Prepping comfort food, making the Lucy connection, and choppin’ at the woodside… the adventure continues.
While Julie is off hunting for an Internet connection, Gayle and Fran start chopping away, getting dinner prepped. Julie manages to set her feelings of frustration aside as she rejoins the girls and gets the hang of a new activity — chopping wood.
FADE IN:
INT. BEACH HOUSE
Gayle and Fran are in the kitchen prepping dinner.
FRAN
Should we go look for her?
GAYLE
Nah, she’ll be back eventually. The town isn’t that big– (pause)
Besides, we’ve got dinner to prep.
FRAN
What’s the plan?
GAYLE
Ratatouille… which means lots of chopping.
Gayle starts pulling produce out of the refrigerator. Fran is washing her hands and then looking in the cabinets for bowls. Gayle then goes to get a portable Tape/CD player from the living room and plugs it into the kitchen. She drops in a CD of Big Band music (starts with Glen Miller’s HERE WE GO AGAIN).
GAYLE
Grandma’s favorite CD (said with a smile).
We watch as the girls chop away rhythmically to the music. Gayle has an even bigger smile on her face as she watches Fran really getting into it.
GAYLE
Girl! If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you actually do that for a living.
FRAN
Weird, huh? I like never do anything more than boil peas and make Minute Rice at home.
Gayle shakes her head. They go back to their chopping. The front door slams but they don’t hear it because they are in their chopping “zones.” Julie enters the kitchen, drops her bag on the floor and observes the scene. Gayle looks up and hits the STOP button on the CD player. Fran keeps on chopping– to the music in her head– oblivious to Julie’s return.
GAYLE
Hey, Girl! Did you find what you were looking for?
JULIE
No! What is it with this town? People looked at me like they thought I was crazy. That is– when I found people. There’s like nobody around here.
GAYLE
Yeah… being that it’s the off-season here that’s not so surprising…
Fran looks up and realizes that Julie has returned.
FRAN
Hey, look what the cat dragged in!
Gayle gives Fran a look, so Fran shifts gears.
FRAN
You hungry? Check this out (points to her pile of nicely chopped veggies) We’re prepping dinner– Gayle calls it Ga-loo-ly or something like that.
GAYLE
It’s sort of a vegetable stew– Ratatouille. Something my grandma used to always make out here. It always seemed to hit the spot… Very comforting.
Comfort food with a name that’s a mouthful…
Julie walks over to where Fran was working.
JULIE
For real? You chopped all that?
She looks around the counter and underneath. Then addresses Gayle.
JULIE
You don’t happen to have a Cuisinart stashed away over there, do you?
GAYLE
Nah. For real. That girl’s a regular Power Ranger when it comes to chopping veggies.
JULIE
Whoa! Impressive!
She goes over to the sink to wash her hands and talks over her shoulder.
JULIE
So… How can I help?
GAYLE
You can start by opening up some beers for all of us.
JULIE
Done!
She embraces the task. Pulls the micro brews from the refrigerator and catches the bottle opener Gayle tosses her way. She hands Gayle and Fran their beers and then they toast (simple “cheers!”).
Julie leans against the counter and marvels in watching their busy hands. She glances at a recipe that Gayle has nearby.
JULIE
Wow! This sounds absolutely yummy!
FRAN
I’m done. What’s next?
GAYLE
Some assembly required. But first, I have a project for both of you.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. BEACH HOUSE
Benny Goodman’s JUMPIN’ AT THE WOODSIDE is playing as the scene fades up from black.
We see Fran chopping away at some wood with Julie watching– trying to get the hang of what to do. Fran splits several logs and keeps offering Julie an opportunity, but she waves her off.
Julie strikes up a conversation.
JULIE
So what’s this about Lucy and the football?
Fran pauses. And smiles.
FRAN
Remember the Charlie Brown cartoon where Lucy holds the football and Charlie Brown goes charging down to kick it and at the last minute, Lucy pulls the ball away and he ends up flat on his back?
JULIE
Oh yeah… yeah I remember that.
Fran takes another couple of swings with the axe and manages to make contact.
FRAN
Well… we got to talking about how that happens at work… figuratively, of course.
JULIE
I see. Interesting.
Fran hands her the axe.
FRAN
Okay… your turn.
Julie tries to hand it back. Fran smiles and pushes it back towards her.
FRAN
Come on. It’s liberating. Just try it.
Julie picks up the axe and feels the weight of it. Fran is seen motioning to her on how to do it.
First swing, Julie misses badly and the log goes flying. Fran encourages her to try again.
Cut away to see Gayle watching from the window.
Cut back to Julie winding up with a big swing that connects, slicing a wedge off the log. She smile and Fran motions for her to try again.
Encouraged, Julie lets loose with another swing. Bingo!
Splits the log in two. She steps back and Fran give her a big “high five.”
Cut away to Gayle in window.
GAYLE
Impressive!
To Benny Goodman’s STRING OF PEARLS, the camera follows Gayle as she turns away from the window and grabs some measuring spoons from the drawer and a small mixing bowl which she sets on the counter near the pantry.
She then pulls out a step stool from the pantry and positions it so she can reach a tin canister from the top shelf.
Gayle carefully measures out a small amount of the tin’s contents, and then she puts the canister back.
She then busies herself with cookie preparation– so we see the creaming of the butter and sugars. The adding of the flour. And just before she tears open the Tollhouse chocolate chip package (seen nearby), we see her add the ingredient from the special tin. Gayle is careful to make sure every grain makes it into the bowl.
She smiles to herself as she removes the beater of her hand mixer and prepared to finish the dough off by hand. Then she looks up to see the girls outside kicking back.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. BEACH HOUSE
The scene transitions back to outside. As the girls are leaning on the fence, admiring their handiwork.
FRAN
Gee, who would have thought…
JULIE
…that you and I would create such a huge pile of wood.
They laugh.
FRAN
We should take pictures… for Doogie.
JULIE
Good idea… Got a camera handy?
Fran pauses to think…
FRAN
Rats! I knew I forgot something. Oh well. He wouldn’t believe it anyway.
Fran gets up and walks over to the cooler she just noticed on the back porch.
FRAN
Perfect! Strategically placed beverages!
She reaches inside and pulls out two beers and the bottle opener that just so happens to be conveniently tied to the handle of the cooler.
FRAN
There you go– A well-deserved cold one.
Julie accepts it and before drinking, motions to toast. They clink the long necks of their bottles and take a swig.
FRAN
I thought the first one was tasty… but this one really hits the spot.
JULIE
Indeed.
She’s shaking her head and smiling.
JULIE
I can’t believe how fun that was.
FRAN
Me neither.
JULIE
Do you think we should head back in… help Gayle with dinner?
Fran takes another sip and looks over her shoulder.
FRAN
Nah… Knowing Gayle, she’s probably in there cooking up a storm. We’d just be in the way. (pauses). Yeah, she’ll let us know when its time. Let’s hang back a bit and relax.
JULIE
Sounds good. The air feels really nice. And smells great too.
They sit there just relaxing and taking in the change of environment.
FRAN
I guess I truly get what they mean when they say you should stop and smell the roses.
JULIE
Or at least, smell the chopped firewood.
They laugh.
JULIE
So about this Lucy thing… Were you guys talking about it in general or did it actually happen to you?
FRAN
Strangely enough. We both had “Lucy” experiences.
JULIE
Really? So… How long ago was yours?
FRAN
Before I worked at TechCo.
JULIE
What happened? … If you don’t mind me asking.
FRAN
Long story.
JULIE
I’m all ears… Let’s start here– and if we get too cold or if Gayle calls us in,
we can finish it later.
FRAN
Okay. Here goes…
###
To be continued in Toll House Tales #115.
This short video shows the ins and outs of chopping wood.
[…] To be continued in Toll House Tales #114 […]