[Tea Delgado kicks the door to her apartment closed as she juggles several bags of groceries, along with her over-stuffed briefcase, as she awkwardly manages to lock the door. She drops her briefcase on the floor as she quickly moves toward the kitchen with her groceries. As she begins to unpack the bags, she hears a noise in the living room.
Tea returns to the other room. The sound of her own voice fills the room as her answering machine is activated by an incoming call.
In the last several days she's had numerous calls in the middle of the night that were nothing but several seconds of silence followed by a dial tone. She finally turned off the ringer on her telephone so her sleep wouldn't be interrupted anymore. She also started screening her calls, not certain if she's dealing with a stalker, or a completely innocent series of coincidences.
Tea feels relief as she hears the voice of her dear friend, Carlotta Vega.]
Carlotta: Tea, I was hoping you'd be home so we could talk.
[Tea picks up the receiver.]
Tea: I'm here.
Carlotta: Are you screening your calls?
Tea: I just came in the door. What's wrong?
[Tea leans down and picks up her briefcase, deciding to go through her mail as they continue to talk.]
Carlotta: What isn't wrong? Both my sons are ruining their lives.
Tea: I'm certain it's not that bad.
Carlotta: Cristian almost died because of that girl he thinks he's in love with...and, of course, because of that ex-husband of yours, too.
Tea: You told me yourself that Todd thought he was shooting at someone else.
Carlotta: My son could have died because of that man. I'm just glad you've finally come to your senses about Todd Manning. At least there's one person in my family I don't have to worry about anymore.
[Tea smiles, feeling good about being included as part of the Vega family. Her smile quickly fades as she opens an envelope that contains an airline ticket to Hawaii. Tea's heart sinks. Maybe it's because she's been discussing Todd with Carlotta, but she's certain she knows now who has been calling her and hanging up. She's also certain that she can't share her suspicions with Carlotta.]
Tea: I just got in and haven't eaten yet. Would you mind if I call you back later?
Carlotta: You can do better than that. You'll come for a visit this weekend. You don't have to worry about running into that ex-husband of yours.
Tea: Todd still hasn't contacted anyone in Llanview?
Carlotta: He seems to have dropped off the face of the earth, thankfully.
Tea: You never know with Todd. When you least expect it, he finds a way to throw your life into disarray again.
Carlotta: Has something happened? He hasn't contacted you, has he?
Tea: I haven't spoken to Todd since he paddled away from that island in his rush to get back to Llanview, and to a life that didn't include me.
Carlotta: I'll admit, when I first heard that he had disappeared again, I was concerned that he would go to you and try to convince you to run off with him again.
Tea: Todd would have to be a complete idiot to think that I would ever be so foolish again. I'm sorry that I can't make it this weekend. I'll come for a visit soon. I really should start my dinner.
Carlotta: Are you okay? You sound strange.
Tea: I'm just hungry. I'll talk to you soon. Adios.
Carlotta: Adios.
[Tea hangs up the telephone. She stares at the airline ticket in her hand. The only person she can imagine sending her a ticket to Hawaii is Todd, but why? He couldn't possibly believe that she would use it. Tea returns to her kitchen. She rummages through a drawer and removes a pair of scissors. She wants to shred the ticket into tiny pieces. She knows she should. How dare he presume to send her a ticket to Hawaii after their time there one year ago ended so disastrously. This must be a joke. He must be toying with her.
Tea raises the scissors and places the ticket between the blades. Within seconds, the offending airline ticket has been reduced to nothing more than expensive confetti. She dumps the waste in a trash bin and continues on with her evening, determined that this time she won't allow Todd Manning the opportunity to play his controlling games with her.]
