Episode 115, originally published 11-Nov-98

Miss Understanding

Will Sharon understand Nick's position?
Will Paul be understanding of his father's error?
Will Nick understand anything at all? Ever?

In Norfolk, Cricket arrives at the Perkins household. She taps lightly on the door. No answer. She peeks in the window. No one in sight. She tries the doorknob. What luck! It turns. She opens the door and moves around inside.

On the Newman jet, Nick is alone in his seat, apparently practicing what to say to Sharon. Fade to a new-style dream sequence using ultra-bright white lighting on everyone so it looks like the opening scene of the first Superman movie with the people on the planet Krypton. "You slept with my best friend?" Sharon asks. Nick looks like he wants to cry but doesn't know how. "Sharon--it will work out." "NO, Nicholas. It can't work out. That's not possible." "Of course, it's possible. It worked out the last time." "The LAST time?" "See? It worked out so well you don't even remember." "That's because you never TOLD me, Nicholas." Nick thinks back for a moment. "Well," he admits, "you might be right about that. But look, that means all you have to do is just forget about this little accident and everything will be fine." "Accident? ACCIDENT? What kind of ACCIDENT are we talking about Nicholas? Are you getting old and do I need to tie a Depends around your--your--you know, so you don't have another ACCIDENT?" "Well, the first time I really didn't know. I thought she was you." "Oh, well, thank you VERY much." The scene fades and we cut to a clipboard where Nicholas has various theories of how to approach this. He lines through item 1, "second time". "That's not going to work," he mutters. He also lines through item 2, "accident". Item 3 says "amnesia". He stares at it. "I wish I could remember what that one was about," he says to himself.

Cricket goes to the living room of Ruth Perkins' house and sees three chairs. She sits in one. "This chair is too hard", she mutters. She moves to the next. "This chair is too soft," she says. She shakes her head and gets up to move to the last.

At the Newman Ranch, Sharon and Tony are talking about what Grace and Nick did. "I can't believe it," Tony says. "I know, Tony. And after WE were so careful," Sharon agrees. "We were?" Tony asks. "You know," Sharon says. "You and I. Not having sex with each other because we thought we were respecting our marriages." "We were?" Tony asks. Then he changes the tone slightly and says, "We were." In a voiceover, he says, "Damn, Sharon, I just didn't think you'd even considered it. I thought it was just me." Out loud, he says, "You know, Sharon, it just goes to show that we can only depend on each other." Sharon comes to Tony and he holds her in his arms. Over her shoulder he gives a kind of surprised but pleased and satisfied look. "Hmm," he says to himself, "this is gonna be easier than I thought." To her he says, "So, you wanna do the wild thing, or what?" She steps back and stares at him, incredulous. Then she says, "Yeah. I'd LIKE to do the wild thing with you, Tony. I really would." Just at that moment, Cassie comes running in. "Mommy, mommy, I have something really cool to show you," she says. "Could it wait a little bit, Peanut?" Tony asks. "Your mom and I have some business to deal with." Cassie nods. "Sure, Tony. I'll come back later. Sorry to interrupt." She runs back out. Sharon looks surprised. "Huh. Cassie used to always interrupt Nick and me and it drove him crazy--but he never thought to do that." "What?" "Ask her to wait a few minutes." Tony shrugs. "I guess he really didn't want you as bad as I do, or he'd have tried harder." He scoops her up in his arms and carries her up the stairs.

Back in town, Mary and Charlie are finally about to get married... Spectators sit eagerly in their seats. Charlie is walks nervously back and forth, wearing a hole in the carpet. The minister looks at his watch, and then makes a motion with his finger to Charlie, who nods and goes to Paul. "Uh, Paul," Charlie begins slowly. Paul finishes for him: "You're wondering about my wife," Paul says. Charlie makes an embarrassed look with his eyes and mouth and then nods. Paul says, "It's ok, Charlie, I understand. I'm worried about her, too. She should have been here. Look, I don't want to hold this up--I think you should go ahead."

"Honey, I'm home," Nick says in a normal tone of voice as he walks in the door. He goes to the kitchen and she's not there. "It's time she should be cooking me dinner," he says. "I wonder where she is." Just then, Cassie comes in. "Nick, I thought that was you!" she cheers. "Hi, Squirt," he says, "any idea where Sharon is?" She points upstairs and says, "Tony and her had some business to deal with and she sent me outside to wait. You could come wait with me." "Thanks, I'll just check in and--" "I don't think they want to be disturbed," Cassie says. "Well, you just go play, ok? I'll be out in a minute." "Ok," she says, "but, ..." She trails off deciding he isn't going to listen anyway and goes back out to the porch. Nick goes up the stairs quietly and follows the sounds of passion to the the bedroom, where he cringes but peeks in to see Sharon and Tony are getting it on. He goes rushing back downstairs and out the door. Cassie watches him zoom by. "I told you not to go up there, Nicholas," she says quietly as he goes by.

A short while later, the wedding has moved ahead, in spite of Cricket's conspicuous absence. The minister comes to the obligatory part about how anyone who has a reason why this marriage should not happen ought to speak now or forever hold his peace. Suddenly, from the back of the room, comes a voice. "I can think of a reason," it says. Everyone looks to the back of the room, where Jim/Carl stands. Mary faints. Paul, who has turned around to see who is at the back of the room, sits transfixed, then notices out of the corner of his eye that Mary has fainted and goes to join others checking on her.

In his car, Nicholas is on the cell phone. "Grace Turner's office," comes a voice. "Daphne? It's Nick." "Oh, hello, Mr. Newman." "Let me talk to Grace." "Well, she's not here. She might be at her office." "At her office? Where are you?" "I'm not at my desk." "Not at your desk? Why are the secretaries at this company never at their desk? Look, can you track her down? It's important." He hangs up. A few moments later the phone rings. "Hello?" he says. "Nick, it's me," Grace says. "I can't believe it," Nick says. "Believe what?" "Them. What they did. Here I was feeling guilty about what WE did, and meanwhile the woman that I thought loved me is--" "Is what, Nick? You can talk to me." "They're making love, Grace." "Who's making love?" "Sharon. ... And Tony." "They are? Really?" she says, surprised. "Yeah, isn't that disgusting?" Grace wipes the huge smile from her face long enough to force a serious look that he can't see but we can. "Oh, yes, that's very disgusting," she lies, and then breaks back into the smile. "Yes!" she mouths silently. "So, look, I'm on my way to my office, and I want you there waiting for me." "Well, ok," Grace says. "It's just...." "What, Grace? Don't tell me you don't want me." "No, it's not that. I--never mind. I'll explain later when it matters."

As Mary comes to, Carl approaches and everyone steps back silently. "I need to talk to this woman. Alone." Carl tells the crowd. No one moves. Finally Charlie says, "Of course. People, let's give the man some room." Carl kneels to Mary and props her in his arms to talk to her. "I--I don't believe it," Mary says. "I'm sorry to interrupt your wedding this way," Carl says. "No, no. I'm sure it's necessary. I just didn't expect it." Carl nods grimly, and is silent for a moment. She starts to speak at the same time as he does. Both stop. Then she says, "Please, go ahead. What did you want to tell me?" she asks gently. "Well," he says, "I don't know how to tell you this, but... I've shot your daughter." Mary shakes her head. "Patty? What?" Jim looks suddenly embarrassed. "Oh, Dear Lord," he says, "I must have come to the wrong place. You are Mrs. Williams--Mrs. MARY Williams?" "Yes, of course, I am. Mother of Paul and Patty." From the audience, a visiting fan of the show says, "And Steve and Todd." The director yells "Alright, Cut!" and there is a sudden commotion on stage. "You know," says Carolyn Conwell (Mary), "that person was right. Mary did once have more children than she seems to lately." The director's voice comes again. "All right, let's back it up and take it from `Yes, of course.' Do it with the extra kids. And get that intruder off the set. Their memory is costing us money."

The scene begins rolling again, and Carolyn resumes the character of Mary saying, "Yes, of course, I am. Mother of Paul, Steve, Todd, and Patty." "I'm TERRIBLY sorry," Carl says. "You see, I shot an intruder who broke into my house, and I thought she was your daughter." "Well, who--who was she?" "Someone else's daughter, I suppose. Her name was Christine Williams." Paul comes rushing in. "Sorry to be prying, Mom, but I was really curious--what's this about Chris? She can't be the one--she's in Norfolk." "That's very odd," Carl says. "I just came from Norfolk. And yes, the woman who was shot was Christine Williams from Genoa City. But if she's not your daughter--" "She's my wife, Dad." "Dad?" Carl says.

There is a flurry of clothing flying in Nick's office as Nick and Grace prepare for the inevitable. Just then, there's a knock on the door. "Don't answer it," Grace says. "But it might be important," Nick says. Grace starts to say, "Your secretary will--" But the door flies open and a woman steps in. "Nicholas Newman?" "What do you mean barging in here like this?" he says. "Well, your secretary was not at her desk, and--here." She hands Nick a document. "What's this?" he asks. "You've been served," the woman says. "I have not," Nick says. "I was about to be when you came in." She raises an eyebrow at their half-dressed state and says, "Obviously." Then she leaves. "I'll handle this for you," Grace says, trying to take the paper from Nick. He keeps it from her though and opens it.

"This is a legal document," he says. "Yes, just let me explain," Grace says. "I'm being accused of sexual harassment?" he asks. "Well, I thought you weren't going to make love to me any more, and I didn't know what else to do." He thinks for a moment. "You thought you weren't going to get sex from me so you filed charges against me?" She nods, obviously terrified of his reaction. "I just have one question," he asks. "What?" she asks. "Does this document mean I don't get to have sex with you now?" She pulls him to her and kisses him. "How's that for an answer?" she asks. Just then, though, her cell phone rings. She doesn't answer. She kisses him again. He pulls away. "Don't you think you should answer it?" he asks. She sighs and opens it. "Grace Turner," she says. "It's Michael Baldwin," the voice says. "Did Nicholas get served?" "He's just about to," Grace says. "Great," Michael says. "Let me know what comes, ok?" She smiles. "I'm on top of it," she says. And hangs up.

That's all for this episode. Hope you learned something. Don't miss Episode 116!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.

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