I Am Sam Page #8

LUCY:

(staring forward)

He'll be here. You smell like soap.

MARGARET BROWN:

Lucy, he's an hour and 45 minutes late.

You'll only have a few minutes left.

Suddenly through the door comes Sam CARRYING THE MELTED,

DRIPPING birthday cake. Lucy runs to him.

LUCY:

Daddy! I told you I told you!

CUT TO:

INT. THE SOCIAL WORKER'S SMALL GREY OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

Margaret, the therapist (Ms. Geller), and the Child

Pscyhologist all write voraciously into note pads as they

observe Sam and Lucy who sit in the center of the room,

nervous under their scrutiny.

SAM:

...and she's a Century City lawyer - a

very famous lawyer. Guess what her name

is? Rita Harrison.

LUCY:

(jaw drops)

Lovely Rita Meter Maid.

SAM:

Harrison. Just like George.

They move to hug each other. EVERYONE REACHES for their

pens. Sam pulls back self-consciously. Everyone writes even

harder.

SAM (CONT'D)

You've grown.

LUCY:

Have I?

SAM:

Your ears are larger. And your eyes are

older.

He's right. Her eyes are older. He hugs her - ALL THE PENS

GO UP.

SAM (CONT'D)

I'm gonna get a phone machine. Next

paycheck. If I'm not home, you can

leave a message. "Hi, This is Lucy."

LUCY:

You can't afford a phone machine.

The writing starts again.

SAM:

Yes we can. I'm in line for a

promotion. Big promotion. A promotion

that's big.

LUCY:

They're gonna let you make coffee?!

SAM:

Set your dreams high, Lucy.

Lucy looks at her father lovingly.

LUCY:

I'm sorry, Daddy. It was all my fault.

SAM:

No, Lucy. Don't say that.

LUCY:

I wouldn't want any Daddy but you.

She looks around to see if anybody's writing. NOBODY IS.

She suddenly screams at them:

LUCY (CONT'D)

I said I was sorry! I said I didn't

want any Daddy but him! Why don't you

write that down?!

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - DAY

We hear sobbing and see Rita sitting across from a very rich,

very angry COUPLE. Rita's foot is twitching furiously.

RITA:

...are you telling me that neither of

you want custody of your child?

WOMAN:

He's created a monster. He's exactly

like him. He...he...

The woman is distracted by a loud thumping on Rita's glass

wall - it's SAM. Holding an envelope. Very distressed, as

the Secretary attempts to corral him back into the lobby.

RITA:

I am right here with you, excuse me.

(she unlocks door)

Sam? Didn't I tell you that you have to

call?

SAM:

I -

RITA:

You know how to make an appointment.

SAM:

It's -

RITA:

That's ridiculous you can always get

Patricia.

SAM:

They -

RITA:

Good. I'll see you next week.

SAM:

But it's an emergency - lots of three

syllable words urgent open at once.

He hands the letter to Rita. Rita looks through the glass

wall at her clients who are getting impatient.

RITA:

They want to have you and Lucy evaluated

by a shrink. The appointment is today

at three. Today. Now. Today!

SAM:

I know and I want you to object.

RITA:

Sam I can't object. It's court ordered.

Sam notices that the woman in Rita's office is crying. He

walks in and hands her a handkerchief from his pocket.

SAM:

Here. Don't be sad.

She looks at him as if he's from Mars. Rita, now outside her

office, watches Sam now inside the office.

RITA:

Patricia, I'm in the middle - get him

out of there -

She quickly gets up but Rita's too impatient and pushes past

her into the office.

RITA (CONT'D)

Sam. Sam come with me.

(to the Couple)

We're gonna get through this excuse

us...

(to Sam)

Sam this is their turn now. Not yours.

Theirs. If you leave now you'll never

make it and you have to make it.

SAM:

Okay okay I know I take the #34 bus and

transfer to the #13...than the Downtown

Express to Wilshire then -

Rita looks at the Couple leaving her office.

INT. RITA'S PORSCHE - DAY

Redefining road rage, Rita's slamming the horn. Sam next to

her.

RITA:

Go! Go! GO! for chrissakes! Green means

GO!

SAM:

Red means stop yellow in the middle

means no no no...I don't like shrinks.

I've seen too many shrinks.

RITA:

Yeah. You and me both. Right or left

which will it be you IDIOT!?

SAM:

Your mother sent you to shrinks, too?

RITA:

No. Well, sort of. I talk about her

the whole time I'm there.

SAM:

That's nice. Did you notice that

everyone else is driving slower. I

noticed that did you?

RITA:

(on the horn)

Go for Chrissakes! How about your

mother? Maybe she can help you -

SAM:

She's gone. She's at the Park Lane

Mortuary. Two from the left. Under the

big tree.

RITA:

Oh. I'm sorry. The light is green!

WOULD YOU MOVE MOVE MOVE!?

She cuts around the car in front of her; flips him off, and

in a split second that her head is turned, almost SMASHES

into the car in front of her! She slams on the brakes.

SAM:

Too many shrinks...I'm sorry Mrs.

Dawson, if I were you I wouldn't waste

any more time. I'm sorry Mrs. Dawson it

must be a tremendous disappointment.

I'm sorry Mrs. Dawson I think you'd both

be happier if Sam was in a home.

Rita looks over at Sam, forced to stop.

INT. PSYCHOLOGIST OFFICE - DAY

Sam sits across from a shrink, MS. GELLER, nervously

straightening her desk.

PSYCHOLOGIST:

Mr. Dawson, you do understand, that

since I am a court appointed

psychologist, the traditional client

therapist confidentiality will be

waived.

(Sam looks confused)

Mr. Dawson, do you understand that the

confidentiality will be waived?

Sam nods nervously and waves. With that she begins.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Sam, Ifty, Brad and Robert hover over a used answering

machine. Ifty pours over the instructions.

IFTY:

Before you read your message press the

red button for record, when you finish,

press the yellow button. If you press

the green button, it will play it back

you. Let's start with the "ogm".

SAM:

Okay, okay. I'm ready. Hello, I am

Sam.

IFTY:

No, no. I didn't press the red button.

SAM:

Oh, yes. False start, false start.

IFTY:

It's not working. That's what you get

for buying a used machine. Used means

broken. You're asking for other

people's problems, you have enough of

your own, not that everyone doesn't have

problems.

BRAD:

It's not used. It's pre-owned. Guy

bought it for his auto shop and then he

got a secretary.

IFTY:

Testing, one two three.

SAM:

That's a good code. I'll remember that.

One, two, three.

IFTY:

(pressing button)

Quick, you're recording.

SAM:

I'm hi. I am Sam. I'm not home.

ROBERT:

No, you don't want to say that. you

don't want them to know you're not home.

SAM:

But then I'm lying.

ROBERT:

Everybody's lying.

SAM:

I'm not a liar. It will send a mixed

message to Lucy.

IFTY:

(pressing the button)

You're on the air!

SAM:

Let me see, let me see, let me see. Hi,

how are you?

BEEP! the tape runs out.

IFTY:

That was pretty good. That was natural.

SAM:

Did I sound like a good father?

IFTY:

It's the outgoing message. You need to

sound more outgoing. Let's start again.

INT. GROUP HOME - NIGHT

Mrs. Kerry unlocks the phone and dials. She hands the phone

to Lucy who waits eagerly in her pj's. Sam's answering

machine clicks on; as if on slow speed.

ANSWERING MACHINE

Hi, it's Len's Auto Body Shop. We'd

love to show you our body work, but it's

invisible. Leave it at the beep.

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