Sunny? windy? Nov.10th? 2017
Dad:Honey, I’m really glad you’re here, cause there’s something really important I want to talk to you about.
Annie:That’s funny, because there’s something really important that I want to talk to you about.
Dad:Yeah? Well, you go first.
Annie:No, you.
Dad:Okay. I want to talk to you about Meredith.
Annie:And I want to talk to you about my mother. What about Meredith?
Dad:Well, what about your mother?
Annie:Dad, I’m almost 12. How long do you expect me to buy that story that the stork dropped me on your doorstep?
Dad:Oh, come on, Hal. We’ve talked about your mother.
Annie:No, we haven’t. Not really. A girl needs more in life than a half a crumpled old photograph. Dad, I’m almost a teenager. Face it, I need a mother.
Dad:You know what? You’re right. You’re absolutely right. You do need a mother. Which brings me to...
Dad:Meredith.
Meredith:Hi. Hello, Hal.
Annie:Hi.
Meredith:Hallie, this is my assistant, Richard. Richard, this is Nick’s daughter, the one I’ve been telling you so much about.
Richard:Oh, hello. How are you?
Annie:Hi there.
Meredith:Did you tell her?
Dad:Almost.
Meredith:Hey, if you’re free later, why don’t we all have lunch on the terrace?
Dad:Well, actually, I promised Hal we’d hang out together this afternoon.
Meredith:Oh, no problem. I’ve got plenty to do. I’m working on a new label design, Nicky, featuring Y-O-U. You’re gonna love it. See you for dinner, darling. Bye, Hal.
Annie:Bye.
Meredith:First change I make is to send that two-faced little brat off to boarding school in Timbuktu.
Richard:Ooh. Ice Woman!
Meredith:Proud of it, babe.
Annie:Come on, Dad.
Dad:Okay. Okay. You win. Pull up. Give that horse a rest.
Annie:Whoa, Sprout.
Dad:So, honey, are you excited about our camping trip?
Annie:What camping trip?
Dad:What camping trip? The one we take every summer before you go back to school.
Annie:Oh, oh. That camping trip. Yeah. Sure. I can’t wait.
Dad:So, uh...Hal.
Dad:What do you think of Meredith?
Annie:As what, Dad? Your, your publicist, your friend, your...
Dad:No. Just what do you think of her as a person?
Annie:Oh. She’s cute. She has nice hair, good teeth. She can spell the word “you”. Honestly, Dad, the woman is a complete stranger to me. Why do you want my opinion, anyway?
Dad:Well, I’ll tell you why, Hal. Because, believe it or not...
Annie:Race you back to the ranch, Dad.
Dad:Ha...Hal. Hal, I’m trying to tell you something.
Dad:Hey! Slow down.
Annie:I’m in so over my head here. I...I can’t handle this. I just...I just can’t. I’m only one kid.
Chessy:You got something you want to share with the class there, Hal?
Annie:Chessy, you, you gave me a fright.
Chessy:I gave you a fright?
Annie:You scared me. l didn’t know you were like, like in here.
Chessy:Are you sure there isn’t anything you want to talk to me about?
Chessy:Like why Sammy never comes near you anymore, or why your appetite’s changed, or why all of a sudden you’re neat as a pin...and using expressions like “You gave me a fright.”
Annie:Chessy, I changed a lot over the summer. That’s all.
Chessy:Okay. Boy, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s almost like you were...
Chessy:Forget it. It’s impossible.
Annie:Almost as if I were who, Chessy?
Chessy:Nobody. Nobody. Forget I mentioned it.
Annie:Almost as if I were...Annie?
Chessy:You know about Annie?
Annie:I am Annie.
