Episode Report Card Niki: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Daddy's Girl
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 16 | Aired on 02.13.2000
Alone in the kitchen, Naomi and Lily get down to some grown-up talk. Naomi's already figured out that things aren't quite right, and she asks about it. Lily says that nothing's wrong, other than the fact that "Jake just maxed out the only credit card" Lily has. Naomi is shocked to hear that Jake would pull such a juvenile, selfish, irresponsible, thoughtless stunt (okay, that's my own description) since she thought they went over all the financial stuff during mediation. Lily says of course they did, and that they agreed to keep their accounts separate; she even has it in writing. "Meatloaf or lasagna?" she wants to know. Naomi sensibly chooses the lasagna and then points out that Lily and Jake may not be the best candidates for mediation. Lily looks at her like "thanks for the update." Naomi points out that for mediation to work, both parties have to be rational, implying that Jake clearly isn't. Rational, schmational -- Jake "always has a legitimate excuse," Lily says. Naomi sees that Lily has to wake up and realize that Jake can't be trusted, so she tells her the tale of her cousin, Gwen, who was married to a guy in the shoe business. When they got divorced, he had no money to speak of: "Or so they thought. He'd been taking money and hiding it in the shoes! Listen to me. The restaurant is a cash business. He may not even be reporting all of it." Why, not our Jake! He's such an upstanding guy. Lily can't believe it, either, exclaiming, "But that's illegal!" "Hel-lo? You need to protect yourself and your kids. You need a lawyer." Naomi goes on to point out that a lawyer will work only for Lily and make sure she doesn't get screwed. Lily's not thrilled with the idea, though, since they've already got a mediator that they can't afford. "Look how well that's going," Naomi remarks, ever the voice of reason. Lily's clearly agitated as she slams the fridge and sighs, "There's just so much going on right now. Re-opening the restaurant on Valentine's Day, and my father's coming out here tomorrow." Naomi, thankfully, lets her make her excuses but writes out the number of a divorce attorney nonetheless.
Cut to Grace sitting in a classroom. The teacher is walking around handing back assignments, and Grace obviously did well on hers because she smiles wide when she sees her grade. The teacher mentions that a few people still don't have their camp deposits in and he needs them. He then sits on his desk and starts to read aloud from of one of the essays. It's about how free writers are because they work within the endless bounds of the imagination. As he's reading, Grace turns to look at the boy beside her and then turns back and smiles to herself. The bell rings, and she and the boy glance at one another as they pack up their stuff. On her way out, the teacher makes a point of reminding her that he needs her deposit soon, and he'd hate to see her lose her spot.