EPISODE 275
Written by: Bre L. Drew
February 5, 2024
Last Time on Town and Country
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Tricia is horrified to find out that Jolene is going back home to California with Wade despite his abuse, but unbeknownst to her, Jolene is doing this to protect her daughter from Wade's threats.
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For some time now, Lenny has been under the weather, causing Elijah to advise her to go to the doctor.
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Since the loss of her baby and the paralysis of Max, Shauna's been feeling unappreciated as a woman.
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For six months, Mala and Jai have been hiding their reconciliation from everyone.
WHEELER BUILDING: APT # 424
Jolene Woods places the last of her bags near the door of the fourth-floor apartment she's been staying in with her daughter and her husband. She then takes one more look around, although the nerves in the pit of her stomach indicate her leaving is something she shouldn't be doing. However, Wade's threat is that if she doesn't come back home with her to Bakersfield, he will not only hurt her but Tricia too, which she refuses to allow, even if it means enduring more hurt from him.
A thumping sound at the door quickly gets her attention as she exhales, having a pretty good idea who is behind the threshold.
Wade Woods is at the door with a satisfied look on his face, wearing a black leather bomber jacket and dark denim jeans, and the signature scent of his trademark cologne and tobacco is in the air. She had called him to collect her so they could go to the airport.
Silence occurs while he ducks into the apartment as she shuts the door behind him.
"Is all of this yours?" he asks as he glances at her luggage.
"It is," she replies amicably.
"I'll get it to the car, and we can leave this country ass town behind us."
"Wait,"
Those words made her husband turn around swiftly.
"When we get home, are you still planning to seek help?"
"As long as you hold up your end of the deal, then yeah, I will," he appeases.
Although he vowed to her that if she goes back to California with him, he'll not only seek counseling so they can repair their marriage after all of the years of him being violent towards her and his affair last year with a younger co-worker, but a part of her couldn't also shake the feeling that she was setting herself up for more of the same.
"Wade, are you serious, or is this just a way you can shut me up, so I do what you want me to?"
By now, the construction worker goes to her and puts his hands on her arms.
"Don't you think me taking off time from work and coming all this way shows you how much you mean to me and how I'm willing to sacrifice everything for you? I love you, Jo, but you make it so hard."
Jolene sensed some reserved frustration in his tone, though the way he stared at her was a far cry from just a few days ago when he broke a beer bottle in front of her, like he does hold adoration for her. Then again, as part of her wishes, Tricia would come in and at least stop her from leaving or saying goodbye.
She gazes at her belongings near the door, then at him.
"Off to a fresh start," she finally says.
With a complacent smirk, he kisses her on the left cheek, then rolls one of her suitcases.
As he takes off, Jolene waits for a few seconds before she reaches into her coat pocket.
JOJO'S CAFE
While the worldbeat song "Makeba" by Jain is playing on the cafe's stereo system this late afternoon, Tricia Lockhart is sitting on the sofa over in the lounge area, using the slow business to catch up on some paperwork, even though the thought of where she left things with her mother still manages to take up rent in her mind, along with the current state of her marriage.
She attempts to skim over a document when a familiar voice captures her concentration.
"We need to talk," Sean Lockhart declares.
The farm manager swung by here to discuss their impending divorce so he could give some consolation to Louise so they could fully rekindle their relationship.
Without turning around, she remains as she is.
"I'm not in the mood," she remarks. "I'm tired of trying to be nice to people who couldn't give a damn about the outcome."
Sean goes around to her, knowing she isn't simply referring to them. He had known that she and Jolene butted heads over her going back with her abusive stepfather.
"The mother, whom I managed to ignore for the better part of my adulthood, reached out to me, but she decided to choose her abuser, and all I can do is sit here and look over purchase orders."
"Come on,"
Tricia looks at her husband with confusion. "Come where?"
"To right a wrong," he cites.
RADCLIFFE RECIEVING HOSPITAL
Lynn Lockhart found herself rushing to get her chores done on her family's farm so she could make it in time for her doctor's appointment, so that is why she is sitting on the examination table in one of the waiting rooms of Radcliffe Receiving Hospital instead.
The smell of antiseptic reminds her why she puts off going to see the doctor. But even though she's been feeling okay for the last few months, she had a bug, which she thinks is a bad case of the flu.
A few more seconds later, the door opening takes Lenny out of her thoughts.
"Are my eyes deceiving me, or is that Lynn Lockhart? I see this early in the new year." Dr. Heidi Grier warmly states.
"Hey, Dr. Grier," Lenny addresses her.
The petite late forty-something woman with long blonde hair who speaks in a friendly, high-pitched voice is wearing a pink floral long-sleeve dress under her white doctor's coat with her stethoscope around her neck and bone-colored pumps.
The family medicine physician had been Lynn and Tanner's primary care doctor since they were infants.
"Time sure does fly," the older woman says. "I can't believe you and Tanner and I are both in our twenties now. It seems like five minutes ago. I had to promise you both lollipops. So, I could give you your shots. I guess that's life for you, huh?"
"So, how are Coach, Gemma, and Ollie?"
One thing about living in a town with just over five thousand people is that you're bound to know your doctor's personal life, including the names of her children and her husband, Greg, who coaches football and teaches history at your old high school.
"That man can't wait till football season starts back up, and can you believe Gemma is a freshman at Radcliffe? And Ollie is in the fifth grade. Like I said, time flies," she notifies.
She looks down at her file, then onto Lenny.
"I see you decided to do your physical today."
"Yeah, uh, Lenny says first. "I haven't been feeling like myself for a while now," she adds.
"Hmm," she says innocently. "Well, you know it's the season for certain bugs; let me take a look here, okay?"
The doctor puts the manilla folder beside Lenny as she begins her examination.
Dr. Grier uses the small flashlight to check her throat, then goes to examine her neck. "Can you turn your head to the side for me, please?"
Lenny does what she's told.
Dr. Grier locates something peculiar with her hand that the younger woman notices she has by the way she's still in that particular area.
HOME FARM
After checking on how long dinner will take, Shauna Covington saunters into the living room of the mansion she resides in with her husband and his family on Home Farm Estate. Years ago, when she first came to work here as a decorator, she aspired to live in such a place. But now that it has come true, she can't think of a place that she would rather not be, especially since discovering her father-in-law's gaslighting of Jordan cost her the unborn baby she was carrying as well as the mobility of Max. Since then, she hadn't had any meals with the rest of the family, hoping she would be able to go back to work, but Courtney didn't want to hear it, thinking her role solely should be his caregiver.
Max Covington comes into the spacious room in his motorized wheelchair. He is now home after another session of physical therapy at the hospital.
"So, how was physical therapy?"
"Is it just me or is physical therapy the only thing we talk about these days?" he says sarcastically.
Even though she has been used to his sardonicism for years now, somehow, she recognizes that he's serious about it.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to do that; I was just seeing how you were doing, that's all."
As much as Max wants to vent his frustration, he starts to notice her remorse, causing him to be less hostile.
"It went all right; in fact, my therapist thinks I would benefit from having my last few sessions here so I can better get around this place in this chair."
"I will let you know when the cook has dinner ready for us, so I'll get out of your way." Shauna apprises.
As she is about to turn around, Max calls out to her.
"I just miss when you weren't my caregiver and when I could, you know, be much more to you than an invalid."
Since his paralysis, Max has had trouble performing sexually, causing them to not be intimate for months.
Shauna glares at her husband with intent. "You're not an invalid, Max. You're my husband, and I love you, but to get through this, you've got to stop this lousy defeatist attitude because that's not the man I know you are."
Max looks up at her, attempting to adhere to what she is saying, although the thought of his new reality seems permanent.
"This isn't the life we were supposed to have."
"I know," she says softly.
If the accident hadn't happened, Max wouldn't have been in this chair, and most importantly, they would've been parents to their child; they wouldn't have lost.
Shauna kneels to make eye contact with him. "We will be okay no matter what." As much as she wants him to hear it, she needs some assurance of her own.
VICTORY COTTAGE
Jai Gupta couldn't help but stare in amazement at the overall beauty of his ex-wife. The two were putting on their clothes inside her bedroom on the second story of the residential cottage in which she resides after another passionate round of sex.
"You know it's been six months," he notes.
"Has it been that long?" Mala Gupta mocks as she zips up her pants.
A lively grin appears on Jai's lips. "You know what I mean?" he says.
"Of course I do," she mentions. "You think it is time we became public."
The two had been resuming their relationship in secret for several months ever since his ex-fiancé Louise had gotten intimate with her former husband, Sean.
"I'm not worried about how everyone else will take it. As long as we're on the same page," he vocalizes.
Mala briefly sighs as she crosses her arms over her chest.
The pair eventually depart the room as they head down the staircase.
"Samuel will probably be fine with the news, but Aaliyah might take it as a sign we're back together."
Their daughter had been the one to show the video of Sean and Louise at the party in the hope of reuniting her parents, making it clear that since they got divorced, she wanted them back together.
"But aren't we back together, Mala?" Jai asks reasonably.
Before the architect could voice her opinion, the sound of a key unlocking the front door made them stand still, aware that it was too late for Jai to hide like he had done when Samuel came home when he was still here.
Aaliyah Gupta breezes through the door carrying her purse, unaware of anything, until she lifts her head to take in both of her parents being together.
"Hey," she greets them, though she wonders why her father is over.
"Hi, what are you doing here?" Mala queries.
Aaliyah moves closer to the staircase, as it seems she isn't the wiser of her parents reconciling.
"I forgot one of my textbooks in my room when I stayed here last weekend," she tells them. "I'm here to grab it, and I'm out of here."
The young woman focuses on her father. "Daddy, what are you doing here?"
"He took a look at a leaky tap in the bathroom upstairs, which he fixed." Mala lies.
"Okay," Aaliyah accepts.
The college senior races up the stairs as her parents' exchange glances.
"Really, a leaky tap?" The store owner whispers.
"It was the first bloody thing that came to mind," she whispers back in her native British accent.
"It's going to be all right," he says comfortingly.
Now, with the book in her possession, Aaliyah zooms downstairs, about to say goodbye to her parents, though the sight of them holding hands catches her off guard.
"Oh my god!" she exclaims. "Does this mean what I think it means?"
Jai supportively faces Mala.
"It does," she acknowledges. "Your father and I are giving another go."
The sheer excitement appears as she rushes to embrace it, which they gratefully receive.
The three eventually let go of one another.
"But we still wished when you found out what happened with Sean and Louise, you could've came to us instead of doing what you did." Jai cautions her.
"I know,"
The outcome of what she did has severely altered her friendship with Tanner and Lenny because of it.
"Do you have to get back to campus?" Mala questions their youngest child.
"Not really,"
"Then you can help me prepare dinner."
Aaliyah widely smiles as she accompanies her mother to the kitchen. Jai and Mala sneak another glance, showcasing their relief at revealing their reconciliation.
RADCLIFFE RECIEVING HOSPITAL
"What's wrong?" Lynn instantly asks the doctor.
Dr. Grier scribbles something down in her file. "Your lymph nodes are swollen."
"What does that mean?"
"There are small glands that fight off infections. But swelling usually occurs when you're suffering from viruses or other illnesses," she says before continuing to write.
"Be straight with me, Dr. Grier."
The doctor takes a strand of her blonde hair and tucks it behind her ear.
"It can mean a host of things. Have you been experiencing fatigue or any symptoms? Fever, chills, or achiness?
"Yeah," Lynn reluctantly answers. "I came here because I promised my boyfriend."
Elijah had advised her to go to the doctor since she had been feeling sick for months.
"And it's a good thing you did; the next step is to take some blood to rule some things out. I assure you, I will do everything to see what is going on here. So don't worry."
She gives a reassuring pat on Lenny's hand, while Lenny does the opposite of not worrying.
WHEELER BUILDING: APT # 424
Tricia and Sean remain verbally silent as they enter their home, and he decides to check into the guest room where her mother has been staying.
Meanwhile, Tricia remains in the foyer, trying to compose herself. So she can persuade her mother not to go with that bastard.
"She's not here," he announces.
Tricia turns around as he strolls toward her.
"And all of her things are gone too," he informs her.
He tries to see if any emotion appears on her face, though he realizes she's hiding it so she won't show any vulnerability.
Tricia runs her hand through her hair. "I shouldn't even be surprised that it happened again."
"What do you mean?"
She sighs heavily before answering him.
"This is the part of my life I never talk about, but the last time my mom got away from Wade was when I was sixteen. She had enough of everything he was doing to her, or so I thought. We ended up renting this dingy studio apartment on the other side of town. It was a hole in the wall, but up until that point, that was the first time I ever felt truly safe."
Knowing it didn't last, Sean proceeds. "What happened?"
"One day I got dropped off by one of my friends after school. I saw my mother and Wade making out by his car in the parking lot." She moves her head in disbelief. "Then she said to me that things would be different. Two days later, he burned her arm with a lit cigarette when she forgot to pack his lunch. It was then that I knew I couldn't live like that anymore, so I left and never went back."
"Where did you go?" Sean asks curiously.
"I mostly bounced around from friends' houses whose parents let me stay with them. And that is why, after high school graduation, I became a flight attendant. I wanted to put as much distance between them and me as I possibly could." Tricia expresses.
Sean notices some emotions on her face—not exactly sadness, but maybe a precursor to it as she is processing everything. It was also then that he put her arms around her.
Comprehending the embrace, Tricia soon let's go as she saunters toward the kitchen, where she scans over to the countertop, where a folded piece of paper sits near the center.
Now, by the door, Sean stands there, observing his wife concernedly. "Are you okay?"
"If there is one thing about me, it's that I've been on my own all of my life," she says while keeping one eye on the paper.
Sean decides to take off, giving her time to get her head around it, knowing his presence isn't needed.
Tricia picks up the paper and unfolds it, and it doesn't take long to notice her mother's shapely handwriting. She starts to read it.
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I know you're upset. Scratch that. I know you're mad as hell at me for taking off, but like I told you, you've always been stronger than me, and I hope you find whatever peace you can. Maybe it's too late for me, but remember, you deserve better.
With love, your mom, Jolene.
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Still, with the letter in her hand, tears started to stream down her face as she quickly wiped them away, never understanding why her mother chose to go back to that kind of hell again, although she couldn't bring herself to completely hate her.
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END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
SJ and Murray meet each other for the first time.
Tanner senses something is wrong with Lenny.
Emma mediates between Will and Jacques.
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