Time: August 1984 (Episode #003)

Setting: C.C. Capwell's study

Characters: C.C. and Rosa

Premise: Rosa Andrade was stunned when her daughter, Santana, confessed that she had been pregnant with Channing Capwell Jr.'s child years before. Adding to the shock was Santana's claim that Channing's father and Rosa's employer, C.C. Capwell, had forced Santana to give up the child.

C.C. is in his study, speaking on the telephone. Rosa, deeply upset, enters the study and takes care of the flowers in the room.

C.C.: (On phone) If the pressure's up, it's telling you something. Yes. And worse. Close down the rig if you have to. Every shaft. Look, Milligan's on his way. Do what he says. That's a priority. (Hangs up and switches the intercom to his secretary) Ann... Capwell 27's in trouble. Lipscomb and Chalmers, I want them flown out there right away. Jones is over his head. Thank you.

Rosa: Do you have time to talk?

C.C.: Well...

Rosa: It's important to me.

C.C.: All right. Go ahead.

Rosa: I've spoken with Santana.

C.C.: And...?

Rosa: She's very upset.

C.C.: I know she is.

Rosa: She told me something I couldn't believe at first. Something I didn't want to believe.

C.C.: And what's that?

Rosa: She told me that she had been pregnant and that she went to Acapulco and gave birth to a child who was fathered by your son.

C.C. closes the door of the study.

C.C.: Rosa... Yes. I can't deny it.

Rosa: How could that happen? Without our being able to help them. To help our children.

C.C.: I did the best I could.

Rosa: It was deliberately kept from her father and me.

C.C.: It was a decision that Santana and Channing and I made together.

Rosa: It was wrong.

C.C.: At the time I thought it was for the best.

Rosa: And now, have we no right to know about our grandchild? What happened to him?

C.C.: I don't know myself.

Rosa: Am I really to believe that?

C.C.: Rosa, we have known each other for many years. You have to trust me.

Rosa: Santana said you forced her to give her child up for adoption. You took the child away from her.

C.C.: It's true that Santana gave the child up for adoption. But it is absolutely untrue that I forced her to do it.

Rosa: She would never give it up willingly! How could you?

C.C.: I thought it was the best thing to do. They were both too young.

He turns to leave, but Rosa is furious.

Rosa: Who do you think you are? You forced my beautiful girl to give up her child. Who do you think you are?

C.C.: Rosa, nothing was simple.

Rosa: I trusted you. I thought you trusted me. I worked for you twenty years. I mothered your children when your wife died.

C.C.: Rosa, stop. Listen to me. Five years ago I had dreams for Channing. Now the dreams may have been unrealistic, but I believed in them. Privately I allowed myself to imagine that one day maybe he might even be president.

Rosa: He was a wonderful young man. I loved him too. But dear God, that's not what we're talking about. It's what you did to my daughter and her child.

C.C.: I want to explain to you exactly what happened so you understand.

Rosa: I doubt I will ever understand.

C.C.: My son came to me. He was eightteen years old. He told me that he was in love with Santana and that she was pregnant. He wanted to marry her. He wanted to quit school, go to work and marry her.

Rosa: I believe he would do a thing like that. He was a beautiful person. I know what he was like.

C.C.: He asked my advice.

Rosa: I wish he'd come to me.

C.C.: I told him, and I later told Santana, the realities of the situation.

Rosa: What realities? What are you talking about?

C.C.: They were both too young. They hadn't the faintest idea how to raise a child. They were totally unprepared for the responsibility. Now you may disagree with this, but I believe if they had had a child it would have ruined both their lives. Maybe even the child's life. Channing had everything ahead of him. Every opportunity was his. And if he had fallen in love, had a child and got married, everything would have changed.

Rosa: Because of who Santana is...

C.C.: No, no. You know I don't believe that. They were both too young. Even now I know no better solution.

Rosa: We've been betrayed. You have denied us our grandchild.

Rosa starts to leave, but C.C. stops her.

C.C.: Rosa, I have denied myself that grandchild. I've had live with the pain of that, too.