Scene: The Badhmans'
Hannah flips through a stack of mail as she comes into the house. She drops a bunch of junk mail into the recycling bin and holds one envelope, confused. Her name and address is printed on it, but there is no return address.
"What could this be?" she wonders as she tears it open.
She unfolds the letter, and all oxygen seems to rush from her body as she reads.
"No," she mutters, lifting a hand to her mouth in shock. "It can't be."
Scene: The Robinsons'
"Cody! There's mail for you!" Joyce yells up the stairs.
The boy comes running down, and she hands her grandson the brown envelope.
"It's a birthday card!" Cody announces excitedly as he opens it.
Joyce smiles at him. "That's nice. Who is it from?"
"Someone named Robert Carlisle," the boy says as he reads. He furrows his brow in confusion. "Do you know who that is?"
Joyce snatches the card away from him. "Give me that. This must be a prank."
"But why does it say 'my dear boy'?" Cody asks.
Anger flares up inside Joyce as she reads the card. "This is trash," she says. "Robert Carlisle is a man your mother knew a long time ago -- a terrible man. I'm sorry you had to see this."
"Why would he play a prank about my birthday? How does he even know that my birthday is coming up?"
"I don't want to hear another word about this. Is that clear?" Joyce says. "Now go back upstairs and finish your homework."
Cody grumbles to himself as he obeys his grandmother.
Joyce begins to tear the card in half, but she can't bring herself to do it. Instead she reads it again.
"What could you be up to now, Robert?" she says, her expression turning to stone.
Scene: The Café
"What is so urgent?" Ken demands as he approaches the table where Hannah is sitting.
"You'll see." She thrusts the letter across the table as Ken sits down across from her.
His eyes go wide as he reads. "Is this some kind of sick game, Hannah?"
"No!" she exclaims. She looks around, realizing that she could be attracting attention by speaking so loudly. More quietly, she says, "I got this in the mail today."
Ken fumes silently for several seconds. "You'd better be telling me the truth."
"I am. I promise."
Taking a deep breath, Ken says, "It can't be."
"It is. We always knew this day could come," Hannah says. "I felt you needed to know."
"Yeah. Thank you." Ken runs a hand over his face, trying to process the letter. "What is that bastard Robert up to?"
Hannah shakes her head. "Cody can never find out."
"You're right." Ken nods his head in agreement. "I never want Cody to know the truth about what happened the day he was born."
Scene: The Hotel
Suitcase in hand, a man walks up to the front desk. He drums his fingers on the desk while waiting to be helped.
"Excuse me?" he finally calls out.
A clerk emerges from the back room.
"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting," she says. "We're dealing with a bit of a staffing emergency. What can I do for you?"
"I'd like to check in."
"Do you have a reservation?"
"No."
"How long will you be staying with us?"
The man grins. "I'm not certain. I anticipate I'll need a few weeks to take care of my business here."
"Very well. Let me find you a room. Can I ask your name?"
"The last name is Carlisle," he says. "Robert Carlisle."
Scene: The High School
Cody walks into the Headmistress's office, where Jean is behind her desk, filling out some paperwork.
"Cody, what are you doing here?" she asks as she looks up.
"I need you to tell me the truth."
"About what?" Jean studies the boy and sees how angry he is. Something is clearly wrong. "Did something happen?"
"Just be honest with me," he says. "Who is Robert Carlisle?"
Jean puts down her pen. "Who is that?"
"I got a birthday card from a man named Robert Carlisle. My grandmother won't tell me who he is. But why would he send me a birthday card if I don't even know him?"
"I'm afraid I don't know," Jean says.
"Stop lying to me!"
"Cody, I'm not lying -- and I'll ask you kindly not to raise your voice."
"Shut up! She told you not to tell me, didn't she?"
Jean rises from her chair. "What? No."
Cody slams his fist down on the desk. "Tell me the truth!"
"Cody, I'm going to ask you again to lower your voice. This is unacceptable."
The boy grits his teeth and balls his fists -- but instead of responding to her, he storms out of the office.
"Who in the world is Robert Carlisle?" Jean wonders to herself as she sits back down. "And why would Joyce not want Cody to know who sent him a birthday card?"
Scene: The Harrises'
The doorbell's ring echoes through the house. Leo is sitting on the sofa watching television and calls out, "I'll get it!"
He answers the door to find an unfamiliar man standing there.
"What can I do for you?" Leo asks.
"I'm looking for Jasmine Harris," the man says.
Leo narrows his eyes. "Are you a friend of hers?"
"Not yet. But I have to speak with her about something important. She'll be interested."
"Look, if you're trying to sell something--"
"Who was it?" Jasmine asks as she enters the room.
"Jasmine, I presume," Robert says from the doorway. "Just who I've come to see."
"Do I know you?" she asks warily.
"I think you should go," Leo says to Robert.
"I won't take up much of your time," Robert says. "Jasmine, could I just have a moment? It's about your fiancé -- Ken Robinson."
"Leo, it's okay," Jasmine says, coming nearer to the door. "Who are you?"
"My name is Robert Carlisle. I know Ken rather well. I assume you know all about him and Hannah Badhman?"
Jasmine shakes her head. "What about them?"
Leo stands behind her, his arms folded.
"I suppose this is really about young Cody," Robert says. "May I come in?"
"Yes," Jasmine says, flustered. Her heart is racing as she ushers Robert inside and closes the door.
Hannah flips through a stack of mail as she comes into the house. She drops a bunch of junk mail into the recycling bin and holds one envelope, confused. Her name and address is printed on it, but there is no return address.
"What could this be?" she wonders as she tears it open.
She unfolds the letter, and all oxygen seems to rush from her body as she reads.
"No," she mutters, lifting a hand to her mouth in shock. "It can't be."
Scene: The Robinsons'
"Cody! There's mail for you!" Joyce yells up the stairs.
The boy comes running down, and she hands her grandson the brown envelope.
"It's a birthday card!" Cody announces excitedly as he opens it.
Joyce smiles at him. "That's nice. Who is it from?"
"Someone named Robert Carlisle," the boy says as he reads. He furrows his brow in confusion. "Do you know who that is?"
Joyce snatches the card away from him. "Give me that. This must be a prank."
"But why does it say 'my dear boy'?" Cody asks.
Anger flares up inside Joyce as she reads the card. "This is trash," she says. "Robert Carlisle is a man your mother knew a long time ago -- a terrible man. I'm sorry you had to see this."
"Why would he play a prank about my birthday? How does he even know that my birthday is coming up?"
"I don't want to hear another word about this. Is that clear?" Joyce says. "Now go back upstairs and finish your homework."
Cody grumbles to himself as he obeys his grandmother.
Joyce begins to tear the card in half, but she can't bring herself to do it. Instead she reads it again.
"What could you be up to now, Robert?" she says, her expression turning to stone.
Scene: The Café
"What is so urgent?" Ken demands as he approaches the table where Hannah is sitting.
"You'll see." She thrusts the letter across the table as Ken sits down across from her.
His eyes go wide as he reads. "Is this some kind of sick game, Hannah?"
"No!" she exclaims. She looks around, realizing that she could be attracting attention by speaking so loudly. More quietly, she says, "I got this in the mail today."
Ken fumes silently for several seconds. "You'd better be telling me the truth."
"I am. I promise."
Taking a deep breath, Ken says, "It can't be."
"It is. We always knew this day could come," Hannah says. "I felt you needed to know."
"Yeah. Thank you." Ken runs a hand over his face, trying to process the letter. "What is that bastard Robert up to?"
Hannah shakes her head. "Cody can never find out."
"You're right." Ken nods his head in agreement. "I never want Cody to know the truth about what happened the day he was born."
Scene: The Hotel
Suitcase in hand, a man walks up to the front desk. He drums his fingers on the desk while waiting to be helped.
"Excuse me?" he finally calls out.
A clerk emerges from the back room.
"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting," she says. "We're dealing with a bit of a staffing emergency. What can I do for you?"
"I'd like to check in."
"Do you have a reservation?"
"No."
"How long will you be staying with us?"
The man grins. "I'm not certain. I anticipate I'll need a few weeks to take care of my business here."
"Very well. Let me find you a room. Can I ask your name?"
"The last name is Carlisle," he says. "Robert Carlisle."
Scene: The High School
Cody walks into the Headmistress's office, where Jean is behind her desk, filling out some paperwork.
"Cody, what are you doing here?" she asks as she looks up.
"I need you to tell me the truth."
"About what?" Jean studies the boy and sees how angry he is. Something is clearly wrong. "Did something happen?"
"Just be honest with me," he says. "Who is Robert Carlisle?"
Jean puts down her pen. "Who is that?"
"I got a birthday card from a man named Robert Carlisle. My grandmother won't tell me who he is. But why would he send me a birthday card if I don't even know him?"
"I'm afraid I don't know," Jean says.
"Stop lying to me!"
"Cody, I'm not lying -- and I'll ask you kindly not to raise your voice."
"Shut up! She told you not to tell me, didn't she?"
Jean rises from her chair. "What? No."
Cody slams his fist down on the desk. "Tell me the truth!"
"Cody, I'm going to ask you again to lower your voice. This is unacceptable."
The boy grits his teeth and balls his fists -- but instead of responding to her, he storms out of the office.
"Who in the world is Robert Carlisle?" Jean wonders to herself as she sits back down. "And why would Joyce not want Cody to know who sent him a birthday card?"
Scene: The Harrises'
The doorbell's ring echoes through the house. Leo is sitting on the sofa watching television and calls out, "I'll get it!"
He answers the door to find an unfamiliar man standing there.
"What can I do for you?" Leo asks.
"I'm looking for Jasmine Harris," the man says.
Leo narrows his eyes. "Are you a friend of hers?"
"Not yet. But I have to speak with her about something important. She'll be interested."
"Look, if you're trying to sell something--"
"Who was it?" Jasmine asks as she enters the room.
"Jasmine, I presume," Robert says from the doorway. "Just who I've come to see."
"Do I know you?" she asks warily.
"I think you should go," Leo says to Robert.
"I won't take up much of your time," Robert says. "Jasmine, could I just have a moment? It's about your fiancé -- Ken Robinson."
"Leo, it's okay," Jasmine says, coming nearer to the door. "Who are you?"
"My name is Robert Carlisle. I know Ken rather well. I assume you know all about him and Hannah Badhman?"
Jasmine shakes her head. "What about them?"
Leo stands behind her, his arms folded.
"I suppose this is really about young Cody," Robert says. "May I come in?"
"Yes," Jasmine says, flustered. Her heart is racing as she ushers Robert inside and closes the door.