LARRY CATCHES GREG TALKING TO BETHANY — HE BEATS HIM AND KICKS HIM OUT!
Larry had never expected to return home and find Greg standing in his living room, speaking privately with Bethany. The moment he stepped through the front door and heard Greg’s voice, his expression changed. He stopped walking, tightened his grip on his keys, and stared toward the living room, where Bethany stood facing Greg with a serious expression.
GREG: “Bethany, I’m not here to cause problems. I just wanted a chance to talk to you without everybody getting involved.”
BETHANY: “I understand, Greg, but you know how Larry feels about you. I don’t want another argument in this house.”
GREG: “I know, but that doesn’t mean I can’t speak to you. We’ve known each other for a long time, and I thought you would at least hear me out.”
Bethany sighed and folded her arms. She wanted to understand why Greg had come over, but she was already worried about what Larry would say if he discovered them talking. She glanced toward the hallway, unaware that Larry was standing just beyond it, listening to every word.
GREG: “I just need you to understand something. The way things have been between you and Larry lately isn’t right. You seem unhappy, and I can tell you’re carrying a lot of stress.”
BETHANY: “Greg, please. My marriage is complicated enough without somebody else telling me what I should do about it.”
GREG: “I’m not telling you what to do. I’m saying you deserve to be heard.”
Those words were the last thing Larry wanted to hear.
He stepped into the living room, making his presence impossible to ignore. Bethany immediately turned around, her eyes widening when she saw him. Greg looked over his shoulder and fell silent.
LARRY: “Well, well. What do we have here?”
BETHANY: “Larry! I didn’t hear you come in.”
LARRY: “Obviously. You two looked a little too comfortable to notice anything else.”
Greg slowly turned to face him.
GREG: “Larry, calm down. Nothing is happening here. I came to talk to Bethany, and that’s all.”
Larry let out a bitter laugh and tossed his keys onto the nearby table.
LARRY: “You came to MY house to talk to MY wife, and you expect me to believe there’s nothing going on?”
BETHANY: “Larry, don’t start this. Greg came here to have a conversation. That’s all we’ve been doing.”
LARRY: “And you couldn’t have that conversation when I was home? You had to wait until I wasn’t here?”
BETHANY: “You weren’t home when he arrived. I didn’t arrange some secret meeting with him!”
Larry turned his furious gaze toward Greg.
LARRY: “Who told you that you could come into my house?”
GREG: “Nobody needs to give me permission to speak respectfully to someone I’ve known for years. I came here to talk, not fight.”
LARRY: “You think you’re going to stand in front of me and tell me how things work in my own house?”
GREG: “That’s not what I’m doing.”
LARRY: “Then what are you doing here?”
Greg took a breath, trying to keep his voice steady.
GREG: “Bethany looked like she needed somebody to listen to her. I came because I care about what happens to people I know. If that bothers you, that’s your problem.”
Bethany immediately stepped between them.
BETHANY: “Greg, stop. Larry, please listen to me. You’re making this into something it isn’t.”
LARRY: “Move, Bethany.”
BETHANY: “No! I’m not going to stand here and watch you intimidate him just because you don’t like seeing him talk to me.”
Larry’s jaw tightened. Her refusal to agree with him only made him angrier.
LARRY: “So now you’re defending him against me? In my own home?”
BETHANY: “I’m defending the truth! He hasn’t done anything wrong by having a conversation with me.”
LARRY: “You don’t get to decide what’s disrespectful to me!”
Greg shook his head.
GREG: “Larry, listen to yourself. You’re so busy trying to control this situation that you aren’t even listening to your wife.”
Larry stepped closer to Greg.
LARRY: “You need to watch your mouth.”
GREG: “Or what?”
Bethany’s eyes widened.
BETHANY: “Greg, don’t provoke him! Both of you need to stop!”
For a moment, the room fell completely silent. Larry stared at Greg, and Greg refused to look away. The tension between them had grown so intense that even Bethany seemed afraid to move.
Then Larry suddenly shoved Greg backward.
Greg stumbled into the edge of the sofa, catching himself before he fell. Bethany gasped and rushed toward them.
BETHANY: “LARRY! What is wrong with you?”
GREG: “Are you serious? You just put your hands on me because I came to talk?”
LARRY: “Get out of my face!”
Greg straightened and stepped forward, his anger finally breaking through his attempts to remain calm.
GREG: “You don’t own everybody around you, Larry. You can’t treat people however you want just because you think nobody will challenge you.”
Larry struck Greg in a sudden burst of anger. Greg staggered sideways, stunned by what had happened. Bethany rushed between them, raising her hands to keep them apart.
BETHANY: “STOP IT! Both of you, stop!”
GREG: “You need to get control of yourself!”
LARRY: “You came into my house looking for trouble, and now you’re going to tell me what to do?”
GREG: “I came here to talk to Bethany. YOU turned this into a fight!”
Larry moved toward him again, but Bethany blocked his path.
BETHANY: “If you touch him again, Larry, I swear I will never forgive you for this!”
Larry froze briefly, staring at his wife as though he couldn’t believe she had threatened to hold him accountable.
LARRY: “You’re really going to take his side?”
BETHANY: “This isn’t about taking sides! You attacked him in front of me. What did you expect me to do, stand here and pretend it was acceptable?”
Greg rubbed his face and looked at Bethany.
GREG: “I’m not staying here for this. I came to have a conversation, not get attacked.”
LARRY: “Good! Then leave!”
Larry pointed toward the front door.
LARRY: “Get out of my house right now. And don’t ever come back here again!”
Greg looked at Larry with disbelief before turning to Bethany.
GREG: “I’m sorry this happened. You didn’t deserve to be put in the middle of this.”
BETHANY: “Greg, wait. You shouldn’t have to leave like this.”
LARRY: “He should already be outside!”
Greg shook his head and walked toward the door. Before leaving, he turned around one last time.
GREG: “Larry, you can throw me out of your house, but you can’t force Bethany to agree with everything you say. One day, you’re going to have to face what your behavior is doing to your marriage.”
Larry opened the door wider.
LARRY: “OUT!”
Greg stepped outside. Larry slammed the door behind him, making Bethany flinch. For several seconds, neither of them spoke. The house that had been filled with shouting now felt unbearably quiet.
Larry turned toward Bethany.
LARRY: “Now, are you going to explain why he was here?”
Bethany stared at him, struggling to contain her anger and disappointment.
BETHANY: “I already explained it. He came to talk to me. That’s all.”
LARRY: “And you expect me to believe that?”
BETHANY: “I don’t know what you expect anymore, Larry. You saw two people having a conversation, and you immediately decided the worst. You didn’t ask questions. You didn’t listen. You just attacked him.”
LARRY: “He disrespected me!”
BETHANY: “No, Larry. You felt threatened because another man was listening to your wife. There’s a difference.”
Larry stared at her, his expression hardening.
LARRY: “Be careful, Bethany. You’re pushing me too far.”
Bethany let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh.
BETHANY: “I’m pushing you? You’re the one who turned a simple conversation into a fight. And now you’re threatening me because I won’t tell you that you were right?”
LARRY: “I’m not threatening you. I’m telling you that I won’t tolerate Greg coming between us.”
BETHANY: “Then maybe you should start asking yourself why you believe a conversation with another person is enough to threaten our marriage.”
Larry opened his mouth to respond, but the doorbell suddenly rang.
Both of them turned toward the entrance.
Larry’s face tightened.
LARRY: “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He marched toward the door and pulled it open, expecting Greg to have returned. Instead, a man stood on the porch holding a phone in his hand.
MAN: “Are you Larry?”
LARRY: “Who’s asking?”
The man glanced past Larry toward Bethany, who had approached the hallway.
MAN: “I need to speak to Bethany. It’s about what happened here today.”
Bethany’s expression changed.
BETHANY: “What are you talking about?”
The man looked at Larry, then back at her.
MAN: “Greg called me before he came here. He told me he was worried this meeting might turn ugly. And after what just happened, there’s something you both need to know.”
Larry’s anger slowly gave way to suspicion.
LARRY: “What did Greg tell you?”
The man hesitated, looking directly at Bethany.
MAN: “He said he came here because he had something important to tell you about Larry.”
Bethany went completely still.
Larry slowly turned toward his wife.
LARRY: “Bethany… what exactly was Greg planning to tell you about me?”
TO BE CONTINUED…