CHAPTER 3 – LOVE STORY
(Penny's room. 15 year-old Penny is sitting on her bed with her phone in her hands as Tracy walks in.)
Tracy: Can I come in?
Penny: Yeah. What's up?
(Tracy sits on the bed next to her)
Tracy: Just wanted to see how you were doing today. Your dad is doing his crossword, don't you wanna help him out?
Penny: (grins) Nah, not in the mood.
(Tracy sighs)
Tracy: You can talk to me, Penny. I'm your mom. It's just you and me in this room right now.
(Pause)
Tracy: And I know being a teenager can be tough. It's always been, always will be.
Penny: It's—it's not…just that, mom.
Tracy: Then what is it? Are you still thinking about that boy?
Penny: (groans) Yes! Yes, of course I'm still thinking about that boy, mom! I'm not gonna stop overnight! (gets up and starts moving across the room) And it's not just about him, or me being a teenager. Do you have any idea what it's like to grow up with parents who literally have the greatest love story of all time? To be reminded me of their epic life together, every single day?
Tracy: (shakes her head) Honey, honey… Come here. (Penny sits back next to her and Tracy caresses her hair) You know how much your father and I struggled to…to find each other. To fall in love. You know the whole story, please don't make me tell it again.
Penny: (tearing up) No, I know. I know. I don't know, maybe it's because Dad told us…everything the other night. How you guys met and just—all of it. It messed with my head. I want that.
Tracy: But sweetie—
Penny: I know, I'm too young and dumb to have it all figured out by now, but it makes me wonder. How did you know?
Tracy: (looks at her) How did I know what?
Penny: That you love Dad. What was it? Did he…take you on a trip somewhere? Was it…bonding over a traumatic experience? How did you know that you love him and you wanted him for the rest of your life?
(Tracy takes a deep breath)
Tracy: Well…it was… (clears throat) It's not what you'd expect.
(Penny looks at her, confused)
Tracy: So, we were only just going out for a while and at that time, I lived in this apartment uptown. I had a neighbor… Joanne, my next-door neighbor. She was… Joanne was different. She would be extremely nice and friendly one day, and the next day she'd just go crazy on me. Call me names, lash out, jump, even tried to hit me once.
Penny: (laughs) No way.
Tracy: (smiles) Yeah, Joanne…oh, she was something else. (clears throat) And your dad I…we would be texting—it was a big thing back in 2013—every single night before bed.
Penny: You mean on the nights you weren't spending together.
Tracy: Exactly.
(Penny chuckles)
Tracy: So, I used to talk to him about Joanne. Oddly enough, her name never came up at dinner or lunch or whenever we're at MacLarens with the guys. She was someone I thought about after your father dropped me off. So, I told him about her. A lot. Every night before bed, I would vent: Joanne did this, Joanne did that, Joanne was crazy today, Joanne invited me for brunch tomorrow—oh, brunch: also a thing back then.
Penny: (makes a face) Ew.
Tracy: Until one day… (Penny sits up) We were at MacLarens, all of us, the whole gang. And your dad was getting drinks for us, and he had the beers in his hand, was passing them out to everyone. As he sat down, he looked at me and said "oh by the way, what's new with Joanne today?". (smiling now) And it was the weirdest thing because, at that moment, I realized I've never heard him say that word before. That name. Joanne.
(Pause)
Tracy: It's the strangest thing, but something about hearing this guy say that word… I was in love with it. With how he says it. Joanne. And I remember, I couldn't stop smiling. This is a name I'd never heard him say before…not out-loud, not ever. And I was just riveted by it. I asked him again because…well, obviously, I got distracted, couldn't even remember what he said, and then he goes again "Joanne. What's new with her?"
(Penny starts smiling widely now too)
Tracy: And the smile…I just—(chuckles gently) I couldn't stop it. I couldn't stop myself. Why was I obsessed with how this guy was saying this word? It's such a trivial thing to be in love with, and it made me feel…all kinds of things. But at that moment, I realized, "okay, Tracy, this is it. You're in love with Ted."
Penny: And…didn't that scare you? Weren't you terrified?
Tracy: (scoffs) Terrified? God no. (chuckles) It was a transcendent moment for me. I loved admitting to myself at that time, in the bar, at that exact moment…that I love this man. It's not scary. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's beautiful, actually. But see, here's the thing.
(Penny swallows her throat)
Tracy: I wasn't looking for it. You don't go out chasing after this moment of clarity. This…moment where you realize that you love someone, it comes on its own. It shocks you, it shakes every single part of you, tests you, but it comes randomly. In a person's name. Or maybe…I don't know, maybe in a haircut. Or in the way they-they put on their glasses. It could come in the most strangest way. But it happens to everyone, to all of us. And it'll happen to you too.
(Penny smiles)
Penny: Thanks, mom.
Tracy: Ah, I love you, kiddo.
Penny: (rolls her eyes) Love you too, mom.
(Tracy gets up to leave)
Tracy: You're gonna have a great love story too. I promise.
(Penny looks at her and smiles)
the year 2045
(MacLarens. A much older Penny and her friend Neil are sitting in a booth.)
Neil: What is this place?
Penny: (looking around, smiling) My parents used to come here a lot. It's where they always used to hang out.
Neil: Oh yeah? That's so cool. Kinda figures, anyway, the whole thing screams "old".
Penny: (chuckles) Yeah. I like old. I can't wait to be old.
Neil: You and me both.
Penny: Yeah, right! Says the guy who almost cried at their birthday a few months ago!
(They both laugh)
Penny: So? Tell me everything! How are the wedding plans going along?
Neil: Ahh, they're great. It's all great. We're very excited. She doesn't care about all the—you know, the little details and the planning and all that. But it's alright, it's alright, I'm more than capable of taking care of that.
Penny: (chuckles) Yeah. I never figured she's the Bridezilla type.
Neil: Yeah, I think it's me. I'm going Groomzilla on her.
Penny: (laughs) Oh my god, Neil. I feel for her, seriously. Can I-can I warn her?
(They both laugh gently)
Neil: I'm so glad to be back in the city. (sighs) I miss New York. (has a sip of his beer) Mmm, and this beer. God, I miss American beer.
Penny: (laughing) Oh my god, did you just—did you use both hands for that glass?
Neil: (chuckles shyly) Yeah, it's how I always drink from a glass.
(Neil grabs his glass of beer with both hands and brings it up to his mouth, takes a sip while shooting Penny a look)
Penny: No way! Oh man, that's so…
(She pauses, keeps smiling widely, for a very long time while still staring at Neil as he sips then puts his drink back on the table)
(She takes a deep breath, tries to shake it off)
Penny: (clears throat) Umm, so you were saying. Groomzilla?
Neil: Yeah, actually, hold that thought. I'm gonna grab me another drink.
(He holds up his glass once again with both hands and gulps everything then heads to the bar)
(Penny keeps looking at him from a distance, unable to stop smiling.)
(Then…)
(Realization breaks on her face)
(Then, to herself, gently…)
Penny: Crap.
I like trying out different formats every now and then, so this is going to be a lot different from my previous work. I'll try to include Luke more, but I kinda like exploring Penny for now! Tell me what you think and thanks for reading!