EPISODE #98

There’s Always Tomorrow Monday 8/10/19

Episode 98

Time of Day: Same Day; Night

At the Jackson Family Home, in the Living Room, Andrea is laying on the couch. She is reading Talking To Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell. Joshua enters the room seconds later and goes over to her.

JOSHUA: (sitting down) The little man is finally asleep.

Andrea bookmarks her place and puts the book on the coffee table. She then sits up fully and Joshua scooches closer to her.

ANDREA: Thank you for putting him down.

JOSHUA: Of course. You need your rest.

ANDREA: How did I get so lucky to have a man like you not only be my husband, but also the father of our precious, little Pierce?

JOSHUA: And, here I was wondering how I got so lucky to have a woman as kind and beautiful as you to be the mother to our child. I guess we’re all looking for answers.

ANDREA: Something like that. Speaking of answers, I was hoping I would get an answer to this burning question that I have for you.

JOSHUA: Okay. What’s up?

ANDREA: Do you remember when you were having those nightmares a few weeks ago and you shrugged it off as nothing to me?

JOSHUA: Yes.

ANDREA: To tell you the truth, honey, I still don’t believe you. (sighs) You had another one last night. Our first night back home. Please, tell me, what’s going on?

At Martin’s Bar, Ava enters the establishment. She spots Roscoe, drinking a beer at a corner booth. She takes a deep breath and goes to him.

ROSCOE: Hello, Miss McClain.

AVA: (sitting) Hi.

ROSCOE: Thank you for meeting me on such short notice.

AVA: I dropped everything the moment you told me that you had something on Keith. So, what is it? What did you find out?

ROSCOE: To tell you the truth, this may scare you a little. Keith is one of the most psychotic people I have ever dealt with. What I found certainly proves that. So, tell me. Are you sure you’re ready to see what I have?

AVA: We all have to face our demons someday.

ROSCOE: Alright. Very well then.

Roscoe sets a manilla envelope on the table and slides it over to Ava. Ava looks down at it, kind of worried as to what might be inside.

On the Whitmore Private Island, at the Main House, Stuart carries two suitcases into the living room. He puts them by four other suitcases of different sizes. He walks over to Judith who is by the bar cart. She is pouring a glass of water.

JUDITH: Would you like a glass of water?

STUART: I’m fine, thank you.

JUDITH: Okay.

Judith takes a sip and turns around.

STUART: That’s the last of the bags. I also called the pilot and told him to start fueling up the jet. We’ll be out of here in no time.

JUDITH: Very good. I can’t wait to get back home.

STUART: Why are you so gung ho to get home? I know that you want to face our problems head on. But, is there something more going on?

JUDITH: I thought you would never ask.

At the Anderson Mansion, in the Living Room, Michael, Jamal, Melissa, and Thomas are standing next to one another in the room. Michael and Jamal are coming off of shaking hands.

JAMAL: It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Anderson.

MICHAEL: Likewise, Mr. Hudson. I’ve heard a lot about you and your family.

JAMAL: Good things, I hope.

MICHAEL: My son wouldn’t have it any other way. I hope that they have been good tour guides tonight. Have they taken you downtown yet?

JAMAL: Yes. I’m in love with Thorne Hill already.

THOMAS: That’s how it happens, Jamal. You get one look at those nice restaurants and happening clubs, and before you know it, you’re renting an apartment. Or, in your case, living at a beautiful mansion with Melissa and I on Wilshire Boulevard.

JAMAL: (laughs) Yes, I can’t wait to get settled down more.

MICHAEL: So, Jamal, tell me, what are your hopes for moving here to town?

MELISSA: To tell you the truth, Michael, my brother moved here to fulfill a business expansion for my family’s luxury furniture company.

MICHAEL: Ah, yes, I believe Thomas mentioned something about that to me. Care to share more about these expansion plans?

JAMAL: Sure thing. My family plans to open up a new factory here in Thorne Hill. There’s a large piece of land available out by where the old pipeline factory used to be. If we expand there, then we could employ hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Thorne Hill and Illinois citizens. There’s only one problem.

MELISSA: Problem? You didn’t tell me there was already a problem.

JAMAL: I know. It’s just a small one. You see, we have to outbid someone for the property. An anonymous bidder put out a very large sum of cash.

MICHAEL: I know.

THOMAS: Come again, dad.

MICHAEL: I know all about the property. I know all about the large sum of money a bidder shelved out as well. That’s because I want the property. I was the one who bid on it first. And, I’ll be damned if anyone is going to cause any issues when it comes to me getting that property.

Back on the Whitmore Private Island, at the Main House, Judith and Stuart sit on the couch in the living room. Judith sets her glass of water on the coffee table.

JUDITH: To tell you the truth, darling, I do eventually want to repair our relationship with Philip. And, I would like to be there for our grandchild that Amy and Mimi are adopting. I know that it will take so much to get back in our son’s good graces. I just want to give it a fair shot.

STUART: We murdered his soon-to-be-wife’s parents. And, then we covered up her falling off the railing of our family’s penthouse stairs. She was comatose, Judith.

JUDITH: And, then she came to our wedding and shot the place up. I know that, Stuart! I know! I know! We have to try. We have to try and fix everything.

STUART: Okay. Calm down. We will. We’ll fix it all. I’ll try. You’ll try. And, hopefully, someday, everything will be back to normal.

Back at the Anderson Mansion, in the Living Room, everyone is now holding a glass of whiskey. Michael puts the topper upon a crystal beverage holder. He then picks up a whiskey glass and turns around.

JAMAL: Forgive me if this question seems out of line, Mr. Anderson; but why exactly do you want the rights to build on that property?

MICHAEL: Because, I plan to expand my company as well. As you may know, I am the founder of Anderson Manufacturing.

JAMAL: The company that manufactures parts for race car drivers, and even race cars themselves. Trust me, I definitely know of your company.

MICHAEL: Very good. Any business professional should.

THOMAS: Dad, I didn’t know you and Aunt Kimberly were planning any sort of expansion. How long has this been in the works?

MICHAEL: Your Aunt notified me of the property about two months ago. We placed a bid right away. We plan to build Thorne Hill’s first ever race track. And, we also plan to finally have our very own race team complete with a pit crew and a famous driver. Kimberly is working on poaching Lewis Hamilton.

JAMAL: He’s quite amazing. All eyes are on him lately.

MICHAEL: Yes, they are. We plan to continue that by offering him an irresistible contract to come work for our company. And, to top it all off, Anderson Manufacturing’s expansion will certainly employ a lot of people, as my company already does.

MELISSA: As interesting as this all sounds, can we wait and talk about all of this tomorrow? Brother, it’s your first night in town. I brought you over here to meet Michael, not talk shop all night.

JAMAL: Sis…

MICHAEL: No, she’s right. Please, help yourself to more whiskey. I’ll go ask the chef to make us some finger foods. Excuse me.

Michael walks off. Jamal watches on and takes a sip of his whiskey.

JAMAL: Well, Thomas, I see your father is quite the man.

THOMAS: Thank you.

JAMAL: And, it looks like he is determined in all facets of life.

THOMAS: He certainly is. He never gives up.

JAMAL: I definitely get that vibe from him. Without-a-doubt.

Back at the Jackson Family Home, in the Living Room, Andrea crosses her legs and turns to the side, to better face Joshua.

ANDREA: You know that you can always tell me anything. Right?

JOSHUA: Yes, I do know that.

ANDREA: We can overcome anything. Nothing is too big for us.

JOSHUA: Honey, I know.

ANDREA: So, let me help you through this. If you need to talk, I’m here. If you need a sleeping pill, we’ll schedule you an appointment. I want to do my part to help you get over these nightmares.

JOSHUA: I appreciate that. But, I don’t think that I’m going to get over these nightmares until I come clean to you about why they were caused in the first place.

ANDREA: Okay. Go on.

JOSHUA: First, you must know that Jennifer has been having them too.

ANDREA: She has?

JOSHUA: Yes. Her’s have ended as well.

ANDREA: That’s good. Do they stem from the coma?

JOSHUA: In large part, yes.

ANDREA: Gosh, I’m so sorry. You must’ve been more worried about her after that fall that she took in the park, than originally expected. I know things got scary there for a moment. And, I know that it looks like she may not have ever come out of that coma, but things are better now. She’s out of it. She’s healthy. She’s doing well.

JOSHUA: Yes, she is. Pretty soon, her wedding day with Philip will arrive and everything will be right in this world. Now, honey, I need you to really listen to what I have to say. Okay?

ANDREA: I’m all ears.

JOSHUA: My nightmares began after I found out what really happened to my sister the night she fell. You see, she did not fall in the park. She fell because Judith and she got into a fight and she fell off the side of the stairs at Judith’s penthouse.

ANDREA: What? I...I...I don’t understand. Why would Judith do that?

JOSHUA: Because, she and Stuart killed Jennifer and I’s parents.

ANDREA: (sobbing) What? What? Joshua? What? That’s impossible.

JOSHUA: I know that this is shocking.

ANDREA: (standing) It’s absurd.

JOSHUA: Honey, please. It’s the truth. It’s all true. They killed them because our parents stole from them. In a way, it was kind of Whitmore's form of ugly justice.

ANDREA: Honey, are you sure that this is true?

JOSHUA: I’m sure. Jennifer found out the night of the engagement party. She confronted Judith alone. They had a catfight. Jennifer fell, smacked head on the tile floor, and went into a coma.

ANDREA: Oh my god. You know, this whole time, I have considered Stuart a friend. I went above my call of duty as a doctor to make sure he got the best care possible, and a friend in his time of need. Oh god, honey, I’m so sorry.

JOSHUA: It’s okay. It really is. You have to keep this secret, though.

ANDREA: What do you mean?

JOSHUA: It was Jennifer’s choice. Please, abide by it.

ANDREA: Okay. I will. Just come here for a second.

Andrea hugs Joshua, tightly.

ANDREA: I love you.

JOSHUA: I love you too, honey. So very much.

Back at Martin’s Bar, a Bartender walks up to Ava and Roscoe’s table. He sets a martini in front of Ava and a second mug of beer in front of Roscoe. He then walks off.

AVA: Thank you for letting me order a drink first.

ROSCOE: Certainly. It’s not a waste of time at all. I think you’re gonna need it.

Ava takes a sip of her martini.

AVA: Me too.

ROSCOE: Are you certain that you want to see this?

AVA: I already told you that I have to face my demons.

ROSCOE: I just want to be sure, Miss McClain.

AVA: I appreciate you treating me so kindly. However, I paid you to do a job. And, that job was to find out anything you could about Keith and where he lives. Here we go.

Ava picks up the manilla envelope and slowly opens it. She takes a deep breath and begins to look through the photos. The photos include an altar that has been built to Ava. It has personal photos, locks of her hair, things that she has worn in the past. Ava sets the photos down on the table.

AVA: Dear God in Heaven.

ROSCOE: Are you okay?

AVA: I’m fine. I don’t mean to be rude, Roscoe. But, can you please go?

ROSCOE: Certainly. I understand.

Roscoe stands and gets a 20 dollar bill out of his pocket. He puts it on the table.

ROSCOE: The next round for you is on me. If you need anything else, please, don’t hesitate to call. Have a good day.

AVA: Thank you. You too.

Roscoe walks off. Ava picks the photos back up and looks through again, sitting them down on the table, one by one, once again. She begins to tear up. She wipes them away, as she takes a drink of her martini. The camera zooms out.

END OF EPISODE 98