Lulu in Honolulu by Elisabeth Wolf Read Free Book Online

say it’s your favorite flower.
    Lulu holds out a hibiscus to Auntie Moana. She leans down for Lulu to pin it in her hair, and while she does, Auntie’s rough hand smooths Lulu’s wild hair.
    EXT. ’IOLANI PALACE, STAGE—CONTINUOUS
    The cluster of Ohana Camp kids tries to make lines on the stage. Caridyn, her pahu drum pressed against her right hip, directs kids who scamper from one place to another. Lulu bumps into other campers. She’s scanning the audience.
    LULU
    (stage whisper to Noelani)
    I can’t believe my mom and dad didn’t come.
    Noelani doesn’t hear. She scoots into the back left corner leaving Lulu alone in front of the audience.
    LULU
    (loud)
    Noelani! What are ya doing?
    THWACK, TAP, THWACK, TAP. The drum begins. All the kids stand with their heels together but miss the starting cue. Caridyn bangs out the introduction again and again. Everyone stands motionless until the fourth time, when Kapono actually moves with a right tap.
    LULU
    (talks to herself out loud)
    One, two, three, tap. One, two, three, tap.
    Without anyone to follow in front of her, Lulu goes left when she should go right and right when she should go left. Liam and Maleko burst into a spell of giggles, lose their place in the dance, and just shuffle from side to side. Not even Kenna and Kapono are coordinated with each other. Noelani performs with smooth swaying, perfect rhythm, and graceful arm motions, but with the clonking, bonking kids in front of and around her, no one sees her.
    Every moment she can look up without falling on her face, Lulu scans the crowd.
    THWACK, TAP. TAP, THWACK. The drum continues in perfect rhythm, even as the kids trip and bump into each other. And then…Lulu spots them!
    CAMERA FOLLOWS—Fiona, in her high wedge shoes as she jogs toward the stage. She holds a black-and-white clapper. Linc, dark, aviator sunglasses; tousled, blond-streaked hair; baggy jeans; and a vintage, faded T-shirt that says “The ENGLISH BEAT” runs through the middle of the audience and onto the stage.
    CAMERA ZOOMS ON ALEXIS, under a straw cowboy hat encircled by a leather-and-silver braided cord. She sits herself front and center, sets her iPhone to “Record,” and points toward the stage.
    Fiona now stands on the stage in front of Linc and the dancers. She snaps down the clapper.
    FIONA
    (loud, firm voice)
    HILARIOUS HULA! Take One!
    With a nod toward Caridyn, Fiona gets the music going again. This time, Linc Harrison performs the hukilau in the most exaggerated, hammed-up way ever seen on the grounds of the Royal Palace!
    Linc sways his hips in a smooth rhythm. He’s athletic and cool but performs playfully. His shoulders, arms, and hands bend and flow. A giant, handsome smile lights up his face below his sunglasses. Without missing a beat, he plucks the hibiscus from Lulu’s hair and chomps it in his teeth, like a flamenco dancer. He sways his way to Maleko and Liam and knocks his hips in each of their directions so they bang into him. Linc spins over to the twins and twirls Kenna first and then Kapono.
    The audience’s laughing and clapping are so thunderous, coconuts in the nearby trees quiver.
    Linc sashays over to Caridyn and square dances around her. There’s no question why Linc Harrison is a movie star. The audience can’t get enough of him. He thrives on the audience’s cheers.
    CAMERA CUTS TO ALEXIS. She’s filming but catches Khloe and the Cs sitting stiffly behind her. While keeping her iPhone forward, Alexis glances over her shoulder and flashes them a smile and a thumbs-up.
    ALEXIS
    (under her breath)
    Don’t mess with a big girl, girls.
    Caridyn bangs out a jazzy, swift, improvised tune to finish up. Linc puts his arm around Lulu’s waist and does a little can-can.
    The drumming stops and before the last THWACK floats away on the warm air, the audience goes wild. Fiona glides back to the center of the stage and smacks down the