From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>


GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE -- THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1996

                   THE PARENT TRAP
                         -or-
                 WHAT I DID FOR LOVE

Highlights:
* Alex is treated for an attack in the aftermath of the robbery.
* Marah keeps Reva's secret.
* Josh vows to quit loving Reva for the sake of Annie.
* Annie plans her wedding.
* Tina asks Frank for a big favor.
* Buzz & Hawk come to terms. But can the diner afford it?

A stressful day in Springfield, USA...

CEDARS: The Spauldings stampede in, surrounding Alex, who is being 
rushed in on a gurney. She seems to be having some heart problems & her 
blood pressure is high. Hawk worries over her while Rick examines her. 
Alan tells no one in particular about the hoo-ha over Lujack's ring. 
Hawk places his hand on Alex's forehead & calls her his "beautiful 
bullet shield." Amanda is uncharacteristically concerned & Hawk reams 
her for her faux feelings, since he knows she doesn't "give a lick" 
about Alex. "And that ain't all I know," he whispers to Alan. 

DINER: Dahlia asks Eleni if her mother has called. Eleni promises to 
tell Dahlia when she does. Marcus asks where Dahlia & her mom are 
moving. Wherever the new job takes her, guesses Dahlia.

Buzz complains that Eleni is giving him the cold shoulder. He guesses 
that she's not going to talk to him as long as he's married to Reva. 
Eleni is just worried that Buzz is going to get hurt. "She is just using 
you to get even with Josh Lewis." Buzz says she's wrong.

CAROUSEL: Josh demands to know Marah's secret. Marah says it's stuff 
they talked about at Reva's house when she ran away. Josh wants to know, 
but Reva urges him to leave it alone. Josh won't. "What is your mama 
trying to keep from me?" he asks. Marah swallows hard.

"OK, I'll tell," says Marah. Reva asks her not to, but Marah goes ahead. 
She says it's the pinky handshake. It's supposed to be a secret, but 
she'll teach Josh if he really wants. Josh looks relieved & says it's 
not necessary. "You're mama's right, some secrets are OK to keep," he 
adds. He recalls a secret whistle he & HB shared. Marah tells Reva she 
doesn't have to worry anymore. Reva thanks her & suggests that Marah go 
play with Shayne so she & Josh can talk. Marah toodles off.

Josh asserts he had reason to be concerned because Reva lied about 
caring about him & the kids. Reva says the reason she "came clean" was 
*because* she cared about the kids. She stopped trying to get back at 
him because she didn't want to hurt them. Josh doesn't think this quite 
qualifies her for Mother of the Year. Reva reminds him he has every-
thing he always wanted, so why is he trying to turn the kids against 
her? "Maybe it's just payback for making me love you again," he replies.

CEDARS: Alan tells Hawk to get out & leave Alex with her family. Hawk 
says it's Amanda who should get out. He calls her Mata Hairy. :-) Alex 
calls Hawk to her side. She squeezes his hand hard enough to crush the 
bones as she whispers to him to lay off Amanda & shut up about what he 
knows. Hawk agrees, in order to save his hand. Rick clears the room, but 
Hawk promises Alex he'll be nearby.

Outside, Alan reams Hawk for his attack on Amanda. She tells Alan it's 
no big deal--they're all under stress. Nell comes by to take statements 
& Alan pushes Hawk out of the way to go with her.

Amanda steps back into the exam room & Rick tells her Alex's BP is down 
a little, but they still need to stabilize her. Rick & Annie both leave. 
Amanda thanks Alex for interceding with Hawk & begs for them to start 
over & leave all their differences behind.

DINER: Eleni calls Dahlia to the phone. Dahlia asks questions about the 
interview; Tina answers in generalities that Dahlia interprets as good 
news. Tina says she has to stick around for awhile & tells Dahlia to be 
good. When Tina hangs up, we see she's in the police station with Frank.

POLICE STATION: Frank thinks the call must have been very hard for Tina. 
"Like you said when you arrested me, you do what you have to do," she 
replies sharply. Frank says he couldn't break his oath. Tina doesn't 
intend to break hers either. Dahlia will never know what she's done. 
Frank says she can't possibly hide an arrest for armed robbery, but she 
says she can if he helps her.

Frank says all he can do is get Tina a lawyer. She offers to plead 
guilty & testify against her partner, but Frank says it doesn't matter--
once she's booked, it's public record. Tina tells Frank how hard she 
worked to teach Dahlia the right values so she wouldn't make the same 
mistakes Tina did. Now Dahlia believes in her, & Tina can't let her know 
down. Frank says Tina can't protect Dahlia anymore--the minimum sentence 
for armed robbery is 3-5 years. Since Dahlia is a minor, she'll have to 
go into foster care. Tina freaks at the thought of Dahlia having to pay 
for her mom's mistakes. She asks Frank to take Dahlia into his home.

CAROUSEL: Josh tells Reva she's cruel & heartless. He hates her & he 
hates himself for ever having loved her. Matt interrupts, but offers to 
come back later. Josh tells him to stay; he's done with Reva. Matt has 
come to help Josh with the wedding, which is scheduled for tomorrow. 
Reva says this is good; they are all getting on with their lives. No 
reason to dwell on past mistakes. She has to get back to Buzz. She tells 
Josh to take care & wishes him good luck. Exit Reva.

Josh calls Marah back in & asks her & Shayne to come to the house with 
him & Matt. Marah wants to stay because she just got Shayne interested 
in her game again. Josh relents, & apologizes for earlier, but reminds 
Marah that secrets can hurt people. Marah knows. "But you trust me, 
don't you?" Josh says he does & they are all going to be very happy in 
their LOWHAD. Josh leaves & Marah hugs a stuffed bear. Reva returns. "I 
kept your secret, Mama," says Marah.

LEWIS HOUSE: Josh tells Matt the wedding will be very small, but he 
hopes Matt will be best man again. Matt wonders about Annie. Is she 
really OK with Josh still loving Reva? Josh wonders where Matt got that 
idea. Matt could tell from seeing them together just now. "Do you think 
that's going to disappear when you marry Annie?" "No," replies Josh.

CEDARS: Amanda claims she was so worried during the robbery, she would 
have done anything to save Alex from being hurt. Alex believes things 
happen for a reason. Alex was just about to take away everything Amanda 
had dreamed of having, & then Amanda went & risked her life to save 
Alex. It just goes to show that Amanda can't be trusted. Amanda is 
stupefied. Alex says Amanda is as transparent as she is gullible.

In the waiting room, Annie approaches Alan. She says she knows how Reva 
hurt him, but he's well rid of her. Just think what Buzz is in for now. 
"He has no idea how much his marriage to Reva is going to cost him," 
replies Alan. Hawk overhears & is distressed to hear that Reva's gotten 
hitched to a hashslinger. He asks Alan to "tell my beloved Queenie" 
he'll be back later. He heads off to do some Buzz-busting. Alan tells 
Annie her sympathy is wasted on him. "I'm not the man who needs it."

LEWIS HOUSE: Josh says he can marry Annie with a clear conscience. He 
will just make himself stop loving Reva. Matt doesn't think it will be 
so easy. Josh realizes he & Reva had a wonderful love, but it's over. 
Matt thinks he can't just turn it off like a faucet. Josh says Reva has 
burned him too many times. Loving her is like an addiction--he can give 
in to it & die or move on. Matt says even if Josh can quit loving Reva 
cold turkey, does he ever plan to tell Annie the truth?

CAROUSEL: Reva tells Marah she did good. Marah hated lying to her daddy. 
Reva says it was for a good reason, so Marah, Shayne, Josh & Annie can 
all be together. Marah sees that Reva looks sad. Isn't this what Reva 
wanted? Reva says it's exactly what she planned. "But it's not what you 
wanted, is it, Mama?"

DINER: Eleni just wants Buzz to be happy. Buzz thinks he will be happy 
with Reva. Eleni thinks Buzz is writing a romance novel in his head, 
with Reva as the damsel in distress & himself as the white knight. 
Rescuing her won't make her love you, warns Eleni. "What makes you think 
she doesn't already?" asks Buzz. Eleni doesn't buy it. 

Buzz says people can be many different things at once. Eleni is tough, 
strong & opinionated, but also someone who loves fiercely & hates 
injustice. Reva may have a big mouth & a bad attitude, but she's also 
someone who lives & dies for love. Buzz needs that in his life. He may 
have married her for the wrong reasons, but he needs her. "Think again, 
Buzz boy," says Hawk, grabbing Buzz by the collar. "Hi, Dad!" says Buzz. 

Hawk accuses Buzz of tricking Reva into marriage. Buzz says she knew 
exactly what she was doing. Hawk thinks she can't have been in her right 
mind. He declares the nuptials "null & devoid." Buzz invites Hawk into 
his "office" to talk. "There are pans you can hit me with in there."

In the kitchen, Buzz says he's not Alan Pompous Spaulding or Josh Self-
Righteous Lewis. That means he hasn't lied to Reva, hasn't used her & 
hasn't judged her. He has the one thing Reva needs--love. "She's good 
for me & I'm good for her... Nobody is going to come between me & my 
wife. Do you understand that?"

In their booth, Dahlia tells Marcus that things are going well for her 
mom. Marcus says he's glad to hear things are working out for them, but 
he doesn't look too happy about it. He asks Dahlia to come to the Towers 
& Tina can join them there later. Dahlia says she should stay & finish 
her homework. Marcus is a little insulted by her suspicion. He came to 
find her because he thought she was in trouble. Dahlia was worried about 
her mom for awhile, but now she realizes it was just this job in the 
works. Marcus wishes her good luck & promises to write to her. He heads 
toward the door, taking a long last look at her before he leaves.

POLICE DEPT: Frank is shocked that Tina would ask him to take in Dahlia. 
He doesn't answer; instead he gets all holier-than-thou about her life 
choices. Why didn't she just walk away from Roy? Tina reminds Frank that 
there are rules on the streets. No one just walks away & stays alive. 
Tina knew that Roy wanted Dahlia & she couldn't let that happen. Nadine 
was Tina's only chance, & now it's Frank. She begs Frank to take Dahlia. 

Frank says Tina is asking too much of him. His family is crammed into 3 
rooms over the diner. He can't afford to rebuild his burned-down house. 
How can he take care of Dahlia too? 

Nell comes over with a description of the female perp. Frank points to 
Tina & asks if she fits the description. Nell is stunned to learn that 
she's Frank's happy-hooker friend & isn't very nice about it. Frank 
snaps at her. Tina begs Frank once more to take Dahlia. Frank asks Nell 
to book Tina. As Nell leads her away, Tina cries to Frank to help her. 
"You're Dahlia's only chance!" Frank looks torn.

CEDARS: Rick tells Alex her BP is finally back to normal & she can go. 
He advises her to avoid stressful situationsAmanda follows Rick out of 
the room & asks why he seemed to be directing his comments about stress 
right at her. Rick thinks Amanda was the factor working against the 
medication meant to bring down Alex's BP. He doesn't buy Amanda's 
concern. He knows she tried to seduce Ross & wouldn't put anything past 
her. Alan comes by & dotes on his daughter. "She's something else, all 
right," agrees Rick. AM & Lucy roll Alex out in her wheelchair & she 
signs her discharge form. They roll her on out to the limo. 

Annie comes over to Ed & asks him if she can borrow the hospital chapel 
for her wedding tomorrow. Rick looks grim. If Ed gives Annie away, he 
won't even have to leave work. Rick congratulates Annie with some 
sincerity. After Annie leaves, Ed comments on this, & Rick says he is 
going to follow the old man's lead & get a life.

SPAULDING MANSION: Amanda suggests a champagne celebration & Alan is all 
for it, but first AM wants to know why Amanda turned down the executive 
VP slot. Amanda says she realized what she would have to sacrifice in 
order to take the position. AM wants to know what she means, but Alex 
says Amanda's entitled to her privacy. Amanda announces that she's going 
to work with Alan in his new venture, if he'll have her. Alex looks 
quite peeved by this news, as Alan & Amanda hug. "I will spend the rest 
of my life paying you back," Amanda tells Alan.

LEWIS HOUSE: Matt wonders what Annie would do if she found out Josh lied 
to her. Josh says he didn't lie. He thought he loved 2 women, but now he 
knows what he had with Reva wasn't real. Annie doesn't deserve to go 
into the marriage with doubts. Matt thinks Josh might rest easier if he 
goes in with a clear conscience. Josh chooses guilt over hurting Annie. 
He's glad Reva told him when she did, because if things had gone on much 
longer he would have lost Annie & the kids & wound up a laughingstock 
after Reva came out with the truth. But now he has everything. Annie 
doesn't need to hear that Josh loved Reva; she needs to hear that he 
loves Annie now.

CAROUSEL: Reva says all she ever wanted was for her family to be 
together & she's just sad because her wish is coming true. Annie is 
marrying Josh & the kids tomorrow & weddings always make Reva cry. Marah 
doesn't want Reva to be sad. Reva says she's crying tears of joy & 
swears it on her pinky promise. Marah smiles.

Shayne runs in, in search of Marah. He's tired waiting. When he sees 
Reva, he asks, "What's she still doing here?" Marah tells him he doesn't 
need to be afraid of Reva; she won't hurt them. Reva tells them both hat 
she knows they'll be very happy with their Daddy & Mommy. She cries as 
she tells them to say their prayers every night & remember that she will 
always loves them. Outside the carousel, she & breaks down.

SPAULDING MANSION: Alan tries to soothe Alex with a cup of herbal tea. 
Alex is not quite ready to accept the new developments with equanimity. 

AM asks Amanda what made her wait until the board meeting was underway 
to say she didn't want the job. Amanda wasn't sure until the last minute 
that she'd be able to say no. She's concerned about Alan & doesn't want 
to disappoint him. AM asks if he's still upset about the breakup with 
Reva. "What did Reva do?" asks Lucy. "Lucy, where have you been?" asks 
Amanda. "Your father married Reva." Lucy is speechless, thank god.

DINER: Buzz says Hawk can either punch out his lights or take him up on 
the all-you-can-eat-for-free family discount. Hawk recognizes a good 
thing when he sees it & follows Buzz to the counter. "I'd rather break 
bread than a jaw anyday," he says. And it sounds like Buzz means the 
best for Reva. Hawk welcomes Buzz into the Shayne family. For now. He 
orders a cheeseburger deluxe with fries & a shake, plus a dollop of 
caviar on the burger...

Frank walks in, looking like he lost his best friend. Dahlia greets him 
cheerily & fills him in on the good news about her mom's job interview. 
She knows Tina is doing it to give her a better life. Frank says there's 
been a change of plans. Something has come up. Tina had to go away to 
Chicago to meet with some company reps. She asked Frank to look after 
Dahlia in the meantime. Dahlia is a bit confused, but says she won't be 
any trouble. She goes to collect her things & Eleni realizes that Frank 
did not tell Dahlia everything. Frank says she's right.

CEDARS: Annie asks Ed if she's being insensitive to Rick by having the 
wedding at Cedars. Ed says Rick is OK with it. Annie has to remember 
that she is only responsible for herself. Annie has no time for anyone 
else--she's getting married tomorrow.

LEWIS HOUSE: Josh echoes Annie's words & asks Matt to be his best man. 
Matt agrees. "I have everything I want. Annie & the children are in; 
Reva is out of my life. Forever."

CAROUSEL: Reva listens to Marah & Shayne play & talk about the wedding. 
Marah says they will be officially a family. Reva tries to control her 
tears as the screen fades to black.

--Marni (marni@panix.com)


