AS THE MOUSE

OVES©

Soap Opera "As The Mouse Moves" - Tuesday October 8th 2002
"Is that you Tiffany?"  Starlene yelled out from her bedroom when she heard the front door of their apartment overlooking Washington Square Park slam shut.
"Yeah it's me," Tiffany said.
"Come in here I want to show you what I bought today."
Tiffany put her purse on the table beside the door and walked towards her sister's bedroom as she heard the sound of shopping bags and tissue paper.
"Hi," Starlene said turning to face her sister in a red low cut evening dress.
"What's this?" Tiffany asked standing in the door glancing from her sister's voluptuous exposed bosom to the bed covered with expensive boxes and designer shopping bags.
"I went shopping today!" Starlene said eagerly.  "How do you like it?" she said turning to reveal the backless gown.
"It's nice.  Low cut though.  What did you buy it for?"
"Stanley's going to take me to Washington for some gala, and some political fund raisers," she said smiling from ear to ear.
"Really?" Tiffany asked thinking about the fact Stanley had come by her office this morning and took Nicole out as soon as Clark left to go to Florida.  Stanley told her that Nicole had a friend that needed an apartment and Clark wouldn't want to help so he was going to assist her without Clark's knowledge. Tiffany resentfully felt trapped into keeping their secret from her boss Clark and her sister Starlene as Stanley had requested.
"Where did you get the money to buy all of this Starlene?" Tiffany asked as she watched her younger sister pull new clothes from the bags and put them on hangers.
"Stanley gave it to me," Starlene said holding up one of the cocktail dresses and turning it around for Tiffany to see.
"Nice," Tiffany said admiring the dress.
"Wasn't it though.  I didn't even ask him to do this. It was all a total surprise," she said brushing her long blonde hair from her eyes.  "He just called me up this morning really early and said he was going to stop by and give me a surprise."
"Oh he came by here this morning?"
"Yeah.  He stopped by right after you left for work.  He didn't stay but a minute.  He handed me his credit card, told me to go shopping and said that he was taking me to Washington."
"Wow," Tiffany said thinking about the fact that this day had been very expensive for Stanley. When she opened the kitchen door to walk into the living room with coffee for Stanley she caught Nicole trying to hide a wad of money that Stanley had just given her. She couldn't help but wonder if all of this activity had something to do with Nicole's doctor's office calling the other day with the results of the pregnancy test that Nicole had taken. If only she knew the results of that test.  Judging from the activity around Nicole lately, her guess was that Stanley might know the results and has assumed some responsibility as well.
"How was work today with Clark out of town?" Starlene asked hanging the last new dress on a hanger.
"Okay," Tiffany said watching her sister step out of the long red evening dress and reach for her jeans on the chair nearby.
"Just okay? What about Nicole?  Do you think she's pregnant?  Anymore on that?" Starlene asked remembering Tiffany's remarks about getting the phone call from Nicole's doctor's office and wondering who the father would be if the test results were positive.
"I don't know.  I guess it's not any of my business," Tiffany said turning and walking towards the living room.
"None of your business?" Starlene said zipping her jeans and picking up her sweater from the chair. She pulled on the sweater as she walked down the hallway towards the living room. "Well, do you think Nicole's pregnant and she'll have it taken care of while Clark's out of town," Starlene asked walking into the living room as Tiffany turned up the volume on the TV.
"I don't know and I don't care," Tiffany said taking a seat on the sofa and staring at the television.
"What's the matter with you?  Just this morning you were worried that if she was pregnant that Skeeter might be the father," Starlene said referring to Tiffany's estranged husband.
"Skeeter?" Tiffany said astonished that Starlene hadn't said anything about her fears that Stanley would be the guilty one.  After all Starlene had caught Stanley with Nicole only a few months ago.
"Yeah.  Well, it's obvious my Stanley wouldn't do that.  I can tell he really loves me after today," Starlene said walking towards the kitchen to get a diet drink.
CONTINUED TOMORROW. MORE SOAP PHOTOS BELOW.