Pale Blue Dot Page #10

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LAURA:

So romantic.

EXT. CAMPSITE - DUSK

The sun is fast disappearing behind the trees as the whole

family is gathered around a large campfire making s’mores.

Drew is in the middle of telling a ghost story, his face lit

from below with a flashlight.

DREW:

...and when her date untied the

ribbon around her neck...

56.

Drew does his best to mime untying a knot with his one free

hand-

DREW (CONT’D)

--Her head fell off!

Laura gives an exaggerrated GASP. The twins are appropriately

weirded out:

EDWIN:

Oh that’s creepy.

NEIL:

Yeah definitely.

Ruth grunts. Unimpressed.

RUTH:

That would never happen.

Laura gives a playful smile.

LAURA:

Don’t be so sure, Ruth. I knew the

girl this happened to.

RUTH:

Yeah right.

DREW:

It’s true. She went to the same

high school as your mother.

Ruth perks up-

RUTH:

Really?

Drew creeps toward Ruth, shining the flashlight under his

face.

DREW:

Really. She was your age, you know.

And they say, if you listen

carefully you can still hear her in

these woods.

Ruth is trying to look cool, but it’s obvious she’s listening

to the woods right now.

DREW (CONT’D)

BOO!

Ruth SCREAMS.

57.

EXT. CAMPSITE - MIDNIGHT

Laura puts out the campfire and heads toward the tent.

The kids are already asleep and she’s looking to turn in

herself when-DREW

(O.S.)

Psst!

Laura turns to find Drew emerging from the trees.

LAURA:

What are you doing?

DREW:

Come on, I want to show you

something.

Laura casts a glance back toward the tent-DREW

(CONT’D)

The kids’ll be fine.

EXT. WOODS - MOMENTS LATER

Drew and Laura wander through the forest, ducking under

branches and hopping over downed trees.

DREW:

Watch your step. Stubbed a few toes

on my way out here.

LAURA:

Where are we going?

DREW:

That’d spoil the surprise.

LAURA:

It’s late.

They come to a clearing in the trees, ending up on the shores

of a warm LAKE.

DREW:

This is something else, huh?

LAURA:

It’s nice.

Drew starts to unbutton his shirt-

58.

LAURA (CONT’D)

What are you doing?

DREW:

Skinny dipping, silly.

Drew hangs his pants on a nearby tree branch.

DREW (CONT’D)

And you are too.

With that, he slips off his baggy, white briefs and wades

into the water.

Laura starts to undress herself, working her night clothes

over her head. But when she looks back up at the lake---

Drew is gone.

LAURA:

Drew?

No answer.

Laura wades into the water naked. Still no sign of him.

LAURA (CONT’D)

Drew, where are you?

She continues to look but is seemingly alone when-LAURA

(CONT’D)

AHHH!!!

Laura SCREAMS as she’s PULLED UNDERWATER.

She thrashes at the water when, finally, the creature that

pulled at her surfaces:

Drew. Laughing hard.

DREW:

Got you.

He leans in and kisses her, not noticing how she is pulling

back.

DREW (CONT’D)

And I’m never letting go.

High above them the stars twinkle in a clear, cloudless sky.

CUT TO:

59.

INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - DAY

Laura walks down a long NASA hallway lined with offices. She

passes a number of nondescript doors before stopping at one

that’s slightly ajar at the end of the line.

Laura pokes her head in---

to find Mark, napping. The tinny sounds of Steely Dan

coming from a small radio on his desk.

Laura enters. She closes the door quietly and walks over to

him. She leans close, getting just inches from his face-LAURA

Boo!

-- Mark is startled awake, gasping a big, shocked breath

before he recognizes his surroundings.

Laura laughs. Mark plays it cool.

MARK:

I’m up, I’m up.

LAURA:

Coulda fooled me.

MARK:

Maybe I did?

Laura smiles, shaking her head and giving Mark a playful

shove.

LAURA:

What’re you doing for lunch?

Mark places a paper bag on his desk.

MARK:

Brought my own.

He reaches into the bag, pulls out a six-pack of Budweiser.

MARK (CONT’D)

Care to join me?

Laura arches an eyebrow.

LAURA:

Well-

60.

EXT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - DUSK

Laura’s SUV is parked on a side road in the Johnson Complex.

It’s remote, but the old, decommissioned Saturn V Rocket is

still visible from her windshield.

Inside, Mark and Laura are splitting an order of fries. Mark

pops the top of a can of beer; hands it to Laura.

As she sips, a car drives by. Laura repositions herself to

hide the fact she’s drinking.

Mark laughs at Laura’s cautiousness.

LAURA:

It’s like we’re back in high

school, smoking under the

bleachers.

Mark takes a big swig from his can.

MARK:

You never smoked under the

bleachers.

LAURA:

How are you so sure?

MARK:

You’re a straight arrow, space

girl. As straight as they come.

You’ve never done a single thing

wrong in your life.

LAURA:

I’ve done plenty of things wrong.

MARK:

Name one.

Laura thinks for a moment but she is genuinely stumped.

MARK (CONT’D)

How about smoking under the

bleachers?

LAURA:

Nope. Never did that.

Mark laughs and takes another sip.

He stares out the passenger window and sighs. He seems a bit

off, a bit lost.

61.

LAURA (CONT’D)

You okay?

MARK:

Just tired.

Laura puts her hand on Mark’s shoulder.

MARK (CONT’D)

My kids-

Mark stops, surprised he said it. There is a silence, but

Laura doesn’t try to fill it.

MARK (CONT’D)

I love my kids. How could I not?

They’re my kids for God’s sake. But

I feel like I don’t even know them.

Laura nods. She knows the feeling.

MARK (CONT’D)

And their mother too. She’s stay-athome,

so they’re all close. Like

they’ve got their own language.

Sometimes they’ll say these things

and burst out laughing and I won’t

understand a single bit of it.

Sometimes I feel so alone.

That last one lands particularly hard.

Laura takes Mark’s large hands in hers, turning to look

directly in his eyes:

LAURA:

You don’t have to be alone.

She leans over and kisses Mark, fully and deeply.

She undoes his belt. He removes her shirt.

They f*** right there in the car.

CUT TO:

INT. CHILI’S RESTAURANT - NIGHT

Laura and Drew are lead through the restaurant by CHERYL, a

friendly waitress they’ve known for years.

62.

It’s date night. Their first in a long, long time. Laura is

distant and nervous, a few steps behind. Thoughts of Mark

weigh heavily on her.

CHERYL:

And here you are, your regular

table. Right where you left it.

The table is nothing special, just a quiet two-top in the

middle of the restaurant. Drew pulls a chair out for Laura,

who drops into it like a dead weight.

DREW:

Well, thanks, Cheryl. Means a lot.

You know we sat at this table the

night Laura got tapped for the

program?

CHERYL:

How could I forget? Now that was

some celebration.

Laura’s certainly not in the mood for any sort of celebrating

right now. She’s a complete wreck.

But neither Drew nor Cheryl notices. Cheryl gets out her pen

and pad while Laura eyes the exit.

CHERYL (CONT’D)

I take it y’all won’t be needing

menus?

DREW:

Nope. The usual should do the

trick.

CHERYL:

Great. And can I start you guys

with some apps-- potato skins, hot

wings, Southwestern egg rolls?

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