Blake, Roger and Holly: 
Dinner Party at the Spaulding Mansion.
July 31, 1989

Holly is furious when she arrives at a Spaulding dinner party to find that Roger and Sonni are among the guests.  Blake apologizes and asks her to please not leave.  Holly agrees, but tells her she wants to talk to her alone.  They go out on the patio.

BLAKE:  Mom, we tried to get ahold of you. We called the hotel, we called the station.

HOLLY:  Why? To tell me to stay home?

BLAKE:  No, to warn you.

HOLLY:  As opposed to asking Roger to leave?

BLAKE:  As a matter of fact, he volunteered to leave himself.

HOLLY:  But you didn't want him to.

BLAKE:  No, I didn't  think it was necessary, and he agreed.   I mean, we're all adults here. I hoped so.

HOLLY:  No, honey, you're behaving like a child. You want to get Mommy and Daddy back together again! Well it won't work!

BLAKE:  I do not deserve that!!!

HOLLY:  No, you don't. I'm sorry. See, that's what happens to me whenever I'm near him.  I lose it.

BLAKE:  You give him that power. He doesn't even want it.

HOLLY:  The power hasn't been invented that Roger Thorpe doesn't want.  You may not believe that now, but you will.

BLAKE:  I hate it when you tell me what I need to think.

HOLLY:  But you don't care when he does, do you?!  This morning I ran into him and when I heard what he had to say my skin wanted to crawl ... you and Daddy were up all night talking...

BLAKE:  Mom, stop it, now !!!

HOLLY:  What are you up to? What are you trying to prove?

BLAKE:  Mom, OK,  I'll tell you ... I have a plan ... it involves us.

HOLLY:  "Us"?  As in "you, me and your father"?

BLAKE:  It actually doesn't look very promising right now though.

HOLLY:  Go on.  I'm fascinated. 

BLAKE:  Well, Phillip is going to give me WSPR if he can get Spaulding to divest.  And I was hoping that I could make the three of us co-owners.

HOLLY (loudly, in her face):  Have you lost your mind?!!!

BLAKE:  Well, maybe I have lost my mind, because I keep thinking, "If I act like a reasonable, adult human being, maybe she will too!"

HOLLY:  Darling, how long...now think about this....how long have you really known your father?  A few months?

BLAKE:  I have known him all my life.

HOLLY:  No, those were your fantasies, your dreams.  And maybe I'm to blame for letting you hold on to them for so long, but at the time it seemed better than telling you the truth.

BLAKE:  You didn't know the truth.  The truth is in that room.

HOLLY:  Yes, it is ... and you can't see it.

BLAKE:  I get to make my own judgments now, and Father has been nothing but kind and caring to me.

HOLLY:  Darling, those are still your fantasies, don't you see? He is still wearing that mask.  You can't see it, but  he's still wearing it, especially when he's around you.

BLAKE:  No.

HOLLY:  Don't let him use you.

BLAKE:  He loves me!

HOLLY (quietly):  Oh, I don't doubt that. But I also know what being loved by Roger Thorpe is worth.

BLAKE:  That's enough Mom.  You're not going to make up my mind about how I feel about him, and you're not going to interfere with me seeing him.

HOLLY:  Certainly not.  You want to spend time with Roger, that's your choice. And if you want to bring him in to WSPR, so be it.  But I won't be there.

BLAKE: (she can't believe it): Are you asking me to choose between you?  Is that it?  Because if it is, I have to pick Father   ... ( we see Roger looking out onto the patio) ...because he would never ask me to give up on you.

Holly looks back and sees Roger, who raises his glass to her.

ROGER:  I suggest you both cool down and not say anything else you'll regret.

HOLLY:  This is none of your business Roger.

ROGER:  Well, now, you were talking about me.

BLAKE:  It's not only you. It goes way back.  She just loves to give orders and issue ultimatums.

ROGER:  That's enough Blake. Don't speak that way to your mother.

BLAKE  (incredulous):  What?!!

HOLLY (bitterly): Don't be alarmed, darling ...it's only Daddy making a magnanimous gesture, better known as a ploy.

BLAKE  (shaking her head, to Holly):  You're incredible, you know that?  I feel so sorry for you.

As Blake walks away, Holly gives Roger a look:

HOLLY:  You are really something.

ROGER  (returning the "compliment"): And you.

HOLLY:  How did you do it? How did you get to her so fast?

ROGER:  I love her. She's a wonderful young woman, and I congratulate you for that.

HOLLY:  Save it. I don't need to hear that from you.  As to you loving her, I bet that big chunk of Spaulding about to go into her name doesn't hurt much either.

ROGER:  Your words, not mine.

HOLLY:  Any fool could see it.  And so will she before I'm through with her.

ROGER:  God, Holly, if you're gonna fight me, be a little smart about it, huh?.  You really think you can just order her around as if she's still a child?

HOLLY:  I prefer it to being devious.

ROGER:  See now, you give me too much credit there.  This whole WSPR idea is hers, and don't you see what she's trying to do with it?

HOLLY:  Trying to make a fool out of me, for one thing.

ROGER:  She's trying to make everything okay, for everyone.   She's trying to take care of her parents.

HOLLY: I know what she's doing ... and I know you put her up to it!  What are you up to Roger?!  What is it, first the station, then through Blake you work on Phillip at the Spaulding Board, for what? Seat on the Board?  ... So you've turned over a new leaf, huh?  Maybe you can fool everybody in this town but you can't fool me, I know you too well.  I know deep down inside you'll never change. You want too much, because you lack too much. 

ROGER (smiling, to himself, after HOLLY walks away):  Well, you sure have changed Holly. You've gotten better.

Roger finishes his drink, still smiling.  (Possible photo caption: See, wasn't this FUN!!!!??? And...we've only just begun!!!)

Copyright © 1999 by Michael Zaslow's ZazAngels. All rights reserved.
11/11/00 02:29:54 AM