Enter Louis Green
FADE IN:
EXT. UPTOWN MANHATTAN - EARLY MORNING - 5AM
A garbage truck pulls to a slow stop in front of a shuttered pizza shop. One GARBAGE MAN hops off—barely dodging a honking cab that speeds by.
The CAB DRIVER leans out the window, flips him off.
CAB DRIVER
Watch it, muthafucka!
GARBAGE MAN
Man, fuck you!
He spits on the street and grabs the nearest trash bin. His PARTNER stands, frozen, staring at a spray-painted mural on the steel gate: a young Black man, shirtless, striking a BRUCE LEE pose.
PARTNER
No way... Is that who I think it is?
Above the mural: **THE ORIGINAL DADDY GREEN’S PIZZA.**
CUT TO:
EXT. ROOFTOP - DADDY GREEN’S PIZZA - CONTINUOUS
A makeshift dojo overlooking Harlem. Mats. A punching bag. A pitching machine. The city skyline glows behind it.
LOUIS GREEN (14, husky, passionate, rocking a karate gi and headband) stands barefoot, eyes closed.
LOUIS
Chinese GoJu is my secret...
May God help me if I ever must use my art.
Love is our law. Truth is our worship.
Form is our manifestation. Conscience is our guide.
Peace is my shelter... Peace is...
He opens his eyes with quiet focus.
He throws a flurry of punches—wildly off-center. A spin kick lands him flat on his back.
LOUIS (groaning)
Work in progress.
Montage of Louis “training”:
- Trying nunchucks, accidentally hitting himself.
- Meditating—only to fall asleep and snore.
- Taking a puff from his inhaler like it’s a chi boost.
He hauls out the pitching machine, sets it up, blindfolds himself with the headband, and clicks the remote.
LOUIS (V.O.)
It’s not about showing anyone. Just gotta keep going...
LEROY (V.O.)
Relax. Become one with your breath...
WHIRRING. A softball rockets through the air—WHACK! Hits Louis square in the face.
LEROY (V.O.)
To reach the Glow... you must become a living vessel...
LOUIS
That felt... enlightening.
He resets. Another ball—CRACK—nails him in the crotch.
LOUIS
Yep. Somethings are definitely glowing.
Balls fire relentlessly. Louis tries to pose heroically. Fails miserably.
CUT TO:
INT. GREEN FAMILY KITCHEN - MINUTES LATER
A tight, warm, chaotic kitchen. MARISOL (40s, fierce Puerto Rican mom energy) flips pancakes. SAMIA (5), the youngest, eats quietly.
MARISOL
YANIRA! RICHIE! LOUIS! If I gotta call y’all again, I’m switching to Spanish and hands!
SAMIA
I’m eating. Right, Mommy?
MARISOL
That’s why you’re my angel.
YANIRA (16, sassy, too cool for family) and RICHIE (18, sarcastic, future entrepreneur) stroll in.
YANIRA
Mom, it’s 6AM. Your voice could be heard all the way in Brooklyn.
RICHIE
These walls are paper. We hear everything. Including... last night.
YANIRA
Ew. I blasted Beyoncé just to un-hear it.
MARISOL
Don’t worry what me and your father do when y’all *should* be asleep. And speak English, not gibberish. All these ain’ts and gottas—
YANIRA
You just said “gonna,” though.
MARISOL
Girl. You correcting me? In *my* house?
She gives Yanira a death glare. Silence. Richie chuckles.
RICHIE
Here it comes. The Harlem OG story.
YANIRA
“I was the queen, Shonuff was the king—”
RICHIE
“And Dad whooped his Jheri-curled ass!”
MARISOL
(laughs)
Don’t forget, your daddy walked out with Laura Charles—
YANIRA
Who dumped him.
MARISOL
Mutual breakup!
They all laugh. Louis enters in his gi, still bruised but trying to look noble.
LOUIS
Mother-san. Richie-san. Yanira-san. Lotus blossom Samia-kun.
RICHIE
How come we are all -san and Samia is the only -kun?
LOUIS
You and Yanira are the oldest siblings. In Japanese you get -san. Samia’s the youngest, she gets -kun.
RICHIE
You still on this kung fu, Enter the Dragon shit?
MARISOL
Richie, calm down.
RICHIE
Listen to me, Louis. Your father is Black. Your mother is Puerto Rican. What part of that makes you Chinese?
YANIRA
He’s got a point, Louis. This is your freshman year. Do you really want to show up on the first day of high school dressed like—
RICHIE
Like a fat Ryu from Street Fighter?! This isn’t fuckin’ junior high. I’m not gonna be there to save you.
Marisol SLAPS Richie on the back of the head.
RICHIE
Ow! Damn!
MARISOL
Louis, baby, we talked about this, remember? You should only wear that when you’re training. What happened to the clothes I helped you pick out?
LOUIS
Mother-san, I was going to change. I only wore this because I was training on the roof. I wanted to eat with my siblings before venturing to school.
RICHIE
Why you talk like that? You sound like a damn fortune cookie.
LOUIS
Richie-san—
RICHIE
Stop calling me that! Just say Richie.
LOUIS
Eldest brother, I mean no disrespect.
He bows, then takes a seat.
RICHIE
It’s not even 6AM and the boy ain’t right.
MARISOL
Louis, what happened to your face?
LOUIS
I still need much training before I can surpass Shimura and reach the final level.
YANIRA
Seriously, Louis, I don’t know how you do it. Shimura’s been your best friend since kindergarten. She’s always been faster than you, stronger than you, and Dad’s top student.
RICHIE
The girl’s a total badass. No matter how hard you train, you’ll never beat her. Just give it up, bro.
LOUIS
Fate placed Shimura in front of me to inspire me. She is the Sasuke to my Naruto.
RICHIE
Bro... when are you gonna grow up? Life ain’t all comics and cartoons.
LOUIS
Richie-san, they’re called *mangas* and Anime.
MARISOL
Leave him alone, you two. Y’all could learn something from Louis’s hard work and discipline. Now eat and get moving.
FADE OUT.
TO BE CONTINUED...
