I Am Sam Page #13

RITA:

Okay okay okay okay. Well, Sam has his

big day on the stand tomorrow and we

need to work a little bit so that he's

as effective as you were.

SAM:

Effective. Very effective.

RITA:

On a Porsche, the, uh, the door handle

is a little hidden by that thingamajig,

so if you're having a hard time finding

it I'll just --

Rita reaches across to open Annie's door when she SCREAMS!

ANNIE:

Noooooooo!

SAM:

Annie's not quite ready to go outside

yet.

RITA:

Okay, we'll just take our time.

INT. PORSCHE - TWO HOURS LATER

It's dark now. Annie is still catatonic. Rita's on the car

phone, the kind that voice activates and she's yelling.

RITA:

Home! Home! HOME GODDAMNIT! Juanita,

help Danny with his English assignment.

Ayude Danny un story...story...STORIO!

ANNIE:

(rising from the dead)

I'm ready now.

RITA:

(gently)

Good, fine, Sam? Annie's ready.

Sam's fallen asleep.

EXT. RITA'S LAVISH BEL AIR HOME - NIGHT

Rita and Sam enter.

INT. RITA'S BEL AIR HOME - NIGHT

Sam is awestruck at the magnificent home.

RITA:

Okay okay okay okay. We'll work in the

library. It's down the hall and to the

left.

They pass another room and see Danny zoned out in front of

the wide-screen TV watching MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.

RITA (CONT'D)

Hey, Danny.

(no answer)

Where's your father?

DANNY:

(staring at TV)

Guess.

RITA:

I don't want to guess. Where is he?

(Sam watches Rita)

I told you I don't want to guess.

DANNY:

Well where was he last night?

RITA:

Working late.

DANNY:

There you guessed it.

RITA:

He said he was working late?

DANNY:

That's what he said.

RITA:

Well who did he say was taking care of

you?

DANNY:

You. But you said you were working

late.

RITA:

I am working late.

DANNY:

Then go work.

RITA:

How was your day?

DANNY:

You have to work. Go work.

RITA:

No. How was your -

Her CELL PHONE goes off. Rita moves into the hallway to

answer her phone. Sam moves into the den, sits on the couch,

the sound of Rita arguing with her husband drifts into the

room. Sam looks sideways at Danny who remains stonefaced.

SAM:

This is my favorite part. Hey Dommy,

this one looks like he's suffering from

shell shock.

DANNY:

Boy I guess we can shell it out... It

was a shell of a good hit.

Rita stands in the doorway watching Sam have a longer

conversation with her son than she's had in months. She

retreats.

INT. RITA'S DEN - LATER

Danny and Sam eat popcorn watching the movie.

SAM:

(bellowing)

"Turtles in the half-shell, turtle

power!" Rita! Come this is the best

part.

He heads towards Rita.

INT. PANTRY - CONTINUOUS

In the half-light Sam catches a glimpse of Rita standing in

the pantry unconsciously stuffing marshmallows into her

mouth. Their eyes lock for a moment.

SAM:

You eat too fast. Come watch the movie.

RITA:

It's getting late. We have to get to

work.

(handing him a suit)

This is my husband's. He won't notice.

He's got ten more just like it. Try it

on.

INT. RITA'S LIBRARY - MOMENTS LATER

Sam comes out of the bathroom in the new suit. Rita stares

at him astonished. He looks incredibly handsome. Rita,

attempting to stifle her reaction, turns away from Sam.

SAM:

Bad?

RITA:

No. Very, very good. But your tie's

crooked.

Rita stands behind Sam with her around him showing him how to

do his tie properly. Their images are reflected in the

mirror.

RITA (CONT'D)

Cross over once. Loop it around on the

inside of your neck.

(her hand grazes his neck)

Slide the other side through the loop,

then tighten.

Rita comes around to the front and straightens and tightens

the tie. They are both nervous. The room is charged.

RITA (CONT'D)

Okay okay okay okay. Our strategy is

that we're aggressively pursuing a

support system. I'm going to ask you h

ow are you prepared to help Lucy in

school?

SAM:

Let me see let me see let me see.

RITA:

Sam! I told you you have to stop that!

It makes you look stupid! Okay okay

okay. Try again.

(endless pause)

You say you will find her a tutor. Then

I say, "How will you pay for it?"

SAM:

Could you slow down? Why do you eat so

fast?

RITA:

(ignoring him)

We've gone over this a million times.

You've found a free tutoring service for

her at the YMCA.

SAM:

But I didn't. You did.

RITA:

Can't you grasp the concept of

manipulating the truth? Not lying.

Just a little tweak here and there.

SAM:

No...You're so lucky. You get to play

with Danny all the time.

RITA:

He doesn't want to play with me.

SAM:

Yes he does. He does he does. He

thinks you don't want to.

RITA:

Oh that's ridiculous of course I want

to.

SAM:

Tweak, tweak.

RITA:

(exploding)

I drove around after work yesterday 'til

9:
30 looking for a goddman razor

scooter!

SAM:

(in his own world)

Tweak, squeak, peek peek...

Rita shifts uneasily, embarrassed by her overreaction.

INT. RITA'S LIBRARY - LATER

RITA:

Okay, why did you harass that young boy

at your home?

SAM:

You know I didn't harass him, Rita. You

know that, you know that!

RITA:

Sam, I'm pretending to be Mr. Turner,

remember? Okay?

SAM:

Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah. I didn't harass

him, Mr. Turner. Mr. Turner -

(Sam can't keep a straight

face)

You don't look like him.

RITA:

That's a blessing.

SAM:

You're so much prettier.

RITA:

(suddenly shy)

Thank you. Now.

What makes you think you can take care

of a woman - I mean a young child - when

you have a hard time taking care of

yourself?

INT. RITA'S LIBRARY - TWO HOURS LATER

Rita is relentless. Sam is exhausted but determined.

RITA:

But who are you kidding? Isn't Lucy

already smarter than you?

SAM:

In some ways. But in other ways, she's

not, I think.

RITA:

You think?

SAM:

I think.

RITA:

Sam. You've got to be firm on this.

SAM:

I think in other ways I'm smarter than

her. Smarter than you are, Mr. Turner.

In fact, in some ways I'm smarter than

you, Judge McNeilly.

RITA:

Whoa! Bring it down.

SAM:

What parent doesn't want more for their

child? To be more than the sum of the

parts of the whole of them.

RITA:

Yeah yeah yeah, but it's one thing for a

little girl to love her daddy when she's

a baby, but once she loses respect for

you, what will you do?

SAM:

(fierce)

I won't let that happen. I won't.

RITA:

How can you say that?

SAM:

Respect is not just about how smart

someone is. Smart is not just about how

smart someone is.

RITA:

But what about Lucy? Aren't you being

selfish? Doesn't she deserve a better

life? Don't you think she's just

pretending she's happy to not hurt your

feelings?

Sam jumps up from the table, trembling with anger.

SAM:

Lucy is happy! We have fun! We go to

Denny's, we go to video night. I know

how to love her. I know I'm not going

to able to go to law school and learn

how to be a mean person, but I know how

to love. I know how to be her father,

Mr. Turner!

By this time he is face to face with Rita, breathing hard,

overcome with emotion. Rita is unexpectedly near tears.

Suddenly before she knows it, she is HOLDING SAM. The room

charged. She speaks tenderly, moved by this awkward boy/man.

RITA:

I know you do, Sam. I know you do.

INT. STARBUCKS - MORNING

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