EILEEN'S DIARY – PART TWO
CUT TO: Lenni's loft. Lenni looks up from the diary as the team members all look at each other.
TINA: That's a big clue! Eileen…is deaf!
ALEX: Hector. You're learning sign language. Do you know anyone named Eileen in your class?
HECTOR: No. Only a couple of the kids in the class are actually deaf. Everyone else just wants to learn how to talk to people who are deaf.
GABY: Is that why you're taking it?
HECTOR: Yeah. See…Rob wrote to me about his brother, Jason. He is deaf and knows sign language and also how to read lips. I thought it sounded really cool, so I signed up for this class.
JAMAL: Wow. I didn't know Rob's brother was deaf.
TINA: I didn't know Rob had a brother.
LENNI: He goes to a special school in Washington D.C. Rob's family went to visit him over Christmas break…and Jason went with them when they went to Australia for the summer. But since he never came to visit Rob here…
GABY: …we never got to meet him.
ALEX: Well none of us ever went to his house either. I mean…did any of you ever meet his mom?
TINA: I almost did. She had a dress fitted at the tailor shop, but it was Rob that dropped it off and picked it up. And his mom came in for the fitting while I was at school.
LENNI: Well Rob said his mom is really private…like he is.
GABY: Is that why Rob never had a rally at his house?
LENNI: One reason. He also wasn't allowed to have girls in his room. Colonel Baker was pretty strict.
JAMAL: Oh I believe that.
TINA: Yeah…and my dad is pretty strict too. I'd better get home.
The team gets up and leaves. Lenni gets a casebook and writes in it.
LENNI: Who is Eileen Richards? Clue 1. She was in college in 1967. Clue 2. She didn't like Vietnam War protests. Clue 3. She had a friend named James who fought in the war. Clue 4. She was deaf.
Lenni looks up as Sally comes in.
LENNI: Hi Sally.
SALLY: Hello Lenni. Did you figure out who's diary that is?
LENNI: We did find some clues. Take a look.
Sally looks at the casebook and gasps.
SALLY: My goodness. Eileen was deaf?
LENNI: Yes. That's a major clue. But we think her friend James is the key to finding her…provided she married him anyway.
SALLY: Ah yes. Does the diary have his full name?
LENNI: That's what I'm looking for now. He was fighting in the Vietnam war while she was in college…and he sends her letters.
SALLY: Hmmm. That sounds familiar.
LENNI: Huh?
SALLY: Well don't you get letters from a far away boyfriend?
LENNI: Sally! Rob is not a boyfriend!
SALLY: Oh I know that. It's just that you think Eileen may have married this James fellow she's writing to even though there's no indication that they're dating.
LENNI: But…but that's different.
SALLY: Is it?
Lenni bites her lip as Sally smiles.
SALLY: But of course, you haven't discovered if she actually married James or not.
LENNI: Uh…yeah. I'm uh…I'm gonna read this in my room for a while.
CUT TO: Lenni's bedroom. Lenni is flipping through the diary and then sighs and picks up a letter, which shows Lenni's address, a postmark from Australia, and Rob's return address. She then puts it on the bedside table. Lenni then smiles and runs her fingers over the table.
FLASHBACK: Lenni and Rob are walking down the street.
LENNI: I wonder if Tina and Alex found anything at that hauler.
ROB: I sure hope so. They might've run into another dead end…and just went off to see a movie.
LENNI: Rob!
ROB: Don't tell me you haven't noticed.
LENNI: Come on, Rob. Not everybody is a big tease like you are.
ROB: Well somebody's gotta do it.
Lenni laughs and looks across the street, where she sees an old bedside table.
LENNI: Hey look. What's that?
ROB: Looks like some junk someone threw out.
LENNI: Let's check it out.
Lenni tries to cross the street, but Rob grabs her arm as a car goes by.
ROB: Let's check for cars… and then check it out.
Lenni sighs as Rob checks for traffic before going across the street. They find the old bedside table and Lenni scratches her head.
LENNI: What's this doing in the street?
ROB: My guess would be it fell off a moving van. That happens a lot.
LENNI: It does?
ROB: I would know. Lost my bike that way when we moved to Texas.
LENNI: Oh! Is that why you ride a skateboard now?
ROB: Yep. Fits nicely in a box with all of my books.
Rob kneels down and looks at the table.
ROB: Fell off a van all right. It's all beat up. Better get it out of the road before someone hits it.
Lenni grabs one end of the table and Rob grabs the other.
LENNI: Let's take it up to my place.
ROB: You want to keep it?
LENNI: Yeah. I need a table for my room anyway. And it's like…recycling.
ROB: I guess so. But it's gonna take some doing to put it back together.
FADE BACK: Lenni sighs as she fingers the table and then the letter. She then turns back to the diary and flips through it.
LENNI READING: How I miss James these days. It's been three years since he moved away. But he never stopped writing, even when he went off to war.
Lenni looks up and peers at the diary.
LENNI: Wow. It's been three years since Rob left too. Sure glad he's not fighting in a war though.
LENNI READING: And it's funny. I only knew James for nine months back in high school. But now he's the best friend I ever had. I can open my heart to him through writing. I tell him things I wouldn't dare tell anyone else. I even send him my poems and I don't let anyone read my poetry. And I'm amazed at how much he's willing to tell me. I guess being far away makes it easier.
Lenni raises her eyebrows and looks at the letter from Rob. She pulls it off the bedside table and opens it.
ROB'S VOICE:
Dear Lenni,
Sometimes I'm amazed at what you're willing to tell me. I guess being far away from each other makes it easier. But I'm glad you're willing to trust me with how you're feeling about your father and Sally. I had no idea this was going to happen when I first introduced her to you and I was getting awfully nervous when they first started liking each other. I was so afraid you would be mad at me, so I'm really glad you're okay with them being together now.
It would be so cool if I got to come to the wedding this summer and hang out with you and the team again. And I really want to see the garden. I sent you a poem that I wrote about it, but please don't show it to anyone. It's kind of personal. I wrote it after that party we had when we finally got it open again.
Lenni smiles as lays back in bed.
FLASHBACK: The Community Garden. Max's band is playing as the team is dancing. Sally watches Max and Lenni is watching Sally and shaking her head. Rob notices this and goes over to Lenni.
ROB: What's eating you?
LENNI: Huh? What do you mean?
ROB: Alex is the one who doesn't dance, not you. You okay?
Lenni sighed and waves a hand.
LENNI: Look at Sally. My dad should be dancing with her.
Rob looks and raises his eyebrows.
ROB: You uh…want him to dance with her?
LENNI: Well…yeah. I mean…it was kind of weird before. I wasn't sure what to think of my dad…dating again.
ROB: Yeah I uh…kind of noticed.
Lenni looks at him and he shrugs.
ROB: I was afraid you'd blame me for that.
LENNI: Why would I blame you?
ROB: I introduced you to Sally.
Lenni shakes her head.
LENNI: It's not your fault, Rob. And…I'm kind of okay with it now. I mean…just because Dad likes Sally…doesn't mean he's forgetting about my mom. And they really like each other.
Rob nods as Lenni looks at her father and narrows her eyes.
LENNI: And she really ought to be dancing with her.
ROB: Yeah. But I can fix that.
Lenni raises her eyebrows but Rob walks over to Sally and extends his hand.
ROB: Dance with me Sally!
SALLY: Oh now Rob…
ROB: Come on Sally! Dance with me!
Sally laughs and starts dancing with Rob. Lenni giggles and looks up at her father, who glares at Rob and turns to his band mates. They take over playing for him as he jumps down and goes over to Rob and Sally.
MAX: Mind if I cut in?
ROB: Aw man.
SALLY: Max!
ROB: If you insist.
Max glares at Rob, who gives a laugh as Max starts dancing with Sally. Lenni is giggling as Rob struts over to her.
LENNI: Thanks Rob. I owe you one.
ROB: Anytime. Now are you going to be a bum like Alex or are you going to join us?
Lenni laughs and goes with Rob to dance with the others.
CUT TO: Lenni smiling at the letter before flipping to the poem on the next page.
For the Rabbits
The sunshine spills through the tall dark buildings,
Finding the one spot of green.
In a cold and harsh city,
A garden blooms with flowers and food,
Feeding the hungry,
And giving us hope.
A boy plays there with a bundle of fur.
A tiny velvet nose nibbles his fingers,
And beady pink eyes gaze into his.
And there is peace and trust between them.
But the boy didn't know of the evil beneath the ground.
The swirls of bad smells and fainting spells,
Dizziness and headaches,
He wasn't able to stop the horror,
That reached out and killed,
His tiny, precious friend.
And so, the boy steps up towards becoming a man,
Fighting his way through a broken system,
Standing up to injustice,
And swearing to live his life to prevent such a tragedy.
Never again should the innocent and helpless,
Fall victim in a heartless world.
They deserve to live,
And I will do what I can,
To make sure that they do.
CUT TO: Lenni falling asleep, smiling with the poem in her hand.
CUT TO: The next day. Hector is looking through the diary on the sofa while Tina sits on the floor and looks through the books. Lenni is going through a pile of R.S.V.P.s for the wedding.
TINA: So are you going to play with Tuan this weekend?
LENNI: I don't think so. I mean…we have a lot to do to get ready for the wedding.
TINA: Well…okay. But he's gonna be disappointed.
LENNI: I know. But I don't want him to get his hopes up.
Tina nods and looks at Hector.
TINA: Anything interesting?
HECTOR: Well…she just got a letter from James. He got two weeks leave…and is coming to see her.
LENNI: From Vietnam?
HECTOR: Yeah. She's really surprised too. He was supposed to go to Hawaii…but is using his own money to come to California to see her.
TINA: Ooooh. Maybe he does like her. I mean…she is sending him poetry, right?
LENNI: Yes she is. And using your own money to see an old friend? It's got to be love.
Tina and Lenni giggle as Hector rolls his eyes.
HECTOR: Whatever. Anyway…now she's writing about when he left.
TINA: When he left?
HECTOR: Yeah. The last time she saw him in person was when he moved away. She actually skipped class so she could go say goodbye.
Tina gives a sly grin and looks at Lenni.
TINA: Interesting. Didn't you do that?
LENNI: Yeah. I skipped Global Studies so I could catch Rob before he left for the airport. He was scolding me for it too…but I didn't care.
HECTOR: Yeah. Neither did Eileen. It says I'll always remember the sad smile James gave me from the back window of the car. I waved to him and made the sign for 'I love you.' I'm not sure if he knew what it meant, but sometimes I wonder if he did.
LENNI: The sign for…I love you?
HECTOR: Yeah. She must've done this.
Hector holds up his hand with his middle and fourth finger down and the other fingers out. Lenni's gasps as Tina cocks her head.
TINA: That means I love you?
HECTOR: Yeah. (holds up his little finger) This is I (holds out his index finger and thumb) This is L (holds out his thumb and little finger) and this is Y. (holds out all the fingers with the middle two down) So together it means I love you.
TINA: Cool.
Hector and Tina look at Lenni, who is staring at Hector's hand. She bites her lip and swallows hard.
FLASHBACK: Outside of an apartment building, Rob and his parents are getting into a taxi. Lenni rides up on her bike and Rob shakes his head.
ROB: Lenni! You're supposed to be in school.
LENNI: I know but…I had to come see you off. gets off her bike And who needs Global Studies anyway?
ROB: Lenni. That's the one you have the most trouble with.
LENNI: Well I don't care. You're more important.
Rob sighs and shakes his head, but holds out his arm. Lenni goes over and the hug each other tight.
LENNI: I wish you didn't have to move.
ROB: I know. But…we owe it to Mom.
Lenni looks up at him.
LENNI: You do?
ROB: Well yeah. Mom gave up finishing college so she could marry Dad. She never got her degree until now.
LENNI: Oh! You mean…she finished it here?
ROB: That's why we moved here. She finished what she started over twenty years ago…and now she can finally have the job she's always dreamed of. But it just so happens that it's in Australia.
Lenni swallows as Rob shakes his head.
ROB: Mom gave up everything for us Lenni. Now it's time we did something for her…and that's why I have to go.
LENNI: I guess. But that doesn't make it any easier.
ROB: It never does.
Lenni bites her lip and nods as she looks up at him. He gives a shy smile as a tear goes down his face.
ROB: Thank you, Lenni.
LENNI: For what?
ROB: For being such a great friend…to that weird kid in the computer room. He never would have joined the team if not for you.
Lenni smiles as Rob hugs her again. He then looks over his shoulder at this father, who is standing outside the taxi and tapping his watch. Rob sighs and turns back to Lenni.
ROB: I gotta go.
LENNI: I know. But will I ever see you again, Rob?
ROB: Writing back will greatly increase your chances.
Lenni smiles as Rob gives a wink and finally joins his father. They get in the taxi as Lenni wipes tears from her face. Rob looks back at her from the window and holds up his hand. Three fingers are extended with the middle two down as the taxi pulls away. Lenni waves and has a puzzled look on her face.
CUT TO: Lenni has the same look on her face as she looks at Hector, who has the same three fingers extended on his hand. He then looks back at the diary.
HECTOR: I wonder what happens when he actually comes back. I mean, she hasn't seen him in three years.
TINA: Yeah. I mean…Rob's been gone for three years too. What would happen if he came back?
Lenni snaps out of her reverie and looks a Tina.
LENNI: Oh wow. I don't know. But uh…we might find out if he comes to the wedding.
HECTOR: You think he will?
LENNI: Well he said he wants to come. And Sally sent him an invitation. But it's awfully far for him to get here from Australia.
TINA: Yeah. And it's winter there. Doesn't he have school?
LENNI: Yeah. I mean, he does get a school break in July for two weeks. But he would still have to come up with the money to get here.
Tina nods but Hector looks up.
HECTOR: Hey! Ghostwriter!
The girls watch Ghostwriter, who lights up one of the envelopes Lenni is holding.
TINA: What's that?
LENNI: Hey. It's the R.S.V.P. from Rob.
HECTOR: So…he is coming?
Lenni tears open the envelope and reads
Dear Sally,
Thank you so much for inviting me to the wedding. After a good amount of negotiating, and agreeing to use some of my own money, I was able to get permission to come!
Lenni gasps and looks up at Tina and Hector, who look at each other with wide eyes and back at Lenni. Lenni stares at the letter as Ghostwriter flies over it.
