Gwen & Livinia

Synopsis: Two best friends grow up in a suburban small town, closer than sisters. Unfortunately, they have to move away one from the other due to circumstances beyond their control. In middle age, they wonder what has become of each other and use the magic of the interwebs to find each other again. Strangely enough, their friendship seems to pick up right where it left off.

~*~CAST~*~

Gwendolyn 'Gwen' McGrath/Kidd:

Peter Kidd: (her husband)

Jayden Kidd: (their son)

Raymond 'Ray' Kidd: (second, youngest)

Griffin McGrath: (Gwen's dad)

Olivia McGrath: (Gwen's mom)

Ruby McGrath: (Gwen's grandma)

Livinia Lavender/Dawson:

Greg Dawson: (her husband)

Yvonne Dawson: (their daughter)

Lyle Lavender: (Liv's dad)

Alexa Lavender: (Liv's mom)

Xavier Lavender: (Liv's brother)

“Everything has a beginning and an ending. That's why you shouldn't take good things for granted.”--Mao, GJ BU

"It's always good to remember where you come from and celebrate it. To remember where you come from is part of where you're going."--Anthony Burgess

Scene 1---Knights of the Round Table

Gwen: At last, let us commence our first meeting of the Round Table. (bangs the 'hilt' of a 'sword' which is actually a stick on a round stump. They convene around this stump sitting cross legged in the grass)

Livinia: Thank you, Galahad. I Arthur, King of the Britains have at last brought peace into the land. People live in harmony.

Gwen: No thanks to knights such as I, Galahad.

Livinia: Indeed, Sir Galahad. You fought valiantly at my side. Now it is time for us to go a questing.

Together: For the holy grail !

Gwen: (narrating) Those Arcadian days of our youth. We never thought they would end, but when dad had to move for a better job in the city. I told my friend farewell. I never thought my heart could hurt so badly. I never forgot about Livinia although I did meet new friends, but I never kept Livinia's contact information. I was certain our friendship was lost forever. That is, until I turned to the magic of the Interwebs to try and make contact.

(We see a montage of Gwen and Livinia having adventures as young tomboyish girls; fighting space pirates, dressing up as super heroes, cosplaying as anime characters and climbing trees, yelling at the top of their lungs. The sentimental, tear jerking song during the graduation episode of GU BU plays in the background as we witness a time lapse of Livinia's life transforming and Gwen's as well. They have both grown up considerably and attend their own jobs, have children of their own and it seems Livinia perhaps has forgotten her best friend of long ago.)

Scene 2—Internet, Do Your Stuff !

Gwen: (searching) Alright, alright. Livinia Lavender. Of course. It's very likely her surname has changed over the years. And. Search.

Jayden: Whatcha doin' mom ? Looking for something ?

Gwen: Yep ! My old friend, Livinia.

Ray: You mean Liv ? The girl you used to play with when you were in school ?

Gwen: That's the one. We'd get into all sorts of mischief in the forest not far from where we lived. Yes, it was a hike, but we didn't mind. Liv and I loved nature. We were wild things.

Peter: Who's a wild thing ? (laughing, tickling his wife unexpectedly)

Gwen: Ah, Pete ! You caught me off guard ! (laughing) Stop ! Quit it !

Ray: Find anything yet ?

Gwen: Matter of fact, I think I did, Ray. Livinia Dawson ! Ah ! That must be her married name. Oh, shoot, I missed the biggest day of her life. (sulks slightly)

Jayden: No use in having regrets over the past. Surely it has an address.

Gwen: Here it is, Jayden. I'm going to give her a call.

(picks up the phone dials the number, she gets really eager) It's ringing !

Yvonne: Hello ? Dawson residence, Yvonne speaking.

Gwen: Yes, hi ! This is Gwen McGrath. My maiden surname was Kidd. Is your mom there ?

Yvonne: (sweetly) Let me see. (covers phone receiver) Mom ! There's someone on the phone for you.

Xavier: (handing the phone to Liv)

Liv: Thanks, X.

Xavier: No probs, sis.

Liv: This is Liv.

Gwen: (trying not to tear up, can barely speak)

Liv: Hello. Is this some kind of crank call ?

Gwen: No ! This is Gwen. Do you remember me ?

Liv: (pleasant memories of yesteryear float through her mind, especially their epic candy haul which nearly made them sick. A replay of that is shown and she smiles.) I thought I recognized that voice. (She becomes a little overklempt.)

Yvonne: Something wrong, mom ? You're crying.

Liv: No, Vonne, honey bear. These are happy tears. I'm talking to my friend from long ago.

Yvonne: How nice !

Gwen: So you're married and have a daughter now.

Liv: Yes, that I am. I thought I'd never hear from you again. How on earth did you find me ?

Gwen: (mysterious tone) The interwebs !

Liv: (snickers) You were always the pro when it came to researching things.

Gwen: I was thinking we could gather the whole family together at our local amusement park. I've never been and it's been on my bucket list for years now.

Liv: Adventure Paradise ? I've only had dreams about that place.

Gwen: Then it's settled. What's your schedule like ?

Liv: I have weekends free.

Gwen: Same here. How about we meet up at your place at about 8:00 am ? We'll make a day out of it.

Liv: (getting excited) Good deal, Lucille ! Guess what, Vonne, guess what X ?

X/ V: What ?

Liv: We're going to Adventure Paradise !

(Everyone goes bonkers. An instrumental of Vengaboys' 'We Like to Party' plays in the background.)

Gwen: See you tomorrow.

Peter: Seems they took the information well. (he chuckles)

(Scene fade. 'The Next Day' appears. Techno is playing in the background as the family gets together and sets out on the road. Before long the Adventure Paradise logo can be seen. Thrill-seekers worldwide have come to this haven to unleash their inner adrenaline rush junkie..)

Scene 3—A Reunion Like None Other

('Pick Up the Pieces' plays in the background while the kids go off in one direction. Our friends stay closer together in their puerile romp.)

Gwen: Ooooo, I want to ride the Panther !

Liv: Yeah, that looks sleek !

Xavier: Could we not ? I don't really care for heights.

Liv: Aw, come on, X. You'll never know if you can defeat that fear unless you face it head on.

Xavier: I so hate you right now.

(They all board it, waiting to a music video from Metallica. Xavier looks down and before he can drop an f bomb, they are descending a super steep hill.)

Pete: My hands go up ! And they stay there !

Xavier: You're totally insane.

Greg: This is awesome ! What a spectacular choice for a first ride. WOOO ! Loop de loooop !

Annnd here we go ! Another loop de loop !

Xavier: Oh, God...Oh, No....Oh, CRAP !

(As soon as the ride is over, Xavier reassesses himself and straightens out his hair)

Pete: How was it ?

Xavier: (a bit reluctantly) Alright, I'll admit it. Panther was an outrageous ride.

Liv: Still acrophobic ?

Xavier: (takes a moment to ponder) Come to think of it. No.

Greg: That's my brother-in-law. (pats his back) You never know how much inner strength you possess until you jump in headlong and battle your fear up close and personal !

Xavier: How about...um...This one ?

Gwen: Crazy Bat ?

Liv: (clutches Gwen) No ! Look at it ! It's completely berserk !

Xavier: So, you're saying you two can go through 70 mile per hour twists and turns, loops and dips and not want to go backwards at 90 mph ?

Gwen: No. Nope ! You can't make me ! I'm thinking of scoping out that Zephyr over there. It's a bit, ahem, tamer.

Liv: I'm thinking of the scrambler or the Zero G.

Gwen: We can do all those things.

Xavier: I'm riding Crazy Bat.

Greg: You are a braver man than I am.

Pete: That goes for me too.

Gwen: How about the Abandoned Mine Cart ? It's the fastest and steepest one here. They're racers. Super fun.

Liv: Alright. After that, we'll recoup with some grub and regroup at Rhapsody Bay.

Gwen: (narrating) Ah, yes. First day of summer and here we were celebrating like pros. Even in Rhapsody Bay, we were screaming like a bunch of ninnies.

(The tropical themed music we typically hear in Mario/Luigi U games plays in the background while our family starts to wind down under the faux palm trees at your typical 'lazy river'.)

Ray: At least now we can relax, huh ? Man, I'm totally beat. This river is so calming.

Jayden: Sun's starting to set, too.

Ray: Aw, man. Jayden ! (pout) You can be such a buzzkill sometimes.

Jayden: (defiantly) Sor-ry, Ray ! (he punches him in the arm playfully)

Gwen: Ray, Jay. Stop it.

Pete: It's been a pleasure hanging out with you guys all day.

Greg: Likewise. We really need to make this a repeat reunion.

(They all hug each other, even the kids.)

Liv: You know we aren't that far from each other.

Yvonne: Come to think of it, Jay and Ray might even be going to the same school I attend.

Jayden: No way, that's so cool !

Ray: At least we'll have a friend to talk to when we go back to school.

Jay: Now who's deflating the joy in the room ?

Ray: Phtttphhh.

Greg: I think it's fair to say we're all tuckered out and in need of a long rest tonight. (yawns and stretches)

Liv: I'll second that.

(As they drive home, 'One Love, One Life' plays softly in the car and they say their goodbyes for the time being.)

Gwen: Looks like we'll be seeing each other more often, Livvy.

Liv: (hugs her one more time) It's good to know we have each other to lean on.

Gwen: Goodnight, Liv. Goodnight guys !

(They all say goodnight and head back to bed.)

Ray: Man, that was intense. I'm ready to hit the sack. Night Jay.

Jay: Night, Ray.

Jay/Ray: Night dad.

Pete: Night, guys.

Jay/Ray: Night, mom.

Gwen: Same to you, my little warriors. (kisses them on the forehead before tucking them in, they conk out completely)

Pete: When I was their age, after a rollicking game I would play until sunset, head home and plotz.

Gwen: Ah, to be young and carefree. (holds him closely)

Pete: (picks her up and carries her across the threshold) We still are in our own ways.

Gwen: You're still full of surprises.

Pete: (kisses her to no end before the two of them are asleep themselves)

(Scene change)

Scene 4—Friends Doing Nutty Stuff Together

Gwen: (narrating) So it seemed that every weekend, I was calling Liv, or Liv was calling me to meet up and catch up like old times. It was as if nothing had changed. We were back to our young selves. We'd hang at the arcade or play in go carts at the local laser tag arena. We'd roller skate until our knees gave out. She talked me into zip lining and we sky dove at my birthday. I would've never ever done so had she not suggested it, but let me tell you, it was quite the rush.

Liv: (Watching the SD footage one more time for good measure) Oh ! Look at your face ! It's priceless Gwen ! I thought you were going to pee yourself.

Gwen: Says you. I saw you holding your legs together for dear life ! (tickling her mercilessly)

Liv: Hey, hey ! Quit ! Stop it ! No fair ! Anyways, happy birthday ! All of us decided to buy you something to celebrate !

Greg: I bought you an ice cream cake. I know they're your favorite.

Gwen: All of you are too thoughtful. What would I ever do without friends like you ?

Griffin: We had to be here to see our baby's big 4-0 !

Gwen: (chagrined) Aw, come on, you didn't need to trouble yourself so much over me.

Olivia: You're our only daughter. Who else are we going to spoil if not you and your grand kids ?

(They laugh)

Lyle: You know for a 40 year old you haven't aged a day over 24.

Alexa: I was about to say the same thing, only that she could pass for a teenager.

Gwen: (blushing) High praise. (imitates Buddy Valastro) Who wants to eat some cake ?

Liv: Oh, jeez, that impersonation never gets old ! You do that so well !

Gwen: Only because we went to Hoboken together and actually met Buddy in person.

Yvonne: He's such a sweety. Pardon the pun.

Alexa: He seems like he would be. I'm glad we all got a taste of the bakery though.

Liv: It was one of our finest adventures.

Gwen: But not our last !

('It's My Birthday' plays in the background, we see family and friends having a ball.)

Gwen: (narrating) Of all the gifts I have received in my exuberant life, friendship has been the most enduring. My children are just as precious, but they know they have my unconditional love no matter the circumstances. These constants keep us all grounded, hopeful and safe. I am blessed this year. The providence only grows with time. I leave you all with this thought. Friendships are priceless. These lovely people come into your life and transform you into a better person. They get you through rough times and moments where you need a pick me up, a coach and even sometimes someone who will give you a swift kick in the backside to cause you to stop feeling sorry for yourself. These people are irreplaceable and like the song says, 'Make new friends, and keep the old. One is silver and the other gold'. I am the richest woman alive, my treasures are always growing. I couldn't be more joyous !

('You're My Best Friend' plays in the background as we watch our friends watch home videos and pig out on pizza and ice cream cake. Gwen's presents receive hugs and kisses to her friends and family, but we see her holding her friend's hand tenderly. Our movie ends with symphonic music followed by bloopers and photos of real friends who have found each other after years of thinking their relationships had come to an end. This just proves that friendship can break all barriers and is yet another universal language we all speak. Friendship is magic !)