Dear John

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Dear John Page 4

by Jamie Linden

Got your note.

  She holds it up. We still can’t see what it says.

  SAVANNAH

  Short and to the point. I like that.

  JOHN

  Listen... I’m really sorry--

  SAVANNAH

  I’m the one who needs to apologize.

  I had no business -- no, John, I mean it. I’m not a doctor, I’m not even close, and I have no business pretending like I am.

  John glances at the house. Mr. Tyree quickly turns back to his dinner. John SIGHS.

  JOHN

  I’ve been watching him today...

  SAVANNAH

  John. Really. I’m not a doctor. I have no idea what I’m talking about.

  She turns his head away from his Dad, back towards her.

  SAVANNAH

  I’m headed back to school, so I just wanted to see if--

  John kisses her, interrupting. Finally he pulls away.

  JOHN

  I made you a promise, didn’t I?

  Savannah grins, pulls a sealed envelope out of her purse.

  SAVANNAH

  Well you wrote your first letter to me. So I wrote my first one to you.

  John takes it, starts to open it. Savannah stops him.

  SAVANNAH

  Don’t read it till I’m gone, okay?

  John nods. Tucks the note carefully in his back pocket. Then he takes Savannah by the hand and pulls her towards the house.

  JOHN

  Come have some lasagna. My Dad made extra for you.

  SAVANNAH

  I can’t stay long.

  John looks back at her. Smiles sadly.

  JOHN

  I know.

  MONTAGE OF IMAGES:

  56 INT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DAY

  Mr. Tyree, John, and Savannah sit down to eat, together.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  Dear John...

  57 EXT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DAY

  John and Savannah make out like teenagers.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  Two weeks together. That’s all it took.

  58 INT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DAY

  Mr. Tyree is watching John -- who’s watching Savannah -- who’s driving away.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  Two weeks for me to fall for you.

  59 INT. SAVANNAH’S CAR -- DAY

  Tears fall down her face as she watches John disappear in the rearview mirror.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  Now we have one year apart. But that’s all it’ll take.

  60 EXT. BUS STATION - DAY

  John’s in uniform (green beret and all). He shakes his father’s hand, then boards the bus.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  And what’s one year apart, after two weeks like that together?

  61 INT. BUS -- DAY

  John watches Mr. Tyree make his way back to his car, head down, avoiding everybody possible.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  You made me a promise. A promise I know you’ll keep.

  John pulls out Savannah’s letter, taking great care not to crease the pages (it’s obvious he’s read it plenty already).

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  So I only want one more promise from you, during this year we spend apart.

  62 INT. C-17 PLANE -- NIGHT

  John’s in a nest against the wall.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  Tell me everything.

  It’s dark inside, and everybody except John is sleeping.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  Write it all down, John. Scribble it in a notebook. Type it out.

  Email it to me. I don’t care. But I want to know everything.

  John, however, is unable to sleep. He carefully pulls out Savannah’s letter, unfolds it, reads it again.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  That way, we’ll be with each other all the time -- even if we’re not with each other at all.

  63 OMIT

  64 EXT. AIR FORCE BASE -- TARMAC -- DAY

  John exits the plane, shields his eyes from the glare.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  And so that way, before we know it...

  Then he walks down the staircase onto the GERMAN SOIL beneath a massive Army Base in Stuttgart, Germany.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  ...I’ll see you soon then?

  65 INT. SPECIAL FORCES TEAM ROOM -- GERMANY -- DAY

  John walks in to find Staff Sargeant Tony Gallo (nicknamed Noodles) already back and unpacking.

  JOHN

  Noodles! How was Atlantic City?

  NOODLES

  Ugh. You don’t wanna know. How was South Carolina?

  John tosses his bag down, but before he can answer --

  VOICE FROM BEHIND

  Don’t even bother unpacking, guys.

  John turns to find CAPTAIN JASON STONE walking past the open door. Stone winks at them as he passes. Noodles SIGHS.

  NOODLES

  So where to this time, ya think?

  He looks to the wall, where John’s taped up a map of the world with PINS sticking out of every place he’s been. Europe and the Middle East have a lot, more so than the US even, which is pretty sparse. So’s the rest of the world. John shrugs.

  JOHN

  Just hope it’s somewhere new.

  66 EXT. AIR FORCE BASE TARMAC -- ASS CRACK OF DAWN

  John, Noodles, Stone, and the other NINE BERETS that make up their team load their gear onto a plane.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  Dear Savannah. I promise.

  Even at this early hour, the guys joke around, have an easy camaraderie. They’re obviously a very close unit.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  I promise I’ll see you soon then.

  67 INT. PLANE -- DAY

  John concentrates on writing this letter to Savannah.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  I promise I’ll write all the time.

  And I promise I’ll tell you everything. But be patient with me, because it may take a while for these letters to get back to you.

  68 INT. BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER -- DAY

  The men look out over the barren African landscape.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  We’ve already been deployed out on a mission.

  69 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- DAY

  A shirtless AFRICAN BOY watches the helicopter touch down.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  Problem is, we can’t exactly use the local postal system here.

  70 EXT. AFRICAN “NEIGHBORHOOD” -- DAY

  John stares at a mail box in front of a “house”, which is toppled over in the dirt.

  71 INT. DESERTED HOUSE -- DAY

  John walks in. No light switch. No electricity at all.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  And there’s no such thing as an internet connection, so I’ll have to send everything from here out by airmail.

  72 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- DAY

  Another copter (already on the ground) is dropping off FOOD and SUPPLIES for the troops. John pulls the letter out of his pocket, hands it to the AIRMAN, shouts instructions over the WHIR OF THE CHOPPER.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  But unfortunately, I’m not allowed to say exactly where ‘here’ is.

  73 INT. MILITARY POST OFFICE - DAY

  JOHN’S LETTER is thrown into a batch of other letters.

  74 OMIT

  75 INT. CARGO PLANE -- DAY

  Mailbags are loaded onto a palate which is loaded onto a plane.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  So all I can tell you is that the place we’ve been sent makes me miss America very much.

  76 INT. US POST OFFICE -- DAY

  John’s letter is sorted and stacked.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  The lack of anything resembling a tree makes me miss South Carolina.

  77 EXT. US POST OFFICE -- DAY

  A MAILMAN takes a sip of his morning coffee, unlocks his truck. It’s packed with mail, already preloaded. He SIGHS, turns on the engine, starts another day. />
  JOHN’S VOICE

  The lack of anything resembling an ocean makes me miss Charleston.

  77A EXT. BEACH ROAD -- DAY

  A mail truck drives down the isolated road.

  77B EXT. COLLEGE POST BOXES -- DAY

  The Mailman drops John’s letter into a college post box.

  78 EXT. COLLEGE POST OFFICE -- DAY

  Savannah walks down a wall of post boxes, casually opens up her mailbox, pulls out a bill, a catalog, a magazine...

  JOHN’S VOICE

  And everything around me makes me miss you.

  ...then finally, John’s letter. Savannah’s face lights up and she rips it open. The MONTAGE ENDS.

  79 EXT. CAMPUS GREEN -- DAY

  Savannah walks outside a lecture hall, reading John’s letter until she’s interrupted by:

  RANDY

  Wow. You’re in this class? I’m in this class.

  She looks evenly up at him.

  SAVANNAH

  I can’t remember ever seeing you.

  RANDY

  (with an easy grin)

  Well that’s because I can’t remember ever actually coming.

  80 INT. CLASSROOM -- DAY

  Savannah sits next to Randy, listening to the PROFESSOR drone on about marketing.

  81 EXT. AFRICAN “NEIGHBORHOOD” -- DAY

  Back in Africa, John swats at an ENORMOUS FLY, sweating uncontrollably, as he steps up beside Stone.

  JOHN

  Hey Captain? What should I--

  CAPTAIN STONE

  You’re on ammo duty today. And Tyree? No ranks in the field, okay?

  John nods, then heads off into the sweltering heat.

  82 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- THE NEXT WEEK -- DAY

  The helicopter is grounded. John hands the CREW CHIEF a new letter for Savannah.

  JOHN

  Got any mail from the States?

  CREW CHIEF

  Sorry. Probably’ll be in the next one.

  83 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- THE NEXT WEEK -- DAY

  THUNK. The crew chief tosses supply boxes out of the grounded copter. Noodles and John unpack the booty. Noodles finds the correspondence folder first...

  NOODLES

  Let’s see, nothing for me, nothing for me, what a surprise...

  (then he gets to the end)

  Sorry, man. Nothing for you, either.

  John reacts. His disappointment is obvious.

  84 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- A WEEK LATER -- DAY (GROUNDED COPTER)

  Noodles sorts through the letters again, then looks up at John apologetically. John’s confused.

  JOHN

  But it’s been two weeks.

  Noodles shrugs. It’s not much consolation.

  85 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- A WEEK LATER -- DAY (GROUNDED COPTER)

  Noodles sorts through the letters once again. John looks on anxiously. Noodles glances up from the folder, downbeat...

  ...but then he grins and holds up SEVEN LETTERS, all from Savannah. John can’t help it -- he grabs Noodles, hugs him.

  86 EXT. STABLE -- DAY

  Savannah’s feeding the horses at her parents house.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  Dear John. I’m back at my parents’ farm for the weekend, and they have some other houseguests you may know.

  She looks out, sees a truck pull up

  87 EXT. SAVANNAH’S FAMILY HOME -- DAY

  Savannah comes out of the stable just as her MOTHER comes out the front door to greet Tim and Alan. Alan sprints over to Savannah, and she lifts him into a hug.

  88 EXT. SAVANNAH’S FAMILY HOME -- DAY

  Savannah and Alan ride horses at a slow trot.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  I took Alan out riding with me today.

  It was his first time on a horse.

  Alan WHISPERS to his horse, and the horse starts to canter. Savannah’s worried at first, but Alan’s in complete control.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  You’ve heard of horse sense -- how horses are somehow able to sense danger, to sense out evil? Well I think autistic kids have that, too.

  As they start to gallop, Savannah watches the horse WHINNY once to Alan. Alan smiles, and WHISPERS something back.

  89 EXT. SAVANNAH’S FAMILY HOME -- DAY

  Tim watches Alan playing and LAUGHING. He leans over to Savannah, nods at his son.

  TIM

  I’ve never seen him like this.

  I’ve never seen him this relaxed.

  A smile grows on Savannah’s face.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  So I have this idea. This dream. I want to open up a camp, a summer camp, for autistic kids. A place where they can ride horses as much as they want. And for at least once in their life, a place where they won’t have to worry about a thing.

  She watches Alan, her eyes moistening.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  Whaddaya think? Pipe dream, huh?

  90 EXT. AFRICAN “NEIGHBORHOOD” -- DAY

  John rests against a fence, Savannah’s seven letters spread around him. He finishes the letter we just heard.

  Nearby, a few of the other soldiers (BERRY, DANIELS, and ROOSTER) listen to American music with some of the Africans, who do not seem too impressed. John pulls out his pen.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  Dear Savannah. I got seven of your letters all at once this morning.

  So it’s been a very good day.

  91 EXT. COLLEGE CAMPUS -- DAY

  Savannah reads this letter under a poplar tree.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  But we both might want to number our letters from here on out, just in case.

  A FRIEND sits next to her. Savannah doesn’t even look up.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  And no. It’s not a pipe dream.

  It’s a perfect dream.

  92 QUICK MONTAGE -- AS MONTHS PASS --

  Of Savannah, reading, writing, mailing...

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  Letter number ten. Dear John...

  Letter number fifteen... Letter number twenty-one...

  93 ...and John doing the same, keeping each of her letters in a careful stack that is already a few inches high...

  JOHN’S VOICE (OVERLAP)

  Letter number thirty-three... Dear Savannah. The good news is we’ve been sent somewhere new -- although I can’t tell you where that is, either.

  94 EXT. DESERTED ROAD -- NIGHT

  John and his team are packed into the back of a truck, headed God knows where.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  The bad news is, this new place actually makes me miss the old place.

  ON THE MOON -- as John looks up as it flickers through the trees.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  But it’s a full moon here tonight, which makes me think of you.

  He sticks his finger out, covering the moon with his thumb--

  JOHN’S VOICE

  Because I know that no matter what I’m doing, no matter where I am, this moon will always be the same size as yours, half a world away.

  95 EXT. SAVANNAH’S BEACH HOUSE -- BENCH -- NIGHT

  Savannah is doing the exact same thing with her moon.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  Dear John. Most nights I fall asleep worrying about you.

  Wondering where you might be out there. But not tonight.

  She’s on the bench again, where they first talked.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  Tonight you’re here with me.

  96 OMIT

  97 EXT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DAY

  He opens the front door to reveal Savannah, carrying a pie.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  I visited your Dad yesterday.

  Summer’s almost over, and I wanted to see him before I went back to school again. I hope that’s okay.

  98 INT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DINING ROOM -- DAY

  Mr. Tyree sets two places.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  He made me dinner -- it was Sunday, so we had lasagna -- an
d I got him talking about his coins, so we had plenty of conversation.

  99 INT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DEN -- DAY

  Mr. Tyree takes Savannah on another tour of his collection.

  MR. TYREE

  This one’s kind of a cull, so you have to look really close to see the double indentation. But it’s there.

  SAVANNAH

  A cull?

  MR. TYREE

  Yeah, it’s what we call the ones in really bad shape. Coins are normally graded on a scale from 0 to 70, but culls are below zero, the bottom of the barrel. They’re basically worthless to collectors.

  SAVANNAH

  But not to you?

  MR. TYREE

  No. Not to me.

  SAVANNAH

  Do you have a favorite? Out of your whole collection, is there one that’s your absolute favorite?

  MR. TYREE

  (without much hesitation)

  The '78 Jefferson mule. Definitely.

  He opens his desk door, carefully removes the glass encased nickel (though it looks more like a nickel), shows it off.

  SAVANNAH

  Why this one? Is it worth the most?

  MR. TYREE

  It’s worth a lot. Not the most.

  SAVANNAH

  Must be a good story behind it, huh?

  Mr. Tyree shrugs, his face drawn.

  MR. TYREE

  Not really my story to tell.

  SAVANNAH

  Well... whose story is it then?

  100 EXT. COBBLESTONE STREET -- DAY

  John sits on the open back of a Humvee with his team, finishing up Savannah’s letter.

  SAVANNAH’S VOICE

  So I'll ask you instead, John, wherever you may be...

  The last words on the page are: What’s the story? John grimaces. Looks around at his surroundings.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  Dear Savannah. Only because I promised to tell you everything.

  101 EXT. BEACH ROAD -- FLASHBACK -- DAY

  YOUNG JOHN hurries over to an ICE CREAM TRUCK, buys a cone. The MAN BEHIND IN THE TRUCK hands John his change.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  When I was seven years old, I bought an ice cream cone.

  102 EXT. FURTHER DOWN BEACH ROAD -- DAY

  John walks home, tossing some pennies in the water.

  JOHN’S VOICE

  On my way home, I noticed one of the pennies -- wasn’t actually a penny.

  He’s about to throw one when he stops, takes a second look.

  103 INT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DAY

  Mr. Tyree holds the penny up to the light. He is perplexed.

  104 INT. FLEA MARKET -- DAY

  A COIN DEALER holds the penny under a magnifying glass now.

  Through the glass (although John and his father can’t see this) the Dealer’s eye WIDENS. But when he looks up at them, his expression is normal -- bored even.

 

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