EPISODE 143
Written by : Bre L. Drew
August 2, 2021
Last Time On Town and Country
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Louise informed Sean of Tricia's role in the secret regarding Tommy fathering Jordan's baby.
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Lynn feels like she is betraying her sister by keeping the secret from her.
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Jai and Louise started to get closer romantically.
WHEELER BUILDING : APT # 424
With the handle in hand, Tricia Lockhart rolls her suitcase and herself off the elevator onto the fourth floor, where she and her husband's apartment is. She still is trying to wrap her mind around the fact that nothing in the last few days had gone according to plan. Instead, Tommy is the primary caregiver to the baby he hadn't want any part of raising. While, her good friend, who sacrificed a lot to bring this child into the world, became discouraged enough to leave across the country to deal with her postpartum depression on her own. She had tried to convince Jordan to stick around even when she had dropped her off at the airport in White Oak. Though Jordan told her she wasn't going to be gone forever,
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Using her key, Tricia unlocks the door to her apartment, which she enters. She places her purse on the credenza while she leaves the suitcase in the corner by the door.
Tricia strolls into the kitchen to get a bottle of water out of the fridge. She decided she needed to take a long hot shower and get out of the clothes she had been for twenty-four hours. She turns around to see Sean in the same space with his hands at his sides. He is wearing a navy blue t-shirt with the logo on the left chest and green stripes on the front with a pair of dark denim jeans.
"Hey, I didn't know you were home," Tricia says casually.
Sean approaches her as he puts his arms around his wife. "Been here all day; how was Napa?"
"I had a good time," she lies.
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As Tricia is about to kiss him, he quickly pulls away.
"I know things were not in a good place when I left, but if it is upsetting you still, maybe we should hash it out."
Husband and wife had another disagreement over whether or not it was time for them to start a family.
Sean scoffs mockingly. "Now you want to hash things out,"
Tricia doesn't shield her dismay.
Sean collapses his arms onto his chest. "Maybe we should hash it out about you lying to me about going to California?" "Or the fact you've been hiding the truth from me that my daughter's boyfriend got another girl knocked up behind her back?"
FRANKLIN FARM : MAIN HOUSE
Tanner being unhappy at home by something she could've prevented made Lynn Lockhart hop in the Fiat to get some air. She would've gone over to Elijah's house to unload since he is too is aware of knowing Tommy had slept with Jordan, but he was at work, and it was past his time for a break; she needed to be somewhere no one knew of her duplicity. So that is why around twenty-five minutes later, she is coming in the side door connected to the kitchen of her family's house on Franklin Farm. This place always has been a second home to her. And now, since she works on the land, it makes it even more. Lynn then takes a seat at the head of the table in the kitchen, unsure of her next move.
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Esther Saunders walks in the room wearing a black tunic with printed dot ruffle sleeves and white ankle pants with black pumps on her feet. "I thought I heard someone in here; how are you doing, darling?" Her great-aunt addresses her in her trademark southern drawl.
"Hi, Aunt Esther," Lynn says politely.
The older Saunders woman puts her hands on her hips. "Does this have to do with Tanner and that unfaithful boy?"
"Oh, you heard about everything?" Lynn remarks
Esther nods obligingly. "Your mother had called your grandmother, who told me. Once again, one of them is responsible for the devastation of a member of this family."
Lynn knew Esther is referring to the longstanding feud between their family with the Covington's. And in a way, she could see the commonality; still, the bigger picture still to her is that she withheld this information too.
Esther detects her assumption isn't that all is bothering her great-niece, so she takes a seat adjacent to the table.
"Lynn, what is it?"
Lenny shakes her head before responding. "What if you knew something before the other person, but if you knew that you told them, it would be the worst thing?"
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"Darling, I think you gotta tell me a little more,"
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
Carefully, Louise Saunders Lockhart knocks on the door of her daughter's bedroom. Ever since it all came out, Tommy being the father of Jordan's baby. She remains outside of her room to hear any sign of life.
"I'm okay, mom," Tanner announces like she is trying to hold back her sorrow.
"Do you need anything?" Louise announces through the sealed barrier.
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"No,"
Louise does her best not to intrude on her daughter's privacy. "Let me know if you do,"
With that, Louise finds herself moving towards the staircase when the well-known tenor of the doorbell gets her to pick up her pace descending downstairs. Opening the door, she finds Jai Gupta, who smiles when he sees her. His beautiful grin begins to somewhat make her weak in the knees, a feeling she hasn't had for another man in such a long time.
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"Hi," she says pleasantly.
"Hello, I'm not intruding, am I?" he says in his relaxed British accent.
"No, you're not,"
She steps aside to allow him into the cottage while she shuts the door.
Jai casually looks around the house since it is his first time inside of it. "You have a nice home,"
"Thanks," Louise replies.
She then leads him into the living room, where they are next to each other on the sofa.
"I wanted to stop by to see how were you doing?" Jai queries
Louise sighs heavily while running her hand through her blonde hair.
"This whole thing is rough on Tanner, and I wish I can do more to help her through this."
"But you can't," Jai states understandably.
Louise's expression on her face becomes more regretful.
"You know as a parent. You try to be there for your child. But when they get older, it's a lot harder, you can't do too much because they think you're trying to control them, but you feel like you're the worst when you feel like you haven't done enough."
He responds by bowing his head. "It doesn't get any easier,"
FRANKLIN FARM : MAIN HOUSE
"So that pretty much sums it up. I've known about Tommy being Jordan's baby daddy since almost the beginning, which I kept from her."
Esther breathes deeply after hearing everything from her great niece. It then makes her think of the sordid secret she had
kept from her family about Deirdre was having an extramarital affair with her father over thirty years ago.
"I'm not sure what I should do, Aunt Esther. I mean, I feel like what happened is partly on me. If I would've told Tanner the truth, she would've --
"Been more prepared for the inevitable?" Esther interjects instinctively. "Possibly, then again, you can't control anyone else's reaction but your own; trust me on that. I know you were trying to protect your sister from that type of pain."
Lenny had never been close to her great-aunt, but she found herself feeling a bit better by confessing to someone who isn't involved in the situation.
"Do you think I should tell her?" Lynn urges
"I am a firm believer in being truthful, but as you become older, you start to realize some things are better left unsaid."
Lynn raises both of her eyebrows. "So, I should keep this from her?"
"I can't answer that, but the most important thing is you're there for your sister," Esther recommends
Lenny remains sitting uncertainly about what to do.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
Louise had pretty much confided in her new beau about what is currently going on with her family and herself; she somewhat felt better from it.
"You know when Daniel headed to White Oak, he lied to Mala that he had some issues at the office he had to clear up." Jai acknowledges.
Louise places her hand over her face. "Oh god, I hadn't realized how many people this affects." How is she?"
"If I know her the way I do, she is putting on a brave front, but behind closed doors -- this was the first guy she's been in a serious relationship with since our divorce; it's rough all around."
"I'm sorry for talking your head off. I bet you have better things to do this afternoon."
Jai waves his hand informally. "Inventory at the market can wait; anyway. I have become fond of you, Louise Saunders Lockhart,"
The way he says her full name makes her blush. She is relieved she can't see herself at this moment. "Well, I can say the same thing about you too,"
Never being the one to pass up on the opportunity to espouse his feelings, Jai leans toward Louise, where their lips pressed together. She encloses both her arms around him, continuing to kiss intensely.
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From her viewpoint, at the bottom of the staircase, Tanner can see her mother and her friend's father making out. In some way, she is glad to see her mom moving on. Then again, she gets reminded of when Tommy and her made out. All of those times, he kept the truth from her. She then dashes back upstairs to be avoided; she isn't ready to be seen by people outside her family except for her friends.
WHEELER BUILDING : APT # 424
"I forgot about no secret being safe in this backwoods town," Tricia responds snidely.
"I think you mean the secret isn't safe from this backwoods guy, all these months, you kept the fact that punk-ass boy cheated on my daughter and got another girl pregnant; why did you do that, Tricia?" he demands
Tricia puts the bottle of water down on the countertop. "You don't understand,"
"Then maybe you should tell me then," Sean says patronizingly.
"Jordan confided in me about being pregnant and, I couldn't betray her like that. This girl doesn't have anyone in her corner; even her own parents threw her out when she didn't agree to get rid of the baby, which was beyond wrong. Not to mention Tommy, who you should be attacking the most out of all of who knew about this."
Sean shakes his head at what his wife just informed him. "Who else knows?"
Tricia reflects on Elijah and Lynn knowing the truth. "I'm sorry for keeping this from you, but I don't have any regrets from doing so. It wasn't my place."
"Once again, you've chosen that girl's side over your own stepdaughter."
She chuckles ruefully. "Well, that stepdaughter told me to screw myself."
Sean has a look that he is weighing his next thought carefully.
"I'm tired of this, yes the girls might have their issues with you, but you're the adult deal with it in a mature way instead of having this hatred you have of them."
Sean inches closer to his wife. "You know what's the funny part of all this?"
"I don't think a nineteen-year-old girl with postpartum depression abandoning her newborn son to go across the country is remotely funny, Sean."
"Whatever you say," Sean remarks unbelievably. "You protest about not wanting a child, but you've hiding been the secret about someone else's baby."
He strides out of the apartment, shutting the door vigorously behind him.
Tricia is left in the kitchen hosting a hotbed of emotions. She had planned to sit him down to tell him all of this on her terms. It made her pause, wondering who told him? Yet, at this second, it doesn't seem important in the grand schemes of things.
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END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Tommy brings his son home from the hospital.
Max and Shauna come to an understanding.
Emma finds herself defending Will.
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