AS THE MOUSE

OVES©

Soap Opera "As The Mouse Moves" - Tuesday September 3rd 2002
"Is that you Tiffany?"  Starlene called out when she heard the front door close of the apartment overlooking Washington Square Park.
"Yeah, it's me," Tiffany said throwing her purse on the table beside the door and walking towards the living room.
"What's the matter with you?" Starlene asked walking from her bedroom towards her sister.
"Jan's back and she told me to take the afternoon off," Tiffany said referring to her boss Clark's associate and the daughter of Starlene's older lover Stanley.
"She told you to take the afternoon off?" Starlene said as the sisters walked into the living room.
"That's right.  And when I said I had a lot of work to do that I was only taking lunch, Clark told me to 'do as Jan said'.  Just like she's my boss or something."
"Damn.  Why did she have to come back?  Life was so much better while she was out of the country," Starlene said pulling her long T-shirt down in the front before throwing herself on the sofa.
"I'm just afraid I'm going to be fired."
"It might be for the best Tiffany. How on earth can you work there with all of this going on?"
"I need a job Starlene."
"Look Stanley will pay the rent for us," she said referring to her older lover and Jan's father.
"I'm not comfortable with that."
"Well, actually this is Amir's apartment we're living in.  He's not going to throw us out."
"Don't breathe that to anyone Starlene.  I don't think anyone really knows that except you, me and Amir."
"Well, of course I'm not going to say anything."
"That would be all I need is for the press to find out that I'm living in his apartment and his wife is missing."
"Any word on her?"
"I haven't heard anything. I guess I'll be the last person to ever hear anything now.  I can't see Amir anymore," she said taking a seat on the sofa beside her sister.
"I thought you said you were going over to Skeeter's apartment today?"
"I was but I'm too upset to see him now.  He might enjoy the problems he's caused me.  I just know in my heart that he called the press and that's how they caught Amir leaving this apartment the other day."
"You're probably right."
"I'll call him. At least he can't see my bloodshot eyes from crying. He would enjoy that too much," Tiffany said picking up the phone and dialing her estranged husband's number on Bleecker Street.
"Hello," he answered walking with his cell phone towards the bathroom door to pull it closed so that Clark's new bride Nicole wouldn't hear his conversation. He hoped it was the new girl at the office calling to tell him she'd meet him for drink later this evening.
"Skeeter I want to ask you something and I want an honest answer," Tiffany said.
"What?" he asked surprised that his estranged wife was calling his apartment.
"Did you call the reporters the other day after you left my building?"
"No," he lied.
"Skeeter it had to be you.  There's no other way they could have known that Amir had stopped by here," Tiffany said.
"Look don't blame me," he said hearing Nicole turn off the water in the bathroom nearby.
"Skeeter did my cell phone ring? I hope Clark wasn't trying to call me?" she called out before opening the bathroom door and seeing that he was on the phone.  She walked towards the bedroom wrapped in a towel as she watched Skeeter's face closely.
"Skeeter who's there with you?"
"No one. It's the TV," he said putting his finger to his mouth to gesture for Nicole to be quiet.
"I heard a woman saying something and it sounded like I heard Clark's name," Tiffany said glancing towards her sister and seeing the shock on her face.
CONTINUED TOMORROW. MORE SOAP PHOTOS BELOW.