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Val
Valerie Stone is a widow in her late 30s. He husband died when her daughters, Holly
and Alix, were quite young. She is a middle-income professional, mature and somewhat
serious, who bears much of the financial burden for her extended family. Besides her
own two daughters, Val shares her home with her mother and a yappy little dog.
In addition, she lives across the fence from her sister Joan, two year old Max,
step dad Wally, and Wally's nephew Andy -- creating an extended family houseful
of controlled chaos.
Val's deceased husband was the love of her life, and between the pressures of a
full-time job and raising her daughters she's had little interest in romance. A
chance encounter with a non-traditional motorcycle cop has added a little
excitement to her life.
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Joan
Joan is Val's younger sister. She has a 2-year-old son named Max. She lived with Val
when her husband Leon went out for milk and never returned. Rumor has it that the
convenience store he visited is in the Virgin Islands. With a young son and fewer
career options than her sister Val, Joan struggled to make ends meet. She works at
home as a free-lance copywriter.
Upon her arrival, Joan became the object of the affections of Wally, the nice
guy next door. Unfortunately, she was for much of her life been attracted to the
wrong kind of guy (remember Leon?), and found Wally a little too "nice".
However, after a three year on-again, off-again relationship, they were
married. Joan moved next door.
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Wally
Wally is the epitome of a swell guy. He lives across the fence from the Stone family,
steering clear of their chaos and helping out when he can. He's in his 30s, sells
insurance, is a little bit schlumpy and balding. He dearly loves Max and Joan, and
loves getting to be "dad." Recently his 15-year-old nephew has come to live with
him for "a while"... and it remains to be seen how smoothly and for how long this
arrangement will go on.
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Alix
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Holly and Alix
These are Val's darling daughters. They are 13 and 10. Young Alix is
still in elementary school, in the midst of a blissfully naive childhood
and full of tomboy energy. She is mystified by her sister Holly's middle-school
histrionics. Holly, like many girls her age, is full of angst, self-absorbed,
and obeys most of the rules most of the time -- if it's convenient. Holly
and Alix share a room, fight, shout, compete for attention, and generally
make their family's life interesting.
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Holly
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Max
Joan's 2-year-old has two emotions: He's either thrilled with life or
totally miserable. He can move between these emotions at a moment's notice,
with little warning. He's a sprightly bundle of energy that is nearly
always darting around his mother's feet. He idolizes Wally and the dog.
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Gramma
Val and Joan's mother lives upstairs. She is not the usual warm and fuzzy
grandmother, but rather pragmatic and sometimes stern. She has no patience
for new-age childrearing techniques, baby-sits on a limited basis, and
is always happy to express her opinion, whether it's asked for or not.
She has no romance in her life at the moment, but her senior fans have
been lobbying heavily...
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Biscuit
Biscuit is a little, yippy, busy dog. Always happy, in love with Max,
he's the final piece in the controlled chaos the Stones call home.
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Andy
Andy is Wally's 15-year-old nephew. Because Wally's sister is in tough times,
she asked Wally to help out with her son for the summer. Wally hadn't seen Andy
since he was 11, and was a little boy. Andy has, however, grown taller than Wally,
shaves, has pierced ears and an attitude. He's a good kid, but in the throes of
adolescence. He behaves, tells the truth, and does what he's told when it works for
him. Holly finds him irresistible.
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Officer Jackson
Phil Jackson is a motorcycle cop who forgets his gun, lets speeding single mothers
off the hook out of pity, and worries that the world is becoming too fast paced.
He was so smitten with Val when he pulled her over on a harried Monday morning
that he followed her home and asked her out. She joked about doughnuts and coffee,
but he insisted on wine and French bread. He is also, on occasion, the campus cop
at Holly's school. He and Val are just dating, they are both quick to remind us.
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