Familiar Dreams
by Rebecca Immich
Disclaimer: Remember WENN and all it's characters belong to Rupert Holmes, AMC, etc. No infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Well, I had to write yet another ending to "Happy Homecomings." This idea just popped into my head one day when I was driving to work and so here is the story. Hope you enjoy it!
Betty squeezed her eyes together tightly, preparing for the worst, and uttered the fatal words. "Buy barley futures."
Betty peaked out from underneath her eyelashes, surprised that a gun hadn't gone off yet. As though in slow motion, she saw Scott lunge for Victor's gun. He missed and slowly toppled to the green room floor. Pruitt began to laugh an evil laugh. It sent chills up and down Betty's spine. Scott landed with a sickening thud.
Victor slowly turned and pointed the gun at Betty. A mournful look flickered across his face, but just as soon as it had came, Victor's icy mask was back in place. His finger pulled the trigger. A bullet tore through the air. Betty could see it coming closer and closer. It was just about to strike her when...
A loud voice echoed through Betty's mind. "Betty! Betty!"
She opened her eyes and stared at her surroundings. She was back in her home in Elkhart Indiana. The whole shootout had just been a dream. What a strange dream, Betty thought.
"Elizabeth May Roberts!"
Betty recognized her mother's voice and jumped out of bed. She threw on her robe and clattered downstairs to the kitchen.
The kitchen smelled delicious, with the smell of cinnamon and vanilla from the baking rolls wafting through the air. Baking supplies surrounded Betty's mother. A smudge of flour decorated her nose as she kneaded the bread.
"So," she asked, pausing from her kneading, "were you planning to sleep in till noon today?"
"Well," Betty feebly protested, "I was out late with Roger last night..."
"That's no excuse," her mother said firmly, resuming her kneading. "It's nearly ten o'clock and you still have to clean the downstairs and make a cake for the Women's Auxiliary booth at the County Fair. Oh, and you got a letter today. It's over there. I think it's from somewhere in Pennsylvania."
Betty raced over the table and tore open the envelope. She yanked out the letter and swiftly scanned the contents. "Oh mama!" she shouted, enveloping her mother in a big hug.
"What is it now, Betty?" she asked, patting Betty on the back and looking slightly confused.
"Do you remember that radio writing contest that I entered at the beginning of June?" Betty asked excitedly, releasing her mother from the hug.
"Yes," she answered cautiously. "What about it?"
"I won!" She pointed at the letter. "Right here it says that my radio script was 'in every way a professional radio script.' Plus they've offered me a job as an intern at WENN!"
"Betty, what about college?" her mother asked. "You're just about to graduate. How are you going to get to Pittsburgh? Where will you stay? And what is your father going to say?"
Betty smiled and replied, "Well, I know you and Father could save the money for Brad's education. He'll to be graduating from high school in a year. The letter says right here that they will be sending me a train ticket to get to Pittsburgh in a few weeks. I'm sure that I can find somewhere to stay in Pittsburgh. We could call Aunt Eloise. She used to live there and would probably be able to help me find a nice but cheap place to stay. And don't worry about Father. I'll take care of him."
"Oh, Betty," her mother said, half disapprovingly, half wistfully, "what will we do here without you?"
"You'll manage. This will be the adventure that I'm always writing about!"
And with that, Betty walked dreamily back upstairs. After convincing her father that she should go, Betty was on cloud nine for the next few weeks. A train ticket arrived in the mail and she began to pack for her adventure to Pittsburgh.
During the train ride to Pittsburgh, Betty found her mind wandering back to the strange dream. Just who were Victor Comstock and Scott Sherwood? What did 'Buy barley futures' mean? She shook the niggling feelings away by eating all of the sandwiches that her mother had packed for her.
Betty splurged and took a taxi to the building where WENN was located. She had just enough money to pay for a week's rent at her boarding house and not a penny more could be spent. When the cab pulled up to the curb, Betty gave the driver money for the fare and a tip. While he went to remove her luggage from the trunk, Betty stared up at the top of the building. So this is where I'm going to work, she thought to herself. The driver handed Betty her luggage and sped away.
Betty walked into the building and stopped in the vestibule. She rummaged around to find the letter with the address of WENN on it. She noted the floor and pressed the elevator button marked thirteen. Betty smiled to herself, hoping that thirteen would bring good luck this time. When the elevator finally reached the thirteenth floor, Betty opened the gate and found the door leading into WENN. She stood in front of the frosted glass door, taking in her new surroundings. Betty pushed through the door and stepped into a reception area. The woman standing at the desk looked vaguely familiar. Puzzled, Betty said, "Hello."
The receptionist looked up. "Auditions are Monday and Wednesday."
Betty went on to tell her about the internship and commented on the peanut brittle. The receptionist ignored the subtle hint and sent Betty to watch the show. Outside the studio, Betty met an attractive looking young man named Jeff Singer. They chatted for a while about the food until a woman interrupted them. Betty thought that she knew them because immediately the woman began to argue with Jeff. She turned out to be Hilary Booth and Betty had seen her in The Rivals years ago. Maybe that's why they looked familiar, Betty thought. But we didn't have very good seats. How would I be able to recognize her without the stage makeup? After pushing that thought from her head, Jeff asked her to go eat lunch with him again. Betty refused, not wanting to start World War II with that woman.
Jeff took her in to see Mr. Comstock. He introduced her, saying, "Victor, this is Betty Roberts, from Elkhart. Newly arrived at the train station, and just arrived at our station."
"And I hope I've found my proper station in life, Mr. Comstock," Betty said.
Mr. Comstock looked up from his work and replied, "That was meant to be humorous. Yes, miss, a merry quip?"
"It was, um, just, uh, an icebreaker."
"Uh huh," Victor said.
"So was the Titanic," they both said in unison.
Mr. Comstock looked up from the broadcast. "How did you know that I was going to say that?"
Betty looked puzzled. "I'm not exactly sure. I feel like I've been here before."
"Déjà vu," Victor suggested.
Betty nodded in agreement and then asked, "I know this may sound strange, but does 'Buy Barley futures' mean anything to you?"
Victor frowned and replied, "I don't think so. Why do you ask?"
"I'm not sure," Betty said. "I guess it was all just a strange dream."
The End