White Squall Page #13

EXT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT

Phil and his parents sit outside at a ritzy restaurant.

Phil stares towards the harbor.

FRANCIS:

What's wrong, you don't like steak?

PHIL:

I should be eating with the crew.

FRANCIS:

Humor me. Eat it anyway.

PHIL:

Why are you here?

PEGGY:

We missed you. We wanted to check

on you.

PHIL:

I don't need you spying on me.

FRANCIS:

Spying?!

PHIL:

I can take care of myself.

FRANCIS:

(sarcastic)

Oh, really?

PHIL:

Look, you put me on this boat in the

first place. I didn't want to come

but I did. Why do you have to

embarrass me. Why can't you just

leave me alone?

Francis slaps Phil across the face nearly knocking him out

of his chair. Everyone and everything. It's humiliating.

PEGGY:

Francis!!

She cradles Phil's red face. He fights the tears.

FRANCIS:

Listen to me, you thankless little

prick. We're your parents, so don't

you dare talk to me disrespectfully.

What the hell is it, this captain?

Because I'll see him in a rowboat...

PHIL:

It has nothing to do with him.

FRANCIS:

Well, what does it have to do with?

Us?

PHIL:

No. Look, it's me okay? Can't it

just be about me? For once?

Phil pulls free and exits. He can feel eyes all over him.

EXT. SCHOOL - GARDENS - NIGHT

Alice watches, swept up in the nostalgic romance of it

all. Skipper joins her.

SKIPPER:

He would have loved this.

ALICE:

Your father?

SKIPPER:

All his years at sea, he never

stopped talking about these islands.

ALICE:

You miss him.

Skipper manages a sad smile.

SKIPPER:

Every hour. Every minute.

(pause)

I wish he was here. I wish he could

have sailed our girl. Seen these

boys...

She smiles warmly.

SKIPPER:

I'd have liked to have said goodbye.

ALICE:

He knows.

SKIPPER:

You sound so sure.

ALICE:

I am about this.

Skipper turns and stares at her deeply.

ALICE:

What?

SKIPPER:

He never would have believed a woman

like you existed.

Alice smiles and turns back to the dancers.

ALICE:

Do you remember the last time you

and I danced under the stars?

SKIPPER:

Guilty.

ALICE:

On the deck of the Yankee, the night

you asked me to marry you. We

weren't much older than they are.

The music changes to a calypso waltz. Skipper takes Alice

by the hand.

SKIPPER:

Would you allow me?

She's sixteen again. There's something about him that

still makes her blush.

Skipper leads her to the dance floor. He hesitates,

looking deeply into her eyes. As they begin to dance, the

boys notice and exchange looks.

Lawford and George sit across the quad, sipping punch and

smoking cigars.

GEORGE:

If I didn't know better I'd say the

old man was acting almost halfway

human.

LAWFORD:

He is halfway human.

One by one the couples clear for the Skipper and his

bride. They glide, lost in each others arms. They dance

a dance for the ages. As if it might be for the last

time. The music swells.

EXT. PIER - NIGHT

Chuck and Bregitta, are at the end of the pier, a full

moon hangs above the horizon. Bregitta doesn't understand

what Chuck is saying, but it's clear she's enjoying him.

CHUCK:

I can't remember feeling like this

about myself, a place, someone like

you. We've come such a long way,

seen so much. But nothing like this.

Bregitta smiles and takes Chuck's hand. He's nervous.

CHUCK:

I'm not the best at expressing

myself. Maybe the only reason I can

now is because I know you don't

understand me.

(beat)

I like you so much. Too much. But

how could I? I mean, if we can't

even communicate, how could I know

you? It's confusing. We sail in an

hour and I'll never see you again.

Bregitta takes Chuck's face gently and kisses him

tenderly. Then, in perfect English...

BREGITTA:

I like you, too.

Chuck's eyes widen, astonished. Bregitta smiles, takes

Chuck by the hand, and leads him to a small covered boat

moored to the pier.

BREGITTA:

Come on. We don't have much time.

Blushing deeply, Chuck follows her into the boat.

EXT. STREET - SAME

Robin walks down the street hand in hand with one of the

girls. A long string of colored lights illuminate the

length of the street. Robin clumsily tries to kiss the

girl. She laughs.

ROBIN:

(defensive)

What?

Suddenly there's a flash and the sound of breaking glass.

Robin looks up to see Phil staggering, down the street,

smashing each of the colored light bulbs with a stick. He

showers himself with broken glass and sparks.

ROBIN:

(to girl)

Wait for me okay. I'll be right

back. I swear.

She smiles sadly and nods. Robin sprints down the pier

and catches up with Phil. His feet are bleeding. He is

completely smashed.

ROBIN:

Phil. What are you doing?

PHIL:

Fandango, Junior.

(he holds up his

stick)

I'm gonna do some limbo baby!!

ROBIN:

No way Phil. Not like this.

PHIL:

Roger Meris, steps up, it's a corker

down the pipe...

THWACK! He scores another bulb. Robin jumps out of the

way.

PHIL:

It's outta here!

ROBIN:

Come on man. Let's just talk about

it.

The music drifts from the gardens ahead. Phil bolts.

Robin chases after him.

ROBIN:

Phil! Wait man... Come on...

EXT. SCHOOL - GARDENS - NIGHT

John shares a joke with Lawford and George. The calypso

is cranking, but only John hears Phil and Robin crash into

the refreshment table. Robin struggles to stop Phil.

JOHN:

(to Lawford)

Be right back.

Lawford nods, oblivious.

ON THE GUYS:

John tries to help Robin with Phil.

JOHN:

Jesus! What the hell happened to

him.

PHIL:

Lemme go! Lemme go!!

ROBIN:

I don't know. We gotta get 'im

outta here before Skipper sees him

like this.

PHIL:

Son of a b*tch!!

Phil kicks and struggles.

JOHN:

Phil, if you don't calm down, I'm

gonna hurt you. Got it?

They drag him into the darkness. From near the bandstand

however, Skipper has seen it all.

EXT. ALBATROSS - NIGHT

The crew lean along the rail waving goodbye to the girls

who wave back with their white handkerchiefs.

INT. MAIN CABIN - SAME

Chuck and John hold Phil still as Robin picks shards of

glass out of his feet. Phil clenches his jaw, but his

eyes are dry.

EXT. ALBATROSS - DAY

The ship is under full-sail driving before a brisk

following wind. It takes two on the helm to keep her

safely on course. Those not on watch are sprawled about

the boat, scraping and 'red-leading' or reading. Chuck

and Robin sit forward with John, studying. Lawford paces

the deck, chiding the crew.

LAWFORD:

The rust won't wait for you to read

Conrad, Goodall.

JOHN:

Then he shouldn't have written such

a long poem, Mr. Lawford.

LAWFORD:

Read on, young John. Read on.

College boards are coming.

John looks down, dejected. Suddenly Tod cries from the

foretop.

TOD:

There they blow!! There they blow!!

Dolphins off the bow!!!

Everyone rushes to see. Dolphins leaping out of the

water. It's a magnificent game they play with ships. The

crew cheers as each one explodes out of the sea, close

enough to touch.

Isolated, Phil watches. Angry, cut off. Chuck eyes him,

worried.

Bill and Charlie rig the bowswain's chair and lower Rick

into the water. Suddenly, the dolphins are everywhere.

Rick pets them as they swim back and forth. Shear joy.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes