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| IN THE FUTURE BY TIMA |
CHAPTER 2 |
Tea (into the phone): Hello? (silence) Hello? (Tea looks through the living room doors into the darkness outside) Todd? Is that you? Todd?
Tea (into the phone): Todd? If it's you say something. Todd?
[Tea thinks that she may have seen movement outside but she isn't certain. She wonders if it isn't just wishful thinking. She asks herself if it really is wishful. Does she want to see him? What would she do if it is him? Kill him? Or, embrace him? With the silence continuing on the phone she's leaning toward kill - or at least maim.]
Tea: Todd, if it's you give me a clue.
[She hears a sneeze on the other end of the phone line. Maybe it wasn't intentional but now she knows with absolute certainty that it is Todd, she'd recognize that sneeze anywhere.]
Tea (slightly smiling despite her attempts not to): If you need a tissue you could come inside and get one. Of course you could always use your sleeve, I suppose. You are here, aren't you? (more silence) Todd, you might as well talk to me. I know it's you. (The silence continues and Tea's frustration begins to turn into anger.) Okay, fine. I give up. You obviously want to continue playing games with me but I'm tired. I'm choosing not to play anymore. (silence) We could have had a real relationship, a real marriage, but you didn't want that. I could have helped you with your problems in the past, even if you didn't love me. I could help you now if you're in trouble but you don't want that either. You just want to stalk me. Well, believe it or not, I don't enjoy that. I don't find that endearing. You could come out of the shadows and talk to me instead of making me feel like I'm not worth the effort to you. Like all I am is an animal that you're hunting down. You could treat me like a person, like a woman, but that's too much to ask for, isn't it? Isn't it? (silence) I'd tell you to get help but I know you wouldn't hear me. Good-bye, Todd Manning. From now on stay out of my life.
[Viki returns to the room and hears Tea mention Todd's name.]
Viki: Is that Todd?
Tea (handing her the phone): Yeah, you take over caring about him. I'm through. Tell him I'll get the divorce and turn his assets over to another lawyer to administer for Starr. I can't take this anymore.
[Tea starts to leave]
Viki (into the phone): Todd? Todd? (to Tea) There's nothing but silence.
Tea: Yeah, I know, but think of it this way, it can be the longest and most intellectual conversation you'll ever have with Todd. Good-bye, Viki. By the way, you might want to warn your staff that there's a lurker, or I should say a stalker, outside.
Viki (moving toward the doors to the patio): Is he here? (into the phone) Todd, are you here? Todd? Are you okay? (Viki turns around and sees Tea opening the front door. She rushes into the foyer to try to stop her.) Tea, you can't leave now. You can't give up like this. He needs you. You can't just walk away.
Tea: Why not? He won't talk to me. He's playing a game where only he knows the rules and if I remember my marriage to Todd correctly even those rules will change as it suits him. I told you earlier that I'm out of hope well now I'm also out of patience.
Todd (through the phone that Viki is holding out toward Tea): It's overrated.
[Both women stare at the phone, stunned at the sound they just heard.]
Viki (putting the phone into Tea's hand): It's for you.
Tea (trying to give the phone back to Viki): I can't.
Viki: He's finally ready to talk are you going to refuse to listen now? I could give you some privacy.
Tea (grabbing Viki's arm): NO!
Viki: Let's go into the living room. I'll unlock the door and Todd can join us when he's ready.
[Tea reluctantly lets go of Viki's arm and slowly follows her into the living room aware that there are unseen eyes watching her through the patio doors. For a moment she's reminded of the way it felt when she looked into his eyes while he proposed to her at the Palace bar. She suddenly feels weak and gratefully allows her body to fall onto the sofa. After a couple of very deep breaths Tea remembers she still has the phone in her hand.]
Tea (into the phone): Will you talk to me now? (silence) I could give the phone back to Viki if you'd prefer. (silence)
Todd: I called you.
Tea (feeling weak again at the sound of his voice): Why did you send me the note? (silence) You did send me the note to come here tonight, right?
Todd: It was me.
Tea: Why?
Todd: I don't know.
Tea: That's a stupid answer.
Todd: I'm stupid.
Tea: Sometimes...but sometimes so am I...especially when it comes to you.
Todd: It's the same way for me. I could have been gone on that bus to San Diego but I stayed and went through that dumb trial because of you. That was stupid. I lost custody of Starr because of that.
Tea: Are you blaming me?
Todd: No. I'm the stupid one who stayed.
Tea: You would have lost Starr if you had left too, or didn't you think about that?
Todd: I was kind of messed up, I wasn't really thinking about anything except being free and being with you.
Tea: But you never would have been free and there's no way you would have been happy without Starr, haven't the last couple of months proved that to you?
Todd: I miss Starr a lot but I can't see her now, I can't be a part of her life until I know I'm okay.
Tea: Are you okay?
Todd: No.
Tea: Then get help.
Todd: I am...I called you.
Tea: Todd, I can't help you. You need professional...
Todd: No, Tea, I've realized that what I need, what I really need, is you. You help me. You help me more than anyone has, more than anyone else ever could. You talk to me and the nightmares go away. You look at me and I'm not a monster anymore. You trust me and I'm someone worth trusting. I need you. Will you help me?
Tea (as the tears start to fall): I can't. I tried and it didn't work, remember? The lodge, the fake DID, shall I go on? It didn't help. You hurt me, humiliated me...there was a coffin at our wedding. Not to mention all of the times you kidnapped me, you even kidnapped me on our wedding night. I tried so hard to help you and it didn't matter.
Todd: Yes, it did.
Tea: I don't matter to you or to anyone else, that's been proven to me.
Todd: You matter to me, Tea.
Tea: If that were true things would have been so different and I would not have spent the last couple of months alone.
Todd: I called. Every night I called
Tea; But you wouldn't talk to me.
Todd: I didn't have to, you knew it was me. You knew I needed to hear your voice and you talked to me.
Tea: But you didn't talk to me. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I needed to hear your voice? That maybe I needed an explanation for why my life, why our marriage, turned out the way that it did.
Todd: I didn't know what to say.
Tea: You never know what to say except when you're telling me to get out or trying to get me to stay. I need more and you will never give it to me.
Todd: I can try.
Tea: You've tried and failed in the past, why should I give you another chance?
Todd: Because of Second Chance.
Tea: That's a fairy tale.
Todd: Fairy tales can come true, remember?
Tea: Mine never do, at least not for long.
Todd: Maybe this time it will be different.
Tea: Are you different because I am after what you put me through.
Todd: I don't know. I'm still messed up, I know that. But I also know one other thing that you can't argue.
Tea: What's that?
Todd (with that sexy irresistable voice of his): I love you.
Tea (trying to resist): And that's supposed to mean something to me?
Todd: Yes, and I think it does or you wouldn't have put up with all those phone calls and you would have walked out that door a few minutes ago. I need to talk to you Tea.
Tea: We're talking now.
Todd: I need to talk to you in person. Will you talk to me...alone?
Tea: I don't know.
Todd: I won't hurt you and I won't kidnap you, I promise.
Tea: And I should trust you?
Todd; You're the one who's so big on trust. Here's your chance to show me again how this trust thing works.
Tea: You have to give me something first.
Todd: What?
Tea: Come closer so I can see you.
Todd: I'm not ready to see Viki yet. I need to talk to you first before I can deal with anyone else.
Tea: Why?
Todd: I'll tell you when we talk.
Tea: Come closer or it won't happen.
Todd: I can't.
Tea: Yes, you can. (looking to Viki who is standing by the patio doors) Viki will do whatever you want. She won't say anything or try to touch you if you don't want her to but you owe her, she's been very worried about you. At least let her see that you're okay.
Viki: I'll leave the room if he wants me to.
Tea: Just step closer, you don't have to come inside.
[Tea stands up and walks over to where Viki is standing. They both stare into the darkness.]
Todd: You promise you won't open the door?
Tea: I promise.
(silence)
Todd: Move to the other side of the room.
Tea: You don't trust us?
Todd: Tea...
Tea: Fine, it's your game, it's your rules...
Todd: Stay where you are.
Tea: ...and the rules keep changing.
Todd: You like it when I'm unpredictable.
Tea: That's what you think. Are you going to show yourself or not? (silence)
[Slowly he appears out of the darkness. His clothes are wrinkled, his face is sad, his eyes refuse to meet theirs. Tea is amazed at the physical rush she still gets from being in his presence. She has the urge to run her fingers through his long hair and to pull his body into hers. She remembers Viki is there and restrains herself from flinging open the door and tackling Todd to the patio ground. Finally Todd looks up and directly into Tea's tear filled eyes.]
Todd: Can we go somewhere and talk, Delgado?
