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A S . T H
E . W O R L D
. T U R N S
by chrissy n 5.30.00
Nancy was piddling around the kitchen, as her
daughter in law, Joyce Hughes watched her sponge off the counter. "Joyce, I think a glass of iced coffee would
be wonderful. How about you?" Nancy asked.
"Yes, that sounds nice."
"Then, I'll make us a glass."
Nancy got tumblers from the cabinet, and as she poured coffee from the pot on the stove, Joyce inquired, "Nancy,
is that coffee left over from this morning?"
Nancy prided herself on being a first-rate homemaker. She took umbrage to Joyce's remark. "Joyce, I'd never
use old coffee to make iced coffee. Lisa was here while you were upstairs napping, and we talked and had a cup
of coffee. There is some left over, and I thought I'd use it for iced coffee. It hasn't been sitting that long."
"Oh. Well, with the coffee shortage, I thought you were cutting corners."
"I'd never cut corners with my family."
Joyce was married to Nancy's son, Don, and Joyce and Don were staying with the Hughes while waiting to move into
a new house.
Nancy unloaded to her husband, Chris about Joyce. "Chris, my patience is wearing thin. She complains about
everything. The house is too stuffy, or she doesn't like gravy with her meatloaf. She prefers tomato sauce."
"Nancy, my dear, having a houseguest can be an enormous inconvenience for everyone...But Joyce is Don's wife,
and as such she is a part of our family."
Joyce was a total snake. She had an affair with Ralph Mitchell, and became pregnant with his child, and told Don
that the kid was his. She lost the baby, and Ralph being a decent sort, wanted to tell Don the truth about the
baby.
But Joyce did not want to lose Don, her lawyer husband. "Why don't we just let it go?" she told Ralph.
"The baby is gone. It's over between us. Don doesn't have to know."
"Joyce, I happen to like Don, as a man, and as a business associate. He has a right to know the truth."
"Ralph, I beg you, don't tell Don. It will
ruin my marriage."
But Ralph was resolute about disclosing the truth to Don. Joyce decided to silence Ralph. While Don was out of
town on business, she lured Ralph to her house, and when he entered the dark dwelling, she fired a shot, hitting
Don.
Some of the characterizations were preposterous. Tom Hughes, a stalwart attorney was married to Natalie Bannon.
"Tommy, listen to me," Lisa said.
"That girl is no good. She will eventually break your heart."
"Mom, you don't know Natalie. She's honest and I love her," Tom said.
But Natalie had an affair with Jay Stallings who was wed to Tom's ex wife, sweet and all American as apple pie,
Carol. "Tom, I know that you never liked me...You never thought I was good enough for Carol. So I'm sure you
can't wait to tell her about what happened between Natalie and me," Jay said.
"I'm not going to tell her, Jay."
Jay frowned. "Oh, you want me to tell her. That's very noble of you, Tom." His tone was sarcastic.
"If you want to tell Carol that you were...involved with Natalie, that is your choice," Tom said.
"If I don't tell her, you're going to do it for me?"
Tom shook his head. "Learning about your illicit relationship with Natalie hurt me deeply, and I care about
Carol, and because I care about her, I would never inflict the pain on her that I've experienced."
"So you're not going to say anything about what happened between me and Natalie?"
"No."
Jay had ended it with Nat, and he vowed to be the husband Carol deserved.
Kim Reynolds had an affair with her brother-in-law, Bob Hughes. Kim became pregnant with Bob's child, and married
John Dixon to give the baby a name. But Kim lost the baby.
She wanted out of the marriage.
"I won't let you leave me," John said.
"What do you mean, you won't let me leave you?" Kim asked. "John, I've been miserable with you.
Just miserable. You are distrustful, and critical. You have to know my whereabouts every minute of the day."
"You've given me reason to be that way."
"No, I haven't."
"But you have. Having an affair with your brother-in-law, the sanctimonious, Bob Hughes. How could I trust
you? And how would Jennifer feel if she knew the truth? If you leave me, I'll tell her."
"You expect me to stay in a loveless marriage?"
"I love you, and if you'd let go of this obsession you have with Bob Hughes, and accept the fact that he is
your sister's husband, you could learn to love me."
"I could never love you."
Kim refused to stay in the marriage. She told Jennifer about her affair with Bob. "You had left Bob; he thought
your marriage was over...Bob would have never betrayed you."
"I know," Jennifer said. "And I also know about the affair."
Kim looked incredulously. "You know?"
"I've known for quite sometime," Jennifer said.
In a delirium Bob had told Jen about Kim, and knowing it was a mistake, that her husband and sister were good people,
who would not have intentionally hurt her, Jen kept the truth to herself.
"All this time you've know?" Kim asked.
Jennifer nodded.
"You're so noble, Jennifer."
Frankly, I thought the story line and dialogue was just dreadful.
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