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("Footprints")Tj
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(Episode #277)Tj
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(Previously ...)Tj
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(- Still dazed from Sally's death, Alex went to share the news with the C\
hases. They )Tj
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(immediately rallied around him, but he remained convinced that some of t\
he blame )Tj
T*
(belonged to him because of his refusal to rescue his mother from marryin\
g Stan.)Tj
T*
(- Jason was strangely affected by the news that Courtney had set Alex up\
on a date with )Tj
T*
(Dylan.)Tj
T*
(- In the aftermath of Stan's rampage, Claire again reminded Ryan of her \
lack of trust for )Tj
T*
(Nick.)Tj
T*
(- A strained encounter with Brent at her parents' house sent Molly runni\
ng, determined )Tj
T*
(not to put herself through that kind of heartache anymore.)Tj
/TT0 1 Tf
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(WINDMILLS)Tj
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(The golden bubbles spring to life inside the pristine glass of the champ\
agne flute. Molly )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(takes a few seconds to watch them quietly, fascinated by the sparkling e\
nergy inside the )Tj
T*
(glass's slender body.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("It's been a while since I had champagne," she admits with a laugh.)Tj
T*
("I felt it was in order," Eric says as a smile curls his lips. "Tonight \
feels like a time for )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(celebrating, no?")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("I suppose, yeah." In truth, she has approached their date with equal pa\
rts excitement )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(and nervousness. It's been so long she went out on a true date that she'\
s almost )Tj
T*
(forgotten how to feels to step outside of her comfort zone and risk a di\
sastrous evening )Tj
T*
(with a stranger in the hope of forging some sort of magical connection.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(Eric lifts his glass. "Let's toast, then.")Tj
T*
(Molly follows suit, picking up her glass from the table and holding it a\
loft in anticipation of )Tj
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(Eric's toast.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("To simplicity," he says, "and new beginnings." He clinks his glass agai\
nst hers and they )Tj
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(drink as the sharp ring lingers in the air. )Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(He places his champagne down. "I've needed an evening like this so badly\
-- a chance to )Tj
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(relax, share interesting conversation with an interesting person ... and\
escape from the )Tj
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(rut I've managed to settle myself into these last few months.")Tj
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(Molly can't help widening her eyes. "Tell me about it!")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(The emphatic nature of her agreement comes quite naturally; her encounte\
r with Brent )Tj
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(earlier made it clear just how acute her need to escape from that rut ha\
s become. For )Tj
T*
(months, especially since Sarah signed the divorce papers, Molly has tort\
ured herself daily )Tj
T*
(over whether she and Brent could and should make an attempt at a relatio\
nship. It's )Tj
T*
(gotten to the point of feeling like a neverending cycle lately -- an unb\
roken loop of )Tj
T*
(indecision and conflict.)Tj
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(The chance to spend an evening away from that was too promising to pass \
up, and the )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(possibility of finding happiness elsewhere was what gave her the strengt\
h to walk away )Tj
T*
(from what would have no doubt been the same conversation she and Brent h\
ave had )Tj
T*
(time and time again.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Actually," she says, still caught in that train of thought even as she \
opens her mouth to )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(continue the conversation, "I think the last time I had a 'night on the \
town,' I came here. )Tj
T*
(And it was the obligatory disaster, of course.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("What happened?" he asks, leaning forward in that way that makes her hap\
pily aware )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(that he's devoting his full attention to her.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
(She releases a sigh so heavy that it practically speaks for itself. "Som\
ehow everyone and )Tj
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(their mother decided to come here that night. My sister-in-law--she was \
married to my )Tj
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(brother before he died, I mean--" She sees Eric's eyes react to that sta\
tement and she )Tj
T*
(knows she'll have to return to it in a moment. "She was here with a man \
she's been )Tj
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(dating, someone she probably shouldn't be dating, so that made things ni\
ce and )Tj
T*
(uncomfortable when we bumped into them. And then there was this woman he\
re who )Tj
T*
(decided to come harass us ...")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(A laugh escapes his lips. "This woman just arbitrarily decided to harass\
you?")Tj
T*
("No, no. We know her, unfortunately. She's--" Molly has to pause a momen\
t to consider )Tj
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(the relation. "She and my brother have a daughter together. Long story. \
Anyway, she )Tj
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(and my sister have become friends, somehow, so Diane--this woman--decide\
d to bother )Tj
T*
(me on her behalf.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Diane?" )Tj
T*
("Yeah. She's a real piece of work.")Tj
T*
("Diane Bishop?" Recognition sparks another grin from Eric as Molly nods.\
)Tj
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("You know her?")Tj
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(appreciated tonight, Eric. I've had a terrific time, and you've been suc\
h a gentleman, )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(and--there's something I have to go take care of. I'm sorry.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(She lingers for only a second, unable to believe that she's doing this, \
breaking away from )Tj
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(a successful man who wants to be with her -- leaving him in the park, fo\
r God's sakes! -- )Tj
T*
(to dive headfirst into something so complicated and ugly.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
(But as she darts back along the trail, trying to figure out the best pla\
ce to go grab a cab, )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(she realizes that she wouldn't have it any other way. She can't.)Tj
/TT1 1 Tf
16.44426 -2.66956 Td
(END OF EPISODE #277)Tj
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-14.21651 -2.67093 Td
(What do you think of Molly and Eric's date and the abrupt ending? Did th\
at scene )Tj
-1.57449 -1.2 Td
(between Jason and Courtney surprise you? Come share your thoughts at the\
Footprints )Tj
20.44701 -1.2 Td
(Forum!)Tj
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(Next Episode)Tj
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("I think I was here with her that night!" Eric exclaims. "The man you we\
re with -- was his )Tj
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(name Brant--")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Brent." Molly goes quiet for a moment, basking in the amusement of the \
revelation. )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
("Wow. So I guess you )Tj
/TT1 1 Tf
(do)Tj
/TT0 1 Tf
( understand what a pain Diane was that night.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("I told her how obnoxious I found it, actually," he says. )Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Good! That scores you some major points." Molly lifts the champagne flu\
te again, )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(bringing it slowly to her lips as she waits for the smile to abate so th\
at she can have )Tj
T*
(another drink.)Tj
/TT2 1 Tf
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(MORIANI HOME)Tj
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0 -2.67091 TD
("This gin is awful," Ryan says, not even bothering to look up from the b\
ar, as he spies )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(Nick entering the room out of the corner of his eye.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(He hears the sigh of annoyance that Nick only makes a partial effort to \
conceal. "What's )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(wrong with it?")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("I don't like it." Nevertheless, Ryan picks up his drink and takes a sip\
, taking care to )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(make a face just to show that this gin isn't working for him. "We should\
keep getting the )Tj
T*
(kind that we used to get.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Fine." Nick's surprising lack of resistance tells Ryan that he must hav\
e something else on )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(his mind. Sure enough, the bare minimum of necessary silence passes befo\
re Nick )Tj
T*
(redirects the conversation. "I need to discuss a few issues with you -- \
business issues, )Tj
T*
(that is.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(He must see Ryan glancing out into the hall, because he hastens to add, \
"Katherine is out )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(at some sort of dinner.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Ah." Ryan takes his drink and settles into one of the armchairs. Maybe \
if he ignores )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(Nick, he won't have to get involved in this.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(No such luck. Nick busies himself at the bar as he begins, "I have a mee\
ting with--")Tj
T*
("I don't want to hear about it.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("What?")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("I don't want to hear about it," Ryan repeats, a little firmer this time\
. "I don't want to be )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(a part of this anymore.")Tj
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("Oh, not this again.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("'This'? It's a legitimate decision. I'm not interested in--")Tj
T*
("I don't care what you're interested in!" Nick sets his glass down rough\
ly, and the ice )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(cubes that he's just placed in it clatter together. "You are not going t\
o back down on your )Tj
T*
(obligations because Claire Robbins, paragon of virtue that she is, doesn\
't approve.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(The swiftness with which Nick cuts to the core of the issue startles Rya\
n into quiet, and )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(Nick rages on, his fury escalating with each word.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("You've proven that you're not the monster that she thought you were. St\
an raped her, )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(you didn't. That's out in the open now. And somehow you've gotten her to\
trust you )Tj
T*
(again. Isn't that enough, Ryan? When is this going to end?")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("This is about more than proving she can trust me," Ryan snaps back.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Nonsense. I'm surprised that any son of mine would be so oblivious. Thi\
s is all about )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(validation -- we both know that. And now that you've shown that you aren\
't Stan Lincoln )Tj
T*
(Junior, it's time to get back to real life.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("What do you think I'm doing, playing a game? This )Tj
/TT1 1 Tf
(is)Tj
/TT0 1 Tf
( my real life. It's a hell of a lot )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(more real than being your puppet for the rest of my life!")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Oh, please, Ryan." Distaste sweeps over Nick's face and he returns to f\
ixing a drink. )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
("You wanted to be involved in my business from the moment you found out \
about it.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Maybe when I was eighteen! It seemed a hell of a lot cooler than slavin\
g away at some )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(meaningless desk job for forty years." Ryan tosses back a sharp swig of \
his drink. "Thank )Tj
T*
(God you made me go to college, though. At least that gives me some optio\
ns to fall back )Tj
T*
(on now.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(A cruel little laugh escapes from Nick's throat. "Options? Such as?")Tj
T*
("I have a degree in business! That should be of some help in finding a j\
ob, I'd think.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("And I'm sure corporations will be scrambling to hire a man in his mid-t\
hirties who hasn't )Tj
0 -1.20001 TD
(held an official job since he worked in a hardware store when he was six\
teen.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("I have experience," Ryan says, though suddenly it feels as though he's \
struggling to stay )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(above water. "I've served on the boards of how many companies?")Tj
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("Big whoop. You can afford to play in the stock market." Nick takes a fi\
rst, careful sip of )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(his drink. "I'm telling you, Ryan, becoming Mr. Corporate America isn't \
going to be as )Tj
T*
(easy as you think.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(Ryan slams his glass down on the coffee table and springs to his feet. "\
I don't care how )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(easy it's going to be! I want to make something of myself, for God's sak\
e. I'm tired of )Tj
T*
(running around like your lackey. It's pathetic.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
(Nick just stands there, his mustache on the edge of his glass, silently \
taunting his son.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("There's no use trying to explain this to you," Ryan says, dismissing Ni\
ck with a wave of )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(the hand and beating a hasty retreat from the room.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(He'll prove Nick wrong. He'll prove them all wrong -- Nick, Stan, Brent \
Taylor, even )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(Claire. He almost lost Claire last night, but he's not going to let that\
happen. He's going )Tj
T*
(to be the kind of man she needs.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
(His own man, for the first time ever, he resolves as he storms up the st\
airs.)Tj
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(CHASE HOME)Tj
/TT0 1 Tf
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("Try some of the asparagus, dear," Helen says, holding up the dish for D\
on. )Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(He takes some -- though he barely reacts to it, good or bad -- and retur\
ns to his nearly )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(mechanical eating. He's been sleepwalking through the entire day, at lea\
st for the brief )Tj
T*
(periods that she's seen him; most of his time today has been spent in hi\
s studio.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Thanks for cooking tonight," he says.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("It was my pleasure. Besides ... I felt like we needed something to make\
this day feel a )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(little more normal.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("I appreciate it. I'm still feeling sort of dazed.")Tj
T*
("I can tell." She takes a bite of the pasta and chicken dish that she pr\
epared. "How are )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(you feeling about this whole situation? I didn't want to bother you whil\
e you were )Tj
T*
(painting, but I figured you might want to talk about it.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
(He sets down his fork. "To tell the truth, I didn't even get any paintin\
g done. I was )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(hoping I might be able to direct some of what I'm feeling about Sally on\
to the canvas, )Tj
T*
(but ... nothing seemed to fit.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("You can't force something like that.")Tj
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("No." She watches him pick up his fork, then drop it again. It clanks lo\
udly against the )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(plate, but Don doesn't seem to notice. "I didn't even know what I was tr\
ying to say.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(Helen is used to this pattern: When Don wants to open up about something\
, he leads the )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(way down a scraggly path, and she has to supply the proper amount of pro\
dding to keep )Tj
T*
(him moving. "Well, what are you thinking?")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("I'm stunned," he says, staring off at some spot on the wall behind her.\
"I'm stunned )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(that Sally's life is over. Someone I was married to--God, at one point I\
thought I was )Tj
T*
(going to spend the rest of my life with her, for some ridiculous reason-\
-gone, just like )Tj
T*
(that.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("It's made me very aware of the fact that we're not getting any younger,\
" Helen says.)Tj
T*
("Absolutely. It was different when it was my parents ... )Tj
/TT1 1 Tf
(they)Tj
/TT0 1 Tf
( were the ones getting old. )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(Having someone our age die -- it's a completely different thing.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("I know." Helen eats some more of her dinner as she thinks. "It makes me\
a little )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(nervous.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("It makes me very nervous! But also ... very thankful.")Tj
T*
(Helen isn't sure what to make of that, so she waits for Don to explain f\
urther.)Tj
T*
("I think about Sally," he says, "and I think about how she never found w\
hat she was )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(looking for. She was never really happy. Even at the end, she was strugg\
ling to make )Tj
T*
(something wonderful of a terrible situation. It makes me so grateful tha\
t I somehow )Tj
T*
(wound up with the life I have.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Me, too.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(Don reaches out a hand and rests it atop one of Helen's. "God forbid any\
thing happens to )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(one of us ... at least we can know that we've had a wonderful life toget\
her and we have a )Tj
T*
(wonderful daughter to show for it.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("It's so sad -- for her and for Alex, I guess.")Tj
T*
("We need to keep an eye on him," Don says, squeezing her hands beneath h\
is. "He has )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(to live with Sally's legacy, and that's not going to be easy.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("He's going to need a lot of support," Helen says, recalling how unreach\
able Alex seemed )Tj
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(when he delivered the news this morning.)Tj
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(Don nods. "I've tried to be there for him whenever he's needed it since \
he and Sally )Tj
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(showed up in King's Bay. But now, more than ever, we need to be the fami\
ly that he )Tj
T*
(doesn't have.")Tj
/TT1 1 Tf
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(JASON FISHER & ALEX MARSHALL'S APARTMENT)Tj
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(The smell of the pizza has been enticing Courtney for the entire car rid\
e, and now that )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(she's making the ascent up to Alex's apartment, she's about ready to tea\
r the box open. )Tj
T*
(She's put off eating for one reason or another -- first the news about S\
ally, then a )Tj
T*
(promise to Alex that she'd come over and eat with him -- for most of the\
day, and now )Tj
T*
(she's starving.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
(Something flutters in her stomach as she knocks on the door. She's not s\
ure what to )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(expect from Alex now. Only a few hours have really passed since Alex cam\
e over and )Tj
T*
(broke the news of his mother's death, but that's a lot of time to spend \
thinking about )Tj
T*
(something so earth-shattering.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(But when the door opens, her worries about Alex fall away -- because she\
's face-to-face )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(with Jason.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Hey," he says, as a thick ooze that prevents either of them from moving\
or thinking with )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(any ease at all settles over them.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Hey. Is Alex here?")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("He just got out of the shower, I think." Nothing happens for a moment, \
and Courtney )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(knows that Jason must be doing exactly what she's doing: trying to figur\
e out what kind )Tj
T*
(of encounter this is going to be.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(She doesn't have the energy to argue with him, though, especially not wh\
en Alex is )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(dealing with something so serious. But she's not sure what to say to pas\
s the time until )Tj
T*
(Alex emerges, either.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Here, come inside," Jason says. She does, but she stands there awkwardl\
y, her coat still )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(on and the pizza still in her hands.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("How's he doing?" she asks finally.)Tj
T*
("I'm not sure. He, uh ... he's been in his room for most of the day, and\
then I went to )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(see my parents for a while. We haven't gotten to talk much.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("He came to tell my parents and me this morning and he was a total mess.\
I guess that's )Tj
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(what you'd expect, but still ..." She decides that it's foolish to keep \
standing there like )Tj
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(some uninvited guest, so she goes to the dining area and puts the pizza \
on the table.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(Jason plunges his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. "How's your \
dad taking it?")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("He's okay, I guess. He's been in his studio most of the day, painting, \
I guess. It's not )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(like he and Sally were close, but it's probably still weird for him.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Yeah, I bet.")Tj
T*
(The conversation suddenly hits a brick wall, and Courtney has no idea ho\
w to jump-start )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(it. She casts a desperate glance at the hallway, hoping that Alex will a\
rrive any moment )Tj
T*
(now, and then busies herself by removing her coat and hanging it on the \
back of a chair.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Are you gonna keep him company tonight?" Jason asks.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Yeah ... I figured I'd bring over some food to make sure he eats someth\
ing, and then I'll )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(just hang out so that he's not alone. That's probably the last thing he \
needs right now.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("I know. But good luck -- when he gets withdrawn like this, it can be re\
ally, really hard to )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(pull him out of it.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Yeah." For some reason, her mind goes leaping back to nearly two years \
ago, when Tim )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(died; as close as she and Jason were then, it took her weeks to get him \
to open up about )Tj
T*
(losing his brother. )Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
(Thankfully, before she has to come up with anything else to say, Alex ap\
pears in the )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(living room, pulling a sweatshirt over his head.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Hey," he says, nodding at Courtney.)Tj
T*
("Look what I brought," she says, gesturing toward the pizza.)Tj
T*
("Thanks." )Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Hey, I, uh, I think I'm gonna out for a little bit," Jason says, gather\
ing his jacket off the )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(couch and his keys from the coffee table. "I'll see you guys later.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Later," Alex says.)Tj
T*
(Courtney doesn't say anything, but she and Jason make eye contact right \
before he slips )Tj
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(out the door. )Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
(She recognizes the silent look of thanks that he gives her.)Tj
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(KING'S BAY PARK)Tj
/TT1 1 Tf
0 -2.67091 TD
("It's finally starting to feel like the holidays to me," Molly says, pul\
ling her coat a little )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(tighter against her body. Her gaze roams the tops of the evergreen trees\
and the navy )Tj
T*
(sky as she walks alongside Eric, their feet kicking up the layer of unra\
ked leaves that )Tj
T*
(lines the paved trail.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("That doesn't usually happen for me until Christmas Eve or so," Eric say\
s with a little )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(chuckle. Molly isn't sure whether it's supposed to sound sarcastic or bi\
tter.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(She clasps her gloved hands together. "I was one of those kids who start\
ed with the )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(Christmas music at 7 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving. And I did all m\
y Christmas )Tj
T*
(shopping the first week of December.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("You were one of)Tj
/TT2 1 Tf
( those)Tj
/TT1 1 Tf
( kids, huh?")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Yeah, I was probably pretty obnoxious about it," she laughs. "But I lov\
ed the holidays. I )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(still do, I guess. They just feel different lately.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("I used to be a lot more enthusiastic about them," Eric says. "My second\
year of law )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(school, though, I was so busy that I didn't fly back to Minnesota for Th\
anksgiving. )Tj
T*
(Sometime while I was sitting in a cramped apartment eating a rather unim\
pressive )Tj
T*
(dinner with two of my friends from school, I realized that there isn't a\
nything inherently )Tj
T*
(magical about the holidays.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("That's kind of a depressing thought!")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Well ... I suppose so. But it's true, isn't it? Thanksgiving and Christ\
mas, in and of )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(themselves, aren't particularly exciting. It's what we make of them -- t\
he gigantic meals, )Tj
T*
(the gifts, the relatives coming out of the woodworks -- that makes them \
so special.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("I guess that is true." She stops walking as she considers that. "You're\
right. I guess )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(these last couple of years have made the holidays feel so different. My \
brother ... Tim ... )Tj
T*
(he died on New Year's two years ago.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("So I've heard," Eric says solemnly. "I suppose that would put a new twi\
st on the )Tj
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(holidays.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("My parents used to have an enormous party every New Year's Eve, at the \
top of the )Tj
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(hotel downtown. But last year we just stayed at home and had a quiet nig\
ht. Having a )Tj
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(huge celebration doesn't seem so appropriate anymore.")Tj
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(They resume walking, scattering and crumbling the crunchy leaves beneath\
their feet. )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(Molly draws a deep breath; the night's air is crisp and clean, and sudde\
nly she realizes )Tj
T*
(that her body is more relaxed than it has been in months. )Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("It's so nice to be out having a normal evening," she says with great re\
lief.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Well, I'm glad this hasn't been a colossal disaster," he replies, peppe\
ring the statement )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(with a laugh.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Not at all. You don't have any hidden psychoses, do you?")Tj
T*
("I don't think so ...")Tj
T*
("Well, you're not apt to begin, say, stalking me, are you?" She has to s\
ay it in a )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(humorous way, even though the thought still makes her squirm, years late\
r.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Not that I'm aware of, no." Now he is the one who stops walking. "Is th\
ere a story )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(behind this?")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(She jams her hands into the pockets of her coat. "Unfortunately, yes." S\
he launches into )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(the story of Craig in as short a form as she can manage, not particularl\
y eager to relive )Tj
T*
(too much of it or to frighten Eric.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("I think you're safe," he says. "I don't foresee becoming psychotic.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Good enough for me. I'm sorry to drag you down with that ... It's impor\
tant to me, )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(though.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("I understand. No need to apologize." He pauses long enough to take a de\
ep breath, one )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(that Molly sees emerge and float out into the night. "I am getting the i\
mpression, though, )Tj
T*
(that you're not particularly confident about men in general. Is it all b\
ecause of that?")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(She feels her eyebrows lift in tandem as she answers, "A lot of it, yeah\
. And I followed )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(that with another fairly disastrous experience -- with Diane's former si\
dekick, as a matter )Tj
T*
(of fact.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Brian?")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Yeah! Wow, you're more in the loop than I thought.")Tj
T*
("Let's just say I'm not particularly fond of him, from what I've seen.")Tj
T*
("Nor am I," she says ruefully, remembering that day she walked into Visi\
on and )Tj
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(overheard Brian and Diane discussing their efforts to split up Tim and C\
laire. It was like a )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(slap in the face, hearing him revealed as such a creep after months of c\
onvincing herself )Tj
T*
(that it wasn't going to turn out badly.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Well, let's just say I've purged myself of Diane, at least in the perso\
nal sense. You don't )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(need to have any worries about my involvement with her.")Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
("Good. That woman has given my family enough grief to last years and yea\
rs. She )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(doesn't need to add anymore.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Well, I promise ..." He looks her directly in the eyes. "... that I don\
't have any baggage )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(you need to be concerned about.")Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("Glad to hear it." She pushes the words out quickly, sensing what is abo\
ut to happen. As )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(if in slow-motion, his face grows nearer and nearer to hers.)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
(The moment seems so simple, so uncomplicated, that she can hardly believ\
e it. It's not )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(like it was with Craig, or with Brian, or like it's ever been with Brent\
.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(Brent. A picture of his face flickers in her mind, and she realizes that\
it's been drifting in )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(and out the entire evening.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(That's what this is all about. She's had a wonderful time with Eric, but\
she's had a )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(wonderful time because it's taken her mind off Brent. For a few hours, s\
he hasn't had to )Tj
T*
(worry about any of that.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(She hasn't had to worry about him having been married to her sister, or \
the way Sarah )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(would react if they crossed that line, or how even today when she was tr\
ying to get away )Tj
T*
(from Brent, the only thing she really wanted was to pull him close to he\
r.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(Or the way that she spends hours agonizing over the fact that she knows \
exactly what )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(she wants in life but can't have it.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
(Eric's lips are mere millimeters away from hers when it hits her.)Tj
T*
("Wait," she says, surprised at the sound of her own voice. Is she really\
throwing away )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(something so pleasant, so uncomplicated, for all of that?)Tj
0 -2.67023 TD
(Absolutely.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("I can't do this." She watches him begin to back away uncertainly, no do\
ubt trying to )Tj
0 -1.2 TD
(ascertain what caused this sudden shift in moods.)Tj
0 -2.67024 TD
("I'm sorry," she says, and the words begin to fly out of her mouth. "I'v\
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trailer
<]>>
startxref
50466
%%EOF