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Alex, a teenager who experiences life and its surprises... |
neighbourhood. INT. ALEXâS HOME- DAY Alex enters, walks into the living room and puts his bag on the couch. Heading towards the kitchen when suddenly we have the point of view from someone who is hidden, watching him. The figure slowly creeps behind Alex just as he turns around. ALEX Muffin! I missed you! MUFFIN, Alexâs beloved female golden retriever. Medium sized. Alex squats down and rubs her. ALEX (CONTâD) Did you miss me, huh? Did ya? Come on, letâs go get a snack. 23. INT. KITCHEN- DAY Alex sits at the counter eating a sandwich. Muffin eats her dog biscuits on the floor next to him. Bustling in from the garden door is MRS. WARD. 60s. Circle glasses. White fluffy hair. MRS. WARD Alex, youâre home! How was your trip? ALEX It was good. MRS. WARD Is Chris coming over anytime soon? Iâll make his favourite Mac n Cheese. ALEX No...he wonât be coming over anytime soon or anymore for that matter. Mrs. Ward takes a seat next to him. MRS. WARD Why? Did something happen? ALEX He and his family are migrating. MRS. WARD Oh! Iâm sorry to hear that. ALEX Anyway, what were you doing outside? MRS. WARD Doing a bit of weeding. ALEX Mrs. Ward! Mum said you shouldnât be doing that! Thatâs what the gardener is for! MRS. WARD I know, I know...I was bored. Everything in the house was spick and span but the garden was in a mess. I couldnât help myself! Mrs. Ward chuckles. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 24. ALEX But still...what are you doing after this? MRS. WARD Grocery shopping. ALEX Iâll go for you. You need to rest. MRS. WARD No, you donât have to. I can manage. ALEX Mrs. Ward, you canât over-work yourself. Youâre not getting any younger. Both laugh. MRS. WARD Oh, alright. Mrs. Ward fishes about in her pockets. MRS. WARD (CONTâD) Hereâs the list and some money. Alex takes it, washes his utensils in the sink and heads out with Muffin following him. ALEX Iâll be back soon! MRS. WARD Take your time! EXT. DAMODAR CITY, NEW WORLD SUPERMARKET- DAY Alex is bending down to face Muffin. ALEX Muffin, you have to stay here OK? You canât come in, Iâll be back in a jiffy. He then gives Muffin a pat and walks in. Muffin obediently sits down. At the same time, someone walks out holding a pie. Muffinâs nose twitches, she gets up but then sits back down, staring after him. 25. INT. NEW WORLD SUPERMARKET- DAY Alex is walking down an aisle reading the list, holding a shopping basket. He stops and looks for something on the shelves. Behind him, he hears someone struggling. Turning around he sees an elderly man trying to reach for something. He goes to him. ALEX Here, let me help you. ELDERLY MAN Oh, thank you young man. The elderly man makes way for Alex who takes a tin of chocolate biscuits off the shelf and hands it to him. The elderly man receives it with thanks and shuffles away. Alex then makes his way to the check-out counter. He stands in line and overhears a conversation. CASHIER Sir, Iâm sorry but youâre $2 short. ELDERLY MAN Eh? I bought this last week and it was only $2.95. CASHIER The price has gone up, sir. The elderly man sighs with disappointment. ELDERLY MAN I see. Itâs just that my grand-daughter loves these biscuits, and I walked all the way here with only $2.95. The elderly man is about to walk out when Alex comes over. ALEX Wait, Iâll pay for it. ELDERLY MAN Young man! Why, itâs you again! Alex pays the cashier and hands the tin biscuits to him ALEX Here, your grand-daughter must be waiting for you. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 26. ELDERLY MAN Bless you! Youâre truly my guardian angel today! Thank you so much! ALEX No problem, glad I could help. ELDERLY MAN Your parents should be proud to have raised someone like you. EXT. NEW WORLD SUPERMARKET- DAY Alex walks out with him then bids him farewell. He watches the elderly man make his way home. ALEX (VOICE OVER) His grand-daughter is lucky to have a grandfather like him. Someone who walks a long way to buy your favourite snack, who cares for you, loves you... Muffin whines and Alex looks at her. ALEX Sorry, I took a while Muffin. He rubs her head and Muffin runs off. EXT. MCDONALDS, LAUCALA BAY- DAY Alex runs after Muffin with his bags of groceries, calling her. ALEX Muffin! Stop! Where are you going? If this is revenge for making you wait long, I said Iâm sorry! Alex sees her stop in front of a guy sitting at a table. He runs in that direction and arrives huffing and puffing. ALEX (out of breath) Iâm...sorry about...my...dog. MARK LUVENI. 20s. Average. Short dark hair. He seems amused at the spectacle in-front of him. MARK I think heâs hungry. Can I? (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 27. Mark shows the pie he had been eating and Alex gestures the affirmative, other hand on hip breathing heavily. Mark gives Muffin his last piece of the pie and Muffin gulps it greedily. MARK Whatâs his name? Mark bends down to rub her. ALEX Its a she and her name is Muffin. MARK Ah yes, I heard you yelling it out. Nice name. Muffin whines while looking at Mark. MARK Sorry, Muffin thatâs all I had left. ALEX Anyway, I gotta get going. Alex shows his shopping bags. ALEX (CONTâD) Thanks for being nice to Muffin. MARK No worries. Alex walks away with Muffin while Mark watches them and laughs to himself. INT. ALEXâS HOME, KITCHEN- DAY Alex enters and sees Mrs. Ward and a little girl playing Scrabble at the table. He puts the shopping bags on the counter and joins them. MRS. WARD Alex, help! Your sister is getting better at this. EMILY TIKO. 10. Wearing pigtails. Takes a sip of her orange juice. EMILY I think Mrs. Ward is just letting me win. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 28. MRS. WARD (innocently) Why do you say that? EMILY You could have played that triple word score but you didnât. MRS. WARD I couldnât make any word there. EMILY How about those other two before? MRS. WARD I had bad letters? Oh alright, you caught me! Mrs. Ward laughs. EMILY Aha! You donât have to do that, you know. MRS. WARD If I did, you would be complaining about showing you some mercy! EMILY Oh, when you put it that way... Emily smiles shamelessly. MRS. WARD Anyway, what do you kids want for lunch? Both Alex and Emily look at each other with a knowing smile. ALEX AND EMILY Pizza! MRS. WARD I knew it! Mrs. Ward stands up from the table and goes to the cabinets, taking out the required ingredients. EMILY Weâll help you. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 29. MRS. WARD OK, Alex you can get started on the dough. Weâll prepare the toppings. The three of them work on making the pizza. Laughter fills the kitchen while Muffin prances around them. While the pizza is in the oven, they clean up then sit at the table. EMILY I wanna go somewhere for the holidays. So boring at home... MRS. WARD Why donât you try asking your parents? EMILY Theyâll just say theyâre busy. But Iâm glad Grandpa is coming. Mrs. Ward glances at Alex whose facial expression changed at the mention of him. MRS. WARD You must be excited, huh? EMILY Yup, he always brings me a gift. I find something weird though. MRS. WARD What is it? EMILY Why doesnât he bring anything for Alex? Alex starts to fidget in his chair. MRS. WARD Maybe because Alex is an adult now and doesnât need to have lollies and toys like you do. EMILY But he also brings something for Daddy and Mommy...why not Alex? Iâm not his only grandchild. ALEX I told him not to bring me anything. Like what Mrs. Ward said, Iâm big enough now and he doesnât have to. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 30. EMILY But... MRS. WARD I think the pizzaâs ready now! INT. ALEXâS ROOM- DAY Alex is lying on his bed, music playing. Thereâs a knock at the door. MRS. WARD Alex! Alex! Alex gets up, turns down the music and goes to open the door. ALEX Yeah? MRS. WARD Emily and I are going out. Do you want to tag along? ALEX Mmm...OK. EXT. ALEXâS HOUSE- DAY Mrs. Ward is holding Emilyâs hand as Alex walks behind them with Muffin as they make their way out. EXT. MS. ROSEâS PORCH- DAY A woman watches this from next door while sitting on the bench. MS. ROSE. 60s. Long dark curly hair. Her two cats sit beside her. INTER-CUT BETWEEN THE TWO NEIGHBOURS. MS. ROSE Going out with the kids today? Mrs. Ward looks over and acknowledges her. MRS. WARD Yes. Emily feels bored at home so weâre just going out for a bit. MS. ROSE Its good to get out of the house, not right to be cooped in all day. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 31. Muffin suddenly rushes to the fence and starts barking at Ms. Rose. Alex rushes over to calm her down. ALEX Muffin, stop it! Muffin! Alex is trying to hold Muffin back from the fence. MS. ROSE Good gracious! What a vicious dog! Why you even keep her, I donât know. ALEX Sheâs very friendly. Maybe its your cats. MS. ROSE Perhaps... Ms. Rose gets up and takes her cats back inside with her. Alex turns to look down at Muffin. ALEX Bad Muffin! Bad dog! Alex gives Muffin an angry look as she whimpers. He then stoops down and cups her face. ALEX I canât stay angry with you. Donât do that again, OK? Just ignore her cats. Muffin gives a bark and the four of them continue on. EXT. SUKUNA PARK- DAY The park is a hive of activity with children riding on merry-go-rounds, ferris wheels and choo-choo trains. Mrs. Ward sits on the bench with Alex while Emily is on the rides. Muffin is sniffing at a nearby plant. MRS. WARD Are you still upset with what Ms. Rose said? ALEX No...maybe a little. MRS. WARD Iâm sure she didnât mean it. Alex nods as Emily comes running over. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 32. EMILY I wanna go on the ferris wheel. Mrs. Ward, will you come with me? MRS. WARD Alex, why donât you go? ALEX No thanks...Iâm scared of heights remember? MRS. WARD Its not a very big one, its small! ALEX (shakes head) Nah-uh. Emily tugs at his arm. EMILY Pleasssseee Alex! Pretty pleassse?! EXT. FERRIS WHEEL- DAY Alex is clutching at the handle with his eyes closed. EMILY Alex, donât be such a scaredy-cat. Its not that high up. Alex opens his eyes and looks around as the ride starts moving. As the ferris wheel progresses, Alexâs grip on the handle is even tighter, as if for dear life. ALEX I donât know what made me do this. EMILY Just relax and enjoy! ALEX Easy for you to say. My hands are all sweaty. EXT. SUKUNA PARK- DAY Alex and Emily make their way back to the bench where Mrs. Ward and Muffin are. MRS. WARD Did you two have fun? (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 33. EMILY Yup, but I think Alex was about to pee his pants! Emily laughs. ALEX Yeah, right! EMILY You should have seen him. Emily imitates Alex gripping the handle, eyes closed and frozen like a statue. Alex then tickles her. EMILY (CONTâD) Arghhhhhhh! Alex, quit it! Mrs. Ward! Alex stops and takes a sit on the bench. Emily stands in front of them. EMILY Can we go get ice cream? Please? INT. MCDONALDâS SUVA- DAY Mrs. Ward and Emily are sitting at a table while Alex stands in line reading the menu screen. As he reaches the counter, the server is surprised to see him. Its Mark. MARK Oh, we meet again. ALEX Huh? Alex studies the face in front of him before he remembers. ALEX Ah, the pie guy. Mark laughs. MARK Yeah, what a coincidence! Is your dog still with you? ALEX Yeah, sheâs waiting outside. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 34. MARK She seems to be very obedient and well trained. ALEX Thanks, I raised her. MARK So, what can I get you? ALEX Iâll have a cone ice cream, a Oreo McFlurry and a regular chocolate sundae. Oh and a small fries. Mark prepares the order and Alex pays for it. As Alex is about to walk away holding the tray in one hand and the cone in the other, Mark stops him. MARK By the way, Iâm Mark. ALEX Iâm Alex. Alex gives a smile and goes to join Mrs. Ward and Emily. He hands the cone to Emily and the McFlurry to Mrs. Ward. Then he takes a seat and starts to dip his fries into his sundae. EMILY Youâre so weird, eating like that. ALEX Its yummy though, do you want to try? Emily makes a face and continues licking her ice cream cone. Mrs. Ward eats a spoonful and looks at Alex. MRS. WARD You seem to know that young man. Mrs. Ward nods in Markâs direction. Alex turns his head and follows her gaze. ALEX Hmm? Oh, yeah. We met earlier today. MRS. WARD Is that so? (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 35. ALEX Yeah, as I was done with the shopping, Muffin ran off to McDonaldâs. I found her with Mark wanting some of the pie he was eating. MRS. WARD Really? How funny! Looks like Muffin might have found you a new friend. Mrs. Ward looks behind Alex and sees Mark looking their way. He looks away and Mrs. Ward smiles to herself. INT. ALEXâS HOME- NIGHT The trio and Muffin arrive back home. Emily sinks onto the couch and Alex turns on the TV. Mrs. Ward heads to the kitchen. Alex sits opposite Emily with Muffin. EMILY What time does the drama on again? ALEX 10.15 EMILY I canât wait to watch tonightâs episode. I read that the lawyer guy gets stabbed while trying to protect the police woman. ALEX Oh really? EMILY Yup...I hope they end up together. Suddenly the sound of a car engine is heard outside. Emily jumps up and runs to the window. EMILY Theyâre home! She runs to open the door and in come CHARLES and VICTORIA TIKO, Alex and Emilyâs parents. Charles. 40s. Showing signs of a growing potbelly. Victoria. 40s. Shoulder length dark flowing hair. CHARLES Ah, home sweet home. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 36. VICTORIA Hey, munchkin. Victoria and Charles hug Emily. Alex turns back from the couch. ALEX Hey, Mom and Dad. CHARLES Hey kiddo. Victoria walks to Alex and rubs his arm. VICTORIA Hi honey. They both head upstairs. Emily takes a seat on the couch again. ALEX Do you always have to do that? EMILY Do what? ALEX Get excited every time they come home. Its not like youâve not seen them in a long time. EMILY Iâm just happy to see them, thatâs all. ALEX Uh huh... INT. KITCHEN- NIGHT Everyone is at the table having dinner. Muffin lies down beside Alexâs chair. CHARLES I see the gardenâs been tended to. Did the gardener come around? ALEX No, Mrs. Ward did it. Both Charles and Victoria look at Mrs. Ward in surprise. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 37. VICTORIA Mrs. Ward, you know you shouldnât be doing that. MRS. WARD I know, I know. I was already scolded by Alex. Both Charles and Victoria laugh. EMILY Iâm done. Can I go watch TV? VICTORIA Go ahead, munchkin. INT. LIVING ROOM- NIGHT Emily runs in and turns on the TV. She then lets out a gasp. EMILY Itâs on!!! Everyone is now gathered in front of the TV still holding their plates. Muffin has also followed them and is lying beside Alex. VICTORIA Where are they going? They just left their food like that. ALEX To save the detective. VICTORIA Why? What happened? EMILY Sheâs gonna take down the bad guy by herself. VICTORIA How did they know? MRS. WARD The lawyer guy remembered something she said earlier. VICTORIA What did she say? (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 38. CHARLES Vicky, for the love of Pete! Could you stop with all the questions? If we were at the cinema, others would call security to chase you out! VICTORIA Excuse me, I missed the last episode. ALEX You can watch it online. VICTORIA Really? Could you show me after this? ALEX OK. They continue watching and eating in silence. Gasps break out as a particular scene is being played. VICTORIA Oh my gosh! Is he going to die? CHARLES Why would they kill off one of the main characters? VICTORIA Well, it could happen you know. Silence. VICTORIA (CONTâD) Is the detective going to end up with the lawyer or the doctor? Everyone groans in annoyance. VICTORIA (CONTâD) What? INT. ALEXâS ROOM- NIGHT Alex is tossing and turning in his bed. He sighs, sits up and checks the time. Then he gets off the bed and shuffles out. 39. INT. KITCHEN- NIGHT Alex trudges in while stretching and stops in his tracks. He sees a dark figure sitting at the table. With the help of the moonlight he identifies that person and switches on the light. ALEX Mrs. Ward, what are you doing up at this time? MRS. WARD (startled) Oh, Alex. I didnât know you were there. I couldnât sleep. Alex takes a seat beside her. ALEX How come? MRS. WARD I got a call from my son. ALEX Did something happen? MRS. WARD Yes, its good news actually. Iâm going to be a Grandmother again. ALEX Thatâs good to hear. But you look sad. MRS. WARD Its just that I havenât seen my son in a long while. ALEX Why donât you go visit them? MRS. WARD I was planning to, for Christmas and New Year but theyâll be doing some travelling. ALEX Why donât you join them? (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 40. MRS. WARD I donât like all that travelling. I can handle the flight over but not constantly going from one place to another. ALEX But travellingâs fun. MRS. WARD Not for me it isnât. Last time I went to Savusavu to visit my daughter I got sea-sick. But Iâm glad that my other son lives close by, in which not much travelling is required. Mrs. Ward laughs and then silence fills the air. MRS. WARD (CONTâD) Besides, youâre all like my second family. ALEX Have you ever thought of retiring? Then you could live with your family. MRS. WARD Honestly, Iâve never thought of it. Never crossed my mind. ALEX Because you were busy looking after us, right? MRS. WARD Yes, and I owe it to your parents for helping my family when we were in need. ALEX How did they? MRS. WARD They helped me put my three kids through school. Ever since my husband left us, I thought it was the end of the world. I didnât complete school, had no job and barely survived each day. (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: 41. ALEX How about your family? Didnât they help you? MRS. WARD I was disowned by them. They didnât want me marrying a man like him. I was young you know? I thought I was in love, that I found the one. I lived in a bubble that bursted when I discovered his true nature. We argued and he just left, havenât heard from him since. ALEX So how did you meet my parents? MRS. WARD It was like fate really. I was sitting outside their bakery and I was crying. I had been all over town looking for a job. I didnât know what to do. Then your Mother walked past and saw me there. You can guess what happened and now here I am. ALEX I never heard about all this before. MRS. WARD Yes and I donât think Iâll tell another soul about it too. Letâs just keep it between ourselves, shall we? Alex nods. MRS. WARD Ah, this little heart to heart has somewhat lifted my spirits. I feel like I can now sleep happily. She gets up, goes to Alex and pats his shoulders. MRS. WARD (CONTâD) Thanks for lending me your time. Good night...or rather, good morning. She walks off chuckling. Alex stares after her until she leaves his sight. He then gets up and heads out the garden door. 42. EXT. GARDEN- NIGHT Alex sits on the chair. He looks up at the night sky. Suddenly he hears someone whispering on the other side of the fence. He gets up slowly and quietly walks over, putting his ear close. VOICE Ginger, you donât like it here, donât you? I know. Alex realizes its Ms. Rose. EXT. MS. ROSEâS BACKYARD- NIGHT INTER-CUT BETWEEN ALEX AND MS. ROSE MS. ROSE But for my plan to work, we have to stay here until its done. Iâve put in too much time and effort to get here. She moves away from Alexâs listening ears. Alex follows the sound of her voice along the fence. MS. ROSE I know heâs coming back. Iâve tracked him all this time. Now heâs right where I want him. ALEX (thinking) Who is she talking about? MS. ROSE He thought heâd do that to me and Iâd be fine? Ha! What does he know?! She continues to move away from Alex and he tries to keep up. Suddenly he trips over a pot plant and crashes heavily into the wheelbarrow. Ms. Rose hears it and whips her head about. MS. ROSE Whoâs there? Is someone there? Alex scrambles up and keeping himself hidden, rushes back into the house. Ms. Rose steps on a piece of concrete and looks over the fence to see no one. She looks about then steps back down and hurries back in. Alex who had been hiding behind the garden door peeps out, scared. THE END |