EXT. MOUNTAIN MEADOW - DAY
Blue sky above the lush clearing surrounded by forest, one edge from which the riders emerge in three pairs led by Sess and Claire, followed by Jackie and Chloe. Tom and Hunter lag at the same fourty or fifty feet Chloe and Jackie are behind Sess and Claire, aimed the woods at the far edge of the meadow., proceeding at a leisurely pace.
WITH TOM AND HUNTER
TOM: How often do you get to see her?
HUNTER: The last few weeks of her summer vacation, every spring break, every other Christmas and whenever I'm in Los Angeles or the bay area.
TOM: You and Barbara get along?
HUNTER: We do. Email or call at least once a week.
TOM: Does she work?
HUNTER: Photographer.
TOM: Are her parents living?
HUNTER: John and Jan. Alive and well in Paso Robles.
TOM: Well that ain't too far from San Luis Obispo.
HUNTER: Just up the road or by a nice train ride.
TOM: Good health?
HUNTER: Very good. They walk and or swim everyday.
TOM: Retired.
HUNTER: Retired. They were attorneys in San Francisco. Ever been anywhere in California?
TOM: Once, a few years ago. Flew to Sacramento to see a friend's son who was competin' in the rodeo in Auburn.
HUNTER: Nice town.
TOM: I thought so. Pretty country.
HUNTER: Ever do any rodeo yourself?
TOM: Some. When I was a kikd.
HUNTER: What event or events?
TOM: I did what's called tie-down ropin'.
HUNTER: I know what that is. Win any belt buckles?
TOM: Couple.
HUNTER: Still have them?
TOM: Pretty sure Ruthie's got 'em in a box in her garage.
HUNTER: No pro rodeo?
TOM: Well, that was a part a the plan but Uncle Sam had a different one.
HUNTER: Vietnam.
TOM: Yessir.
HUNTER: Would you mind talking about that sometime?
TOM: We can do that.
HUNTER: Thank you.
TOM: Got some pictures somewhere.
HUNTER: I'd love to see them sometime.
TOM: Maybe next time.
HUNTER: Next time would be a good time.
WITH JACKIE AND CHLOE
JACKIE: Starting to think about where you want to go or is it too early?
CHLOE: Starting to.
JACKIE: Your dad says you're getting letters about softball.
CHLOE: Yeah. He probably told you we're taking a motorcycle tour that includes a layover in Tucson to check out the campus.
JACKIE: U of A.
CHLOE: Yeah.
JACKIE: Not much surfing.
CHLOE: Right?
JACKIE: Something you would miss?
CHLOE: Yeah, a little.
JACKIE: Is it a magnet that might keep you in southern California?
CHLOE: Well, that's a part of it. I feel like things will trend away from staying home, so to speak. But, you know, it is early in that things can change. Things will change.
A lull.
CHLOE(CONT.): Where did you go to school?
JACKIE: Stayed home for undergrad at U-N-M, University of Washington for my master's.
CHLOE: Albuquerque and Seattle.
JACKIE: Yes.
CHLOE: You grew up in Albuquerque?
JACKIE: I grew up like Sess did on the Mescalero Apache Reservation we drove through.
CHLOE (BEAT): Oh.
A lull.
CHLOE (CONT.) Could I ask you about that sometime?
JACKIE: Of course. Maybe we can talk when you're back from your trip.
CHLOE: Cool. Thanks.
JACKIE: My pleasure.
WITH SESS AND CLAIRE
They near where meadow meets forest.
SESS: What does your dad say Foglost is about?
CLAIRE: A sailor of a small boat on a big lake gets lost in a fog that won't lift. End quote. He'll finish it tonight and go pick up the other two books tomorrow.
SESS: I looked him up. Not much there. His small headshot with the two sentences on his publisher's website.
CLAIRE: What two sentences?
SESS: H C Hardyn is the author of two novels, Foglost and Water Feature, and a book of short stories, Too Short Stories. The too spelled T O O.
CLAIRE: He lives with his dog west of the Pecos.
SESS: Yes.
CLAIRE: Same as on the author flap. And the dog over his shoulder in the background.
SESS: Samoyed.
CLAIRE: Check. Any idea what Water Feature's about?
SESS: A man going blind trying to construct what he calls the creek on his plot of land in the desert. To paraphrase from the brief description on the publisher's site. There are reviews but I'm putting off reading them until after I read the book.
CLAIRE: Will you read Foglost?
SESS: Aftar Jack finishes it. She's starting it tomorrow.
They stop at the edge of the woods through which we see the base of a hill, turns the horses around to face the nearing riders.
CLAIRE: She seems happy.
SESS: She does. She was very nervous about meeting Chloe.
CLAIRE: Seems to be going well.
SESS: Yep.
Jackie and Chloe arrive.
SESS: How we doin', Chloe?
CHLOE: Only absolutely loving it.
SESS: That's all?
CHLOE: That's it.
CLAIRE: Lunch around the corner.
CHLOE: Cool.
Hunter and Tom arrive.
SESS: Gang's all here. How we doin', guys?
HUNTER: Merely wonderfully.
SESS: Only that.
TOM: Bout the same here.
SESS: Well, let's see what lunch and a bit of a view can do to make things better. Bit of a climb and watch out for the view. Claire?
CLAIRE: Like, hyah.
Claire turns her horse to the woods, leads the way into them and out of view as they ascend the base of the hill ahead.
