ANOTHER WORLD 270 Steven gives Vicky an ultimatum

ANOTHER WORLD 270

Created by William J. Bell and Irna Phillips

Consultants:  A. Washington Beeby and ML Cooks

Written by:  C. Nathaniel Richardson

Steven gives Vicky an ultimatum

Tyrone and Marley make an important decision

PART 1

AT THE CENTER, STEVEN AND JOY ARE SITTING AT A TABLE ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER.

Dr. Steven Frame

Joy Kramer

JOY:  Why are you staring at me?

STEVEN:  Because you’re so...beautiful...pretty...radiant.

JOY:  You make me very happy.  I haven’t...I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this.

STEVEN:  Why?  

JOY:  It seems as though something’s always been missing.  

STEVEN:  I remember you telling me that Thomasina and her husband Carter raised you right?

JOY:  You would be correct, but what you don’t know is how it all came about.  

STEVEN:  I’m all ears but I have a feeling where you’re going to start.

JOY:  You do?

STEVEN:  Yeah...your mother.  I notice you don’t talk much about her.

JOY:  Because there isn’t much to say.

STEVEN:  You said she...left you with Thomasina and Carter Todd.

JOY LOOKS DOWN AND SIGHS AS SHE PREPARES HERSELF TO TELL HER STORY.

JOY:  You know those old movies where someone rings the doorbell and opens the door, then they look down and see a baby in a basket with a note?  Well that’s what Lily did to me.  She literally left me on Thomasina and Carter’s doorstep.

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AT THE HOSPITAL, THOMASINA IS IN HER OFFICE SITTING AT HER DESK WHEN DANA KRAMER KNOCKS ON HER OPEN DOOR.

Dana Kramer

Dr. Thomasina Mason

THOMASINA:  Heeey girl come on in.

DANA:  You know could call somebody sometimes.  

THOMASINA:  I’m the Chief of Staff of a hospital.  Twenty four hours is not enough in a day with all the work I have to do.

DANA:  I came by to see how you were doing.

THOMASINA:  I’m good I guess.  I haven’t had a chance to really to reconnect with anyone since I’ve been back.

DANA:  Well you should take some time out and do that.  I mean, the work is still gonna be here when you get back.  

THOMASINA:  I’ve been meaning to call Donna Love I just…

DANA:  You don’t have to explain that to me.  Believe me I get it.   

THOMASINA BEGINS TO SHUFFLE PAPERS WHEN DANA WALKS AROUND THE DESK AND SLOWLY PULLS THE PAPERS AWAY.

THOMASINA:  What are you doing?  

DANA:  Why don’t you put those things down for a minute?  Come out and with me to the Center.  Take a break.

THOMASINA LOOKS UP AND SMILES.

THOMASINA:  Alright.  Let’s go.

-----

STEVEN:  Seriously?  So she left you with her niece to raise?  Why did she do that?

JOY:  She decided to run the streets rather than raise her daughter.  You know...with her profession and all.

STEVEN:  Right.

JOY:  It seems like my mother would rather have been a hooker than be bothered with me.  I mean I...was raised in a loving, caring home.  I didn’t see much of Thomasina because she was in medical school.  She and Carter were the best.

STEVEN:  You turned out great.

JOY:  Did I really?  I was sleeping with Tyrone Montgomery in 2005.  I almost busted up his marriage to your Aunt Marley.

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IN TANQUIR, TYRONE AND MARLEY ARE STANDING OUTSIDE OF REGINALD’S ROOM WITH CECILE.

Tyrone Montgomery

Marley Hudson Montgomery

Cecile de Pouglinac

TYRONE:  They don’t look like doctors.  What are you doing?

MARLEY:  Yeah what’s going on?

CECILE:  I know I haven’t...given anyone a whole lot of reason but...you two are just going to have to trust me on this.  I’m gonna give you a whole new life.

THE HENCHMEN OPEN THE DOOR AND WHEEL SOMEONE IN A BODY BAG OUT ON A GURNEY.  

MARLEY:  What...what did you do?

HENCHMAN #1:  As you ordered your highness.

CECILE:  Thank you.  

TYRONE:  You didn’t do what I think you just did.

HENCHMAN #2 UNZIPS THE BODY BAG SO THEY CAN SEE THE BODY.  TYRONE AND MARLEY ARE SHOCKED BY WHAT THEY SEE.

CECILE:  I told you Reginald wasn’t going to be a problem anymore for any of you.

MARLEY:  I can’t believe it.  You killed my grandfather.

CAMERA PAN ON MARLEY...SLOW FADE TO THEME SONG

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PART 2

TYRONE:  Yeah you told me that but I never thought…

MARLEY:  You could...you could go to jail.

CECILE:  Honey I’m the queen of this land.  I can’t be prosecuted.  Now you two can live...free...you’re welcome.

CECILE WALKS AWAY LEAVING THEM ALONE.

MARLEY:  I’m sorry but...I feel liberated.

TYRONE:  Free like she said.

MARLEY:  But wait...what if he...he survived a fall off of a clock tower, and a poisoning.  I mean what if he…

TYRONE:  You saw the body.  Reginald is dead.  You know what this means?  We don’t have to think about him kidnapping our baby.  We can go back home now and raise Roman in a worry free environment.

MARLEY:  I...I don’t want to go back to Bay City.

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STEVEN:  Come on Joy you gotta...forgive yourself for that.  Tyrone and Marley were probably having problems and...look...you just made a mistake.  It doesn’t take away from who you are.

JOY:  You know maybe if I had some guidance from my mother, I probably wouldn’t have made that choice.

STEVEN:  You can’t say that.  You turned out great.  My mom and my grandma knew Thomasina and Carter.  They’re great people.

JOY:  We had a very loving household.

STEVEN:  So stop beating yourself over your affair with Tyrone.  

STEVEN GETS UP, WALKS UP TO HER, AND BENDS DOWN.

STEVEN:  And kiss the one who loves you.

AS THEY LEAN INTO KISS, VICKY INTERRUPTS.

Vicky Hudson

VICKY:  Steven.

THEY STOP AND LOOK AT VICKY.  JOY ROLLS HER EYES AND SIGHS.

JOY:  Hi Vicky.

VICKY ACKNOWLEDGES JOY AND LOOKS AT STEVEN.

VICKY:  Son I need to talk to you.

VICKY LOOKS BACK AT JOY.

VICKY:  In private.

STEVEN STRAIGHTENS UP AND FACES HIS MOTHER.

STEVEN:  Anything you need to say to me, you can say in front of Joy.

VICKY:  Come on Steven this is about Bridget and Michele.  Have you even spoken to any of your sisters?  They need their big brother.

STEVEN:  I told you already mom.  I recommended them to Dr. Bingham.  I cannot be their therapist.

VICKY:  Donna told me that Bridget is refusing to see him.

STEVEN:  That’s Bridget’s decision.  She is old enough to make them you know.

VICKY:  Don’t get smart mouth with me.  This is serious.

JOY:  Maybe...you could have a talk with Bridget.

VICKY:  You stay out of this!  What goes on in my family certainly doesn’t concern you.

JOY LOOKS AT VICKY.

JOY: Let me go to the ladies room before I say something inappropriate.

VICKY:  Good idea.  

STEVEN:  Mom!

JOY WALKS AWAY AS THOMASINA AND DANA WALK UP TO THEM.

THOMASINA:  Vicky Hudson?

VICKY:  Thomasina Todd?  When did you get back to Bay City?

THOMASINA:  A while ago.  

DANA:  Did you run my sister off?

VICKY:  She butted in a conversation that I was having with my son.

DANA:  Maybe you shouldn’t interrupt them when they’re trying to spend time together.

VICKY:  Guess it runs in the blood doesn’t it?  This isn’t any of your business.

THOMASINA:  Okay ladies.  I didn’t take a break to mediate an argument.  I do enough of that at the hospital.  Come on Dana let’s go over there.

STEVEN:  I’ll go find Joy.

VICKY FOLLOWS.

VICKY:  Steven we’re not done.

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THOMASINA AND DANA GO SIT AT ANOTHER TABLE.

THOMASINA:  She always was a spitfire.

DANA:  She doesn’t like my sister very much.  She blames her for kidnapping Roman Montgomery.

THOMASINA:  Everyone seems to understand that Reginald was forcing her to do that except for her.

DANA:  She also blames Joy for having an affair with Tyrone Montgomery years ago.  She swears she’s not right for Steven.

MEANWHILE, IN FRONT OF THE COFFEE SHOP…

STEVEN:  Mom do you mind?  I’m trying to spend some quality time with my girlfriend.

VICKY:  Your sisters are fighting, and we haven’t heard from your Aunt Marley and all you can think about is this woman who tried to kidnap your cousin!

STEVEN:  What can we do about any of that?  I am trying to fix our family, too.  Michele is seeing Dr. Bingham.  If Bridget doesn’t want to see him that is her decision, not yours or grandma Donna’s.

VICKY:  It’s clear that you care about Joy’s feelings more than your mother’s or your own sisters’!

STEVEN:  Don’t do that.

VICKY:  It’s what it looks like to me.

STEVEN:  Don’t...make...me...choose.  You may not like what I decide.

VICKY:  Are you telling me...that you would pick Joy over your own family?

STEVEN:  Not over Bridget, Michele, grandma Donna or Aunt Marley.  If you don’t stop this...tirade about how wrong Joy is for me, I will choose her...over you.

STEVEN WALKS AWAY AND VICKY IS LEFT STANDING IN HER PLACE.

BACK AT THOMASINA AND DANA’S TABLE…

THOMASINA:  I guess, being a mother, I could understand...about protecting your child.  If Todd was involved with a woman who I thought was no good, I probably would be the same way.

DANA:  When you put it like that, it makes sense.  I mean looks at the lengths I’ve gone through to protect my son.

THOMASINA:  How is he?

DANA:  He’s...being Bryant.

THOMASINA:  How much time does he have left?

DANA:  He graduates next week , but I’m scared.

THOMASINA:  Oh...about…

DANA:  Yeah.  You know when I put him in school I...I said that I would come back to Bay City when he was ready to graduate, thinking the day would never come, but it’s right around the corner.  

DANA SIGHS.

DANA:  I wanted him to finish school you know?

THOMASINA:  I know girl, but you’re not gonna be able to shield him anymore.

DANA:  Yeah it’s...the time is coming.  Bryant’s gotta learn the truth about who he is.

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TYRONE:  The hell you mean we can’t go back to Bay City.

MARLEY:  I mean...we can always go visit the family, but they can be very meddling and...and telling us how to raise our son.  I want a fresh start, in a new place, a new life.

TYRONE:  What about my job Marley?  Did you think about that?

MARLEY:  Tyrone, honey, I’m a Hudson, so money is not an issue right?  We can go somewhere else and...you could start your own firm and...Roman could make new friends.  So could we.  A whole new life together.  No pretense.  No interference.

TYRONE:  I lied to your father.  He’s out there looking for you.

MARLEY:  I’ll call Michael and explain everything.  I want my husband and our son with me.  Let’s get outta here and start anew.  We don’t have to look over our shoulders anymore.

TYRONE TAKES OUT HIS CELL PHONE AND MAKES A CALL.

TYRONE:  Cass.  It’s me.  We’re fine we’re fine.  I’m gonna file paperwork and sell you my half of the firm.  

TYRONE LOOKS BACK AT MARLEY AND SMILES.

TYRONE:  Marley and I are not coming back to Bay City.

FREEZE FRAME ON TYRONE...SLOW FADE OUT...END OF EPISODE 270