Dear John
Page 6
For the way I treated you before.
(before John can respond)
No no. If I had any idea she was actually gonna stay with you, I’d never have acted like that.
Randy downs his entire bourbon as John tries to figure out whether he’s just been paid a compliment or an insult.
Before John even takes a sip of his drink, though, he’s pulled aside by a treetrunk of a MAN. The people nearby (including TIM) fall silent. The Man glares at Savannah.
MR. CURTIS
So this is him?
SAVANNAH
Daddy, please. Not the tough guy routine this time, okay?
MR. CURTIS
Routine? I benchpress refrigerators, honey. I shoot large animals for sport. Your boyfriends need to know these things.
Nearby, John notices Tim smiling. They trade a nod hello, and then John, emboldened by a friendly face, sticks his hand out.
JOHN
Nice to meet you, Mr. Curtis. And for what it’s worth, Tim’s already threatened to rough me up if I ever hurt your daughter...
TIM
Yeah, I was very convincing, too.
I’m sure I made quite an impact.
Mr. Curtis pauses...then taps John’s drink with his own.
MR. CURTIS
Well if that’s the case, then let’s just skip right over that part and get back to the drinking. Cheers, son -- glad you could join us.
Just then an OLDER COUPLE walk in the front door. Mr. Curtis waves at them, instantly distracted.
MR. CURTIS
Billy, ya egg sucking dog, you actually showed up!
He heads over to greet them, while Savannah and her Mother get pulled into a nearby circle of WIVES. That leaves John and Tim, pretty much alone. They shake hands warmly.
TIM
Good to see you again, John.
JOHN
You too.
Alan runs past them, laughing about something just as another PARTY GUEST comes right up to say hello to Tim.
PARTYGOER #1
Tim! Where’s your wife? It’s been ages, I really must say hello.
TIM
Oh, she’s on vacation. I’ll let her know you asked after her, though.
Tim holds a forced smile. John watches him carefully, long after the Party Guest leaves and they’re left alone again.
JOHN
Another vacation?
Tim shrugs, tries to play it off. John considers biting his tongue, but then --
JOHN
Is that what you tell Alan, too?
Tim glances over at John. Pauses.
TIM
I don’t tell Alan anything.
JOHN
He doesn’t ask?
TIM
He asks. I just don’t know how to answer.
JOHN
Listen, Tim... I’m really not in any position to give you advice...
Tim shrugs, lets John know it’s okay to go on.
JOHN
When I was a kid, I woke up every morning hoping today’d be the day my mom would finally come home. And it took me fifteen years to realize that was never gonna happen.
John turns to Tim, looks at him honestly.
JOHN
As painful as it would’ve been for my Dad to tell me the truth... it coulda saved me a lotta years of waiting around, you know?
Tim looks back at him silently. Not offended, just thoughtful. He watches Alan run around the room for a bit before he finally shrugs.
TIM
Well, if the worst thing a guy can say about his father is that he tried too hard to protect him...then I’d say that’s a pretty good father, wouldn’t you?
John watches Alan, too, as that sinks in... until another PARTYGOER butts in and breaks the silence.
PARTYGOER #2
I’m sorry -- you’re John, right?
Savannah’s John? I just want to say thank you. For what you’re doing.
JOHN
You’re... welcome. But I--
PARTYGOER #2
We’re praying for you. Know that. I just hope that whatever happens it’ll be over soon so you boys can come home safe and sound.
War talk always attracts men -- Mr. Curtis and his friends are no exception, and they jump in freely.
MR. CURTIS
Oh, it won’t be over anytime soon.
Afghanistan’ll just be the first stop of many, believe me.
PARTYGOER #3
He’s right. Soon they’re gonna start askin y’all to reenlist for another tour. And then, slowly but surely, they’ll stop asking and start telling.
John turns to the guy, gives him a polite but cold stare.
JOHN
None of the soldiers I know need to be asked, sir. And we sure don’t need to be told.
Suddenly a VOICE FROM BEHIND cuts through the crowd.
SAVANNAH
What do you mean by ‘we’?
John turns to find Savannah behind him. The chatter quiets.
125 EXT. FAMILY HOME IN LENOIR -- FRONT PORCH -- LATE DAY
Savannah stands out here all alone. She doesn’t turn when John appears behind her.
SAVANNAH
So you’re going to reenlist then?
Just like that?
JOHN
It’s...something we need to decide.
Savannah still doesn’t look back at him. Just stares out at nothing.
SAVANNAH
Where would they send you? Right into the middle of everything?
John pauses for a long beat. Trying to decide how to best answer that without lying to her.
JOHN
I dunno. Maybe not at first.
But that doesn’t do much to reassure her. Back in the house behind them, the crowd has started to thin. The party is dying down.
SAVANNAH
It’s selfish of me to act like this. I get that. You’re the one that’d have to go back there. But two more years, John...
She finally turns to him. He immediately looks away.
SAVANNAH
Wait, have you already done it?
Have you already reupped?
John shakes his head no. Savannah stares at him harder, speaks quieter.
SAVANNAH
But have you already made your mind up? Do I get a say at all in this?
John looks away. Before he can respond, though...
...Tim steps out on the porch to say goodbye, carrying a sleeping Alan in his arms, no idea what he’s walking into. John turns when he hears him.
SAVANNAH
Don’t look at him, John. Look at me.
John does. They hold eye contact.
JOHN
You just... you don’t understand--
He tries to put his hand on her arm, but she SLAPS it off.
SAVANNAH
You son of a bitch. Don’t ever tell me I don’t understand.
Then she turns and walks away. Tim tries to inch back into the house, pretend like he was never here. But John knows he is.
JOHN
That’s the first time I’ve ever heard her curse.
Alan stirs in Tim’s arms, but doesn’t quite wake.
TIM
She’s angry because she loves you that much. Because she misses you that much. Trust me... that’s a lot better than the alternative.
John watches Savannah get smaller and smaller.
JOHN
So what do I do?
Tim carries Alan to the door, looks back before he leaves.
TIM
You go after her, John.
126 EXT. SAVANNAH’S FAMILY HOME -- ON THE DOCK -- LATE DAY
This pier is much smaller than the one in Charleston, but as John comes up behind Savannah, it’s a very familiar sight.
SAVANNAH
Just leave me alone, okay?
John pauses, trying to find the right words. Whether it’s nerves or desperation, he starts to sweat, suddenly has a hard time catching his breath.
JOHN
Huh? You want me to quit, is that it?
(off her silence)
You’re all that matters to me. Okay?
You are all that matters.
His voice turns intense, his eyes desperate.
JOHN
I just-- I don’t know how I got here.
I don’t know what happened. I just know that I woke up one day and buildings were suddenly falling down and -- I know I had a plan but now I don’t, I know I have no clue what to do anymore, I have no idea what to do, because all I want is to stay here with you, right here with you for as long as I possibly can.
John looks like he’s six years old all of a sudden, anxious and scared and vulnerable. Savannah’s anger quickly melts away. She puts her hand on his face, trying to calm him down.
JOHN
I’m just trying to do the right thing here, but I’ll tell you what, I’m so turned around I don’t have a friggin idea what that is anymore.
So you tell me. Tell me what to do, Savannah. Tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it.
She quietly wraps him up, holds on as tight as she can. Then she kisses him lightly on the lips.
SAVANNAH
I want you to come with me.
127 EXT. STABLES -- DUSK
Savannah leads John inside. The place is empty now.
She pulls John back to the far-most stable, which is different than the others. There are stacks of hay but there are also blankets, a flashlight, a bunch of paperbacks, an old radio.
SAVANNAH
Whenever I used to sneak out of the house, late at night... this is where I’d come.
She looks through the open window at the house she grew up in.
SAVANNAH
Kinda pathetic, huh? Even when I ran away, I never went very far.
Then, finally, she shakes the nostalgia away, turns to John, pulls him down onto this makeshift bed.
John looks through the window up at the house. It’s a distance -- no one can see them here, no one can hear them.
Savannah turns on the radio. The song that starts to play is THE LUCKIEST by Ben Folds (which was released on September 11th, 2001). Then she starts to remove her clothes.
JOHN
Wait... you sure about this?
She nods, pulls him to her, helps to guide him.
127A Then at NIGHT now, over the music -- images:
-- of them together.
-- of John, going slowly and gently, but--
-- of a single tear falling down Savannah’s face.
As the song continues to play over all the following scenes:
128 OMIT
129 EXT. LENOIR ESTATE -- DAY
-- of John, rolling awake, looking around... realizing Savannah’s already gone up to the house. He’s all alone in the stables, and that worries him.
130 INT. CAR -- DAY (MOVING)
-- of John and Savannah, silently driving back to Charleston.
131 INT. AIRPORT -- DAY
--of John and Savannah, walking through the double doors --
--where they find Mr. Tyree, uncomfortable amongst all these people, but nevertheless here to say goodbye to his son.
John walks over to him, touched.
JOHN
Thanks for coming, Dad. Really.
Mr. Tyree shrugs. Looks down at ground. John watches him.
JOHN
You gonna be okay by yourself again, Dad?
MR. TYREE
Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?
John pauses... then sticks out his hand. Mr. Tyree shakes it. John smiles, knows this is as emotional a goodbye as his father’s capable of.
Finally John lets go, turns to Savannah. Airport security is still heavy, and this is the end of the line. He struggles to find the right words.
JOHN
Listen, I... I...
Savannah stops him. She knows what she has to say now.
Forces out a smile.
SAVANNAH
What’s two more years apart after those two weeks together, right?
But she can’t help it -- a tear slips out anyway. She tries to laugh through it. John watches her, concerned.
JOHN
Are you sure? Nothing... nothing’s changed between us, has it?
She pulls him to her, kisses him hard enough for Mr. Tyree to turn away. Relieved, John kisses her back, having already forgotten that she didn’t actually answer the question.
JOHN
I don’t know when my next leave will be...
Savannah nods, understanding.
JOHN
But I’ll see you soon then?
Savannah kisses him again. Knows what her line is here, too.
SAVANNAH
I’ll see you soon then.
132 INT. MILITARY C-17 PLANE -- DAY
John lays awake in his nest.
133 INT. HANGAR -- STUTTGART, GERMANY -- DAY
Captain Stone walks in, his nose buried in a brief. The pallets are all packed now.
CAPTAIN STONE
Welcome back, guys. Hope everybody had a good--
He stops when he looks up to find a row of his men, all standing at attention. For this crew, it’s a rare instance of military formality. Stone sighs, knowing what it means.
CAPTAIN STONE
So that’s it then? It’s unanimous?
No one answers... until John steps up from behind the other men, joins them on the line. Stands at attention with his team. Stone sighs again, knowing what that means as well.
CAPTAIN STONE
Okay. I’ll get the paperwork started.
Rooster grabs John, putting him in a friendly headlock.
ROOSTER
Hooah! Let’s go light em up! Kabul here we come!
John quickly flips Rooster around, ducking out of the headlock and depositing him on the table behind them.
CAPTAIN STONE
We’re not going to Kabul. We’re going to Harat.
ROOSTER
Harat? Where the hell is Harat?
What the hell’s in Harat?
CAPTAIN STONE
Our orders.
134 EXT. AFGHANISTAN -- DAY
Shots of the city (possibly archival footage).
135 EXT. CITY STREET -- DAY
John and his team walk down the nearly empty street.
135A INT. C-17 -- DAY (SECOND UNIT)
An air drop seen from inside the belly of a C-17.
136 EXT. DROP AREA -- DAY
Noodles sorts through a kicker pallet. Finds the mailbag, holds it up to show it to John.
137 EXT. DROP AREA -- DAY
Another drop. John rips the mailbag open -- smiles when he finds two letters from Savannah.
138 OMIT
138A CLOSE-UPS OF LETTERS BEING WRITTEN -- (SECOND UNIT)
By both John and Savannah’s hands.
138B Words fill the entire screen -- words like: OCTOBER 2001 -- BACK IN CLASS -- DECEMBER -- CHRISTMAS IN HARAT --
All over alternating shots of John and Savannah --
138C INT. AFGHANISTAN BASE CAMP -- DAY -- JOHN --
-- rotely assembles a weapon as each piece snaps in with a CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, while --
138D INT. STAGE MINI-SET -- DAY -- SAVANNAH --
--is in class, sitting next to the slide projector again, writing a letter as the slides CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, and the white light turns into a --
138E MOON AND THEN MATCHING SUN -- (SECOND UNIT)
--whatever montage Lasse envisions here over --
138F MORE CLOSE-UPS OF WORDS IN THE LETTERS -- (SECOND UNIT)
SPRING BREAK AGAIN -- IT’S BEEN ONE YEAR -- JUNE 8, 2002 -- MISS YOU -- DEAR JOHN --
139 OMIT
140 INT. AFGHANISTAN BASE CAMP -- DAY -- JOHN --
-- carefully folds three letters from Savannah back into their envelopes and slips them on top of the tidy stack in his footlocker, which is now a good eight inches tall.
140A
INT. STAGE MINI-SET -- NIGHT -- SAVANNAH --
-- is in bed, staring out the window at the moonlight while...
140B EXT. AFGHANISTAN BASE CAMP -- DAY -- JOHN --
--sweating in a t-shirt underneath the Middle Eastern sun, wearily walks an AFGHAN he’s training through a target course. The Afghan misses most of his shots as John -- calm but disinterested -- offers guidance (all done over the shoulder as seen in Gavin’s video).
JOHN
Lower. Slower. Focus. Focus.
140C MORE CLOSE-UP OF WORDS -- (SECOND UNIT)
SEPTEMBER -- SOON -- I HOPE -- DECEMBER -- LETTER #103 -- DEAR SAVANNAH -- ANOTHER CHRISTMAS HERE --
140D SHOTS OF KICKER PALLETS -- (SECOND UNIT)
Landing and stirring up dust, until --
140E INT. AFGHANISTAN BASE CAMP -- DAY -- JOHN --
-- rotely disassembles the same weapon as before, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK as he resentfully stares at a few of the others who are lounging around reading letters from home --
140F INT. AFGHANISTAN BASE CAMP -- DAY -- JOHN --
-- trails Noodles as he distributes the letters from another mailbag.
NOODLES
Sorry, man. I’m just handin out what’s in here.
JOHN
Well we’re obviously not getting the whole delivery anymore...
But Noodles hands a stack of letters to Starks, effectively contradicting him. Looks back at John sympathetically...
NOODLES
I don’t know what to tell you.
...who storms away, calls over his shoulder.
JOHN
You can tell me that you’ll look into it, that’s what you can tell me.
140G TIGHT SHOTS OF THE KICKER PALLET -- (SECOND UNIT)
Boxes being cut open... tape sealing the mailbag being ripped off -- shuffling through letters -- nothing left in the bag --
140H BLEEDING OVER MORE CU’S OF WRITTEN WORDS -- (SECOND UNIT)
WRITE ME BACK? -- YOU OKAY? -- WHERE ARE YOU?
140I EXT. AFGHANISTAN BASE CAMP -- DAY -- JOHN --
--wearily walks the same AFGHAN through the same target course, shot from the same over-the-shoulder POV.
But now, not only is he bundled up in three layers of clothing because it’s so cold, but he’s even more disinterested and distracted than before.
JOHN
(rote)
Good. Good. Good. Good.
141 INT. AFGHANISTAN BASE CAMP -- CAPTAIN STONE’S TENT -- NIGHT
John makes a spontaneous late night call on the team’s new SATELLITE PHONE. As he types in all the digits --
VARIOUS SHOTS OF SAVANNAH (ALREADY FILMED) --
Cut to each CLICK of each number being dialed until it RINGS, and RINGS, and RINGS, and then...
142-146 OMIT