From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>


 GUIDING LIGHT "THURSDAY ON FRIDAY" UPDATE -- THURSDAY, OCT. 19, 1995

                    PAYBACK ON MY MIND
Written by Jeanne Glynn & directed by.Brian Mertes

Highlights:
* Van & Matt pay Nola back for their wedding.
* Dinah disses Rog, who promises payback. Holly & Co. observe.
* Brent revels in his payback to Lucy, AM & the Coopers.
* Rog, thwarted again by Vanessa, vows yet more payback.
* Nadine's visions delay her planned departure. 

BOARDINGHOUSE: Bridget & David try to stop Nola from leaving, because 
Matt & Vanessa are coming over to thank her. "They don't want to thank 
me -- they want to bury me," declares Nola. She opens the door to leave, 
only to be greeted by the newlyweds. Van is holding a large box. "We 
just wanted to give you a little something to pay you back for all you 
did at our wedding," smiles Van. Nola looks at Matt questioningly.

COUNTRY CLUB PATIO: Dinah has a glass of wine while she waits for Rog. A 
tall, dark-haired man in a suit arrives & tells Dinah he's looking for 
Roger. Leo sent him. He joins her at the table & hands her his card. He 
is Desmond Conway, PI. He has news for Rog about his son. Dinah says he 
can tell her, but he wants to talk to Rog directly. Dinah suggests he 
try WSPR or the tai-kwon-do studio. Desmond thanks her & exits stage 
right as Rog enters stage left. Dinah says the guy walking away is the 
3rd guy to try to pick her up this evening. "He promised to take me to 
the moon, but I told him I'd already been there." They kiss, but Rog is 
soon distracted by a loud, laughing group of people. He turns to see 
Blake, Ross, Fletcher & Holly file in.

SPAULDING ENTERPRISES: In Alan-Michael's darkened office, Susan pulls 
back from Nick's kiss. "Why did you do that?" she asks. "Why do you 
think?" he responds, starry-eyed. Susan doesn't want him to feel sorry 
for her, but he says that's not it. It was just the moment, & he wanted 
to kiss her. "And right now, in this moment, I want to kiss you again." 
He follows through, with Susan's hearty approval.

DINER: The family is gathered around Lucy. Eleni suggests that Lucy must 
be exhausted & she should go upstairs to rest. Lucy remembers that she 
promised to call Susan. AM says he'll take care of it. The entire Cooper 
clan accompanies Lucy upstairs while Marion lurks outside, staring at 
the 2 test result printouts. "What a difference one word makes. Too bad 
you can't see the real one; it sure would make you feel better. You & 
your whole hateful, stinking family." Buzz heads out the door, pulling 
his apron over his head, & bumps into Marion. She drops the papers & 
Buzz bends to pick them up. "No, don't!" shrieks Marion.

As Buzz apologizes, Marion manages to grab the papers. (S)he asks Buzz 
if something is wrong. Buzz says it's family & Marion offers to help. 
Buzz says there's nothing she can do. AM puts a comforting hand on 
Buzz's shoulder & says that Marion is Lucy's friend. "I know who she 
is," says Buzz darkly, turning back toward the diner. AM tells Marion 
about the bad news & Marion sympathizes. Buzz explodes, saying they 
don't need sympathy. "She's not dead!" AM keeps the peace & sends Buzz 
inside. Marion asks AM to give Lucy her love. "Tell her she's in my 
thoughts & prayers." AM nods & goes back inside. Brent grins fiendishly.

COOPER APT: Nadine brings out a pile of blankets & sheets. She searches 
for a tissue in her purse & Eleni notices an airline ticket. "Are you 
going somewhere?" Nadine says she was, but... she tries to change the 
subject by fussing over Lucy, but L is more interested in the trip. The 
ticket is for a flight at midnight tonight. Nadine says she's putting it 
off. Lucy doesn't want her to do that on her account & asks where Nadine 
is going. "Nowhere," Nadine insists. She wouldn't dream of going any-
where right now. She thinks of Lucy as her own daughter & wants to be 
there for her. Lucy says there's nothing anyone can do for her & Nadine 
shouldn't change her entire life. 

Nadine says she's been thinking about going away for a while. Since the 
divorce from Buzz, she's been getting more clingy & needy instead of 
more independent. Carroll saw it & he was right. She needs to go some-
place new, get her bearings & make a fresh start. Lucy thinks it's a 
wonderful idea, but Nadine says it can wait. Lucy disagrees. If the 
roles were reversed, Nadine would be urging her to go, urging her to do 
something for herself after everything she's done for everyone else. 
"But I want to do something for you. I really want to do something for 
you," says Nadine. Lucy says then Nadine should go, tonight, & see new 
places & have a great time. "I'll be here when you get back."

SPAULDING: Susan pulls away gently & Nick says he doesn't want her to 
feel uncomfortable. She says it's just too much. Nick says if she 
doesn't feel the same way. Susan says she does, but she didn't think 
that she'd ever.... Nick doesn't quite get it [probably because Susan 
never finishes a thought]. Susan stands & tries to explain. "I never 
thought I would feel like this again." She thought it was over & no man 
would ever want her again. "How wrong you are," says Nick. Susan tells 
him she's had a crush on him since she first saw him on the TV news. 
Nick is surprised & wishes he'd known. Susan says she had fantasies 
about him, dreamed what it would be like to kiss him. Nick worries that 
he might not be able to live up to her expectations. "You made my dream 
come true," Susan assures him. Nick wants to kiss her again. He starts, 
but they're interrupted by the phone. Susan answers -- it's AM. She can 
tell from his voice that the results were bad. He asks her to come to 
the diner. Nick reads the bad news in Susan's face & they hug.

DINER: AM slams the receiver agains the payphone in frustration. He 
bends his head, shuddering with uncried tears. Buzz sees his pain & hugs 
him tightly. AM hugs back. Frank wraps his arms around both men & they 
rock with grief. [Grab those hankies & excuse me while I blow my nose.]

COUNTRY CLUB: Dinah is sure that any minute now, one of the happy crowd 
is going to waltz over. She wants to dump the ice bucket over Blake's 
head. Rog says she should just ignore them. Dinah disagrees. She asks 
the waiter to send a bottle of champagne to Holly & Fletch.

Holly kicks Fletch under the table for being silly. She wants to change 
the subject & stop talking about the baby. Blake says they don't have to 
worry about upsetting her. She'll get pregnant soon enough; she just has 
to relax. "And in the meantime, we can practice by talking about your 
baby," says Ross. The waiter brings the champagne from the Thorpes. The 
entire table agrees to send it back.

Rog asks Dinah if what she's doing is really necessary. She wants the 
others to know that she & Rog are having just as good a time as they 
are. The waiter tells Dinah that the champagne was sent back. Dinah 
thinks this is very rude, even after the waiter explains that Holly 
can't drink because she's expecting. Rog tells Dinah to let it go; it 
was a childish idea to begin with. Dinah thinks Blake sent it back just 
to get Dinah's goat. "It's not like she's having a baby too." Rog thinks 
that's an interesting idea. Dinah doesn't want to hear about how much 
Rog would love to have another "grand-brat." Rog says he's not thinking 
about being a grandfather, but about being a father. "What if you & I 
had a child?" Dinah erupts with laughter.

BOARDINGHOUSE: Nola says she can't stay because she'll be late for her 
movie. Matt says they have something for her & practically carries her 
back into the house. Van presents the box to Nola, who regards it 
suspiciously. Matt promises it won't explode. Van is all sweetness & 
light, saying it's their thank you for a truly unforgettable wedding. 
Nola insists that the food poisoning was an accident. The chicken wasn't 
cooked enough & she even got sick herself. Everyone ignores her protests 
& they help her open the box, which contains a cake. Nola says they 
*all* must have a piece. She cuts a piece & is about to take a bite when 
Van stops her. "Before you take that bite, there is something I have to 
tell you." Nola looks dubiously at the cake. Matt suppresses a smile.

DINER: Frank is on the phone with Mrs. Pappas. Buzz & AM sit in a booth. 
Buzz says Lucy is lucky to have AM. "I'm in for life, Buzz. I love her." 
AM thinks Lucy will need both of them right now.

Susan & Nick enter. Susan gives AM a big hug. Frank tells Buzz that Mrs. 
Pappas is taking care of Marina tonight. AM, Nick & Susan head upstairs. 
Nadine comes down & Buzz asks if it's OK for them all to go up. Nadine 
says Lucy can use the company, so Buzz heads up too. 

Nadine asks Frank if she can get him anything, but he just wants to 
close up & call it a night. Before he leaves, Nadine has to tell him 
something -- she's leaving Springfield, tonight. She says Buzz knows 
she's going & he agrees that it's a good idea. Frank doesn't think 
Nadine's timing is very good, but Nadine explains about her talk with 
Lucy. Lucy has AM & her dad; Frank has Eleni & Marina. Frank says they 
need her too. "*I* need me, Frankie. I haven't had a real life in a long 
time. Somehow my life just got mixed up with everyone else's, got lost 
somewhere & I've got to go out there & I have to find it again. I have 
to." Frank can't picture the place without her. Nadine says it will be a 
big adventure for both of them.

Nadine says she didn't ask Frank's permission the 1st time she left him, 
but now she is. Frank says she has it & she's more than made up for the 
past. "You're the best mom a son could ever have." Nadine thinks that's 
the nicest thing he's ever said to her. They hug. Frank says he will 
miss her & so will everyone else. Nadine says she'll miss them too. She 
tells Frank to go upstairs & she'll close up. They kiss & Frank goes up.

Marion enters with white roses for Lucy. Nadine stares at them in 
horror, seeing blood dripping on a white rose. She yells at Marion to 
get out & take the flowers with her, then starts pushing Marion toward 
the door & telling her to stay away from Lucy. Marion protests that she 
just wanted to help & Nadine apologizes. It's not Marion, it's just 
everything that's happening. She fills Marion in on Lucy's situation & 
her own plan to leave Springfield. Marion wants to give the flowers to 
Lucy, but Nadine says Lucy is allergic. Marion says she would never want 
to hurt Lucy & will just take the flowers away. She leaves. Outside, 
Brent whipsers to the flowers, "I'd never want to hurt Lucy."

BOARDINGHOUSE: Van insists that Nola put down the cake. The reason she & 
Matt came by was to thank Nola for her love, hard work & creativity in 
giving them a wonderful wedding. Matt seconds that emotion, even if he 
did have to wear a skirt. "That's it?" asks Nola, still waiting for the 
catch. Jet warns her not to push it. Van says the dress was wonderful. 
Nola asks if she can go now, but Van says no -- she has to eat the cake. 
Matt promises there's nothing wrong with it. Nola picks takes a bite & 
seems surprised that it's good. She offers some to Van.

COUNTRY CLUB: Dinah is not enamored of the idea of having a baby. She 
doesn't want to be "fat, barefoot, stuck inside all with dirty diapers & 
bottles and screaming brats who spit up everywhere." Rog says most women 
want to have children, but Dinah reminds him she's not most women. Rog 
insists that children are the greatest gift a couple can have. Dinah 
thinks Rog can't stand the fact that Holly is having another man's kid. 
He's trying to compete with Fletcher & she predicts that they will 
compare baby weights to see who produced the biggest son & heir. "Count 
me out, sweetheart." Dinah pours the champagne that was sent back & Rog 
asks what she's doing. He thinks it's time to leave. Dinah protests that 
it's too early & he shouldn't let Holly wreck their special night. Rog 
doesn't want to go home; he wants to go see Peter. Dinah has no 
interest. Rog says he's going & Dinah can come or not. She doesn't want 
him to walk out on her. "We're supposed to be happy," she insists.

Blake wonders what's going on at Rog's table. Ross doesn't care. Fletch 
makes plans for the baby, including no dating until she's 26.

Rog takes the champagne from Dinah & says it's time to leave. Dinah 
doesn't want to. "Sweetheart, that was an order," says Rog. "Sweetheart, 
I don't take orders, especially from you," responds Dinah. Rog tells her 
to stop acting like a child & she tells him to stop treating her like 
one. All this is said in sweet voices through smiling mouths, but with 
an undercurrent of warning. Rog says again that he's going to see Peter 
& Dinah can come or not. Dinah knows a better reason for Rog to leave. 
They lean towards each other romantically & Dinah deliberately spills 
her glass of champagne in Rog's lap. His face turns furious. 

Rog says there will be payback for what Dinah just did. And now he's 
going to see Peter. Dinah says he can't leave now -- what will people 
think? Rog says it's her problem. He stands & walks toward the door. 
Fletch stops him & asks whether he's forgotton something. Rog says good 
night. Fletch notes that Rog seems to have had an accident. "And all 
this time I thought you were housebroken!" Rog leaves & Holly looks at 
Dinah, who calls for more caviar as she pours a new glass of champagne. 

Ross looks over at Dinah & Blake says she knows how hard it is for him 
to do nothing. Ross is glad to see that Dinah can give as good as she 
gets. Blake says if Dinah really needs Ross, she knows where to find 
him. Blake whispers to Ross that she isn't tired, but she wants to go to 
bed anyway. The talk about babies is making her feel romantic. A waiter 
mops up the spill by Rog's chair as Dinah pours more champagne.

BOARDINGHOUSE: Everyone's around the table, eating cake. Matt & Jet are 
happy that Nola is in town. Jet says Nola has made life more exciting. 
Van agrees. Nola thinks that's the nicest thing Van's ever said to her. 
Van agrees. Jet decides to bring Peter down for some cake. Van is happy; 
she & Matt can take Peter home with them. Nola starts to say something, 
then stops herself. Instead, she says now that Van & Matt are happily 
married, she'll have to work on Jet. Matt says Jet ought to look out. 
Jet passes Peter to Van, as David notes that Matt is now both Peter's 
uncle & his father. Rog walks in & says that Hart is Peter's father. 

COOPER APT: Susan joins Lucy on the couch. Lucy says it doesn't seem 
real. She's terrified. Susan says when she got her results, she thought 
the world was coming to an end, but she lives her life like everyone 
else. What matters the most is how you live today. Susan says she hasn't 
been as happy as she is in years. Lucy has lots of people who love her & 
will be there for her, tonight & through everything that comes.

Downstairs, Nadine cleans up in a daze. Suddenly, she drops a tray of 
dishes. She sees the bloody candlestick, then the bloody rose, then the 
earring, then Marion. Nadine concludes that it's Marion who is going to 
be killed. She runs out of the diner in order to warn Marion.

BRENT'S APT: Brent stuffs the flowers into a vase & says Nadine, the 
"silly cow," should be afraid. "You should all be afraid." He examines 
the two results printouts again & gloats over how one little word shook 
their world & their lives will never be the same. He picks up the news-
paper & reads about Van & Matt's wedding. It says the couple will reside 
at the bride's home. Brent realizes this means there will be a vacancy 
at the boardinghouse.

BOARDINGHOUSE: Jet tells Rog it's not a good time for him to visit 
Peter. Matt says they were just on their way out & tells Peter to say 
hello & wave good-bye. He takes Peter outside. Rog says Van has kept 
Peter from him long enough. Van says that was Rog's fault. Jet says it's 
fine for Rog to see Peter, but he needs to call before coming over. 
"He's my flesh & blood," insists Rog. Van reminds him that he has no 
legal rights to Peter. Rog says Van is making a big mistake & she will 
regret it. "The only thing I regret is that you're any relation to him 
at all," responds Van. She walks out.

COUNTRY CLUB: Desmond returns & tells Dinah he couldn't find Rog at the 
places she suggested. She says Rog just left, but said to tell Desmond 
to call off the search for Hart. Desmond thought Rog was pretty intent 
on finding his son. He was, says Dinah, but then he decided it was no 
longer worth the effort or the money. Desmond says OK, he'll talk to Leo 
tomorrow. Dinah says he doesn't need to do that; she'll just pay him 
now. She writes a check & says she hopes it will be enough. He looks & 
it & is plenty satisfied. He says to call if they ever need him again, 
then leaves. "You've done quite enough already," glowers Dinah.

BRENT'S APT: Nadine rings & knocks, but gets no answer. The door is 
unlocked, so she goes in, calling, "Marion? Are you home?"

COOPER APT: Lucy thanks Susan for her support, then she asks Buzz to 
make her a double cheeseburger. Everybody decides it's a good time to 
eat & Frank & Buzz go downstairs to do the cooking. AM hugs Lucy as Nick 
& Susan watch, teary-eyed. 

BOARDINGHOUSE: Bridget, Nola & David clean up while discussing Rog's 
visit. David opines that Rog is really slimy & Nola suggests that Jet 
should be more careful about who she lets in. Just then, Marion enters. 
She's holding the newspaper & says she wanted to remind Jet that she has 
dibs on the next free room. Matt's room is free now, isn't it?

BRENT'S APT: Nadine calls to Marion, but gets no answer. She looks 
around and finally opens another door. She sees a polaroid of Lucy and 
the wig stand, with Lucy's earring attached to it. "What in the world?" 
wonders Nadine, as the screen fades to black.


--Marni (marni@panix.com)



