SPOTLIGHT ON THE FAMILY: LORA BARTLETT

My mother emailed me asking if she could submit her own little story about how she was introduced to Dead Weight. She knew very little going into the script, as John and I generally had an agreement that we wouldn't be talking with anyone about the story. So here is my mother, Lora, and her own personal account of her first encounter with Dead Weight, formatted in her own little script style with very little editing on my behalf... and all extreme motherly biases untouched.

Lora may say she hates zombies, but she didn't have a problem dressing up for the Zombie Walk

My Dead Weight Beginnings

Setting: Early February 2011

              Lora's cell phone rings, she checks the ID, it's Adam,

she answers....... They exchange the usual greeting.

             Adam continues..... (continued after the break)

             Adam,  "So Mom, do you want to read the movie script

John and I wrote?"

             Lora, with an uncertain enthusiasm replies,  "Ah sure!

Drop it off when you get a chance."

             Other chit chat about it being a third draft, ignore the

typos and proof reading.  -Call ends-

Scene:   A week or so passes. Mid afternoon, Adam appears at Lora's

patio door, enters and DROPS 100+ pages on to Lora's GLASS coffee

table.

              Lora gasps under her breath but is instantly relieved

that the THUMP wasn't followed by a CRASH of shattering glass.

             Adam, "Here you go, let me know what you think."     -End Scene-

             This is where my Dead Weight experience began.

              Not being an avid reader, I expected, as I'm sure Adam

may have, not to finish for several days. I had very little idea of

what to expect but assumed it would be Zombie related, and anyone who

knows me Zombies scare the shit out of me.

             That evening I cozied in on my couch and began to read.

Less than 2 hours later I had finished. Seriously? I never got up to

have a smoke? I might have gotten up to pee once but can't remember

for sure. If I did it was fast cause I had to get back to the couch,

I had to know what happened next and I had to correct those typos!

The characters, locations, emotions, all came to life in my

imagination. I felt Charlie's anger, Meredith's strength and fear, and Samantha's
compassion. Giggles, gasps and a HOLY SHIT! For sure a lot of WOWS!

Setting: Lora calls Adam and reaches his voice mail. Waiting for the

"beep" she gathers her thoughts to leave a message.

            Lora, "WOW Adam, WOW! That's about all I can say right

now. When you become rich and famous,

                       you can buy your Mama a new car and house.

Otherwise a T-shirt and copy of the movie will suffice."

            Lora hangs up and stares out in to the cold February

evening air from her patio.

             She recalls memories of her hometown Wausau, the 3 RUSH

concerts she had the pleasure of seeing, and the cool new T-shirt she

will be getting.

             Her thoughts shift to contemplation.

            "Hmmmm....... What kind of Car do I want??"