Joseph:
I can't take it any more. It's like WW III every day. Talk to Judith and tell her to get off of Joe Jr.'s case.
Pamela:
No! You speak to Joe Jr. and tell him to stop bullying Judith. He's the one who's doing the attacking, not her. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for anyone to be around him? He's always so nasty and bitter.
Joseph:
Well, maybe he has a reason. It hasn't been easy for him these past three years. Maybe if you showed him a little TLC...
Pamela:
TLC? Joseph, it's hard to show tender loving care to somebody who treats you like dirt. I've tried to get through to him. He hates me. I'm just not his real mother and he'll never let me forget that.
Joseph (sighing):
Look, all the kids were really close to Maria. And her death hit Joe the hardest. You've got to be patient with him.
Pamela:
Stop making excuses for him and telling me what I've got to do. Your son has got serious problems. Judith tells me he's into drugs, hangs out with a bad crowd...
Joseph (defensively):
Well, maybe Judith is wrong. How does she know what's going on in his life? And anyway, she's got her own axe to grind. Let's face it, Pamela, she'll do anything to get back to England, even if it means ruining our relationship.
Pamela:
Enough!! Enough! Can't you see what we're doing? They've dragged us right into the middle of their battle. We have got to take control or they're going to destroy our marriage.
Joseph:
You're right. (Pause) Maybe starting fresh in a new place wasn't such a great idea after all. If we had stayed in New York, it might have been easier.
Pamela:
You're being naive Joe. We'd be dealing with these problems wherever we were. At least in Connecticut I can breathe.
Joseph:
Maybe you can breathe, but I'm suffocating. The fighting is driving me crazy. I was so down yesterday that I spoke to Bill Powers, the head of Inpatient Psych, about our situation. I don't know if I felt better or worse when he told me what a job it will be to turn us into one family. He said that we had exceeded the danger mark on the Family Stress Inventory.
Pamela:
That's no surprise to me. So where do we go from here?
Joseph:
I already took Bill's suggestion and made an appointment with a psychologist couple called the Sterns. They're top family therapists with a lot of experience with blended families. I don't believe we can do it on our own. If we don't solve this, I'm afraid it's going to kill our marriage.
Pamela (incredulous):
You made an appointment for family therapy without consulting me?
Next Episode: Will Pamela and Joseph Resolve their Conflict?
Previous Episode: Scene 1: Joseph Confronts Joe Jr.
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