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In the final six episodes of Risky Secrets, Steve, Maria, Vicky, and Vasily are each making substantial progress toward escaping from the past and finding financial security, satisfying relationships, and psychological well being. Attaining those goals, however, does require dabbling in adultery, pornography, and narcotics trafficking, all of which can lead to unwelcome legal and social repercussions. There on the threshold of life happiness, on the verge of freeing themselves from the constraints that have become the bane of their existence, they learn how ephemeral and fragile human endeavors can be, especially when you are being hunted by covetous, greedy, vengeful, unscrupulous, implacable enemies. The upshot is that the protagonists’ search for personal fulfillment becomes a struggle for any future at all. As the series draws toward its conclusion, rapidly converging plot lines produce the dramatic conflicts that erupt into an explosively shocking comic denouement. 

 Steve is sitting on a piano bench and playing the piano.  Maria is sitting on a kitchen chair next to the piano bench.  Steve’s music books are on a side table next to Maria’s chair.

MUSIC:  G major scale, solo piano, one octave up and down

Steve stops playing.

END MUSIC.

MARIA

Much better.  Let’s stay with G major and move to the finger exercise book.

Maria picks up one of the music books from the side table.

MARIA

Page seven.

Maria opens the book and places it on the music stand.

MARIA

Remember to relax those wrists.  Articulate each note

Steve, with a pained expression, rolls his eyes and leans his head back.

MARIA

with the individual muscle of each finger.  Your hand should not be flopping up and down.

STEVE

Hey!  What about my Bach?

MARIA

Excuse me?

STEVE

In the brochure.  It said “Play Bach in three easy lessons.”  And this is my third lesson.

MARIA

You are quite correct.

Maria picks up her portfolio, UNZIPS it, leafs through a sheaf of papers, and eventually pulls out a set of sheet music, which she places upon the music stand.  She ZIPS up her portfolio and puts it back on the floor.

STEVE

G major, one of my favorite keys.  There’s a lot of notes on there.

MARIA

It’s a bit of a leap from “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” but just read the notes on top.  Right hand only.

Steve starts to play.

MUSIC:  Bach’s “Minuet in G Major,” melody only, very slowly with mistakes

Steve stops playing.  

END MUSIC.

MARIA

Good.  Very good.  But you see that it was written to be played allegretto, which means moderately fast, so you’ll have to pick up the tempo.  I want you to focus on the interval between notes, how far up or down on the scale you have to go, and translate that directly to your fingers.  So you’re not going from C to E, you’re just going two notes higher.

Steve starts to play.

MUSIC:  Bach’s “Minuet in G Major,” melody only, a little faster and with fewer mistakes but some extended pauses

Steve stops playing.  

END MUSIC.

STEVE

Wait a minute!  I know this song!

(resumes playing)

MUSIC:  Bach’s “Minuet in G Major,” melody only, slowly with occasional mistakes (partial)

STEVE

(sings)                 

How gen tle is the rain that falls so light ly da da da da da.

(stops playing)

END MUSIC.

STEVE

This is The Supremes!

MARIA

(amused)

Well I can assure you that the Minuet in G Major was first written and performed quite a long time ago.

STEVE

He should sue.

MARIA

To be perfectly candid, the piece was found in Bach’s notebooks, but it is no longer believed that he was the original composer.

STEVE

I guess the music industry has always been pretty sleazy.  Let me hear you play it.

MARIA

(frowns, stands up)

I’ll play the left hand harmony,

Maria circles behind the piano bench and sits down to Steve’s left.  He shifts slightly to the right, but their hips are touching.

MARIA

you play the melody.

(positions her hands over the keyboard)

All right.  Wrists relaxed.  Finger position.  Looking at the music.  Keep going even if you make a mistake.  I’ll count it off twice.  One and two and three and one and two and three and

Steve and Maria start playing.

MUSIC:  Bach’s “Minuet in G Major,” slowly with occasional mistakes (partial)

STEVE

(singing)

 You’ll hold me in your arms and say ay once again you love me.  And, if your love is true, everything will be just as wonderful.

MARIA

(crying, sniffle, suppressed sob)

STEVE

Are you laugh

Steve looks at Maria and stops playing. 

END MUSIC.

STEVE

(shocked)

Maria!  What’s the matter?