Jamie and JR sat in the boathouse of the Chandler Mansion. "I don't
believe it," JR said. "I mean, sure, that's what I thought when we saw him
leaving your mom's."
"She's been acting weird ever since then, "Jamie said. "It's almost like when she found out Maria Grey was still alive. It broke her heart," he paused. "I'll never forget the look on her face."
"So..."
"They can't be..." Jamie said. "My dad's still torn up over your mom."
"All I'm saying is, you know what we saw," JR said.
Jamie took a deep breath. "Sure," he said. "But is what we saw really what we saw?"
"What?" JR said. "You mean did tad actually come flying out of your mom's half dressed?"
"No. There has to be some other explanation."
JR walked out of the boathouse. "Yeah, well when you figure it out, let me know."
"Where are you going?" Jamie asked, standing.
"This conversation is getting to be a drag," he said. "I'm going to hit the mall."
Jamie watched him walk away a bit more. "Wait up!" he called. "I'm coming with you. At least it'll get me away from this for a while."
Tad stood outside the door, a piece of paper in his hand with an address written on it. He glanced down at the paper and then at the number on the door.
"I don't believe I'm doing this," he said. "This is crazy." tad shook his head as he knocked on the door. There was no answer so he tried the doorknob. It turned and he slowly pushed his way inside.
"Hello?" Tad said as he shut the door behind him.
"You're late," an almost annoying, squeaky voice came from another room. Tad didn't know what to make of it. "Have a seat."
Tad considered turning around and walking out, but instead took a seat. He waited impatiently, shaking his leg up and down as the woman appeared. Tad tried had to contain himself as he caught a glimpse of her sixtyesque style. "You're Lysis..."
"Lysistrata," she said. "And you're Tad Martin. So now that we've gotten aquatinted, why don't we start." Tad raised his eyebrows. "Why are you here?"
Tad let out a soft chuckle. "Aren't you supposed to figure that out?"
"I'm a therapist, sweetie, not a mind reader." Lysistrata said.
Tad's jaw dropped slightly. "OK, I can work with that," he said. "So is this the part where I lay down on the little couch, throw my feet up and tell you all the problems I bring to bed with me at night?"
"Is that what you came to talk about?" she asked. Tad raised his eyebrows again as Lysistrata leaned back, put her feel up and crossed them at the ankles. "Your sex life?"
Tad was caught off guard. "I didn't say anything about..."
"Bringing your problems to bed at night?" Lysistrata said. "That's an interesting way of putting it. So... are you going to tell me why this is such a 'problem'?" Tad was silent. "It's your time that's wasting."
"You must be a barrel of fun, picking at Liza and Adam's marriage," he paused. "I'm only here because Liza thought I needed somebody to talk to."
"And do you always take Liza's advice?"
Tad thought. "Yeah, I guess."
"Yeah? Or you guess?" she asked.
"Most of the time," Tad replied, shaking his head. "What difference does that make? Liza's a friend."
"That's all?"
"Yes, that's all." He paused and looked at her. Lysistrata had a strange look on her face. "You think I'm sleeping with Liza! I am not sleeping with Liza!"
"Do you want to?"
"No!" Tad exclaimed. "We were there... once... a long time ago, but that was it."
"So it ended with Liza." Lysistrata said. "Why?.. There was somebody else?"
Tad sank back in his seat. "My wife," he said. "There was Dixie."
"Tell me about Dixie."
Tad's face was a mixture of emotions as he thought of her. "Dixie was... smart, she was so beautiful. She... was the greatest thing that ever happened to me."
"You say 'she was'."
"She... died," Tad paused to take breath. "In May. A car accident in Switzerland."
Lysistrata leaned forward. "And how did that make you feel?"
"How did that make me feel?" Tad stood. "I had my wife and unborn daughter ripped away from me! What do you think that feels like?"
"And now you think your life is over too, just because Dixie's is?" tad silently bit his bottom lip. "You might as well be dead yourself."
"I wished that for a while," Tad said. "Yeah."
"No," Lysistrata said. "You're still wishing it." She paused. "So... this woman. When you're with her, you're reminded about Dixie?"
"No," Tad said. "She doesn't remind me of Dixie."
"I didn't say she reminded you of Dixie. I said about Dixie. now think harder."
Tad took a deep breath and sat as the whole scenario of Dixie's death replayed in his head. All he kept hearing over and over was Brooke's voice telling him that Dixie was gone. "I never thought about it," Tad admitted.
"How does she remind you about Dixie?"
Tad sat on the edge of the seat. The details of that day continued to flood his mind. He could remember the exact conversation with Brooke on the plane...
**"What the hell is wrong?" Tad asked as he looked over from his window seat and Brooke took a seat next to him on the plane.
"Tad," she said, "After you left for the airport, Opal came by."
"What about her?" Tad grew nervous. "Tell me what... she's alright?"
"She's fine. She's fine. Dixie's sister, she... Lanie called from Paris. She couldn't reach you."
"She lost the baby," Tad said still obviously nervous.
"There was an accident." Brooke said. "A car accident. They're sure exactly what happened."
"How bad is she hurt?" Tad asked.
"The Swiss police think that she lost control somehow and... and the car went over the embankment."
Tad shook his head. "No," he said. "No. No."
"Maam?" a flight attendant approached Brooke. "Is everything OK?"
"Five more minutes, please," Brooke said before turning back to Tad. "Tad, we have to get off the plane. I'll drive you back home, OK? Because Opal's waiting."
"You mean just leave her there?" Tad said.
"The Swiss authorities..."
"The Swiss authorities don't know Dixie, alright? They don't know my wife. They don't know what she's capable of. She's hurt She needs me. I'm going to..."
"There's nothing that you can do," Brooke interrupted him.
"You got to understand," Tad continued. "All the times I told Dixie that I would be there to protect her... I never showed up. I have to be there for her now."
"Of course you do."
The flight attendant approached them again. "I am so sorry. The tower radioed the captain. He's aware of your situation, but he still insists that you deplane immediately. Maam?"
"This is my passport and gold card." Brooke said, going into her purse.
"I'm sorry?"
"Can you add me to the passenger list?" Brooke asked. "I really need to accompany my friend to Zurich."
"You can't," Tad said. "What about Jamie?"
"He'll be fine." Brooke assured him. "He'll be fine, OK?"**
Tad took a deep breath once again. "She was the one who told me," he said to Lysistrata. "She was the one who told me that Dixie was gone."
Lysistrata nodded. "It's about time," she said as Tad brought his hand up and rubbed his eyes. "Now we're getting somewhere."
"She's been acting weird ever since then, "Jamie said. "It's almost like when she found out Maria Grey was still alive. It broke her heart," he paused. "I'll never forget the look on her face."
"So..."
"They can't be..." Jamie said. "My dad's still torn up over your mom."
"All I'm saying is, you know what we saw," JR said.
Jamie took a deep breath. "Sure," he said. "But is what we saw really what we saw?"
"What?" JR said. "You mean did tad actually come flying out of your mom's half dressed?"
"No. There has to be some other explanation."
JR walked out of the boathouse. "Yeah, well when you figure it out, let me know."
"Where are you going?" Jamie asked, standing.
"This conversation is getting to be a drag," he said. "I'm going to hit the mall."
Jamie watched him walk away a bit more. "Wait up!" he called. "I'm coming with you. At least it'll get me away from this for a while."
Tad stood outside the door, a piece of paper in his hand with an address written on it. He glanced down at the paper and then at the number on the door.
"I don't believe I'm doing this," he said. "This is crazy." tad shook his head as he knocked on the door. There was no answer so he tried the doorknob. It turned and he slowly pushed his way inside.
"Hello?" Tad said as he shut the door behind him.
"You're late," an almost annoying, squeaky voice came from another room. Tad didn't know what to make of it. "Have a seat."
Tad considered turning around and walking out, but instead took a seat. He waited impatiently, shaking his leg up and down as the woman appeared. Tad tried had to contain himself as he caught a glimpse of her sixtyesque style. "You're Lysis..."
"Lysistrata," she said. "And you're Tad Martin. So now that we've gotten aquatinted, why don't we start." Tad raised his eyebrows. "Why are you here?"
Tad let out a soft chuckle. "Aren't you supposed to figure that out?"
"I'm a therapist, sweetie, not a mind reader." Lysistrata said.
Tad's jaw dropped slightly. "OK, I can work with that," he said. "So is this the part where I lay down on the little couch, throw my feet up and tell you all the problems I bring to bed with me at night?"
"Is that what you came to talk about?" she asked. Tad raised his eyebrows again as Lysistrata leaned back, put her feel up and crossed them at the ankles. "Your sex life?"
Tad was caught off guard. "I didn't say anything about..."
"Bringing your problems to bed at night?" Lysistrata said. "That's an interesting way of putting it. So... are you going to tell me why this is such a 'problem'?" Tad was silent. "It's your time that's wasting."
"You must be a barrel of fun, picking at Liza and Adam's marriage," he paused. "I'm only here because Liza thought I needed somebody to talk to."
"And do you always take Liza's advice?"
Tad thought. "Yeah, I guess."
"Yeah? Or you guess?" she asked.
"Most of the time," Tad replied, shaking his head. "What difference does that make? Liza's a friend."
"That's all?"
"Yes, that's all." He paused and looked at her. Lysistrata had a strange look on her face. "You think I'm sleeping with Liza! I am not sleeping with Liza!"
"Do you want to?"
"No!" Tad exclaimed. "We were there... once... a long time ago, but that was it."
"So it ended with Liza." Lysistrata said. "Why?.. There was somebody else?"
Tad sank back in his seat. "My wife," he said. "There was Dixie."
"Tell me about Dixie."
Tad's face was a mixture of emotions as he thought of her. "Dixie was... smart, she was so beautiful. She... was the greatest thing that ever happened to me."
"You say 'she was'."
"She... died," Tad paused to take breath. "In May. A car accident in Switzerland."
Lysistrata leaned forward. "And how did that make you feel?"
"How did that make me feel?" Tad stood. "I had my wife and unborn daughter ripped away from me! What do you think that feels like?"
"And now you think your life is over too, just because Dixie's is?" tad silently bit his bottom lip. "You might as well be dead yourself."
"I wished that for a while," Tad said. "Yeah."
"No," Lysistrata said. "You're still wishing it." She paused. "So... this woman. When you're with her, you're reminded about Dixie?"
"No," Tad said. "She doesn't remind me of Dixie."
"I didn't say she reminded you of Dixie. I said about Dixie. now think harder."
Tad took a deep breath and sat as the whole scenario of Dixie's death replayed in his head. All he kept hearing over and over was Brooke's voice telling him that Dixie was gone. "I never thought about it," Tad admitted.
"How does she remind you about Dixie?"
Tad sat on the edge of the seat. The details of that day continued to flood his mind. He could remember the exact conversation with Brooke on the plane...
**"What the hell is wrong?" Tad asked as he looked over from his window seat and Brooke took a seat next to him on the plane.
"Tad," she said, "After you left for the airport, Opal came by."
"What about her?" Tad grew nervous. "Tell me what... she's alright?"
"She's fine. She's fine. Dixie's sister, she... Lanie called from Paris. She couldn't reach you."
"She lost the baby," Tad said still obviously nervous.
"There was an accident." Brooke said. "A car accident. They're sure exactly what happened."
"How bad is she hurt?" Tad asked.
"The Swiss police think that she lost control somehow and... and the car went over the embankment."
Tad shook his head. "No," he said. "No. No."
"Maam?" a flight attendant approached Brooke. "Is everything OK?"
"Five more minutes, please," Brooke said before turning back to Tad. "Tad, we have to get off the plane. I'll drive you back home, OK? Because Opal's waiting."
"You mean just leave her there?" Tad said.
"The Swiss authorities..."
"The Swiss authorities don't know Dixie, alright? They don't know my wife. They don't know what she's capable of. She's hurt She needs me. I'm going to..."
"There's nothing that you can do," Brooke interrupted him.
"You got to understand," Tad continued. "All the times I told Dixie that I would be there to protect her... I never showed up. I have to be there for her now."
"Of course you do."
The flight attendant approached them again. "I am so sorry. The tower radioed the captain. He's aware of your situation, but he still insists that you deplane immediately. Maam?"
"This is my passport and gold card." Brooke said, going into her purse.
"I'm sorry?"
"Can you add me to the passenger list?" Brooke asked. "I really need to accompany my friend to Zurich."
"You can't," Tad said. "What about Jamie?"
"He'll be fine." Brooke assured him. "He'll be fine, OK?"**
Tad took a deep breath once again. "She was the one who told me," he said to Lysistrata. "She was the one who told me that Dixie was gone."
Lysistrata nodded. "It's about time," she said as Tad brought his hand up and rubbed his eyes. "Now we're getting somewhere."