From: Robert Willers <willers@trombone.sps.mot.com>

* * *   ANNOUNCEMENT   * * *
I have been doing updates for LOVING/THE CITY since April, 1993, but
I can no longer continue doing them after August 9.  Being a member of
two musical performing groups and doing two weekly Internet columns on
college football, plus having an active son who is now a toddler, means
that something has to give, and that something has to be the updates.

I do hope someone picks up the Friday updates starting on August 16.
Fridays are usually fun (*), action-packed (*) and challenging (*),
and you have the entire weekend to get the update done.  If you are
interested, email me directly and I'll make sure you are added to the
authorized updater list (on the City Update Mailing List site).

(*) - OK, but most of the time, it's the best day of the week!  You
      get most of the murder/mayhem, in any case (including today).

I am volunteering myself as an alternate updater, but my time will be
*very* limited until approximately January, 1997.

THE CITY Update for Friday, July 26:

STORYLINE: SON OF A GUITAR PLAYER
 (location: Buck/Nick's apartment)
* Nick stomps in.  Lorraine asks how it went with Sydney.  He tells her
 that she wouldn't tell him anything about their baby, not even whether
 it was still alive.  "Honey, you're right."  "About what?"  "Your son's
 alive."
* He asks if she knows something he doesn't.  She says she gets these
 feelings every once in a while, and they're always right.  She gives
 him some examples, like when Jared was murdered or when he disappeared.
 He asks about *this* feeling.  She says she knew his son was alive the
 minute he walked in the door.  He says he had the same feeling when he
 was upstairs with Syd.  He says he asked her, but she lost control and
 never answered him.  She says maybe he was getting too close to the
 truth.  He says yeah, but asks why she would keep it from him *now*.
 Lorraine suggests that maybe she was ashamed.  She asks if he is "going
 to do it."  "Do what?"  "Well, are you going to try to find your son?"
* He says it was a powerful feeling, that he may have a son out there.  
 She asks if Sydney gave him up for adoption.  Yeah, maybe she did, to
 satisfy Jared.  Maybe he was adopted by people who wanted him, who
 loved him, and what right would I have to show up on his doorstep and
 mess up his life now?
* Nick says that maybe the best thing he could do is to let his son
 live his life; if he comes looking for his father, that's different.
 Lorraine says that if she were adopted, she'd want to know who her
 real daddy was.  He says that his son's real daddy is the one who
 changed his diapers, who played catch with him, taught him how to
 play guitar.  Anyway, he already has a kid: Zoey.  Maybe he can teach
 her how to play.  She says that would be nice.  He says he has Zoey
 and now he has her.  They hug, then they kiss.

STORYLINE: THE TRUTH, BUT NOT THE WHOLE TRUTH
 (starting location: City Bar)
* Zoey asks Richard why he won't talk to her.  Because he doesn't want
 to listen to anything she has to say.  She asks how they can work
 together if they aren't speaking to each other.  He says they aren't;
 he is going to talk to the producer and get her fired.  He leaves the
 bar; Zoey follows, calling to him.
* [In a hallway.]
Zoey asks him to give her two seconds.  He does exactly that.  No,
 she says, we used to talk before when we were friends.  Richard says
 they were never friends -- friends don't lie to each other, friends
 don't treat people the way you treated me.  He tells her to confess
 to Father Luke.  He leaves the building.
* [On the HOTLINE set.]
A stage manager slaps some mail down in front of Richard -- mail for
 Zoey.  Richard asks him to forward it for him.  He says it must not
 have been a rumor, then, that Zoey was let go.  Richard tells him to
 mind his own business and do his job.  "OK.  Places, everyone."
 [HOTLINE theme plays.]  Richard starts the show, but Zoey walks onto
 the set and interrups him, saying she hopes he's ready for a Breach of
 Contract suit.  He says they *are* rolling right now.  Zoey says good,
 and walks right up to the camera, saying that Richard fired her because
 their personal relationship didn't work out, that it was "out-and-out
 discrimination."  Richard says it is a bloody lie.  Zoey counters with,
 "That is *so* not true."  [Huh?]  He reminds her that she dumped him
 for a non-existent, defrocked priest.  She says she had her reasons.
 He sits back, saying he *can't wait* to hear this one.
* Richard asks everyone to clear the floor for about ten minutes; the
 staff members all leave.  He tells her that perhaps she could grow up
 now that she has created her usual scene.  She says doing this was the
 only way she could get him to listen to her.  "Fine.  I'm listening.
 Out with it."  She says she never wanted to break up with him.  He asks
 why she did.  She says she can't talk about that right now.  He gets up
 and asks her not to waste his time.  "Stop, please."  He does.  "The
 point is, I never wanted to lose you; I never, ever wanted to do the
 things I did to you."  He says the point is that she did them.  She
 says she *had* to.  "Why?"  "I just did, Richard."  "That's not good
 enough."  He says she's like two different people: the one he fell in
 love with, and the one who would do those things to him.  She says she
 didn't want any of this to happen.  But it happened, you lied to me and
 you made me look like a fool.  He asks how he can be sure those things
 won't happen again.  "Because they won't."  "That's not good enough.
 I'm sorry, it's over."  Zoey cries a bit and says she'll always love
 him.  She starts to leave, but he hands her the mail.  "Probably a fan,
 saying how good we are together," says Zoey.  He says he doesn't give
 a --  She completes the sentence, saying she knows he doesn't give a
 damn.  She opens the mail, still crying.  "Oh my God."

STORYLINE: A BREAK IN THE CASE
 (starting location: Jail)
* Jocelyn goes into Danny's cell.  He asks if she has anything new.
 No, not really, unless you can prove where you were when Jared was
 murdered, says Jocelyn.
* How many times do I have to go over this?  I took a subway to the old
 neighborhood and took a walk.  She asks if anyone saw him.  He says he
 didn't talk to anybody; nobody recognized him.  OK, shrugs Jocelyn.
 She says she's going to keep trying, and they're going to win this
 thing.  He says he has the best lawyer in town working on his case.
 She says she has to leave, to close on their parents' house.  He asks
 if she *has* to leave; isn't this a little bit soon to deal with this?
 She says it has to be done.  She pleads with him to help himself.  She
 gets up and they hug.
* [At Lou's house.]
Jocelyn strolls around the house, thoughtfully.  She picks up a photo,
 smashed, of her and her dad.  She hears (or does she just think she
 hears?), "Jocelyn."  She turns around.
* It is the superintendent (Mr. Dwyer), just there to give her his
 condolences.  He says he is sorry he startled her.  She is surprised
 that he didn't know about this earlier.  He says that he was on his
 way to Florida the night Lou died.  He didn't hear anything about this
 until he got back.  He says he's glad Lou wasn't around to see Danny
 being accused of Jared's murder, which happened on the same night.
 Jocelyn ushers him to the door, saying she has a lot to do, but he
 remarks that Danny must have been there the night it happened.  "Are
 you saying Danny was here?"  "I saw him in the hallway the night your
 father died.  He was getting on the elevator."

STORYLINE: SOMEONE'S NOT GONNA BE HAPPY
 (starting location: City Bar)
* Ally tells Tony that he didn't have to give her his letter jacket.
 He says that's just the way he operates.  She is glad he didn't take
 what she said about Carla seriously.  He says no, he took it *very*
 seriously.  She says she feels bad, but he says she can make it up to
 him: dinner tonight, just the two of them.  She says she'll wear the
 jacket.  Just the jacket?  Maybe, says a red-faced Ally, if you spring
 for Chinese food.  They kiss.  Carla taps him on the back.  "What are
 you doing here?"  She says she needs to speak to him -- privately.
* Tony tells Carla that whatever she has to say can wait until tomorrow.
 Ally says no, talk to her.  She says she'll go upstairs and get ready.
 He starts whispering his plans for the evening in her ear, then he
 turns to Carla and asks if she minds if they have a minute alone.
 She says they can have two; she has to make a phone call.  He asks Ally
 if she is sure she's OK with this.  She says she trusts him.  They kiss
 and Tony tells Ally that she's *so* beautiful.  She blushes, then he
 leaves to go to talk to Carla.  Ally is hiding her face, then Molly
 comes up to congratulate her.  Nice jacket.  Nice guy.  Ally says she
 is really lucky.  They hug.  Ally tells Molly that this will happen for
 her and Danny, she can feel it.
[Later, at a table near the pay phone.]
Carla tells Tony that he gave an adorable little speech, and asks if he
 gave her his class ring, too.  "Good bye, Carla."  Tony gets up, but
 she asks him to sit.  Then start talking, he says.  "You win."  Carla
 says he has given her no choice but to level with him about her
 relationship with Jared.  "Now you're talking," says Tony as he sits
 back down.  "You're right.  We were much more involved than I said."
* She says she was Jared's "confidant."  He needed someone to advise
 him.  He needed help with some independent financial activities.  Tony
 asks if this was before or after he played dead for a year.  Before
 and during, says Carla.  He notes that she was the right combination of
 Harvard graduate and mobster, with a short skirt to boot.  She asks if
 he wants to hear the story, and he shuts up.  Jared wanted to divest
 himself of some of his holdings in Chase International.  To defraud the
 stockholders, says Tony.  Not exactly.  Tony says he doesn't have an
 MBA, but it seems to him that Jared wanted to screw the stockholders
 and leave Sydney holding the bag.  Carla says he planned to rebuild
 Chase, in fact, he asked *her* to do it for him.  *You*?  She says that
 when she finished her thesis, she knew more about Chase than Jared did.
 Tony snickers, saying that she must have had him snowed.  No, she says,
 you have no idea what that opportunity meant to me, but the contract
 hadn't been signed.  Therefore, even though he thinks she had something
 to do with Jared's murder, it obviously wasn't in her best interest.
 Tony mock-applauds.  It's the truth, insists Carla, my entire career
 depended on Jared being alive.  Joey can confirm that, she says.  Tony
 asks what Joey had to do with that.  He knew about their contract.
 Tony asks what other contracts Joey knew about -- he knows Jared was
 responsible for most of what has happened in the building; what he
 wants to know is whether she is the person responsible for putting
 Joey and Jared together.  "For your brother's sake, I don't think you
 want to go there."  He wants an answer, but she tells him to lay off.
 For Joey, or for her.  Carla leans forward and tells him to take his
 suspicions elsewhere.  Tony asks, "If I don't, what?"  "I can't be
 responsible for what happens."
[At Ally/Jocelyn/Molly's apartment.]
Ally is dressed in a white satin cocktail dress, smiling.  She lights
 some candles.  There's a knock at the door.  She gets up and goes to
 the door.  When she opens the door, nobody is there, but there is a
 bag on the ground.  She picks it up.  "Tony, you're just too sweet to
 be real."  She looks inside.  "It's not chinese food...but it's sushi."
 She opens it and takes a bite.  [Ominous music begins.]  She chews it,
 but gets a strange look on her face.
* [At the City Bar.]
Tony asks Carla if that is some kind of threat.  She says she knows he
 cares about Joey and his father.  He asks what his father has to do
 with this.  She says that Joey doesn't even blow his nose without
 checking with their father first, and if he pursues this, he will be
 taking down his own father and brother.  Tony tells Carla he wants her
 to start talking specifics.  She says she is through talking, except
 to advise him one last time to back off.  She gets up to leave.  "Look,
 you wanted information, now you've got it!  You should be happy now."
 She leaves.  Tony mulls that comment over.
[At Ally/Jocelyn/Molly's apartment.]
Ally drops a glass.  "Oh my God, I feel so sick."  She walks to the
 kitchen and sets down the sushi tray.  She is having great difficulty
 breathing.  She falls over, pulling over the bar stool with the tray
 of sushi, and dies.  On a card which was attached to the bottom of
 the tray is the usual message: "HAPPY NOW".

-----
|  "Would somebody please explain to the White House   |  Bob Willers  |
|  that there's a difference between DRUG TESTING and  |  Phoenix, AZ  |
| TESTING DRUGS?" -- David Letterman, Late Show 07/18  | MY opinions!! |
+------------ willers@trombone.sps.mot.com ------------+---------------+


