Chapter I / The Yellow House 2D anime film
While trying to concentrate on the upcoming bar exam, Ethan Hawk reminisces about his high school days. The Class of '79, it seemed like just yesterday. Drama club and Debate Team, the latter included in his curriculum schedule because his parents were "grooming him" to become a Yale Law student, filled his time back them. Studying lines or political issues, Ethan was of average intelligence and a very likable guy. In high school, Ethan and his friends spent a lot of afternoons in his backyard pool. The only one for a three mile radius, the yellow house where he grew up was the "place to be". Along with Sarah Wade, Whitney Hawk, Miles Timson, Celeste Ryan and Lou (short for Louise) Riley, Ethan's childhood was filled with good friends and a bright future.
There was no time for a social life while at Yale; the most he saw outside of the library walls was the occasional drink in a big city bar just to keep his roommate happy. Thomas (not Tom) was on the fast track to a partnership in his father's law firm. With a guaranteed job immediately following graduation, Thomas goofed off, spent too much time with the ladies and way too much time in the bars. "Business doesn't happen in the boardroom Ethan." Thomas always used to say sweetly as he'd head out the door leaving his roommate to his studies. "Just as well" Ethan thought. Getting some quiet time in the halls of Yale was rare. The sororities and Phi Beta Kappa's didn't interest him and, as he was "putting in his time" in order to graduate, he wasn't really sure what he was going to do with his law degree. Boone, North Carolina wasn't exactly the litigation capital of the world and the worst legal battle Boone had had in the past fifty years was over the position of a fence placed between Don's Hamburger shop and the old Riley place.
Lou Riley, granddaughter of the plantiff (who won the dispute), was a high school chum of Ethan's. Awarded nothing outside of the movement of the fence row, Lou always told Ethan had he been the lawyer, her grandfather would have won a lot of money and she'd be worth millions by now. Although the long-standing joke would serve as a tacit agreement of Lou's empathy for Ethan, understanding that he would rather do anything in life other than become a lawyer, Lou was a bright spot in a dark, dreary ocean town.
"It would be good to see her at the reunion", Ethan thought. Wondering if his child hood next door neighbor and true confidante would arrive with her dark glasses on, Sarah's face flooded Ethan's mind. He'd heard that she was doing well and would be interested to hear about her trips abroad. Photographing big game in the East African desert, Sarah's worldly experience was almost intimidating. Whitney and Celeste, best friends and co-captains of the high school varsity cheerleading squad would certainly be there. Don't all high school cheerleaders come back to their high school reunions? Miles, the slick real estate agent who would have made a better car salesman was conning old women and pretty ladies into houses they didn't want and with mortgages they couldn't afford. The almighty dollar, the alpha and omega! A hundred miles couldn't keep "Timbo" from his high school reunion. Living in the big city of Charlotte, Miles made a decent living and enjoyed the typical family life, wife, dog, 2.5 kids and a white picket fence. Things had just seemed to fall into place for Miles and he was doing what he wanted to do; he was happy, and Ethan was jealous.