EPISODE 80
Written by : Bre L. Drew
June 1, 2020
Last Time On Town and Country
-
Sarah Lynn continues to grieve for Peter.
-
Sean proposed marriage to Tricia, in which she accepted.
-
Courtney is still hurt about Steven declaring he doesn't want to get married again.
-
Will received another mystery phone call from Hudson Correctional Facility.
FRANKLIN FARM
Sarah Lynn Saunders has never been one for procrastination, when the girls were younger, she often woke up around five-thirty in the morning to have everything set for them to go. Even when she was a child, she would get up early to get dressed because it made felt she was contributing in her impoverished childhood growing up in a trailer park.
​
So after spending two months mainly in her bedroom in the inertia of losing her husband. She decided to get herself out of bed to go outside. At first, she had to push herself outside of the door, the idea of entering into the living room where she first received the heartbreaking news that Peter suffered a heart attack on his way home from police chief Ernest McKnight over the phone. She remembers the intense emotion which made her collapse onto her knees was something she didn't want to relive clinging to some shred of hope he would pull through this latest health obstacle like the last coronary he had months before this one. However, fate got in the way, and two hours later, she lost her beloved Peter.
​
She ended up at her greenhouse astonished with the state of the various plants and flowerbeds needed care she didn't give them in grief.
Deciding to use shears, she started to trim what she could of the untamed greenery.
Twenty minutes later, she hears someone calling her name.
"Sarah Lynn,"
Instantly recognizing the person's voice, she turns her head to face them.
"Oh my god, it's you,"
​
FRANKLIN FARM : MAIN HOUSE
If Sean Lockhart had it his way, he would've prolonged telling his children that he is getting married again. However, he knows he couldn't keep the news away from them, especially in the fishbowl that is Radcliffe, and as their father, he has to be the one to do so. It would not be fair for the girls to find out from anyone else but him. Besides their relationship had gotten better with him than it was a year ago when they found about him with his now-fiancée when he was still married to their mother.
He strolls inside of the entry door into the kitchen of the main house on Franklin Farm. At the dining table, he sees Lenny taking a sip out of her coke can. She moves her head to face her father, who remains standing a couple of feet away.
For the past week now she has been working on the farm full-time as a farmhand. Sean and Louise still desire for her to go to college, or at least take some business courses. Lynn, however, is steadfast about wanting to gain experience by working and not spending any more time in a classroom.
Today she is wearing a royal blue t-shirt underneath denim overalls, and her long wavy blonde hair is in a ponytail.
"Dad, what is that you had to tell me?" Lynn asks eagerly
Sean is most worried about Lynn since she didn't take it well that he and Tricia were now committed to one another by moving in together. So he knows he is going to have to be patient and gentle with her when he tells her about Tricia becoming their stepmother.
Just as Sean is about to open his mouth, the kitchen door does as Tanner and Louise set foot into the room.
Lynn has a skeptical look on her face. "Hey Tanner," she turns to her father. "What's going on?"
Tanner herself just drove the Fiat from Aunt Esther's Stables after Sean had called her to get down here on her lunch break. Thinking if something happened to another member of their family since the last time she got a call to come out to the farm was when granddad was dying.
"Did something happen to Grandma Felice or Grandpa John?" she asks urgently.
"No, they're both fine," Sean says of his parents.
"I think your father has to tell us something," Louise says partly informative and seriously.
Sean knows that his ex-wife doesn't know about the engagement since she would've confronted him the second she found out.
He keeps one hand in his pocket and gestures with the other one. "It's about Tricia and me," he begins.
​
"You two broke up, hallelujah!" Lynn exclaims
​
He moves his head irregularly. "No, we're still together, in fact, I've asked her to marry me and she said yes, "
Sean tries his best to mentally gather what the women in his life were thinking, although he can figure it out no one is going to break out confetti and tears of joy. More like sorrow and pain his mother often says,
"I can't believe you're marrying her dad, Tanner replies.
He goes over to puts his arms around his daughter. "Pretty Princess I know that this comes as a shock to you and your sister, but I love Tricia, and I want to start a life with her,"
"Why are you marrying that bitch?" Lynn asks outright
"Language!" Louise says cautiously.
"And please don't call her that again," Sean instructs defensively.
Lynn shrugs like she didn't care if she used a bad word for the woman who her father cheated with.
"Soon you two will be out of the house to start your own lives you'll understand life has other plans some you never expect to make," he states
"She hates us," Tanner says, holding back her tears.
Louise is the one who goes over to her daughter and places her arm around her to comfort her.
"No, she doesn't," Sean said.
"Well she got a funny way of showing it," Lynn says sardonically,
"Lenny, Tanner, I need to discuss some things with your father," Louise replies.
Both young women beeline for the side door, glad for the reprieve their mother is allowing them.
THE WATERFALL BAR
Shauna Covington saunter into her family's establishment on this weekday to catch up with Antoine. Seeing if any he has anything to show Will is still the criminal mastermind, he was before he ended up in prison serving three years for fraud. It's been six months since the two came up with the plan to keep tabs on him, knowing he hasn't changed at all.
She takes in the place that has about twelve people in various parts of the pub. An Usher song from 1997 is playing in the background at a decent volume.
Just as she is about to approach the bar, thinking she would see her friend and former lover. In his place over the counter is Will winking and smiling at a customer who soon takes off in the opposite direction to the double-doors.
Shauna stands there for a while, thinking she is mistaken since her grandma forbidden him to work in front of the house since he has been released from jail.
"Hey Shaunie," Will says, knowing how much she detest being called her childhood nickname. "What it do?"
"For god's sake Will, you have lived amongst a majority of white people since you were eight years old, stop talking like you're a rapper from the dirty south," she says tiresomely.
"Just because you married in the Covington family doesn't mean you get to talk down to me, I was just asking how were you doing?" he replies somewhat innocently.
Shauna decides to play it cool; she cannot lose it with him even though he is tempting her, the longer she is here.
She sits on the stool, placing her Coach purse in front of her. "Can I get a glass of chardonnay please?"
As her uncle departs to get her the drink, she sees a text from Antoine on her phone.
Something came up talk to u later.
She taps out frustratingly,
OK
Instinctively interpreting what that message means in so many words he is with some girl whom he is screwing and he isn't leaving till he is satisfied. If she knew he was with some desperate girl, then she wouldn't have come out here.
"Great," she murmurs.
"Here you go," Will says. He puts the down glass in front of her.
Shauna nods her head to thank her uncle.
"I might regret asking you this but what voodoo did you pull to get Grandma put you in charge of the bar?" she inquires inquisitively,
He chuckles smoothly before responding to his only niece. "No voodoo, just showed her for the past six months I'm loyal and can do hard work," he says. Did you here I'm also gonna be working part-time over at Franklin Farm?" he petitions.
Shauna heard through Martha the other day when they had lunch at The Chateau that Esther had suggested he work on the farm for a few days. The image of her uncle carrying barrels of hay and milking cows brings laughter to her.
​
"When do you start?"
"Next week," he answers. He is about to utter so more words else when his iPhone rings. "Hold it a minute," he tells her.
He turns his back to her to accept the call.
Again it is the outgoing automated message informing him someone from prison is calling him.
"You betta say something this god damn time," he whispers.
In between drinking some of her wine, she hears bits of the conversation her uncle is having, which makes her curiosity increase even more.
COVINGTON GROUP
Inside the Covington Tower in downtown Radcliffe Courtney Covington is in her office behind her desk on the phone handling an issue that has been taking precedence for the last few weeks now.
"I'm sure you wouldn't want that to happen unless we take it the litigious route in which our attorney would gladly denounce the code violations you violated before the Covington Group got involved with the leasing," she says professionally.
She concludes the call when the other individual over the phone comes around to a fair agreement that would benefit both parties. She is about to check her e-mail when she hears someone knocking on her door.
"Come in," she says casually.
​
Steven Sullivan enters into her office, holding a take out bag from The Waterfall.
"I figured you've been busy, so I figured we have lunch together,"
"Time is flying, I didn't even realize it was past noon, thank you,"
Courtney checks out her boyfriend, who looks good as ever, with his beautiful smile, and his caring ways attracted her to him. Nonetheless, she knew they had to talk regarding his stance about not wanting to get married again in which Tricia advised her to be honest with him since she wants it as a possibility for them down the road in the future.
He sits in the club chair across from her, in which she grabs two water bottles out of the mini-fridge. She hands one to him and puts the other on her desk.
"Sean and Tricia our getting married," Courtney informs him.
Steven takes a hearty bite of his bacon cheeseburger before he responds. "Are you serious?"
Courtney nods, "Tricia told me he popped the question,"
"Tanner and Lynn is not going to take the news well,"
Courtney knows that Sean is a complicated subject for the Saunders family. Despite being their longtime laborer on the farm, none of them took it well that he cheated on Louise with Tricia.
"You never know they might come around,"
Steven lifts his head from his food, giving her an incredulous expression.
"I love your sense of positivity, but you don't know how children of divorced parents feel about a parent remarrying,"
"Is that one of the reasons why you don't want to get married again?" she inquires bluntly.
Steven wipes his hands with a paper napkin, trying to come up with a precise answer to his girlfriend's question.
"Hold up! he exclaims, where is this coming from?"
FRANKLIN FARM : MAIN HOUSE
Louise places both hands on her hips "I can't tell you what to do so if you're making the melodrama queen your new wife good luck to you," she says
"I knew they were not going to take the news well, but I didn't expect them to be hurt," Sean acknowledges
"Give them some time to process this, Louise replies. Remember they might be on the cusp of adulthood, but they're still teenagers who feel their relationship with their father is going to be forever altered because of Tricia becoming their new - stepmother,"
Sean is amazed by his former wife's composure, knowing it is not easy for her to hear that he is marrying the woman that came in between their marriage even if their union was open for some time.
"Did you hear about Will Jackson coming to work here?" Sean inquires changing the subject.
Louise nods empathically, before launching into a verbal tirade on misgivings over her aunt hiring an ex-con to work in the fields, which she feels is not a good idea at all.
COVINGTON GROUP
Courtney sets aside her Caesar salad out of the way.
"Six months ago we were at Henry's that waiter thought we were married and you told me you never want to get married again,"
He shakes his head at her, trying not to get angry at her.
"Between my mother's three failed marriages and one of my own I don't think wedded bliss exists - not for me at least," he confesses,
"Steven, I'm not suggesting we fly down to Cancun for an elopement right now, but I do one day want the chance to call you my husband whether it'll be in two or five years down the line,"
Steven realizes that the age span between them would affect their relationship. It is one of the reasons why he hesitated to tell her he had an ex-wife and son thinking she wouldn't want him if she knew he had a family.
"I think this is what we both get for not talking about what we want for our long-term goals, huh?" Steven points out
"Looks like I'm not going to change your mind, so I suppose we should drop this, but I had to at least bring it to your attention," Courtney mentions enlighteningly
The two each eat their lunch in silence, both not wanting to offend the other with their disagreement.
​
THE WATERFALL BAR
"Think you tough now because you back home now, don't you?" the person on the other line said.
The sound of discomposure in his voice fills Will with dread as his back is still turned to his niece, not wanting her to realize anything is wrong. He shouldn't be surprised though of all people Jerome Hawkins is calling him from behind bars.
"Why have you been calling and hanging up on me? he asks. Now you want to talk to me?"
"Cause I like messing with you," he torments.
Will shuts his eyes then opens them up again, praying that this was a cruel joke.
Shauna hadn't moved yet since she wants to know who is calling her uncle.
"What do you want man?" Will said slightly irritated,
"Your bitch ass to pay me for what I did for you bro,"
Will's face became tense as the memories begin to surface for him again.
"I ain't got no money,"
His former cellmate laughs hysterically. "I don't give a damn what you ain't got Jackie, boy, I'll be getting out soon, and I don't know maybe ten-grand would do me better than just a bus ticket and twenty-seven dollars after time served."
"When do you need it by?"
"I'll call you with further instructions boy, and if you try anything funny you gonna regret it,"
The line goes dead as Will tries to get himself unruffled, turning around witnessing Shauna sitting there casually.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes.
"No problem,"
​
Gratefully for him, another customer comes to him wanting to order something. He did not want to get into it with his niece, about who called him he sensed that was going to be her next question. Now what's on his mind is how in the world is he going to come up with ten-thousand dollars?
FRANKLIN FARM
Clear as daylight, Peter is standing there, wearing a black shirt, and dark blue jeans with a flashing smile it makes her stop in her tracks.
"I knew you wouldn't leave me, I love you so much," she says with so much sentiment, tears begin cascading down her face.
"I've been here all of this time," he says
Sarah Lynn wanders close to the love of her life. "The family needs you, please don't leave me again,"
"I made vows before God never to leave or forsake you, Sarah Lynn," Peter speaks cordially
Sarah Lynn goes to reach out to her husband.
Unaware of her granddaughters' presence they see their grandmother's lips moving, but no one is there instead she is facing the glass window from where they're situated outside of the greenhouse.
"What is going on with grandma?" Tanner inquires kindheartedly
Lenny gives a sympathetic look to her sister. "I don't know,"
The twins exchange similar worry glances seeing Sarah Lynn carrying on a extensive conversation with herself.
END OF EPISODE
ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Steven stumbles onto something mysterious.
Courtney starts planning for Daniel's 45th birthday party.
Tanner feels pressured.
​
Leave your thoughts here, on the T&C forum
​