EPISODE 23

" Discoveries"

 

"People who've had happy childhood's are wonderful, but they're bland... An unhappy childhood compels you to use your imagination to create a world in which you can be happy. Use your old grief. That's the gift you're given."

Krebb's Ranch

Lucas was sitting in his bedroom, studying, when his instant messenger began to flash. He went over to the screen and checked out the message, it was from Leanne he sat down and began to chat.

Cuteywithdabooty: Hey there sexy LK: hello yourself Cuteywithdabooty: What u up 2? LK: Just studying, v.dull. Cuteywithdabooty: Well if I come round to help you I am sure I could make it more interesting LK: Mmm I bet you could but no sure if we would get much work done though. Cuteywithdabooty: Well that depends what we were working on! LK: lol Cuteywithdabooty: So r u going to take me out on Saturday night then or do I have to spend another weekend home alone thinking of you? LK: What you got in mind? Cuteywithdabooty: A movie and then lots of steamy windows! LK: mmm sound like a plan Cuteywithdabooty: I can't wait to see what you have learnt whilst u were in Europe LK: Well I hope I don't disappoint! Hang on, I've got email I need to check

Lucas clicked on his email.

Hey Lue

I am finally allowed out again. I can't believe that my bitch mother as had me grounded for a full month!! So she got pushed in the pool and found me stoned but a full month with no money, car or allowance! I haven't seen you much at school. Mags told me you are busy studying to try and get up to snuff for finals. Well if you will go trapsing around Europe and enjoying yourself, what do you expect?

I really enjoyed ou r chat at the Xmas party and being a bit of a forward girl I wondered if you wanted to hang out on Saturday night and do something?

Well I will try and catch you in ‘Colditz' this week and you can let me know if it's cool .

Luv Saffy

xxxxxxx

Lucas sat back and stretched his arms behind his neck and contemplated things for a moment. Turning back to the computer screen he tapped back into his cyberchat.

LK: hello Cuteywithdabooty: Anything important? LK: No nothing to worry about, so where were we? Cuteywithdabooty: You were offering me a night to remember! LK: Okay well get your dancing shoes out and I will take you to Charlie's club on Friday night. Cuteywithdabooty: I though we were going to make it Saturday? LK: I can't wait that long!! Cuteywithdabooty: Okay then Friday it is! LK: Cool. Gonna get back to studying, c u soon! Cuteywithdabooty: K sweetie xxxx

 

Katherine's Apartment

Katherine sat watching daytime television distractedly. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination but it seemed like the episode of the Young and The Restless she was watching had been on for hours. Restless now that was a word that summed up her mood. She seemed to have spent an endless array of days stuck in her apartment without seeing a soul. Since she had been back on her stronger medication she had had no incidents of missing time. However the way she was feeling it would be a blessing to have time go faster. In fact the only people she had spoken too recently where the staff at the local store. She had not heard from Becky since Cliff woke up from his coma. She understood that her presence would make life difficult for her niece what with the strained relationships she had with Cliff and Pam. But she couldn't help feeling hurt by Becky's cold shoulder, as she had felt that they had began to form a bond.

Getting up and switching the TV off , Katherine walked into the kitchen and began to make a cup of coffee. Opening the refrigerator to take out the milk she decided to eat a chunk of cheese. As she began to nibble on the block Katherine was stuck with a wave of nausea and she rushed to the bathroom and began to throw up. After several minutes of convulsions, feeling drained , she walked back through to the lounge and laid on the sofa. Laying her hand on her stomach and closing her eyes , Katherine laid in silence slowly rubbing her stomach. Throwing up had become a daily routine for over a month now and the tenderness she felt , plus the fact that her regular cycle had all but vanished over the last few months made Katherine feel that her body was trying to tell her something . But it was something she wasn't ready to face just yet.

Ewing Oil

The lift doors opened and Becky pushed Cliff into the foyer and parked his wheelchair in front of the main office.

“ Here we are dad. This is it, our future!” Becky said looking into her father's eyes. With Cliff's speech still not fully recovered he stared into his daughters eyes but didn't speak.

“It's all ours and with your expertise and the money I was left from John Ross we can start again and build it up together. See the name on the door Cliff Barnes CEO. Imagine how JR will feel when Ewing Oil is as big as it ever was and being run by the Barnes family.”

Becky stroked Cliff's cheek and smiled and Cliff smiled back but he wasn't thrilled as his daughter hoped he would be . His mind was a million miles away f ro m the oil busness . A ll he could think about was his wife Afton and how he wanted her back.

Smithfield and Smithfield

JR walked into Smithfield and Smithfield. As he looked around, he realised just how many things had changed. Harve, of course, had long since passed away, and Anita had been in charge of the practice for some time. And, since her death, the firm had been in complete disarray. JR had been called here about two weeks ago that's when everything had become messy…

JR wondered why he'd been asked to come by today. He'd gotten a frantic call the day before from Anita's secretary telling him that Fancher, Harve's grandson was taking over Anita's clients and urgently wanted him to stop by first thing in the morning. JR couldn't imagine what would be so pressing that he had to come by there first thing in the morning, but he had a couple of other errands to run that morning, so he'd agreed, He made his way to the receptionist's desk. As he approached, the young lady looked up, and greeted, “Mr. Ewing, please come right on in and have a seat. Mr. Smithfield is on his way. He should be here any second. Would you like some coffee?”

JR nodded and took a seat on the sofa in what used to be Harve's office. The secretary poured his coffee and handed it to him, exiting the room. JR looked around, his mind flooding with memories of past meetings between he and Jock and Harve. He was so engrossed in his memory that he didn't hear the door open.

“Mr. Ewing,” Fancher Smithfield greeted, his hand extended.

JR took his hand.

“I'm sorry to drag you down here this early in the morning Mr. Ewing, but I felt, in light of the recent news of your engagement to Mrs. Ewing, that it was of the utmost importance.”

“My engagement? What the hell does this have to do with that?”

“You'd better sit down sir,” Fancher replied as he sat his briefcase on the desk and pulled out some papers. Handing them to JR, he continued, “I have been sorting through Anita's clients' files and yesterday I found this.”

JR looked through the paperwork. The color began to drain from his face. “This can't be,” he said.

“I'm afraid it is Mr. Ewing. I've been through everything in your file and Anita's office a hundred times. I even made a trip to the courthouse to make sure. Anita never filed those annulment papers. Unfortunately, you're still married.”

Back to the present and JR was again seated in front of Fancher listening to him rattle on about options and legalities. JR stopped the other mans twittering by banging his fist down on the table.

“Bottom line, what do I do now?” he asked Fancher.

“Well, I have already made inquiries, and discovered that your wife is still alive. Fortunately, she is still in a coma in the hospital. And as you know, she has no other family except for you.”

“What are you getting at boy,” JR asked, his hands shaking slightly from this revelation.

“Well, as I see it, you have two choices. You can try to file these annulment papers and I'm fairly certain the judge will enter the annulment, or since you have control over all her assets, which, I might add thanks to your astute business acumen in structuring them, have grown considerably over the last few years, you can divorce her and get your share of those.”

An evil smile crossed JR's face as he listened to Fancher Smithfield.

SouthFork Ranch

Thomas was hard at work stacking hay in the barn; he had been working solidly for over two hours. He wiped the sweat from his brow and kicked back for a breather. As he sat down and drank form his bottled water Pete the head foreman walked in.

“What you doing boy, we don't pay you to sit doing nothing.”

“Just taking a break here man.”

“Well get back to it . Y ou need to get this lot down before you start thinking about takin' a break

“This is like a full days work for two people. T here's no way in hell I'm gonna get that all done . I'm only working a half day.”

“Who the hell do you think you are telling me what you are and are not gonna do, boy? Y ou will do what I say. They might be treating you special up in the big house but here you will be treat as you sho u ld be.”

“And how is that? How should I be treated?”

“Like the..”

“Like what?”

“Like the nigga punk that you are!”

Thomas lunged towards Pete but before they collided a voice shouted and stopped both men in their path.

“That's enough.”

Both men turned to see Lucy stood in the doorway.

“Thomas back off I will deal with this.” Lucy said

Tom glared at Pete and then over at Lucy.

“Pete I'd like you to get off this ranch now!” Lucy shouted “ I will not tolerate this type of behaviour on my ranch.”

“You have got it mistaken Miss Lucy this punk was slacking and I was just..”

“I know ex ac tly what you were doing and there is no excuse or explanation that you can give me to change my mind . So do us both a favor. Leave now. You'll be paid up until the end of the month.”

“But..”

“Goodbye Pete!” Lucy said with a tone of finality.

“I'm going to see your grandmother” Pete said

Lucy laughed “Have you forgotten I'm in charge of the ranch” she said

Pete gave Lucy a disgusted look and stormed out of the barn.

“Just you wait, he'll rob you blind” Pete said “He's no better than a piece of dirt”

Lucy and Thomas stood looking at each other for a second.

“Why'd you do that?” Thomas asked “You didn't have to sack him on my account, I can fight my own battles.” ”

“He said things I didn't like” Lucy replied,

“I'm used to that” Thomas said

“Doesn't make it right” Lucy said, “Why don't we sit down for a while”

Both sat down on bails of hay facing each other. Thomas looked at the woman in front of him; she was just like her grandmother.

“Guess I need a new foreman now!” Lucy said

“Guess so” Thomas replied

“Thomas what happened back there wasn't right” Lucy said

“I'm used to it” Thomas said

“This is the 21st Century , Thomas. T here are laws in place to keep things like that from happening."

“Yes, but some people don't care about the law, they just see black people as trouble” Thomas said

“But you have just as much rights as I have to be treated as a human being, regardless of you color, or race” Lucy said

“Lady, what kind of fantasy world are you living in? People are discriminated against every day, just because they're are black, or gay or fat. It's just the world isn't it? ” Thomas asked then.

Lucy laughed “But the world has changed, we have black people in Government, black actors, black doctors , ” she then commented.

Thomas raised his eyebrows and asked,"Yes but would you trust a black doctor?”

Lucy sighed “I'd like to think I would. There's a nold saying which says ‘if you cut me I bleed' which is true. A black person's blood is no different to a white person's blood, I mean who's to say that when you have a blood transfusion you're not getting the blood of a black person even though you're white. The color of your skin should play no part in how you're valued as a person” she said

Thomas smiled and Lucy realized how young he looked.

“Hey I need a foreman, how would you like a job” Lucy asked

“But I know nothing'” Thomas said

“You could learn”

“You don't know me” Thomas protested

“Yes, but I know my grandmother and she's a pretty good judge of character” Lucy

Thomas thought about it for a second.

“I suppose I could give it a shot,” he said, grinning.

Lucy smiled . “Hmm, are you up to it ? I'd expect no less than 100% from you.”

“A hundred percent is what you'll get. I can assure you of that.”

Lucy smiled and nodded. "Do you mind telling me a little about yourself, Thomas?"

“Not much to tell” Thomas replied “I was born in Gainesville, momma abandoned me when I was a few months old and I never knew my dad. My grandparents brought me up. They were very strict, made me go to school and church”

“That's sounds about right” Lucy laughed

“I remember one day, my grandma found out I skipped school, she tanned my backside so hard I couldn't sit down for a week , ” Thomas said, laughing a little. “She told me I would get nowhere if I didn't do school . ”

“Did you like living with your grandparents?” Lucy asked,

“Kind of, they were kind but sometimes I wished my parents would come looking for me, but they never did” he replied

Lucy remained silent for a while thinking about how in some ways her life had been similar.

“What are you thinking?” Thomas asked, “That I sound ungrateful.”

Lucy looked at him shocked “No” she said “I was just thinking how our lives mirrored each other in some ways. I was brought up by my grandparents, my mom and dad left me here when I was very small and I didn't see them again until I was grown up, in fact the first time I saw my daddy, I didn't know him”

“But you were brought up in a rich house” Thomas said somewhat perplexed .

“Yes, but I still did things that you did. I skipped school, did stupid things like experimenting with drugs."

“Yep I know that path too well.” Thomas said

“I did, when I was very young , ” Lucy said, looking at him curiously. “I did some really stupid things to get them as well . ”

“But you had no need to take drugs, you were rich , ” Thomas said

Lucy looked at him and smiled . “Yes , but being rich does not always mean you're happy . Hey I think it's time you got back to work . ”

“I suppose you're right,” said Thomas, smiling back.

Lucy smiled “I want to see everything finished by the end of the day . ”

“Sure thing Miss , ” Thomas replied and watched as she walked out of the barn , smiling to himself.

Love is not enough. It must be the foundation, the cornerstone - but not the complete structure. It is much to pliable , too yielding. O

 

Oil Baron's

"Sorry I'm late," Pam apologized upon reaching the table. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

Bobby stood up to greet her. "No apology needed," he said. "I haven't been here long myself."

Both of them seated now, Bobby continued,” I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of ordering a white wine for you."

"I don't mind at all, Bobby," replied Pamela. "And thank you."

"You look wonderful, Pam," complimented Bobby.

Pam responded to Bobby's compliment by giving him a little grin. Throughout their dinner, there were moments of uncomfortable silence. Pamela, at times, couldn't help feeling that it was almost as if the two of them didn't know each other at all. Bobby probably feels the same way, she thought. But after a couple glasses of wine, the two of them started to loosen up. They started to talk in a way they hadn't done in a long time.

"Do you remember," started Pamela, laughing. "Do you remember the look on Jock and Miss Ellie's faces when you first brought me to SouthFork?"

"How could I ever forget?" Bobby then asked, laughing as well. He then added,” But you won them over. Mama always did think of you as the daughter she never had."

"You know," replied Pamela. "I loved her from the moment I met her, Bobby."

Bobby refilled their glasses from the bottle of wine, which sat on the table.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Bobby?" Pamela asked, giggling as the wine was making her giddy.

"Nothing of the sort," Bobby said, winking at her.

Pamela sipped her wine and sat in silence for a moment. "Bobby," she started,” I want you to know that I have really enjoyed this evening."

Bobby gazed at her and smiled. Agreeing with her, he said,” I've enjoyed it too, Pam. It's been nice to talk just about us and not about everything and everybody else."

He then reached across the table, taking her hand in his. The two of them sat there like that for quite some time.

Pamela finally broke the silence by asking,” Bobby, do you think it's possible? Us having another chance, I mean-."

"That depends on us, Pam," replied Bobby. "I if we want to, if we both really want it then I think we overcome anything that we have obstructing us."

Pam nodded smiling giving him a warm smile.

"What do you say we start over? And when I say that, I mean, start over from the very beginning. First, a date, and then-."

"I would say," responded Pam, blushing a little. "Yes."

"Does that mean you'll agree to seeing a movie with me sometime?"

"Bobby," she laughed,” You're sweeping me off my feet already."

After paying the tab for dinner, Bobby escorted Pam to her car. "You're sure you're okay to drive?" Bobby asked, as Pam removed her keys from her purse.

"I'll be fine, Bobby. Thanks for offering though-."

"Can I call you tomorrow?"

"Yes, you may do just that," smiled Pam.

"Can I call you tonight?"

Pam poked him on the arm gently. "Don't press your luck, Bobby Ewing," she laughed.

Bobby pulled her to him then. "What if I press it, just as little?" he asked, leaning down for a kiss.

Pamela wrapped her arms around Bobby's neck as he kissed her, that old familiar rush creeping through her body. Before she knew it, Pamela was kissing him back.

"You certainly move fast," a voice from behind interrupted them.

The two of them broke apart from each other, though Pamela's arm still rested on Bobby's shoulder as they turned to face the woman.

"Straight from my bed and back into Pamela's," Holly Harwood sneered.

"Holly," started Bobby, not quite sure what to say. "I've never wished you ill will. Please-"

"I just wanted Pamela to know, that's all. Doesn't she deserve to know that her husband/ex-husband/boyfriend is a chip off the old block?"

"What do you mean?" Pamela asked, scowling now.

"What I mean, Pamela is this. A Ewing is a Ewing is a Ewing. Bobby's no exception. In fact, he's no better than Dallas' other renowned stud, JR-"

"Holly, you have no right-,” said Bobby, walking toward her.

"Is it true, Bobby?" asked Pamela. When she got no response, she asked again. "Bobby, I asked you a question. Is it true? Did you sleep with her?" she asked, gesturing towards Holly.

"Pam, let me explain-"

Turning to walk back towards her car, Pamela said,” I've heard about as much of your explanations as I'd like to."

"Pam-wait" Bobby said, walking towards her car. "Please-"

But Pamela heard none of it, as she slammed her car door shut just as Bobby approached her. Starting her car, Pamela shifted it into reverse and backed out, then peeled out of the parking lot. Bobby stood there, watching her car until it was out of sight. His shoulders slumped, as he felt helpless.

And then he turned towards Holly, glaring at her.

Holly responded by giving him a cold smile. "I best be going now, Bobby. It was a pleasure seeing you again," she said, turning her back on him and walking inside the restaurant.

"And everything had gone so well," he murmured under his breath, sighing deeply.

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