Episode 10, originally published 25-Dec-96

Take Three

Without calling ahead, Tim arrives at Phyllis's wearing his rug. He rings the doorbell. Danny opens the door. Both stand perplexed for a moment, uncertain what to say. "I, uh, ..." Tim stammers. Danny says, "I know you!" Tim hesitates, then manages to say "You do?" Danny nods. "You're the guy in the picture--the one who went on that trip with Phyllis." Tim is uncertain that his guise is so secure, but plays into it. "Uh, yes, that's right. But I see she's busy so I'll come back another time." "Oh, no," says Danny, "I've moved in here now. And you aren't interrupting--please, come in." Tim's brain is racing at a mile a minute looking for an excuse, but assertiveness is not his strong suit. "Uh, ok," he says. Danny ushers him in to the couch and starts to yell, "Phyllis!" He turns to Tim. "What's your name, so I can tell her you're here?" Tim can feel the noose tightening around him. "Tii--tom. Tom." "Phyllis, Tom is here."

Mary and Lynn are together on the couch at Mary's house watching TV. "Well, it's getting late and I really should be going. Your son's a harsh taskmaster and I have to be at work very early," Lynn explains. "Perhaps you should just stay here for the night," Mary says. "No thanks, Mrs. Williams. I've spent one too many nights on the couch at work; I promised myself I'd never do it again." "Who says you have to sleep on the couch," Mary replies. "Mrs. Williams,--" "Mary," Mary says interrupting. "Mary, are you hitting on me?"

Ryan enters Victor's office. "Thank you for coming. I just wanted to let you know you should pack your bags. I'm sending you to the Far East." "Is this because of the situation between me and Vikki?" Ryan asks. "No, it is not," Victor lies. "Excuse me, Mr. Newman, but that's a lot of bull. I'm not going to just uproot my life for you. I quit." He storms out, leaving Victor flabbergasted. "Quit? Connie, get me Mitchell Sherman." "Yes, Mr. Newman."

Mary, realizing that her long-secret lust for Lynn is finally out of the bag, sighs. "Lynn, people of my generation don't know how to have conversations about `hitting on people'. Let's just say it's been lonely since Carl's been away, and I--" Lynn, suddenly able to put into perspective the years of special attention Mary has lavished upon her vicariously through Paul, is taken aback but tries to be polite. She stands in the door, about to leave. "Mary, I--" "It's the age diference, isn't it," Mary volunteers. Rather than admit she is dyed-in-the-wool heterosexual, Lynn decides to go for the socially convenient out. "That's it, Mrs. Williams. Exactly. It's the age difference." Mary gives her an understanding smile. "Well, if that's all it is, I'm sure I'll be able to introduce you to some very loving women your own age. Good night, Lynn."

Phyllis enters from the kitchen. "Tom??" She sees Tim. "Oh, Tom! Tom, how are you?" "I'm just fine, Phyllis. Danny here was just saying how he recognized my face from the photo of our trip." Danny smiles, "That's right. But you seem so familiar... not from there... I just can't place it." Tim tries to dismiss the thought, "A lot of people say that. I just have one of those faces, I guess." Phyllis also tries to diffuse the situation, "So, Ti--Tom, how's work?" She turns to Danny, trying to impress him, "Tom's a doctor. He saves lives for a living." Tim blushes. "Uh, well, of a sort. I'm uh--a pathologist, actually. Forensic pathologist." He grimaces as her lie gets him in deeper and deeper. He continues, "That `life saving' thing is an in joke; it's really just bodies we save." His paces increases as he feels more out of control. "Most people find quite dull. Uh, could we--" Danny says, "Doctor. I know who you remind me of -- Dr. Reid, our marriage counsellor!" Phyllis and Tim shoot worried looks at each other. "Uh, that's right, Danny! Tom is Dr. Reid's son. That's how I met him--in the waiting room, waiting for one of my counselling sessions." Tim rolls his eyes, but Danny doesn't see.

Victor's office phone rings. Victor, still alone, puts it in on speaker. "Mitchell? This is Victor Newman. Ryan MacNeil has quit. Can he just do that?" "Of course he can, Victor. He is an employee, not a slave." "Are you quite sure?" "Yes, Victor. Quite sure. Slavery was abolished in the last century." "Well, I'll be damned," Victor mumbles. "What was that, Victor?" Mitchell asks. "Uh, never mind. Mitchell, I want you to buy Ryan MacNeil's apartment building and have him evicted. Victor, you've tried that before. His wife Nina owns the building and won't sell." Victor shakes his head. "Well, offer her more money." "You don't understand Victor, she doesn't want to sell to you. She knows what you'll do." "Then I can't just get my way?" Victor asks. "That's right, Victor." Without another word, Victor hangs up the phone. "I'll get you Ryan MacNeil. No one stands up to Victor Newman and gets away with it. No one!"

"So you're Dr. Reid's son, huh? Wow, small world. How's he doing, by the way? I visited him recently and he had a really bad cold." Tim is now resigned to just saying whatever comes out of his mouth. "Oh, he's much better now. Thanks." Danny continues, distracted, "Boy, I bet he never would have imagined in a million years all that has happened since the divorce hearings--you going with Phyllis on a romantic vacation, and then me moving in--ooh, I'm sorry. I'm being very inconsiderate. It must be really awkward for me to be talking to you about this when you two were just recently--I mean. Wow. I really have been putting my foot in my mouth. Say, maybe your father would have some good advice about how to proceed here. Could you call him up and maybe we could all drop by his office and tell him what's been going on and see what he thinks of recent events?" "Uh, I'd think that would be a pretty major conflict of interest, wouldn't you, Danny?" Phyllis urges. "You know," Tim interjects, "I'd completely lost track of the time." He makes a quick apology for having to run off and exits. "Huh," Danny says, still mulling the situation. "You're probably right about the conflict of interest. Well, we'll just invite the pair of them for dinner some night, what do you say?" "Oh, I'm sure it would be quite a lively evening," Phyllis chuckles, adjusting her apparel for an alternate strategy in distraction. "But forget about that pair for now..."

That's all for this episode. Hope you learned something. Don't miss Episode 11!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.

Feedback, good or bad, is always appreciated.