EILEEN'S DIARY – PART FOUR
OPENING SCENE: Lenni's loft. Lenni is staring at the diary as Jamal and Gaby stare at her.
JAMAL: Aw man. Now we'll never find her.
GABY: Yeah. And now we'll never find out what happened either.
Lenni sighs and closes the diary.
LENNI: Well it was worth a shot. I just wish she had said what James' name was. I'm sure she married him now.
JAMAL: I guess we'll have to try another way of finding her.
GABY: Yeah. We have to find her now…just so we can find out what happened.
LENNI: I agree. But we'll have to do it after my dad's wedding.
CUT TO: The Community Garden. Everything is decorated for a wedding. Lenni wears a yellow dress with white flowers on it with similar flowers in her hair. The team is also dressed up and standing in the back while the other guests come in and sit down.
LENNI: Any sign of Rob yet? He said he was coming.
JAMAL: Will you relax? We will take care of the guests. You need to take care of Sally.
Lenni frowns but goes to take care of Sally, who's getting ready in the back of the garden. They finally have a procession to the front. Lenni goes first, followed by Sally and they meet Max and Mr. Fernandez in the front. The ceremony begins and Lenni looks over at the team. Jamal looks at his watch.
JAMAL: Guess Rob won't make it after all.
HECTOR: But the telegram said he was coming.
GABY: Well…maybe he's just late.
TINA: He'd better hurry up. They've already started.
ALEX: Wait a minute. Look.
They look over as a taxi pulls up and Rob jumps out. He's wearing a grey suit and has shorter hair of light brown. He goes to pay the driver before going to the back and helping out an attractive woman. Alex smiles and goes over to shake his hand.
ALEX: You made it!
ROB: Finally. Two-hour delay in Los Angeles. Plane had engine trouble.
JAMAL: Well you're just in time…although it's standing room only.
ROB: Can you find a chair for Mom though?
They look over and Hector brings over a chair so Rob's mother can sit down. Rob then stands with the others in the back. Lenni spots him and her eyes light up. Rob sighs and spreads out his fingers, moving his hand in a circle.
JAMAL: What's that?
HECTOR: It means sorry in sign language. Not sure if Lenni knows that though.
ROB: Well I'm not going to shout it in the middle of a wedding.
GABY: You know sign language?
ROB: My mom and my brother are both deaf. Of course, I know sign language.
The team looks at him and then at his mother, who is smiling as she fans herself. She has light brown hair pulled back under a large sun hat and wears a pretty floral pink dress.
TINA: Rob? What's…your mom's name?
ROB: Eileen. Why?
The team looks at each other and all of them smile while Gaby stifles a giggle. Rob raises an eyebrow but Jamal nods to the front.
JAMAL: It uh…looks like they're doing the rings now.
The team pays attention to the wedding again as Max and Sally exchange rings. They finally kiss and are pronounced husband and wife as everyone applauds. Max escorts Sally up the aisle as Mr. Fernandez escorts Lenni. They then greet their various guests as the team goes to assemble the chairs for the reception. Rob finally takes his mother to meet Max and Sally.
SALLY: Rob! You made it!
ROB: We made it. This is my mother. (signing) Mom, this is Max and Sally Frazier.
MAX: Wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Baker.
MRS. BAKER: Wonderful to meet you too. Please, call me Eileen.
SALLY: Your name is Eileen?
EILEEN: Yes. Why?
SALLY: Um…how about you introduce your mother to Lenni, Rob? She's rather anxious to see you.
Rob nods and takes his mother over to Lenni. Lenni smiles as they do the Ghostwriter handshake and then she hugs him.
LENNI: Oh Rob. I was afraid you weren't coming.
ROB: Sorry. Engine trouble in L.A. Got delayed by two hours.
LENNI: Well you made it. This your mom?
ROB: Yep. Mom…Lenni Frazier.
LENNI: Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Baker.
EILEEN: A pleasure to meet you, Lenni.
Eileen then looks at Rob and signs to him.
EILEEN: (signing) She really IS beautiful.
Rob gives a shrug as Lenni raises her eyebrows.
LENNI: Wait a minute. Your mom is deaf?
ROB: Yeah. Kind of why you haven't met her before.
Lenni blinks and looks at Rob's mother.
LENNI: Your name…isn't Eileen is it?
EILEEN: Why yes. How did you guess?
LENNI: Well…we found a diary in a box of donated books. It belonged to an Eileen Richards.
Eileen gasps and turns to Rob, who smacks himself in the face.
ROB: No wonder we couldn't find it.
EILEEN: (signing) So it was you!
ROB: (signing) Well if Dad didn't make me get rid of half my library…
EILEEN: (signing) And if you hadn't insisted on borrowing it in the first place…
LENNI: So um…that diary belongs to your mom?
Eileen crosses her arms, glaring at Rob, who gives a sigh.
ROB: Yes. I borrowed it because Mom and Dad have a great story and I wanted to make it into a book. But it kind of got mixed up with the books I was donating to the library room.
LENNI: Well you should make it into a book. That was a great story.
Eileen gives a start as Rob gives a smug nod.
ROB: (signing) See Mom? I told you.
EILEEN: I don't know.
LENNI: Can you at least tell me how it ended?
ROB: What do you mean?
LENNI: The last page was about big news and a big question. But we never found out about either one…although we can guess what the big question was.
ROB: Well yeah. Dad asked Mom to marry him. That's kind of why I exist.
LENNI: Right. But…what was the big news?
EILEEN: Japan.
Lenni raises her eyebrows and looks at Rob, who nods.
ROB: The air force was sending Dad to Japan. If he didn't marry Mom…
Lenni nods and looks at Eileen, who shakes her head.
EILEEN: I couldn't bear the thought of being away from James any longer. So I dropped out of school so I could go with him.
Lenni gasps and looks at Rob.
LENNI: That's right. You said she didn't finish school…until you moved here.
ROB: Exactly. Mom finally did her last year of school at NYU…and now she has that great job at the wildlife preserve in Sydney.
EILEEN: (signing to Rob) I just wish you were as happy in Sydney as the rest of us.
ROB: (signing back) Sorry Mom. But I have my own story. And I'm making sure it brings me back to New York.
EILEEN: (smiling at Lenni and signing back) I suppose you do. But you're a lot more like your father than I expected.
LENNI: Um…what's she saying?
ROB: Nothing. How about we go sit down Mom? They're gonna cut the cake.
They go to sit down for the cutting of the cake. A while later, everyone is dancing at the reception. Lenni dances with Mr. Fernandez, so Gaby and Alex go over to Rob.
ALEX: How about you cut in so Papa can dance with Mama?
ROB: Me?
ALEX: Come on Rob. You know I don't dance.
GABY: Yeah…and Hector still thinks girls are gross.
ALEX: And Jamal came with his own date.
Rob looks over at Jamal, who's talking to Jasmine. He then peers at Alex and Gaby, who are both grinning at him.
ALEX: Well go on then. Dance with Lenni.
GABY: Yeah. We want to see if you do what your dad did in that diary.
ALEX: Gaby!
ROB: Oh for…you were reading it too?
ALEX: Well it was a mystery, wasn't it? We had to find out who this Eileen Richards was so we could give it back.
GABY: And you don't put your name in any of your books.
ROB: Well I only donated the ones that didn't have my name in them. Just that I had borrowed Mom's diary and it got mixed up in there.
GABY: So you were reading it too?
ROB: Well yeah. I was hoping she'd let me make a proper book out of it.
GABY: I hope she does. It was really romantic.
ALEX: Uh huh. And uh…seems Rob might turn out just like the old man.
Alex grins at Rob, who raises his eyebrows.
ROB: I'm uh…gonna go dance. I'll catch you guys later.
Alex and Gaby exchange a significant look while Rob walks over to Mr. Fernandez.
ROB: May I cut in?
MR. FERNANDEZ: By all means.
Lenni giggles and starts dancing with Rob, who smiles at her although he glares at Alex and Gaby.
LENNI: What?
ROB: Nothing. Just forgot how annoying Alex and Gaby can be at times.
LENNI: They can get pretty irritating. But they are great friends.
ROB: Yeah they are. You actually made a case out of Mom's diary?
LENNI: Well we wanted to return it.
ROB: And you should. She was awfully mad when it turned up missing.
LENNI: Did you get in trouble?
ROB: Well she couldn't prove it was me. Was yelling at both of us.
LENNI: I'm sorry.
ROB: It's not your fault. I'm the idiot who mixed it up with the books.
LENNI: Well we can give it back now. And you really should make a proper book out of it. It's such a great story.
ROB: I know, right? But…Mom keeps saying…I should wait.
Lenni peers at him.
LENNI: Wait? For what?
Rob hesitates before giving Lenni a timid look.
ROB: To see…how my story turns out.
Lenni's eyes grow wide as Rob blushes and looks away from her. But she then gives a shy smile and draws closer.
LENNI: You should.
Rob looks back at her.
ROB: You…you think so?
LENNI: Well…you never know. Your story is a lot like hers…so far.
ROB: Yeah but…is it…going to stay that way?
LENNI: It might.
Rob gives Lenni a shy smile as she rests her head on his shoulder. He rests his cheek on her hair and dances with her slowly. Alex and Gaby are snickering while Eileen is signing with Hector.
EILEEN: (signing) My son is more like his father than I expected.
HECTOR: (signing) Really?
EILEEN: (signing) Yes he is. I just hope he doesn't wait until the last minute like James did.
HECTOR: (signing) Knowing Rob, he probably will.
Eileen and Hector exchange a significant look while Rob and Lenni continue dancing.
CUT TO: The bus station. Rob has a bag over his shoulder as he passes his mother a bus ticket. She gets on the bus as Rob turns to Lenni, who gives a sigh.
LENNI: I really wish you could have stayed longer.
ROB: Be glad I was able to come at all. I was able to talk Mom into it by suggesting we visit Jason while we're here.
LENNI: But do you have to visit him now?
ROB: He won't have time later. Has some job interviews lined up now that he's done with school.
Lenni sighs as Rob gives a shrug.
ROB: Sorry.
LENNI: It's okay. I just…wish you didn't have to leave. Again.
ROB: Story of my life.
They exchange a significant look and Lenni gives a shy smile.
LENNI: Don't stop writing, Rob.
ROB: I won't, Lenni. I'll never stop writing.
Their eyes meet and Rob finally takes a deep breath and kisses Lenni. She sighs and kisses him back, clinging to him for a few minutes. But the bus starts up and Rob pulls away and runs to get on board.
LENNI: Rob!
HECTOR: I knew it.
Lenni gives a start as she hadn't seen Hector come by. They look up at the window, where Rob gives a shy smile and then holds his hand up with three fingers out. Lenni sighs and does the same thing while Hector waves.
HECTOR: Guess he is just like his dad. He'll be asking a big question next.
LENNI: He might. But how long am I going to have to wait?
CUT TO: Lenni's loft, two years later. Lenni is pacing the room with a telegram as the team sits around her.
GABY: That's really what it says?
LENNI: He uses those exact words.
Lenni holds out the telegram and reads it.
Lenni. Coming to New York with BIG news and a BIG question. Not the same ones. Call a rally at 5pm Friday. Rob.
TINA: So he's not proposing.
JAMAL: Well come on. We don't even finish high school for another three months.
ALEX: And the big news is different too, so we know he's not headed for Japan.
HECTOR: Rob already said he didn't want to join the military. He had another idea about how to pay for college.
GABY: Did he ever say what it was though?
HECTOR: Nope. But…maybe that has something to do with the big news.
They look at Lenni, who jumps when there's a knock at the door. She opens it and Rob is standing there with his bag over his shoulder.
ROB: Why is it you never ask who it is when I'm at the door?
LENNI: Oh just get in here. You're twenty minutes late!
ALEX: You have another flight delay?
ROB: I came up by bus this time…and it had a flat.
GABY: You came by bus?
ROB: Yeah. I flew in to see my brother two weeks ago. He got a job in Maryland.
LENNI: You've been here for two weeks already?
ROB: Calm down. I just had to get some stuff done first. Has to do with the big news.
Lenni raises her eyebrows as Rob pulls a book out of his bag and hands it to her.
LENNI: A Tale of Two Poets…by Robert Baker.
Lenni and the team gasps as he gives a grin.
LENNI: You finished it?
ROB: Just about. Set to be published next month, so I'd better ask the big question. That's how it's supposed to end.
LENNI: Erm…big question?
ROB: Please don't freak out. It is not the same question.
LENNI: Yeah…but what is the question?
Rob takes her hand as the team watches in anticipation.
ROB: Well Lenni…now that I'm back in the country and eighteen years old and finally in control of where I get to live and for how long…will you go out with me?
Lenni gives a broad smile and jumps into his arms as the team cheers.
LENNI: Yes!
Rob and Lenni look at each other, giving a nervous laugh. They then timidly kiss each other as the rest of the team Ooooohs and Ghostwriter highlights the title of the book.