Jones St., Chapter 2: Pages 13-14
Page 13, 5 Panels- The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles CA, May 2006
Panel 1: Cut to a shot a handful of minutes later, with the music off, of Randall standing in front of the podium, speaking to the assembled group of friends and family in attendance. To his right, you can see a big blown-up photo of Tanya with an RIP wreath circling around it. You can also see an urn placed in front of the framed photo where her remains are stored.
RANDALL [Cont., glancing at the prepared speech in front of him]: We met in line for the show at the Forum. She lived in Studio City at the time, helping read manuscripts for a mid-level publishing house and editing this underground…alt-music zine, whose name escapes me at the moment (sorry, honey).
Panel 2: We move to a close-up of his face a second later; a slight, melancholy smile painted over the right side of his face. The background behind him is a blurry picture of the assembly of books that he’s standing in front of him. You can see the edge of the wreath and the photo to his right as he speaks.
RANDALL: We bonded over a love of literature, sci-fi and ‘60s Rock, the latter of which was brought on by our parents. She helped us get me and my friend down to the front row for most of the show...at least before the security guard came in and chucked us out just as they finished "Pinball Wizard." RANDALL [Bubble 2]: After the show, Mitch moved on to a woman he met during the show, Vanessa or something, leaving me and Tanya to talk. The conversation somehow got to authentic Mexican food and I admitted, being a white guy born and raised in Vegas, that the closest to Mexican food I'd had was Taco Bell. She laughed and told me, “You poor, poor white boy…we’re going to Babita to fix that immediately!” RANDALL [Bubble 3]: We ate our weight in empanadas and burritos and a magnificent gift from the gods called deep fried ice cream. We laughed and bonded some more, drinking somewhat cool Cerveza when she put the soundtrack to "Tommy" in her tape deck. Then out of the blue, she...
Panel 3-4: A two-part set of panels that settles on the same setting as the previous panel. The layout widens slightly to take in a little more of his upper body behind the podium, along with more of the wreath and photo to his right. With each panel, you can see more of the emotion come out in his ever reddening eyes as he continues speaking. Over his shoulder, you can see little bubbles of flashbacks showing Tanya and Randall in various stages of their relationship through to their wedding day.
RANDALL [Cont., with a sad chuckle that is shared Off-Panel by others in the audience; Panel 3]: She gave me one of those kisses that freezes time and makes the world just that much brighter. I knew at that moment that…that I loved her more than anyone I'd ever met. We decided to date long distance before I left back home, writing her letters and popping into the city from time to time whenever I could from work. There wasn't any doubt in my mind that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. RANDALL [Cont., Panel 4]: It wasn’t…it wasn't a year after that concert, during one of my times back in L.A., that I got the courage to propose to her, right here in the sci-fi section which was her favorite…
Panel 5: Same setting/layout as the previous panel. He stops suddenly, overwhelmed by the emotions inside him, and starts to cry right then and there. His hands are placed on top of the podium, squeezing the papers up into a bit of a ball that is partially visible overtop of it. As for the flashback images, they have subtly faded away outside of the one showing Tanya proposing to Randall which moves to a shot of the young couple kissing in front of the stacks of books.
Page 14, 6 Panels- The Last Bookstore/Tate's, Los Angeles CA/Las Vegas NV, May 2006/Present Day
Panel 1: Same setting/layout as the last panel of the previous page. The image that was on display to the right of that panel’s view is gone at this point. A half-minute passes by, and we see Mr. Myers wipe tears from his eyes with his right hand while his left one moves to his side. You can see by his body language that he’s trying to regain his composure once more; his still red eyes a reminder of what happened earlier.
RANDALL [apologetically, to the Crowd]: S--Sorry about that, folks… RANDALL [Cont., Bubble 2]: Many of you might be wondering why we’re in a bookstore rather than a cemetery to bury and that was why. It was a mutual decision from both my darling Tanya and I, after one of her chemotherapy sessions, that we wanted to be buried in the same where the story of us began, amongst the beautifully far reaching worlds that we both loved.
Panel 2: Action shot of Mr. Myers lifting the urn up from the pedestal, looking on with a great deal of pain; his eyes once more welling up with the glint of freshly made tears. You can see a section of books and offices in the background to the distance, illuminated by the glint of a flash of light hanging in the ceiling off-panel.
RANDALL [lovingly, to the urn]: Keep the seat warm for me mi amor, okay?
Panel 3: We move to a shot moments later of Randall moving from left to right toward the area where the two of them will be buried. The layout widens slightly compared to what we saw in the previous panel, showing the backs of the heads in the front row of seats as he moves. You can see the same background that was in play during the previous page.
TARA [narration caption]: The perfect couple...that's how I always viewed my Mom and Dad. I know they're not perfect humans, but the love they shared...that's what I wanted.
Panel 4: Cut to a close-up of the section of the store where Randall had been walking to in the previous panel. There's a hole in the floorboards flanking a pair of bookshelves to the left and right. On a gold plaque placed underneath the hole where Randall places the urn inside reads- "Here Lies Tanya and Randall Myers- the Greatest 16-year Rock Opera ever made..."
TARA [Cont. narration caption]: I'd be an extremely fortunate man to get even a slice of what they had. Or at least a good world stopping kiss.
Panel 5: Cut to a shot of the young Tara standing amongst the small crowd of friends and family. While others leave their chairs and start to head to the exit doors or chat with one another, he stays standing above his, wiping a stream of tears from the left side of his face. You can see a little bit of the shelves on the ground floor as well as part of the second floor area and the entrance doors in the background.
TARA [narration caption]: Fun fact- I also cry during the final musical number in Pitch Perfect and the end of The Theory of Everything.
Panel 6: We move back to present day with the younger Mr. Myers sitting at a table in Tate's, watching as the entertainment wraps up off-panel there. The tears are not as prevalent compared to what we saw in Panel 5, though there are some that trickle down; a piece of paper lies on the table in front of him, pinned down by his left hand. You can see the bar behind him in the background, along with the backs of a handful of people drinking and his enery bar (currently at 45%).
TARA [Cont. narration caption]: Good poetry, too. TARA [speaking to himself with a smile, wiping it in the same left eye area]: Beautiful piece...