Free Lulu in Honolulu by Elisabeth Wolf Page A

to see you again. But they haven’t forgotten you. And it’s only been one day.
    TUTU
    (speaks gently to Noelani)
    And your mother hasn’t forgotten you, either. A text came from her ship today. She’s trying to get back to see you before school starts.
    CLACKING from the doorknocker.
    A tall, strong man with stubby brown hair, COLONEL ADAMS, walks in followed by a very pregnant red-haired woman, MRS. ADAMS. Lulu can’t decide whether to stare at the woman’s enormous belly or her tomato-red hair. The woman understands Lulu’s dilemma and smiles at her.
    MRS. ADAMS
    Aloha . We came to pick up the baby clothes. Are we interrupting?
    TUTU
    Aloha ! Come in. Colonel and Mrs. Adams, this is Lulu Harrison. And, of course, you know Noelani.
    Before anyone can answer, they turn in the direction of HEAVY WHEEZING coming from the front door.
    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.
SCENE 8: LAP IT UP
    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.
SCENE 9: MUCKING AROUND
    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