EPISODE 67
Written by: Bre L. Drew
September 10, 2019
Last Time On Town and Country
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Max and Shauna's wedding is fastly approaching.
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Tricia despises the close involvement between Sean and Louise.
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Antoine still has feelings for Shauna.
THE WATERFALL BAR: JACKSON APARTMENT
Standing in the center of the apartment, she has called home all of her life. Shauna Jackson is taking one last look around the place before she officially moves out when she becomes a married woman. She begins having flashes of memories of her life here.
Shauna at Age 5
"Martha has the chickenpox so I can't play with her,"
Her grandfather Horace tells her. "I got to get downstairs to the bar how about you keep me, company baby,"
"Yay!"
Shauna at Age 7
Mae finds her only grandchild in the cabinet underneath the kitchen sink crying.
"Shauna, what's wrong?"
She cries. "Mom and I were playing hide and seek --- she never found me."
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Mae consoles her by assuring her she is not only found but more importantly safe.
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Shauna at Age 13
Once again in tears over her mother but this time she is outside of the bar watching Cassie drive off out of the parking lot to the airport when she was moving to Miami.
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Shauna at Age 22
Her walking into the bar with her grandmother after graduating from Sampson University as everyone in the room offers their congratulations on her getting her degree.
Some more memories, including birthdays, her grandfather's wake and other pivotal moments consume her conscious until the knocking on the door gets her full attention.
Shauna pulls back the door, letting her best friend Martha Saunders into the apartment.
She admires her best friend's attire consisting of a pink floral halter maxi dress with wedge sandals on her feet. In her hand, she is holding onto a vintage flowery bag that she inherited from her late paternal grandmother Rosemary Saunders. And a plastic shopping bag in her other hand.
"I like everything about this ensemble," Shauna casually compliments her.
"Thank you, ready to go?"
"Ready to go where?" Shauna asks with more than a hit of confusion.
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Martha tosses her head back and forth. "Hello, to your bachelorette slumber party,"
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Honestly, Shauna had thought they would be downstairs having drinks and dancing until midnight.
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"Come on, grab a bag, so we can go please," Martha informs her.
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Shauna heads into her bedroom which is nearly empty due to her belongings being packed up and arranged to be shipped over to Home Farm.
Martha reassures her best friend about her outfit being fine to wear to the hotel.
"Oh before I forget," Martha retrieves a purple sash with the words Bride To Be and puts it on her.
Shauna looks down at it with a smirk.
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WHEELER BUILDING : APT # 424
All of Radcliffe, Kentucky, is now enveloped in the overcast of the late summer night, Meanwhile, inside of the Meyer/Lockhart residence located on the fourth floor of the apartment building. Sean Lockhart and Tricia Meyer were sitting at the table eating chicken stir-fry Sean had prepared after coming home from the farm.
Sean puts down his fork onto his plate as she had enough silence between them.
"Tricia, are you all right, you hardly said two words after we sat down," Sean observes
Her mind was still on the text she came across on his phone days ago from his ex-wife. Making her more insecure that she would care to admit. She is upset at him for not telling her he had dinner with Louise the night they had taken Tanner to the airport.
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"I'm fine," she simply answers.
He wants to seek out what is truly up with her but decides to wait until after dinner before giving her the third degree.
A few minutes go by when the banging on the door causing awareness between the two of them.
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Sean gets out of the chair to go answer it. Leaving Tricia to wipe her mouth with a paper napkin. He later returns with Antoine Hall who is wearing a black t-shirt with a pair of blue jeans. He excuses himself, leaving the two to talk alone in the room whilst he goes into their bedroom.
"Hey," Tricia says
"Hey, what's going on?" Antoine remarks
Since they had first encountered one another at the café since the two had exchanged texts and DM's via their Facebook pages.
She puts some strands of her hair out of her face. "You first,"
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"The woman I love is getting married to another man, and there is not a damn thing I can do about it," he states.
Tricia had heard enough about Antoine and his everlasting feelings for Shauna Jackson. In spite of her getting married in twenty-four hours. He cannot let go of how he still wants her.
"I don't know why you still got it bad for the girl who obviously does not want you, hell you can do better just look at you," she tells him.
Antoine smiles at her. "I been playing the field too long it's time for me to get my shit together,"
Tricia inhales and then exhales. "Talk to her before she says the I do's really tell her how you feel about her don't hold a goddamn thing back."
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"Advice considered," Antoine says. "Back to you, lemme guess you haven't been upfront with Sean about -- you know who?"
Tricia leads him over to the living room where they both take a seat on the couch.
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"I need to nip this thing in the bud or Louise is constantly going to become a thorn at my side if you know what I mean."
"You seem like the kind of woman who will fight to get what she wants," Antoine concludes.
If only he knew how much that statement is true.
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About ten more minutes of idle conversation between them. Antoine then heads out to go to work at the bar leaving her alone with her thoughts. Tricia discovers Sean's iPhone sitting on the credenza inside the dining area. It is when she gets an idea she doesn't even second-guess her choice.
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MILLER INN: ROOM 901
Shauna is pleased beyond any of her expectations when she arrives along with Martha to the hotel suite where her bachelorette slumber party is.
Amenities such as food and several assortments of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages were all set up on the counters of the kitchenette area.
Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" is playing in the background.
The Bride To Be, Martha, Courtney, Mae, Esther, and Sarah Lynn were all decked out in identical purple satin robes over their pajamas. Right now, all of them had a drink in their hand or nearby since they're playing Have I Ever. And so far Martha was the loser admitting having done plenty of shady things in her lifetime.
Shauna recites "Have I ever -- been involved with a married man?"
"I hope this is a question that no one drinks too," Courtney Covington says
"I'm not even guilty of that one ladies," Martha replies in a somewhat tipsy tone of voice.
Sarah Lynn shoots Esther a look signifying the opposite of Courtney's wish.
Slowly Esther takes a sip of her margarita, confirming she had been with a married man before. Courtney remains speechless at the woman who for a year has not made it a secret how much she thinks the Covingtons are so secretive and underhanded. That she has her own skeletons in her closet.
"When did this happen?" Shauna inquires
"And please don't leave any of the details out either Aunt Esther," Martha tells her.
"Okay, it happened way, way before you were even a thought she points to the three younger women around her. "Let's just say when I was coming up, I went through a wild child phase, and for a while, back in my equestrian days I was involved with my riding coach."
She goes on to summarize even though her riding coach Walter Hughes was married she had no idea of his marital status until six months later when his wife surprised him with a visit at one of her biggest competitions which she won first place by the way. It was also her last race she participated in. However, it had little to do with Walter. She wanted to focus more on University.
Walter ended their tryst since his wife told him she was pregnant. Turns out they had been together seven long years, and she never conceived until now. When their affair was revealed, most of the townspeople painted a Scarlet letter on her for being involved with him in the first place. So much so her parents had sent her to stay with Aunt Trudy in Bowling Green in the summer to get away from the gossip.
Mae takes a few sips of her champagne. "That would make one hell of a Lifetime movie,"
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Shauna gets off the queen-size bed where she is sitting beside Martha. "I just want to think Martha and Courtney for getting this party together I truly appreciate it and thank you to everyone that is here and on their way here to help me celebrate my last night as a single girl before I become Mrs. Covington."
She takes a drink from her glass of strawberry margarita.
A round of cheering come from the ladies as they continue to party.
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THE WATERFALL BAR
A crowd of customers was packed in the local bar this Friday night. Including Max Covington and the rest of his guests that were here to help him honor his last hours of being a single gentleman at his bachelor party.
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In attendance were his father, brother, Steven Sullivan and Owen Renforth, Max's best friend since they were in sixth grade at Dalton. Now Owen works on Wall Street after he graduated from Columbia.
The guys were sitting in a booth.
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With a whiskey smash in his hand, he speaks. "I'm glad you finally found you a woman that can tolerate your nomadic ass, me myself isn't ready for domestic bliss since they're way too many sexy women out there. "All I'm want to say I'm happy for you man."
The rest of the guys commemorate by taking their alcoholic drinks and Sprite for Tommy since he is underage.
"I wish I was back in that pub in London when I got free shots from that drag queen barmaid," Tommy says aloud.
"I pretend that I did not hear that," Daniel expresses
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Owen goes on about this "fucking place," needing bottle service which is annoying Steven so much so he offers to volunteer to order some more drinks. Max decided to go help him out, whilst Owen and Daniel our taking about possible stocks to invest in.
The two of them make their way over to the bar to be served.
"Surprised you decided to have your party here, after what went down here." Steven counters.
A few weeks ago Antoine and Max had a dispute in the bar simply because he had ordered a crew beer. However, he couldn't handle him marrying the girl that got away whom he has feelings for.
Max scratches one of his elbows. "This is a public place, and Mae insisted that I have the party here."
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Mae had wanted to make up for what occurred here the last time so she offered the place to him as a good gesture stating that he is going to be a Jackson so this is his home too.
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Antoine arrives over to them from behind the bar with a civil stance. He greets his good friend Steven and offers a polite congratulations to the groom. It nearly takes Max a few seconds to regain enough composure to address him back.
When the drinks are ordered they go back over to the table where they spot three white women in skimpy clothing one is blonde and tall, the other woman is brunette with lips that seem they do not miss one single collagen appointment and one with red hair with curves that has Tommy grinning from ear to ear.
The ladies were doing a routine to "Salt Shaker" by the Ying Yang Twins. Most of the male customers and even some of the female ones were gazing at the show.
He also takes one more sip of a beer he is holding.
"What the hell is going on?" Max vocalizes to anyone that will listen.
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Owen is dancing with the brunette is smiling."Well, this event needed to be livened up some, so I had these ladies come all the way from Louisville to shake it like a salt shaker."
Max isn't exactly shocked by Owen doing this since he has known him, he always had frat boy sensibilities. Although, he was quite clear when Owen asked him about the party that he didn't want any strippers present. Of course, if he would've said the opposite Owen would've hired a marching band because he could.
Daniel reaches in his wallet to pay the women money to leave. "Thank you, ladies, but your services are no longer required."
Tommy and Owen and some of the patrons looked disappointed at his declaration as the women seemed more happy with getting paid than performing.
The red-hair exotic dancer waves at Tommy who waves back with adoration.
"Something tells me no one can't handle her," Steven advises to his cousin's boyfriend,"
From behind the bar, as Antoine passes a customer their change from a purchase. He is more determined to get through Shauna even if she turns him down.
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WHEELER BUILDING: APT # 424
Both Sean and Tricia our sitting beside another on the couch in the living room watching Top Gear on their flat-screen TV. Sean is massaging his lover's feet, and when he is about to tell her how good she looks, someone is knocking on their door. He abandons her to get the door twice this evening.
When he opens it, Sean finds Louise standing there looking far different from the muddy jeans and shirt she had on earlier on the farm. instead, she now has on a pearl ivory tie-waist asymmetrical top and dark pants. Her hair is out of her usual ponytail and is hanging down her shoulders.
"Is the girls all right?" Louise Saunders Lockhart asks her husband as she enters the apartment.
"Last time I checked, Tanner was getting on fine in Boston and Lenny was over having dinner at Elijah's."
Louise takes out her smartphone out of her purse to show him the screen with a text stating.
Need you to come over to the apartment it's about the girls!
Sean places a hand on his hip. "Louise, I didn't send you that text I had my phone over there since I got home." he gestures to the credenza where his device is lying still.
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Louise does not hide her confusion at all. " I thought after everything that happened we were going to try to be honest with one another," she says. "At least that is what you said over dinner we were going to try and be there for the girls as parents in spite of our divorce Sean."
"I'm telling you the truth, Louise,"
The exes hadn't known Tricia had sauntered off the couch, into the kitchen where she both of her hands on her face.
An act of innocence.
She clears her throat to get their attention upon her. She turns her head to face Louise.
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"No, it wasn't him who sent you that text message, it was me."
"Can't believe I am about to ask you this but why did you send that text?" Louise demands. "I thought something serious happened with my children."
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Tricia felt a bit undressed compared to Louise in her baby blue Nike sweatshirt and leggings.
"The other day I read a text from you, on Sean's phone thanking him for dinner and next time it will be on you, now why you would be keeping that from me, Sean?"
Sean scoffs. "You had no right going through my phone Tricia,"
Tricia rolls her eyes before crossing her arms. "I made an exception this time."
Sean turns to Louise with a sympathetic look on his face. "Sorry for having you coming all the way out here for nothing,"
Louise offers a friendly pat on his shoulder. "I'm late for Shauna's bachelorette party," She stares at Tricia who has a scornful facial expression.
"Give her my best," Sean says.
Louise sees herself out, not wanting to get involved more than she already is.
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"Look I had to share you with her for two years, I'm not going to do that anymore,"
"I keep you telling you're the one I chose to be with," he explains to her.
"And how come sometimes it feels like I'm coming in second, Sean?"
Sean picks up his phone off the surface. "Guess I can't have this unattended in my home," he mocks
Tricia didn't want this to happen, yet she felt like her back was against the wall in terms of her wanting to be first in his
life.
She watches him go off into the bedroom with the door slamming ending their conversation.
END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Friends and Family gather to witness the wedding of Max and Shauna.
Antoine puts his heart on the line.
And Much More!
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Read Episode 68 here
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