FISHER HOME
This isn't going well.
Paula doesn't know why she's having
the thought or where it's coming from, but it has planted itself firmly
in her head. It's not as if things are going badly -- everyone is talking,
catching up, and sharing a meal of which Paula is very proud.
But there's something wrong. She
isn't sure what it is, but something is definitely ... off. It's as though
there is something in the air, a tightness, a tension, strung between everyone
-- like every cord of conversation, every statement and every action, is
being pulled as tightly as it can stand and the slightest extra tug will
make it snap.
Her eyes connect with Bill's as she
passes him the salad, and she can tell that he is feeling the same thing.
But then again, she tries
to reason, that's exactly the reason I wanted everyone here tonight.
To loosen things up. So maybe it will just take awhile ...
"Did Sarah tell any of you what happened
at the restaurant the other night?" Bill asks. Paula can tell that it's
his way of trying to keep things normal, and for it she is quite grateful
right now.
Shakes of the head and quick "nopes"
sound from around the table, giving Bill the prompt for which he was hoping.
"It was a nightmare night," he relays.
"One of the cooks quit that afternoon in a fit, so we were running short-staffed
anyway. And for some reason, the place was more packed than usual. So Sarah
comes in ..."
Paula listens happily to her husband's
tale, but she never feels herself quite relax. She glances around at the
others. Sarah is trying her best to look comfortable, but the effort is
not producing the most convincing of results. Molly, Claire, and
Jason are listening
to the story almost too intently, as if trying not to focus
on anything else.
"So Matt just comes into the kitchen
and offers to help cook," Bill is saying. "And he was excellent! I was
absolutely blown away. He stuck around all night and helped out."
"Matt doesn't exactly strike me as
a culinary sorta guy," Jason says, looking over at Sarah.
She shrugs. "He surprised me, too,
believe me."
"I'm thinking of offering him a job,"
Bill adds. "I was amazed. Sarah, did you really not know he could cook?"
"I had no idea."
"He was a great guy to work with.
Do you think he'd be interested in a job?"
"He might be. He's not really doing
anything serious right now."
The conversation tumbles into an
awkward pause as they all become caught up in how bizarre the circumstances
are. Paula realizes this and looks around, trying to come up with a shift
for the discussion.
She can't ignore how glum Molly looks.
"Molly," she says. "Molly, dear,
is everything all right?"
Molly looks up, a bit startled. "I'm
fine."
"Are you sure? You're awfully quiet.
Are you feeling all right?"
Molly's lips part, ready to spill
out a weak excuse, when Sarah interrupts.
"Don't worry about her," Sarah says.
Her voice reeks of bitterness, but she maintains an unsettling calm as
she speaks. "I'm sure she's just off in la-la land obsessing over Brent
yet again."
Paula is sure that she isn't the
only one who feels the entire dinner come crashing to a halt.
END OF EPISODE #207
What did you think of Sarah's
outburst? What do you think the truth about Molly and Brent will do to
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