Soap Opera Letters

Mrs. D watches her favorite program: Minutes in a Day. She follows the story ritually. A lonely lady—but this observer is unsure. Some time ago, the characters Miss S and Mr. V have had some problems. Mr. V has known something is wrong for some time, has felt that Miss S has been seeing someone on the side, or many some bodies. His best buddy, Mr. D has recognized this as well, and has now become part of a plot summoned up by Miss S. Miss S has involved Mr. V's sister, Miss G—a young un-expecting girl who doesn't see the "bad" in a person. Miss G is also dating Mr. V's best buddy, Mr. D. Mr. V and Mr. D grew up together, went to school together, went out and got drunk together. The plot starts with Miss S acting on her "crush." She wants Mr. D. To accomplish such an act, she begins to see Mr. J—Mr. D's friend, a family friend for many years, asking Miss G to come along often. "Promise you won't tell V." Torn, but not seeing the "bad," Miss G swears to keep the promise. After a few secret visits with Mr. J, Mr. J mentions how Miss S and Miss G have been meeting him to do things together, and how Miss S makes certain suggestions. Mr. D has serious trust issues because of his past family history. Miss G and Mr. D argue, but do not separate. Mr. D explains to his mother, "I love her; she sees the good in people; I don't think she realized what was exactly going on." Mr. V confronts Miss S. Tensions are on edge for a few days, but they make up. Still, Mr. V is leery, but he loves her; although, he knows she is consistently texting other men and meeting men on MySpace; he also knows that she meets men at P's Night Club to dance—he is not yet 21, she is. There are a few days that past before more drama. Miss G and Mr. D go to his sister's place for awhile. Then Miss G decides to help Mr. D's sister with some redecorating that needs to be done. She stays for a weekend. The perfect opportunity is opened up for Miss S to strike. She is going out with her best friend Miss K to P's Night Club; the two men are going to see a movie while the women are away. They see a movie at a theatre, then rent a few movies from the All Night Rental. Mr. V gets a call: "K's to drunk to drive, and I can't drive, come and get us." Mr. V asks Mr. D to ride along to pick up the women. That night, Miss K sits close to Mr. D, pushing herself closer to him as they watch movie after movie. Miss S passes out on the couch. Mr. V is concerned with Miss K's "body language," knowing his best buddy's down fall when he is worn down from a long day. He knows that his buddy's mind will see Miss G. Miss S knows this all too well, as well. The next morning, all appears well. Mr. V is concerned about Miss K's actions, but puts it up to her being drunk. A little later in the day, Mr. D mentions to Mr. V that Miss S and Miss K have said, "You can do better than Miss G."

Mrs. D sighs, "Can he be that naive? He's dated many girls." She tunes in the following day.

Mr. V and Miss S are planning on the movies. Mr. D has taken the comment in stride, believing it is only an opinion, that nothing is actually meant by it. Miss D calls to say she has a free ticket to the theater. They all go out. Mr. D and Miss G have talked on the phone, but nothing has been said about Miss K. After the movie, they visit Mr. V's mother's place; watch her many movies, have a few beers, stay up late. Mrs. C notices the body language of both girls. She has witnessed Miss S's actions for some time when she is near Mr. D. Her son discusses last night with her. He is concern, but can't imagine a "good Catholic girl" doing anything wrong. She reminds him, "She is a woman, and he is a good looking man." Mrs. C has already expressed her concerns about Miss S around Mr. D to her son in the past, "She has a crush on him, more than a crush, she wants him." Mr. V doesn't take it to heart, but now he's beginning to see what his mother has expressed as the night continues. Both watch the actions that take place. He knows this was the right place to come, to hang out. Mr. D still appears to not understand what is happening. Mr. V realizes Mr. D still sees both Miss S and Miss K as friends. But Mr. V knows there is more, now. As the night progresses, his mother comes out of the bedroom on a regular schedule. She is close to Mr. D; she has discussed much with him, letting him know right where he stands with her daughter. The next morning, after all are awake and about, after Mr. D goes out to help take care of some yard work for Mrs. C, Mrs. C notices he has taken a break and approaches him. "Let's take a walk; there's something we need to talk about."

The program ends, and Mrs. D is impatient to see what mother will say to her daughter's boyfriend. She also knows, when all is said, when all is put into the proper place, Miss S will retaliate.

The weekend is long, and all the possibilities run through her head. "Is Mr. D truly in love with Miss G? He never picked up on the moves that Miss K made; although they were subtle, very subtle. Is Mr. D use to aggressive women? Has he never witnessed a vixen at work? Mr. V has, he has one." Finally, Monday comes.

The conversation is pleasant. Mr. D has not paid attention, but begins to think about it. He admits his tiredness kept him from seeing what was happening. Then he tells Mrs. C about the conversation with Miss K and Miss S. Mrs. C expresses her concerns about Miss S using Miss K to get to him: "You do know she has a crush on you." He uses a joke to relieve the tension, "What women doesn't; admit it, you have a crush on me too." He smiles and hugs her. "I love your daughter; nothing will happen; we're all friends." Mrs. C expresses once again that both want more, especially Miss S. "I wouldn't do that to Mr. V; he loves her, he's good to her." Mrs. C agrees, but adds, "She's been trying to say V has been abusive, but she never says what he does, nor does she show me any bruises. He has always walked away when he was angry and felt his fists tightening." The next day comes; Miss G comes home. The two talk. It has been agreed that Miss K cannot come over, and that Miss S must stay away for awhile. Mr. D lounges on the couch studying for his entry test to the army. Mr. V and Miss S have come to visit again. Some brief argument takes place while Mrs. C helps Mr. D study the math portion. Out of the corner of Mrs. C's eye, she sees her son shove Miss S into the piano, hard, with intent to harm her. Quickly she intervenes and pulls her son into the bedroom. "What was that? What were you doing?" "She's been pushing me, making comments and whining, and slapping me again." Mrs. C has known about Miss S's abusive acts toward her son, and he's handled it well. Knowing all that has happened, she knows what Miss S is up to. "She wants you to hurt her. She is trying to make you do something to her. She wants to make sure you look like the bad person, the only responsible party in the situation." Later that night, a text comes to Mr. G, "I'm leaving him; he's abusive. Mrs. C said you were cheating." Anger engulfs Mr. G. He ignores Mrs. C, doesn't look at her when he passes, and won't sit in the same room with her. A few hours go by before he speaks. "Why did you say I was cheating?" Mrs. C doesn't understand. "Miss S said that Mr. V said that you said I was cheating." "Honey, Mr. V and I talked about Miss S and what she is doing. Nothing more. She's attempting to put us against each other, just as she did between you and Miss G. She knows you have trust issues. Don't let her do it to you."

The program ends again, and Mrs. D is relieved to see Miss S has not divided the adorable couple, and that she hasn't left Mr. V; although, she knows Mr. V has laid down the law, and one misstep by her will mean his departure. Somehow, for some reason, Mrs. D knows that Miss S loves Mr. V, she just doesn't know how to control the impulse, and the drama.