Cliff House: Moments of Perfect Clarity, Part 2

Monday, June 21, 1993

ROGER: Hart, what the hell are you doing?!!! Davis, what the hell?!!

HOLLY steps towards ROGER, but JENNA cuts between them.

JENNA: You stay back! He doesn’t need you! He’s got me!

ROGER: HART! What are you doing!? What’s going on? [HART cranks up the convertible.] Talk to me, damn it!!!

ROGER and HART stare at each other for a moment. ROGER turns his back and walks away, but still in the path of the car.

HART pulls back, and almost runs ROGER down with the car. A woman’s voice yells “Roger!”

Moments later ...

ROGER yanks HART out of the car; they scream at each other:

ROGER: Are you out of your mind???!!!

HART: Hands off!!

ROGER: You almost killed me!

HART: Almost doesn't count!

ROGER: What? You actually ...

HART: I lost control of the car, the accelerator stuck!!

ED: Is anybody hurt here?

DAVIS: Nothing happened!

ED: Damn lucky thing, too!

HART: Nobody got hurt!

ED [to ROGER]: You all right?

ROGER nods. He is glassy-eyed and stiff with shock. JENNA goes to him and holds him close.

ED [to DAVIS]: What about you?

DAVIS: Yeah, I’m all right. That young punk better watch out . . .[to HART] That's you I'm talkin' about!!

HART: You're the one responsible for my grandfather's death!!! You’d better look over your shoulder. One day I’m gonna be there!!

ED: We need to get a policeman down here.

ROGER: NO!

ED: We don’t know that this wasn’t a criminal act.

HART: Look, call all the cops you want!

ED: You might want to press charges.

HART: I don’t give a damn about charges!!

ROGER: No! No charges!!

DAVIS: That’s right. Nothing happened. It was an accident. The whole thing was an accident, isn’t that right, Roger?

ROGER: Yes, that’s right!

ED: What is going on here?

HART: Dr. Bauer, you’re a smart man. You should be able to figure out what’s going on.

ROGER, horrified, watches HART as he walks away.

ED [to ROGER]: You sure you’re not hurt?

ROGER: Disappointed?

ED: Just trying to figure out ...

ROGER: I already told you.

ED: You look like you’re in shock, Roger. Some people can be hurt . . .

ROGER: Of course I’m in shock. That was my son.

HOLLY to JENNA: Pretty scary.

JENNA: Yes, very scary.

HOLLY: I don’t know what Roger has told you about his son and their relationship, but, uh, it’s very complicated.

JENNA [taking in the understatement]: Complicated.

HOLLY: Loaded.

JENNA: Look, Holly, you don’t have to give me any pointers. Roger’s told me all about his relationship with his son.

HOLLY: Good. Because he’s going to need a very good friend tonight.

HOLLY starts to walk away, but JENNA says, loudly enough for her to hear . . .

JENNA: And don’t you think it’s gonna be you!

HOLLY [looks at ROGER as she says to ED]: Ready when you are.

DAVIS, to ROGER: Some reunion, eh Roger?

ROGER [seething]: You must be insane, coming back here!

DAVIS: Your kid’s the crazy one.

ROGER: What are you doing back here, Davis?

DAVIS: Roger, Roger! Is it that hard to figure? I came to collect the ten million I was promised.

ROGER: We’ll continue this upstairs at the bar.

DAVIS: After you . . .

ROGER: No, you go ahead. I’ll be up in a minute.

DAVIS: You’re the boss.

DAVIS leers at JENNA as he passes her.

A repulsed JENNA to ROGER: Who is that man!?

ROGER stares at the convertible.

ROGER: And what is this? Whree the hell did he get the money for this!!??

JENNA [frightened]: I ... I don’t know. Maybe it’s a friend’s ...

ROGER: Yeah, maybe.

JENNA: That man, Hart was . . He called him “Davis.” Is that what he called him? Is that who he is?

ROGER: Jon Davis. He helped destroy my son.

SCENE: Upstairs, at the TOWERS. ROGER and JENNA approach GILLY.

ROGER: I want you to run a check on Hart.

GILLY: Roger, I—

ROGER: Listen, he’s driving a very expensive car. I want to find out where he got it from. Be discreet, of course.

GILLY: Roger, I can’t.

ROGER: What?

GILLY: Roger, I was trying to tell you earlier, I didn’t finish—

ROGER: Not now! My son almost killed me just now!

GILLY: What?

JENNA: Hart tried to run him over with his car.

GILLY: Oh, God!

ROGER: We’ll talk tomorrow.

GILLY [with more meaning than ROGER knows]: Yes, Roger, we will.

GILLY leaves. DAVIS is in the background.

ROGER [to the bartender]: Scotch rocks.

JENNA: Make that two.

ROGER: You know, you might be happier waiting at home. This could take a while.

JENNA: No! I’m not going to leave you alone. I’ll be here.

JENNA puts an arm around him.

ROGER: I’ll try to be brief.

JENNA: Do whatever you need to.

He nods and gets up.

ROGER: Excuse me.

JENNA sighs.

DAVIS to ROGER: You look good, Roger. Prosperous.

ROGER: How’d you get out of jail?

DAVIS [laughs]: Through the front door. You didn’t think they’d let me rot in there forever, did you?

ROGER: Embezzlement usually carries pretty big time.

DAVIS: They had the wrong man, Roger. But, not to worry. I didn’t let that it was you who embezzled from Madam Spaulding. No, I kept that all to myself because if I ratted I’d blow ten million dollars. That’s what kept me going . . . what turned me into a model con. Butter wouldn’t melt in my mouth, Roger. They could walk all over me. I didn’t care. I had ten mil waiting for me at the end of the rainbow. And so when my minimum two years was up the parole board practically cheered when they told me to “go forth and do good deeds.” [laughs] Well, that brings you up to speed on my life. How about yours? [He looks across at JENNA.] Mmm. Mmmm. Pretty woman. Life is good to R.T.

[DAVIS doesn’t get the irony that to any normal viewer, ROGER looks like he’s still in shock.]

DAVIS continues: But then, it always is, isn’t it?

ROGER: We can’t discuss this here.

DAVIS: Why not?

ROGER: Because I say so. We need some place private.

DAVIS: I’m at your disposal. But I don’t want to drag this out, okay?

ROGER: I’ll be in touch.

DAVIS: It’s a pleasure doing business with you.

ROGER looks completely miserable.

Meanwhile, HOLLY and ED have gone back to the BAUER HOUSE to spring HOLLY’S surprise on MICHELLE. MICHELLE and BRIDGIT are in MICHELLE’S room. MICHELLE has been trying to teach BRIDGET how to waltz in anticipation of BILLY and VANESSA’S wedding the next day. The girls hear HOLLY and ED coming up the stairs.

ED: I have given Hart a break . . . everyone has! The kid’s just trouble!

They open MICHELLE’S bedroom door.

HOLLY: I thought I saw a light on up here!

MICHELLE: Hi, Holly!

HOLLY: Do I get a hug?

She does, indeed.

MICHELLE: I missed you.

HOLLY: I missed you, too. Guess what? I’ve got a surprise!

BRIDGIT interrupts, asking about HART. After a tense exchange with ED, she leaves the three of them.

Still at the BAUER HOUSE, a very pretty tableau vivant. ED sits near a window in the half-lit room, watching HOLLY and MICHELLE sitting close together on MICHELLE’S bed. HOLLY and MICHELLE look through a magazine.

HOLLY [playing with her own hair]: You like that? Maybe one or two inches? More?

MICHELLE: I don’t know. I kinda like it the way it is.

HOLLY: Really, oh.

MICHELLE: Yeah.

HOLLY: Well . . . then I won’t.

MICHELLE: No, but if you want to—

HOLLY: No!

MICHELLE: I don’t want to stop you!

HOLLY: No, you weren’t. I just thought, with the new job, I might get a new wardrobe, new hair, total makeover, like you do on TV. That’s why you haven’t been seeing so much of me.

MICHELLE [pensively]: I guess you’ll be busy. I guess . . .

HOLLY: It’ll be good for you. You’ll get somebody else for your cooking projects. I won’t be burning down your kitchen any more.

MICHELLE [laughing]: You were pretty bad.

HOLLY [laughing, too]: Don’t spare my feelings! I was a disaster.

MICHELLE: I used to tell the kids at school about your projects that—uh—

HOLLY: That I ruined? Oh, so now I’m the talk of the school. Oh, great. Well, once I start working again, they won’t have Holly Lindsey to kick around anymore.

MICHELLE: I’ll miss you.

HOLLY [trying to comfort her]: It’s no big deal, you know. I’ll just be on a schedule.

MICHELLE: I understand.

HOLLY: You’re not gettin’ rid of me so easily, you know? I’ll be popping in at any time. Probably at the worst times—embarrass you in front of all your friends.

MICHELLE smiles a little, and hugs HOLLY.

HOLLY: Oh, but I’m forgetting my surprise!

MICHELLE: What is it?

HOLLY: What are you doing for July 4^th?

MICHELLE looks at ED, who has been watching them all this time.

MICHELLE: Dad?

ED: Nothin’.

HOLLY [mock drama—though low-key]: What a relief. I didn’t think I could handle it by myself . . .

MICHELLE: What?

HOLLY: The height. Not a place you want to go to alone.

MICHELLE: Holly, what are you talking about?

HOLLY: An adventure! On a cliff.

MICHELLE: A cliff?

HOLLY: A cliff house. On the edge of a mountain. All by itself. Sounds really neat in the brochure.

MICHELLE: Cool!

HOLLY [chuckles]: Yeah, pretty cool, too. Anyway, it’s just going to be the two of us, all alone, in the middle of nowhere.

MICHELLE: Just you and me?

HOLLY: Uhm-hmm. [In a low tone] Nobody else knows where we’re going!

Back at TOWERS, ROGER and JENNA are at the bar, where JENNA takes his hand.

JENNA [concerned]: You’re still shaking.

ROGER: Am I?

JENNA: C’mon. Don’t do this. Open up to me. Tell me what really happened in the garage.

ROGER: You saw. . .

JENNA: Yeah . . . but I’m certain there was a lot more to it than what I saw.

ROGER: Hart . .

JENNA: He tried to kill you.

ROGER: No, he didn’t! He was just . . . angry, that’s all. And . . . the accelerator stuck.

JENNA: Roger, I was there. I saw.

ROGER: I’m telling you, my son would never deliberately try to hurt me!

JENNA: All right. Have it your way. What about this Davis man, and what Hart said to him?

ROGER: We’ve had some problems in the past.

JENNA [incredulous]: Problems? He accused him of killing his grandfather!

ROGER: That’s just Hart’s take on it. It was a very complicated, very emotional business deal.

JENNA [trying to understand]: A business deal? He accused somebody of murder! And then you yourself said that Davis was responsible for destroying your son’s life—

ROGER [snappish]: Are you gonna quit talking and listen to what really happened?!

JENNA: Yes.

ROGER: I wanted Davis to just lay low until this thing with Hart blew over.

JENNA: Murder blows over?

ROGER: It wasn’t murder! It was a business deal! I hired Davis as my attorney to handle . . . to negotiate for some land.

JENNA: Land that belonged to Hart’s grandfather.

ROGER: And Davis took it upon himself to pull a scam, defrauding the old man, who was not in good health to begin with. And when he realized he could lose the farm, his heart gave out.

JENNA: And he died . . .

ROGER sighs.

ROGER: And he died. And Hart blames me for his death.

JENNA: This doesn’t make sense. Hart is a very bright young man. I can’t believe he would believe that.

ROGER: I don’t know! I don’t want to talk about it anymore! I just want to go home and forget about it and get some sleep.

JENNA: By all means. Get some sleep. You can tell Holly all about it in the morning.

JENNA gets up.

ROGER: What is this?

JENNA: That’s how it goes, isn’t it? Keep it all bottled up inside tonight—don’t let me in. Tomorrow spill the beans to Holly.

ROGER: Just a minute. You don’t get away with dropping a nugget like that and exiting like some grande dame of the theater. What does Holly have to do with any of this? I am with you, Jenna. I live with you.

JENNA: You’re gonna have to make a decision, and soon. It is no good, you sharing your life with one person, and reserving your heart and soul for someone else. Roger, don’t you know that I watch you? I pay attention! It may not look like I do, but I do. I don’t miss anything. I see it all! I know who you love. You love three people—Blake, Hart, and Holly! You love them so much, that I’m just afraid there isn’t enough left for me. Now, you have to do something about that, and you have to do something quick, because I don’t know if I can keep this up with you!

JENNA leaves a confused ROGER. He shakes his head, lost.

Next Episode:
The One Before The Tuna Sandwich