Dear John
Page 4
Got your note.
She holds it up. We still can’t see what it says.
SAVANNAH
Short and to the point. I like that.
JOHN
Listen... I’m really sorry--
SAVANNAH
I’m the one who needs to apologize.
I had no business -- no, John, I mean it. I’m not a doctor, I’m not even close, and I have no business pretending like I am.
John glances at the house. Mr. Tyree quickly turns back to his dinner. John SIGHS.
JOHN
I’ve been watching him today...
SAVANNAH
John. Really. I’m not a doctor. I have no idea what I’m talking about.
She turns his head away from his Dad, back towards her.
SAVANNAH
I’m headed back to school, so I just wanted to see if--
John kisses her, interrupting. Finally he pulls away.
JOHN
I made you a promise, didn’t I?
Savannah grins, pulls a sealed envelope out of her purse.
SAVANNAH
Well you wrote your first letter to me. So I wrote my first one to you.
John takes it, starts to open it. Savannah stops him.
SAVANNAH
Don’t read it till I’m gone, okay?
John nods. Tucks the note carefully in his back pocket. Then he takes Savannah by the hand and pulls her towards the house.
JOHN
Come have some lasagna. My Dad made extra for you.
SAVANNAH
I can’t stay long.
John looks back at her. Smiles sadly.
JOHN
I know.
MONTAGE OF IMAGES:
56 INT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DAY
Mr. Tyree, John, and Savannah sit down to eat, together.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
Dear John...
57 EXT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DAY
John and Savannah make out like teenagers.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
Two weeks together. That’s all it took.
58 INT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DAY
Mr. Tyree is watching John -- who’s watching Savannah -- who’s driving away.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
Two weeks for me to fall for you.
59 INT. SAVANNAH’S CAR -- DAY
Tears fall down her face as she watches John disappear in the rearview mirror.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
Now we have one year apart. But that’s all it’ll take.
60 EXT. BUS STATION - DAY
John’s in uniform (green beret and all). He shakes his father’s hand, then boards the bus.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
And what’s one year apart, after two weeks like that together?
61 INT. BUS -- DAY
John watches Mr. Tyree make his way back to his car, head down, avoiding everybody possible.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
You made me a promise. A promise I know you’ll keep.
John pulls out Savannah’s letter, taking great care not to crease the pages (it’s obvious he’s read it plenty already).
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
So I only want one more promise from you, during this year we spend apart.
62 INT. C-17 PLANE -- NIGHT
John’s in a nest against the wall.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
Tell me everything.
It’s dark inside, and everybody except John is sleeping.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
Write it all down, John. Scribble it in a notebook. Type it out.
Email it to me. I don’t care. But I want to know everything.
John, however, is unable to sleep. He carefully pulls out Savannah’s letter, unfolds it, reads it again.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
That way, we’ll be with each other all the time -- even if we’re not with each other at all.
63 OMIT
64 EXT. AIR FORCE BASE -- TARMAC -- DAY
John exits the plane, shields his eyes from the glare.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
And so that way, before we know it...
Then he walks down the staircase onto the GERMAN SOIL beneath a massive Army Base in Stuttgart, Germany.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
...I’ll see you soon then?
65 INT. SPECIAL FORCES TEAM ROOM -- GERMANY -- DAY
John walks in to find Staff Sargeant Tony Gallo (nicknamed Noodles) already back and unpacking.
JOHN
Noodles! How was Atlantic City?
NOODLES
Ugh. You don’t wanna know. How was South Carolina?
John tosses his bag down, but before he can answer --
VOICE FROM BEHIND
Don’t even bother unpacking, guys.
John turns to find CAPTAIN JASON STONE walking past the open door. Stone winks at them as he passes. Noodles SIGHS.
NOODLES
So where to this time, ya think?
He looks to the wall, where John’s taped up a map of the world with PINS sticking out of every place he’s been. Europe and the Middle East have a lot, more so than the US even, which is pretty sparse. So’s the rest of the world. John shrugs.
JOHN
Just hope it’s somewhere new.
66 EXT. AIR FORCE BASE TARMAC -- ASS CRACK OF DAWN
John, Noodles, Stone, and the other NINE BERETS that make up their team load their gear onto a plane.
JOHN’S VOICE
Dear Savannah. I promise.
Even at this early hour, the guys joke around, have an easy camaraderie. They’re obviously a very close unit.
JOHN’S VOICE
I promise I’ll see you soon then.
67 INT. PLANE -- DAY
John concentrates on writing this letter to Savannah.
JOHN’S VOICE
I promise I’ll write all the time.
And I promise I’ll tell you everything. But be patient with me, because it may take a while for these letters to get back to you.
68 INT. BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER -- DAY
The men look out over the barren African landscape.
JOHN’S VOICE
We’ve already been deployed out on a mission.
69 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- DAY
A shirtless AFRICAN BOY watches the helicopter touch down.
JOHN’S VOICE
Problem is, we can’t exactly use the local postal system here.
70 EXT. AFRICAN “NEIGHBORHOOD” -- DAY
John stares at a mail box in front of a “house”, which is toppled over in the dirt.
71 INT. DESERTED HOUSE -- DAY
John walks in. No light switch. No electricity at all.
JOHN’S VOICE
And there’s no such thing as an internet connection, so I’ll have to send everything from here out by airmail.
72 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- DAY
Another copter (already on the ground) is dropping off FOOD and SUPPLIES for the troops. John pulls the letter out of his pocket, hands it to the AIRMAN, shouts instructions over the WHIR OF THE CHOPPER.
JOHN’S VOICE
But unfortunately, I’m not allowed to say exactly where ‘here’ is.
73 INT. MILITARY POST OFFICE - DAY
JOHN’S LETTER is thrown into a batch of other letters.
74 OMIT
75 INT. CARGO PLANE -- DAY
Mailbags are loaded onto a palate which is loaded onto a plane.
JOHN’S VOICE
So all I can tell you is that the place we’ve been sent makes me miss America very much.
76 INT. US POST OFFICE -- DAY
John’s letter is sorted and stacked.
JOHN’S VOICE
The lack of anything resembling a tree makes me miss South Carolina.
77 EXT. US POST OFFICE -- DAY
A MAILMAN takes a sip of his morning coffee, unlocks his truck. It’s packed with mail, already preloaded. He SIGHS, turns on the engine, starts another day.
JOHN’S VOICE
The lack of anything resembling an ocean makes me miss Charleston.
77A EXT. BEACH ROAD -- DAY
A mail truck drives down the isolated road.
77B EXT. COLLEGE POST BOXES -- DAY
The Mailman drops John’s letter into a college post box.
78 EXT. COLLEGE POST OFFICE -- DAY
Savannah walks down a wall of post boxes, casually opens up her mailbox, pulls out a bill, a catalog, a magazine...
JOHN’S VOICE
And everything around me makes me miss you.
...then finally, John’s letter. Savannah’s face lights up and she rips it open. The MONTAGE ENDS.
79 EXT. CAMPUS GREEN -- DAY
Savannah walks outside a lecture hall, reading John’s letter until she’s interrupted by:
RANDY
Wow. You’re in this class? I’m in this class.
She looks evenly up at him.
SAVANNAH
I can’t remember ever seeing you.
RANDY
(with an easy grin)
Well that’s because I can’t remember ever actually coming.
80 INT. CLASSROOM -- DAY
Savannah sits next to Randy, listening to the PROFESSOR drone on about marketing.
81 EXT. AFRICAN “NEIGHBORHOOD” -- DAY
Back in Africa, John swats at an ENORMOUS FLY, sweating uncontrollably, as he steps up beside Stone.
JOHN
Hey Captain? What should I--
CAPTAIN STONE
You’re on ammo duty today. And Tyree? No ranks in the field, okay?
John nods, then heads off into the sweltering heat.
82 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- THE NEXT WEEK -- DAY
The helicopter is grounded. John hands the CREW CHIEF a new letter for Savannah.
JOHN
Got any mail from the States?
CREW CHIEF
Sorry. Probably’ll be in the next one.
83 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- THE NEXT WEEK -- DAY
THUNK. The crew chief tosses supply boxes out of the grounded copter. Noodles and John unpack the booty. Noodles finds the correspondence folder first...
NOODLES
Let’s see, nothing for me, nothing for me, what a surprise...
(then he gets to the end)
Sorry, man. Nothing for you, either.
John reacts. His disappointment is obvious.
84 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- A WEEK LATER -- DAY (GROUNDED COPTER)
Noodles sorts through the letters again, then looks up at John apologetically. John’s confused.
JOHN
But it’s been two weeks.
Noodles shrugs. It’s not much consolation.
85 EXT. DIRT FIELD -- A WEEK LATER -- DAY (GROUNDED COPTER)
Noodles sorts through the letters once again. John looks on anxiously. Noodles glances up from the folder, downbeat...
...but then he grins and holds up SEVEN LETTERS, all from Savannah. John can’t help it -- he grabs Noodles, hugs him.
86 EXT. STABLE -- DAY
Savannah’s feeding the horses at her parents house.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
Dear John. I’m back at my parents’ farm for the weekend, and they have some other houseguests you may know.
She looks out, sees a truck pull up
87 EXT. SAVANNAH’S FAMILY HOME -- DAY
Savannah comes out of the stable just as her MOTHER comes out the front door to greet Tim and Alan. Alan sprints over to Savannah, and she lifts him into a hug.
88 EXT. SAVANNAH’S FAMILY HOME -- DAY
Savannah and Alan ride horses at a slow trot.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
I took Alan out riding with me today.
It was his first time on a horse.
Alan WHISPERS to his horse, and the horse starts to canter. Savannah’s worried at first, but Alan’s in complete control.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
You’ve heard of horse sense -- how horses are somehow able to sense danger, to sense out evil? Well I think autistic kids have that, too.
As they start to gallop, Savannah watches the horse WHINNY once to Alan. Alan smiles, and WHISPERS something back.
89 EXT. SAVANNAH’S FAMILY HOME -- DAY
Tim watches Alan playing and LAUGHING. He leans over to Savannah, nods at his son.
TIM
I’ve never seen him like this.
I’ve never seen him this relaxed.
A smile grows on Savannah’s face.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
So I have this idea. This dream. I want to open up a camp, a summer camp, for autistic kids. A place where they can ride horses as much as they want. And for at least once in their life, a place where they won’t have to worry about a thing.
She watches Alan, her eyes moistening.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
Whaddaya think? Pipe dream, huh?
90 EXT. AFRICAN “NEIGHBORHOOD” -- DAY
John rests against a fence, Savannah’s seven letters spread around him. He finishes the letter we just heard.
Nearby, a few of the other soldiers (BERRY, DANIELS, and ROOSTER) listen to American music with some of the Africans, who do not seem too impressed. John pulls out his pen.
JOHN’S VOICE
Dear Savannah. I got seven of your letters all at once this morning.
So it’s been a very good day.
91 EXT. COLLEGE CAMPUS -- DAY
Savannah reads this letter under a poplar tree.
JOHN’S VOICE
But we both might want to number our letters from here on out, just in case.
A FRIEND sits next to her. Savannah doesn’t even look up.
JOHN’S VOICE
And no. It’s not a pipe dream.
It’s a perfect dream.
92 QUICK MONTAGE -- AS MONTHS PASS --
Of Savannah, reading, writing, mailing...
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
Letter number ten. Dear John...
Letter number fifteen... Letter number twenty-one...
93 ...and John doing the same, keeping each of her letters in a careful stack that is already a few inches high...
JOHN’S VOICE (OVERLAP)
Letter number thirty-three... Dear Savannah. The good news is we’ve been sent somewhere new -- although I can’t tell you where that is, either.
94 EXT. DESERTED ROAD -- NIGHT
John and his team are packed into the back of a truck, headed God knows where.
JOHN’S VOICE
The bad news is, this new place actually makes me miss the old place.
ON THE MOON -- as John looks up as it flickers through the trees.
JOHN’S VOICE
But it’s a full moon here tonight, which makes me think of you.
He sticks his finger out, covering the moon with his thumb--
JOHN’S VOICE
Because I know that no matter what I’m doing, no matter where I am, this moon will always be the same size as yours, half a world away.
95 EXT. SAVANNAH’S BEACH HOUSE -- BENCH -- NIGHT
Savannah is doing the exact same thing with her moon.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
Dear John. Most nights I fall asleep worrying about you.
Wondering where you might be out there. But not tonight.
She’s on the bench again, where they first talked.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
Tonight you’re here with me.
96 OMIT
97 EXT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DAY
He opens the front door to reveal Savannah, carrying a pie.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
I visited your Dad yesterday.
Summer’s almost over, and I wanted to see him before I went back to school again. I hope that’s okay.
98 INT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DINING ROOM -- DAY
Mr. Tyree sets two places.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
He made me dinner -- it was Sunday, so we had lasagna -- an
d I got him talking about his coins, so we had plenty of conversation.
99 INT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DEN -- DAY
Mr. Tyree takes Savannah on another tour of his collection.
MR. TYREE
This one’s kind of a cull, so you have to look really close to see the double indentation. But it’s there.
SAVANNAH
A cull?
MR. TYREE
Yeah, it’s what we call the ones in really bad shape. Coins are normally graded on a scale from 0 to 70, but culls are below zero, the bottom of the barrel. They’re basically worthless to collectors.
SAVANNAH
But not to you?
MR. TYREE
No. Not to me.
SAVANNAH
Do you have a favorite? Out of your whole collection, is there one that’s your absolute favorite?
MR. TYREE
(without much hesitation)
The '78 Jefferson mule. Definitely.
He opens his desk door, carefully removes the glass encased nickel (though it looks more like a nickel), shows it off.
SAVANNAH
Why this one? Is it worth the most?
MR. TYREE
It’s worth a lot. Not the most.
SAVANNAH
Must be a good story behind it, huh?
Mr. Tyree shrugs, his face drawn.
MR. TYREE
Not really my story to tell.
SAVANNAH
Well... whose story is it then?
100 EXT. COBBLESTONE STREET -- DAY
John sits on the open back of a Humvee with his team, finishing up Savannah’s letter.
SAVANNAH’S VOICE
So I'll ask you instead, John, wherever you may be...
The last words on the page are: What’s the story? John grimaces. Looks around at his surroundings.
JOHN’S VOICE
Dear Savannah. Only because I promised to tell you everything.
101 EXT. BEACH ROAD -- FLASHBACK -- DAY
YOUNG JOHN hurries over to an ICE CREAM TRUCK, buys a cone. The MAN BEHIND IN THE TRUCK hands John his change.
JOHN’S VOICE
When I was seven years old, I bought an ice cream cone.
102 EXT. FURTHER DOWN BEACH ROAD -- DAY
John walks home, tossing some pennies in the water.
JOHN’S VOICE
On my way home, I noticed one of the pennies -- wasn’t actually a penny.
He’s about to throw one when he stops, takes a second look.
103 INT. MR. TYREE’S HOUSE -- DAY
Mr. Tyree holds the penny up to the light. He is perplexed.
104 INT. FLEA MARKET -- DAY
A COIN DEALER holds the penny under a magnifying glass now.
Through the glass (although John and his father can’t see this) the Dealer’s eye WIDENS. But when he looks up at them, his expression is normal -- bored even.