Lulu in Honolulu (10 page)

LULU

(jumps up)

Watson! You came to get me!

Lulu lunges toward her dog.

Watson, dragging JAMES the DOG BUTLER, toddles into the living room but instead of heaving himself into Lulu's arms, he snuggles up to Mrs. Adams.

LULU

(to Noelani)

Maybe even my dog knows that I'm wanted for poisoning.

MRS. ADAMS

(snuggling Watson)

He probably just smells the papaya ice cream sundae I just ate.

Mrs. Adams rubs her huge baby-filled belly.

I obviously eat all the time.

EXT. KENEKE'S RESTAURANT, ALONG KALANIANAOLE HIGHWAY—TEN MINUTES LATER

Lulu sits on a bench at this roadside restaurant. She eats a bright yellow ice ball that resembles a jumbo sno-cone.

James the Dog Butler gives Lulu a stiff wave as he approaches. He wears his usual outfit, black shorts and a Hawaiian-print shirt under a black sports jacket. A black chauffeur's cap sits sideways over his bald head.

LULU

James! I'm here.

Watson follows James while he acknowledges smiles and stares. Watson is decked out in the same Hawaiian print shirt as James's and dazzling, ruby-red sunglasses.

JAMES

Watson had to try all twenty-two flavors of shave ice.

LULU

How'd you know which to get him?

JAMES

I can tell what he likes by his lick. He went for guava. They were out of ti-leaf flavor.

(winks at Lulu)

Lulu almost smiles.

LULU

I'm petrified to go home.

James does a little bow and puts out his hand for Lulu to take and get up.

JAMES

I'd say last night you and Watson were perilously close to being left on the doorstep of the local Honolulu dog shelter.

They head toward the Watson Wagon, a shiny black Mercedes station wagon.

LULU

Wait. Watson too?

A TOURIST takes a picture of Watson, who tromps right in front of the camera. He poses by lifting his nose to the left, then to the right. More people with cameras wander over.

JAMES

(to Lulu)

Yes, ma'am. While you were at the set, Watson was back in your kitchen chomping ti leaves off the floor. Pretty soon, everything that was in his stomach came out on either the white furniture or sand-colored carpets.

Lulu halts and stands still as a statue while shave ice melts down her hand.

JAMES

Let's just say, Miss Lulu, that last night, I drove from the hospital to the pet emergency room several times.

EXT. KANEOHE BAY—NEXT MONDAY MORNING

The Ohana kids wade through waist-high water. They wear snorkel masks. Working in pairs, they pull up killer algae, called
limu
, off an underwater coral reef. If the
limu
isn't removed, the coral reef will die. And that's just the beginning. If the reef dies, the fish, plants, and creepy crawlers that eat, swim, hide, and play in the watery reef world will disappear too.

Lulu and Noelani don't realize it, but they're farther out in the bay from all the other kids.

NOELANI

(bobbing next to Lulu)

My mom learned to be an underwater diver in this bay.

LULU

Your mom's a diver too?

Noelani slides under the water. Lulu follows. Both girls yank fistfuls of the brown
limu
. Soon they surface and stuff the squishy plant into waterproof sacks slung over their shoulders.

LULU

Your mom might be the coolest mom ever.

Noelani springs off her feet and floats on her back. Lulu bobs onto her back too. The girls stare up at the bright blue sky and watch a wispy cloud glide by.

Lulu flips back to her feet and taps Noelani.

LULU

You're so brave. Your mom is gone for like, months, right?

NOELANI

Usually seven months. But it's always different.

LULU

(suddenly yelling in pain)

AWWWWUUUU!

Lulu bends under the water to examine her leg. It's scraped.

I walked into an edge of the reef.

NOELANI

(looking into the water)

It hurts.

LULU

I know. That coral is so sharp.

NOELANI

(now turns her face toward Lulu)

No. I mean missing my mom. It really hurts.

LULU

You never complain or anything.

NOELANI

I try to not think about or talk about her. But then, ya know what happens? I get more and more shy.

LULU

You're not shy.

NOELANI

You know what I mean. I can't talk in groups. I can't do anything in front of people, like that hula-off. I pretty much know every hula I've ever seen by heart. But when I try to dance in front of anyone, I can't.

LULU

You've just got stage fright!

Noelani sinks underwater and yanks up squirmy algae. Lulu looks toward the shore.

LULU

(surprised)

HEY!!

Lulu is splashed from behind. She turns to see Khloe and the Cs giggling. The three girls are on stand-up paddle boards. They wear matching zebra-striped bikinis and pink sunglasses.

KHLOE

How's the yucky mucky cleanup going?

LULU

Aloha
, you guys. Don't you have to do algae cleanup?

CATE

Nope. We're doing a hula show and our hands have to be beautiful.

Khloe and the Cs do little swaying hula motions on their paddle boards. No one tips over!

LULU

(joking tone)

You better be careful not to get blisters from the paddles. But for me, back to attacking killer algae.

Lulu is about to sink underwater.

KHLOE

Lulu! Make sure you don't serve any killer algae to your mom and dad's movie crew. I heard you almost ended everyone's lives.

Lulu sloshes through the water toward the paddle boarders.

LULU

How'd you know? Besides, the good news is, everyone's fine.

KHLOE

My mom's brother works at the hospital where everyone went.

LULU

Well, it's no big deal. Noelani and I are even going back to the set to help this Sunday.

CATE

(looking from Khloe to Carole)

You are?

NOELANI

We are?

LULU

(to Khloe and the Cs)

Sure. Too bad you guys are so busy with hula. Or else you could come.

Lulu jerks down her face mask and heads toward the shore. Noelani catches up to her.

NOELANI

Lu, you've got courage, ya know,
koa
, for both of us.

LULU

Actually, now I've got a fib I've got to fix.

Lulu ducks below the surface to wrench up more slimy algae and figure out how to get her and her pal back onto the
Seas
the
Day
set.

EXT. KUALOA RANCH, SECRET ISLAND BEACH—SUNDAY, 8 A.M.

Kualoa Ranch's Secret Island Beach is a real-life tropical paradise. Mangrove and hau trees grow toward the sky just behind the white sand. Out past the waves rolling onto shore, an island with a tall, slim peak circled by narrow, flat land rises out of swirling, bright blue water.

Cables snake over the sand. Tall, black cameras, looking like mechanical aliens, perch all around the beach. A dozen people swarm around four tall director's chairs. Fiona stands in the middle and points sharply in different directions. A woman with a makeup brush dabs powder and rubs foundation on the faces of Linc Harrison in a tuxedo and naval officer's cap and the mega skinny actress who's in a red, flowery ball gown. Maxwell rakes the smooth, clean sand so that it looks smoother and cleaner. Alexis, in a white miniskirt and cotton blouse with her apple-green bikini showing through, stands off to the side, trying to look natural as she chats up Maxwell.

Lulu and Noelani sit with their backs up against mangrove tree trunks, well away from the action on the beach.

LULU

I wonder if any koa trees still grow around here?

NOELANI

Maybe.

Lulu picks up a long, yellow pad from the ground. Lulu writes “Koa Tree” with an orange pencil.

Watson, sporting doggie board shorts pulled up over a chunky diaper and a red shirt that says “LIFEGUARD,” sleeps a few feet away.

LULU

(tapping her pencil)

Maybe I should ask my mom to add a line in the script about koa trees?

Both girls look up to see Fiona holding two cell phones, one to each ear.

LULU

But I don't think this is a good time to talk to her.

Lulu reaches into her tote bag, grabs a handful of taro chips, and drops them in the lap of her orange skirt. She pulls out a glass jar of mango salsa. She offers the jar to Noelani and then dips and crunches herself.

NOELANI

Lu, how'd you get her to let us come to the set today?

Lulu leans the back of her head against the tree trunk.

LULU

I patched over my lie with the truth.

NOELANI

Good plan. How?

LULU

I got a gigantic break that they were filming on location. I told Mom that I could really be helpful on the set today because I've learned so much about Hawaiian trees and plants that if anyone watched her movie and wanted to know what a plant or tree was called, she could know. That's why I'm writing everything down, so I can give her a list.

The girls watch as Fiona waves her hand and says something in Alexis's direction. Alexis un-poses herself and walks away from Maxwell who re-scrapes the perfect sand.

NOELANI

(tiny smile playing on her lips)

Looks like your mom had a moment to talk with Alexis.

LULU

(giggling)

Looks like Lex just got busted for ooogling Maxwell.

NOELANI

He seems nice.

LULU

(shakes her head)

He is, but his dad's some famous Shakespeare actor who's furious that he's off making Hollywood movies on the beaches of Hawaii.

NOELANI

(cracking up)

How do you even know all that?

LULU

That's the kind of stuff they all mostly talk about. If they're ever home.

Lulu dunks another chip, but it accidentally sinks in the mango salsa jar.

Noelani gets more chips from Lulu's bag.

NOELANI

I can't even believe we're eating taro chips at eight a.m.

Lulu gets up and crouches near Watson. She straightens his fuchsia-and-orange sunglasses and feeds him crushed taro chips. He gobbles them.

LULU

Well, this is about the latest my parents have gone to work all week. We were lucky it was only six a.m. when we had to wake up to go with them.

NOELANI

Getting up this early doesn't feel like summer vacation.

LULU

Every day this week they had to come out here at five in the morning and shoot so my mom would get direct morning sunlight.

QUIET ON THE SET, PLEASE! ALL, QUIET ON THE SET!
drifts up to the girls from the Assistant Director's bullhorn.

Noelani shifts her back against the tree trunk so she faces Lulu.

NOELANI

(whispering)

You could go closer to the action.

(her eyes glance down toward the beach)

You don't have to hide back here with me.

Lulu returns and sits down next to Noelani. Their backs lean against the same tree trunk.

LULU

I begged my way to get this close and am doing exactly what my parents said. I'm staying put and writing down the names of trees and plants. The ONLY reason I'd go down there would be if a tidal wave was coming and I could save people from being swept away.

Just then, a wild CHICKEN darts out of the mangrove and hau tree forest. It cackles and scampers toward Secret Island Beach. As if a lightning bolt struck his tail, Watson jerks to his feet and chugs after the bird. His sturdy stubby legs work as hard as they can. His sunglasses tumble off.

Lulu scrambles to her feet and tears off after Watson.

LULU

(shouts)

Watson, NO!

The chicken clucks its head off while it half flies, half runs a frantic, curly path toward the perfectly raked sand. Watson is fast on the chicken's tail feathers. Lulu runs after him as best as she can while trying not to slip and lose her ALOHA hat bouncing on her head. As they approach the set, Maxwell steps in front of the chicken so that it swerves and darts back up toward the trees. Watson turns after it. Lulu, however, gets the tip of her left shoe caught in a cable and face-plants on the perfect sand.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR'S VOICE

CUT!

The handsome, grinning Maxwell offers Lulu his hand and helps her up.

LULU

(wiping sand from her lips)

Oh, I'm so sorry!

Alexis approaches.

ALEXIS

(sneering)

You're way pathetic and so in trouble.

Panting, Watson returns and lies down next to Lulu. She grabs his collar, but in a moment, he wiggles away. He heaves himself toward the scent of breakfast sandwiches being served a few feet away. He smashes into the skinny actress, who drenches herself with coffee she was sipping. Watson leaps at the food table but doesn't get high enough off the ground. Instead, he bangs into the table's leg and sends silver serving dishes clattering to the ground.Watson snatches bacon from the ground and runs for the trees.

Everyone on the set freezes. Lulu lingers on the sand, not sure she can find the courage to move.

LULU

(to Alexis)

This wasn't my fault, exactly. I'll apologize to Mom.

ALEXIS

I wouldn't do that if I were you.

Lulu looks over to her mother. An ASSISTANT wearing a headset holds out a phone. Fiona takes it. She cocks her head. Smiles. Nods. Laughs sweetly. Shakes her head. She hands the phone back to the waiting assistant and then walks about ten feet away. Linc walks over to her.

Lulu and Alexis wander toward their parents. They overhear.