Adventures in Odyssey

Chris: Hi, this is Chris. Welcome to Adventures in Odyssey.

Connie: Hi, this is Connie, Connie Kendall I am. And I'd like you to join us for a time of wonder and excitement and all kinds of other fun stuff. Are you ready? Well, let's go for another Adventure in Odyssey. How's that? Did I say it right?

Guest (Male): Somebody's getting married?

Connie: Day after tomorrow.

Guest (Female): It's a date then.

Guest (Male): Well, I wouldn't call it a normal date.

Guest (Male): What, no kiss goodnight?

Guest (Female): What do you think of our relationship?

Guest (Male): I think that's a very personal question.

Guest (Male): Who is getting married?

Guest (Male): Thelma Klein.

Guest (Male): No way.

Connie: Jason, Jason, over here!

Jason: Hey, Connie! Hi, how are you? Surprise, I thought Dad was picking me up.

Connie: Well, he was going to, but since your flight was late, he asked me to get you. He had a lunch appointment he couldn't change, so welcome home!

Jason: Well, thanks. Should I put my bags in the trunk?

Connie: Oh, yeah, sure. There. Hey, did you have a good trip? We got your postcard from Germany and Belgium and London and Paris and Rome.

Jason: I had a great summer. Just what I needed to satisfy my traveling bug.

Connie: I should hope so. Europe, Russia, China.

Jason: You got to do it sometime, Connie. You got to tour the world.

Connie: Yeah, right. Will you buy and I'll fly? Hope you brought plenty of pictures and souvenirs.

Jason: Well, I brought a few. I'll have everyone over and bore you stiff with the details. So, what's been happening here? I didn't hear a peep from anybody the whole summer.

Connie: Nobody knew where to write to you.

Jason: When I talked to Dad on the phone last week, I kind of got the impression that things were pretty hectic around here.

Connie: Well, that's one way to put it. Did he tell you why?

Jason: He just said everything was up in the air and I'd find out when I got home. For instance, what's this important lunch that kept him from picking me up today?

Connie: Margaret Fay.

Jason: Who?

Connie: He didn't even tell you about Margaret? Wow. Didn't he tell you anything about Eugene and Katrina? Katrina? Jack and Joanne? Joanne Woodston? The antique shop? Margaret? Connie? The wedding? Wedding? Somebody's getting married?

Day after tomorrow. You got back just in time for it.

Jason: I am so confused. Who is getting married?

Connie: It's funny. For once I know something you don't know. I kind of like it.

Jason: Connie.

Connie: Okay, okay, but it wouldn't be fair to just blurt it out. I have to start at the beginning.

Jason: Good idea.

Connie: But you'd better buckle your seatbelt. It's going to be a strange ride.

Guest (Male): Now on the Adventures in Odyssey Club, it's another Knocks On: The Tale of the Coin.

Guest (Male): Hey, look what I got.

Guest (Male): Oh, that's a beautiful coin. Is it a stater?

Guest (Male): It is. I found it at the temple.

Guest (Female): I'm not one to get carried away by emotion, right?

Guest (Male): Yes, but we're being called on to take a leap of faith here. We all rush in together, each one takes something, and then rush out together. Any questions?

Guest (Male): Just one: Why are we doing this?

Guest (Male): Listen now on the Adventures in Odyssey Club.

Connie: Okay, let's see. Where should I start?

Jason: How about the beginning? After you left for your trip then.

Connie: So, you know that Jack and Joanne were seeing a lot of each other.

Jason: Yeah, they were commuting between Odyssey and Chicago every couple weeks.

Connie: Right. They were so cute together. But you know how tight-lipped Jack is. We could never get him to tell us if the relationship was serious or not. But back in July, something happened.

Bernard: Okay, Whit, the windows in your office are done.

Whit: Oh, thank you, Bernard.

Bernard: How a man your age could have chocolate handprint smudges all over them is beyond me.

Whit: Chocolate handprints. Oh, that was probably Bobby Higgins. He got away from his mother yesterday and we found him in my office. It was a mess.

Bernard: Oh yeah, I remember that kid. Why does his mother give him those big huge chocolate bars anyway? It's no wonder he was bouncing off the wall.

Whit: Yeah, the walls, the windows, the bookcases from the look of it.

Jack: Did you know the Maxwell's flower shop is for sale?

Bernard: What? Not Jack, how do you get from Bobby's chocolate handprints to Maxwell's flower shop?

Whit: Turn left on 8th Street.

Jack: It's here in the business ads. Maxwell's is up for sale.

Bernard: You interested in buying a flower shop?

Jack: I'm just considering the possibilities.

Whit: Ever since I got back to Odyssey, Jack has been thinking about going into business for himself. He's got this wild idea that I don't need his help around Whit's End anymore.

Jack: It's not only that, Whit. Like I told you, Whit's End is yours. I was happy to help out while you were gone, but now I have to think about my own future.

Bernard: Just yours? Not somebody else's too, maybe?

Jack: I need to think about what I want to do when I grow up.

Whit: And buying a shop will help you decide? Seems like a career counselor would be less expensive.

Jack: Like I said, I'm just considering the possibilities. Owning my own shop is something I've wanted to do for a long time. But not any shop. It has to be the right kind. Something I can sink my teeth into.

Bernard: Hey, Biffy's Burger Joint's up for sale. You could really sink your teeth into that.

Jack: Only if you wanted food poisoning.

Bernard: I was doing the windows at a shop the other day and the manager said something about selling it. The owner wanted to raise capital for something or other.

Jack: Who did you talk to?

Bernard: Mr. Peterson at the Antique Emporium.

Jack: Antique. I've been there. It must have a dozen rooms of antiques, paintings, books, furniture. They're thinking of selling it?

Bernard: Well, that's what Mr. Peterson said.

Whit: I could see you running an antique shop, Jack.

Jack: Maybe I'll check into it.

Tom: Well, the gang's all here. Hi there.

Jack: Hey Tom, how are you?

Tom: Good to see you. Listen, I'd like you all to meet Margaret Fay. Margaret, this is Whit, Jack, Connie, and Bernard.

Margaret: It's nice to meet all of you.

Whit: Nice to meet you too. I think I've seen you at the local business guild meeting.

Margaret: That's quite likely. I do attend those meetings when I can.

Tom: Margaret's what you might call a behind-the-scenes player around Odyssey. Invests in a lot of businesses and things like that. But she's thinking of coming out from behind the curtain, so to speak. Since I'm not going to run for mayor again, Margaret's considering becoming a candidate.

Whit: Well, so what brings you to Whit's End, Miss Fay?

Margaret: That's Miss Fay, but you can call me Margaret. Well, to be honest, I am here to meet you, Mr. Whittaker.

Whit: Whit.

Margaret: I was wondering if you'd be so kind as to have a meal with me. Say dinner? You're a well-respected citizen and I'd like to talk to you about the future of Odyssey.

Whit: Oh, well the honor would be mine.

Margaret: Are you free tonight?

Whit: Tonight? Well, sure, sure, I think so.

Margaret: Good, I'll pick you up at seven.

Whit: Okay, seven.

Margaret: It's a date then. See you tonight. Thank you for the introduction, Tom. It's nice to meet you all. Good day.

Bernard: It's a date then. She doesn't waste any time, does she? Thirty seconds and she's got a date with Whit.

Whit: It's not a date.

Tom: Margaret's a woman who knows what she wants and she generally gets.

Jack: No kidding. So what's this all about, Tom?

Tom: Just what she said. She thought you'd give her some helpful advice about running for mayor.

Whit: But you're the mayor. What could I tell her that you don't know?

Tom: For one thing, you're not politically minded. She probably wants your untainted perspective about Odyssey.

Connie: I bet she wants more than perspective.

Whit: Oh, stop it, Connie, it's a business meeting.

Connie: She called it a date. And a woman doesn't use a word like that unless she has other ideas. Look, take it from someone who knows.

Bernard: Why, have you had a date recently?

Connie: Don't be cruel. Now let's not make a big deal out of this. I have harmless meals with women all the time to discuss different kinds of things.

Connie: You want a first impression? No. This woman isn't harmless.

Jason: So, what she was or wasn't she?

Connie: What she was or wasn't what?

Jason: Harmless.

Connie: Well, that would be getting ahead of the story.

Jason: Well then, get ahead, I want to know what happened. Oh, and watch out for the stop sign.

Connie: What? Oh! Sorry.

Jason: So, they had dinner together.

Connie: Right, that night as planned. And? Well, I wouldn't call it a normal date.

Margaret: Well, after my husband died, I went through a period of grief as you'd expect. It was difficult for me. I had relied on him so very much. And then one day, I decided it was foolish to depend upon a man as much as I had, to make him the center of my existence. Where did it leave me?

So, I used the money we'd made to invest in businesses around Odyssey. I became aggressive in my dealings. Men are still terribly uncomfortable with a woman who knows how to make money. Are you uncomfortable, Whit?

Whit: Me? Oh, no, not at all. I mean, not with you being a woman. I'm only uncomfortable when anyone, man or woman, makes money the center of their lives.

Margaret: Oh, don't tell me you're one of those Christians who's against wealth.

Whit: Not against wealth. As long as the wealthy remember that their money belongs to God and that they're merely stewards of it.

Margaret: That's a given.

Whit: Is it?

Margaret: Well, it is for me. I'm a Christian and I think God has given me a gift for making money. It's a talent. I'm not afraid of it. And I use my money for God when I can, just as I'd like to use my leadership skills for him.

Whit: As mayor, you mean.

Margaret: Yes.

Whit: Well, why as mayor, if I may ask?

Margaret: I don't follow you.

Whit: Well, you could use your leadership skills in a lot of ways for God. Why does it have to be as mayor, the highest position in town?

Margaret: Well, why not?

Whit: Do you think God is calling you to be mayor? Is that your motive?

Margaret: I suppose he is. Do I have to be called by God in everything I do?

Whit: Sure. Wouldn't you want to act within his will?

Margaret: I think by using my talents, I am acting within his will. If I have leadership skills, why shouldn't I use them to be mayor of Odyssey?

Whit: Because one doesn't always follow the other. Our gifts are not supposed to be the end but a means to an end. If God has given you leadership skills, then he probably wants you to use them somewhere specific. Does he want you to use them as mayor or as the head of a soup kitchen for the poor?

Margaret: I don't think God wants me to waste my talents on a soup kitchen.

Whit: Waste, Margaret? You think helping the poor would be a waste of your talent?

Margaret: Oh, you know what I mean.

Whit: I'm not sure that I do.

Jason: Wow, sounds more like a verbal wrestling match than a date.

Connie: Yeah, and that's how it went the whole evening. They argued about God, the nature of man, whether Christianity has a place in how a government's run, you name it.

Jason: So how did it turn out?

Connie: They finished their meal and she dropped Whit off and they went their separate ways.

Jason: What, no kiss goodnight?

Connie: Don't be silly. Anyway, I saw Whit the next day.

Connie: Morning, Whit.

Whit: Oh, morning, Connie. Let's see, we'll need another gallon of chocolate, Rocky Road, two of the strawberry.

Connie: Inventory?

Whit: Yeah, I need to put in an ice cream order today.

Connie: So, how did it go?

Whit: How did what go?

Connie: Your date.

Whit: Now, Connie, I told you.

Tom: Morning, Whit. Good morning, everybody.

Whit: Good morning! Hi, Connie! Hi, Tom. What are you two doing here? You don't usually come around this time of day.

Tom: Well, I was on my way to the office and I thought to myself, "I need a cup of coffee at Whit's End." That's what I need.

Jack: And I had the exact same thought when I was doing windows at Mrs. Fabric's shop a couple blocks away. "A cup of coffee at Whit's End," I says to myself. Yeah, that's exactly what I need this morning.

Whit: I'll pour.

Connie: Well, that's funny because I was just asking Whit about his date last night.

Whit: Dinner, Connie.

Tom: A dinner date? Oh, yeah, Whit went out with... who was that again?

Jack: Margaret Fay. Yeah, it completely slipped my mind. Hadn't thought about it at all. Me neither.

Whit: Okay, you two, cut it out.

Tom: Well, since the subject has come up, how did it go?

Whit: Do I have to make a public announcement about this? Should I get on Kids' Radio?

Tom: Well, you could if you wanted. Or you could just tell us now.

Jack: Yeah, I think he sounds a little snippy this morning, don't you, Tom?

Tom: Yeah, definitely snippy. Didn't it go well, Whit?

Whit: Well, there wasn't anything to go one way or another. It wasn't a date. We had dinner, we talked, and that's it.

Tom: You're not going to see her again?

Whit: Oh, she probably wouldn't want to see me again. We argued all night. We disagreed on just about everything except for the dressings on our salads. We both like Italian.

Jack: Well, that's something.

Whit: No, it isn't. I think she got the information she wanted from me and I'll be very surprised if I ever hear from her again.

Margaret: Good morning. This must be the place to hang out for morning coffee.

Jack: This is it. Morning!

Tom: Morning.

Whit: Good morning, Margaret.

Jason: Should I be worried about where this story's going?

Connie: That depends on where you think the story's going.

Jason: Well, I assume Margaret didn't show up for the coffee.

Connie: And you would be right with that assumption.

Jason: So what did she want?

Connie: Well, she asked if she could speak with Whit alone for a minute and they went up to his office. She asked him a few formal questions about running for mayor, and then...

Margaret: Whit, I think you're fascinating.

Whit: I beg your pardon?

Margaret: I can't think of the last time I enjoyed an evening as much as last night.

Whit: You're kidding. We argued all night.

Margaret: I know, and it was wonderful. I rarely meet my match when it comes to debate and you are that. You're insightful and perceptive, intelligent. I've heard good things about you but I wasn't prepared for them to be better than true.

Whit: Well, thank you.

Margaret: Oh, you're blushing. I'm sorry, I've embarrassed you.

Whit: Well, you're so direct in your comments that it's hard to know how to react.

Margaret: The Connelsville Art Museum is opening an exhibition of some little-known works by Renoir this afternoon. Will you go with me? I'd be grateful. I hate to go to museums alone and this is the only time they're making these paintings available to the public.

Whit: Well, I like Renoir's works, but I'll have to make some arrangements here. Maybe Eugene is free to come in this afternoon.

Margaret: Oh, good, then I'll pick you up. Just scribble your address down. What time?

Whit: How about two-ish?

Margaret: Two it is.

Jason: You're kidding me. Dad went out with her that afternoon?

Connie: More than just that afternoon. They did things together all summer.

Jason: Now wait a minute. You're not telling me that Dad and... no way. Dad wouldn't get married without talking to me first. Would he?

Connie: Well, you almost got married to Tasha without your dad.

Jason: Yeah, but that was different. I think. Connie, are you telling me that my father's getting married in a couple of days?

Connie: [Humming/Singing]

Jason: Connie!

Connie: Now look what you made me do. I took a wrong turn.

Jason: I don't care about the turn. Quit being so coy. Is my dad getting married in two days?

Connie: Are you going to let me tell the story or not?

Jason: You just love torturing me, don't you?

Connie: Yes, as a matter of fact I do.

Jason: Okay, get on with it.

Connie: Like I said, Whit and Margaret did a lot of things together this summer. Even though they didn't agree on basic things like theology or politics, they agreed on their love for the arts. So they went to museums and concerts, gallery openings, stuff like that.

Jason: What did everybody think of her?

Connie: Well, that's the next part of the story.

Bernard: Well, I think we should just ask him directly. Rather than sitting around here guessing, we should just ask him and he'll tell us.

Tom: Maybe.

Connie: I can't figure out where it's going. They see each other two or three times a week, so they have to be getting serious.

Tom: Whit hasn't said anything to me. How about you, Jack? Do you think they're getting serious?

Jack: I couldn't say.

Tom: Sure you could. We're all friends here.

Jack: I mean, I don't know. I haven't seen him that much lately. I've been so busy with my search for a shop to buy that we just haven't had time to talk. In fact, I've only met Margaret once, that first morning she came in.

Bernard: Yeah, well, now that's another thing. We never see her. If I were dating someone, I'd make sure my friends got to know her, wouldn't you?

Jack: Not me. When I was growing up, my friends always stole my girlfriends away.

Connie: That's terrible.

Jack: How do you think Whit met Jenny?

Connie: What?

Tom: But are they really dating? Maybe it's something else.

Bernard: Beats me. Times have really changed. I haven't been on a date with someone other than my wife since 1963. Thelma Klein. That's who I was with when Kennedy got shot. Ruined the whole evening. I think she blamed me personally for it. Never went out with me again.

Next person I dated became my wife. How about you, Tom?

Tom: Don't look at me. We called it courting. That's how long ago it was when I dated.

Connie: Well, seeing someone a couple times a week is dating. Not that I'd know from personal experience or anything.

Tom: Well, what about you, Jack? Now you're the only one around here who's dating in a technical sense. Though most people try to date in the same part of the country.

Jack: Well, I don't know. People are so different. Not everyone expects the same thing in a relationship. Some find a companion of the opposite sex and they do things together as friends. Scholars do it. For others, it's clear that the relationship is turning into something other than just friendship and they go on towards marriage.

Tom: So which category do Whit and Margaret fit into? The former or the latter?

Jack: I don't know.

Connie: Which category do you and Joanne fit into, Jack? The former or the latter?

Jack: Well, oh look, it's Whit.

Whit: Hi! Hi! What's going on here? A business meeting?

Tom: No, we were just talking.

Whit: Oh, just talking about what?

Jack: You, in fact.

Whit: Me?

Tom: Well, you and Margaret.

Whit: Oh?

Connie: We were trying to figure out what kind of relationship you have. The former or the latter.

Tom: Spell it out for us. What's going on with you two?

Whit: Nothing's going on.

Jack: You've been seeing this woman all summer and nothing's happening?

Whit: We enjoy a lot of the same things, that's all.

Connie: The former.

Tom: So there's nothing romantic going on?

Whit: Hold on, Bernard, I think that's a very personal question.

Tom: Well, that's why I'm asking him personally. We've all been wondering, right?

Whit: Well, what do you mean by romantic?

Connie: The latter.

Whit: Romantic? You want a definition from the dictionary? We're friends, Bernard.

Connie: The former.

Whit: Look, if I had anything to say about the relationship, I would. Right now, there's nothing to say. So, if this interrogation is over, I've got to put these supplies away.

Tom: Interrogation. Now wait a minute, Whit. Don't be like that. We were just wondering, that's all. What did I do wrong?

Jack: So much for the direct approach. Don't worry about it. I'll talk to him.

Tom: Is everything all right, Whit?

Whit: Everything's just fine.

Tom: I'm sorry, Whit. The whole scene was a little tactless.

Whit: Do you think?

Tom: It was. But you can't blame us for wondering. You'd be the same way if any of us got into a mysterious relationship.

Whit: Is that what it is? A mysterious relationship?

Tom: Well, sure, isn't it?

Whit: To be honest, Tom, I don't know.

Tom: Well, about which part? The mysterious or the relationship?

Whit: Both. I'm confused about the whole thing. I don't know the protocol for dating anymore, if that's what we're doing. She calls me about gallery exhibits or concerts and they seem like fun, so I go.

Tom: And that's all there is?

Whit: I guess so. You know, we don't agree on much, but I admire and respect her. She's a sharp, intelligent woman. But I can't say anything beyond that.

Tom: You mean you two haven't even discussed your relationship?

Whit: No, not really. We've enjoyed ourselves a lot. She's been a good companion. But we...