Post by Donovan Basch on Jul 14, 2018 10:57:22 GMT -5
La Jolla, California
Scene opens with a shot of Donovan, Danielle, and Starr sitting in his Maserati. The expression on Starr’s face conveys a number of emotions: rage, anguish, fear.
Danielle: Donny, we have a HUGE problem…
Donovan’s face does nothing to hide the concern he feels when his wife utters those words.
Donovan: What problem?
Danielle: Desiree’s gone.
Donovan: Gone?
Starr: That bitch took everything…. Everything. Looks like she skipped town…
Donovan's eyes narrow and his hands grip the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles go white.
Donovan: (growling) Excuse me…
He unbuckles his seat belt and exits the vehicle.
Starr: What's he doing?
Danielle: I don't know, but I've NEVER seen him this angry, not even when he confronted your mo….
Starr: I told you, that bitch is no longer my mother….
Her voice starts to waver.
Starr: Now I'm some kid that nobody wants…
She can't hold it back any longer. The tears begin to flow from her eyes in a deluge. Danielle quickly scrambles and gets into the back seat next to Starr, taking the teenager into a sisterly hug.
Danielle: Honey, don't even say that. Donovan and I want you to stay with us…
Starr: Why would you? I'm practically a stranger….
Danielle: No, you're family, and family looks out for each other…
Starr: Family? The only “family” I knew up until a few days ago was “her” and her latest sugar daddy. And now that's gone….
Before Danielle can reply, Donovan gets back in the vehicle. While the look on his face isn't exactly pleasant, it's much improved over when he left.
Donovan: Before I say anything else, I want to apologize if I frightened either of you. It's just that when I heard what had happened, it brought back some very bad memories.
He pauses.
Donovan: Anyway, I spoke with the officers. They already have skip tracers working on locating Desiree. Her bail’s been revoked.
Starr: (sniffling) Hope she rots in jail…
Donovan: But that’s not the important thing right now… Starr?
Starr: Yeah?
Donovan: How would you feel about staying with us on a more permanent basis?
Her eyes begin to shine through her tears.
Starr: Do.. do you really mean it?
Donovan: Of course I mean it; you deserve to be treated better than Desiree has done so far. After all…. You’re my sister.
Starr lets out a high-pitched squeal and latches her arms around Donovan’s neck, which is awkward due to their positions within the vehicle.
Danielle: I’ll take that as a “yes”....
Starr releases her brother.
Starr: Can we get outta here? The sooner we do, the sooner I can forget it even exists….
Donovan: OK, ladies; buckle up.
Danielle: Yeah, let’s go home…
She turns to Starr.
Danielle: OUR home….
Danielle and Starr buckle their seat belts as Donovan starts up the Levante. Already, the two ladies in the back seat are chatting it up as if they've known each other for years. Donovan sees this in the rearview mirror, and it brings a smile to his face. Scene fades out as he puts the vehicle in gear.
Japanese Garden
San Francisco, California
Scene fades in with a shot of Donovan sitting with his eyes closed. His expression is troubled, and with a heavy sigh, he opens his eyes.
Donovan: Konnichiwa, Sugiwara-san…
I had hoped that a setting like this….
He opens his arms wide and makes a sweeping gesture.
Donovan: ...would bring me a sense of tranquility. But alas, it has not.
Recent events have turned my life upside down, and try as I might, peace of mind escapes me.
He shakes his head.
Donovan: I had hoped to come into our match at Hype with a more level head, but c’est la vie….
Don't delude yourself into thinking that this is going impart any sort of advantage, Keiji. While my thoughts may be turbulent at the moment, my focus is still razor sharp and it is still focused on you.
While I do take it as a compliment that you regard me as a respectable opponent, there are some things that I am left wondering about…
First and foremost, are you taking this match as seriously as you should? If you aren't coming into this contest with the goal of becoming the West Coast Champion, you aren't doing yourself any favors. Having a “friendly” bout between two gentlemen is laudable, but in this instance, I'm unable to oblige you. As a champion, my mindset is to defend this title by all fair means. But “fair means” does not necessarily equate to being gentle with you.
He chuckles.
Donovan: But that would be the reason that you hired a bear to train with, isn't it?
I will admit that I found that quite amusing. My wife would say that I'm fairly grumpy after I wake up, especially before the morning's first cup of coffee…
But I digress….
Had you been able to procure a full-sized bear, the logic in your choice of training partners would be somewhat sound in the fact that I do share some similarities to a grizzly bear: size, strength, ferocity…
But there is one glaring difference that you may have failed to take into account. I'm much more intelligent than a bear.
And, please, spare us all from the “Yogi Bear” jokes, thank you.
Bears have no use for strategy, as their motivations are rather simple: they're either hungry, or someone is encroaching upon their territory. They fight until their goal is met or until they are overmatched.
He pauses.
Donovan: But, perhaps, my motivation isn't all that different. In a way, you are trying to encroach on my territory as West Coast Champion.
So, Keiji, ask yourself this question: What do I do in this situation? Do I run, or do I fight?
Running isn't an option, because you’ll just be tired once I've caught you. Fighting is the only real option, and it's the one I'm most looking forward to. It won't necessarily bring you to victory, but at least it'll allow you to survive…
Fade to black.