Lulu in Honolulu (19 page)

Noelani follows Sergeant 2 onto the sand and toward the orange flares. He pauses to hand her ear protectors and sunglasses. Watson waddles behind them. Sergeant 1 halts puggie long enough to place dark-green aviator sunglasses on his face to protect his eyes.

MR. SANYO

(to Lulu)

Now this is my kinda movie!

WIDE SHOT of the massive HELICOPTER bearing down on the beach, getting closer and closer to the orange flares and fascinated onlookers.

All watch as the enormous black machine touches down on the white, powdery sand. Anyone not wearing glasses closes his or her eyes because sand flies everywhere. The roar of the whirring blades and powerful motor slowly softens.

Sergeant 2 escorts Noelani to Colonel Adams, who stands at stiff, perfect attention next to the helicopter's nose. He wears complete dress uniform, except for Lulu's ALOHA cap.

A side door swings open. A waterfall of stairs drops to the sand. Out jumps the most beautiful soldier Lulu's ever seen. Her jet-black hair is slicked back into a bun behind a cap. She wears a blue uniform with lots of pins and stripes. She swings her legs through the copter door and glides elegantly down the steep stairs as if she were a runway model. At the very last step, she turns her head toward Colonel Adams and gives him a crisp salute. He returns the salute with his right hand and, at the same time, he places his left hand on Noelani's head.

LULU

(to Mr. Sanyo)

Here comes the good part!

All watch as Lieutenant Colonel Nui walks through the sand, toward her daughter. Her crew, all wearing their dress blues, descend from the helicopter and fall in behind her.

SLOW MOTION SHOT: At about ten feet away, Noelani takes off in a run toward her mother's arms. As Noelani runs that last foot, Lieutenant Colonel Nui kneels down in the sand and folds her daughter in to her. Time seems to stop. No one talks and it feels like no one's even breathing.

HAWOOOO HAWOOOO HAWOOO!!

Everyone looks toward the old blue van. Uncle Akamu stands on the hood and blows a large, pearl-colored conch shell. It's the sound that everyone needs! Everyone cheers and claps. Old and young, men and women wipe their eyes. Parents hug their children. Children hug their parents.

Lulu feels a thin arm wrap around her waist and a kiss on the top of her damp, tangled hair.

FIONA

(choking back tears)

Lu, you make one incredible real-life director.

Linc picks Lulu up and holds her for a few moments.

LINC

(whispering into her ear)

Lu, I love you so much, but I'm gonna kill you. I'm about to cry like a baby in front of United States Marines.

From her perch in Linc's arms, Lulu spots Colonel Adams. He gives Lulu a salute and heads towards his jeep.

LULU

(whispering back)

Dad, don't worry, about it. The head guy, Colonel Adams, is crying too.

EXT. HARRISONS' DIAMOND HEAD ESTATE DRIVEWAY AND FRONT ENTRANCE—5 P.M. (or 1700 military time)

Khloe and the Cs drape beautiful, homemade leis around the necks of the movie crew and the Marines as they come up the Harrisons' long driveway. A huge banner that reads “WELCOME HOME NOELANI'S MOM” hangs from a second floor window.

Lulu spots Noelani coming up the driveway with her mom and Tutu.

LULU

(excitedly)

Aloha
! Welcome to your Welcome-Home party, Lieutenant Colonel Nui.

LT. COLONEL NUI

Please, just call me Lea.

LULU

Mahalo
, Lea. I need to borrow Noelani.

(quietly to Noelani)

C'mon. You've gotta get ready.

NOELANI

I don't think so, Lu. I can't do it.

LULU

Let's just go inside and clean up.

Lulu and Noelani look at each other in their damp, sandy, clothes, then race into the house.

INT. HARRISONS' DIAMOND HEAD ESTATE, LIVING ROOM—CONTINUOUS

Inside the wide, open living room, guests mingle. Ohana Camp kids walk around carrying trays of food they prepared all afternoon.

The house is decorated with the garden's proteas, tiare, and ilima flowers stuffed into vases with mini American and Hawaiian flags.

Lulu spots Maya next to a large orchid. She's holding a purple tray of special peanut butter sushi. Mr. Sanyo, chewing, holds a piece in his left hand and reaches for another piece with his right.

LIAM

(calls out)

Hey, Lu! Your coconut shake is a hit.

Lulu gives him a thumbs-up. She swipes a bowl of taro chips off a side table.

LULU

Noe, take that bowl of mango salsa.

NOELANI

I'm too nervous to eat anything.

LULU

(swallowing a chip)

I was thinking about my stomach, not yours. C'mon.

The girls duck and weave through the guests. They zoom up the floating staircase and down the hallway. Just before they reach Alexis's room, Noelani stops.

NOELANI

(staring at her toes)

I know I know how to hula but…but…ONLY when no one watches.

Lulu puts her arm around Noelani.

LULU

Here're two reasons you're gonna be able to do it. One, Khloe and the Cs are gonna perform with you, so you won't be up there alone.

NOELANI

(looks at Lulu)

They are? They'd dance with
me
?

LULU

And second, if you don't get up there and hula, I'm gonna do it instead.

NOELANI

You're joking, right?

LULU

(stares deep into her friend's eyes)

Nope. I am not.

NOELANI

(shock in her voice)

You'd try and dance in front of all these people?

Lulu shuffles, shakes, and slides in her disjointed and uncoordinated unique style.

LULU

I'll get Alexis to tape it. We'll call it
Hilarious Hula: Part Two
.

She steps, hops, and whirls. Lulu dances like she's telling the story of a tree thrashing about in a windstorm.

LULU

I wonder if your mom will think I'm good?

Alexis's door whips open.

ALEXIS

Lulu, you're pathetic at hula. Now, let's get glamming! Where've you been?

Khloe and the Cs race down the hall.

KHLOE

Noelani! You're gonna lead us in
Ka wailele
o Nu‘uanu
!

NOELANI

(shyly to Khloe)

You'd dance with me?

KHLOE

(looks straight at Noelani)

It would be soooo amazing if you'd even let us dance with YOU. Every kid on O'ahu knows you're THE BEST hula dancer on our island.

LULU

So, Noelani, you'll do it?

ALL look at her.

NOELANI

I'll try anything to keep Lulu from dancing hula in front of my mom.

The girls jumble into Alexis's room. Her door slams shut.

EXT. SANDY BEACH IN FRONT OF THE HARRISONS' ESTATE—6 P.M. (or 1800 in military time)

The scent of mimosa flowers and orange blossoms mixes with warm, salty sea breezes. The air smells pure Hawaii! Tiki torches blaze. A bonfire burns. Caridyn and Maleko softly beat
pahu
drums. Uncle Akamu and Liam strum ukuleles. Auntie Moana begins a low, beautiful chant that floats through the air along with the lapping waves. A hush falls over all the guests.

Linc Harrison, the natural performer, walks up to an open area near a bonfire.

LINC

For all of you who are here and want to kill me or my wife, Fiona…

(pause)

…I don't blame you.

Guests chuckle. Mr. Sanyo, who has actually taken his suit jacket off, laughs the loudest.

LINC

But before you do, all of you should know that this has been the best and craziest summer because of my daughter Lu—

HUUUGH HUUUGH HUUUGH.
Loud retching interrupts Linc.

All eyes turn toward the noise. It's Watson throwing up everything! Chunks of
laulau
, flecks of taro chips, hunks of mango salsa, and bits of blue, salty, plum lollipop come up in a warm gel of coconut milkshake. He retches a few feet away from Linc.

Lulu pushes her way through the guests toward Watson.

LULU

(muttering)

Geez peas! Sorry. I've gotta bury the barf in sand before he eats it.

By the time Lulu reaches Watson, Kenna and Kapono are already there.

KENNA

(whispering to Lulu)

We'll bury the barf for you.

KAPONO

Yeah. You get the show going.

LULU

Mahalo
, you guys.

Lulu stands in front of the bonfire. She spots Fiona talking to Lieutenant Colonel Nui.

LULU

(top of her voice)

Aloha
, everyone! Ummm, I wanted to say: Welcome home to Noelani's mom.

GUESTS

ALOHA!
Welcome home!

LULU

And, also…

(pauses)

…I want to say: welcome home to my own mom. You've pretty much finished shooting
Seas the Day.

Cast and crew in the audience CLAP wildly.

LULU

So, please…

(blinks back a tear)

…let's be a family and start summer vacation together all over again.

Everyone WHISTLES, CHEERS, and PUMPS the air.

LULU

As a present to the moms, I present a hula called
Ka wailele o Nu‘uanu
about a magically beautiful waterfall that's right here on O'ahu.

The strumming, chanting, and drumming get louder. Noelani leads Khloe and the Cs out into the open circle in front of the bonfire. They wear white bikini tops and yellow sarong bottoms except Noelani, who wears an all-white sarong with ti leaves around her skirt.

The slow, beautiful song starts while the girls remain for a few beats in their starting hula position. They stand with knees slightly bent and their feet in a pie shape.

Soon they begin to
kaholo
, and their feet move right together and tap, then left together and tap. The
‘ami
, the sway, comes in and all the girls have mastered the art of separating themselves the waist up from the waist down.

The
hela
move comes in with a soft forward-and-back sway. Their arms tell the story of the breathtaking waterfall. Noelani's gentle, floating, gliding arms lead. From her narrow shoulders to the tips of her slender fingers, the waterfall appears flowing, falling, and bubbling.

All the guests, hardly moving and barely breathing, watch. Everyone is captivated by the rolling waves, the shimmering moonlight, the gleaming starlight, the enchanting music, and, most of all, by the girls telling a story through a magical dance.

When the music stops, Noelani stands still, facing the ocean, arms raised high and fingertips toward the stars. The guests remain still, awed by the beauty. They follow Noelani's fingers up to the heavens and see—A SHOOTING STAR!

LULU

(calls out)

Hey look!

It streaks through the velvet-black sky for a moment, and then it's gone.

While everyone continues to stare into the sky, Lulu runs toward Noelani, but she's not the first to reach her. Lieutenant Colonel Nui holds her daughter tightly and rests her chin on top of Noelani's head.

LULU

(backing up)

Oh sorry. I'll just—

LT. COLONEL NUI

(releasing Noelani)

Lulu! Glad you're here. I want you to know that my life is full of adventure and rewards and—

LULU

(looks at the left side of her uniform)

And medals.

LT. COLONEL NUI

(smiling)

Yes, and medals. But I've never had an honor as great as watching my daughter dance tonight.
Mahalo
for all you did to make that happen.

(pauses for a deep breath)

Now I'm going to walk away before this Marine mama sheds a few joyful tears.

Lulu and Noelani link arms and head down the sand. Before they reach the white ocean foam, they walk by two people cuddling. Lulu stops. She and Noelani turn around.

LULU

Lex? Is that you?

ALEXIS

Oh, hi! I mean,
Aloha
. I was just telling Max—

MAXWELL

That was gorgeous, Noelani. Totally brilliant.

Knowing Noelani isn't ready to chat quite yet, Lulu jumps in.

LULU

I knew she'd be amazing! Just like I knew we'd get summer back as a family.

ALEXIS

I gotta hand it to ya, Lu. Sometimes you get the script just right.

LULU

(tossing her arm around Noelani and Alexis)

And sometimes, I just direct the script exactly the way I want the ending to be!

FADE TO BLACK

Before I tell you what happened the rest of my summer in Honolulu, which is lots of big stuff, I want you to know the three most important Hawaiian words I'll always remember. If I go back to L.A. and never forget these three words, I'll feel like a new, more grown-up Lulu.

ME

The first word is
koa
. It means “bravery” or “courage.” When summer started, I planned to just spend time with my family and meet new friends. I wanted to chop, mince, dice, cut, and, most of all, taste new foods. I set out to touch, smell, see, and help save different plants, trees, animals, and fish. I never wanted to cause any trouble for my parents or for anyone else. But when
Seas
the
Day
ran into trouble, I summoned up
koa
to find ways to try and help. And when my mom got fired, my courage really kicked in. Of course, it's not easy for an eleven-year-old kid to patch up a 150 million dollar movie. Most of the brave stuff I tried created disasters. But I learned that
koa
is catching and that it's something that can be shared. So, remember, don't keep your
koa
to yourself.

MY FAMILY

The next word is
aloha
. It's easy to think you know this word. It's used for “hello” and “good-bye.” It's like everyone knows the words “mom” and “dad.” But
aloha
, like mom and dad, has deeper meanings, like love, kindness, tenderness, and harmony. In Honolulu, my parents found out that being called “mom” and “dad” means more than racing past their kids or scheduling slivers of time to be a family. What they really learned was a little
aloha
!

Auntie Moana and Uncle Akamu talk about the “Spirit of
aloha
.” They say it's a way of living and treating each other with love and respect. They say when you live in the spirit of
aloha,
you create positive feelings that spread to others. Well, my sister, Alexis got washed up in
aloha
spirit. Her coming through for me all summer long, even when she knew I could get her in whopper tons of trouble, made her beauty on the outside match her beauty on the inside. And you know what? I'm pretty sure her boyfriend, Maxwell, liked her way better knowing that she had a little sister who she'd never let down. It showed him that she thought about more than just herself.

REAL, NEW LULU

Here's THE word that defines the new Lulu:
ohana
. The exact meaning is “family” but not just a mom, dad, and kids.
Ohana
can be grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, and, of course, friends. The Hawaiian spirit of
ohana
taught me that love and care bind families together and, also, knit together people, whether they are like or different from you.

Now I've gotta tell you some real
ohana
things that happened the rest of my summer in Honolulu:

1.
Colonel Adams made it to the hospital to be with Mrs. Adams when their baby was born. They named her Noa Adams. It's a really cool name because
Noa
means “freedom” in Hawaiian. Noa's head already sprouted red hair like her mother's. James and I visited Noa and Mrs. Adams. Colonel Adams came in while we were there and gave me back my iPhone. He wouldn't give me back my ALOHA cap, though. He said it's now his lucky cap.

2.
Noelani belonged at the best hula school on O'ahu, but Tutu and her mom didn't have the extra time or money to enroll her. Also, it might have been too scary for Noelani to do an audition. So, Khloe and the Cs and I decided to have a chat with the head
kumu
(teacher) at Island School of Hula. I played the Big Cheese Teacher a video I once took of Noelani practicing when she didn't know I was watching. And guess what? The head of the school offered Noelani a scholarship! Right then and there! So I handed the
kumu
my phone, and Khloe dialed Noelani. We put the phone on speaker and all told her together. Well, Noe's been performing as the front-and-center dancer with Island School of Hula ever since.

3.
Mrs. Lyons really did know everyone on O'ahu. She wasn't just saying it. And she really wanted to be involved with movies. So, Lex and I arranged a swap-a-roo. We got her Maxwell's job as a production assistant on
Seas
the
Day
and Maxwell drives around Honolulu with Alexis, dropping off kids at Ohana Camp. Sometimes he just reads on mall benches and waits for Alexis to buy new bikinis. He says he's trying to teach Lex that “a good book is mind candy.” Turns out Maxwell is happier reading Shakespeare than raking sand for actors about to shoot beach scenes.

And, as you might guess, Mr. Sanyo rehired my mom to finish directing her movie. In fact, he arranged for my mom to make a sequel!! So, there's gonna be
Seas
the
Day
II
next summer. The first thing Mom did was hire Dad to star in the new one. The second thing she did was invite all my pals to be movie extras. But, best of all, she hired Auntie Moana, Uncle Akamu, and Caridyn to make the movie's soundtrack! So, it just goes to show what deep
koa
,
aloha
spirit,
ohana
feelings, and peanut butter sushi can do.