea. Don't you like it?" Angela gushed.
"It's...uh, darling," Lilith managed to say.
"I thought that our hospital staff needed a boost. Something to make them more visible to our patients and fill them with confidence that we are working hard to make them more comfortable."
"Oh," Lilith replied, "It will definitely make us more visible." And if laughter is the best medicine, we'll have the healthiest patients in the known universe, she thought.
"Here," she said as she handed something to Lilith, "this is the finishing touch."
Lilith reached out and took the object from Angela's hand and eyed it suspiciously. "And you want me to do what with this?" She asked, afraid of what the answer would be.
"Why it's to wear in your hair, silly," Angela laughed. "You're so funny sometimes, Lilith."
"You're certainly right about that," she grimaced. Well, why not? , she thought, This bow can't make me look any more silly than I already do.
She reached up and put the pink and white polka-dotted bow into her hair and then looked in the mirror. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But there was one thing she was sure of -- she had been wrong. The bow did make her look sillier.
"Oh! You look so beautiful Lilith!" Angela smiled, and wiped a tear of happiness from the corner of her eye. "Here are your regulation socks and shoes. I think they really accent the outfit well."
"No doubt," Lilith said as she reached out to take the white, fold-down socks with the lace on the end and the black pumps and decided that she looked more like Minnie Mouse than a member of a hospital staff. Well, she sighed, at least I won't be the only one who looks this silly. If every one else is made to look this stupid, people will quit in droves and it will make my job that much more easy. But when I get my hands on Bruce, he will pay the ultimate price for this kind of humiliation.
"Um, Angela, when exactly do I start?" Lilith asked. "You never quite said."
"Oh! I forgot to tell you the news! I was so ecstatic about the new uniform that I plum forgot. Everything with the background check went smoothly and you can start tomorrow. Be here by 8:00 AM in your new uniform and I can introduce you to the rest of the staff. We can also have lunch tomorrow too. Isn't that wonderful?"
"Yes," Lilith managed, "absolutely wonderful."
Scene: 5
"Ryan?" Alexis asked as they walked hand and hand in the park.
"Yes?" Ryan answered.
"I wanted to ask you something that's been on my mind since the seance."
"Sure, honey. What is it?"
"Let's sit over here, shall we?" she suggested, as she led him over to a park bench. They sat down and she got a strained and serious look on her face, as if she was seeking the courage to say something. Not finding the words, she blurted out, "Are they always that strange?"
Ryan smiled, "Yes, they are always that strange. In fact the last one I attended was even stranger. Uncle Sal actually showed up, but he talked nonsense about not having a belt or something on the otherside. I never figured out if it was real or a hoax, but it certainly seemed real enough."
Alexis laughed nervously and looked at Ryan.
"It's a relief that's all you wanted to know. I thought you were going to break up with me or something. You seemed so serious." Ryan looked back at her.
Suddenly Alexis' eyes moved towards the ground.
"Oh no," Ryan murmured, "tell me what I did and how I can fix it. Please. I really can Alexis. We have something good here."
"But not good enough." Alexis said, a tear forming in her eye.
Ryan reached out with one hand and touched her cheek and pulled her face up so she was looking at him. "Not good enough? What are you talking about? You're the best thing in my life right now."
"But I'm not the one you really want," she spoke softly, tears running down her face. "I saw the way you still look at Shannon and how protective you are of her. I also know that she was your first choice and that you wouldn't have chosen me if you two hadn't had a fight."
"But don't you see? That fight was a good thing. It led me to you."
"Your heart is still with Shannon. Until you fix that, you can never truly be happy with me. I know that...and you know that."
"But Alexis, I...I...I love you." Ryan stammered out.
That took her by surprise and she looked into Ryan's eyes, hoping it was true...wanting it to be true. But she could tell otherwise. She took a deep breath. "No you don't Ryan. You do love someone, but it's not me. I didn't want to believe it at first. I thought that after we started dating you would forget all about Shannon, but I was wrong."
"Alexis, I..." Ryan started.
Alexis reached up and gently touched his lips with her finger. "Ryan, no. It's over." She reached up and planted a delicate kiss on his forehead and walked off alone, into the night.
Ryan just sat there stunned and wondered what he should do as the tears started rolling down his own face.
Scene: 6
Shannon took a deep breath and then knocked on the door of Ted and Renee's house.
The door swung open. "Hi Shannon!" Renee greeted her. "How are you and what brings you over here this afternoon? If you're looking for Nicole and Chris, they just left from here to go to the movies. I'm sure if you try you can catch up with them."
"No, Renee, I didn't come here to find Chris and Nicole. I'm actually here to see Wiley. Is he home?"
"Wiley?" Renee asked as a smile crept upon her face, "Of course he is here. And I'm sure he would love to see you. I knew you two would get along famously. I just knew it!" Renee turned her head inside and called out, "Ted! Can you get Wiley for me? Shannon is here to see him. Didn't I tell you that they would make the cutest couple?!"
"No Renee, it's..." Shannon started to correct Renee when Ted showed up at the door. "Hi Shannon."
"Hi Ted," she said.
"I heard you're here to see Wiley," he stated, a huge grin on his face.
"Yes, that's correct. But it's not like..." she started, trying to stop the rumors this visit would likely cause before it was too late. Unfortunately, she was interrupted again.
"Well, don't worry. Wiley was downstairs with me. We were painting his new room and he wanted to wash up before he came to the door. So, what are you two lovebirds planning to do this fine afternoon? It's funny that Wiley didn't mention any of this to me."
"But..." Shannon tried again.
"Oh honey," Renee interrupted, "Wiley is such a gentleman that he wouldn't be the type to kiss and tell."
"But, uh..." Shannon tried to get a word in edgewise, but failed miserably yet again.
"You are so right, dear," Ted agreed, "I hope Wiley can forgive me for thinking so badly of him."
"Guys, it's not." Shannon gave up.
"Of course he will, darling," Renee answered.
This is almost as bad as watching Chris and Nicole together. I'm gonna be sick if they don't stop talking to each other like that.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Wiley came to the door, hands stuffed in his pockets and eyes staring at the floor. "Uh, hi, Shannon."
I'd never thought I'd be so happy to see Wiley. Shannon thought with a sigh of relief.
"Can I talk to you, Wiley?" Shannon asked. Then she looked over at the way Ted and Renee were intensely watching them, and she added, "...alone."
"Of course you two want to be alone," said Renee. "Come along Ted, you can help me pick out wall paper for the baby's room."
"Yes, dear." Ted said. Before he followed her back inside the house he elbowed Wiley and smiled, "You sly dog, you. A chip off the old O'Neill block. It looks like the Wileyman is as big a hit in Corinth as he was back in Cincinnati."
Wiley forced a laugh and Ted left, leaving him and Shannon
alone on the front porch. "So, what did you want to see such a loser
like me for?"