Post by C.J. Lorson on Jul 1, 2017 19:08:24 GMT -5
FADE IN:
EXT – REDONDO BEACH APARTMENT – DAY
The driver’s side door of a 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is splayed open, as is the trunk and the rear passenger door. The car itself is parked in the parking lot of a rather nice-looking apartment complex. CJ Lorson digs in the trunk of the car and fishes out a small box, hoisting it over his shoulder as he carries it into one of the apartment units.
He drops the box on the floor near the door and heads back out, but stops short when his cellphone rings. He glances at the caller ID, a wince appearing on his face as he taps the screen to turn on the speaker.
“Uh, h-hey, mom…”
CJ’s voice trails off as he glances off to the side, a pang of guilt easily visible in his expression.
“’Hi, mom’? That’s it? Almost three weeks and that’s all I get?”
CJ winces again and gives an apologetic side nod. Not that his mom can actually see the apologetic look, of course.
“Yeah…sorry about that, ma. You know how crazy it’s been with the move and getting ready for my debut and all–”
A slight giggle from the other end of the line stops CJ mid-sentence.
“Oh, stop, you know I’m just teasing you. I know you have a lot going on right now. If your father could see you now, he’d be praising you to the high heavens!”
CJ scoffs and tilts his head in a sideways nod.
“Yeah, or he’d be pissed about me leaving the family business.”
CJ grins and grabs another box from the trunk of his car and hoists it over his shoulder, the cellphone in the opposite hand.
“Come now, you know your dad would be proud of you no matter what. What was it he always told you?”
INT – REDONDO BEACH APARTMENT – CONTINUOUS
CJ nods and sets the box on top of the previous one by the door to his apartment and lets out a bit of a sigh.
“Ahh, let’s see, how did that go again?”
He puffs out his chest and juts out his chin.
“‘Listen, kiddo, whatever you do in your life, be sure you knock it out of the park. Every. Single. Time.’”
CJ says that in a gruff voice, mimicking his father’s. He chuckles and starts back outside to grab more boxes from his car this time setting it on the counter space in the kitchen of the apartment. His brow furrows a bit when he hears a bit of a sniffle on the other end of the line.
“You okay, ma?”
A worried look splashes over CJ’s face as he strains his ears for a response. Another sniffle and CJ’s mother finally responds.
“I’ll be fine, dear. Anyway, tell me; are you ready for your big fight?”
CJ inhales deeply and exhales sharply, nodding his head.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. These two guys, Tornado Desencadenado and Keiji Sugiwara are both intense. I’ve seen those guys in action, I’m gonna have my work cut out for me, that’s for sure.”
CJ starts to head toward the door to the apartment.
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be fine, hon. What kind of a name is Tornado, anyway?”
That statement stops CJ short, his eyes going wide as he glances around, perhaps checking if anyone heard that. He presses on the side of his phone, clearly lowering the volume before speaking again.
“Mom, stop! I have you on speaker phone over here, someone may have heard you!”
He shakes his head, an incredulous smile on his face.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie.”
CJ shakes his head once again.
“It’s fine, ma. Anyway, as I was saying; it’s gonna be a helluva battle in that match. Both of those guys bring a lot of skill to the table; I gotta try to keep up with them, especially if I plan on winning the match.”
The concerned expression on CJ’s face is all-too-apparent as he goes back outside and shuts the doors and trunk to his car, tapping a button on his key fob to set the alarm. He shuts the door to his apartment and goes about unpacking his belongings. He opens one box and glances inside it.
“Hey, listen, ma, I’ve got a lot of unpacking to do and I’ve got to prepare for the match, so I’m gonna have to let you go. I’ll call you after the show and let you know how everything went, okay?"
“You better, mister! I’ll talk to you later. You be careful in that ring, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt, now! Bye, sweetie.”
CJ nods his head.
“Okay, bye, mom.”
He taps a button on the phone screen and tosses it on top of one of the closed boxes beside him. He glances back at the open box and fishes out a picture from the top. It’s a picture of CJ as a little kid with his father beside him. The shipping ports where his father worked before his accident are the setting for this picture.
Both CJ and his father have smiles from ear to ear, as CJ kneels on one knee in front of his father, seated on a wooden stool.
CJ looks down at the picture and a longing smile forms on his face. His eyes begin to well up, but he closes them tightly and rubs them with his thumb and index finger. He opens them up again and they stay locked on the photo.
“I hear you, pop. ‘Knock it out of the park.’ I’m gonna do that…just for you. You’ll see.”
CJ eyes the picture once again before setting it down on the counter, the frame leaning up against the wall. He moves to the boxes and opens up another one, slowly unpacking everything inside and setting it off to the side. This is the image we’re left with as the camera slowly backs away from CJ before fading to black.
:FADE OUT
EXT – REDONDO BEACH APARTMENT – DAY
The driver’s side door of a 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is splayed open, as is the trunk and the rear passenger door. The car itself is parked in the parking lot of a rather nice-looking apartment complex. CJ Lorson digs in the trunk of the car and fishes out a small box, hoisting it over his shoulder as he carries it into one of the apartment units.
He drops the box on the floor near the door and heads back out, but stops short when his cellphone rings. He glances at the caller ID, a wince appearing on his face as he taps the screen to turn on the speaker.
“Uh, h-hey, mom…”
CJ’s voice trails off as he glances off to the side, a pang of guilt easily visible in his expression.
“’Hi, mom’? That’s it? Almost three weeks and that’s all I get?”
CJ winces again and gives an apologetic side nod. Not that his mom can actually see the apologetic look, of course.
“Yeah…sorry about that, ma. You know how crazy it’s been with the move and getting ready for my debut and all–”
A slight giggle from the other end of the line stops CJ mid-sentence.
“Oh, stop, you know I’m just teasing you. I know you have a lot going on right now. If your father could see you now, he’d be praising you to the high heavens!”
CJ scoffs and tilts his head in a sideways nod.
“Yeah, or he’d be pissed about me leaving the family business.”
CJ grins and grabs another box from the trunk of his car and hoists it over his shoulder, the cellphone in the opposite hand.
“Come now, you know your dad would be proud of you no matter what. What was it he always told you?”
INT – REDONDO BEACH APARTMENT – CONTINUOUS
CJ nods and sets the box on top of the previous one by the door to his apartment and lets out a bit of a sigh.
“Ahh, let’s see, how did that go again?”
He puffs out his chest and juts out his chin.
“‘Listen, kiddo, whatever you do in your life, be sure you knock it out of the park. Every. Single. Time.’”
CJ says that in a gruff voice, mimicking his father’s. He chuckles and starts back outside to grab more boxes from his car this time setting it on the counter space in the kitchen of the apartment. His brow furrows a bit when he hears a bit of a sniffle on the other end of the line.
“You okay, ma?”
A worried look splashes over CJ’s face as he strains his ears for a response. Another sniffle and CJ’s mother finally responds.
“I’ll be fine, dear. Anyway, tell me; are you ready for your big fight?”
CJ inhales deeply and exhales sharply, nodding his head.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. These two guys, Tornado Desencadenado and Keiji Sugiwara are both intense. I’ve seen those guys in action, I’m gonna have my work cut out for me, that’s for sure.”
CJ starts to head toward the door to the apartment.
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be fine, hon. What kind of a name is Tornado, anyway?”
That statement stops CJ short, his eyes going wide as he glances around, perhaps checking if anyone heard that. He presses on the side of his phone, clearly lowering the volume before speaking again.
“Mom, stop! I have you on speaker phone over here, someone may have heard you!”
He shakes his head, an incredulous smile on his face.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie.”
CJ shakes his head once again.
“It’s fine, ma. Anyway, as I was saying; it’s gonna be a helluva battle in that match. Both of those guys bring a lot of skill to the table; I gotta try to keep up with them, especially if I plan on winning the match.”
The concerned expression on CJ’s face is all-too-apparent as he goes back outside and shuts the doors and trunk to his car, tapping a button on his key fob to set the alarm. He shuts the door to his apartment and goes about unpacking his belongings. He opens one box and glances inside it.
“Hey, listen, ma, I’ve got a lot of unpacking to do and I’ve got to prepare for the match, so I’m gonna have to let you go. I’ll call you after the show and let you know how everything went, okay?"
“You better, mister! I’ll talk to you later. You be careful in that ring, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt, now! Bye, sweetie.”
CJ nods his head.
“Okay, bye, mom.”
He taps a button on the phone screen and tosses it on top of one of the closed boxes beside him. He glances back at the open box and fishes out a picture from the top. It’s a picture of CJ as a little kid with his father beside him. The shipping ports where his father worked before his accident are the setting for this picture.
Both CJ and his father have smiles from ear to ear, as CJ kneels on one knee in front of his father, seated on a wooden stool.
CJ looks down at the picture and a longing smile forms on his face. His eyes begin to well up, but he closes them tightly and rubs them with his thumb and index finger. He opens them up again and they stay locked on the photo.
“I hear you, pop. ‘Knock it out of the park.’ I’m gonna do that…just for you. You’ll see.”
CJ eyes the picture once again before setting it down on the counter, the frame leaning up against the wall. He moves to the boxes and opens up another one, slowly unpacking everything inside and setting it off to the side. This is the image we’re left with as the camera slowly backs away from CJ before fading to black.
:FADE OUT