EPISODE 101
Written by : Bre L. Drew
October 20, 2020
Last Time On Town and Country
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Daniel ushered in his forty-fifth birthday by being the guest of honor at his surprise birthday party held at Home Farm. Attended by his family and close friends, including notable celebrities John and Heather Merriwether. Yet his biggest shock was when his estranged sister Emma flew into the party literally in a helicopter.
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No love is still lost between former best friends Esther and Deirdre, who still our fighting a personal four-decade battle.
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Samuel saw another side to Tricia when she opened up to him about the years of abuse. Her mother has suffered at the hands of her stepfather.
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Tommy couldn't stop thinking about Jordan.
HOME FARM
In the last hour or so, Daniel Covington has received more than his fair share of surprises. He had anticipated coming home from the office to have a quiet dinner for his birthday. With his girlfriend, her two children, and his family. However, he soon discovered they and the rest of his close associates were in on throwing him a party turning forty-five years old. And if it wasn't enough, his two best friends in the world, John and Heather Merriwether came from Manhattan, which is unexpected due to their own high-profile careers. But nothing could prepare him nor anyone else for a helicopter to land onto the grounds of the estate. Nonetheless, when the passenger in the aircraft turns out to be his estranged little sister Emma whose last whereabouts is that she is still living in Paris and engaged to the son of a French billionaire Jacques Laurent. Daniel hadn't seen her in over a year. Most of the things he had wanted to say to her suddenly seem obsolete in his mind. Emma hugs him and then their mother. But it is more of a routine which is customary of the elite of the Upper East Side of New York City.
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By the time she reaches Max and Tommy, her presence felt more inviting to her nephews. Max formally introduces his aunt to his wife.
Emma carefully scans up and down at her nephew's wife. "So you are Shauna; good to meet you."
"It's good to meet you, too," Shauna replies diplomatically.
"Please don't take this wrong way. But if I was kidnapped by unsavory criminals. I would not be able to show my face in public, but it seems you're soldiering through just fine," Emma says abruptly
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When the Covington heiress saunters off, leaving Shauna in the same place. Courtney, who has witnessed that scenario goes to her.
"So, that's Emma?"
Courtney nods. "Mm-hmm," She sips out her glass of champagne.
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"I haven't seen Emma since she was a little girl," Louise Saunders Lockhart admits to the rest of her family who all our sitting this evening.
Louise remembers her being a little girl running around the estate when she was a teenager dating Daniel.
"And now she is all grown up wearing five-hundred-dollar shoes," Martha Saunders remarks.
John and Heather are now catching up with the sister of their nearest and dearest friend.
"Let me see that rock," Heather tells her.
With no shame, Emma proudly showcases the diamond ring with a sizable ruby at the center of it on her finger.
"Looks like your fiancé has great taste in jewelry," Heather mentions
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Emma swiftly changes the subject. "How is Saffy doing?"
Saffy is the couple's eldest daughter.
John folds his arms onto his chest. "She's doing better,"
"Well, tell her I'm pulling for her," Emma says sincerely.
Over at the open bar, Samuel Gupta is taking a drink of his vodka soda when Tricia Meyer and her fiancé Sean Lockhart are waiting in line. She makes eye contact with him and waves him over, which he complies with,
"Samuel, I don't think you met Sean yet," Tricia says
"No, but I have seen him around town, though," Samuel informs.
He recalls seeing the two of them a few weeks ago at The Waterfall, where he found out from Martha on how they first got together when he was married to her sister, which initially threw him for a loop. Yet when she confided in him about her mother being in an abusive marriage. He saw a side to her many probably haven't seen due to her usual headstrong nature.
The two men decide to shake hands.
"I believe I met your mother when she was moving your sister into the dorm room my daughter and she shares," Sean responds.
Samuel swigs the last of his drink. "Mala Gupta is unforgettable for sure,"
"I just hope she knows what kind of a man Daniel Covington can be when he doesn't get what he wants," Sean says.
"What does that suppose to mean?" Samuel insists
Sean and Tricia finally get to the front of the line of the open bar.
"I'm sure his mother can take care of herself," Tricia says in a way to change the subject.
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"He might be on his best behavior now, but this is the same man who brought his daughter boyfriend's ex-wife to seduce him all because he didn't want her to be involved with him." Sean summarizes.
"It's a lot to know about the people in this town," Samuel remarks mostly to Tricia, who gives a sympathetic glare.
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"Have you seen your grandmother?" Esther Saunders asks Courtney, who was with Steven at the guest of honor's table.
It does not take long for the couple to convey the uncertainty with the women being in the same proximity as a result of their rivalry.
"Esther, like I told my grandmother earlier, I do not want any trouble here tonight at my father's party," Courtney warns
"Although, we probably could ask Heather Merriwether to bring in some law enforcement," Steven says facetiously.
Heather is best known to millions of audiences for playing police detective Kelly Lawson on Lifetime's hit procedural TV show The Badge.
"I don't want to start any trouble, Courtney, Esther tells her.
It takes a few seconds before she says anything else. "She went into the house,"
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Esther gives a downward motion of her head. "Thank you, see it wasn't that hard, darling."
She turns on her heels to make the trek up to the estate.
"All of the artwork is insured, right?" Steven queries to Courtney
Deirdre Covington looks at herself in the mirror in one of the restrooms in her son's home. Other than a few small wrinkles and laugh lines. She still does not look bad for a woman of her age, which she contributes to a strict regimen of applying moisturizer multiple times a day and drinking cucumber water. She hadn't expected her daughter to come from Paris.
With one more look at herself, she turns the knob to the door where she proceeds down the hall on the second floor when she, unfortunately, runs into Esther.
"Woman, what do you want?" Dee demands irritably
"For you to get on the first plane out of Radcliffe. Since that ain't, happening, I settle on --- well, a confirmation."
Deirdre shakes her head, refusing to entertain her any longer as Esther digs into her purse, retrieving the salacious piece of paper.
She reads aloud.
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"Dear Jim,
Of course, I feel guilty about what we were doing to our spouses, but at the same time, those stolen glances we share when we were around one another or those unforgettable nights we had together making love."
A sense of warmth comes over Deirdre, mortified of hearing those words being said to her. "Where in the hell did you get that?" she says between clenched teeth.
"So you just confirmed for me you did write this tawdry documentation of your dirty affair with my father," Esther says with satisfaction.
Dee firmly puts both of her hands onto her hips. "Does anyone else knows?"
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It gives Esther much pleasure to view her former friend squirming over this. "Actually, it was Steven who found it, he told my niece Martha and well they came to me." she starts. And when I read the letter I quickly recognized it was written in your penmanship. Besides you're the only person who called him Jim."
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The Covington Matriarch thinks about what led her to the affair with the older farmer all those decades ago. He was different than her husband, Patrick. He was more attentive to her. And surprisingly a good lover for someone his age, but they were both married, so she knew it would never work out in the longtime. She wrote the letter thirty-five years ago when she came to the conclusion their liaison had to come to an end.
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"Are you dying to tell everyone the truth now? I mean, you got all kinds of members of the foreign press outside?" Dee says in a bit of sarcasm and fragility.
Esther inches closer to her rival's face with a Cheshire grin upon her face. "As much as I want you to feel bad about this for the rest of your life. My family does not deserve that kind of scrutiny just because you and my daddy couldn't keep y'all legs closed during the Reagan Administration."
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"Then what in the hell is this grandstanding for huh,"
"To let you know. I got your number Deirdre Jo Covington and thank god your daughter isn't Jimmy's."
Esther heads in the opposite direction toward the staircase.
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Deirdre is now alone thinking about the lie she told Esther last year regarding doing a DNA test confirming her late husband was her father. However, the truth is she never had one ran on her daughter.
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Tommy Covington and Tanner Lockhart were in their "Private Oasis," which is poolside. The young couple wanted time to themselves away from the party.
"Can you believe in a few days we are going on our first getaway?" Tanner says
She is currently sitting on top of her boyfriend in the chaise lounge chair. Sean and Tricia decided it was okay for Tommy to come to the wedding in Oahu.
"It's gonna be a lot of fun," he answers.
Tanner reaches out for his hand in which he gives her. "I know it isn't going to be the kind of getaway you had in mind,"
Tommy silently agrees with the statement since he often thought when they did go away, they would be sexually active. The two have their own rooms on the same floor of the hotel.
As long as we are together, that's what matters," he tells her.
The couple's mouths come in conjunction as they kiss.
With everyone else away from the table, Louise is sitting by herself contemplating. As to why she even came to the party instead of being at home watching HGTV. She takes a sip of her champagne.
She is taken aback to see Daniel standing in front of her.
"Enjoying yourself?" Louise says. Deciding to say the first thing came to mind.
"I think I should be asking you that," he counters. "I'm officially a middle-aged man now,"
"Remember when we were kids, we thought turning twenty-five was old." Louise chuckles.
"I do," he says reflectively.
At the moment, many things were being left unsaid between them. As Mala steps over to her lover, she then acknowledges Louise.
"Courtney is clamoring for you to make a speech," Mala informs him.
Daniel turns his focus onto her. "Thanks for reminding me. Talk with you later," he assures Louise.
"Okay," Louise replies amicably.
She sees him walking towards the area where the deejay and his equipment are set,
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With the mic in his hand, Daniel calls everyone's attention.
"Believe it or not. I did not have a speech prepared. I didn't even know about this party until three hours ago."
A round of laughter can be heard from various guests outside.
"In all seriousness, I'm so grateful for everyone for coming out tonight it means a lot to me. But most importantly. I have to thank my family. We've lost and gained a lot over the last few years. Nonetheless, I think it has only made us stronger. So I say to everyone eat, drink, and be merry,"
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The male deejay changes the ambiance of the setting by selecting By Your Side by Sade, which fills various couples out on the dance floor.
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"Want to dance?" Steven asks his girlfriend.
"I never thought you asked," Courtney answers. Her eyes twinkle as he twirls her.
They are soon joined by Max and Shauna, Tanner and Tommy, and John and Heather.
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"Oh, why the hell not. We can use the practice for the big day," Tricia gives in.
She and Sean get out there too.
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"Want to dance with your cool big brother?" Samuel offers his sister.
"I don't know about the cool part, but I dance with you." Aaliyah accepts.
Sitting down at Daniel's table is Dee, who is alone in her thoughts. She is interrupted by her daughter, who has a Bellini in her hand.
"You look like death warmed over mother no, offense," Emma says in her usual brash manner.
"Good to see you too, Emma," Deirdre remarks. "I'm getting a migraine."
Emma tastes her drink. "Mom, I know I haven't been in touch with you,"
By taking one good look at her daughter. She pin-points she does not mean it. "Sounds like some bull, but I'm not in the mood to hear it right now."
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She keeps replaying the confrontation with Esther at the mansion. Wishing like hell, Jimmy would've discarded it years ago.
Dee reaches in her clutch to retrieve her migraine medication. She quickly pops one into her mouth and chases it with her glass of red wine.
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Louise is now sitting across from Martha, who is on the phone talking with her baby son. She sees Daniel and Mala are also dancing. At that moment, she realizes she needs to let go of whatever is keeping her from pursuing the next phase of her life.
Out in the center, Daniel is holding onto Mala and vice versa moving in the center of everyone else on the floor.
END OF EPISODE
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JOIN US TOMORROW FOR THIS WEEK OF DAILIES REACHING OVER 100 EPISODES
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Deirdre and Emma butt heads.
Elijah gives Tommy advice about his feelings for Jordan.
Sarah Lynn makes amends.
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