INSTALLMENT 64.3
 





   A glass of pinot grigio is like heaven to Thomas's lips as
he lets the taste of the wine settle onto his taste buds.  He
turns to look at Elizabeth and finds himself recalling the 
first time he'd laid eyes on her.  Such a lifetime ago, he
marvels to himself. 

   "What are you thinking about?"  Elizabeth asks.  

   "Nothing at all.  Why do you ask?"

   "You look like you're a million miles away right now, which 
is where I wish I were right now."

   "I understand,"  Thomas responds, pausing for a second  "I 
think you're holding up very well considering what happened 
last night."

   "Well it isn't everyday you find out you had a brother you
never knew existed before."  

   "I can't even imagine what all of you are going through."

   "To tell you the truth, it hasn't completely sunk in yet
that stephen is my brother.  I don't know if it ever will."

   Thomas opens his arms and Elizabeth falls into them.

   "You just found this out last night.. give it a little
time to sink in."

   "You're right."  

   After a few moments of silence, Elizabeth finds herself 
snuggling closer to Thomas, which he takes note of.  

   "Have you spoken to George or Lenore about this?"

   "No, I decided to spend the night at the Inn.  I had some
paperwork I needed to go through, plus needed the distraction
from reality."

   "I understand, though your father kept asking me if I'd 
talked to you or not."

   "When did you speak to my father?"  Elizabeth breaks out
of his embrace and looks Thomas in the eyes.

   "I had to go into the office this morning to do damage
control.  After all, a PR person never truly is off the clock 
especially given what happened last night."

   "Nice he cares more about the company then he does his own
family."  Elizabeth bitterly responds.

   "He cares about you, he just doesn't know how to show it."

   "He cares about us...just as long as we never make any 
mistakes."

   "All parents love their children, I certainly know my 
parents love me even though I've made plenty of mistakes in 
my life."

   Elizabeth smiles, "That must be nice to have parents that
love you no matter what.  With my parents, there were always
strings attached to their love toward us.'

   "What do you mean?"

   "Well they show love if we do what they want.  If we do
anything that isn't in their 'plans' for us, then they give
us the cold shoulder and withhold their love."

   "So cynical and at such a young age."  Thomas snarks,
pouring himself another glass of Pinot Grigio.

   "Like you aren't angst-ridden?" Elizabeth replies back,
a smile on her face.

   After a second of thinking, Thomas nods his agreement.

   "I hope that smile means you're feeling better?" Thomas asks
hopefully.

   "Well I can never be completely depressed when I'm around
you."  

   "Nice to hear on a Saturday evening."  Thomas looks at the
timer on the coffee table and gets up off the couch.

   "Where are you going?"

   "To the kitchen, our dinner is about done.  You wouldn't 
want burnt food, now would you?"

   "I guess not."  Elizabeth replies, leaning back on the couch
and smiling when she thinks of how close she was to him tonight.

   The doorbell rings causing Elizabeth to snap out of her 
euphoric state.

   "Could you see whose at the door?"  Thomas yells from the 
kitchen.

   "Ok."  Elizabeth yells back.

   Elizabeth gets up from the couch and heads for the front door.  
As she opens the door, she can recognize Stephen's profile and 
starts to tense up.

   "Stephen, what are you doing here?"  Elizabeth asks in 
surprise.  

   
         __________________________________________





   As she prepares to exit her office for the evening, Alicia 
finds her thoughts wondering toward Wally's hurt face.  A
deep sense of regret wells up inside her and she feels powerless
to do anything about it.

   If she could change one thing about the night before, it 
would be that, she thinks to herself.  Taking a deep breath, she 
gathers up her papers to put in her bag.  

   All of a sudden, she hears a knock.  When she sees Wally 
standing at the door, her heart starts pounding.

   "Wally, what a surprise.  Come in."

   "Thanks, but this won't take long.  I need to talk to you 
about what happened last night."

   Alicia gets up from her desk and walks over to him as her 
heart races.  

   "If doing that means you'll forgive me then ok."

   Wally takes a deep breath and stares coldly at her.

   "That's just it, I can't forgive you."

   "Why?!?!"  Alicia demands.

   "Because you used me."

   Alicia feels her body tense up and she silently tells herself
to stay in control.

   "I admit it started out like that, but I honestly do love 
you now.  You're the first guy that I've met that's treated me 
with love and respect."

   Wally sighs, "Thank you Alicia.  However, it isn't enough."

   Wally starts to leave, but feels Alicia's arm on his.

   "Don't go!  I'll do anything to make you forgive me."

   "There's nothing you can do except to leave me alone."

   "Why are you doing this to me!?!?"

   "I'm not doing anything to you."

   "Yes, you are!  You are just like all the other men in my 
life."

   "Alicia, you know that isn't true."  Wally replies.  

   "Yes, it is."

   "No, it isn't.  What's ironic is that you did to me what
all those men supposedly did to you."

   "What do you mean supposedly?!?!"

   "Forget about it."  Wally replies, then turns and leaves.

   Alicia watches Wally until he's gone then she closes her
office door.  Looking around her office, she feels the anger
inside of her build.

   Walking toward her desk, she notices her coffee cup and
picks it up and throws it against the wall.  As it shatters
into several pieces, she vows to make Wally forgive her at 
any cost no matter what.

         __________________________________________





   As Stephen and Elizabeth stand in awkward silence,  Thomas
comes out of the kitchen.    
 
   "Who was at the door?"  Thomas stops in his tracks when
he sees Stephen. "Oh Stephen, I wasn't expecting you, come in."

   Stephen enters the apartment and heads into the living room.

   "I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?"

   Thomas starts straightening up the living room, "Not at all,
Elizabeth and I were just about ready to have dinner.  Do you
want to join us?"

   "No, I won't stay long."  Stephen sits down on the sofa. "I
tried calling you earlier, but got your voice mail.  I left a 
message, but thought it would be better to come in person."

   "Oh, I've been so busy with working on PR for Falmont that
I didn't have time to check my messages." 

   "That's alright, I was just calling to let you know that I
thought about your offer from last night."

   "My offer?"  Thomas asks then realizes what Stephen is 
talking about.  "Oh, about being my room mate.  What did you
decide?"

   "Judging by everything that happened last night, I need to
make a clean break from my family for the time being."

   "Well...." Thomas notices Elizabeth staring at them.  "Are
you ok with this?"

   Elizabeth nods.  "As long as both of you are ok with it, it's
cool with me."

   Thomas notices both of them are avoiding eye contact with one
another.

   "Listen, I have to finish getting dinner ready."  Thomas heads
into the kitchen.  "Feel free to talk amongst yourselves."

   After Thomas heads into the kitchen, both Stephen and Elizabeth
stare at each other.  Both are unsure of what to say, they both
wait for the other to say something first.

   "How are you handling all of this?"  Elizabeth finally asks.

   "Still trying to absorb everything." Stephen replies, relieved 
the ice between them was broken.  "How about you?"

   "As I was telling Thomas earlier, I'm still adjusting to 
everything.  I can't even imagine what you have to deal with it
right now."

   "Yeah,"  Stephen sighs.  "I also know it's going to take
awhile for us to adjust to being brother and sister."

   "I agree which is why we should try to get to know one another
better."  Elizabeth replies.  "I've always thought you were a nice 
guy and all."

   "That's a great observation!"

   "Somehow I knew you'd think that."  
  
   "So....what do my other new siblings think of the news?"

   "Jonathan was interested in getting to know you, he was asking
about you last night."

   "Ok, how about Henry and Christina?"

   "Christina sent me a text.  She wanted me to let you know she 
welcomes you to the family and wishes you all the luck in the 
world."  Elizabeth pauses for a second.  "I'm not sure what 
Henry's reaction is going to be, I guess my parents are going to 
be breaking the news to him tonight.  Hence, why I'm over here 
and not at home."

   "I know how you feel, believe me."  Stephen replies.

   Thomas comes out of the kitchen, "Dinner is ready.  Are you sure
you don't want to join us, Stephen?  There's plenty."

   "Why not, it'll give me a chance to get to know my new sister."

         __________________________________________





   Dark sunglasses cover Henry's eyes as he approaches the front
door of his house.  Scrambling for his house keys, images of last
night's adventures at Northwestern play over and over in his mind.

   Finding his keys, he unlocks the front door and stumbles into
the entryway.  Looking around for signs of life, he makes his way
toward the stairs.

   "Henry, is that you?"  Lenore's voice calls from the living room.

   Henry stands at the bottom of the stairs debating what he 
should do.  Before he can decide, Lenore makes her way into the
entryway with her arms folded together.

   "Hi mom, I was just going to go upstairs and chill for a bit."

   "Right.. well before you do that, your father and I would like 
to have a word with you."  Lenore says.  "And before you say 
anything, this isn't negotiable."

   "If you say so."  Henry replies, following his mother into the
living room.

   Henry sees his father standing by the bar with a drink in hand
and a scrowl on his face.  Probably readying for another lecture,
Henry figures.  

   "So what's up?"  Henry asks, plopping down on the chair and 
putting his feet on the coffee table.

   "Before your father starts, I want to let you know that you
aren't in trouble and this talk isn't about anything you did."

   Henry breathes a sigh of relief, "That's a first."

   George gives him a disapproving look.  "Your mother is right,
for once you aren't in trouble.  Though I suspect you'll be in
trouble again in no time flat, given the slovenly way you're
dressed today."

   "That's the dad I know and love."  Henry snarks.  "Can we
hurry up with this?  There's a shower calling my name."

   "Fine.  It's come to my attention and the rest of the family
that I had a son I never knew about."

   Henry starts to laugh.  "Is this some kind of a joke?  Mom, 
is this dad's attempt at telling a joke?"

   Lenore shakes her head, "No, it isn't.  When your father and
I were newlyweds, he proceeded to cheat on me and got someone
pregnant."

   "So what you're telling me is that I have a brother out 
there somewhere?"  Both of his parents nod.  "Where is he?  Do
I know him?  Do you guys?"  

   "Yes."

   "Who is it?"  Henry asks.

   "Stephen Richardson."  George replies.

   Henry looks at his mother, "Nina's brother is also my brother?"

   "Yes."

   Henry sits for a moment, trying to make sense of what he's 
been told.

   "So does everyone else know?"  Both his parents nod again.
"Typical that I'd be the last to know."

   "If you'd bother to show up at the gala last night, you would
have found out at the same time that everyone did."  George snaps.

   Henry laughs, "That's rich dad coming from you."

   "What's that suppose to mean?"

   "You fathered some bastard with another woman and you're
coming down on me.  That's just typical dad."  Henry yells, 
getting up and heading out of the living room.

   "We aren't done with this conversation!"  George yells.

   Henry turns around, giving off a defiant stare to both
his dad and mom.

   "As far as I'm concerned, we are."

   Henry walks out of the living room, leaving both George 
and Lenore in his dust.