Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2020 21:46:36 GMT -5
The scene opens as a black 1970 Dodge Charger R/T pulls up onto the driveway of a small house in New York City. As the car comes to a stop, the driver switches off the engine and the front door opens and Nathaniel Nitro steps out, dressed in a pair of black leather boots, a pair of camo pants and a black T-shirt with a wolf howling at the moon emblazoned on the front of it. His dog, Toretto hops out after him as Nate closes the door behind him and begins to make his way towards the front door.
Nate: C’mon, boy!
Toretto follows on behind and when Nate reaches the front door, he raises his balled up fist and knocks on the door three times. From inside, Mina in a pair of tight leather pants and a Michael Myers crop-top, checks the peephole carefully, making sure it isn’t anybody she wasn’t expecting. When she sees Nate, she opens the door and immediately jumps in his arms and kisses him. As she gets back to her feet, she takes his hand.
Mina: Come in, come in. Hey Toretto, how’s my favorite pupper?
She bends down to let Toretto sniff her hand before he licks it.
Mina: Hey, love, welcome to Casa Loca.
Mina leads Nate into the house, which honestly isn’t much to look at. The main room houses the living area and a kitchen along the back wall, with a relatively orderly kids’ play area between the two rooms. There’s a staircase going up to the two bedrooms, with Blitz the cat sitting on the landing looking at the two newcomers in the house. Blitz looks at Toretto, apprehensively, before rubbing her back against his face as a sign of friendship. In a recliner by the TV sits Maria Wilk. Early 40s, rough-looking face, could have been attractive at one time had life not been as it was. Maria looks up at Nate, and smiles.
Maria: So you’re the one who’s got Mimi all a-flutter, huh? Good to finally meet you, she’s told me probably more than I need to know but we have that kind of relationship. Come in, have a seat.
Maria points to a sofa that has seen better days but still looks fairly sturdy and clean.
Nate: It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Wilk. I can certainly see where Mina gets her good looks from.
He sits down on the sofa and Blitz immediately jumps up onto his lap while Toretto looks up at him with a case of the puppy dog eyes. Nate chuckles and then turns his attention to Maria.
Nate: Is Toretto allowed up on the sofa, Mrs. Wilk?
Maria laughs at the compliments, and finds herself blushing a little despite herself.
Maria: Ms. Wilk, trust me I’m not married and don’t plan on it again, and yeah, Mina did tell me you’re a charmer. And oh yeah, he seems trained, you can let him up. Mina, does he…
Mina, watching them both, arms crossed, sighs.
Mina: That’s why he’s here, Mom. I trust him, I don’t want to hide anything from him.
Mina looks towards the landing as a very timid three-year-old girl peeks around the wall. Mina smiles warmly and waves her over, coming down to one knee in front of her.
Mina: Almira, meet Nate, my boyfriend. Nate, love, meet my daughter, Almira.
Almira, bright-eyed and looking very much like her mother, hands on to Mina’s leg, peeking from behind it. She looks up at Mina and Mina nods. Almira takes her mother’s hand and walks into the living room and studies Nate’s face for a few seconds.
Almira: You like Mama?
Nate picks up Blitz and places her down on the sofa beside him before he slowly gets to his feet and then kneels down in front of Almira and smiles before nodding.
Nate: Hey there, Almira. Pretty name you’ve got there… and yeah, I do like your Mama. I like her very much and when she told me that she had a beautiful daughter, I got so excited to meet you.
Almira's eyes light up with what Nate told her, as Mina comes over to the sofa like a protective mother.
Almira: Mama, he came to see ME.
Mina: Yes, he did. I wanted to make sure he was okay before I brought him home. He does what Mama does.
Almira: So he'll protect us?
Mina chokes up a little but keeps her smile intact.
Mina: Yes. No more nightmares.
Almira peeks around Nate and sees Toretto and pets him, still a bit unsure of Nate though she's studying him intently.
Mina: Do you know what Nate's favorite thing is?
Almira shakes her head no.
Mina: He loves hugs.
Almira smiles, her mother's smile on a younger face, before approaching Nate less cautiously and puts her arms around his neck. As she hugs him, she whispers in his ear.
Almira: Mama used to cry at night because of Daddy. You make Mama smile. I like you.
Nate briefly glances up to Mina before he then whispers back to Almira.
Nate: You’ve done a great job looking after your Mama, and I promise I will always protect both of you.
Nate and Almira break apart from each other and they smile at each other before he stands up to his feet and takes Mina’s hand in his.
Nate: So… I take it, I pass the test then, Almira?
Almira looks at them both, seeing the love between the two of them, and hugs Mina around the waist and reaching over to hug Nate’s waist at the same time.
Almira: Yes. Mama, I’m going to go color. Can I have two cookies?
Mina: Did you eat your lunch?
This time, it’s Maria who chimes in.
Maria: She did. Actually, Almira, Nana has to go shopping. Do you want to help?
Almira claps her hands, excited.
Almira: I have to get ready! Bye Mama, bye Nate!
Almira runs up the stairs as Maria laughs.
Maria: She loves to shop, Mina was the same way. Are you staying for dinner, Nate?
Nate: I certainly wouldn’t want to pass up the opportunity to stay for dinner and get to know you and Almira a little better, Ms. Wilk.
Almira: We’ll make pasketti and meat bulbs!
Mina: Spaghetti and meatballs, sweetie, and sounds good.
As Almira runs back upstairs, Maria sighs and she smiles.
Maria: Almira tries to whisper, but that little girl has seen and experienced more in her young age than anybody should have to. I’ll let Mina fill you in on the details. I know it won’t scare you away, Mimi’s told me about where you’ve been and how family is important to you. I apologize that ours comes with the baggage it does, but it’s gotten better.
Almira comes down the stairs in her Lion King raincoat and goes to put her shoes on. She sings a little song to herself about rabbits and holes as she ties her shoes, and before she leaves, she runs back to hug Nate and Mina again.
Almira: I love you, Mama. Can I love Nate too?
Mina smiles and kisses the top of Almira’s head.
Mina: Of course you can.
Nate gets down to Almira’s level again and straightens out her raincoat.
Nate: There we go. You and your grandmother go have fun and we’ll be here when you get back, okay?
Almira: Promise?
Nate: Promise.
Almira: Okay. Come on, Nana!
Maria leads Almira out the door and looks back at them and mouths the words ‘thank you’ to Nate. Nate nods and smiles as Mina rubs his back. When the door closes, Mina walks to the fridge and comes back with two opened bottles of beer and hands one to Nate, before sitting down at one end of the couch.
Mina: Guess I have more to tell, huh?
Nate: I figured you’d tell me when you were ready…
He sits down beside her and rests his free hand on her thigh and looks into her eyes.
Nate: She’s a sweet kid… smart too. You’ve done a Hell of a job raising her.
Mina shakes her head, and lowers her head a little, before putting the beer down.
Mina: I was young, met a guy, seemed cool, disappeared shortly after Almira was born. Comes around maybe once a year but got into the gang lifestyle and I refuse to let him around her. He’s hit me, threatened Almira. Thankfully she was too young to understand. Last time she saw him, we were walking through Central Park and he came up to us. Strung out, didn’t even acknowledge Almira. I told him to fuck off and leave. That night, he tried breaking in. I called the cops, they said until he actually does something, they can’t do anything. So I beat the shit out of him. He hasn’t come around since, but that last meeting scared Almira. She heard him break in, she hid in my closet upstairs for three days. She still has nightmares about it. I’m hoping to make enough money to move us out of here, it’s not safe for her.
Now it’s Nate’s turn to put the beer down before he takes both of Mina’s hands in his.
Nate: Come and live with me in Stamford…
Mina’s expression is one of shock as clearly she never expected to hear that but before she can retort, Nate continues.
Nate: Yes, I know it may seem like rushing into things… I totally understand that… but Mina? I lo--
He lets out an elongated sigh.
Nate: If you’re worried about Almira’s safety being here, then you should get her out of here as soon as you can. I promised her that I would keep you both safe and I intend to do exactly that. There’s even enough space at mine for your mother too if you want her to come with us. I know this is a big decision, so you can take some time to think about it… I just want what’s best for you and Almira.
Mina looks around the place, closes her eyes and thinks to herself. Her hands in Nate’s start to shake as she tries and is failing to keep from crying.
Mina: I won’t say yes until I’ve talked to Mama and Almira, but I don’t see them arguing to stay. This is sadly a step up from where we were, but hell we deserve better. It’s why I work two jobs. If it wasn’t for Mom, I probably would have lost Almira to Child Services. I know they’ll say yes, fuck... Almira will have her stuff packed in an hour, you watch. I’ve never seen her this happy. You realize being with me is a package deal now, right? Think you can handle this?
Picking his beer back up, he takes a swig before setting it back down.
Nate: Honestly, when this started between us? I never expected to discover you had a daughter. Now that I know though, I would never expect you to make a choice and nor would I want you to make a choice because I’d be a damn fool to let you slip away and out of my life because of course you’d pick Almira.
He takes another deep breath.
Nate: I’m going to do the best I can with this situation, and thankfully we have your Mom and I have my Uncle, Addy, Katra and Eavan around if we need them. But I promise you, we’ll get through this… together.
Mina leans forward and kisses him.
Mina: And that, Nate, is why I love you. Yeah, I said it and you almost did too a minute ago. Family is paramount to you as it is to me. You’re the first person I’ve ever allowed to come in and meet Almira, that’s huge. I won’t allow my daughter to be hurt, she’s been hurt enough. I trust you, Almira has decided to trust you as has Mom. They left us alone here, that’s also huge. I know this is a lot to take in, and you seem prepared to, but you won’t be doing this alone. We will take everything as it comes.
Nate: I love you too, Mina. I’m glad that you trust me enough to introduce me to your daughter and I’m looking forward to getting to know her more. Anyway, I’ll go and set the table ready for dinner before your Mom and Almira get back from the store. You sit back, relax and give Toretto some love because I think he’s beginning to feel neglected, haha.
Mina looks surprised at Nate’s offer to set the table and smiles.
Mina: Um, plates and stuff are in the cabinets above the sink, and silverware is in the top drawer. This is a first for me, thank you.
She turns to Toretto who’s now moved over to Mina as Nate gets up. Mina scratches his ear and Toretto gets up in her lap and lays on her, as she watches her wolf man start to pull out dishes. She smiles to herself, thinking of the better future to come.
Mina: Mmhmm, we’re going to be okay.
Nate: C’mon, boy!
Toretto follows on behind and when Nate reaches the front door, he raises his balled up fist and knocks on the door three times. From inside, Mina in a pair of tight leather pants and a Michael Myers crop-top, checks the peephole carefully, making sure it isn’t anybody she wasn’t expecting. When she sees Nate, she opens the door and immediately jumps in his arms and kisses him. As she gets back to her feet, she takes his hand.
Mina: Come in, come in. Hey Toretto, how’s my favorite pupper?
She bends down to let Toretto sniff her hand before he licks it.
Mina: Hey, love, welcome to Casa Loca.
Mina leads Nate into the house, which honestly isn’t much to look at. The main room houses the living area and a kitchen along the back wall, with a relatively orderly kids’ play area between the two rooms. There’s a staircase going up to the two bedrooms, with Blitz the cat sitting on the landing looking at the two newcomers in the house. Blitz looks at Toretto, apprehensively, before rubbing her back against his face as a sign of friendship. In a recliner by the TV sits Maria Wilk. Early 40s, rough-looking face, could have been attractive at one time had life not been as it was. Maria looks up at Nate, and smiles.
Maria: So you’re the one who’s got Mimi all a-flutter, huh? Good to finally meet you, she’s told me probably more than I need to know but we have that kind of relationship. Come in, have a seat.
Maria points to a sofa that has seen better days but still looks fairly sturdy and clean.
Nate: It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Wilk. I can certainly see where Mina gets her good looks from.
He sits down on the sofa and Blitz immediately jumps up onto his lap while Toretto looks up at him with a case of the puppy dog eyes. Nate chuckles and then turns his attention to Maria.
Nate: Is Toretto allowed up on the sofa, Mrs. Wilk?
Maria laughs at the compliments, and finds herself blushing a little despite herself.
Maria: Ms. Wilk, trust me I’m not married and don’t plan on it again, and yeah, Mina did tell me you’re a charmer. And oh yeah, he seems trained, you can let him up. Mina, does he…
Mina, watching them both, arms crossed, sighs.
Mina: That’s why he’s here, Mom. I trust him, I don’t want to hide anything from him.
Mina looks towards the landing as a very timid three-year-old girl peeks around the wall. Mina smiles warmly and waves her over, coming down to one knee in front of her.
Mina: Almira, meet Nate, my boyfriend. Nate, love, meet my daughter, Almira.
Almira, bright-eyed and looking very much like her mother, hands on to Mina’s leg, peeking from behind it. She looks up at Mina and Mina nods. Almira takes her mother’s hand and walks into the living room and studies Nate’s face for a few seconds.
Almira: You like Mama?
Nate picks up Blitz and places her down on the sofa beside him before he slowly gets to his feet and then kneels down in front of Almira and smiles before nodding.
Nate: Hey there, Almira. Pretty name you’ve got there… and yeah, I do like your Mama. I like her very much and when she told me that she had a beautiful daughter, I got so excited to meet you.
Almira's eyes light up with what Nate told her, as Mina comes over to the sofa like a protective mother.
Almira: Mama, he came to see ME.
Mina: Yes, he did. I wanted to make sure he was okay before I brought him home. He does what Mama does.
Almira: So he'll protect us?
Mina chokes up a little but keeps her smile intact.
Mina: Yes. No more nightmares.
Almira peeks around Nate and sees Toretto and pets him, still a bit unsure of Nate though she's studying him intently.
Mina: Do you know what Nate's favorite thing is?
Almira shakes her head no.
Mina: He loves hugs.
Almira smiles, her mother's smile on a younger face, before approaching Nate less cautiously and puts her arms around his neck. As she hugs him, she whispers in his ear.
Almira: Mama used to cry at night because of Daddy. You make Mama smile. I like you.
Nate briefly glances up to Mina before he then whispers back to Almira.
Nate: You’ve done a great job looking after your Mama, and I promise I will always protect both of you.
Nate and Almira break apart from each other and they smile at each other before he stands up to his feet and takes Mina’s hand in his.
Nate: So… I take it, I pass the test then, Almira?
Almira looks at them both, seeing the love between the two of them, and hugs Mina around the waist and reaching over to hug Nate’s waist at the same time.
Almira: Yes. Mama, I’m going to go color. Can I have two cookies?
Mina: Did you eat your lunch?
This time, it’s Maria who chimes in.
Maria: She did. Actually, Almira, Nana has to go shopping. Do you want to help?
Almira claps her hands, excited.
Almira: I have to get ready! Bye Mama, bye Nate!
Almira runs up the stairs as Maria laughs.
Maria: She loves to shop, Mina was the same way. Are you staying for dinner, Nate?
Nate: I certainly wouldn’t want to pass up the opportunity to stay for dinner and get to know you and Almira a little better, Ms. Wilk.
Almira: We’ll make pasketti and meat bulbs!
Mina: Spaghetti and meatballs, sweetie, and sounds good.
As Almira runs back upstairs, Maria sighs and she smiles.
Maria: Almira tries to whisper, but that little girl has seen and experienced more in her young age than anybody should have to. I’ll let Mina fill you in on the details. I know it won’t scare you away, Mimi’s told me about where you’ve been and how family is important to you. I apologize that ours comes with the baggage it does, but it’s gotten better.
Almira comes down the stairs in her Lion King raincoat and goes to put her shoes on. She sings a little song to herself about rabbits and holes as she ties her shoes, and before she leaves, she runs back to hug Nate and Mina again.
Almira: I love you, Mama. Can I love Nate too?
Mina smiles and kisses the top of Almira’s head.
Mina: Of course you can.
Nate gets down to Almira’s level again and straightens out her raincoat.
Nate: There we go. You and your grandmother go have fun and we’ll be here when you get back, okay?
Almira: Promise?
Nate: Promise.
Almira: Okay. Come on, Nana!
Maria leads Almira out the door and looks back at them and mouths the words ‘thank you’ to Nate. Nate nods and smiles as Mina rubs his back. When the door closes, Mina walks to the fridge and comes back with two opened bottles of beer and hands one to Nate, before sitting down at one end of the couch.
Mina: Guess I have more to tell, huh?
Nate: I figured you’d tell me when you were ready…
He sits down beside her and rests his free hand on her thigh and looks into her eyes.
Nate: She’s a sweet kid… smart too. You’ve done a Hell of a job raising her.
Mina shakes her head, and lowers her head a little, before putting the beer down.
Mina: I was young, met a guy, seemed cool, disappeared shortly after Almira was born. Comes around maybe once a year but got into the gang lifestyle and I refuse to let him around her. He’s hit me, threatened Almira. Thankfully she was too young to understand. Last time she saw him, we were walking through Central Park and he came up to us. Strung out, didn’t even acknowledge Almira. I told him to fuck off and leave. That night, he tried breaking in. I called the cops, they said until he actually does something, they can’t do anything. So I beat the shit out of him. He hasn’t come around since, but that last meeting scared Almira. She heard him break in, she hid in my closet upstairs for three days. She still has nightmares about it. I’m hoping to make enough money to move us out of here, it’s not safe for her.
Now it’s Nate’s turn to put the beer down before he takes both of Mina’s hands in his.
Nate: Come and live with me in Stamford…
Mina’s expression is one of shock as clearly she never expected to hear that but before she can retort, Nate continues.
Nate: Yes, I know it may seem like rushing into things… I totally understand that… but Mina? I lo--
He lets out an elongated sigh.
Nate: If you’re worried about Almira’s safety being here, then you should get her out of here as soon as you can. I promised her that I would keep you both safe and I intend to do exactly that. There’s even enough space at mine for your mother too if you want her to come with us. I know this is a big decision, so you can take some time to think about it… I just want what’s best for you and Almira.
Mina looks around the place, closes her eyes and thinks to herself. Her hands in Nate’s start to shake as she tries and is failing to keep from crying.
Mina: I won’t say yes until I’ve talked to Mama and Almira, but I don’t see them arguing to stay. This is sadly a step up from where we were, but hell we deserve better. It’s why I work two jobs. If it wasn’t for Mom, I probably would have lost Almira to Child Services. I know they’ll say yes, fuck... Almira will have her stuff packed in an hour, you watch. I’ve never seen her this happy. You realize being with me is a package deal now, right? Think you can handle this?
Picking his beer back up, he takes a swig before setting it back down.
Nate: Honestly, when this started between us? I never expected to discover you had a daughter. Now that I know though, I would never expect you to make a choice and nor would I want you to make a choice because I’d be a damn fool to let you slip away and out of my life because of course you’d pick Almira.
He takes another deep breath.
Nate: I’m going to do the best I can with this situation, and thankfully we have your Mom and I have my Uncle, Addy, Katra and Eavan around if we need them. But I promise you, we’ll get through this… together.
Mina leans forward and kisses him.
Mina: And that, Nate, is why I love you. Yeah, I said it and you almost did too a minute ago. Family is paramount to you as it is to me. You’re the first person I’ve ever allowed to come in and meet Almira, that’s huge. I won’t allow my daughter to be hurt, she’s been hurt enough. I trust you, Almira has decided to trust you as has Mom. They left us alone here, that’s also huge. I know this is a lot to take in, and you seem prepared to, but you won’t be doing this alone. We will take everything as it comes.
Nate: I love you too, Mina. I’m glad that you trust me enough to introduce me to your daughter and I’m looking forward to getting to know her more. Anyway, I’ll go and set the table ready for dinner before your Mom and Almira get back from the store. You sit back, relax and give Toretto some love because I think he’s beginning to feel neglected, haha.
Mina looks surprised at Nate’s offer to set the table and smiles.
Mina: Um, plates and stuff are in the cabinets above the sink, and silverware is in the top drawer. This is a first for me, thank you.
She turns to Toretto who’s now moved over to Mina as Nate gets up. Mina scratches his ear and Toretto gets up in her lap and lays on her, as she watches her wolf man start to pull out dishes. She smiles to herself, thinking of the better future to come.
Mina: Mmhmm, we’re going to be okay.