From: Vicky Korosei <vkorosei@SINCLAIR.EDU>

Cari,

I tried sending this twice this a.m., it was bounced back both times; hope
it reaches you this time (third's the charm?).

Vicky (vkorosei@sinclair.edu)
mff1



Here is the update for Another World for Monday, January 27, 1997 - I
don't ordinarily do Mondays, but this one was so stunning I couldn't stand
to let it go:


THE GHOST OF JANUARY FUTURE, or, WHAT'S HAPPENED TO MY SONS?


     The sound of a ticking clock - Jake paces around on Vicky's front
porch, anxiously waiting for her return.  Grant, at the Harbor Club,
checks his watch - Time's up, he says hopefully.

     Close-up on Vicky's watch, then zooming out to show her wrist, her
arm, her lifeless body lying in the snow.  Fade to Ryan and Vicky in
spiritland, newly married and joyous.  They celebrate with a kiss, their
theme song (I Know That This Is Love) in the background.  They start to
dance, laughing, amidst a shower of silver confetti.  He lifts her, spins
her around; they act the elegant married couple, AT LAST.  I can't wait to
see what comes next, she says.  He stops, suddenly serious - you don't
know why we're here, do you?  She doesn't understand - didn't their love
reunite them, she asks?  But the love has always been there, he reminds
her. She asks him if she's dead; I think you left your body for a while,
he tells her.  But I can feel you, you feel so real, she says, embracing
him, you have to help me.  I don't know if I can, he answers. 
     Distressed, she sits by the fire and seems to go into a trance, as
Bridget appears.  Ryan begs for her help and insight - I knew I was dying,
but she doesn't, should I tell her, or lead her somewhere?  She has to
find her own destiny, says Bridget, reminding him that their love is the
key to understanding everything.  Why can't she see you, he asks.  Perhaps
she sees what she needs to see, Bridget answers.  She walks over to where
Vicky is sitting, strokes her hair and kisses her brow.  Then she wishes
Ryan good luck, and exits.
     Vicky revives, almost seems aware that she just missed seeing
Bridget.  Ryan takes her hands in his, and points out that she couldn't
always see him, but he was around, he found her because her love for him
drew him back to her.  I can feel your love, too, she says, and Steven and
Kirkland - her expression changes.  My children, they need me, she gasps. 

     Suddenly they're in Vicky's house.  She's delighted it's just as she
left it, but it's empty - the kids are at my mom's she says.  Ryan senses
something's out of joint.  She sees the seeds she just planted before she
left, which are sprouting already, like magic.  They talk about how he
could hear her talking to him, knew her thoughts and feelings, and finally
she'd actually brought him back - although I showed up in an attic, he
laughs.  He says they should leave; he takes her hand and leads her
through the closed front door, and she sees days of accumulated mail and
newspapers on the porch.  The headline on the most recent paper - is about
her memorial service today, with a picture of her.
     They are suddenly at the Harbor Club, where friends and family are
gathered in her memory.  Ryan confirms that no one can see or hear them.
Jake is grief-stricken, and Amanda is urging him not to let Vicky's kids
see him like this.  John is comforting Donna, Paulina sobs in Joe's arms,
and Carl broods at a corner table.  Vicky tries to tell everyone she's
o.k., she's with Ryan, they're married now.  Paulina goes to comfort Carl
and commiserate.  He embraces her; Rachel sees his grief and starts toward
him, despite Amanda's cautionary words.  Suddenly Carl loudly proclaims
that there's blood on the hands of Grant Harrison - Rachel stops at this,
and turns back sadly.  Joe assures Carl they investigated thoroughly, it
was an accident.  Ryan tries to protest, that's not how it happened, but
no one can hear him.  Carl doesn't believe it - I can make accidents
happen, too, he growls ominously.  Vicky is startled - what really
happened to me? she wonders.  Nick arrives, and Vicky is pleased to see
Sofia offer him her sympathies, and if he ever needs to talk, she
understands about losing a close relative.  Michael enters with Steven and
Kirkland, and their grandmothers Donna and Rachel try to console them.
Vicky weeps at their grief, and worries that her sons fight so much.  She
tries to tell them they'll be fine, with such a loving family around them.
Then Grant bursts in, offering unwanted condolences.  As he embraces Kirk,
Donna and Mike tell him he's not welcome here and ask him to leave.  Grant
pulls out a legal document and announces he now has sole custody of
Kirkland.  Vicky and Ryan are horrified.  This is impossible, you're not
fit to raise him, Vicky and Donna protest.  Nothing you can do to stop it,
Grant gloats.  Jake tries to take a swing at him; Joe restrains him, and
Mike says stay calm, we'll fight this together legally.  He can't take
Kirk, Vicky wouldn't want this, shouts Jake.  Grant starts to leave with
Kirk; Bye-bye, Nana, says Kirk, making his "I love you" symbol.  You just
can't leave, you're my brother, Steven wails, embracing Kirk.  What will
happen to them, Vicky frets.  You just can't leave, Steven repeats...
     ...you're my brother, a deeper voice finishes.  It's Steven, ten
years later, arguing again with Kirk.  Steven wants them to talk, but
Grant has been bad-mouthing Vicky to his son for ten years, and Kirk can't
even remember his mom and could care less.  Kirk stalks out, with Steven
at his heels.  Don't tell me Grant actually got away with it, Ryan
mutters.  Did Grant have something to do with my death? Vicky wonders, but
Ryan says he can't answer that.
     Suddenly they're at Carlinos.  Ryan says they should watch and
listen, maybe things aren't so bad?  Grant walks in.  Hello, Governor,
Sofia welcomes him, How's your wife?  (Wife? Who'd have him? Vicky
snorts.)  She had a bad night, says Grant, dreamed she could still walk. 
Poor Sharlene, Sofia sympathizes.  (Sharlene never walked again? cries
Vicky in disbelief.  Married to Grant, she's lucky she's still alive,
observes Ryan ironically.)  Paulina appears - Good, kick him out, Vicky
urges her, but Paulina welcomes Grant with a kiss on the cheek.  Vicky's
astounded - I could have stopped him from getting everything his way - or
Jake, Jake won't let him get away with this, Jake would never give up! 
Paulina seats Grant at his "usual table," then excuses herself to make a
phone call. 
     Ryan and Vicky are suddenly back at her house, where Jake is lying on
the sofa.  He's been living here for the last ten years, and hasn't
changed a thing from the way she left it.  The phone rings, he answers it,
it's Paulina.  Vicky is hopeful that Jake is plotting Grant's impeachment
as they speak, but all the spark is gone from his eyes.  Paulina offers
him a sympathetic ear, as she does every year at this time.  Jake is
despondent, says he plans to stay home, light a fire, look at some
pictures.  Vicky realizes he's missing her as much as she'd missed Ryan,
and she wasn't here to make him understand she valued their special
friendship but she never wanted to be his wife.  As Jake lights a fire in
the fireplace, Vicky calls his name - he turns to her, startled, but can't
see her.  He backs away, then takes her photo from the bookshelf and gazes
at it, commenting that he must be crazy, he can feel her presence.  He
senses something, doesn't he? Vicky asks.  Absolutely, Ryan answers.  As
Vicky tries to console Jake, he turns out the lights and sits by the
window, brooding in the dark.  I never wanted it to be like this, she
tries to tell him, you should be loved, you shouldn't be alone...  Later
Steven comes by; they embrace like family after an absence, but Steven
can't stay, this house gives me the creeps - not the bad memories, but the
good ones.  Jake says he feels the same, sometimes getting lost in the
happy memories.  They remember the Halloween party, which reminds them of
Bobby.  Jake is still angry at himself for letting Vicky drive off with
Bobby that day, I never trusted him.  Vicky realizes he blames himself for
her death - how did I die, what happened? she asks again.  Steven assures
Jake it wasn't his fault, but says he always liked Bobby, doesn't want to
rehash this old conflict with Jake.  Steven is about to leave, when Jake
stops him and gives him something he's been holding onto - the beaded
necklace Vicky was wearing the night Steven was nearly hit by the train -
you made it for her when you were - "eight years old," Jake and Vicky say
together.  Jake asks Steven why he came back.  I have a score to settle,
says Steven, exiting.  I don't like the sound of this, any of it, Vicky
says with alarm. 
     Your grades are excellent, straight A's, Grant is telling Kirk, as
Ryan and Vicky are again transported.  Kirk says he saw Steven earlier,
Steven wants to "bond," and Kirk is a little curious.  I once had a
half-brother, Grant sneers, he wanted us to be close, too - so close, in
fact, that he wanted my wife.  Ryan protests how Grant has been feeding
Kirk a twisted version of the facts.  Stay away from Steven Frame, Grant
warns Kirk, he's a no-good troublemaker, you're destined for greater
things.  He sounds like Spencer, Ryan observes snidely.  Grant asks Kirk
if he'd persuaded a certain teacher to raise a grade.  Kirk admits he
hacked into the school computer and changed it himself.  Grant's only
concern is whether Kirk could get caught.  No way, Kirk assures him, and
they chuckle together about outsmarting the system. 
     I'm worried about Steven, Rachel is saying to Donna and Mike.  Mike
and Donna just think Steven's going through a normal rebellious phase, but
Rachel thinks he's especially troubled, dropping out of school after
school, living who knows where, always so angry.  Rachel is even more
worried after helping him unpack on his arrival - she'd found a gun in his
gear.  Oh, no, my baby would never hurt anyone, Vicky cries. 
     They're back at Jake's.  Paulina arrives with food; she turns on the
light, gives Jake a hug and drags him to the table to force him to eat
something.  Jake confides that he's felt Vicky's presence tonight, the way
Vicky must have felt Ryan's.  I'm here, you have to take care of Jake,
Vicky says to Paulina - Paulina feels a sudden warmth, but doesn't buy
Jake's theory that it's Vicky.  I'll help you through this, don't fight
me, says Paulina.  You know I don't fight anymore, says Jake, to Vicky's
dismay.  She suddenly wants to leave.  I think we're supposed to be
someplace else anyway, says Ryan - I don't know where, but it's a matter
of life and death.
     They're at the basketball hoop by the hospital, Steven is shooting
hoops and arguing with Kirkland.  Steven sneers that Kirk's getting more
like Grant, he's no hero, he's going down.  He shoots a basket, dropping
the bead necklace.  Kirk picks it up and taunts Steven with it; when
Steven tries to grab it back, it snaps and falls in pieces on the snowy
ground.  Steven grabs Kirkland and slams him angrily into the wall.  Kirk
again taunts Steven about his "saintly" mother, who left them when they
needed her most.  No, I always loved you, always! Vicky protests.  As
Grant appears in the shadows to eavesdrop, Steven retorts that Vicky
didn't leave - your father killed her, an EX-cop named Sinclair (Gary lost
his badge for pursuing Grant, Vicky realizes) has been sending me evidence
for years.  Kirk demands to see this evidence.  When I say so, snarls
Steven.  He picks up the pieces of the necklace and exits, with Kirk right
behind.  Where are they going, Vicky frets.  I have a pretty good idea,
says Ryan. 
     They're at the train trestle - where Grant shot me, Ryan notes. 
Vicky's afraid for her sons.  The brothers soon arrive - Steven is saying
he won't give Kirk the evidence, Kirk would only give it to Grant, and
Steven doesn't want to get blown up, too.  He clues Kirk in that Grant put
a bomb in Bobby's truck that day.  Vicky is incredulous, but Ryan confirms
that that's what happened, I was too late to save your lives.  Vicky's
appalled that helping her had caused Bobby's death.  Kirk refuses to
believe his father was involved, he's a good man.  Steven snorts, then
drops the final piece of news: it was Kirk who had provided Grant with the
info that Vicky and Bobby were taking a trip that day, your father was
using you to set up our mother.  Kirk punches Steven in the gut, he falls
to the ground, drags his brother down on top of him and they struggle
violently - No, stop, Steven's got a gun, Vicky cries out.
     Suddenly they're back in spiritland.  Vicky's frantic about the fate
of her sons, I have to go back, tell me what to do.  Ryan grabs her and
shakes her to get her to listen, repeating over and over that the only way
to prevent this is to return to her life, back among the living.  Think
about your lungs, he shouts, fill your lungs with air, focus on your body,
get your blood moving - you have to fight for your life, you have to go
back, your children need you!  Is that even possible, she gasps in
disbelief.  Ryan is adamant - there's not much time - go, go! he shouts. 
She runs to the gateway, then turns back.  But if I go back, she wails, I
leave you behind!  I already lost you once, I can't lose you again!  They
embrace, and Ryan tries to comfort and reassure her - you should know by
now, I'll always be with you, we'll always have our love.  You taught me
what love is, he says, and you have to go back and make sure your sons
learn the same thing, how to love and be loved.  They deserve to have
love, she agrees.  So do you, he whispers - and you have to promise me, if
you find someone else who can bring love into your life, that you won't
turn your back.  She tearfully refuses to even think about it; you won't
be hurting me, because all I want is your happiness - now promise me, he
urges her. She reluctantly agrees - I promise, she sobs, but only because
I love you so much.  They embrace again, clinging to each other.  Now you
have to go, back to your children, he tells her.  They share one last
embrace, a long, deep kiss, then gaze into each other's eyes.  She starts
to back away, calmer now.  She starts toward the gateway, turning back
again to see him watching her.  They exchange a sad smile, then she turns
and exits into the mist.  I love you, Vicky, he whispers after her - I
love you forever.  FREEZE FRAME.


[sigh...]

That's the way it was - hope it's not the way it WILL be, eh??

Later,

Vicky (vkorosei@sinclair.edu)
mff1




