Pearl Harbor Page #3

BARBARA:

You mean hiding them?

BETTY:

Hide them? On a date with pilots? I'm

talking about how you make them show!

SANDRA, another nurse, speaks up.

SANDRA:

Loan 'em to me, I'll make 'em show.

BETTY:

The b*obs or the pilots?

The girls laugh and shove each others' knees; it's a party

wherever they go. But Evelyn can't keep her mind on the

frivolity. She looks out the window and her thoughts drift

away.

BARBARA:

We'll ask Evelyn. Evelyn? Evelyn!

BETTY:

Ooo, she's thinking of her date! Come

on, you've been dating a pilot. We want

to know what we can expect.

Suddenly all the girlish faces are looking at Evelyn.

EVELYN:

I've been dating one pilot. And only for

a few weeks. But I know he's different

from all the others.

Sandra throws up her arms and swoons onto her friends.

SANDRA:

True love!...

BETTY:

Morphine, give her morphine!

BARBARA:

Give her an enema.

EVELYN:

But I do have a warning for you. There's

one line you all need to know, and you're

likely to hear it from any man in a

uniform. It goes like this: "Honey,

Baby... We never know what's gonna happen,

and I may die tomorrow...so, let's live

all we can tonight."

A silence among the nurses.

BARBARA:

I tell you. Any one of those arrogant,

leather-jacketed, slick-lookin' flyboys

tries that line on me...he's gonna get

anything he wants.

As the nurses laugh --

EXT. NEW YORK TRAIN STATION - NIGHT

Our pilots -- indeed leather-jacketed and handsome -- are

waiting on the platform. Among then is Rafe, holding

something behind his back, as the train pulls in and shudders

to a stop, clouds of steam jetting onto the platform and

giving the moment a dream-like haze.

INT./ EXT. TRAIN - NEW YORK TRAIN STATION - NIGHT

The nurses start stepping out; both pilots and nurses pretend

surprise to see each. At the door of the train, Evelyn

whispers to Betty --

EVELYN:

Stick with me, I'll find you somebody

good.

Betty spot's Rafe.

BETTY:

I'll take that one.

EVELYN:

He's taken. But come on, I'll introduce

you.

They move to Rafe; he crosses the platform to meet them, his

eyes holding Evelyn.

RAFE:

Hello, Lieutenant. Good to see you.

EVELYN:

You too, Lieutenant.

Betty clears her throat.

EVELYN:

Oh, this is Betty.

RAFE:

Nice to meet you, Betty.

He draws his hand from behind his back; he's holding two

roses. He hands one to Evelyn and the second to Betty.

RAFE:

Danny would'a brought this.

He escorts them along the platform.

EVELYN:

Danny's not coming?

RAFE:

No, he...got some news today. He'll be

okay, he just didn't feel like coming

tonight.

EVELYN:

I was hoping to meet him.

BETTY:

I was hoping to meet him.

RAFE:

We'll just have to find a substitute,

won't we?

Betty stops, and faces Rafe.

BETTY:

I just want to tell you one thing. If

you're thinking this might be your last

night on earth?... I'm prepared to make

it meaningful.

(leaning close)

Very meaningful.

EVELYN:

At ease, Betty!

INT. CITY NIGHT CLUB - NIGHT

It's a party in full swing; swing music, jitterbugging,

beautiful young men and women in high spirits.

Rafe and Evelyn are sitting at a big table with the other

pilots and nurses. Anthony's paired up with Sandra, Billy

with Barbara, and Red, shyest of the group, finds himself

next to Betty. Betty's already found a companion in Red

Strange.

RED:

He, I'm R-Red. Red S-Strange.

BETTY:

Red...Strange?

RED:

You know the football player, Red G-

Grange? Well the guys called me R-Red,

cause you know, I'm red...and they

thought I was strange, so, you know, Red

G-Grange, Red Str-Strange.

BETTY:

But...they called you Strange? Because

of Red Grange? I don't get it. Was Red

Grange strange?

RED:

How would I know.

Beside her beer is an open ketchup bottle; he picks it up and

swigs from that. Rafe and Evelyn see this, and try to keep

from laughing.

BETTY:

Do you always stutter?

RED:

Only when I'm n-n-n-

BETTY:

Nervous?

RED:

Yeah. But if I have to get something

out, I c-can always s-s-s-

(he sings)

SIIING!

She covers his hand with hers.

BETTY:

Don't be nervous.

Red looks at Betty with love in his eyes. Under the table,

Rafe and Evelyn join hands too.

EVELYN:

There shipping us out. Hawaii. The

Germans are overrunning Europe, and we're

sent to paradise. How about you? Have

you heard anything?

He hesitates; then Evelyn is distracted by the conversation

beside them, between Barbara and Billy.

BILLY:

You're a very special woman, and...well

baby, they're training me for war, and we

don't know what happens tomorrow. So we

gotta make tonight special.

Barbara shoots a look at Evelyn, before she answers.

BARBARA:

I hope you can back that up, flyboy.

Cause you're not ever gonna forget

tonight.

She takes him by the hand and pulls him to his feet... They

start dancing, sexy movements that won't stop till they've

been in bed.

Rafe pulls Evelyn to her feet, and leads her through the

dancers, outside.

EXT. THE NIGHT CLUB - NIGHT

They find a quiet place on a balcony that overlooks the

river, and Manhattan beyond. Evelyn takes in the view,

breathes in the air; she still holds the rose.

EVELYN:

Whatever you're trying to tell me isn't

good, is it. Or it wouldn't be so hard

to say.

RAFE:

The only reason it's hard to say is that

I keep thinking I don't have the right to

say it. But I've got to because it's

true. I love you.

(beat)

That must surprise you.

EVELYN:

It surprises me that I'm not the only one

on this balcony who feels that way.

The power of hearing this from each other grips them both.

RAFE:

There's one thing I have to say. I'm

going away.

EVELYN:

We're all going away.

RAFE:

I'm going to the war. The real war.

Hitler's taken Europe. The Brits are

hanging on by their fingernails, and If

they lose, there'll be more people killed

than anybody can imagine. And not just

there, but here.

EVELYN:

But you're in the U.S. Army, how could

you --

RAFE:

Colonel Doolittle pulled the strings, and

put me on loan to the R.A.F. They need

pilots, and we need experience. I leave

tomorrow.

EVELYN:

You waited til tonight to tell me?

RAFE:

I had to tell you in person. Because

there's something else I need to say.

He studies her face, burning it into his memory.

RAFE:

Evelyn...you know the line -- let's make

tonight memorable. What I feel about you

makes it impossible for me to say

something like that. If I don't come

back, I don't want to saddle you with

regret and sadness you'll carry the rest

of your life.

EVELYN:

I don't know if you can choose that,

Rafe.

RAFE:

Maybe not. But I need you to know. I

love you. And I will come back. I'll

find a way. And then we'll get a chance

to know if what I felt the first moment I

saw you, and every minute since then, is

real.

EVELYN:

Do one thing for me, before you go.

She takes his hand and leads him inside.

INT. NIGHT CLUB - NIGHT

She leads him onto the dance floor, and they dance, among the

others, yet in a world apart from everyone else. And then

they stop while all the others move around them, and kiss the

kind of kiss that lasts a lifetime.

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