| LAST CHANCE BY TIMA |
CHAPTERS 221 - 225 |
PREVIOUSLY...
[Without responding to Tea, and to get away from their conversation, Todd stealthily leaves their hiding spot and approaches her car, determined to retrieve her cell phone and get away from the diner, and any more discussion of their relationship, or his inability to share himself with her as fully as she wants, and needs.]
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chapter 221:
[Minutes later...
Todd and Tea return to their original hiding area, near the back of the diner. Tea uses her cell phone to call Carlotta.]
Carlotta (out of breath): Hello?
Tea: Carlotta? Is that you?
Carlotta: Tea? Is something wrong?
Tea: No...well, there is a situation.
Carlotta: My diner...?
Tea: Your diner is fine.
Todd: Enough chit chat. Get to it!
[Tea ignores Todd's remarks and continues her conversation with Carlotta.]
Tea: Todd and I were... Well, we were...
Carlotta: I hope you had a romantic evening, but this isn't the best time to talk right now.
Tea: You must be tired and I'm sure you want to go to bed, but...
Carlotta: Actually, I'm already in bed.
Tea: You are? But, you were out of breath when you answered the phone.
[It takes Tea a few seconds to realize the situation.]
Tea: Oh! I see! Anyone I know?
Carlotta: Could we talk about this in the morning?
Tea: I'm afraid this can't wait until morning. You see, Todd and I were...enjoying...ourselves in the diner.
Carlotta: Tea, I support whatever you believe will make you happy, but I prefer not to know the details.
Tea: You're going to find some of it out shortly, anyway. Cristian should be arriving at your house in a matter of minutes.
Carlotta: Cristian? He's coming here? Now?
Tea: And, Jessica.
Carlotta: I don't understand.
Tea: Todd and I were in the middle of...enjoying...ourselves when Cristian and Jessica arrived for a snack. I didn't realize they were dating again.
Carlotta: I think they're trying to be friends again. It must have been embarrassing for them to catch you but I don't understand why they're coming here now.
Tea: They didn't quite catch us. We ducked out the back door. They did, however, find the back door open and food left out and they were worried when they couldn't reach you on the phone.
Carlotta: I was in the middle of something very...important...when the phone rang before. Thank you for calling. I need to go if they'll be here in a few minutes.
Tea: We're in a situation here. When they left, they locked the back door and we're stuck out here. We're not quite dressed. We had to break into my car to get my cell phone. If you could come and open the diner for us, we'd really appreciate it.
Carlotta: I'll send Hank with a key to let you in.
Tea: Hank! I was hoping it was him. I'm so happy for you. You two are perfect together.
Carlotta: We'll talk about this later, okay?
Tea: We definitely will. Since none of us would be comfortable seeing each other right now, tell Hank to leave the key at the side of the diner and I'll return it to you tomorrow.
Carlotta: Come by later tonight. I think we need to talk.
Tea: Okay.
[Tea and Carlotta end their conversation.]
Todd: Which of her kids is in trouble?
Tea: What?
Todd: That's why she's doing the D.A. again, right? I can't think of any other reason.
Tea: Hank Gannon is a very handsome man.
Todd: Is he good in bed?
Tea: Don't you dare imply that I've had that kind of relationship with him.
Todd: You did work very closely with the guy for a while, didn't you? I'm sure it wasn't just his legal briefs that you familiarized yourself with.
Tea: Clearly, you won't be spending the night at the penthouse with me.
Todd: I haven't decided yet.
Tea: I have. You won't be.
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chapter 222:
[In silence, Todd and Tea await Hank's arrival outside the diner. Neither is willing to put aside their stubbornness and be the one to make the first move to ease the tension.
Finally, after several strained minutes, they hear footsteps nearing.]
Hank (whispering): Tea? Manning?
Tea: We're here. Don't come any further. You can leave the key there and we'll get it after you've gone.
Hank: I'll leave it on the ground, near the corner of the building.
Tea: Thank you.
Hank: This is some predicament you got yourself into this time, Manning.
[Todd doesn't respond.]
Tea: Thank you for coming, Hank. We both appreciate it. For my sake, please, don't mention this to anyone.
Hank: I would never do that to you, Tea. You'll always have a special place in my heart. Manning, on the other hand, after the way he's exploited every situation he could, in that tabloid of his, would deserve for the whole town to not only learn of this, but to also have it appear on the front page of The Banner. But, I will keep this quiet, for your sake, Tea. And, because it's what Carlotta wants.
Tea: I hope you and Carlotta are back together again, permanently.
Todd: Yeah, it sounds like you have a great threesome going, Gannon. Or, does your cop girlfriend not know who you're doing on the side?
Hank: Lisa and I are no longer dating. But, I won't be surprised if I see myself on The Sun's front page, in the morning. It wouldn't be the first time you printed lies, trying to hurt someone who just did you a favor.
Todd: Did you also do me a favor all the times you tried to toss me in prison, for stuff I didn't do?
Tea: This isn't the time for this. Hank, thank you very much for bringing us the key. You can be assured that Todd won't be printing anything negative about you. Will you, Todd?
Todd: I sure as hell will, if I ever catch his hand in the cookie jar, especially if the cookies he's grabbing are the hot, young chick lawyers he likes to surround himself with in his office.
Hank: You're a sick man, Manning.
Todd: Are you claiming that you never closed your office door and pretended that you were working on legal briefs, when you really had one of those babes on your payroll closely examining what was inside a different kind of brief? Or, are you more of a boxers kind of man?
Tea: Todd!
Hank: Don't bother, Tea. Next time I get you into court, Manning, you won't be walking away, except toward a prison cell. Good night, Tea. You deserve so much better. I hope someday you realize that.
[Hank leaves. Tea looks at Todd with fire in her eyes. He shrugs his shoulder, not understanding why she's taking everything so seriously.
After waiting several moments, Todd cautiously leaves their hiding place and retrieves the key. They enter the diner through the back door and gather their clothing.
No words are spoken as they dress in different parts of the diner. After locking the front door, Tea enters the kitchen and finds Todd eating the sandwich she made earlier, before they were interrupted.]
Tea: Is there glass in the driver's seat of my car?
Todd: How should I know?
Tea: In case there is, will you drive me to Carlotta's?
Todd: Why would I want to go there?
Tea: You won't be going inside. I just need you to drop me off. I'll spend the night there tonight. I'll arrange to have my car taken care of tomorrow.
Todd: I'll take care of it.
Tea: Fine. Will you take me to Carlotta's now?
Todd: I thought you wanted to spend the night together at the penthouse.
Tea: I think we need some time apart.
Todd: Okay, but this counts as being your fault, right?
Tea: Go ahead and blame me, you always do.
[Tea walks to the door and waits until Todd exits before she locks the door and follows him to his car.]
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chapter 223:
Early the next morning...
After borrowing Carlotta's car, Tea drives to The Sun building. She expects to find Todd in his office, asleep on the sofa, since that's where he's been spending most of his nights lately. She's surprised to find his office empty.
She drives home, to the penthouse, hoping that he spent the night there, since he knew she was spending the night at Carlotta's.
She wants to have breakfast with him, but wouldn't mind some physical making up, after the way they left things the previous night.
As she quietly opens the door to the penthouse, not wanting to wake him if he's still asleep, she's surprised to find several of her suitcases by the door.
She looks around the living room, expecting to see Todd's suitcases also packed and ready for the trip she assumes he's secretly planned for them.
As she ascends the staircase to the penthouse's second floor, she again tries to be quiet, in case Todd fell asleep while packing his luggage for their trip.
She peeks into the open doorway of his bedroom and is surprised to find it empty. She moves to the doorway of her bedroom and her heart sinks.
She now knows that her suitcases weren't placed by the front door in preparation for a romantic getaway. Todd did pack her belongings for a getaway, but it was his way of telling her to get away from him. What she sees in front of her clearly states to her that his intention is for her trip to be solo and one way...out of his life.
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chapter 224:
[Tea quickly leaves her bedroom, leaving a sleeping Todd lying on her bed, oblivious to her presence in the penthouse.
Minutes later, Tea storms back into the room, purposely making a great deal of noise, waking Todd up.]
Todd: Delgado?
Tea: I hope I didn't wake you.
[Todd watches as she shoves her clothing into the drawers of her dresser. Obviously, she found the suitcases downstairs that he packed in anger the night before and is now, just as angrily, unpacking them.]
Todd: This is my penthouse.
Tea: No, it isn't. You abandoned it when you abandoned me. I have legal claim to it now. If you don't like our living arrangement, you can get the hell out. You can not, however, throw me out. You can never do that again. Is that understood?
Todd: I have more money that you. What I say goes.
Tea: And, you've decided that I'm the one who has to go? Is that it? Why? What happened this time?
Todd: This isn't working out. You know that.
[Tea stops her frantic unpacking and looks at him with a surprised look on her face.]
Tea: I didn't know that until I came home and found my room trashed by you, yet again. Why aren't you throwing things now that I'm here...besides me out the door? I would think you would enjoy destroying my property more when I'm here to witness the destruction. Why aren't you yelling at me for whatever imagined wrong I did to you this time?
Todd: I didn't imagine anything. I know the truth now.
Tea: What truth is that? The truth according to Todd Manning? How often has your truth turned out to be completely false?
Todd: Never.
Tea: Oh, now that is a lie, and we both know it. I really want to know why you're so damn calm about this? Do I mean that little to you? You can't even muster up some energy while you're trying to throw me out of my own home?
Todd: This is my home. You've never been anything more than a guest here. And, right now, you're an unwelcome guess.
Tea: Go to hell, Todd Manning! As a matter of fact, go right now.
[Tea quickly leaves her room and storms into his. She grabs one of the empty suitcases in his closet and slams it down on the edge of his bed. She raids his closet and angrily shoves his clothes into his suitcase.
Todd enters the room, no longer calm.]
Todd: Get your hands off my stuff.
Tea: If you've decided, for whatever mysterious reason you've declared to be valid in your own mind, that our relationship is over, you're the one who's leaving.
Todd: You're the one who wants this joke of a relationship over.
Tea: When did I say that? Huh? When? Last night, during one of the many sex acts I enjoyed with you? Was that when I told you I wanted out of this relationship? Or, was it when I told you that I loved you? When I told you how much I missed you while you were away? When I told you that I wanted to spend the night sharing a bed with you? Is that what this is really about? That is, isn't it? I pushed you too far and this is your response.
Todd: I don't have time for all these stupid questions. I have bags to pack.
[Todd leaves his bedroom and returns to hers, infuriating her even more. She packs as much of his clothing as she can fit into two of his suitcases and storms into the hallway.
Todd exits her bedroom with her bags full of her belongings again. They meet in the hallway and angrily stare each other down for several seconds before they both take off, racing for the staircase, determined that they'll each be the one who throws the belongings of the other out of the penthouse first, thereby retaining their claim to ownership of the penthouse.
Todd throws Tea's suitcases into the hallway first, but Tea doesn't consider it defeat. She moves to the door for the building's stairwell.]
Todd: Don't you dare.
Tea: Watch me!
[Tea places one of his suitcases on the ground and yanks open the door. With all of her strength she tosses each suitcase down the stairwell.
Meanwhile, Todd picks up Tea's suitcases from where he threw them and walks over to the elevator. He presses the button and when the elevator arrives, he tosses them inside and allows the doors to close.]
Todd: Your stuff will end up in the parking garage. Mine is only half a floor down. I win!
[Tea approaches the elevator and presses the button. The door immediately opens. She suspected that at this early hour no one else in the building was likely to have called the elevator to another floor yet. She turns to Todd with a smug look on her face.]
Tea: I win!
[Todd enters the elevator and pushes the button for the parking garage. Tea also enters the elevator, intent on stopping him. The doors quickly close. Tea tries to push the button to open the doors again, but Todd uses his body to block her access and prevent her from pushing the button.]
Tea: What are you doing?
Todd: Making sure you, and your stuff, leave the premises.
Tea: Get out of my way! I'm not going anywhere.
Todd: You're going down, Delgado. There's no use trying to stop it. It's already been decided.
[Tea yells at Todd in Spanish, screaming every word of profanity at him that she can think of.
When the elevator reaches the level of the parking garage, the doors open.]
Todd: See ya!
Tea: If you try to prevent me from returning to my home, it will be in court that you see me next.
Todd: No way! It's my penthouse.
Tea: You gave it up when you left me on our wedding night. It's now mine. Deal with it! And, half your newspaper is mine now, too, remember? Gee, maybe Asa has a point, the Buchanans really should be saluted on the front page of The Sun every day for the great contributions they've made to Llanview.
Todd: What great contributions have they ever made? Besides, raising hypocrisy to astounding heights never before seen?
[Tea presses the button to close the elevator doors, intending to return to the penthouse. Todd pushes the button to open the doors again.
To both their surprises, the lights inside the elevator instantly go out, leaving the feuding duo in complete darkness.]
Todd: Look what you did!
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chapter 225:
[In the darkened elevator...]
Tea: Todd?
Todd: What?
Tea: Are we stuck?
Todd: You just broke the elevator, of course we're stuck.
Tea: I did not. It was you.
Todd: No way.
Tea: Well, it doesn't matter how it happened. We need to get out of here.
Todd: Go ahead and shimmy up the elevator shaft, if you want to.
Tea: You'd like that, wouldn't you? I'd die and you'd get the penthouse.
Todd: I don't want you to die, Tea.
[Despite her anger, Tea is touched by the affection she hears in his voice. She's also confused.]
Tea: If we're going to be stuck for a while, we should take advantage of this time.
Todd: Can't you think of anything but sex?
Tea: I wasn't referring to sex. We will not be having sex, in this elevator, or ever again, as long as you continue to treat me the way you have been so far this morning. I was suggesting that we discuss, in a calm manner, whatever it is that has you so angry. It must be something very important to you, if you're willing to end what we have because of it.
Todd: I know everything. You can stop playing games with me now.
Tea: What games? I honestly have no clue what happened to make you so angry. When you dropped me off at Carlotta's last night, I'll admit, things between us were a bit strained, but not enough to put a permanent end to our relationship.
Todd: Whatever!
Tea: Don't do that. I think we're both calm enough now. Let's talk about this. Let's work this out...whatever this is.
Todd: I get your strategy now. You want to trick me into being the one who goes up the elevator shaft.
Tea: I'm serious, Todd. I need to know why this happened. Maybe it's a misunderstanding. If you tell me, we may be able to work this out and still be together.
Todd: I'm no longer interested.
Tea: Fine. Give up on what we have...or had...or whatever. I don't care anymore. I'll just sit down and wait for someone from maintenance to come and get us out of here.
[Tea feels her way in the darkened elevator, until she reaches the back wall. She sits down with her back against the wall, feeling completely defeated and exhausted.]
Todd: Tea?
Tea: Yes?
Todd: I just wanted to know where you were. I didn't want to step on you.
Tea: At least you still care enough about me for that.
Todd: I don't want you to sue me.
[Todd also feels his way toward the back of the elevator and sits in the opposite corner from where Tea is sitting.]
Tea: You really are a bastard sometimes.
Todd: You're just figuring that out?
Tea: As amazing as it may seem, yes.
Todd: You haven't been paying attention this whole time?
Tea: I thought you cared about me. I thought I mattered to you. I guess I was wrong.
Todd: Yeah...guess so.
[Tea tries to fight the tears that threaten to fall, not wanting to give him the power to hurt her anymore. Despite her attempts to push away her feelings, the pain hits her hard, even as her heart tries to convince her not to give up on their relationship yet. She knows there must be a reason for his sudden anger. She doesn't feel up to the battle right now, though, that would need to be fought if there is any chance for the truth to come out and for them to make their way through this crisis together, and end up stronger in the end.]
to be continued...
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