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East Side
Episode one, Shattered Dreams
Chapter Two
Written by William-Charles Wenham

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Curie Bank, downtown Lawrenceville, CA…

Mary Ivy drove into the parking lot of the place where she and Edward Duncan (her neighbor over at East Side Apartments) worked as well. She drove past an unfamiliar parked car. It wouldn’t have normally bothered her, but it was parked in the president of the bank, Ellen Curie’s parking stall. As Mary slowed down she noticed the license plate read: BERLMAN. She parks her vehicle in an open space and steps out looking at the car that just pulled in next to her.

“Edward, who the hell is Berlman?” Mary asked her best friend as he got out of his vehicle. Edward waved at Mary as he slammed his car door shut.

“Good morning, Mary!” he said with a smile.

“Edward, do you recall a Berlman?” asked Mary once again, looking at the mysterious vehicle, as she put her car keys in her purse.

“Beats the shit outta me,” he groaned, rubbing his eyes. “Why is he parked in Ellen’s stall? What the hell is going on here?! I can’t take this shit!”

“Bad weekend?” Mary asked him, as they started heading doors the glass revolving doors of Curie Bank.

“Don’t even ask…” Edward groaned as he waved his briefcase in the air.

Mary laughed, and sighed, “Same here…”

****

Inside Curie Bank, Rose Andrews was standing at Ranklyn Morales’ desk. Ranklyn is Ellen Curie’s secretary, who always seems to know everyone’s business. Apparently, that’s why her and Rose are always so close. The two are looking at the morning edition of the Lawrenceville Daily Journal. “I still can’t believe he’s back!” Rose exclaimed.

“I know. What the hell is Ellen going to do now?” Ranklyn asked.

“Personally, I could care less about that bitch…” Rose said with a smile. She noticed Ranklyn was looking towards the door. “Oh, um, Rose…” she pointed. Rose turned around to see Mary and Edward walking in together.

“Well, well, well, Ranklyn, “ Rose snidely remarked, “what d’ya know? Why Mary! Late again, I see. I knew that was you by Eddie’s ol’ car.” Mary ignored her enemy’s false friendliness as she bumped into her to get her mail from Ranklyn, who was still smiling, in hopes of a fight breaking out. “Well, good morning to you too, Mary!” Rose sarcastically continued.

Edward put his arms up against Ranklyn’s desk, pinning Rose. “Just leave her alone, all right?”

Rose pushed his arms away and walked up towards Mary. She was ready to play. She looked back at Edward. “Oh, Eddie, can’t a girl have some fun?”

Mary walked to her office and slammed the door in Rose’s face. She stood there momentarily paralyzed as Edward walked into his office and did the same, not acknowledging Rose as his shadow. She casually barged into his office, asking, “So, you wanna go out sometime?”

“Ha!” he laughed, mocking her. “Right, like I’m sure your big ego could fit in such a little ol’ car like mine.” Not paying attention to his hostility, Rose sat on the edge of Edward Duncan’s desk. He pretended not to notice her seductive behavior, as she started to unzip the back of her dress.

“You don’t know what you’re missing…” she purred.

“Ugly dress,” he replied as he looked over some documents, ignoring her comments. “Where did you find it?” She looks at her outfit, which is a long tight fitted dress which is half black and half white in a diagonal split with a red cartoon-ish flower pasted off to one side. Rose looks down at her dress and pouts. She did like it, but Edward has lowered her self-esteem too much for her to appreciate its one-of-a-kind design.

“Seriously though, yeah I do know what I'm missing,” he sighs as he tosses the papers back onto his desk and gets out of his chair to look at the beautiful scenery outside his office window. “And I am glad I'm missing it!” He turns to look at Rose. “So could you get me some Tylenol, 'cuz frankly, you are giving me a headache already.” He walks back to his desk and opens his file cabinet, looking for something. Rose slams it shut, almost trapping his hand in it. He looks up at her and glared into her devilish smile.

“You do realize that comedy is not what it used to be?” she said as she zipped up her dress in defeat and got off his desk. “You should really get your pathetic stand-up or sit-down or whatever you're doing and get it together or some day all your little psychotic humor will catch up to you and kick you square in the ass.”

“Don't worry, I'll invite you to see how cold it is, because if you are saying something that is true, it'll be the day that hell freezes over...Oh! Just like the day you and Robert will get together. 'Cuz well, last time I checked, him and Mary were pretty cozy together... not to mention, happily married.” He opened the file cabinet back up and pulled out his papers he was looking for.

“I doubt that,” she quickly replied. “He couldn't love a bitch like her.”

Edward shifted through his papers, and clicked the pen that was in his hand, as he stated matter-of-factly, “Yeah, and those three kids are definitely a sign of their hate they've had for each other for - what has it been now? My, oh my - seventeen years of pure bliss with no Rose Andrews in Robert's life. What a lucky man. God I envy him.”

Rose grabbed the pen out of his hand and pointed it at him, as if it was a weapon. “You're wrong.”

Edward looks amusingly surprised, just waiting to hear what his next door neighbor at East Side Apartments, has to inform him of. “Oh, do tell,” he teases. “And leave out no details...”

“Robert loves me. He told me so!” She smiles as if she has just won an award.

“One too many brewskies, huh? Well, you know AA can cure that.”

“You know, you’re just jealous of me!” she yells back, throwing the pen at his face.

“Oh Rose, please!” Edward laughs, as he picks up the pen. He can tell she’s far from over.

“No, I’m serious,” Rose continues. “Ever since you’ve been back in Lawrenceville you’ve acted so strange. Everything is now a joke to you all of sudden. Well, get serious for once. Like the ol’ Eddie I remember. We used to have such good times together, remember? Or did you forget that too? I saved you from that explosion that almost killed your life, and you don’t even seem to care! The doctors say you can’t remember what happened to you for those six missing years of your life, but I don’t think you want to know what happened!” She looks at his emotionless face. “You don’t do you?!”

He looks at his watch as if he is psychiatrist with a patient and their session is now up. Edward pushes Rose away from his desk and stands behind her with his hands on her shoulders, guiding her out of his office.

“Look, this isn’t about me,” he informs. “It’s about you. And even if Robert did say he loved you, Rose, I'm pretty sure a smart man like he is would be over such a sick fascination...that is, if there ever was a fascination in the first place. And well, that's more than I can say for you. Plus, do try and remember...” He pauses for a second and then adds in a whisper, “he's married.”

Edward shuts the door behind Rose as she turns to tell him one last thing before she goes to work. She glances through his office door window, but Edward finds the rod for the blinds and twists them shut. Rose stands alone as she comforts herself, with hugging arms.

“Wherever he is,” she whispers to herself, “whatever he's doing...he will think of me. Do you got that Edward?!” She shakes her head, messing up her hair, as she forces herself to believe her own lies. “Edward, he loves me. Oh, he loves me...I'll make him love me! If you can’t love me anymore, than maybe he will.”

****

Rosemary’s Supper Club…later the same day…

The parking lot of the restaurant is packed with the noon rush hour traffic of Lawrenceville. The sign saying Rosemary's Supper Club, is beautifully inscribed with a delicate ribbon font for Rosemary's and bold block letters for the word Supper Club.

Rosemary Calabro, Italian owner of Rosemary’s, gives a quick reassuring smile at some of the gentlemen who are sitting at the black marble bar, sipping their drinks, all the while staring at Rosemary as she passed on by. “Enjoying your drinks?” she asks with a fake smile.

A drunk at the bar looks her over and says, “Wonderful.” Rosemary just ignores the comment and replies, “Great.” She leaves the bar to let her bartender take care of the pathetic bar-hoppers as she enters her a neat yet somewhat cluttered kitchen. She stops behind Robert Ivy and rubs Robert on the back as he stirs a pot of soup on a shiny new stove. “ Doing a great job. Keep it up, Bob.”

He laughs as he looks at the soup. “Thanks, I guess. I know I'm probably not as good of a cook as Antonio was, but, you know.” Rosemary smiles at his modesty.

“No, you've been doing good these last couple of weeks helping out when you’re not working at the hospital, considering the pressure you've been under lately.”

Robert grabs a towel from the counter next to the stove and looks at Rosemary with a blank stare. “What pressure?”

She unties her apron and sets it on the counter. “Come on. You don't know?”

“No? Should I?” Rosemary grabs a nearby spoon and tastes the soup. “Mmmm. Delicious! You want some?” she asks as she holds the spoon in front of his face. He shakes his head, as he awaits her response to his question. “You're marriage? Hello! You can't fool me.”

“Oh. Well, actually Mary and I are quite happy FYI.” Robert throws the towel back onto the counter. As he begins to walk towards her office to talk in a much more private environment. Rosemary grabs the white shirt of Mark Lyle, a waiter, who just clocked out. She orders, “Stir!”

Bewildered, Mark stutters, “But I - I just clocked out –“ She grabs his hand and forces it onto the spoon and starts to make a stirring motion. “Dammit you retard, just freakin' stir it!” She quickly hurries to try and catch up with Robert.

“What crawled up your panties, Bitch?” Mark asks as Rosemary walks towards her office in the back.

****

Rosemary finds Robert waiting for her inside her office. “Spill it,” she demands gently shutting the behind her as Robert has a seat on her couch. She sits down next to him.

“Spill what? I am happy with Mary! Why shouldn’t I be?” he cries out.

“I don't know? Maybe you could tell me.” She leans back to rest her body on the armrest of the couch, extending her body upright. Robert is oblivious to her seductive ways. He assumes his boss is only there to be a shoulder to cry on.

“Well, it's just we've been through so much and now it's changed,” he divulges. “I mean, Mary and I have had Ellen and Rose in our faces ever since we've been together. Ellen even faked being pregnant with my child.”

Of course, Rosemary suddenly brightens up, as she comes up with an idea herself as to how to win over Robert, but calms herself down to a mere smile, followed by a laugh. “When was this?”

“Long before my kids were born. Long before I knew you. But Mary and I have been so happy until now with her working so closely with Rose and Ellen Curie and I don't even know her anymore. You know? It's like Rose has to be near me flirting or near my wife and making her life a living hell.”

“That must be awful for you.” The words seemed so fake once coming out of Rosemary’s mouth, but she regrouped her thoughts, trying to explain her false sincerity. “Having all these women clinging to you must be horrible for your marriage. You make it seem like Rose has a personal vendetta against you.”

Robert nods. “Well that's what it seems like a lot of the time. She reminds me of this one girl I remember dating back before I knew Mary. Rita Jean Miller. Now there's a woman filled with obsession. Whoa!”

Rosemary knew she had to change the subject. You give Robert a chance to talk about his life, and he’ll talk your ear off, she thought to herself. “Well, what are you and Mary doing tonight?”

“Well I was thinking about going to the East Side Mall and see this new Meg Ryan movie she's been just raving about. Some people from the bank told her it was good, but I don't know. I never really cared for Meg Ryan very much.”

“Neither did I,” agreed Rosemary. “I am more of a Sandra Bullock fan myself.”

Robert moved in closer to Rosemary on the couch in excitement. “Really? So am I. Hope Floats? Have you seen it?”

“No but really want to,” she replied as she moved in closer to Robert, studying his handsome face. His lips…

“We should rent it sometime.” By now it was obvious Rosemary had gotten his attention away from Mary. “Deal?” he asked.

Jesus! She thought to herself. Would he shut up about the damn movie and kiss me already?! “Yeah,” smiled Rosemary.

“Great then it's a date. Just let me know when you're free sometime.” As he started to look around the room, Rosemary imagined herself kissing him. She wanted him so badly, but she had all of a sudden lost his attention. God, does he have ADD or something? She wondered. She figured now might as well be as good of a time as any to kiss him. She started to move in closely to him, as their closeness is interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

Rosemary gets off the couch, groaning, as she goes over to her desk and picks up the phone.
“Rosemary’s Supper Club, Rosemary Calabro speaking,” she says in a sweet tone. She looks over at Robert. All of a sudden her voice changes. “Yes, he’s here.”

The voice on the phone replies, “Well, can I speak to him for a minute?”

Smiling Rosemary says into the phone, “Sure thing – one second…” She hands the phone to Robert, covering the mouthpiece. “It’s Mary…” She walks out the door of her office.

“Hi, Sweetheart,” says Robert. All of a sudden, the office door reopens. It’s Rosemary again.

“Five minutes. We’ve got a restaurant to run…” she yells at him as she shuts the door once again. She stands outside her office door thinking about the wonderful conversation the married couple must be having on the phone. “There’s no way I can compete with that,” whispers Rosemary to herself. She stands in the hallway, and grabs her long black coat, from a nearby coat rack. “I have to get rid of Mary once and for all,” she whines as she presses against her temple on her forehead. She pulls the jacket over her shoulders and a smile appears on her face. “And I know just the ticket!” Rosemary grabs her car keys from her coat pocket and walks out the back door.