EPISODE 151
Written by : Bre L. Drew
September 26, 2021
Last Time On Town and Country
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Due to financial hardship, Aaliyah went to Jai to write a check which Lorenzo needed to stay in school. However, he decides not to accept the money and drop out of Sampson University.
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Martha is crushed to find out Will in a "passionate embrace" with Emma.
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Tricia kissed Samuel before promising Sean she be honest with him going further.
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Elijah started experimenting with alcohol when he first went to a bar in Hudson Lake that sold alcohol to 18-year-olds.
WHEELER BUILDING : APT # 323
Jai Gupta stares down at the screen of his iPhone with the text sent from Samuel informing him he is now leaving the hospital and will meet him at The Waterfall in twenty minutes, where the father and son will catch up over a beer and a bite to eat.
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Quickly, he fires a response to confirm he received that message before obtaining the phone from the counter in the galley kitchen. His concentration is then interrupted by a light knock onto the front door of his third-floor apartment in the Wheeler Building.
He opens the barrier to find someone he hadn't anticipate seeing anytime soon.
"Hi, Mr. Gupta, how are you doing?" Lorenzo Vidal greets him.
The young man is wearing a lightweight white hoodie and gray sweatpants.
"I'm doing fine; how are you?"
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"Okay," he says uneasily.
Lorenzo takes something out of the right hand pocket of his hoodie that looks quite familiar to Jai.
"I appreciate you, sir, for trying to help, but I can't take your money."
Jai takes the check he wrote for him to cover the $1500 balance of tuition he owed for the first half of his sophomore year of college, which was at the behest of Aaliyah, who felt he needed this.
Lorenzo nods his head respectfully. "Well, thanks, I better get outta of here,"
He turns around to head out when Jai decides he can't let him leave like this. His daughter later informed him that not only has Lorenzo dropped out of college, but is back staying at the guest house on Home Farm for the time being.
"Hey, man, come back here,"
Obligingly, he complies.
Jai gestures for him to sit on the couch next to him as he puts the check into his inner blazer pocket,
"Forgive me if it seems like I'm intruding in your life, but do you have a plan on what you're going to do now since you decided to leave school?"
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LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
"Hello, earth to Elijah," Lynn Lockhart whispers to Elijah Barker.
The two were in her bedroom in bed after having sex in the currently empty house, as Tanner's staying at the dorm and her mother is having dinner at the farm.
Her boyfriend opens his eyes as he realizes he passed out due to being tired. "How long was I out for?" he yawns.
Lynn tucks some strands of her long blonde hair behind her left ear. "About ten minutes," she replies. "Why, what's going on?"
"If I don't move now, then I will be late to meet with some people from Student Senate, so we can find a way to make Sampson more affordable for students."
Since Lorenzo decided to leave the university due to his financial hardship, it made Elijah even more aware by taking a stand on the issue that affects half the school's undergraduate student body.
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"That's a great thing, but it seems you're running yourself down again, like you did all last year."
"I'm fine," Elijah says somewhat convincingly.
Lynn glances at him with some concern.
"Well, let me make you some coffee for the road,"
She then bestows a kiss onto his cheek before getting out of bed to go downstairs.
Meanwhile, Elijah collapses on the bed, closing his eyes for a few seconds.
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THE WATERFALL BAR
This evening, the local bar is populated with several regular customers while B.B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone" plays on the sound system.
Behind the bar, Martha Saunders is covering for Antoine tonight with some girl he met here a few weeks ago. Across from her is Shauna Covington sitting nursing her white wine, still in disbelief.
"Let me get this straight; you had been harboring feelings for Will?"
She and Martha are discussing her having a thing for Will since he came to stay at the farm. However, when she was ready to tell him about it, she caught him in the arms of Shauna's aunt-in-law Emma at the nightclub they're going to run together.
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"That is one of the reasons why I didn't want you or anyone to know," Martha remarks. "I knew you would've talked me out of it, to begin with."
Her best friend tastes some wine, thinking how right she would've been. "My uncle is nothing but himself, which is an asshole with a capital A."
As Shauna takes another drink of her wine, Martha thought, he had changed from the person he was that ended up in prison when he first came to stay at the farm, but he proved her wrong.
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"And you would think Emma would have better taste," Shauna says doubtfully
Martha lifts both of her arms widely. "I'm moving on."
"Words to live by," Samuel Gupta comments charismatically.
The two women greet their friend as he takes a seat on the stool beside Shauna.
"What can I get for you, Dr. Gupta?" Martha offers
He requests and rapidly receives a bottle of beer from the bartender; he fills them on in meeting his father here.
As he mostly listens in on a conversation from Shauna, from the corner of his eye, he sees his good friend Tricia Lockhart entering the establishment; he is about to throw his hand to wave when the appearance of her husband. Quickly he dashes his movement as he thinks back of the kiss Tricia and himself shared in the exact spot he is in now a few weeks back when he had been feeling down for getting turned down by a woman that was trying to get Antoine's intention instead of his.
Despite the attraction; he had towards her when they first met. He knows nothing more can happen between them.
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Sean Lockhart grabs a menu off the table while sitting across from his wife inside the crowded bar.
"Who knew The Château would be standing room tonight?"
The pair were all set to dine at the finest dining restaurant in town until they went in there to find a massive amount of people waiting for a table. And the host informed them that they wouldn't receive anywhere to sit for at least two hours.
Tricia folds her hands together. "Ah, that's all right, you know I wasn't really in the mood for overpriced halibut. Anyway, as long as the two of us are together, that's what matters, right?"
Sean nods thoughtfully. "Absolutely,"
The two promised one another they would work on their marriage. Even though unbeknownst to him, Tricia had made out with Samuel in this same place when they were married got off track mainly to her withholding the truth about Tommy impregnating her friend even though he was dating Tanner.
Tricia sets a momentary glance on Samuel, wishing she hadn't let her impulse. She decides not to concentrate on what she did, but to look towards the future.
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WHEELER BUILDING : APT # 323
Lorenzo shrugs both of his shoulders, responding to his girlfriend's father's question about any of his future plans.
"To tell you the truth. I hadn't thought that far, Mr. Gupta,"
Jai can see something familiar in the young man that reminds him of himself starting out after school.
"You have to get one because before you know it, you're in your twenties with a wife and child to support." Jai notifies
Jai dips his head, understanding his point.
"Guess I'm trying to get some money to keep me from being dependent on people,"
The market owner checks the time on his watch on his wrist, recognizing he is running late to meet his son.
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"Someone as smart and resourceful as you got to have a plan."
"I need to find a job," Lorenzo declares truthfully. "But my dream is still to be a filmmaker," he adds.
For as long as he can remember, Lorenzo wanted to be a director for film and television. However, since he dropped out of school, he knows his goal seems unattainable at this moment, like his father trying to find employment.
Jai stands up from the couch to his full height. "Come down to the store tomorrow around 9, if you want, it's a job there for you."
"Mr. Gupta, I don't want a handout,"
"I get that you have pride, but usually that leads to a hard fall, Lorenzo, trust me,"
"I gotta go,"
Jai picks up his iPhone from the counter in the kitchen. "Can I at least save you a cab ride? What about, I will take you back to Home Farm."
At first, Lorenzo is about to refute, but decides not to.
"Yeah, thanks,"
The two men head out of the apartment.
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THE WATERFALL BAR
Shauna is on her second glass of wine; while Martha wipes off the bar counter down with a cloth.
"On a scale from one to ten, how much do you like Samuel?" Shauna surveys
"As a friend?" Martha asks nonchalantly
Shauna arches one of her eyebrows conspicuously. "Sure,"
"I dunno -- I guess 7, why?"
"As you said, you're moving on with your life. And what better way to do so with a good-looking doctor." Shauna proposes
Martha had never thought about Samuel romantically. Though she can see for herself that he is incredibly sexy. Yet, is unsure if she wants to throw herself down the rabbit hole of heartbreak again.
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While waiting on Tricia to come out of the restroom, so they can leave, he notices Samuel is at a table across the establishment. So he decides to go over to him.
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"Hey, how you doing?" Sean greets the psychiatrist.
With hesitance, Samuel lifts his head from the screen of his phone.
"I'm doing good; how are you?"
"Good,"
The two hadn't had much social interaction, just a few passing greetings. But what mostly Samuel can feel now is the guilt from kissing his married friend. A part of him wants to confess to him, but knows otherwise why he shouldn't.
"Can I get your opinion on something?" Sean inquiries
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"Sure," Samuel says somewhat suspiciously.
Sean shoves both of his hands in his pants pockets. "I want to do something special for Tricia. But don't have the slightest clue where to start, think you can help?"
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"I'm no expert on passion or anything, but just keep making her happy," Samuel advises
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"I'll try, thanks, man,"
As Tricia comes out of the restroom, she stops when she sees her husband and her friend; if Sean found out about her kissing him, her marriage would not only suffer, but it might be over.
She briskly walks over to them, preparing to nip their conversation in the bud.
"Hi, Samuel," she greets her friend casually.
She then turns to her husband. "Babe, I think we should call it a night. I got to open the café in the morning."
"All right," Sean replies
Samuel gives clipped goodbyes to both of them as they exit out of The Waterfall.
"I'm screwed," he says to himself.
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LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
Elijah made it down the stairs to see Lynn in the kitchen by the coffee pot. He kisses her on the nape of her neck from behind.
"It's almost done," she tells him.
Lenny opens one of the top cabinets on her tippy-toes.
Elijah peers into the cupboard of assorted bottles of wines and vodkas; he is somewhat impressed by the collection; as his mouth becomes even drier.
Lynn realizes she has the wrong cabinet.
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"I forgot my mom rearranged everything last week."
She then opens the right one, containing several mugs and cups in it. Lynn grabs the red one and then closes it.
She is about to pour the steamy beverage into the cup when the familiar ringtone from Lenny's iPhone penetrates through the house.
"I'll get the coffee," Elijah volunteers.
He waits until she leaves out of the kitchen when he opens the cabinet with the liquor inside. Elijah's hand lays upon the bottle of vodka, which he immediately retrieves. In a way, he feels foolish for being secretive about this, although he recalls Lynn calling him out for him drinking too much. He hadn't had a drop of alcohol to drink since then. Though, figures a little splash in his coffee wouldn't hurt. He hastily pops the cap open of the bottle and gets some alcohol in there.
Hearing the footsteps approaching him, he promptly puts the vodka bottle back into its original place.
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"That was Tanner; she wants to borrow the car tomorrow," Lynn informs him. "I still feel bad from keeping the fact that I knew about Tommy getting Jordan pregnant before she did."
Lynn had still been wrestling with guilt from keeping the secret from her twin sister for nearly a year now.
"I feel bad too, but with everything that happened, maybe we should let things remain; besides, it isn't going to help any one of them." Elijah denotes
Lynn sighs exasperatedly, not holding much to make her feel better for it.
Elijah takes in the strong mouthful of the caffeinated coffee enhanced with liquor.
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END OF EPISODE
ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Will faces some backlash.
Courtney gets reacquainted with someone.
Tanner and Tommy get unexpectedly partnered up.
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