Episode 24, originally published 22-Feb-97

Crazy About You

At the Genoa City Sanitarium, Veronica and Mari Jo are playing checkers. A guard, who has been sitting at a nearby desk, lays the newspaper he's been reading on the desk and walks out of the room. Immediately, both Veronica and Mari Jo leave their game and scramble to chairs on either side of the desk to look at the newspaper. "Look," says Mari Jo, pointing to the paper, "that's my fiance'."

"That's not your fiance'," says Veronica to Mari Jo as they continue to peruse the newspaper. "It's an engagement announcement and there's a picture of the woman he's engaged to. She doesn't look anything like you." "I don't care what it says," Mari Jo explains. "That IS my fiance'." "Well," says Veronica, pointing to a different picture, "that's my husband!" "Oh, it is not!" says Mari Jo. "I know that woman with him--she used to be married to my fiance' and now these two are married." The guard returns and tears the newspaper away from them. "Find anything important?" the guard asks. "We're sisters. Well, we used to be. That is, we will be in the future." Mari Jo says. "Say what?" asks the guard. "You joinin' up with a convent or somethin'?" Mari Jo explains, "Nothing like that. It's just that my fiance' used to be married to her husband's wife. When I'm finally married, we'll be ex-sisters-in-law." "Uhhn, huuuh," says the guard. "I gotcha now. Now how's about you sisters go back to your checkers game and finish up 'cuz it's gonna be time for your pills and a nap soon," the guard says.

Later in the afternoon, everyone in the room has bedded down for a nap, and the guard has fallen asleep in his chair. A baseball cap partly occludes his face as he sleeps. Mari Jo looks up from her cot and says, "pssst..." From the next cot, Veronica opens her eyes carefully and, seeing no one is watching, winks back at her. The two get up cautiously and tip-toe toward the guard, who has carelessly left his keys on the table. Veronica noiselessly lifts the keys and uses them to unlock the door, then replaces them next to the guard before the two slip out.

Nikki and Josh are returning home from an evening out when they notice a face to the side of their porch. Nikki turns with a start. "Mari Jo!" she shrieks, suddenly alarmed. Josh looks momentarily perplexed. "This is the woman who shot Victor. Mari Jo, I thought they'd locked you up!" "They did," explains Mari Jo. "But I got better. And they finally realized I'd been doing a public service." Josh mutters aside, "You can say that again!" Nikki mashes her high heel into his shoe. "Joshua!" she says snippily. Then she turns back to Mari Jo. "What ARE you doing here?" Veronica steps from the bushes. "Hello, stranger," she says. Joshua turns pale. "Veronica...." "I'm so pleased you remember me," she says. Nikki looks to Mari Jo. "What's going on?" "It seems you have something in common, Nikki. You're both married to the same man," Mari Jo explains. "This woman is NOT my wife!" Joshua says. "You're THAT Veronica?" Nikki asks. "Joshua, I thought you said she was--" "Dead?" Veronica asks. "Why Joshua, how unimaginative." "I thought you were dead," Nikki says. "Sorry to disappoint you,... Mrs. Landers--is it?" Nikki nods. Veronica continues, "I'm plainly NOT dead. It's Joshua who's dead."

Nikki pushes her husband behind her. "I knew it. They must have a gun. Joshua, get into the house." Joshua protests, "She hasn't got a gun, Nikki. She's crazy, but she's not THAT crazy. We had locked her up because she has this delusion that I'm not really me." "He ISN'T Joshua!" Veronica says. "He's some stranger who killed Joshua and took his place. Then he had me locked up when I tried to expose him. But this time I have proof... The real Joshua left a deposit in a sperm bank. If we compare a sample taken from you with that sample, the truth will be plain enough." Nikki gets a sick look on her face and looks toward Joshua as one would look toward a stranger. Joshua seems suddenly very nervous. "Nikki, you can't really believe this..." Nikki turns back to Veronica, "So if he's not Joshua he's also not a doctor...?" Veronica shakes her head sadly. "I think he just likes to pretend..." Nikki flinches notably, as her legs tighten and her hand involuntarily brushes unseen dirt from the lap of her dress.

Joshua decides it's time to cut his losses and races off. Veronica sighs. "I'm really sorry, Nikki." Nikki smiles. "Oh--that's okaaayy!" she says with a shrug. "He was starting to get on my nerves anyway. Can I offer either of you some tea?" "That'd be lovely," Mari Jo says. "Yes, thanks!" says Veronica. They head into the house and Nikki yells "Miguel!" Out comes Miguel who says, "Yes, Mrs. Landers?" "We'd like some tea, Miguel. And Dr. Landers has moved out." "Very good, Mrs. Abbott. I'll be right back with that tea." "Uh, Miguel--" Nikki calls to him. "Let's not have it be Abbott this time." "Mrs. Newman, then?" Nikki stares out the window at the tack estate, where she sees Cole, alone after the exit of his wife, typing at his computer. "Doesn't sound available enough. I'll go with my maiden name for now." "Very good, Miss Reed," Miguel says as he leaves to get the tea.

That's all for this episode. Hope you learned something. Don't miss Episode 25!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.

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