AS THE MOUSE

OVES©

Soap Opera "As The Mouse Moves" - Friday February 16^th 2001
Starlene opened the door to the deli on West 3^rd Street and walked into the tiny store.  She walked along the crowded isles in the store looking for the freezer and spotted it towards the back of the store.  She opened the freezer door and started sorting through the ice cream flavors to find the Mocha Madness that Tiffany had requested.  She hadn't seen Tiffany this upset since she left Georgia to move to New York.  She hoped that Tiffany wasn't suspicious that she had someone in the apartment while she was at work.  Surely there was no way for Tiffany to ever find out that the wealthy older Stanley Morgan had come by while she was at work.  It was shocking to hear Tiffany say that she thought Stanley's  daughter Jan was secretly seeing her estranged husband Skeeter.  She wondered if that could be true.  That would be weird if she was involved with the Father of Tiffany's ex-husband's girlfriend.  She shook her head and decided it was just Tiffany's fears as she took out two containers of Mocha Madness and walked to the counter to pay.
"Eight dollar," the clerk said.
"Eight dollars?" Starlene said shocked at the high price for two small containers of ice cream.
"You no want?" the deli clerk asked.
"Yeah.  Yeah," she said begrudgingly taking a ten-dollar bill from her wallet and handing it to the clerk as he put the ice cream into a tiny brown paper bag.  She took the bag and the change then opened the front door stepping out onto the sidewalk on West 3^rd Street.  She pulled her coat around her neck and thought how only depressed women would eat ice cream in this cold weather. 
"Starlene!" she heard a familiar voice behind her.  She quickly turned and looked seeing Skeeter running towards her.
"Skeeter!  Wow, how you doin'?" she asked as they embraced.
"I heard you were visiting.  I'm so glad I ran into you," he said smiling at his estranged sister in law.
"How do you like New York?" she asked not having seen him since he moved to New York from Georgia.
"I like it.  Got a really high paying job; it's going great.  How do you like the city?" He asked in his slow southern accent.
"Well I don't have a job yet," she said.
"You looking for a job?"
"Yeah.  Didn't Tiffany tell you?  I'm planning on staying here permanently."
"No.  I didn't hear that.  How's Tiffany doing?"
"Good", she lied remembering Tiffany's long face when she sent Starlene to the store to get her ice cream for comfort.
"She still hot and heavy with that Amir guy?" visualizing the rich foreigner that he hated so much.
"Well, I don't know. You'd have to ask her that."
"I'd love to, but I never get to see my little wife anymore."
"Who are you dating now Skeeter?" she asked wondering if Tiffany was right that he was involved with Jan Morgan.
"Playin' the field.  You know me Starlene.  I still love Tiffany," he said convincingly.
"Do you really Skeeter?"
"Yeah.  I've always loved her.  She just doesn't seem to believe that."
"Maybe you should tell her more often."
"I'd love to.  You stayin' with her?" he asked.
"Yeah.  I sure can't afford my own place yet.  I hear you're living in the apartment she had when she first moved here."
"Yeah.  I stayed with her when I first came to town hoping to get her to come back to Georgia with me.  When things didn't work out, she got mad and went to stay with that rich boyfriend.  I'm keeping the place and hoping we can patch up things one day...if not then I've done all I can do," he said looking downcast as he noticed she was holding a bag in her hand.
"That's sweet of you Skeeter."
"Let me take you to lunch or something and catch up on old times", he said feeling sure she was on her way back to Tiffany's apartment.
"Oh, I can't.  I just ran out to buy Tiffany some ice cream."
"What kind? Mocha Madness?"
"Yeah, you remembered!"
"I'll never forget anything about your sister, Starlene.  She loves Mocha Madness with chocolate chip cookies.  We could stop in there and get her some," he said pointing to the bakery across the street.
CONTINUED MONDAY. MORE PHOTOS BELOW.