Sleepless in Seattle Page #11

SAM:

Not now, Jonah --

JONAH:

Just this one part, okay?

(reading)

"I have been an excellent

third-baseman for as long as I

or anyone else can remember,

and I guarantee you will not

get one past me"

SAM:

Jonah, I'm leaving --

JONAH:

WAIT!!!

(Sam stops, amazed at

Jonah's vehemence;

Jonah continues

reading)

-- "and while we're on the

subject, let's just say right

now that Brooks Robinson was

the best third baseman ever.

It's important that you agree

with me on that because I'm

from Baltimore." Dad, she

thinks Brooks Robinson is the

greatest.

Sam goes out the door with Jonah behind him, waving the

letter.

EXT. HOUSEBOAT - NIGHT

JONAH:

Dad!

SAM:

Everyone thinks Brooks Robinson

is the greatest.

JONAH:

It's a sign.

SAM:

Oh, right.

Sam stops, takes Jonah by the hand and takes him back

into the house.

SAM:

Come here. I want to show you

something.

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT

As Sam pulls down the map of the United States, which is

hanging over one of the kitchen windows and stands Jonah

in front of it.

SAM:

Here is Seattle.

(moves his finger

across the country)

And here is Baltimore. Case

closed.

(he pulls the map and

it snaps back up)

JONAH:

She doesn't want us to go to

Baltimore. She wants to meet

us in New York City on

Valentine's Day. On top of the

Empire State Building.

SAM:

Perfect. We'll be there.

Sam goes out the door. Jonah just looks down at his

letter, his hopes on hold. Clarise switches the TV back

to Geraldo.

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT

Sam sits at a table. Nursing a beer. A little nervous.

He looks up and spots:

VICTORIA:

walking into the place. She's attractive. She waves

and smiles and sits down, orders a white wine spritzer

from the maitre d'.

After a beat.

SAM:

Hi.

VICTORIA:

Hi.

An awkward pause.

SAM:

You look good.

VICTORIA:

You look good yourself.

Another pause.

VICTORIA:

I thought you were never going

to call me.

SAM:

You did?

VICTORIA:

I really wanted you to call me,

and I thought you were never

going to --

SAM:

You could have called me --

VICTORIA:

No way. No way I was going to

be the first woman you went out

with after...

(she gestures

helplessly)

There is no percentage

whatsoever in being the first

woman anyone goes out with

after...

SAM:

You are the first woman I'm

going out with.

VICTORIA:

Oh.

SAM:

So whatdya say? I'll get the

check, and I'll call you in

eight months.

Victoria laughs far too enthusiastically.

VICTORIA:

Oh, you are funny --

We hear a CLICK as the image FREEZES.

CUT TO:

SEATTLE DETECTIVE

sitting at a table across the room, having just taken

the picture of Sam we saw frozen, with a miniature

camera. In QUICK CUTS we see a progression of later

photographs:

SAM AND VICTORIA SIMPLY TALKING.

SAM HOLDING HIS FORK ACROSS THE TABLE TO GIVE VICTORIA

A BITE OF HIS SALMON.

SAM AND VICTORIA SHARING A LAUGH.

CUT TO:

INT. BALTIMORE MARKET - DAY

Lots and lots of fish stalls with crabs, etc. Annie is

walking with Det. Wheedle toward a table you stand at

near the clam bar.

ANNIE:

Tell me he's living in squalor.

Tell me everything he has is

being repossessed, including

his filthy, dented mobile home.

WHEEDLE:

He's got a houseboat.

ANNIE:

I hate boats.

WHEEDLE:

It sounds nice.

ANNIE:

Boats. You go out in them.

You come back in them. I hate

them.

WHEEDLE:

Houseboats don't go anywhere.

ANNIE:

Boats. All anyone talks about

is the wind. Is it up, is it

down. I can't live with a man

who only talks about the wind.

WHEEDLE:

It's not a boat boat. It's

really a house.

ANNIE:

But it's on the water.

WHEEDLE:

It's on the lake right in the

middle of Seattle.

(beat)

It rains nine months of the

year in Seattle.

ANNIE:

I hope I don't have to pay for

that piece of information.

WHEEDLE:

No, that's free. He's an

architect. Used to do big

high-profile projects. He

scaled it all back when his

wife died. Now he remodels

people's homes. He works in

a small firm, makes a good

living.

He shows her a good picture of him.

ANNIE:

He's real.

She goes to the next shot. Sees a picture of Sam and

Victoria in the restaurant, although all we see of

Victoria is her back and mane of blond hair.

Hold on Annie's face.

INT. SEATTLE MARKETPLACE

With its stalls of king crab, but otherwise almost

identical in design to the Baltimore marketplace.

Sam and Jonah walk past the fish stand, Sam looking

around, slightly distracted.

JONAH:

I figure we could go to New

York, catch the Knicks, and

since we'd be there anyway,

obviously we'd go to the Empire

State Building --

SAM:

There she is.

As Victoria comes toward them, with a bag full of

groceries.

JONAH:

Why is she bringing that bag?

SAM:

She's going to cook something

for us?

VICTORIA:

Hi, Sam. And let me guess --

you must be Jonah.

JONAH:

Hi.

(back to the subject)

He should book now because we

can get an excursion fare.

Jessica's parents are travel

agents and --

SAM:

Not now, Jonah.

INT. HOUSEBOAT - LATER

Sam, Jonah and Victoria are at the dining room table,

finishing the dinner that Victoria cooked.

SAM:

We can't finish the job. She's

on her sixth painter, now she's

thinking maybe she wants the

fireplace rebricked --

VICTORIA:

I know her pretty well. Maybe

I could call her --

SAM:

I've already solved it. I've

hired a hit man.

Victoria laughs a little too hard.

VICTORIA:

Oh that is so funny, you are so

funny.

Sam smiles. Jonah is appalled.

SAM:

Every time she wants to change

something, she talks in this

little baby voice --

(in a little baby

voice)

"Couldn't you just move the

stairway a teeny tiny bit?"--

Victoria almost dies laughing. Jonah's eyes narrow to

slits.

JONAH:

Do you like baseball?

VICTORIA:

Yes, I do. In fact, my firm has

box seats for the Mariners.

Why don't we all go next week?

JONAH:

What about camping?

VICTORIA:

What about it?

JONAH:

Do you like it?

VICTORIA:

I went camping once.

(to Sam)

I love to brush my teeth in a

brook and floss with a weed.

JONAH:

We ought to start camping

again, Dad.

SAM:

Okay, tiger. Time for bed.

JONAH:

It's only ten o'clock.

SAM:

(a little edgy)

Jonah!

JONAH:

Okay.

SAM:

Thank Victoria for dinner.

JONAH:

Thanks for dinner. I never saw

anybody cook potatoes that way.

SAM:

(gracious)

I'm glad you liked it. Good

night, Jonah.

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