Regenerade

Regenerade Character Bios

2021

LAUREN - Passionate and sensitive. Laughs and cries frequently, and uncontrollably. Loves deeply and honestly. An optimist with good intentions. May come across as naive but she’s actually quite strategic. Not afraid of hard work, but scared of being left behind. Loves children and nurtures her own inner child. Forever the younger sibling. Any mention of anything relating to testicles will make her break down with hysterical laughter. Loves music and often listens to "grunge-type" songs.

MITCH - Can't forget the life that may have been. Constantly feels short-changed and like he's not where he's supposed to be. Programmed to focus on achievements and status and hates to feel controlled by others. Wants to be loved and admired, unconditionally, craves a type of mother’s love he never had. Has a moral compass and wants to do the right thing, but fails sometimes. When he finally thinks he’s getting the life and love that he wants, he realizes it's not at all what he needs.

AIDAN - Behind the cool facade, sarcasms and dry humor is a sensitive, loving young man, trying to find his true purpose while coming of age. The disappointment with his closest family (mother, father and grandmother) pushes him to ”cut the cord” and to find his own way. He redefines his relationships with his family, while daring to ”go all in” on his own relationship with Antonia. 

JOSH - A loving, laid-back and peaceful dude with a suppressed compartmentalized pool of rage stemming from childhood trauma and abandonment. Used to working hard and not getting anything for free. Unconsciously looking for security and a sense of belonging, for ”family”. Has been drawn to older women before and wants to find ”stability”. Wants to be everything that his own father was not.

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LAUREN VAN BUREEN

The protagonist Lauren Van Bureen is a 44-year old woman living in Encino, Los Angeles. She is married to (but in the process of divorcing) Realtor Mitch Van Bureen (48). They have a son, Aidan, who’s 22 and graduating from UCLA. 

Lauren is in some ways stereotypical of her environment, she lives in a large house in a very expensive neighborhood, she works (indirectly) in the Film-and TV-industry, she likes yoga and dancing, and she’s very beautiful. 

However, Lauren herself feels like she’s a ”fish out of water” and a bit of a misfit. She’s not comfortable with the social scene that her husband is part of, and she’s never had ”any work done” on her. Her boobs, lips etc have not been tampered with. And she’s allergic to superficial relationships and displays of extreme wealth. 

After 20 years in LA she’s still kind of surprised she lives there. Lauren was born in Seattle as the second daughter of George and Elaine Altman. George was an Associate Professor of Political Science at UW, and Elaine was a high-school teacher. Lauren’s sister Liz is four years older and is Lauren’s best friend. Their mother passed away from stomach cancer when Lauren was 21 and a sophomore at UC Berkeley. In the midst of chock and grief, Lauren found herself pregnant with her then boyfriend Mitch Van Bureen. 

Mitch and Lauren had only been dating for about 6 months, and had been living together for 3 when Lauren’s pregnancy test was positive. They had initially had a strong attraction based on their differences. 25-year old Mitch was intrigued by Lauren who came from another scene and political background, who loved music and went to all the concerts she could fit in- and afford, who, by his standards, was more ”alternative” and ”bohemian” than his previous girlfriends and friends. 

(More on Mitch in the Mitch Van Bureen Bio) 

Lauren’s relationship with Mitch changes when Lauren’s mother becomes critically ill and passes away very quickly, right before Lauren’s 21:st birthday. Lauren, who was initially more non-committal, clings to Mitch for support, comfort and stability. 

When Lauren finds herself pregnant only a few months following her mother’s death, an abortion becomes inconceivable. Lauren succumbs to the fate of becoming a mother herself, and Mitch is forced to accept the situation. Before Lauren's 22nd birthday, Mitch and Lauren welcome their son Aidan into the world. They both love their son more than anything.

By the time Aidan is born, Lauren has fallen behind in her course work and realizes she will not be able to attain her undergraduate degree. Meanwhile, Mitch also discontinues his Berkeley-Haas MBA and gets a real estate license and begins working for his older cousin’s real estate brokerage in West Hollywood. 

Mitch is quickly able to support his little family when they relocate to Los Angeles, and readily climbs the Realtor success ladder. During their first years in LA, the young Van Bureen family also swiftly climbs the property ladder as they privately buy and sell homes and ”flip” properties. Lauren is very much the initiator  of this process and learns a great deal about how to manage renovations and about property investments. 

Lauren’s sister Liz, who managed to transfer to Berkeley law school from UW during Lauren’s pregnancy, has earned her degree when Aidan is about 3 years old. Once again, Liz decides to relocate to be close to her sister and lands an internship in family law in LA, where she also passes the bar examination and eventually becomes a junior associate. 

When Aidan is 10, the Van Bureen family settles in an older property in a leafy part of Encino that Lauren has had her eye on. When they move in it’s their 8th relocation in the last 10 years. They are prepared to stay in this house. Lauren is initially fully occupied with renovation and redecoration, including building/adding on the house to create an adjoining apartment-annex for rental, and landscaping the garden, but as these projects begin near completion, Lauren wants to realize her vision of also adding another family member, something that Mitch has deferred for years. As Lauren begins to realize that there is never going to be ”a right time” for Mitch, she simply discontinues birth control and soon falls pregnant. She believes that Mitch will grow positive as as he’s faced with the fact of a growing life, but she’s mistaken. Mitch is not happy, and he’s not warming up either. The issue resolves itself when Lauren suffers a miscarriage in week 12. Mitch is much relieved. About a year later, Lauren learns that Mitch underwent a vasectomy shortly after her miscarriage. Learning of this afterwards is yet another huge blow to their marriage, already strained by a few infidelities on Mitch’s part, and a general sense of disconnection between Mitch and Lauren once life becomes more settled and less frantic. At that point, it is becoming painfully obvious that Lauren and Mitch are not a match made in heaven. 

During the following years, Lauren’s attention is focused on things other than her marriage, firstly her then teenage son, and a little later, on her sister’s marriage and infertility struggles. Lauren also manages to build a career as an editor and later, editor/screenwriting freelancer. 

By the time Lauren turns 40, she is established in her field and she’s making her own money, both through her writing, and by running the annex apartment as an Air BnB. She’s also enjoying being an aunt to her niece Ruth, adopted from China. Lauren is enjoying her life and cherishing her blessings even though her relationship with Mitch has faded into a more or less platonic partnership. When Mitch returns to San Francisco to establish a new branch-office for the Van Bureen Realtor Brokerage, Lauren does not miss him terribly, but is somewhat annoyed that he has gone back to live, part-time, in the city where she’d wanted to stay. 

Lauren is not really shocked when Aidan tells her that Mitch has a relationship with another woman in San Francisco. When confronted by Lauren, Mitch admits it readily. Lauren is very sad, but by no means devastated. She realizes this was inevitable and only regrets not being the one to initiate a split years earlier, but she also recognizes that the reason why she didn’t, is because she was always hoping that things would get better between them. She resents Mitch for having started his new relationship before he ended theirs, but also has some empathy for him, stemming from a sense of deeply buried guilt, for having ”trapped him” all those years ago. 

Mitch is more ambivalent than Lauren expected him to be, and he tries to patch things up with her, but Lauren cannot see a way forward for them as a married couple. 

They quickly reach the mutual agreement to divorce, and a joint legal petition is filed.

Mitch and Lauren proceed to reach an amicable settlement between them but involve legal representatives to help. Lauren’s representative, who is colleague of her sister Liz, and also a friend, insists that Lauren should demand more, but Lauren feels her demands are adequate and prioritizes a speedy closure. 
Mitch suggests that they should  postpone the divorce process until after Aidan has completed his finals and graduated, something that Lauren thinks is absurd. 

This is the point in time in which the story in this screenplay begins.

Who is Lauren? 

Lauren Van Bureen (née Altman) is a small and pretty woman. This means she is ”petite” (around 5’3) with a small frame but strong body. She looks younger than she is, by about 10 years. She’s got medium-dark brown, slightly wavy/curly hair a little more than shoulder length. She has a somewhat heart-shaped face with round lips and big dark-blue eyes. In a crowded room she won’t stand out immediately, but observers will want to rest their eyes on her once they find her.

Lauren is very friendly but not overly social in the context she’s in. She is aware of the fact that many people have considered her a bit withdrawn and ”private”, and her circle of friends is comparatively small, although fully satisfying to her. ”Quality over quantity”. Her strongest and deepest relationships are with her son and her sister. 

Lauren majored in English for her undergraduate which she eventually completed at UCLA almost ten years after she enrolled as a Freshman at UC Berkeley. The UCLA creative writing courses helped Lauren get a foot in the door with agencies, as well as some valuable contacts in her husbands network of partners and clients. Lauren loves her work, the creativity, the freedom and the solitude, and she’s annoyed when she has to put it on hold and decline assignments to deal with all the practicalities of the divorce and relocation.

Lauren’s personality is warm and grounded, yet passionate and expressive. Her language can be rich in profanities and she has little patience with things or people she finds phony or unjust. As Lauren often feels misplaced in LA, she holds on to certain things that reminds her of where she comes from, like ”grunge” type music, significant to Seattle, where she grew up. Music is hugely important to Lauren, and she listens to it constantly. She’s also a really good singer and can play the guitar. Lauren has passed on her love of music to her son Aidan and they share the same appreciation for the same bands and various types of music. 

Lauren has not always fulfilled what Mitch has wanted from her, even though she feels like she really tried. She has endured or hosted numerous corporate and social events and done her best to play the role of ”Mrs Mitch Van Bureen”, with Mitch knowing that her heart was not really in it. Mitch’s initial fascination with Lauren has been largely replaced with irritation, and even 20 years later, Mitch does not quite understand Lauren, what ”makes her tick.” He increasingly finds her disengaged, naive or even annoyingly juvenile, especially when she’ll spontaneously sing or dance or fall to the floor giggling hysterically. He thought she’d outgrow a lot of things. He was wrong. 

Lauren tries to be healthy, and in the back of her mind is always her mother’s premature death. She stays fit with yoga and dance classes, but she also likes her wine and beer and food. She enjoys dinners at home with family and close friends. She likes to go to bed quite early, and she sleeps in her own bedroom, as she and Mitch have slept in separate rooms for years prior to their divorce. 

Lauren loves her father George very much but they are not particularly close. Her sister Liz has a much stronger bond with the father as they share interests and philosophies. George never understood Lauren the way Elaine did. There is always a part of Lauren that will remain in free fall since her mother died. 

Lauren’s relationship with her in-laws has never been good. Lauren is well aware of the fact that she is NOT the woman Mitch’s mother, Katarina Van Bureen, wanted her her son to marry. The relationship is strained but has leveled out to somewhat functioning during the years, as Katarina and Lauren have one single thing in common - their love for Aidan. 

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MITCH VAN BUREEN 

Mitchell (Mitch) Van Bureen comes from an upper class family in the Bay Area. His father Philip Van Bureen (Dutch decent) is an MD/PhD who has made a lucrative career in the Pharmaceutical industry. 

His mother, Katarina, is a non-practicing Clinical Nurse Specialist in Dermatology who came to the US from Sweden in her 20’s. 

The family resides close to the Stanford Campus and is very much part of the Stanford academic network. Mitch’s older brother Peter is also a MD/PhD Stanford alumni. Mitch knows his mother would have loved it if he would have also pursued the same path as his father and brother, but he always knew he was not suited for it and had his sights set on a prosperous career in finance. Even though things didn’t go exactly as planned for Mitch, he has reached much success as a top Realtor. Still, Mitch will always feel a bit inferior and that he’s not quite met the expectations of his parents, especially those of his mother. When Mitch met Lauren at Berkeley, he was unconsciously seeking an alternative to his bourgeois background. Lauren was definitely different, but not too different. Mitch actually thought that his mother would be approving of his relationship with Lauren, he was wrong. 

When his mother received the news of Lauren’s pregnancy, it was like she had been notified of a death in the family and she makes a clear stance on the situation by cutting all financial support for Mitch. However, Mitch was again surprised at how much love and affection Katarina shows Aidan. This type of love was not something that Mitch could ever recollect her showing him or his brother. 

The moment 25-year old Mitch learned that he was about to become a father remain the most defining moment in Mitch’s life. Naturally, this was not according to plan, but it was also a fatal turn of events following his recently growing doubts whether he should continue his relationship with Lauren. Mitch can still remember the feeling of having walls narrowing in around him and collapsing. He and Lauren were young, but not young enough to justify a termination, and Lauren almost immediately decided against that option, so there was no turning back really. 

The stressful feeling of being trapped reseeded after Aidan's birth, and was mostly replaced with the feeling of wonder. How could they have created something so perfect? No need to look for a purpose. Aidan was it. Mitch decided he was going to give him his all. Set his son up for a great future. This he could control. At least he would try his hardest. Mitch’s life was at its happiest during those first years in LA. Even though he was busting his balls to get ahead and to establish himself professionally and financially, his life felt uncomplicated and joyful. Eventually though, Mitch began to feel more and more excluded from the life of his wife and son, and he could never figure out why. It was like he was the odd one out in their little family trio, and sometimes he swore they had some secret language they refused to teach him. 

When Aidan starts preschool Lauren begins to advocate for another child but Mitch is not ready to endanger the sense of control he has fought to establish, and he simply cannot see why they should have another child when they’d already had the perfect one? Mitch is not happy when he’s eventually subjected to yet another ”surprise” pregnancy and he feels completely duped by Lauren. When their second pregnancy ends in miscarriage, Mitch feels mostly relieved. This leads him to take control by the most drastic measure - he gets a vasectomy, without informing his wife. 

Mitch is handsome in a classical WASP type of way. He’s admired by both men and women and there have been many offerings that Mitch has declined over the years, but also a few that he didn’t. Two or three cases of ”missteps” Lauren knows about. Retrospectively Mitch is not sure exactly why they happened, because the temptation was too great, or if he subconsciously wanted to see if he could really hurt her. He’s still not sure if this was breaking his wife’s heart or if he just gave her proof of her preconceived notions, and further justification of emotional dissonance. The last ”misstep” is of a different nature though, Mitch falls in love. When in the process of establishing the San Francisco flagship branch of the brokerage, Mitch rekindles some former friendships and connections and thereby meets an old acquaintance, Ashley Davis. Ashley’s parents are actually part of the Van Bureen ”circle” and Mitch met Ashley for the first time when she was only 10-11 years old. She is 14 years younger than him. Even though Ashley was engaged to be married when she met Mitch in San Francisco, she never hesitated to pursue him. Mitch was her secret teenage crush. She wanted him badly. 

Mitch can’t resist Ashley and falling for her, even though their circumstances are less than perfect - him married, she engaged - he really feels they are perfect for each other. Ashley speaks his language, he understands where she’s coming from, and there is no doubt he’s her number one. She ends her relationship with her fiancee almost from the get go. But Mitch doesn’t immediately end his. 

Truth be told, Mitch is sloppy about keeping his affair a secret, somehow he knows Lauren will figure it out, however, it takes her even longer than he thought. Once again, perhaps she didn’t care enough? Once it’s out in the open Mitch unexpectedly feels remorseful and his feelings for Lauren resurface when he sees that she’s sad and hurt. He proposes a ”re-start” between them but she resolutely declines. They proceed to end their marriage, and Mitch proceeds to advance his relationship with Ashley, who is keen to do the same.

Mitch is immensely proud of Aidan. He is the best son Mitch could ever imagine. Through Aidan, Mitch also feels closer to his own parents who love Aidan so whole-heartedly, perhaps the way Mitch had wanted to be loved himself. As Aidan excels as an undergraduate and is accepted to Stanford Med School, Mitch’s wildest dream comes true, his son will become everything that he didn’t. Nothing can ruin this for Aidan, or for Mitch. As Mitch knows his son to be of a more sensitive nature than himself, Mitch fears that the news of his parent’s divorce will devastate Aidan and leave him incapable of performing adequately through his Stanford acceptance process, last semester and finals. Mitch suggests that they should perhaps postpone the divorce until after Aidan's graduation, but Lauren refuses. Lauren feels that it’s time for both of them to move on. Even though Mitch has found a new love, he’s still struggling with the transition. 

AIDAN VAN BUREEN 

Aidan knows he wasn’t planned, but he also knows that he is loved. 

Sometimes, he almost feels too loved, a tiny bit smothered, and he had always wished for a sibling, someone that could divert some of that attention, away from him. But he’s known for quite some time now, that will never happen. Aidan will remain an only child. And the spotlight on him is only growing brighter. Even though he’s a ”high achiever”, the pressure itself is not a problem, mostly because he is highly adept for studies, so getting top grades was always easy. But Aidan is really beginning to wonder - who is the master of his destiny? He feels his path has mainly been cut out by his grandmother Katarina, with whom he has an ambiguous relationship. 

Katarina has played a big role in Aidan’s life, for as long as he can remember, and the role borders on parental. Aidan is her dream child, her chosen one, her shining star, even though he was conceived inside Lauren. Sometimes, Aidan can’t help but feel that his grandmother is just a tad bit obsessed with him. 

Because Katarina loves him so much, and because he’s the sole receiver of her true affection, Aidan cannot help but to feel that he owes her, that he should try to live up to her dreams and expectations. And yes, there’s also a trust fund. But that is not why Aidan wants to please her, he simply does not want to make her sad, or, perhaps even more importantly - to blame his mother, something she readily does out of habit. This is the main reason behind his ambivalent feelings towards his grandmother, the fact that Katarina does so little to hide her dislike for Lauren. 

Aidan has spent a lot of time with his grandparents, holidays and summers, and has also traveled with them, extensively. Sometimes, his cousins have also joined them, but as they also had involved grandparents on their mother’s side, Aidan was mostly alone with Katarina and Philip. 

As a graduation present, Katarina and Philip are now sponsoring Aidan's trip to Europe, on the ”condition” that Aidan will accompany them to Sweden in June, to visit with Katarina's relatives. Aidan has no expectations for this part of the trip, but he is looking forward to the remaining part of his travels, when he’ll meet up with two friends from his fraternity for a tour around Europe. Aidan felt that his father (and grandfather) expected him to pledge to a fraternity as a freshman, and so he did. However, the little interest he initially had for the ”greek scene” had totally evaporated by his sophomore year, and it continued to surprise him that Lambda never decided to expel him. He managed to socialize with a few chosen ”brothers” who were on the same wavelength as him, that didn’t take the fraternity very seriously. By the age of 22, Aidan was satisfied to have a group of friends that he really cared for and respected, some of them old friends, some of them new. The most recent addition to this group was Josh from San Diego, a surfer-dude who shared Aidan’s love for music, but was also academically ambitious. Josh was also aspiring for med school but had not dared to consider Stanford. Aidan pushed him to follow suit and they both applied, and both got accepted, even if the margins were slim for Josh. Aidan was really excited that Josh was coming with him, and plans of co-habitation began to be drawn up, only to be arrested when Josh tells him he’s postponing med school due to inadequate finances.

JOSHUA ”JOSH” KENDALL

Josh is a (post-)millennial born in Tampa, FL to Janice McGinnis and Edward Kendall. His parents split up when Josh was only three years old, and he can hardly recollect his parents living together. His mother Janice says that Ed’s problems with both alcohol and attitude forced her to leave him. Janice took little Josh with her and made a quick escape by hopping on a plane back to where she originally came from, San Diego, California. With some help from her parents she was able to establish a new life as a single mother, working clerical day jobs and taking evening classes at the university. Janice had to file a law enforcement for Ed to pay child support, and Ed showed no interest in seeing his son, solely blaming Janice for leaving. Ed kept calling Janice at random times when he was drunk and demanded to speak to his son, which she denied him. 

About a year and a half after the separation both Janice and Ed entered into new relationships, both of them with colleagues from their respective work places. Janice moved in with her boss, Jeff, a Finance Officer at Scripps Memorial Hospital administration, whom she also married. Janice was very pleased with how Jeff eased into a relationship with her son. It was evident that her little boy was very exited to have a father figure in his life, and Josh was eager to please and craved attention from his new ”daddy”. At this time, Ed’s new wife, Lori, reaches out and begins to convince Janice to allow Josh to visit them in Florida. Lori is a devout Christian and claims that Ed had been "saved", and that he was sober. Eventually Janice is convinced and allowes Josh to visit his father and his new wife (then pregnant). 

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The first visit was successful and that made Josh want to visit again, but then Lori gives birth to twin girls and the second visit is delayed by a few years. This time around, Josh’s expectations are high. However, he’s crushed as he receives little to no attention from Ed or Lori during his second visit. After this visit he refuses to go again. Ed and Lori easily accept this and never pursue the matter further. Josh’s memory of his last childhood visit in Tampa is having to mind/entertain his toddler twin sisters while Lori did housework and his father hid in the garage where he was binge-drinking and watching sports, not engaging with Josh at all. 

Things at home in San Diego were no longer so great for Josh either. After the birth of his brother Connor, when Josh is 5, he no longer gets any positive attention from his stepfather Jeff, and as Josh hits puberty, Jeff becomes hostile and bullying towards his stepson. It is all too evident that Jeff really wants Josh to disappear from the family photo. 

After a few years when Jeff’s (mostly mental) abuse is escalating towards Josh, Janice files for divorce and moves out. Josh continues to live with her and she has shared custody of Connor. 

By the time Josh enters high school he’s beginning to feel truly at peace. When other kids start to rebel or occupy themselves with an identity crisis, Josh is simply enjoying his life. He’s getting really good grades, he loves to play the bass (and guitar), he’s surfing, competes in martial arts, and he falls in love.

In their junior year, Josh and Daniela become a couple, real high-school sweethearts. Josh feels on top of the world with her, like he can accomplish anything and everything, and even though he doesn’t dare to say it, he can see himself marrying her. Shortly after his 17th birthday, Josh learns that Daniela is pregnant. Bliss turns to complete turmoil in an instant. Real life scenarios are projected side by side but Josh knows it from the start, the seed of life they had accidentally created must be eliminated. Two weeks later Josh is sitting in a waiting room of an abortion clinic with angst, shame and heavy sadness to keep him company. He no longer feels on top of the world, he feels as though he has plummeted down into a pit in the ground. There’s an unspeakable void left that swallows all that was carefree and unblemished in the relationship, and even though Josh feels he’s really trying, Daniela breaks up with Josh a few months after the abortion. 

At this stage, Josh also comes to a standpoint between him and his stepfather Jeff. When they meet, which is by this time quite rarely, and Jeff makes a vicious comment about Josh being a total screw-up who got his girl pregnant, Josh finally unleashes all his anger and punches Jeff in the face. This leads to a police report, but Jeff is persuaded by his son Connor to drop the assault charge. This is the first time that Josh resorts to violence. After this incident, Jeff and Josh avoid each other at all costs, and Josh decides to stop his martial arts training. 

After a dark period when Josh is mourning and processing the unfortunate turn of events, Josh becomes even more focused and determined to ”do well”. 

Unconsciously, he had been driven by a sense of revenge for some time, but now it was more loudly echoing in his mind, he was NOT a ”screw-up”. He was going to make them wish they hadn’t rejected him and abused him, his “dads”. Josh didn’t have a proper father, but he did have a devoted, smart and loving mother and he admired her, and respected her more and more every year. Josh and Janice were close, they had a special bond. Josh knew her hopes of academic success lied with him, rather than with his younger brother, who apparently would require far more help and guidance. Again and again, Josh found himself exceeding his own expectations and as he transfers from UCSD to UCLA after his sophomore year, he sets his sights on getting accepted to medical school. 

Josh had been working in restaurants, and waiting tables for years prior to arriving in LA, and also continued this work in his new city. To support himself and to cover the additional living expenses, Josh had to cut some classes at UCLA and hence he was not able to graduate within 4 years, but in 5. While taking prep classes for med school Josh encounters fellow student Aidan and they ”hit it off” immediately. Josh appreciates Aidan's clever sense of humor, his taste in music, his interest in surfing and basketball and his general ”mellowness”. 

On top of this, Aidan offers real friendship, unlike the superficial fist-bumping party crowd that seem more readily available. Most of the time, Josh and Aidan try to ”blow off steam” in the ocean or on the basketball court, but they often find themselves having deep and honest conversations. Josh is a little surprised that he is able to form a close friendship, in such a short amount of time, with someone who’s from a different background than him. As Aidan comes from a more affluent context, as most other students in their classes, Josh has some preconceived notions of him as a spoiled frat-boy, but Aidan proves him wrong on most accounts. Additionally, Aidan is a great study-buddy who is able to help Josh to further improve his academic results. Aidan inspires Josh to apply for med school, and even though Josh’s MCAT results are lower than Aidan's, he too receives an offer of acceptance. He can hardly believe it when this happens, and Janice is beside herself with pride. 

At this point, Josh has spent a great deal of his precious spare time with Aidan and his family for the better part of a year. Aidan’s relationship with his mother reminds Josh of his own relationship with Janice, even though Aidan and Lauren’s seems even stronger. Aidan would not care to admit it, but he likes hanging around the house with his mother, and Josh likes it too. 

In many ways, Josh thinks Aidan has a perfect life. He has a mother who’s young, fun and loving, and a great friend to him. He also has a father who is immensely proud of him and supports him in all the ways that he can. On top of this, Aidan has a trust fund granted by his wealthy grandparents in Woodside. Josh is indeed jealous, but feels that Aidan is mature enough to recognize his own fortunes, and to have a sense of perspective so often lacking with his ”category” of people. 

Josh suspects this is mainly because of Lauren’s influence as she’s from a more ”normal” background. Josh is intrigued by Lauren from the very beginning and he can tell that she likes him and cares for him. It’s becoming natural for him to hang out at the Van Bureen house and to take part in family dinners and get-togethers. Josh soon feels very comfortable with Aidan’s mother. 

At the beginning of his senior year, as a UCLA undergraduate, Josh begins dating Francesca Pasetto. She is two years older than him and about to finish grad school at UCLA in Sociology and Gender studies. Francesca is a confident and forward girl from a large Italian family in LA. She helps Josh to land a job as a waiter at one of LA’s hot spot restaurants, L’Angolo, owned by a close relative to hers. Francesca used to work there herself as an undergrad but no longer does. The job at L’Angolo provides Josh with a larger income. Francesca still lives at home in South Redondo. Josh is beginning to realize that Francesca is waiting for someone to marry, and he also realizes her family does not initially approve of him, although there’s a tangible change in attitude after Josh receives the acceptance offer from UCSD med school. About 6 months into the relationship Josh is beginning to doubt it and sometimes suspects that Francesca is too. There’s almost an unspoken understanding that the relationship will most likely end, as a natural consequence of Josh’s upcoming relocation to SD. Never the less, Josh continues to date Francesca, almost waiting for her to break up with him. 

As ”Regenerade” begins, Josh has recently been accepted to med school but realizes that he will not be able to finance his studies there. Josh pulls the breaks and applies for a deferral as he’s beginning to revise his plan. What should be a major blow to Josh feels a little bit like a blessing in disguise as Josh is beginning to doubt his ability as well as his stamina and his incentive. 

It is at this time that Josh finds himself increasingly drawn to Aidan’s mother Lauren, who is going through her own transformative process. 

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LIZ CARDENA

Elizabeth ”Liz” Cardena (Née Altman) is the 48 year-old sister of Lauren Van Bureen. 

Liz and Lauren grew up in West Seattle but Lauren moved to Berkeley to attend university when she was 19 and Liz who was then 23 was accepted to Law School at University of Washington. It was only a year later that their mother Elaine fell ill, and in the following year, she died. The sisters had always been close, but their mother’s death brought them even closer. Liz’s bond with her father also grew stronger during this difficult period. Watching the grief of her younger sister added to her own pain and even though she’s not a psychologist, Liz saw that Lauren was unable to process this trauma. As Liz realized she should move closer to her sister she learned that Lauren was pregnant with her boyfriend, Mitch Van Bureen. Mitch was so unlike Lauren’s previous boyfriends, and Liz was certain that the relationship would not have lasted long if not for the pregnancy. 

Liz managed to transfer to UC Berkeley right before Aidan’s birth. The following year was one of the best years, the sisters were close and they had a baby. Well, they had to share the baby with the father, and also, unfortunately, with the baby’s grandmother, who Liz pretty much loathed, but most of the time, Aidan belonged to Lauren and Liz. 

Soon enough came the upheaval of Lauren and Mitch’s relocation to LA. Once again, it became evident that the sisters needed to reunite, but it took some time before Liz got her law degree and her internship in LA. 

Since then, Liz and Lauren have supported each other in the city of Angels and laughed at all the craziness that goes on there. 

Liz’s career in law went really well, but her romantic life was stalling. Even though she could see that her sister’s marriage was far from perfect, she often envied Lauren’s family life, and tried to stay away sometimes, just to give Mitch some space. 

Liz’s relationship with Mitch was a little weird. Mitch had never impressed Liz, and there were things about him she really didn’t like, but with time she came to respect him more, and to value him as a friend. However, at times, she could swear that he was almost ”coming on to her”, and every time she felt that, she resented him. In the end, Liz turned out to be indebted to Mitch, as she finally met her future husband through him. The architect Nick Cardena was a business associate, as well as someone Mitch liked to invite to parties. Nick had a 10-year old daughter from a previous relationship, he was smart and kind, had good taste in music and hated golf. He was perfect for Liz. Liz and Nick didn't waste any time. Liz immediately moved in with Nick and they married in Hawaii exactly one year after they met, on the day. They were 38 and 40 years old and they both wanted to have children, but Liz did not get pregnant. After nearly 4 years and 5 failed IVF-cycles and endless disappointments and waiting, Liz and Nick traveled to China to meet their little daughter Ruth. All the hardships were forgotten and life felt complete. As the adoption process had fundamentally impacted Liz’s life, she changed her specialty to adoption law. 

Liz will always remain protective of her sister and she wants her sister to be happy. Sometimes Liz finds it hard to distinguish where she ends and Lauren begins, it’s like their souls are intertwined and they finish each other’s thoughts and sentences. In a yin-yang type of way, Liz and Lauren complete each other, and they are 100% transparent with each other. At least, that is what Liz believes.

Liz is quite different from her sister in both appearance and mannerisms. Liz is taller than Lauren with more defined facial features and blond (bleached) hair. She comes across as confident and has more authority than her sister, however, only Lauren (and in some ways Nick) knows about her self-doubts and complexes. To all other people, Liz appears to be no-nonsense and can even be intimidatingly direct. An asset that has served her well in all aspects of life. 

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