#backintime1

MORTIMER- “You were really not in the game today, Bella.  Is everything okay?”

BELLA- “I’m fine. Morty, just a little distracted I suppose.”

MORTIMER- “Distracted? You want to talk about it?”

BELLA- Not right now. I need to get home. School starts Monday and I have a lot to do. Don’t you leave tomorrow?’

MORTIMER- “I do, but I don’t want to leave knowing something is wrong with you....”

BELLA- “Nothing is wrong with me Morty. Just go shower and head on home, I think I am going to walk.”

MORTIMER- “Please talk to me Bella.  Is this about my proposal?  It is isn’t it?”

BELLA- “Mortimer, please I said I don’t want to talk about it. Not right now.”

MORTIMER- “If not now, when, once I leave for Foxbury and you give me my answer over the phone...?”

BELLA- “Okay fine.  It is about your proposal, and it’s about you leaving for Foxbury and me starting there in January. It’s about my parents and my my mind saying one thing, and my heart saying another. I love you Morty... More than you could ever imagine....

MORTIMER- “Then say yes...”

BELLA- “IT’S NOT AS EASY AS THAT!!  Don’t you understand? I want to graduate High School.  I want to go away to college and enjoy my time there while I am learning and beginning my career. I don’t want to worry about how we are going to pay the bills, about getting pregnant, about being a wife!!”

ROHAN- “See, you feel better already, don’t you? Michael, you know that I love you, right?”

MICHAEL- “Of course I know you love me Rohan, and I love you...”

ROHAN- “So what is it then? Why are you so hesitant to stay here with me?  You really don’t want to live in the dorm your last year here, do you?”

MICHAEL- “You know I don’t... I think this place is perfect for us. It’s close to campus, and it is priced so that we both can have extra spending money after the bills are paid....

Rohan moves them over to the bed, as Michael continues to talk...

ROHAN- “Exactly, so it makes perfect sense for us to share this studio.  We can spend every night together, and our days when classes are over. Michael, once we graduate after this year, we can go anywhere we want, do what ever we set our minds to... now, kiss me and tell me that you will marry me....”

MICHAEL- “Rohan, please... 

ROHAN- “What? What is it, Michael?”

MICHAEL- “We can’t marry, not right now....”

ROHAN- “But, why?  Michael??  What we have is real, what I feel for you is real.”

MICHAEL- “I can’t lie any more, Rohan.”

ROHAN- “Lying?  Who have you been lying to, Michael?  Me? Do you not love me?”

MICHAEL- “I do love you Ro... and it’s not you that I have been lying to... You know who I have lied to, now for three years, at least.  I have to tell them.  Once and for all. I won’t marry you until I tell them, and they accept me.  And YOU!”

ROHAN- “Okay... if that’s what you feel you need to do, then we will do it.  Together. I support you 100%.  You know that.  And Michael, your parents love you, it is not going to matter to them that you are gay.  Trust me.”

MEREDITH- “I will be there tonight, 7:00 right?”

TED- “Yeah, and you can bring your friends too if you like.  I would prefer it just be you, but...

MEREDITH- “They will be with me. It’s nice to meet you Ted, and thanks for the information.”

TED- “Sure thing. Meredith, I am beginning to like that name, it is actually pretty and suits you. So what’s your last name?”

MEREDITH- “Landgraab.”

TED- “Like Landgraab Industries??!”

MEREDITH- “Yes, it’s my dad’s company.”

TED- “Well ain’t that something...”

MEREDITH_ “What?”

TED- “My dad is in a partnership with your dad. Landgraab Industries are the ones that are cultivating this thing. You definitely need to come to this meeting tonight.”

Meredith is somewhat shocked at what Ted said about Landgraab Industries being a part of this strange scheme he was talking about.  If this was true, she doubted her Dad knew anything about it. She watched Ted Roswell walk away... there was something about this guy...

ELLIOT- “So what did he tell you?  Anything good?”

MEREDITH- “Maybe... or maybe not, but we have a meeting to go to tonight over there in that building.”

ELLIOT- “I don’t like the looks of that guy, are you serious about meeting him tonight?”

TANNER- “Meeting for what?”

MEREDITH- “I will tell you on the way back, but I got a feeling it is going to be very eye opening.  Hey... look at that guy over there by Ted...something is wrong with him!”

ELLIOT- “He just looks drunk to me.”

BELLA- “I do love him Mother, I just want to obtain my own personal goals as well, you know?”

JOCASTA- “Trust me, I understand and that is what I am trying to tell you. You need to make sure you have what you need to survive without him... or any man for that matter. And trust me, Love has very little to do with that?”

BELLA- “You adore Daddy, how did you decide? I mean you didn’t continue your education or career, you got married and had Michael and I.”

JOCASTA- “It was a different time then dear. But if I were your age and in that situation again...

SIMIS- “Hi Ladies, what is all the serious conversation about??

BELLA- “Morty asked me to marry him, Daddy, and I love him, but I want to finish college first, and get my career started.”

SIMIS- “Bella, I understand, and I agree with you and your mother. So many times your mother chose me over what she wanted. She worked hard to help get me through Law School, then when I started my law firm, she was busy having babies. She never finished what she wanted to do, and I know she has regrets... I have regrets about it as well.  But times are different now.  You CAN have both.”

BELLA- “But how? If we marry he will want children, and you know how hard it would be to go to school and have children? Who would take care of them??”

SIMIS- “Bella, if Mortimer truly loves you as you say he does, he will want you to finish school, have a career and will wait on starting a family. If he doesn’t then maybe he isn’t the man for you?  I hate to say it like that, but you need to put your needs before his, at least for now.”

BELLA- “But, I love him, and we should be a team...

JOCASTA- “In the words of a very famous lady... what’s love got to do with it??”

BELLA- “Now I am more confused than ever... I shouldn’t be this worked up over a marriage proposal... It shouldn’t be this hard.”

JOCASTA- “Precisely why your answer should be no...”

Currently the Bachelor home is a little quiet, as Michael has returned back to school, and Bella is preparing for her final year in High School and early enrollment at Foxbury in the Spring. Soon Simis and Jocasta will be empty nesters and their big home will become even more quieter.

As Bella comes in from her day of shopping with a couple friends, her mother tells her from the kitchen that she has dinner warming for her in the microwave...

BELLA- “It’s okay Mother, I am sorry you didn’t need to do that, we grabbed a burger while we were shopping.”

JOCASTA- “We??  You and Mortimer I assume?”

BELLA- “Actually no, Eliza Caliente and her boyfriend Bob  and I went shopping...

Jocasta comes into the living room and takes a seat next to her daughter.

JOCASTA- “You seem down the last few days, Bella.  Are you okay?”

BELLA- “Yes, I am fine. It’s just that summer is slowly winding down and school will start back soon, and I have so much to get ready for. I guess I’ve just had a lot on my mind.  And then Morty just adds to it.”

JOCASTA- “What do you mean?  I thought he was the best thing since sliced bread, you two have a falling out?” Jocasta smiled at this possibility!

BELLA- “No, it’s just... don’t get upset mother, but Morty asked me to marry him...”

JOCASTA- “MARRY YOU!!??  You haven’t even graduated High School yet and he wants to marry you!!!??  I hope you told him no!”

BELLA- “Actually I haven’t told him anything. And I asked you not to get mad mother.  I need your advise, not a lecture.”

JOCASTA- “Fine, here is my advise. Break it off with him, now.  You are too young, and he is too irresponsible.  I mean he is what, just a year older than you, still at the university? What person in their right mind would want to get married with all of that going on.”

Bella breaks down and starts crying. Overwhelmed with everything, and now her mother yelling at her, when she didn’t even do anything....

BELLA- “He loves me mother, and I love him...but I agree with you.  I have too much going on to think about marriage right now.  I know that, but I don’t want to break his heart, and tell him no.  What if he hates me for it, and wants nothing more to do with me, ever!?  I just don’t know what to do.

JOCASTA- “Oh...my...  Bella sweetheart... Please don’t cry.  I am sorry, I should not have yelled at you.  Okay, think this through.  You love him, he loves you, or so you say he does... If he truly loves you, he should understand and be willing to wait.  You both have plenty of time for marriage and a family.  And who knows, things may change...

BELLA- “Morty, calm down, please.... I love you. I really do, but right now isn’t the right time for us to talk about getting married. Do you understand?”

MORTIMER- “I suppose, but I just can’t imagine us not being together...”

BELLA- We ARE together Morty, we just don’t have to be married, or even engaged. I am not going anywhere, you know what I mean?  You are the one for me.

MORTIMER- “So you will marry me, just not right now... I get that, but why can’t we at least be engaged? Make it official.”

BELLA- “Morty, we don’t need it to be official... we both know we love each other.  Why do we need to have an engagement right now?”

MORTIMER- “All these other guys at college, Bella.... what if..?...”

BELLA- “Stop it Morty, don’t you trust me? I have no intention of being interested in any other guy.  Right now the only thing I am interested in is getting through High School, starting my college career and getting my degree. Then being a successful concert pianist...”

MORTIMER- “So where do I fit in, in all of that. That is going to take a long time.”

BELLA- “Not as long as it seems. And we will get married, and we will get in engaged, just not right now. I am sorry, if you want an answer right now, then my answer is no.”

MORTIMER- “I will wait for you Bella.  However long it takes.”

BELLA- “Good, I was hoping you would say that,”

MORTIMER- “Can I take you home, now?”

BELLA- “I think I will walk, Morty. It’s a beautiful day out and I just want to think. Call me later, okay?”

MORTIMER- “Okay...sure...

While Meredith is in Strangerville, looking for clues to mysterious goings on, Michael Bachelor, Bella’s older brother has returned to school. The term doesn’t start for a few more weeks, but he wanted to get all his things moved into the dorm before the other students showed up...

Or at least that is what he told his parents. What they don’t know won’t hurt them, and it’s not like they would ever show up here on campus.

The truth is he is not going to be staying in the dorm this year, he is sharing an apartment with Rohan Elderberry.

ROHAN- “I have really missed you Michael., you look more amazing than you did last time I saw you.”

MICHAEL- “Ro, you just saw me on Saturday.”

ROHAN- “I know...so what did you tell you parents as to why you were leaving early?”

MICHAEL- “Just told them I wanted to get moved in before all the freshman arrived and chaos ensued.”

ROHAN- “Good, very good, now how about you take off that shirt.”

MICHAEL- “I’m here less than five minutes, and you want me to undress?”

ROHAN- “Well, I am going to undress as well, but yes....”

MORTIMER- “Bella you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met. Both inside and out.  You are caring of others, intelligent and I truly adore you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.

BELLA- “Morty, you know I love you too, more than anything, but we really need to focus on our education, and get our degrees.  I don’t want to live in Oasis Springs all my life.

MORTIMER- “Neither do I Bella, and yes, we need to focus, but it is so hard for me to focus on anything else but you. I love you, and the thought of going away to school without you, for even a few short months is more than I could imagine.

BELLA- “Morty we have our whole future ahead of us, a few months is a small price to pay---

MORTIMER- “Bella, I know more than anything else, that we are to be together. A couple that lasts forever. We are destined to be together, so that is why I asked you out here tonight. I want to ask you to marry me.  To be my wife. I want to marry before I leave for school....

BELLA- “Oh, Morty...I do love you too, I just don’t know what to say!”

MORTIMER- “Say yes. ....

A voice from the house bellows through the night....