10. Happy Endings
/Ally is in the final round of interviews for her dream job, but it would require her to leave the city. And she hasn’t told anyone about that possibility. Her fear triggers a spur-of-the-moment tour around the city for Samuel, full of flashbacks and esoteric sight-seeing.
About
NEXT STOP is a Multitude production written and created by Eric Silver. You can read more about the show, including our full cast list and episode transcripts, at http://nextstopshow.com. We’re on Twitter and Instagram @NextStopShow. Join our Patreon (http://patreon.com/nextstopshow) to gain access to behind-the-scenes content, additional scenes, bloopers, and the opportunity to have your name included in the credits of Episode 10. Buy a full-length version of the theme song at http://nextstopshow.com/merch, and learn more about Multitude at http://multitude.productions
Credits
Written and Created by Eric Silver
Directed, Edited, and Sound Designed by Brandon Grugle
Executive Produced by Amanda McLoughlin
Assistant Directed, Casting, and Additional Editing by Julia Schifini
Starring
Yemie Sonuga (she/her/hers) as Ally Lonergan
Nick Fondulis (he/his/him) as Cameron Chabon
Ian Henry Walls (he/his/him) as Samuel Clemens
With
Justin McElroy (he/him/his) as David Boreanaz
Emma Sherr-Ziarko (she/her/hers) as Interviewer
Mélisa Brenier-Sanders (she/her/hers) as Gillian
Anya Krawcheck (she/her/hers) as Lydia
Production
Music by Evan Cunningham
Additional Scoring by Brandon Grugle
Art by Allyson Wakeman
Script Consulting by Octavia Bray
Production Consulting by Lauren Shippen
Engineered by Cara Ehlenfeldt
This podcast was recorded under the SAG-AFTRA Collective Bargaining Agreement using a cash advance from Patreon. Read more about the production process, download our free resources for fiction podcasters, and find pronouns and bios for all cast and crew at http://nextstopshow.com
Transcript
[NEXT STOP theme plays. We fade into Ally’s bedroom in the apartment. Ally is sitting in front of her computer, conducting a Skype interview. She is wearing a floral blazer and button down on top and oversized mesh basketball shorts on the bottom.]
Interviewer: Alright so, Allyson. Can you tell me where you see the exhibit fitting in?
Ally: The exhibit? Yeah, yeah, yeah! The exhibit could fit nicely as a bonus room at a symposium. I’m just coming up with this on the fly, but maybe a recreation or on-loan bust of Artemis and some fragments of sacrilegious poetry blown up and nicely graphic designed to give it a modern feel. Oh! All of it could be under the banner: Big Gay Goddess Energy. BGGE.
[The Interviewer laughs, and Ally laughs along, pleased but a little nervous.]
Ally: Yes, yes, yes, yes. And this doesn’t have to be in Pride month, no! This is an exhibit that could go up anytime. Because we need Big Gay Goddess Energy all the time.
Interviewer (laughing): We certainly do. Well, Allyson, you’ve given us a lot to think about. This is your fifth interview, so I’ll do you the courtesy of the truth. You’re one of two finalists, and we’re meeting this afternoon to decide. We’ll have an answer for you later today.
Ally: Oh, okay! Oh, wow, so soon. Would there be any sort of money if I moved or would-
Interviewer: We would discuss relocation fees and more once we make our decision.
Ally: Oh, right, sure, sure sure. Of course, of course, just thought I would ask, sorry. Um, yeah. Thank you...Thank you so much! Thank you so much for taking the time.
Interviewer: No, thank you. Goodbye.
Ally: Salutations!
[The Skype call ends.]
Ally (mimicking herself): “SALUTATIONS!” Oh, god Ally!
[Ally groans in frustration and falls back onto her bed. Then, Samuel and Cam bust into the room.]
Cam: I’m Mary-Kate.
Samuel: And I’m Ashley.
Cam: And we want you to be...
Cam (simultaneously): Our Billboard Dad!
Samuel (simultaneously): The Billboard Father!
Ally: What is this…?
Cam: Samuel, my man, we just practiced this. What’s the point of doing bits if we can’t nail them?
Samuel: I do not know the point of doing bits.
Cam: Ally, let’s go! This Mary-Kate and Ashley marathon isn’t going to start itself. How many hijinks can these girls get into while wearing pajamas and keep their pre-teen cuteness? The answer: a lot, and not that long!
Samuel: This is an interesting outfit choice for a movie marathon.
Cam: Yeah... The shorts I get, they’re comfy and easy to wear. But the blazer and button-down are confounding me.
Ally: Are you questioning a woman’s choice to feel fancy in her own gosh darned house?
Samuel: I would never. It’s one of our God-given rights as Americans.
Ally: Yeah, Cam! Don’t tread on me.
Samuel: Yeah, Cam! Don’t tread on her!
Cam: Wait, what? What is happening?!
Ally: You’re infringing on my rights to be fancy!
Cam: Never.
Ally: Well, good. I was going to have to call the ACLU. It would’ve gotten messy.
Samuel: Speaking of our rights, our fifth amendment states that our private property cannot be taken away for public use without just compensation. And I would like to extend my current rights to private property with you two!
[A brief pause.]
Samuel: I received an email from the management company. My sublet from Gillian is expiring in a few weeks, and they asked if we were renewing and, if so, was I going to join the lease? I didn’t want to reply right away, but I assumed that the answer would be yes for you two. And it would definitely be a yes for me.
Cam: Samuel Clemens, fully bought into our friendship!
[Cam trills happily.]
Samuel: Indeed I have.
Cam: I love it. I’ve got to say, after my recent brush with Internet famedom, I realized that real friendship means so much more than adoring fans. I am 2,000 percent in.
Samuel: Awww...Perfect.
Cam: And Ally’s in too, of course.
Ally: ...oh yeah, for sure! I will absolutely sign that lease....
Samuel: I’ll send them a missive back and say we’re in for another year of the lease.
Ally: Wait! ...we should take this movie marathon up a notch!
Cam: I never even considered it.
Samuel: Mmmm...elaborate.
Ally: This is a friendship celebration, right?
Cam: Yeah…
Ally: So let’s celebrate the friendship! Cam, I think this would be a perfect time to show Samuel our favorite places in the city.
Cam: Oh, yes! Finally! Operation Mythos is happening!
Ally: Operation Mythos!
Cam (singing operatically): Mythos!
Samuel: What?
Cam: Put on your walking shoes, Samuel Clemens, we’re going on a reminiscing tour!
Ally: A ha! Woo! Let’s do it! I’m going to change!
Cam: Woo!
Samuel: Alright!
Ally: Get out of my room!
Cam (walking out): Woo!
Samuel (walking out): Alright!
Ally: Thanks!
[Samuel and Cam leave. The door closes.]
Cam (from behind the door): Woo!
Samuel (from behind the door): Alright!
Ally: ...Annoying.
[Musical stinger. Ally, Cam, and Samuel are standing across the street from a bodega, which looks no different than any corner store market that you would expect. The sign boldly proclaims it is Number One Constitutional Deli.]
Ally: Alright, Samuel. Here it is. Open your eyes in five, four, three, two… Ta da!
[Cam makes rap airhorn noises in excitement.]
Samuel: Woah! So cool! ...what is this?
Cam: Oh, ho, ho, this is a good one. Starting off with a bang.
Samuel: I do not understand what I’m looking at. Is this a corner store?
Ally (chuckling): A corner store? Absolutely fragging not! This is the Good Luck Bodega!
Cam (making crowd sounds): Oooooh. Ahhhh. Woaaaah.
Samuel: Oh! Oh wait guys! I know this place, I’ve been here before. I bought a cherry seltzer and some Q-tips.
Ally: Ah, young padawan, you may think it’s just a regular ol’ corner store. But it’s not! Once you know the true lore, you’ll never see it the same way again.
[Flashback sounds.]
Cam (in present): The year, 2013.
Cam (in past): Man, I love my iPod nano. I don’t know what I’d do without it.
Cam (in present): I had a hankering for an ice cream bar, so I popped into this very corner store and checked out their freezer. And that’s when... it happened.
Cam (in past): Woah, 20 dollars! Score!
Cam (in present): And from that point on, it was known as the Good Luck Bodega.
Ally (in present): Every time we needed good news or a lucky break, we shopped here.
[Flashback sounds.]
Ally (in past): Can I get a bacon, egg, and cheese with mayo and mustard?
[Ally in the past runs into someone.]
David Boreanaz (in past): I’m so sorry.
Ally (gasping, in past): OH MY GOD DAVID BOREANAZ!
Ally (in present): What a day.
Cam: But no one has had more luck in here than Gillian.
[Flashback sounds.]
Gillian (in past, on the phone): Okay, I’ll get started on that on Monday.
[Gillian hangs up the phone.]
Gillian (in past): Guys, I got the promotion! I’ll have an office, an assistant, and everything!
[Whoosh.]
Gillian (in past, later): Woah, check out this hottie on Raya. She’s out of my league, but I’mma give it a shot.
[Gillian types on her phone.]
Gillian (in past): Oh my god, she wants to make out.
[Whoosh]
Gillian (in past, later): Hey, is Fanta still running that sweepstakes?
[Gillian opens a bottle of soda and looks at the cap.]
Gillian (in past): A 5-day cruise for me and all my friends?!
[Whoosh.]
Gillian (in past, later): Excuse me, sir, you dropped your unmarked burlap sack. Oh my god, look at all these Benjamins!
[Whoosh.]
Gillian (in past, later, eating chips): Former President Barack Obama? Yeah! Sure, you can have some of my chips.
[Flashback ends.]
Cam (in the present): Who knew 44 was a Salt and Vinegar guy?
Samuel: Friends, I don’t know, this all sounds like, um... maybe just a coincidence.
Ally: It is not a coincidence! It is fate and a symbol of our enduring mythos together and you will not besmirch our history with your doubt!
Cam: Woah, woah, woah, hold on-
Ally: Take it back! Take it back!
Samuel (flustered): I’m sorry?
Cam: He just doesn’t get it yet. Samuel, why don’t you share something from your past that will make Ally understand you better and we can all be on the same level again?
Samuel: Um, okay… Well, um... Oh oh! We did have a bodega back home. There were two corner stores, the good one and the bad one. They both had the names of guys as their names, like Jimmy’s or Sammy’s or something, but everyone just called ‘em the good one or the bad one. And the bad one had lax security on weeknights, so-
Cam: You heisted a bad grocery store in your hometown?!
Samuel: Eh, it wasn’t like, a heist so much as it was just a planned distraction while my colleagues-in-arms took some products that they did not pay for.
Cam: Heist! What was your job? Wheelman? The tech wizard? Gasp! The explosives expert?
Samuel: Cameron, Cameron calm down. It was a beer run. All we needed was a set of wheels... and a honeypot.
Ally: No way!
Cam: YES!
[Ally and Cam excitedly react to this new information.]
Cam: I love it!
Samuel: We got it down to a science. I whiled away the time with many a cashier, security guard, manager who was working the front that day. And, after eight minutes of chit chat and prolonged eye contact, my friends had two cases of Natural Light under their arms and a foot on the gas pedal.
Ally: My god, Samuel Clemens! In my head, you’re wearing thigh-highs and rolling them down little by little.
Samuel: No, ma’am! I had a code. Only verbal exchanges, and usually that was enough to get it done. I tried it here a few times, but it was just to get a couple of extra bags of chips once or twice. I haven’t actually used it since... wait... no… No, it can’t be! The year was...earlier this year.
[Flashback sounds. Samuel, in the past, is chatting up a bodega clerk.]
Samuel (flirting): So I just moved here from a small town, don’t even have a place to stay tonight.
[Samuel laughs flirtatiously.]
Samuel (flirting): Do you... have any suggestions for a Norma Jeane like me?
[From behind him, Gillian is talking on the phone.]
Gillian: Mom, I don’t have enough time to rent doves. Or get a permit to set off fireworks. Mom! That’s illegal in all 50 states. I’m going to do something simple - I’m gonna down on one knee when the new train station opens. You know, it’s a symbol. No, I haven’t told them I’m moving out yet... I’m going to, I swear. Oh! By the way, I decided on a wedding hashtag. “GillianAndAshleysInfinitePlayListofLove.” ...Well, a hashtag is something you put on Instagram so that people can- Well, Instagram is that photo app that- An app is a-
[Flashback ends.]
Samuel: I checked on that hashtag five times a day until I saw its first hit - and that was a tough hashtag to remember - But the first one was a photo Ally took of them at the train station. The next post Gillian made were photos of her room in the apartment, which is now my room.
Ally: See? It was fate. We were meant to be together... from the Good Luck Bodega.
Samuel: I understand its powers now.
Ally: Do you feel it?
Samuel: Oh, I feel it.
Ally: Do you FEEL IT?
Samuel: I feel it!
[Ally and Samuel go back and forth a few times, with Cam joining in the background growling “Feel it!”]
Samuel: Oh, I will never talk ill of this place again.
Cam: It works in mysterious ways.
Samuel: That it does. Guys, guys, guys, guys! We have to go in!
[Ally and Cam gasp.]
Ally: Woah! Like, all of us?
Cam: We’ve never done a group trip before.
Samuel: When is a better time than right now?
Cam: You’re right. Let’s do it.
Ally: Hands!
[Ally, Cam, and Samuel all put their hands together take a deep breath. They cross the street and walk inside. Musical stinger, as we fade in on the crew later. They are carrying some very heavy paper bags full of anything you could possibly want from a corner store. They drag their bags in front of the movie theater and drop them with a sigh of relief.]
Ally: Who knew that Supermarket Sweep was coming back as an Instagram show? And they’re doing it in corner shops.
Cam: The Good Luck Bodega works in mysterious ways.
Samuel: I regret...
[Samuel burps multiple times and groans.]
Samuel: ...ordering that many bacon, egg, and cheeses.
Ally: Yeah, dude that was a weird flex.
Samuel: I only had a minute! I panicked.
Cam: Yeah but why did you eat all of them?
Samuel: It felt rude to Corbin Bleu!
Cam: Hey, how does he have time to host a game show? I thought he was on Broadway..?
[A text dings in Cam’s pocket. He grabs it and smiles.]
Ally: Aw! Look at this smiling doofus. Who texted you, a girl?
[Ally oohs like a schoolgirl and makes kissy noises, while Samuel oohs like a ghost.]
Samuel: I am the ghost of your lovers past, and you’ve not texted me!
Cam (playing coy): Maybe... It’s Lydia. She hasn’t talked to me since the night at the bar. And now she has! So maybe more luck from the Good Luck Bodega!
Lydia (on Slack): Hey, I was looking over the last article you sent along to me and you spelled a lot of stuff wrong in this one.
Cam (on Slack): Uh, yeah, I did it so we’d have this conversation. You’ve been in the wind lately. Do you really think I spell keyboard with 5 Y’s?
Lydia (on Slack): Oh. I thought you’d had a stroke. So this is just a courtesy call. About your health.
Ally: What are you saying? Is it gross? Cam, don’t be gross to girls you like.
Samuel: It is probably gross and lewd.
Cam: It is neither! Just, you know, whatever, we talk sometimes and-
Lydia (on Slack): Well, glad you’re alright. Bye.
Cam (on Slack): Wait, wait, wait. What did you text me the other night? My phone fell in beer!
[A beat of silence.]
Cam: Weird. She just logged out of our work chat. She never does that.
Ally: I’m sure she just had to run somewhere. Just ask her what’s up when you see her in person.
Cam: But... what if... instead... I avoid her and never talk about it ever and it all works out fine?
Ally: Okay, I’m going to give you some time to figure out the right course of action. But, we’re moving on because…. We’re here!
[Ally makes an arrival sound effect.]
Ally: Stop number two: The East Side Miniplex.
Cam: Ah, good theater. My favorite in the city.
Samuel: It looks... small? And... weirdly dusty? Like someone thought “dusting” was just to add a little bit more dust on the top?
Ally: But, this one time...
[Flashback starts. Ally and Cam are waiting for a movie to start.]
Cam (reading the trivia on screen): “The name of Friends’ star, rhymes with Schmennifer Schmaniston.” Uh, it’s Jennifer Aniston. Nice try, movie trivia.
Ally (low): Cam. Cam!
Cam: What?
Ally (low): Keep your voice down. But is that Coach?
Cam (low): What Coach?
Ally (low): Coach Taylor. Coach Taylor!
Cam (low): Coach Taylor of the Dillon Panthers?
Ally (low): Coach Taylor of Clear Eyes Full Hearts Can’t Lose!
Cam (low): Who empowered Matt Saracen and kept a hard but fair line on Timmy Riggins and-
Ally (low): Yes, Coach Taylor!
Cam (low): We have to say something.
Ally (low): What? No. Why? What?!
Cam (low): Because we love him.
Ally (low): Oh, no. No, don’t do it. Don’t do it, get-
[Cam stands up.]
Cam (low): I got this.
Cam (normal volume): Coach! How’s Tammy? You’re my romantic role model.
Ally: You’re an idiot.
[Flashback ends.]
Cam: He left soon after.
Samuel: Woah. But you guys like, talked more?
Cam: We watched the movie. I mean there were some trivia.
Ally: I feel like you’re not getting how this whole magic thing works…
Samuel: I’m just missing the magic part I guess?
Ally: Ah, the memories. So let’s go make more and see a movie!
Samuel: ...I don’t want to burst your bubble, but it kinda looks a little closed.
Ally: No, no, no, the dust is supposed to be like that.
Samuel: Right, no, no, yeah. But like... the sign?
Cam (reading): Hm. “The Miniplex is closed for renovations question mark?” They even wrote the words “question mark.” Which is strange and redundant.
Ally: Closed?! But this was the next stop on the list. We have to go.
Cam: Ah, it’s alright, we’ll have time another day.
Ally: Right. Sure.
Samuel: What’s-
[Quick burp from Samuel.]
Samuel: Next?
[A beat as Cam and Ally stare in disbelief at Samuel.]
Samuel: What? Did something happen? Did I miss something? Are we staring at me? What’s going on?
[Musical stinger. Later, more lugging of the bags, but this time it’s more labored. An even bigger sigh of relief when they end up in front of The Bear and the Borsch, a long-standing Ukranian/Russian diner.]
Ally (catching her breath): Ha ha! We made it!
Cam (gasping for breath): And only one of our bags broke. So I’m calling that a win.
Samuel (wishing for death): Is this...Is this a secret curse from the Good Luck Bodega? Are we being punished?
Cam: The only curse is your panic eating.
Ally: Well, speaking of eating - ta-da! The Bear and the Borsch, my favorite restaurant in the city. Perogies, stuffed cabbage, gravy everywhere. And it’s open 24 hours a day, so we’ve had many a long late night convo here. Late nights! Early mornings! Late nights and early mornings! Let’s do it again!
Samuel: Mmmmm nope. Nope. Mm mm, nope. Mmmmm…No more food, no I can’t do it. I can’t.
Cam: You gonna be okay, Sammy Boy?
Samuel: I’m fine, Cam.
Cam: Yeah?
Samuel: You don’t gotta worry about me!... Just some standard...
[Samuel burps a whole lot.]
Cam: Yep.
Samuel :... gastrointestinal distress. I’mma be okay. Just gotta...Just gotta let me… Oh boy, yep. This is what we need.
[Samuel lays down on the ground.]
Samuel: Oh yeah, now! Bring on the gravy!
Cam: Hey Ally-
Samuel (from the ground): Woo woo, lemme get on that gravy train!
Cam: Yeah...Let’s call this off, huh? Our boy here is fading, we have these massive bags. Mary-Kate and Ashley are waiting for us at home.
Ally: What?! Come on, guys. Let’s pull it together. A little bit of tummy trouble is really going to take you out?
[Samuel groans from the ground.]
Cam: C’mon, we can do this another time-
Ally: But what if there is no other time, huh? What if this is the last time the three of us can hang out together and live together and crack jokes and make memories together?
Cam: What are you talking about?
Ally: What if things change again? It can happen in an instant - Gillian just fucking bailed on us for love, and we thought we were going to live together for a very long time.
Cam: Right, but we have each other’s backs now, we’re totally-
Ally: Do we? Do we have each other’s backs? Because if you don’t want to come into this diner and remember the good times, I really don’t think you have mine.
[Ally storms off.]
Cam: Ally!
Ally (distant): Forget it, Cam!
Cam: Wait!
[Samuel groans again.]
Samuel: All aboard the gravy train.... Stand clear of the closing doors…
Cam: Aw, Samuel. Don’t put your face on that…
[Musical stinger. Ally is sitting on a bench, quietly crying with her face in her hands. This is one of those small parks that cities install in small corners between blocks, so it’s a mix of leaves blowing and city noise. Cam slowly walks up.]
Cam: Hey, buddy. You kinda ran off there.
Ally: How did you find me?
Cam: GPS chip in the back of your skull.
Ally: Smart.
Cam: Well, we were near that park you used to sit at before movies at the Miniplex. And I remembered you told me that this was the first place you publicly cried in the city.
Ally: Hmm, you remembered.
Cam: It stuck in my head because you were literally crying over spilled milk.
Ally: Hey! A milk truck exploded right in front of me! I was rattled!
Cam: It’s funnier when I say it. What’s going on with you today?
Ally: I don’t know if I can renew the lease.
Cam: Oh.
Ally: I got to the last round interview of my dream job, that’s what I was doing today. It’s curating a mythology museum, they run this monster movie film festival, and they actually pay okay.
Cam: That’s awesome!
Ally: It’s in Garnet City.
Cam: Ah.
Ally: I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to leave. I mean, I don’t want to leave. But it was this super long process and nothing was definite. I had five interviews over six weeks.
Cam: Right. I get it.
Ally: I know I shouldn’t have hid it from you. But I was trying to do the right thing.
Cam: So this impromptu This Is Your Life tour?
Ally: It’s ‘cause of that, yeah.
Cam: I got it. You know if you move away, we’re still friends, right?
Ally: It’s not the same thing.
Cam: Of course not. But it doesn’t take anything away. We text and Skype and visit each other and we’re there for the biggest moments, and some small ones too.
Ally: Right.
Cam: I want you to get the job. Sure, it’ll suck when you leave, but you’ll be happy.
Ally: I just didn’t want everything to change. It’s just settled down again after Gillian and Ashley left. I don’t want to be the reason you need to pick up the pieces... again.
Cam: Nothing is broken. There are no pieces. It’s okay.
Ally: You sure?
Cam: 100 percent. Also, I get to see B-grade monster movies for free, which I am the most here for.
Ally: Thanks, buddy. I appreciate that.
Cam: Anytime.
Ally: So... where is Samuel? And where’s our stuff?
Cam: Both are back at the restaurant.
Ally: Oh.
Cam: I covered him with the bags so he’s protected. I’m sure he’s fine.
[We quickly cut to Samuel on the ground, covered in shopping bags on the ground.]
Samuel (gasping for air): Cameron! Cameron?! The breathing hole you gave me isn’t large enough! Cameron! Cameron...
[Musical stinger. The door swings open as Ally, Samuel, and Cam pile into the apartment, giant bags in tow. Samuel stumbles to the couch immediately and crashes loudly. Ally and Cam drop the bags and stretch.]
Ally: Oh god, we’re old.
Cam: So old.
Samuel (into the couch): I’m older than you. Ow…. But also, yes.
Ally: So, Samuel, I should tell you... the reason I’ve been acting so weird is that I’m waiting on a phone call for a job on the other side of the country. I’ve been distracting you with my memories to not think about it and not think about if I can re-sign the lease.
Samuel (into the couch): I understand. That must have been hard to deal with on your own, and I understand why you would keep it to yourself. Thank you for telling me now. On an unrelated note, I am falling.
[Samuel crashes into their coffee table, and a vase drops to the floor.]
Samuel: I’m sorry, I hit everything. What broke?
[Ally starts laughing.]
Cam: Alright, chill, this is a little too honest.
Ally (laughing): That’s Gillian’s vase. I’ve always hated it, oh my god, thought it was the color of rotting grass from an industrialized lawnmower. Oh my god...I only kept it because she gave it to me after she moved out, and I thought she’d look for it if she came back. But I’m free. I’m free!
Cam: This feels... symbolic in a way I can’t put my finger on.
Samuel (from the floor): Gillian’s vase breaking, it’s a symbol of our relationships changing. It’s broken, but we move on. Sometimes… sometimes it’s for the better. Also, totally unrelated – I hurt everywhere.
Cam: I gotchu, bud.
[Ally’s phone rings.]
Cam: Oh god, is that it?
Ally: Yep.
[More ringing.]
Samuel (from the floor): Answer it! For your dying friend’s last wish!
Ally: Okay!
[Ally prepares herself, then grabs her phone and answers it.]
Ally (trying to impress): Hello? Hey, how’s it going? ...No, no, just working from home
Today… Yes, I’m ready to hear it... Mhm. Yeah, okay. I understand. Well, thank you so much for the opportunity... Of course, of course. Please keep me in mind if anything else shows up. Great. Okay. Yes. Thank you. Bye for now.
[Ally hangs up.]
Ally: Yeah. So, they said no.
Cam: Oof. Bud.
Samuel (from the floor): We’re sorry, Ally.
Ally: That’s okay. That’s okay! This isn’t the way I wanted it to go down anyway.
[A beat, then…]
Ally: You know what? There is a job in the city for me, and I’m going to get it.
[Ally grabs pens and paper, rips off three pieces, and writes something on the top of each.]
Ally: We’re all going to do this. We’re gonna make declarations. We’re gonna change our lives. As soon as we write it out, it can happen. Here, take these.
[She hands Cam a piece of paper.]
Ally: Pass that to Samuel. Pens! I declare…
[Samuel and Cam take paper and pens. Ally writing.]
Ally: ...that I’m going to leave bartending and get my dream job within the next six months.
[Samuel picks himself up from the floor.]
Samuel: Woah, woah okay. Hey. I like this, guys. Okay... I declare...
[Samuel writing.]
Samuel: ...that I am going to finish the script I’ve been working on and send it to someone in the industry within a month.
Ally: Alright! I love it.
Cam: Yeah, I support y’all, I really do. I just don’t know if I have anything to change for me. You know, things are pretty great and Ally’s staying and-
Ally: You need to make out with Lydia.
Cam: What?
Samuel: Oh, good one.
Ally: Mhm, yup.
Cam: Oh, come on, I’m not gonna write-
Ally: You come on! I saw you at Samuel’s birthday party. You two were flirting up a storm! I thought it was going to rain down furtive sidelong glances.
Cam: ...that did happen, didn’t it?
Ally: Mhm… Look, You don’t have to write down “make out”. But you gotta write down something.
Samuel: You gotta write down something!
Ally: What would it hurt? Like, come on…We’re all doing it!
[Ally and Samuel egg Cam on.]
Cam: Alright, alright, alright. I declare...
[Cam writing.]
Cam: ...that I will ask Lydia out on a romantic outing...
Ally: Mhm…
Cam: ...and hopefully we’ll make out.
Ally: Yes! And we’re gonna put these on the fridge so we see it every day!
[Samuel clapping.]
Ally: This is it, guys. We’re stuck together for another year, let’s get it.
Samuel: Absolutely.
Cam: 1,000 percent.
[Three phones buzzing, and everyone picks them up.]
Cam: Oh, damn! Check out this venue for Gillian and Ashley’s wedding.
Ally: Oh my god! It’s huge!
Samuel: Elegant, yet festive.
Cam: You could fit ten separate buffets in there!
Samuel: Oh, do you think they will?
Cam: Holy cow- Look at the fly space! I can make my entrance from the ceiling!
[We fade out and into the NEXT STOP outro.]
Amanda: Hi, Amanda here, Executive Producer of NEXT STOP. We hope you enjoyed season one! This show was a labor of love for everyone involved, and it’s been so exciting to put our work out into the world. But we’re not done. We have bonus content and behind-the-scenes info to share with you! To help us fund the production and work toward Season 2, we’re relying on your support on Patreon. Get access to a full season’s worth of bonus content, along with in-universe extras we’ll be sharing during our season break, at patreon.com/nextstopshow. We are proud to have paid our actors and production staff fairly, but all of that adds up. So help us fund Season 2 by joining our Patreon for as little as $5/month, at patreon.com/nextstopshow
You can buy a full-length version of our amazing theme song and some beautiful phone wallpapers based on our show art at nextstopshow.com/merch.
And, if you’re looking to make a podcast of your own someday, you should download the free PDF we made all about our production process. We documented everything, from coming up with the idea for an audio sitcom all the way to paying our staff and marketing the show. And we even have contract and budget templates to share, all for free. A link to download that PDF, along with all of the links I just mentioned, at nextstopshow.com
Thank you again for listening. We appreciate everyone who’s tweeted your thoughts, pledged your support, and shared the show with your friends. Word of mouth is the And remember, the umlaut is the letter of change.