AS THE MOUSE

OVES©

Soap Opera "As The Mouse Moves" - Thursday August 29th 2002
Tiffany wiped the tears from her eyes and took deep breaths to try and calm down.  She glanced down at the telephone on her desk and saw that the light was on one of the telephone lines. Her boss Clark was on the phone.  He had just left to go upstairs to his office after an angry confrontation with her. The phone rang on her desk and she sniffled before picking it up.
"Manhattan Party Planning," she answered.
"Hi, wanna have lunch?" Starlene asked as she glanced out of their apartment window overlooking Washington Square Park.
"No," Tiffany said as the tears flowed heavily and her voice cracked.
"What's the matter?"
"Clark.  He…"
"What? Is he already sorry he married Nicole," she said referring to Clark's new bride that she had caught cheating with her older lover Stanley only a few months before the wedding.
"No. Did you see the report on TV?"
"No. What?" Starlene asked walking to the coffee table and grabbing the remote to change it from an old movie to the local news station.
"Some reporter caught Amir as he was leaving our apartment last night. They had it on the news."
"Oh well, that's happened before," Starlene said eagerly changing the channels to try and catch the report.
"Yeah. But now Amir's wife is missing and Clark said it looks like I might have had something to do with it," Tiffany said as more tears rushed down her wet cheeks.
"What?  That's crazy."
"I bet Skeeter called the reporters when he left the apartment," Tiffany said.
"Maybe."
"I told you he wouldn't just let it go like that."
"Does Clark know that Skeeter was there too?"
"Don't say it like that.  It sounds like I had two men in the apartment with me or something."
"Oh you know what I mean.  Does Clark know?"
"Yes.  I had to tell him."
"He'll get over it."
"I don't know.  He was furious. He said that something had to change and he stormed up the stairs."
"He's probably just upset with himself for marrying that hussy.  Is she there?"
"No.  I haven't seen her.  He said she was at her apartment on Bleecker Street watering her plants."
"All morning watering her plants?" Starlene asked knowingly.
"That's his problem."
"That's what I mean Tiffany. He's the one that has a big problem. He just married Nicole and she hops in the bed with every man she meets. He's the one that's probably unhappy. Nothing will come of this. Just let him calm down.  That's all you can do."
"I don't know Starlene.  I don't have a very good feeling about this," she said as she heard Clark's footsteps on the floor upstairs. She glanced down at the phone and noticed that he had hung up from his phone call. She heard his footsteps starting down the stairs.  "I have to go. Here he comes," Tiffany said hanging up the phone.
"Tiffany.  You can go to lunch now.  Take a couple of hours if you like.  I have an appointment here in the office.  Jan just called and she's back in town after her trip abroad.  I'll be going over business with her. There's no need for you to be here.  I know how much you dislike her," he said never looking at her as he walked past her towards the kitchen. 
CONTINUED TOMORROW. MORE SOAP PHOTOS BELOW.