Scarecrow and Mrs. King
“Tears Into Wine”
Written by Anne Riener
A challenge story for Annette who wanted a Lee and Amanda story set around Halloween.
A little tag extension for the episode "Sour Grapes," written by Lee Maddox which originally aired on October 28, 1985.
“Tears Into Wine”
Written by Anne Riener
A challenge story for Annette who wanted a Lee and Amanda story set around Halloween.
A little tag extension for the episode "Sour Grapes," written by Lee Maddox which originally aired on October 28, 1985.
Amanda King entered through the patio door of her house with her mother Dotty West coming in closely behind her.
“I have to admit, he was right. It was a great block party.” Dotty kicked off her heels and dangled her black pumps from her fingertips. “I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to take a nice hot bubble bath and go straight to bed,” Dotty said, heading toward the stairs. “Don’t forget to lock up.”
“I won’t,” Amada affirmed with a nod.
“And no sneaking off to have a secret rendezvous with Buck,” Dotty hollered from the upstairs hallway.
Amanda threw her hands up in exasperation. “Mo-ther, for the hundredth time this evening, it wasn’t Buck.”
“Whatever you say, Dear,” her mocking voice floated from the landing. “Will you be going to bed soon?”
“No, I think I’ll stay up and clean the mess we made in the family room.” Amanda gestured with a wide sweep of her hand.
“Would you like some help?” Dotty poked her head around the corner.
“No, I’ve got it. Enjoy your bath.”
“Goodnight, Amanda.”
“Goodnight, Mother.”
Amanda entered the foyer and double-checked the locks on the front door. Then headed into the kitchen and grabbed a washrag, first wiping down the countertops and then the sink. A smile tugged at her lips thinking about all that had happened in the last few hours. Today had been a good day. Her and Lee’s most recent case had ended well and tonight he had almost kissed her. She shook her head incredulously and chuckled at her mother’s assumption she had almost kissed their neighbor. How could her mother mistake Lee for Buck? Lee was handsome, with a strong profile and good posture, tall and charming, while Buck was well. . . Buck. She then walked into the family room and put away the checkerboard and other board games she and her mother had been playing earlier in the evening, when Amanda heard rapping on the patio window. Without looking up, she smiled blissfully, walked over to the door and opened it.
“Hi,” the nighttime visitor told her.
“Hi, yourself.”
She closed the door behind her, moved out toward the gazebo and felt the familiar hand on the small of her back. She sat down on the bench and patted the seat next to her inviting him to join her. He sat down and leaned his head against the latticework. It was a beautiful night. The moon was full and shining brightly amid a spattering of silver toned clouds. Amanda took a deep breath of the cool breeze that brushed her face. They both sat silently for several moments staring up at the night sky.
“I see you lost your W.C. Fields’ mask,” she said, breaking the silence between them.
“I gave it back to your neighbor, um. . .”
“Buck,” she supplied.
“Yeah, Buck.”
Lee said no more, and they both turned their attention back to the evening stars. Amanda suddenly felt his presence, turned her head, and saw him watching her. She glanced down briefly, then lifted her head and met his gaze.
“What?” she asked with a slightly confused look on her face.
“Nothing.” His lips twitched into an enigmatic smile and he placed his hand on top of her smaller hand. “You were great solving the Chateau Monet case and I still can’t believe you made all those connections with the auction, the missing case of wine, and W.C. Fields. You really are something, Amanda King.”
"When I'm good, I'm very good. When I'm bad, I'm better,” she teased in her best Mae West impersonation, batting her beautiful brown eyes.
Observing him, she was surprised by the look of bewilderment on his face. His expression mirrored that of a deer caught in the headlights. She watched him take a shuddering breath and then quickly schooled his features, but averted his eyes and removed his hand from hers. He was obviously embarrassed by his own awkwardness. Clearing his throat, he shifted his position on the bench. “You know your movies.”
“Well, Mother loves the classics.” Amanda flashed him a smile and gestured with her hands.
“By the way, your mother looked great this evening in the sequined black dress she was wearing. She would have put Mae West to shame.”
Amanda’s head snapped up. “Have you been here the whole time? You didn’t go to that crazy party?”
He merely nodded. “Sure, why not. Besides, I still have a promise I need to fulfill.” He glanced around and then lowered his voice to a husky timbre. “After all, it’s important to keep promises, isn’t it?”
She could feel color creep up her neck and rise to her cheeks. A nervous shiver ran through her body. “Yes. . . yes, of course.”
He slid closer, and leaned toward her, closing the distance between them. She swallowed, licked her lips in anticipation and could feel her heart pounding against her chest. She could feel his hot breath on her face, his soft, subtle lips just inches from hers. The harvest moon cast a soft glow across his features and she tilted her head and closed her eyes in expectation. Lee brushed her face gently with his fingers and then his lips tenderly touched hers. Sparks immediately ignited and he started to deepen the kiss, then suddenly broke apart.
“What the hell!” she heard him cry out. Her eyes flashed open, and there in Lee’s lap lay a head of a big, burly St. Bernard. Thick, ropey saliva coated his pant legs and leather jacket. The scene was almost comical, the look of dreadfulness on Lee’s face as he tried to back away, almost crawling up the lattice in an attempt to escape the massive dog.
Amanda reached out and scratched the dog’s head. He wagged his monstrous brown and white tail back and forth whacking Lee in the knees. “You’ve had your fun, now go home, Nero.”
The dog turned, headed out the gazebo and into the darkness. Lee and Amanda smiled at one another and gently laughed.
“Yeah.” Amanda shook her head in disbelief, then stood up, brushed herself off and headed toward the back door. “I’ll be right back.”
She returned a moment later and handed him a roll of paper towels. “Here, Lee.” She then rocked a little back on her heels.
He tried to blot up the slobber off his clothing. “What is this stuff? Toxic waste?”
Amanda bit her lip to keep from laughing and tried to keep a straight face.
“Let me guess, the Ferguson’s dog?” Lee asked, knowingly.
Amanda laughed at the irony.
“I guess it’s only fair for all the times he’s been accused of trampling the flowers when it was me.” He held out the used towels unsure of what to do with them, but Amanda took them from him and placed them in the outside garbage can. Lee then handed the paper towel roll back to her.
She tucked it under the bench and sat back down next to him. Taking another deep breath of the night air, she reached over clasping Lee’s hand, which he took. He grinned at her and she returned his smile. “Anything special planned for Halloween? You know it’s only three days away.”
“Nothing special planned.”
“No parties or masquerade balls. Like that one I was hideously underdressed for the first time we met?”
He shook his head. “You?”
“The boys think they’re too old for trick-or-treating, so they’re inviting a couple friends over for pizza and to watch the movie Gremlins.” A heavy sigh left her lips. “It’s sad thinking of them as all grown up. I swear it was only yesterday I was leading a hobo and spaceman through our neighborhood.” He tenderly squeezed her hand and she bashfully smiled at him. “What did you dress up as for Halloween?”
He released his grip and put his hands to his sides. “The Colonel wasn’t too big on Halloween. He said he did not have time for such childish nonsense.”
“What about your—” she started to ask, and then stopped, reluctant to finish. “I’m sorry, Lee. I shouldn’t have asked something so personal.”
He shrugged his broad shoulders trying to appear indifferent. “It’s okay.” He then rose from the bench and turned away from her.
She folded her hands across her chest, lowered her head and glanced downward wondering if she had crossed the line again with him. Sometimes it was hard to get him to open up about his painful past.
“I don’t remember much,” she heard him say. “Only broken fragments and short-lived images. However, I remember one year. I must have been four and Mum took me to Woolworth’s to buy me a costume.”
“Mum?”
“I never told you my mother was British?”
“No.” Amanda's lips pursed with concentration and shot Lee a curious look. “Colonel Clayton?”
He leaned against the post, settling himself, he crossed his arms. “My father’s half-brother.”
“Ah.” She arched an eyebrow in understanding.
“Usually, my mother would make my Halloween outfit, but I begged her until she finally relented. Most children wanted to be ghosts, witches, or skeletons, but I had my eye on a Superman costume, just like the one George Reeves wore on The Adventures of Superman. Do you remember it?”
“Sure. The old black and white television serial.”
“Kellogg’s,” he said in his best announcer's voice. “The greatest name in cereal's presents: The Adventures of Superman. Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! "Look! Up in the sky!" "It's a bird!" "It's a plane!" In two quick steps, Lee pulled her up from the bench and swung her around. "It's Superman!" They laughed in unison.
Amanda smacked him lightly. “Put me down.”
His hazel eyes twinkling, he gently released her, before continuing his story. “I had to have the official Ben Cooper Superman costume with a red cape and the big letter S on the front in red and yellow.” He drew a large imaginary ‘S’ over his chest and then stood up straight with his hands on his hips. “Yes, it's Superman. . . strange visitor from another planet, who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal
men. . .”
Amanda’s mind wandered thinking about a little hazel-eyed boy with sandy brown hair wearing a Superman costume. She thought how cute he must have looked in his red cape, tights, and belt. Then her mind went into overdrive thinking about Lee being Superman, and she thought back to the earlier conversation she had with him a few weeks ago. “You think you are some sort of Superman, but you’re just a man. A very special man.” He certainly was a special man and without a doubt gave new meaning to the words “Man of Steel.” She blushed when she realized Lee was speaking directly to her.
“Earth to Amanda.”
“I’m sorry, Lee. I was just thinking how cute you must have looked in a Superman costume.” Her face grew more crimson.
Lee gave her a little embarrassed smile. Flustered, he cleared his throat. “Where was I? Anyway, when we got up to the front counter, she handed me a dollar and twenty-five cents, and I felt so big paying the cashier. As soon as we got back home, Dad helped me carve a pumpkin we had picked out at Hunter’s Farm the weekend before. We both worked hard carving it into a jack-o-lantern. He then lit it with a candle and helped me carry it to our front porch, and I was positive it was the best one on the block. Then later that evening, Mum took my hand and led me around the neighborhood with me carrying a large brown paper sack with handles to collect all my goodies. And if someone gave me candy I did not like I ‘shot’ them with my finger, until my mom reprimanded me and told me to ‘mind my manners’ or we were going to go home and she wouldn’t take me out again.” He suddenly stopped, the muscle in his jaw pulsated. “Talk about a cruel twist of fate, she never did take me again.”
Amanda placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He smiled warmly at the contact. “She may have been stern with you, but I bet she was probably laughing at your antics. You know she’d have taken you again and loved every minute of it.”
He gave her his best boyish dimpled grin. “When we got home, she made me hot apple cider and popcorn balls—orange ones. I remember the house smelled good. Of course, the house always smelled wonderful, smelled of sweet treats, and spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla. . .” his voice trailed off.
“Thanks for sharing with me, Lee.” She tenderly ran her finger up his arm.
He shrugged again trying to appear indifferent. “They’re just memories.” He then smiled at the recall. “However, I remember every Halloween after moving in with my uncle and after brushing my teeth and putting on my pajamas, I would turn on the light to my room and there I would find a small lunch sack filled with candy sitting on my bunk.”
“Someone was sweet on you. The Colonel, maybe?”
“I doubt it,” he said, and then glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late, I better go.” He fastened the top button of his leather jacket snug around his neck before heading out into the yard, then looked over his right shoulder at her. “Night, Amanda.”
“Goodnight, Lee.”
*****
A few days later, Lee entered through the door of his apartment, shrugged out of his suit coat, threw it over the back of the sofa, and walked over to the bedroom. He flipped on the light switch and was surprised to see a large brown paper bag with handles just like the one he had carried the last Halloween with his parents, sitting on top of his king sized comforter. He walked over to his bed and sat down. Inside the bag, he found Snickers, M&M’s, Reese's Pieces, Kit Kats, caramels, and a large orange colored popcorn ball, as well as an early edition Superman Action Comic book.
“Amanda.” Her name graced his lips and he felt a smile slowly spread across his face. Perhaps Halloween wasn’t so bad after all.
“I have to admit, he was right. It was a great block party.” Dotty kicked off her heels and dangled her black pumps from her fingertips. “I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to take a nice hot bubble bath and go straight to bed,” Dotty said, heading toward the stairs. “Don’t forget to lock up.”
“I won’t,” Amada affirmed with a nod.
“And no sneaking off to have a secret rendezvous with Buck,” Dotty hollered from the upstairs hallway.
Amanda threw her hands up in exasperation. “Mo-ther, for the hundredth time this evening, it wasn’t Buck.”
“Whatever you say, Dear,” her mocking voice floated from the landing. “Will you be going to bed soon?”
“No, I think I’ll stay up and clean the mess we made in the family room.” Amanda gestured with a wide sweep of her hand.
“Would you like some help?” Dotty poked her head around the corner.
“No, I’ve got it. Enjoy your bath.”
“Goodnight, Amanda.”
“Goodnight, Mother.”
Amanda entered the foyer and double-checked the locks on the front door. Then headed into the kitchen and grabbed a washrag, first wiping down the countertops and then the sink. A smile tugged at her lips thinking about all that had happened in the last few hours. Today had been a good day. Her and Lee’s most recent case had ended well and tonight he had almost kissed her. She shook her head incredulously and chuckled at her mother’s assumption she had almost kissed their neighbor. How could her mother mistake Lee for Buck? Lee was handsome, with a strong profile and good posture, tall and charming, while Buck was well. . . Buck. She then walked into the family room and put away the checkerboard and other board games she and her mother had been playing earlier in the evening, when Amanda heard rapping on the patio window. Without looking up, she smiled blissfully, walked over to the door and opened it.
“Hi,” the nighttime visitor told her.
“Hi, yourself.”
She closed the door behind her, moved out toward the gazebo and felt the familiar hand on the small of her back. She sat down on the bench and patted the seat next to her inviting him to join her. He sat down and leaned his head against the latticework. It was a beautiful night. The moon was full and shining brightly amid a spattering of silver toned clouds. Amanda took a deep breath of the cool breeze that brushed her face. They both sat silently for several moments staring up at the night sky.
“I see you lost your W.C. Fields’ mask,” she said, breaking the silence between them.
“I gave it back to your neighbor, um. . .”
“Buck,” she supplied.
“Yeah, Buck.”
Lee said no more, and they both turned their attention back to the evening stars. Amanda suddenly felt his presence, turned her head, and saw him watching her. She glanced down briefly, then lifted her head and met his gaze.
“What?” she asked with a slightly confused look on her face.
“Nothing.” His lips twitched into an enigmatic smile and he placed his hand on top of her smaller hand. “You were great solving the Chateau Monet case and I still can’t believe you made all those connections with the auction, the missing case of wine, and W.C. Fields. You really are something, Amanda King.”
"When I'm good, I'm very good. When I'm bad, I'm better,” she teased in her best Mae West impersonation, batting her beautiful brown eyes.
Observing him, she was surprised by the look of bewilderment on his face. His expression mirrored that of a deer caught in the headlights. She watched him take a shuddering breath and then quickly schooled his features, but averted his eyes and removed his hand from hers. He was obviously embarrassed by his own awkwardness. Clearing his throat, he shifted his position on the bench. “You know your movies.”
“Well, Mother loves the classics.” Amanda flashed him a smile and gestured with her hands.
“By the way, your mother looked great this evening in the sequined black dress she was wearing. She would have put Mae West to shame.”
Amanda’s head snapped up. “Have you been here the whole time? You didn’t go to that crazy party?”
He merely nodded. “Sure, why not. Besides, I still have a promise I need to fulfill.” He glanced around and then lowered his voice to a husky timbre. “After all, it’s important to keep promises, isn’t it?”
She could feel color creep up her neck and rise to her cheeks. A nervous shiver ran through her body. “Yes. . . yes, of course.”
He slid closer, and leaned toward her, closing the distance between them. She swallowed, licked her lips in anticipation and could feel her heart pounding against her chest. She could feel his hot breath on her face, his soft, subtle lips just inches from hers. The harvest moon cast a soft glow across his features and she tilted her head and closed her eyes in expectation. Lee brushed her face gently with his fingers and then his lips tenderly touched hers. Sparks immediately ignited and he started to deepen the kiss, then suddenly broke apart.
“What the hell!” she heard him cry out. Her eyes flashed open, and there in Lee’s lap lay a head of a big, burly St. Bernard. Thick, ropey saliva coated his pant legs and leather jacket. The scene was almost comical, the look of dreadfulness on Lee’s face as he tried to back away, almost crawling up the lattice in an attempt to escape the massive dog.
Amanda reached out and scratched the dog’s head. He wagged his monstrous brown and white tail back and forth whacking Lee in the knees. “You’ve had your fun, now go home, Nero.”
The dog turned, headed out the gazebo and into the darkness. Lee and Amanda smiled at one another and gently laughed.
“Yeah.” Amanda shook her head in disbelief, then stood up, brushed herself off and headed toward the back door. “I’ll be right back.”
She returned a moment later and handed him a roll of paper towels. “Here, Lee.” She then rocked a little back on her heels.
He tried to blot up the slobber off his clothing. “What is this stuff? Toxic waste?”
Amanda bit her lip to keep from laughing and tried to keep a straight face.
“Let me guess, the Ferguson’s dog?” Lee asked, knowingly.
Amanda laughed at the irony.
“I guess it’s only fair for all the times he’s been accused of trampling the flowers when it was me.” He held out the used towels unsure of what to do with them, but Amanda took them from him and placed them in the outside garbage can. Lee then handed the paper towel roll back to her.
She tucked it under the bench and sat back down next to him. Taking another deep breath of the night air, she reached over clasping Lee’s hand, which he took. He grinned at her and she returned his smile. “Anything special planned for Halloween? You know it’s only three days away.”
“Nothing special planned.”
“No parties or masquerade balls. Like that one I was hideously underdressed for the first time we met?”
He shook his head. “You?”
“The boys think they’re too old for trick-or-treating, so they’re inviting a couple friends over for pizza and to watch the movie Gremlins.” A heavy sigh left her lips. “It’s sad thinking of them as all grown up. I swear it was only yesterday I was leading a hobo and spaceman through our neighborhood.” He tenderly squeezed her hand and she bashfully smiled at him. “What did you dress up as for Halloween?”
He released his grip and put his hands to his sides. “The Colonel wasn’t too big on Halloween. He said he did not have time for such childish nonsense.”
“What about your—” she started to ask, and then stopped, reluctant to finish. “I’m sorry, Lee. I shouldn’t have asked something so personal.”
He shrugged his broad shoulders trying to appear indifferent. “It’s okay.” He then rose from the bench and turned away from her.
She folded her hands across her chest, lowered her head and glanced downward wondering if she had crossed the line again with him. Sometimes it was hard to get him to open up about his painful past.
“I don’t remember much,” she heard him say. “Only broken fragments and short-lived images. However, I remember one year. I must have been four and Mum took me to Woolworth’s to buy me a costume.”
“Mum?”
“I never told you my mother was British?”
“No.” Amanda's lips pursed with concentration and shot Lee a curious look. “Colonel Clayton?”
He leaned against the post, settling himself, he crossed his arms. “My father’s half-brother.”
“Ah.” She arched an eyebrow in understanding.
“Usually, my mother would make my Halloween outfit, but I begged her until she finally relented. Most children wanted to be ghosts, witches, or skeletons, but I had my eye on a Superman costume, just like the one George Reeves wore on The Adventures of Superman. Do you remember it?”
“Sure. The old black and white television serial.”
“Kellogg’s,” he said in his best announcer's voice. “The greatest name in cereal's presents: The Adventures of Superman. Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! "Look! Up in the sky!" "It's a bird!" "It's a plane!" In two quick steps, Lee pulled her up from the bench and swung her around. "It's Superman!" They laughed in unison.
Amanda smacked him lightly. “Put me down.”
His hazel eyes twinkling, he gently released her, before continuing his story. “I had to have the official Ben Cooper Superman costume with a red cape and the big letter S on the front in red and yellow.” He drew a large imaginary ‘S’ over his chest and then stood up straight with his hands on his hips. “Yes, it's Superman. . . strange visitor from another planet, who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal
men. . .”
Amanda’s mind wandered thinking about a little hazel-eyed boy with sandy brown hair wearing a Superman costume. She thought how cute he must have looked in his red cape, tights, and belt. Then her mind went into overdrive thinking about Lee being Superman, and she thought back to the earlier conversation she had with him a few weeks ago. “You think you are some sort of Superman, but you’re just a man. A very special man.” He certainly was a special man and without a doubt gave new meaning to the words “Man of Steel.” She blushed when she realized Lee was speaking directly to her.
“Earth to Amanda.”
“I’m sorry, Lee. I was just thinking how cute you must have looked in a Superman costume.” Her face grew more crimson.
Lee gave her a little embarrassed smile. Flustered, he cleared his throat. “Where was I? Anyway, when we got up to the front counter, she handed me a dollar and twenty-five cents, and I felt so big paying the cashier. As soon as we got back home, Dad helped me carve a pumpkin we had picked out at Hunter’s Farm the weekend before. We both worked hard carving it into a jack-o-lantern. He then lit it with a candle and helped me carry it to our front porch, and I was positive it was the best one on the block. Then later that evening, Mum took my hand and led me around the neighborhood with me carrying a large brown paper sack with handles to collect all my goodies. And if someone gave me candy I did not like I ‘shot’ them with my finger, until my mom reprimanded me and told me to ‘mind my manners’ or we were going to go home and she wouldn’t take me out again.” He suddenly stopped, the muscle in his jaw pulsated. “Talk about a cruel twist of fate, she never did take me again.”
Amanda placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He smiled warmly at the contact. “She may have been stern with you, but I bet she was probably laughing at your antics. You know she’d have taken you again and loved every minute of it.”
He gave her his best boyish dimpled grin. “When we got home, she made me hot apple cider and popcorn balls—orange ones. I remember the house smelled good. Of course, the house always smelled wonderful, smelled of sweet treats, and spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla. . .” his voice trailed off.
“Thanks for sharing with me, Lee.” She tenderly ran her finger up his arm.
He shrugged again trying to appear indifferent. “They’re just memories.” He then smiled at the recall. “However, I remember every Halloween after moving in with my uncle and after brushing my teeth and putting on my pajamas, I would turn on the light to my room and there I would find a small lunch sack filled with candy sitting on my bunk.”
“Someone was sweet on you. The Colonel, maybe?”
“I doubt it,” he said, and then glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late, I better go.” He fastened the top button of his leather jacket snug around his neck before heading out into the yard, then looked over his right shoulder at her. “Night, Amanda.”
“Goodnight, Lee.”
*****
A few days later, Lee entered through the door of his apartment, shrugged out of his suit coat, threw it over the back of the sofa, and walked over to the bedroom. He flipped on the light switch and was surprised to see a large brown paper bag with handles just like the one he had carried the last Halloween with his parents, sitting on top of his king sized comforter. He walked over to his bed and sat down. Inside the bag, he found Snickers, M&M’s, Reese's Pieces, Kit Kats, caramels, and a large orange colored popcorn ball, as well as an early edition Superman Action Comic book.
“Amanda.” Her name graced his lips and he felt a smile slowly spread across his face. Perhaps Halloween wasn’t so bad after all.