EPISODE 44
Written by: Bre L. Drew
Last Time On Town and Country
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Whilst hitting on Tommy, Jordan invited both he and Tanner to watch her at her track and field practice after school.
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Mae visited her son Will in prison for the first time in months. He tried to convince her he has changed.
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Lynn and Elijah separately told the ones close to them that they have feelings for one another.
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Angrily, Sean reveals to Peter he initially cheated on Louise which led to their open marriage and ultimately divorce.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
Not feeling up to going out to the farm today, Louise Saunders Lockhart is in the kitchen sitting at the counter working on the budget for the upcoming months. Realizing they're going to have to increase workflow, in order to keep up with the demands thanks to the deal with MarketFresh Stores. With her ink pen in her hand, she hovers over some more numbers on paper.
THUD
The sound of the front door slamming gets Louise on her feet. She moves into the foyer where she sees Sean stumping his dirty boots on the mat in front of him.
"You're home early, hey what's going on?" she asks.
Louise knows her ex-husband isn't the type of person to normally come home angry.
Sean narrows his eyes on his wife like whatever he is upset about has to do with her. "Your father and I had it out so your mother told me that I should leave early."
"What did you two argue about anyway?"
He moves a few steps away from his former wife not wanting to be in the same room with her at the moment.
"Your father kept accusing me of the fallout of our marriage, so I told him about cheating on you with Tricia which led to me telling him about how we were in an open marriage. "
Sean watches Louise raise one of her eyebrows as he mentions confessing to her father about their personal affairs. He knows that they agreed not to inform anyone, however, since they're no longer married he believes that those secrets should not be hidden any longer.
I can't even look at you right now." Louise declares.
She hadn't planned on telling her father of her marital issues, now her entire family. Plus half of the town is going to know what actually went on in her bedroom.
"Good thing, I'm moving out."
Before Louise can react, Sean heads towards the staircase to go upstairs.
Louise goes to the window beside the door seeing the cloudy overlay with sunlight attempting to peak through. She starts to think about a brighter time in her life, in which she hadn't thought about in years.
​
2008
Louise is about to walk into the cottage they purchased on the lake,
Sean: "What are you doing?"
Louise: "What do you think I'm doing, going into our new home."
He then swoops her up into his broad arms she smiled at him like he cannot do anything wrong.
Sean: "Remember when I promised you when we got this place I was going to carry you over the threshold."
Louise laughs whilst they enter into the empty hallway of the home.
Louise: "I love you."
Sean: "I love you too."
They then kissed one another passionately.
It seemed like life was more full of optimism than where they're both our now presently.
RADCLIFFE HIGH SCHOOL
With the clock on the wall on the first floor of Radcliffe High confirming that it is currently 3:10 PM means it is ten minutes after the dismissal bell rang. As much as Tanner Lockhart is used to staying after school for orchestra. Today is one of those days she wishes she was part of the flow of her peers exiting out of the building. Instead, she along with her fraternal twin sister Lynn is heading into the gymnasium.
In a navy blue sweatshirt with New York written across with a pair of jeans and sneakers with her backpack on her back, her coat in her arms.
"Tell me why in the hell are we going to watch Jordan run her skinny ass around the gym?" Lynn Lockhart demands carelessly
"I already told you she invited Tommy and me, besides I don't want Jordan making snide comments about how I didn't show up even though she asked me in order to get Tommy to herself."
Earlier today, Tommy, Jordan, and herself were in the library when she invited them after school to watch her at her track and field cross-country practice. Tanner knows her ex-best friend well enough that this is the way she is trying to hook up with Tommy.
Inside of the gymnasium girls of them was in their work-out clothes were stretching all over the floor. Whilst about ten people were sitting in the bleachers. Yet the girls hadn't expected their best friend Elijah to be in here knowing how much he despises Jordan too.
The twins step up to join the boys on the second bench in the bleachers.
The sound of a whistle being blown by a balding fifty-something male known as Coach Briggs who is also Lynn's trigonometry teacher gathers the girls around in a huddle.
"I got a question for all of us, why are we here exactly? " Elijah Barker asks randomly.
"You don't mean you don't like seeing hot girls run around in shorts?" Tommy Covington inquiries
"I usually do, but if they're on a team with Jordan McKnight something has to be wrong with them," Elijah replies
Noises of sneakers squeaking on the floor when the girls are starting to run. Jordan is jogging yet manages to wave at Tommy up in the bleachers with the widest smile belonging on an athlete on a toothpaste commercial.
Tommy, of course, makes a small gesture with his hand.
"All right, I survived long enough I'm out." Lynn declares.
"Where are you going, Lenny?" Tanner says
"I'll go wait in the car, gimme the keys."
"Are you forgetting that mom and dad will kill you if you even get your hands on the car key? "
Lynn is still unable to drive her and her sister's shared car due to her skipping classes and falling grades. Now in a few months time her grades our slowly rising again and she hasn't left school grounds in the middle of the day.
She retrieves the keys from her messenger bag then drops them in her sister's hand. "Please don't get any crazy ideas."
"Thanks"
With that Lynn speedily walk out of the room.
Elijah looks out towards the door and back to the center of the gym.
"I'll go keep Lenny company," he says
He then steps forward out of the room.
Both Tommy and Tanner glance at one another knowing that Lynn and Elijah have feelings for each other. Although isn't willing to betray the trust that they were told with from them respectively.
Tanner sees that he is now concentrating on the girls which have a grin on his face.
"Like what you see do you?" she questions him
"Oh yeah,"
Tanner rolls her eyes at his response.
Tommy gives her his attention now. "What? I'm not going to say sorry for looking if I didn't know any better sounds like you're jealous."
THE WATERFALL BAR
A light crowd in the afternoon is sprinkled throughout the bar. As Mae Jackson is behind the counter nursing her own glass of merlot. Remnants of the flute of Kem's Set You Free is playing from the sound system underneath her.She lifts her head up when she sees the familiar sighting of her best friend Esther Saunders approaching her way in a black and multi-color botanical floral print open front cardigan and slacks.
"Hey" Mae greets welcomingly.
"Hi yourself, Darling," Esther says in her natural southern drawl. She pulls herself up on the stool putting her carry-all bag in front of her on the counter.
Mae prepares her friend's favorite drink which is a martini she passes her the cocktail.
"I know the last time we spoke, you told me that you were going to visit Will, so how did it go?" Esther asks in a curious manner
Mae starts to fill her in about going to visit her son in prison who is serving a three-year sentence for forgery and fraud. It was initially tough for her to see him for the first time in many months. However, she is able to manage to talk some sense into him before he went back to his cell.
Esther doesn't hide her concern on her face.
"Come on, I've been your friend for far too long to know you're biting that tongue of yours. "
"I know you're excited that there is a chance that your son might be getting out, but I don't want you to get your hopes up if that does not happen. "
Mae too had thought of that, though she would want nothing more to see her youngest child out the jail and to be home where he belongs. She still cannot shake the gut feeling it might go either way.
"All I can do is pray for a good outcome, by the way, he looks better than I thought he would he could use some good home cooking to put some meat on those bones. "
Esther takes a few sips out of her cocktail listening to her friend.
"I know I ain't got no business telling you how to feel one way or the other about Will maybe you need to tell Shauna that her uncle is possibly getting out? "
Mae had put off telling her granddaughter about the possibility of him getting out of prison due to how she was upset over what he did as well as The Jacksons being the center for the town's only newspaper The Radcliffe Chronicle starting from when he got arrested to his sentencing. Mae always assumed it was because they're a small population of blacks living in the community so when they commit a crime it's news around here.
"I will tell her soon." Mae then takes a drink of her merlot. "So how have you been lately lady? " Mae changes the subject.
Esther informs her about how she is slowly opening up the stables to riders because of the week of decent temperatures. Mae, however, couldn't stop thinking about how her son's homecoming might affect the rest of the family too.
RADCLIFFE HIGH SCHOOL
Sitting behind the wheel of the parked Fiat in the half-clear student parking lot, Lynn is staring at the screen of her iPhone whilst the stereo is kicking out Without Me by Halsey.
A knock on the door of the car makes Lynn somewhat cautious however is somewhat a relief that it is Elijah standing outside. She unlocks the door which a second later he takes refuge inside the car.
It was only a few weeks ago when she told Tanner and her Aunt that she is beginning to have feelings for him. In a way, she knows it's silly for her to feel so nervous about being around him but doesn't want their friendship to be affected if their relationship doesn't last.
"You know what, I got to tell you something, and it's - important." Elijah says
​
She puts some of her hair back behind her ear thinking it is a move that some lovestruck girl would do when she is around her crush.
"You go first, Lenny," Elijah says respectfully.
"All right, uh for a while now I 've uh, why is this so freaking hard to say? "
"Say what?" Elijah asks sensitively
"Elijah I like you, and I'm not just talking about us as friends, I like you in a different way, do you know what I'm trying to tell you?"
"Yeah" he nods
"Please don't make me."
"I like you too," Elijah interjects swiftly.
She sees that he does not have that type of smirk he usually has when he is joking with someone. Instead of a look of happiness is upon his face.
"Since we're over that uncomfortable hurdle, Lynn would you like to go on a date with me this weekend?" Elijah asks candidly
Lynn looks outside of the front window at nothing particular then back to him.
"Yeah, a dinner and a movie would be good."
Elijah rubs his palm on his leg. "All right, this weekend prepare for the best time in your life," Elijah tells her somewhat humorously.
"Well, you might get lucky with a hug when you drop me off at home. " Lynn says
******
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"I get that you're probably used to having all the girls falling all over you. I mean look at Jordan making a fool of herself, now why would I be jealous of that Tommy? " Tanner says mockingly.
Tommy observes Jordan walking to retrieve her bottle of Evian out of her tote bag on the empty lower bench albeit the team's belongings laying there. It seems being covered in sweat and exhilaration makes her look like her age and not someone trying to pass herself as five years older.
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"Told you I saved you a bench, how am I doing? " Jordan inquires
"Think you're doing fine J." he compliments
Desperately Tanner wants to get things to leave the lovebirds in peace. She, however, didn't want Jordan nor Tommy to accuse her of being envious.
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Jordan places both of her hands on her hips. "Coach said that I need to improve my time by fifty seconds," Jordan says bitterly. "But luckily I'm fast in everything else." she smiles widely.
​
Tanner's blood pressure slowly rises, as she puts her coat on she then gets her messenger bag around her neck along with her violin case sitting at the bottom of her feet.
"Tanner are you leaving already?" Jordan says a little louder than needed.
She is near the steps when Tanner turns around to reluctantly face the both of them.
"Yeah, I forgot that I had a bunch of chores to do at home. " Tanner lies
"What about the driving lesson for today? " Tommy asks
Tanner notices that he sounds somewhat rejected by her leaving.
"We can set up another a day bye. " Tanner says quickly.
​
Taking off into the hallway strongly feeling both Jordan and Tommy eyes were on the back of her. Tanner has never felt this way she doesn't know what is happening to her.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
On the couch now Louise sees her husband coming downstairs with a suitcase in his possession.
"Where are you going?" I thought that you were having a hard time looking for an apartment."
Sean puts down the suitcase on the ground. "I don't have anything lined up at the moment, but I got a room at Hotel Cliffe until I can get a place."
Louise rolls her eyes at the thought of him, just taking off without any warning in spite of him already declaring leaving a week or so ago, but she thought he would stay longer more for the sake of the children than herself. If she had it her way, he would've been out on his behind when she filed for divorce.
"So what are you going to tell the girls when they get home about you moving out? "
It is Sean's turn to look quite uncomfortable as he clumsily shifts the position of his body. "I am going to call them later on when I get settled in. "
Louise scoffs humorously "You got to be the worst fucking communicator I ever met."
"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black," Sean says loudly.
"Every time when things get tough you take off, you know what get the hell out of here. " Louise says viciously.
Tears start streaming down her face, she didn't care at this moment if he sees them unlike in the past.
"I'll be back for the rest of my things in a couple of days when I can get around to looking for a storage unit. "
Louise doesn't know what comes over her this act she is about to commit isn't in her personality but she felt that it was long overdue.
​
She smacks her husband's cheek hard leaving it red due to the force of it.
Sean strokes the side of his face soothing the throbbing pain He walks out of the house as if he was some stranger, not some longtime resident.
With the sound of the door shutting, Louise collapses onto the couch crying for even feeling bad about seeing her ex-husband leave their house, upset that she failed as a wife, not to mention she is going to have to explain to the girls about what all took place.
The images of memories in her head start playing like one of those View-Masters she had when she was a child.
Her walking down the aisle on her way to becoming Mrs. Sean Lockhart.
The two of them enjoying a day at the beach on their honeymoon in the Florida Keys.
Times of making love with one another.
The exact moment when they were both told that they were expecting twins during the sonogram appointment in the hospital.
Familial events filled with joy and happiness.
When she confronted him over his affair with Tricia.
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Louise finds herself overcome with emotion she had seen either Lynn or Tanner come in the house. She is surprised to see them sitting beside her on the couch.
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"Mom, what's wrong?" Tanner asks concerningly
"I don't think I ever saw you look so sad in my life mom," Lynn says
"Girls, I have to tell you something - your father moved out," Louise says barely above a whisper.
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As the girls are about to voice their reactions Louise holds one of each of her daughters' hands.
"I just want you to know whatever problems your father and I are facing, we both love you very much and we'll keep on being here for the two of you no matter what."
The arm of Lynn go around her mother whilst Tanner does the same. The three of them are all with the knowledge that their lives will change forever.
END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
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Sean reaches out to his daughters.
Louise finds herself in the center of attention.
Mae takes Shauna out for a day of fun and pampering.
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