Confidence Page #11

Letty lies in the middle of a copse of trees, reading Emily

Dickinson. Michael walks up and hands her a dandelion.

MICHAEL:

A daisy for the lady.

LETTY:

The lady knows this is a dandelion.

MICHAEL:

A rose is a rose.

67.

Letty kisses him on the cheek.

LETTY:

Thanks. Where've you been all day?

MICHAEL:

Back-to-back sessions with the

shrink.

LETTY:

Sounds important.

MICHAEL:

I'm not allowed to see you anymore.

LETTY:

Really? Me too.

MICHAEL:

I had to sneak by the guards to get

here. They say you’re highly

unstable, have a depressive

personality, and may hold back my

own recovery.

LETTY:

Wow. I'm bad news.

MICHAEL:

What's my rap?

LETTY:

Schizophrenic recidivism marked by

hallucinations and paranoid

delusions.

MICHAEL:

F***. That's all true.

Letty laughs.

MICHAEL:

Really, though. My thoughts go

haywire sometimes.

LETTY:

What are the delusions like?

MICHAEL:

I think people are after me, crap

like that.

(beat)

(MORE)

68.

MICHAEL(cont'd)

When I was 18, my mom came home and

found me sitting naked on the

kitchen table. I thought I was God.

He waits for Letty to register the information.

MICHAEL:

Shocking, huh?

LETTY:

Sure. But I took out a whole

grocery store.

MICHAEL:

I wish I could have seen that.

LETTY:

I'm starting to think that

everyone's crazy to some extent.

MICHAEL:

My Grandma Rosa says that some

trees get planted in rich top soil,

and they grow right up to the sun,

tall and straight. Other trees,

they start as seeds in the crevices

between rocks so they have to twist

and bend to reach the light.

(beat)

But even though they end up

crooked, they're still trees, just

like the straight ones.

Lying on their backs, Michael and Letty stare up at the

leaves overhead.

MICHAEL:

(with a start)

Why in the world did you let me

start talking in metaphors? That's

no way for us to break up.

LETTY:

Break up? They wish.

Michael and Letty hug.

INT. NURSES' STATION - HILLVIEW PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL - DAY

Nurse Gates pours tablets from a potpourri of pill bottles

into little paper cups. A Federal Express delivery man with

a bunch of boxes stops at the station.

69.

DELIVERY MAN:

I need a signature, please.

Nurse Gates looks at the form.

NURSE GATES:

What is all this stuff?

DELIVERY MAN:

I just deliver it, Ma'am.

NURSE GATES:

Well, who exactly is it for?

DELIVERY MAN:

A Mrs. Eunice Hallstrom.

NURSE GATES:

I see. Can you wait a moment?

Nurse Gates locks the medication in a cupboard, and hurries

down the hallway.

INT. GROUP THERAPY ROOM - SAME

Our usual cast of characters.

DR. EMLEE

But how does that make you feel,

John, what Letty said about your

hostility?

JOHN:

She doesn't know what the hell

she's talking about.

Nurse Gates barrels in. The group looks up.

NURSE GATES:

I'm sorry, Doctor. I just need a

moment with Mrs. Hallstrom.

DR. EMLEE

What seems to be the problem?

NURSE GATES:

They say she ordered...Mrs.

Hallstrom, did you order a bunch of

stuff, because Federal Express...

Mrs. Hallstrom's face glows.

70.

MRS. HALLSTROM

It's here, everyone. Come along.

It's here.

She runs out. Nurse Gates follows her. A moment passes. The

patients look expectantly at Dr. Emlee.

DR. EMLEE

Oh, fine, let's see.

They storm the door.

INT. NURSES' STATION - SAME

By the time the patients round the corner, the Federal

Express man is leaving, and Mrs. Hallstrom has ripped open

one of the boxes. She clutches a handful of jewelry.

MRS. HALLSTROM

For you, John. And, Letty. And,

Michael, I know you'll love these.

She hands Michael a pair of faux sapphire earrings. He clips

them on. Letty and several others carry necklaces. Thomas

sports a rhinestone tiara. The patients compare jewelry.

DR. EMLEE

Mrs. Hallstrom, you ordered all

this?

JOHN:

(to Mrs. Hallstrom)

Thomas got a crown and all I got

was a lousy bracelet?

DR. EMLEE

You must have spent thousands of

dollars.

MRS. HALLSTROM

Don't worry, Doctor, I didn't

forget you.

Mrs. Hallstrom hands Dr. Emlee a fake ruby hair comb.

DR. EMLEE

Mrs. Hallstrom, you can't possibly

afford to pay for this. It must go

back.

Chatter in the hallway stops.

71.

MRS. HALLSTROM

Why, no, Doctor. It can't. Most

of it's for my daughter, Lily.

She's coming to family day

tomorrow...all the way from

Cleveland with my grandson.

(beat)

You can't be taking away their

"Welcome to California" presents.

DR. EMLEE

It's going back. We'll contact the

company this afternoon.

(to patients)

Take the jewelry off, please.

The patients reluctantly remove their gifts.

.

MRS. HALLSTROM

But I have to keep something for my

daughter.

DR. EMLEE

Let's go back to group, and discuss

it there. Back to group, everyone.

The patients head back to group. Dr. Emlee turns to Nurse

Gates.

DR. EMLEE

(to Nurse Gates)

Increase her lithium to 600

milligrams, three times a day. Oh,

and Nurse, let's see about

canceling the cable.

EXT. PATIO - HILLVIEW PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL - DAY

The place buzzes with festivity. A "WELCOME FAMILIES" sign

hangs from a patio beam. A table is laden with cookies and

lemonade and platter after platter of carrot curls.

Letty takes a cookie and looks toward the lawn where Michael

plays frisbee with his family, even his grandmother, ROSA.

Nurse Gates walks up to Letty.

NURSE GATES:

Your mother's in the rec room,

Letty.

72.

INT. REC ROOM - SAME

Letty passes Mrs. Hallstrom, who sits by herself, holding one

small gift on her lap.

Letty spots her Mom across the room, and walks up to her.

Her mother has covered a table with swatches of fabric.

MRS. MAYER

It's so good to see you,

Sweetheart.

LETTY:

You too, Mom.

MRS. MAYER

You're looking good. A little

thin, but good.

Letty examines a fabric sample.

MRS. MAYER

Thanks so much for doing this.

Ruthie and Jake are up to a million

things. And I just can't decide.

Letty rearranges the fabric samples on the table by color.

LETTY:

Which flowers did you order?

MRS. MAYER

We haven't. I wanted to talk that

over with you, too.

LETTY:

Oh, OK, well, better to choose the

table cloths first anyway.

MRS. MAYER

I was thinking either the peach

moire or cream damask.

Letty holds up a swatch of bright yellow.

LETTY:

This would complement the blue in

the bride's maids' dresses. Look.

MRS. MAYER

Where's your ring, Sweetheart?

73.

LETTY:

We aren't allowed to wear jewelry

in here, Mom.

MRS. MAYER

Just think, pretty soon, we'll be

doing all these wedding

preparations for you.

(beat)

Of course, if that's what you still

want. Ruthie told me some silly

story about a crush on some boy

here.

Letty pulls out a cigarette, lights it and starts smoking.

LETTY:

I haven't had a crush since I was

12.

MRS. MAYER

When did you start smoking?

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