Sleepless in Seattle Page #3

ANNIE:

You'll love them. We're going

down to D.C. tonight to be with

them Christmas morning.

BARBARA:

How did it happen?

Barbara starts to unbutton the tiny buttons on the back

of the dress and remove it from the dummy.

ANNIE:

It's silly, really. I mean,

I'd seen him at the office,

obviously I'd seen him, he's

the associate publisher, and

then one day we both ordered

sandwiches from the same place,

and he got my lettuce and

tomato sandwich on whole wheat,

which of course he was allergic

to, and I got his lettuce and

tomato on white.

BARBARA:

(utterly without irony)

How amazing.

ANNIE:

It is, isn't it? You make

millions of decisions that mean

nothing and then one day you

decide to order takeout and it

changes your life.

BARBARA:

Destiny takes a hand.

ANNIE:

Oh, please. Destiny's just

something we've invented

because we can't stand the fact

that everything that happens is

accidental.

BARBARA:

Then how do you explain that

you both ordered exactly the

same sandwich except for the

bread? How many people in this

world like lettuce and tomato

without something else like

tuna?

ANNIE:

It wasn't a sign. It was a

coincidence.

Barbara shrugs, slips the dress off the dummy and Annie

steps into it.

Barbra starts to button the dress on Annie.

BARBARA:

I was in Atlantic City with my

family. Cliff was a waiter.

He talked me into sneaking out

for a midnight walk on the

Steel Pier. I've probably told

you this a million times, but

I don't care. And then he held

my hand. I was scared. All

sorts of thing were going

through my head. But after a

while I forgot about them. At

one point I looked down, at our

hands, and I couldn't tell

which fingers were mine and

which were his. And I knew.

ANNIE:

(hearing it for the

first time)

What?

BARBARA:

You know.

ANNIE:

(she doesn't know, but

she doesn't want her

mother to know she

doesn't know)

What?

BARBARA:

Magic. It was magic.

ANNIE:

(repeating)

Magic.

BARBARA:

I knew we would be together

forever, and that everything

would be wonderful, just the

way you feel about Walter.

Walter. It's quite a formal

name, isn't it?

(lowering her voice)

One of the things I truly knew

was that your father and I were

going to have a wonderful time

... in the sack I believe you

call it --

ANNIE:

Mom!

BARBARA:

Of course it took several years

before everything worked like

clockwork in that department,

so don't be worried if it takes

a while --

ANNIE:

Mom, we already...

BARBARA:

Well, fine, fine. Fiddle da

dee. And how's it working?

ANNIE:

Like... clockwork.

She turns to look in the mirror. The dress doesn't fit

at all. It's completely lopsided. One shoulder is

higher than the other. The waist is in the wrong spot.

The effect is quite comical.

BARBARA:

So you'll get married in a new

dress.

ANNIE:

It's a sign.

BARBARA:

(gently)

You don't believe in signs.

EXT. STREET - LATE

The house Christmas lights sparkle outside, twinkling on

the tree inside, and the warm light spilling out.

ANNIE:

They loved you. I told you

they would love you and they

did.

WALTER:

I love you.

ANNIE:

I love you, Walter.

(beat)

Did anyone ever call you

anything other than Walter?

WALTER:

Nope.

ANNIE:

Even when you were young?

WALTER:

Nope. Not even when I was

young.

It's starting to rain.

WALTER:

You sure you don't want to

drive with me?

ANNIE:

How will I get back to

Baltimore Saturday?

(remembering something)

Oh God, I forgot my present for

your stepmother -- I took it

inside by accident.

WALTER:

I'll wait.

ANNIE:

Don't be silly. I'll just be

ten minutes behind you.

EXT. BELTWAY - NIGHT

As Annie drives back toward Washington, D.C.

Raining.

INT. CAR - NIGHT

Annie driving. Presents on the front seat. She's

singing "Sleigh Ride" and doing all the sound effects

and clipclops and giddyups. After a moment, she

realizes she doesn't know all the words and turns on the

radio.

DR. MARSHA'S FIELDSTONE'S VOICE

Welcome back to "You and Your

Emotions." I'm Dr. Marcia

Fieldstone broadcasting across

America from the top of the

Sears Tower in Chicago where we

would have a fantastic view of

Santa Claus and his reindeer if

there was a -- oops, never

mind. Tonight we're talking

about wishes and dreams.

What's your wishes this Christmas

Eve? Maybe the best present

you can give yourself is a call

to me. The number is --

ANNIE:

Give me a break.

Annie changes the station.

RADIO VOICE:

The subject of the evening's

medical update is You and Your

Spleen and our host --

She flips the dial back the other way.

DR. MARCIA FIELDSTONE (V.O.)

Our caller is from Seattle.

Annie changes the station.

RADIO VOICE:

Coming up, Jingle Bells

backwards, sung by the New

Jersey Cape Mayettes --

Annie twists the dial back the other way. We hear a

YOUNG BOY's voice.

BOY'S VOICE (V.O.)

Hello, this is Jonah --

(there's a bleep as

Jonah says his last

name)

Annie's hand lingers on the dial.

DR. MARCIA FIELDSTONE (V.O.)

No last names, Jonah. Hello

there, you sound younger than

our usual callers. How come

you're up so late?

JONAH (V.O.)

It's not that late in Seattle.

DR. MARCIA FIELDSTONE (V.O.)

Got me there. What's your

Christmas wish, Jonah?

JONAH (V.O.)

It's not for me. It's for my

dad. I think he needs a new

wife.

Annie shakes her head.

DR. MARCIA FIELDSTONE (V.O.)

You don't like the one he was

now?

JONAH (V.O.)

He doesn't have one now.

That's the problem.

DR. MARCIA FIELDSTONE (V.O.)

Where's your mom?

JONAH (V.O.)

She died.

Annie closes her eyes for a moment.

ANNIE:

I don't believe this --

EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT

As the car drives along.

DR. MARCIA FIELDSTONE (V.O.)

I'm sorry to hear that, Jonah.

JONAH (V.O.)

I've been pretty sad, but I

think my dad is worse.

INT. CAR - NIGHT

DR. MARCIA FIELDSTONE (V.O.)

And you're worried about him.

JONAH (V.O.)

I'm worried about him, he's

worried about me, I ride my

bike to school, he follows in

the car, like I'm not supposed

to know he's there. Now it's

Christmas, and you know what

happens to people at Christmas.

ANNIE:

They lose their minds and call

crackpot doctors on the radio --

DR. MARCIA FIELDSTONE (V.O.)

Have you talked to your dad

about this?

JONAH (V.O.)

No.

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