EPISODE 155
Written by : Bre L. Drew
October 25, 2021
Last Time On Town and Country
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Lynn and friends showed concern for Elijah, whose drinking is becoming a problem for him as he showed up to work three hours late drunk, which made Tricia fire him.
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Will and Emma get closer as the opening night of their nightclub is approaching.
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Daniel sought out Tricia to find out about Jordan's current whereabouts.
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SAMPSON UNIVERSITY: ABRAHAMS DORMITORY
Between getting fired from Jojo's and not getting much support from the faculty regarding the student senate's proposal to make tuition more affordable for low-income students. Elijah Barker hadn't been inspired to leave his room. Though he has been keeping up with his work the best way he can since he refuses a repeat performance last year regarding his grades.
As he is sitting down at his desk, attempting to focus on the chapter in his textbook on International Policy. He hears someone knocking on the door, which makes him get onto his feet; he finds his girlfriend Lynn Lockhart standing in the doorway wearing a navy and red plaid fleece-lined shirt jacket revealing a black v-neck t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
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"Hey, I wasn't expecting you," Elijah remarks.
"You're not busy right now, are you?" she asks.
Elijah's posture becomes more relaxed. "You know I'm never too busy for you, come on in,"
As he steps aside to allow her into his mostly neat room, Lynn tries to study him to see if he is under the influence. A part of her is relieved he doesn't seem to be. Then again, she hates she has to make sure her boyfriend is drunk.
"We need to talk," she says importantly.
Elijah heavily sighs. "Uh oh, this sounds serious,"
"Driving drunk, getting fired, yeah, it's serious,"
"I've had been planning to quit there for a while now," Elijah lies.
Lynn shakes her head in disgust. "You're a terrible liar,"
"Lenny, what are you getting at?"
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"I think you know - Elijah, you need help."
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JOJO'S CAFE
Brynn Barker steps inside the café on this chilly autumn afternoon, seeing several customers inside, most she had known due to years of her residing in the small rural town as first a teacher and now principal of the local high school. Usually, after getting done with her workday, she tended to head home. However, with several pressing matters, including parent-teacher conferences and finding another teacher to be staff advisor for the senior class. She needed a caffeine pick-me-up on her way home.
"Finally Woken" by Jem is playing on a SiriusXM channel on the sound system.
The establishment was decorated for Halloween with carved pumpkins in the center of tables as well as different cutouts of bats and other netherworld items hanging in various areas too.
Brynn reaches the counter where she sees her son's boss Tricia Lockhart is standing behind, showcasing a slight smile on her face. The manager is wearing a dark green balloon-sleeve blouse with dark blue jeans, and her dark brown hair is in a ponytail.
When she reaches the front of the line, Tricia's posture slightly changes to more reserved, which Brynn doesn't pay that much attention to since she is used to being treated like this due to her position as an authority figure.
"Good afternoon," Brynn greets diplomatically.
"Brynn, hi, look, I know why you are here." Tricia assumes
Some confusion arises on her even-tempered face.
"I beg your pardon,"
Tricia decides to lower her voice some. "I hope Barker takes some to get his priorities straightened out. And realize, I had no other choice but to fire him."
While lifting her head out of her tote bag to locate her credit card. Brynn thought she heard Tricia telling her she fired Elijah, which can't be correct since he hadn't told her from the phone conversations in the last week.
"I think I might've heard you wrong. Did you just say you terminated my son's employment?"
At first, Tricia looks to see if anyone else is behind the red hair woman; of course, there are about three more people. She wonders how she approaches someone unaware of her son coming to work three hours late smelling of booze.
She folds her arms onto her chest.
"You know, I think you should talk with your son to find out why he no longer works here,"
"Are you serious?" Brynn says through clenched teeth
"I think it's best you find out from him. I don't feel comfortable telling you."
"You make it sound like you caught Elijah participating in drag racing like Vin Diesel in those Fast and Furious movies!" Brynn exclaims
Choosing to forgo her cup of coffee, the school principal turns on her heels back into the chilly day to get to the bottom of things.
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FRANKLIN FARM : MAIN HOUSE
Before he heads over to the club as he and Emma are prepping for the opening on Halloween night, Will Jackson is in the kitchen of the Saunders household making himself a turkey club sub sandwich.
As he goes over to the kitchen table, he sees Martha Saunders stepping into the room, causing an uncomfortable silence between them. Due to him deciding to let her think he had been involved romantically with Emma because he knows if he would start seeing her he would do something to hurt her due to his past.
"Hey," they both say in unison.
Martha goes to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water.
"You still comin' to the club on Halloween, right?" Will asks casually
"Am I still on the VIP list, or did Kim Kardashian Lite remove my name?" Martha notes sarcastically
Will takes a bite of his sandwich.
"I guess I deserve that. I know things didn't work out between us, but can we still be friends?"
Martha placed the bottle of water on the counter, then her hands onto her hips. "Look, I know I have no reason for being upset with you. I mean, it isn't like we were in a committed relationship - all I'm saying is you have the right to go out with whomever you want, even if it's Emma."
Will puts the remaining part of his sub onto his plate, feeling somewhat guilty about letting this continue.
"Please come, bring anyone you want; maybe a drink or two will be on the house," he winks.
"Maybe I will drop by," she teases. "Well, I gotta get to work, see you later,"
Martha picks up her water and goes out of the backdoor.
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HOME FARM
"I'm not too late, am I?" Tricia asks Courtney Covington
She had just made it over to the estate from work, where on her way, she was sitting in traffic on the expressway for what it felt like forever.
"No, no, the seamstress hasn't arrived yet; come on in,"
Today, Tricia is getting fitted for her matron of honor dress. In a little over two months, Courtney will be marrying Steven on Christmas Eve.
The two then settle into the living room, in which the Covington heiress notices a certain radiance upon Tricia.
Courtney takes some strands of her hair behind her ear. "Maybe it's just my imagination, or is someone glowing?"
Tricia does her best to hide a suspicious smirk on her face.
"I take things between Sean, and you are in a better place." Courtney considers
"Yeah, you can say that,"
Tricia is somewhat still on a high from her wedding anniversary, when she and Sean had sex and talked throughout the night. She was glad the two of them are getting along much better than the last few months due to her withholding the truth about Tommy and Jordan from him and Tanner. However, she is reminded she is keeping the fact she kissed Samuel to herself, knowing her bout of unfaithfulness.
The din of a crying baby can be heard as the family's longtime housekeeper Gabriella walks down the stairs holding the three-month-old infant in her arms.
Tricia begins to smile when she realizes it is Jeremy.
"Is that who I think it is?" she asks warmly.
Her friends nod, while Gabriella quickly informs her that Lilith has the day off, and that is why she is taking care of him until Tommy gets home from the office.
The housekeeper dashes out of the room into the kitchen while Courtney does her best to cheer her nephew up.
"I can't believe how much he has grown," Tricia remarks.
The last time she had seen him, he was a newborn in the NICU after having a procedure to seal a hole in his heart. But now the beautiful blonde baby boy is healthy.
Courtney looks at the baby, who had stopped crying, for the most part, then onto her friend. "Do you want to hold him?"
At first, Tricia is about to protest, since she doesn't have much experience with young children. Though she thinks about Jordan, knowing, she would at least want someone she trusts to look over her son.
Courtney stands up and carefully places Jeremy into her friend's arms.
Tricia stares at his innocent face, seeing so much of Jordan in his nose and mouth.
"You might not remember me, but I was there when you were born,"
Jeremy lifts his left leg before it becomes too much for him and gives up.
He then makes a gurgling noise in which makes her smirk.
She also recalls Daniel harassing her at dinner about seeking Jordan's whereabouts. Other than dropping her off at the airport nearly four months ago.
She has no idea which city or state her friend could be. Not to mention, she could be still dealing with postpartum depression, one of the reasons she felt she had to leave.
I will make sure you will know about your mother, Tricia thinks to herself.
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THE CLIFFE
"You are the best, I already know you know that, but it needed to be said again, - thanks again, Chao,"
Emma Covington ends the call from behind the bar inside her new nightclub that is set to open to the public on the night of Halloween,
When she hears footsteps, approaching, she thinks it is Will who is dropping by to get some stuff together for next week.
"You never believe who I got to play for our first night," she announces
"Now, who would that be?" Daniel Covington says, making his presence known.
"You're the last person I thought would show up here,"
Daniel gazes around the facility before his sight landed upon his sister. "I thought I would see where the money you blackmailed me went to,"
Emma had found out that Tommy had impregnated Jordan McKnight, which she used to get access to her trust fund that wasn't at her disposal due to her jet-setting ways were getting out of control.
"Now, now, Daniel, don't be petty. I wouldn't have to do that if you didn't decide to cut me off," she replies. "I guess it goes to show I can be as ruthless as you are, and dad was when it comes to getting what I want."
Daniel sticks both of his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "Speaking of ruthless, why are you still letting Will Jackson run this establishment?"
Quickly, Emma rotates her eyes in the back of her head, already tiring of hearing about how insane she must be by letting the former ex-con run her nightclub.
"For your information, I'm still in charge of this place; Will is only in charge of the services of the club, nothing more."
"Does he know that?"
Emma saunters from behind the bar. "You, Shauna, Max, and everyone else in this godforsaken town act as if Will Jackson is some deranged serial killer, but he has made a few mistakes that have gotten him in trouble. But I've come to trust him."
As Daniel stands there, not being quite keen on his sister defending him. While the person in question is standing behind the pillar out of sight,
"I'm telling you this for your own good, a man like that -
"I don't care what you think now, if you don't mind. I have things to do." Emma boldly interjects
"Just keep a watchful eye on him,"
Daniel turns around to exit out of the bar as Will comes out from behind the pillar, which gets her attention.
"Did you hear all of that?"
Will puts his hands in both of his pants pockets. "Good to know that you don't think I'm some murderer,"
Emma smirks with discomfort. "Sorry about that,"
"No, I guess everyone will forever see I'm some con artist who forged their dying father's name on checks."
"That doesn't make it right,"
Will uneasily sighs at his unlikely friend and employer. "Maybe, but when you live here, and you're black, well, you get what I'm talkin' about."
Emma looks into his eyes for a moment, realizing at this moment how vulnerable he is with her. She decides to fill him on the deejay from New York City who will be the entertainer for their big night,
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SAMPSON UNIVERSITY : ABRAHAMS DORMITORY
"I'm not some alcoholic who can't stop thinking about drinking every second. He replies defensively. "I have a few drinks occasionally, and yeah, I might've used some shitty judgment that time."
Lynn scoffs ruefully "This isn't you; what is going on?"
"I didn't know you were attending college, let alone getting your degree in psychiatry?" Elijah says sneeringly
Lenny runs her hands through her long blonde hair, trying not to lose her patience. "You have no idea how hard this is for me, but I refuse to give up on you."
Having enough for one day, she opens the door, where she nearly runs into Elijah's mother.
"Hello Lynn, may I speak to my son alone for a moment, please?" Brynn says more of a command than a proposal.
"No problem, I was leavin' anyway,"
Elijah gives his girlfriend a regretful glance before she takes off down the hall.
"Tell me why this afternoon I had to hear from Tricia Lockhart that you were fired?"
Elijah nearly slaps his hand onto his forehead, wishing he had told her, not knowing someone else would. "Mom, I can explain,"
"I'm waiting to hear a reasonable explanation because I'm remembering the young man who begged your father and me to let you get a job telling us he would be responsible, but between getting mediocre grades last year, it seems you didn't meet your half of the bargain."
Times like these made Elijah wish his parents didn't treat him like he is still nine instead of nineteen years old. And of course, his grades would be the most important thing to them since he was young, he had been pressured to be the "perfect student,"
"Mom, drop it, okay. I can always get another job. I'm sure getting fired from a café in Radcliffe, Kentucky, isn't going to hurt my chances of getting into law school."
"Don't be flippant, Elijah, letting you go off on your own is a big deal for me and your father,"
"Mom, I live thirty minutes away from home; please don't act like I'm away in the big bad world alone."
Brynn showcases disbelief on her whole face at how rude her son is being at this moment which he has never been until now for some reason she doesn't know about,
"I'll talk to you later once you're in a better mood,"
With that, Principal Barker exits out of the door room, unsatisfied with how that scene played out back there.
Meanwhile, Elijah goes to his closet in his room, where he pulls out the bottle of vodka he brought from The Alley the day he got fired. Uncapping it, he begins to swig the clear distilled liquid.
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END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Radcliffe celebrates Halloween.
A secret is finally uncovered,
Someone makes a dangerous choice.
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