From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>

GUIDING LIGHT TGIF UPDATE -- FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1995

HIGHLIGHTS
* AM is distracted.
* The Spauldings put on a show.
* Eleni tries to reason with Christos.
* Frank meets up with Jorgo & seethes with testosterone over Eleni

A snowy morning in Springfield, USA...

SPAULDING ENTERPRISES: Lucy works in AM's office while he talks on the 
phone. His eyes are drawn to her legs when her back is turned and he 
seems distracted. She takes some papers from him and walks away. "Please 
stop that," he asks. "What?" she asks, clueless. "THAT!" replies AM, 
which of course completely clears things up for her. Not.

NICK'S FOLLY: Mindy awakens from a nightmare, crying, "Where's the baby?" 
Nick's been up for some time & has already started preparing for the 
adoption agency's visit by installing a cradle & rocking chair in the 
room. He hopes they can present a convincing case that the mansion is 
their happy home & the perfect place for a tot. "We have to," replies 
Mindy desperately. Nick looks concerned, as well he should.

[Can someone please tell me what this chick's problem is? Does she really 
think she can be happy by pretending to love Nick so they can get a baby? 
Once they get the baby, does she intend to stay in a miserable sham of a 
marriage, and if not, what makes her think that Nick won't fight her for 
the kid? Or does she think that once they have a baby, her love for Nick 
will magically rematerialize? I honestly don't get her motivation.]

TAVERNA IN CRETE: Eleni's older brother, Jorgo, sits at a table drinking 
& looking worried while a crowd of villagers enjoy themselves 
boisterously at the bar. Frank walks in and everyone quiets & turns to 
stare at him. Jorgo greets him affectionately, then explains that the 
taverna no longer belongs to his family. Jorgo says the situation is so 
desperate that soon he & his brother will be forced to steal in order to 
feed their family. Frank asks where Eleni is. "She's gone," replies 
Jorgo. Frank wants details.

CHRISTOS' ISLAND: Eleni wanders around the sunlit courtyard dejectedly. 
Dmitra informs Eleni that a boat will soon be there to take her back to 
the mainland. Eleni refuses to leave until she talks to Christos, but 
Dmitra insists he is not there. Dmitra leaves & Eleni hears a piano. She 
follows the sound & walks into the house.

MANSION: In the den, Alex hands some baby clothes & a large stuffed duck 
to Donna, with instructions to place them in the nursery closet. Donna 
has to confirm which room has been selected as the nursery. (The one with 
the crib, Alex reminds her. Duh.) Alex impresses on Donna the need to 
refer to that room as the nursery from now on. donna trots upstairs while 
Alex unpacks a huge teddy bear. Alan enters & asks what's going on. Alex 
fills him in on the pending adoption & upcoming home visit. She tries to 
get him to share her enthusiasm, but he inquires whether she has 
misplaced her marbles. He reminds Alex that Nick & Mindy were on the 
brink of divorce & a baby is hardly going to solve things. He knows 
Alex's intentions are good, but thinks the situation would be a total 
disaster. He tells Alex she can't make up for her mistakes with Nick by 
helping him out with the duplicitous plan to get a baby. Alex informs 
Alan that they are both going to help Nick, whether Alan likes it or not.

Upstairs, Nick helps Mindy reposition the cradle while she tells him she 
wants to name the baby Martha Louise, after her grandmother. It would 
mean a lot to Josh & HB, she notes. Nick agrees somewhat unenthusi-
astically that it's a pretty name. Mindy comments on how lovely the 
cradle is & Nick says he got it from the attic. It was the one his mother 
slept in as a baby. Suddenly Mindy worries that they won't get the baby. 
Nick reassures her that everything will be fine. He tells her about all 
the baby stuff Alex has gathered. Mindy says that after they get the 
baby, she'd like to push ahead with their own house & move into it soon. 
Nick says even if they got the construction going again immediately, they 
couldn't move there for months. He suggests they rent a house & move ASAP 
after getting the kid. Mindy smiles at this & hugs Nick. She's glad he 
agrees with her about having their own place. 

Nick reminds her that they still need to figure out their own 
relationship. Mindy says there will be plenty of time for that after they 
get the baby. She gets all clingy & nervous about not getting the baby & 
Nick has to reassure her again that everything will be hunky dory. Donna 
comes in as they're hugging & thinks its wonderful how a baby brings 
people together. Just like icing on a cake, a baby smoothes over all the 
cracks & bumps & makes everything look wonderful, even if it's a mess on 
the inside. Nick is less than thrilled with this analogy, but thanks 
Donna for bringing up the baby stuff.

SPAULDING: Lucy asks for clarification on "that." AM tries to brush it 
off, but Lucy presses. AM would prefer if Lucy didn't leave his office 
door open & makes excuses about not being able to concentrate with her... 
coming in & out all the time. She capitulates, but asks him to tell her 
about things that bother him in the future before he feels the need to 
yell at her about them. On her way out, she bumps into Brent. AM waves 
him in & Lucy shuts the door as she leaves. "Nice girl," comments Brent 
as he gives some numbers to AM. "Yeah," agrees AM. He's glad Brent showed 
up. As Brent turns to leave, AM admits he's worried about Lucy. He wishes 
she were dating someone nice, who would watch out for her. He suggests 
that Brent ask her out. "I already did," replies Brent. Last night. And 
she said yes. AM is glad that they seem to be hitting it off. Brent 
leaves & AM looks a mite concerned.

MANSION: Alex says after all she's done for Alan's son, helping her out 
for her son is the least Alan can do. "You owe me." Alan says it's not 
about their sons. Alex calls him a spoiled brat. Alan says he's thinking 
about Alex. He thinks she's trying to make up for the things she couldn't 
give Nick by giving them to his child. Alex insists she's just trying to 
help Nick. She thinks Alan is bored because he has no business or life of 
his own. Alan thinks it's nuts to think they could all live happily under 
one roof. Alan predicts that as soon as they get the baby, Nick & Mindy 
will be out the door. Alex won't hear of it. 

Nick comes downstairs & Alex tells him that Alan is being less than 
supportive. Nick asks Alan to make himself scarce then. Nick wonders why 
Alan doesn't have something more important to do, anyway, like helping AM 
at the office. Alan agrees to get lost & wishes Nick luck. Nick thanks 
his mom for her support. She asks about the future for Nick & his family. 
She doesn't want to see him hurt again & reminds him that no matter what, 
he'll always have her. Nick vows to make it work.

TAVERNA: Jorgo shows Frank a letter from Eleni. It explains that she has 
gone to talk to Christos. Frank is not satisfied because he does not know 
exactly where Eleni is. Jorgo says she has been gone since yesterday & 
the family is worried. Frank vows to find her himself & starts to leave. 
Jorgo stops him & explains that Christos lives on an island many hours 
away by boat. Frank doesn't care -- he's gonna get his wife. 

ISLAND: The camera shakes as we watch sheet music blow off a stand from 
behind a door cracked ajar. Eleni enters the room. She looks around, then 
bends to pick up the fallen sheets of music. The cracked door opens and a 
young man enters the room. "Why have you come?" he demands belligerently.

Eleni stands & smiles at the man. "Is it really you?" she asks. He points 
out that he has grown & is not the "foolish boy" she left behind. She 
says she needs to talk to him & they need to put an end to the feud 
between their families. He doesn't care about the feud. "If that is why 
you have come, you have wasted your time," he informs her.

MANSION: Mindy agonizes over her clothes & plays with the mobile over the 
cradle. Nick enters with Alex & Mrs. DeWitt from the agency. Mindy greets 
her excitedly. Alex gives her song & dance about how everyone is so 
thrilled. She's very convincing. Mrs. DeWitt is entranced by the cradle. 

SPAULDING: AM is engrossed in his work & doesn't immediately notice his 
father standing over him. AM is less than thrilled to see his dad. AM 
invites Alan to help himself to any of the reports out by Lucy's desk if 
he wants to keep tabs on the company. Alan is concerned about his son, 
not the company, and the distance between them. He envisioned that he & 
his son would work side by side & that AM would turn to him for advice & 
friendship. "I'm not ready for that," replies AM. Alan says there was one 
other reason he came by. "Tangie's coming home."

AM tells his dad that he & Tangie are finished & Alan can do what he 
likes. Alan asks how long AM is going to hate him & mistrust him. "Maybe 
forever," answers AM. "You broke that trust when you lied about your 
feelings for Tangie." Alan calls AM a hypocrite.

MANSION: Mrs. DeWitt is convinced that the Spauldings can provide for a 
child materially. She is interested in how the family interacts & solves 
problems. She asks Nick what prompted his sudden return to journalism. 
Nick says Mindy was having a hard time with the hours he put in at 
Spaulding, so he changed jobs to have more time to spend with his family. 
Alex backs him up. Mrs. DeWitt asks Alex to excuse them so she can talk 
to the younger Spauldings alone. Mindy says Nick's change of jobs brought 
them even closer together. She admits they're not a perfect couple, but 
who is. The important thing is that they're always working on their 
relationship, she says earnestly. 

Mrs. DeWitt asks about some of the publicity the family has received. It 
must put quite a strain on them, she suggests. "Not really," replies 
Mindy. "We got through it," Nick says simultaneously. Mindy takes the 
floor & explains that it's in the past & they are now one big happy 
family. How do the Lewises get along with the Spauldings? asks Mrs. 
DeWitt of Mindy. Mindy lies through her teeth, saying they get along 
famously. Donna interrupts to inform Mindy & Nick that all the baby 
supplies have arrived. "It'll be such a joy to have a precious little 
angel in the house," enthuses Donna. "It's been like a morgue here all 
winter." Mindy interrupts to say how many loving caregivers the baby will 
have. Donna adds that she & Ginger are knitting the baby a sweater, 
together. (One's doing the front, one's doing the back & they're fighting 
over the arms.) Mrs. DeWitt shakes her head & makes a note as Mindy 
dismisses Donna. Mindy & Nick look worried. Mrs. DeWitt notices & tells 
them to relax. The decision isn't final yet, but she thinks no baby could 
have a better home. Mindy breathes a sigh of relief & Nick looks like 
he's not sure if he should be happy or worried.

ISLAND: Eleni asks how Christos can be indifferent to what the feud is 
doing to her family. She lists their tragedies. Christos asks if she's 
become such an Americana that she's forgotten the old ways. "I especially 
understand lies," says Eleni. She demands to know why his sister lied to 
her & how Christos can deny what is happening to her family. Christos 
says he cannot change anything, anymore than she can change the decision 
she made to leave Crete, abandon her promise & dishonor his family. Eleni 
apologizes for any pain or embarrassment she may have caused. She thinks 
he needs to let it go. "Can't we talk about this as friends? We used to 
be friends." Christos says there is nothing to talk about & she should 
leave the island. "Do not come here again." He leaves & Eleni paces the 
room. Her eyes light on a photo -- a picture of herself in a white summer 
dress. 

TAVERNA: Frank wants to know why they can't go to the island & why the 
taverna is suddenly empty. Jorgo says the villagers are angry & 
frightened because Christos' family is so powerful. He says it is too 
dangerous to go to the island. Frank doesn't understand what has happened 
to make Eleni's brave brothers so frightened. Jorgo says he & Ari are 
outnumbered. Everyone is out to get them. Frank says he'll help them 
fight back if Jorgo will take him to Eleni.

ISLAND: Dmitra announces that the boat is ready to take Eleni back to 
Crete. Eleni sarcastically thanks her for her hospitality. Dmitra says 
now Eleni knows why she tried to keep her from seeing Christos -- because 
he despises Eleni & her family. "Yes, he hates me," agrees Eleni. 
Christos watches from above. Eleni says she will see herself to the boat 
& leaves. Christos watches her go.

SPAULDING: Brent arrives with more papers for AM, but Lucy warns him, 
"Could be the start of World War III." 

In AM's office, AM ignores his dad as Alan tries to get his attention. He 
thinks AM should at least thank him for the presidency. Alan was trying 
to show his love. AM explodes, "Do you really think you can buy love? 
Respect? Trust?" AM says he can't forget the lies and the way Alan used 
him. He says he earned the presidency with his skills. "You put me there 
because you thought you could control me. You confuse love with control 
and that is why I can never, ever trust you again. And that's also why 
it's never going to work out with Tangie." Alan leaves without a word.

AM bellows for Lucy. She asks if he's OK. He's at a loss for words. "Do 
you think I'm selfish?" he asks. Then he tells her not to answer. He asks 
her to have lunch with him.

MANSION: Mrs. DeWitt says she'll have an answer for them soon. She 
apologizes for the stress of the adoption process. Nick shows her out. 
Alex reassures Nick that everything will be fine & he should be happy. 
"Didn't I tell you the Spauldings know how to put on a show? And Mindy 
got into the act." "Yeah, she sure did," replies Nick dejectedly.

Upstairs, Mindy cuddles the stuffed duck & rocks in the rocking chair. 
When Nick enters, she gives him a gleeful hug. "We did it! We're going to 
get our little girl! Aren't you so excited?" It doesn't look like he is.

TAVERNA: Frank insists that he needs his wife back. If Jorgo doesn't help 
him get to the island, Frank will do it himself. Jorgo says if Frank is 
ready for a fight, Jorgo will take him. He goes to prepare the boat. 
"Hurry!" Frank urges him.

ISLAND: Christos seems lost in a dream. Dmitra tells him that Eleni has 
left & their island is at peace again. He doesn't answer her. She asks if 
he told Eleni "everything." No, he says. What good would it do. He asks 
her to leave him alone. She goes, but then he sees a shadow & calls to 
her to stay away. It's Eleni. "You & I have not finished," she says, as 
the screen fades to black.

--Marni (marni@panix.com)




