I Am Sam (2001)

INT. STARBUCKS - 7:30 A.M.

We're watching a pair of hands arrange white sugar packets,
blue Equal packets, and pink Sweet and Low into small
containers.  With precision and lightning speed, the mixed up
colors and crumpled packets are transformed into neat little
color-coded rows.  Wait, this container has three Equals and
four Sweet 'n' lows.  The hand quickly plucks the mutant
Sweet 'n' Low.  There.  Symmetry.

We move up those hands and meet SAM DAWSON as he surveys his
domain.  Something about him.  He's extremely compelling,
uniquely handsome.  But it's more than that.  Those eyes,
they sparkle with the wonder of a child.  Life's cynical edge
has not etched it's path across this face.  They light on a
COFFEE CUP held by one of the Regulars.

		SAM
	Double double decaf low-fat Cap.

		BRUCE
	You got it, buddy.

		SAM
	Good choice very good choice.

Sam moves along, commenting to CUSTOMERS as he places Sweet
'n Lows on tables, the self-appointed host of Starbucks.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	Mocha rumba Frappuccino no whipped, half
	low, half non.  Excellent choice.  Very
	good choice.

He stops in front of sale mugs and turns them so that the
logos all face the same way.  His boss GEORGE approaches.

		GEORGE
	Sam, they called.  It's time for you to
	go.

Sam FREEZES, but doesn't turn around.

		GEORGE (CONT'D)
	Sam, did you hear me?

		SAM
	"It's time for you to go."

		GEORGE
	Yes.

		SAM
	It's time.

		GEORGE
	Good luck.

Without another word, Sam walks straight out the door.

EXT. LOS ANGELES STREET - DAY

Sam, still in his white apron, walks down the busy street. 
He has a fast, loping gait that doesn't slow or hesitate for
anyone. A COUPLE argue on the sidewalk.  Sam WALKS RIGHT
BETWEEN THEM.

		SAM
	It's time.  It's time.

Sam keeps moving, he crosses the street without stopping. 
Traffic SCREECHES to a HALT!  Cars HONK, a taxi driver YELLS.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	It's time, it's time for you to go.

INT. HALLWAY - LATER

Sam plows down the hall and comes to room 324.

		SAM
	Rebecca!

Sam pushes the DOOR OPEN.  And we REALIZE we are entering: A
HOSPITAL LABOR DELIVERY ROOM AT LA COUNTY HOSPITAL.

REBECCA is in the middle of a major contraction.  Her face is
the opposite of Sam's.  Hardened.  She lets out a scream that
stops Sam dead in his tracks.  GERTIE, a no-nonsense Black
Nurse, looks up from the monitor.

		GERTIE
	You the one responsible for this?

Sam nods, taking Gertie quite literally.

		SAM
	I'm sorry.

		GERTIE
	Too late for sorries, daddy, get over
	here and hold her hand.

Sam reaches for Rebecca's hand.  She pulls it away.  ANOTHER
CONTRACTION - Rebecca screams.  Sam SCREAMS.

		NURSE
	You got a live one, Gert.

INT. LABOR ROOM - LATER

		DR. JAMISON
	Okay, this is it!

		SAM
			(spins in circles)
	This is it!  This is it!

		DR. JAMISON
	And it's a girl...

The BABY lets out her first cry.  Sam watches, awestruck. 
Gertie wraps the baby in a blanket and holds her out to
Rebecca.  Rebecca shakes her head - NOT NOW.  Gertie walks
over to Sam.

		GERTIE
	There's someone who's been waitin' an
	awful long time to see you, Sam.

She places the BABY into SAM'S ARMS.  Suddenly Sam's whole
body RELAXES and becomes very still.  He looks to Rebecca,
but she has turned away.  He meets Gertie's eyes.  Then in
quiet amazement:

		SAM
	This is it.

		GERTIE
	What's her name?

		SAM
			(looks at clock)
	Let me see let me see let me see. 
	12:17, March 2nd.  Lucy in the Sky with
	Diamonds.  Recorded March 2nd.  1967. 
	Lyrics by John Lennon, music by Paul
	McCartney.  Lucy Diamond Dawson.

We hear LIKE A LULLABY, "Picture yourself on a boat in a
river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies..."

EXT. HOSPITAL - NEXT MORNING

Sam, holding the baby, and Becca, having just checked out,
walk down the steps of the hospital holding their
complimentary plastic baby bag.  Sam is nervous haling the
precious cargo and Becca is agitated.  They see the bus
pulling up and down the street and Sam moves quickly so they
can hurry and catch it.  As he approaches the bus, he looks
to Becca by his side, but she is not there.  He looks around
and no sign of her. 
Frantically turning in a full circle, he sees the fabric of
her dress disappearing into the crowd down the street.  He
screams.

		SAM
	Becca!  Becca!

The more he screams the faster she moves away.  Till there's
no trace of her.  Sam stands in the middle of the busy block
holding Lucy to his chest, devastated.

We hear, "Look for the girl with the clouds in her eyes, but
she's gone."

							 SMASH CUT TO:

INT. BUS - NIGHT

Sam holds the now sleeping baby to his chest.  Next to him is
the plastic bag from the hospital containing diapers, two
cans of formula and a half empty bottle of milk.  Sam is
surrounded by PASSENGERS, the eerie world of the underground
at night.  Instinctively, Sam holds her even tighter, two
against the world.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - DAWN

A marvel of organization.  A closet reveals clothes on
hangers exactly equidistant from each other; precisely folded
T-shirts, underwear and socks organized by color.  A
carefully systemized record collection fills makeshift
bookshelves.

Beatles posters from every era decorate the walls.  Becca's
things sit in one corner.  An island of chaos in an "Hold
Everything" showroom.  The kitchen counter has been
transformed into a changing table.  Bottles and pacifiers
lined up next to a stack of cloth diapers.  Underneath, a
clothes line of baby clothes.

The sound of a CRYING BABY breaks the silence.  The camera
follows and finds the CRADLE: a DRAWER tucked snugly into a
blanket hanging like a hammock between two chairs.  An
exhausted SAM POPS up from his bed, behind the hammock.  He
swings the hammock, hoping against hope the baby will go back
to sleep.

		SAM
	Didn't you just fall asleep, little
	girl?
			(Lucy cries harder)
	Okay, if you say it's time to get up,
	then it's time to get up, time to get
	up.
			(Sam sniffs the air)
	Oh my, oh my, oh my.  Quite a bit of
	business.

He rushes over to the kitchen counter and unsnaps the baby's
pajamas, revealing a cloth diaper held together with
promotional buttons: one says "Hertz, #1 for Car Rentals",
the other a picture of Magic Johnson and reads "Go, Lakers,
Go!"  Sam undoes it.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.  Let me
	see let me see let me see.

Sam attempts to clean and diaper her.  He finally manages to
pin the buttons so that it at least stays on.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	You look very beautiful this morning,
	very beautiful.

He holds her up, and the diaper falls down around her ankles.

						 CUT TO:

We pan across a row of diapers on a supermarket shelf:

HUGGIES, PAMPERS, EXTRA ABSORBENT PAMPERS, LUVS...

INT. WALMART - DAY

Sam stares at the "Great Wall of Diapers", awed.  He reaches
for the Pampers, balancing Lucy, then the Luvs, no, the
Huggies.  Sam stops moving, Lucy starts CRYING, so he jogs in
place.  Sam decides on one of each.  He heads to the FORMULA
AISLE.  Gerber, Carnation, Carnation Iron Fortified.  He
stops.  Lucy WAILS.  WE HEAR THE SONG "HELP, I NEED SOMEBODY"

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - 9 P.M.

Sam paces, carrying Lucy who screams at the top of her lungs.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - 11:25 P.M.

Sam rocks the CRYING BABY in the hammock.  He's exhausted,
but she's just getting started.  He puts another blanket on
her.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - 1:30 A.M.

Peace.  A punch-drunk Sam lays the sleeping baby into the
cradle as if she were a bomb that might detonate. 
He tiptoes, his FIST raised victoriously - "YES!"  He doesn't
get two steps before Lucy wakes screaming.  Defeated, he
picks her up.  HELP.  The PHONE RINGS.  HE PRESSES speaker.

		RASPY WOMAN (O.S.)
	What the hell are you doing to that
	baby?!

He looks out his window and sees ANNIE CASSELL, his neighbor
on the phone, watching him through her window.  She is a
strange creature with very thick glasses.  We sense a
uniquely profound intelligence behind all that armor.

		SAM
	Everything's so tiny, tiny.  Tiny. 
	Everything.  Won't you please come over? 
	Help.  I need somebody.  Won't you
	please please help me.

		ANNIE
	You know I can't do that.  What does her
	mother say?

		SAM
	Her mother?  Her mother said "This isn't
	my life.  I'm outta here when she comes. 
	It didn't mean anything, Sam.  It was
	just one night.  The two of you.  That's
	all I need..." Annie, what if she's
	sick?

EXT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

ANNIE has her door open a crack.  Annie feels the baby's
forehead.  Lucy stares up at her, quiet now, fascinated.

		ANNIE
	She's overheated and not eating enough. 
	How often are you feeding her?

		SAM
	A lot, Gerber, Carnation, Gerber.

		ANNIE
	What's a lot?

		SAM
	Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Three
	squares hot.

		ANNIE
	Babies need food every two hours, Sam.

		SAM
	Oh.  I'm sorry Lucy Diamond.

		ANNIE
	What time does the little diamond wake
	up?

		SAM
	She never really goes to sleep.

		ANNIE
	Okaaaay.  Well, let's assume she's up at
	six.  Keep your TV on Nickelodeon.  I
	want you to feed her first while
	"Bewitched" is on.  Then again, when
	"Hogan's Heroes" starts.  After that,
	well until "Father Knows Best..."

								CUT:

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - EVENING

We are watching "Hogan's Heroes".  We hear SHULTZ'S INFAMOUS
RESPONSE: "I know nothing, absolutely nothing!"  Sam feeds a
content Lucy.

								DISSOLVE TO:

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - LATER

"Father Knows Best" on TV.  Lucy blissfully falls asleep in
Sam's arms.  Euphoric, he tiptoes to the cradle and places
her ever so gently, when suddenly, the FRONT DOOR FLIES OPEN.

Sam's BEST FRIENDS DESCEND inside: IFTY, a Pakistani
gentlemen with a gentle face and a wide smile, carrying a
large stuffed giraffe with a bow on it.  BRAD, who sees
himself as a real ladies man, in tight jeans and a Farrah
Fawcett T-shirt; and ROBERT, highly paranoid, thinks the
world's out to get him.  Lucy WAILS.  Sam RUNS to the CRIB.

		SAM
	What are you doing here now?!  Her first
	sound sleep, not a sound, not a sound.

		BRAD
	Eight years every Thursday Video Night
	and you forgot?!

		SAM
	Oh my god, Video Night.  First Thursday
	of the month.  Video night at Sam's
	house.  I'm sorry, I forgot.

		IFTY
	Becca's gone.  "Gone with the Wind" is a
	very sad movie.

		ROBERT
	Oh here we go...Everything changes now. 
	Soon you'll forget about Wednesday night
	Denny's and Friday night Karaoke.  And I
	got hit by a car today.

		SAM
	You did?

		ROBERT
	It's probably that guy from the V.A.

		BRAD
	What guy?

		ROBERT
			(closing window)
	I can't discuss it.  And now this.

Ifty makes ORIGAMI BIRDS out of newspapers.  Lucy's rapt.

		SAM
	She looks smart, doesn't she?

		IFTY
	Of course, look.  She's already reading
	the newspaper.  I have five smart
	sisters in Pakistan.  I am only brother. 
	"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" was a
	wonderful movie I forgot to bring last
	week for Video Night...

		BRAD
	Did you get "Blade Runner" for tonight?

		ROBERT
	Now it's all my fault?!

		BRUCE
	Don't tell me you forgot again.  I broke
	a date with a daydream to come here.

There's a knock at the door.  Ifty goes to get it.  Brad
moans when he sees his 65 YEAR OLD MOTHER, ESTELLE, standing
in the doorway.

		BRAD
	Mom!  I told you Video Night's over at
	nine!  It's only six-thirty!

		ESTELLE
			(unaware of the baby)
	Sorry.  I'll wait in the lobby.

She exits.  Lucy begins to CRY.  Brad takes her - like a hot
potato, Robert takes her - now Ifty runs around in circles.

		IFTY
	She needs motion.  My father drove my
	sisters in his taxi to get them to go to
	sleep.  Two-fifty surcharge on all
	taxi's from the airport...

		ROBERT
	I got hit by a taxi on Tuesday.

And it all starts again and we --

						 CUT TO:

EXT. BUS - NIGHT

An empty bus makes its way through the city at night.

INT. BUS - NIGHT

		BUS DRIVER
	Main and Temple...again.  She out yet?

The camera moves along and stops on the long seat at the
back.  Sam lies with Lucy spooned into the crook of his arm,
almost asleep.

		SAM
	Almost there, almost there.  One more
	round and she'll be down for the night.

We hear the song "Golden Slumbers".  In a SERIES OF
DISSOLVES, we see Lucy and Sam in DIFFERENT SLEEPING
POSITIONS on the bus seat.  Gradually, she GROWS in HIS
PROTECTIVE EMBRACE --  

ONE MONTH,  THEN TWO.  NOW FIVE.  She's BIG AND ROUND at SIX
MONTHS.  And on and on into the night...

INT. WALMART'S PHOTO BOOTH - DAY

We see Sam and Lucy CRAMMED into the booth, wearing birthday
hats, taking HER FIRST BIRTHDAY picture.  We see the PHOTO
STRIP as it comes out of the slot.  Sam's shoulder with
Lucy's ear - Lucy's nose with Sam's elbow, their faces never
made it into the picture.

INT. STARBUCKS - 8:30 A.M.

The place is packed.  Sam moves from table to table,
cleaning.

		SAM
	Double macciatto, low foam, low-fat. 
	Good choice, very good choice.

Sam turns and WE SEE LUCY attached to him in a handmade
snugly, crocheted by Annie.  She faces outward, all hands,
all 16 MONTHS of her; too big for the snugly.  She grabs a
croissant from a customer.  George looks confused.  Then
makes a SWIPE for a customer's coffee, knocking it to the
ground.  It SPLATTERS all over an anorexic, on-her-fourth
double-latte WOMAN in a designer exercise outfit.  She begins
shrieking.  George looks at Sam, this can't go on.

INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY - MORNING

Sam, Lucy by his side, has his foot in Annie's door.

		SAM
	Please, Annie!  She's too big to take to
	work.

		ANNIE
	I'm not a baby-sitter.  I'm too busy.

		LUCY
	Annie, Annie, Annie...

		ANNIE
			(suspicious)
	Did you teach her that?

		SAM
	It was her first word.  Very first word.

Annie opens the door, takes Lucy's hand, and pulls her in.

		ANNIE
	And people worry you're not smart.

INT. ANNIE'S APARTMENT - ONE WEEK LATER

The apartment looks like a fallout shelter.  The kitchen
contains enough canned goods to last a year.  Brightly
colored crocheted doilies - Annie's hobby - adorn every
available surface.  The BRIGHTLY COLORED WEB of an
AGORAPHOBE.

Lucy sits in Annie's lap, getting her first piano lesson.  WE
SEE LUCY'S TINY FINGERS on the keys.  In a SERIES OF
DISSOLVES, it is joined by Annie's hand tapping out one note,
now two notes, and as the weeks pass, a chord.  Until finally
the notes merge to become the most unlikely duet of "Twinkle,
Twinkle, Little Star".

		ANNIE
	This is Mozart.  He did twenty-two
	variations of "Twinkle Twinkle Little
	Star".  You smell good.  You can tell a
	lot about a person by their smell.  If
	they've got too much perfume on they're
	covering something up.  You gotta watch
	someone who smells like soap.  Gotta
	wonder what their priorities are. 
	Nervous people.  People who try too
	hard.  They smell like fish.  But you. 
	You smell like milk.  Milk and hope.

Lucy leaves the piano and toddles over to Annie's loom and
plays with a ball yarn.

		VOICE (O.S.)
	Groceries, Annie.

		ANNIE
	Thanks.

Annie opens the door to pull in the groceries.  The ball of
yarn ROLLS OUT the door and Lucy chases after it.  Annie,
terrified, bellows:

		ANNIE (CONT'D)
	Lucy!  Come back here!  Come back!

It becomes obvious Annie can't walk outside.  Trembling:

		ANNIE (CONT'D)
	"Lucy in the sky with diamonds..."

Hearing the familiar tune, Lucy stops and toddles back. 
Annie sweeps her up, relieved and we --

INT. KARAOKE BAR - NIGHT

Sam on stage, with Ifty and Brad as his back-up singers,
continuing the song in the oddest, most heartfelt version to
Lucy who sits on Robert's lap and in heaven.

EXT. PARK - DAY

A beautiful blue sky.  And "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"
continues as Lucy's THREE YEAR OLD laughing face SWINGS INTO
FRAME on a swing then DISAPPEARS out THE OTHER END OF FRAME. 
Now Lucy SWINGS BACK DOWN and out of the other end again...

Sam's FACE, glowing with delight, APPEARS AGAINST THE SKY and
then disappears.  Sam and Lucy are on swings surrounded by
MOTHERS and KIDS at the park.

		LUCY (V.O.)
	Daddy, where does the sky end?

		SAM (V.O.)
	Let me see, let me see.  I've never been
	there but they say it's somewhere near
	China.

EXT. PARK - ONE YEAR LATER

Lucy FLIES INTO FRAME, now FOUR, sitting on Sam's lap,
swinging.

		LUCY (V.O.)
	Are lady bugs only girls or are there
	boys, too.  And if there are, what are
	they called?

		SAM (V.O.)
	The Beatles.

EXT. PARK - ONE YEAR LATER

Then Lucy FLIES INTO FRAME, now FIVE, followed by Sam.

		LUCY (V.O.)
	Do I look more like you or Mommy?

ON SAM'S FACE

He knew this moment would come.

INT. DENNY'S - THURSDAY NIGHT DINNER - EVENING

Lucy and Sam are having a serious talk over breaded Sole.

		LUCY
	If you and Mommy liked each other enough
	to have me, how come you're not together
	anymore?

		SAM
	I think she fell out of love with me. 
	Not you, never you.  Me, just me.

		LUCY
	When you fall out of love where do you
	land?

		SAM
	Somewhere in Florida, I think.

		LUCY
	Do you think she'll ever come back?

		SAM
			(long pause)
	Paul McCartney lost his mother when he
	was fourteen.  John lost his mother
	twice.  First when Julie gave John to
	her sister Mimi to raise.  And then
	again when Julia was hit by a car.  They
	say God picks certain people, special
	people.  That's what they say.

Lucy takes this in.  Sam begins to shift his tomatoes just
so... his potatoes just slightly to the left.  Lucy watches.

		LUCY
	Daddy, did God mean for you to be like
	this or was it an accident?

		SAM
	Do you mean - what do you mean?

		LUCY
	I mean you're different.

		SAM
	What do you mean?  I mean, what do you
	mean?

		LUCY
	You're not like the other daddies.

		SAM
	I'm not am I.  I'm sorry.

		LUCY
	Don't be sorry.  I'm lucky.  Nobody
	else's daddy ever comes to the park.

ON SAM'S FACE

Filled with relief.  Bursting with love.

		SAM
	We are very lucky, aren't we?

Grace approaches with two plates of pie, ice cream on the
side.

		GRACE
	Ice cream on the side.

		LUCY
	Not on top.  Not on top.

		SAM
	Good choice.  Very good choice.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - THURSDAY NIGHT VIDEO NIGHT

		SAM
	Brad, I know it was your turn.  I'm sure
	of it.

		BRAD
	I swear to God it was Robert's turn.

		ROBERT
	Why is it always my fault?

		IFTY
	I keep track, last time, I say to
	myself, I say, write it down... Bank of
	America give away beautiful calendar,
	every month a picture of wild animal,
	look June, an Elk.  Elke Sommer...she
	starred in the remake of "Prisoner of
	Zenda"... Three stars Leonard Maltin
	video movie guide.

As they go on, Lucy matter-of-factly PULLS A VIDEO OUT OF HER
BACKPACK, and puts it in the VCR.  She turns it on.  It's
"Kramer vs. Kramer".  Everyone stops their arguing and stares
at Lucy.

		LUCY
	Annie let me borrow it.

INT. CHILDREN'S SHOE STORE - DAY

A row of brand new children's shoes on display.  Lucy tries
on dozens of school shoes, surrounded by Sam and her
"Godfathers": Ifty, Brad and Robert.

		SAM
	You need a good sturdy school shoe. 
	Arches are very important.

		IFTY
	Sturdy is boring.  Red shoes bring good
	luck.

		BRAD
	But red doesn't got with green.

		IFTY
	Except on Christmas.

		BRAD
	No brown clodhoppers.  Everyone will
	make fun of her.

		SAM
	NO ONE will make fun of Lucy.

		ROBERT
	She might be stupid.

		IFTY
	No she's not --

		ROBERT
	Did they test her?

		BRAD
	You don't know for sure.

		SAM
	Yes I do.

		BRUCE
	But if she is, don't make her go to
	school.

		ROBERT
	Don't let her in the lunch room.  Johnny
	Marzettie's there.

		BRAD
	And gym.  Get her a pass.  The rules for
	volleyball are so hard to remember. 
	"Rotate Rackman Rotate."

		IFTY
	Throw the ball at his forehead and the
	water on his brain will come out his
	nose.

Meanwhile, Lucy has been trying on a simple brown shoe.

		LUCY
	I like these.

		SAM
	She know what she likes.  She likes
	these.  How much are they?

		SALESMAN
	Forty-nine ninety-nine.

		SAM
	One penny less than fifty.  These shoes
	are one penny less than fifty?

		LUCY
	It's okay, Dad.  I don't really like
	them.

		SAM
	No, no no no no.

		IFTY
	We'll all give ten dollars.

		BRAD
	I've only got three plus five.  But I
	need one for stamps.

		ROBERT
	Don't pull your wad out in front of
	people.

They all dig in their pockets and begin counting very slowly.

		SAM
	Thank you, thank you.  We are rich in
	friends.  That's what our fortune cookie
	said.  1, 2, 3, 4, quarters that makes
	one.

		SALESMAN
	I'll count it.

		SAM
	Is it enough?

		SALESMAN
			(exasperated)
	If there's a God.

		BRAD
	Do we get a balloon with these?

		SALESMAN
	Yes.

		ROBERT
	All of us, or just her?

							 SMASH CUT TO:
EXT. STREET NEAR SHOE STORE - DAY

Those new little brown shoes walking in between four pairs of
man's shoes.  We move up from those shoes to see FIVE PAIR OF
HANDS tightly clasping their balloons as they march
victoriously down the street.  We MOVE IN on Lucy's little
brown shoes skipping with joy and --

								DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. SCHOOL FIELD - DAY

Those same little shoes in the midst of a mass of black
soccer cleats.  We move up and see Lucy in the middle of a
fierce kids soccer game.

Score's tied.  The ball comes to Lucy.  She kicks and misses. 
From the sidelines we hear:

		SAM
	Beautiful kick!  Very close!

Lucy looks up at her dad proudly.  The ball comes again. 
Nobody could miss this one.  But Lucy does.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	Thatta girl!  Thatta girl!  They're
	getting scared now!

The game continues.  The GOALIE'S FATHER, DUNCAN RHODES,
handsome, commanding and dressed in a suit, calls to his son:

		MR. RHODES
	C'mon, Conner!  On your toes!  They're
	all counting on you!

Conner tenses up, alert under the pressure.  Meanwhile, down
at the other end, the ball heads toward Lucy.  She kicks it! 
Hard.  Right into her team's own goal.  The crowd GROANS.

		SAM
	Hurray, Lucy!  You're getting the hang
	of it now!  You've got them scared now!

Lucy's bursting with confidence, plows toward the ball and
NAILS IT!  The ball goes flying.  The parents in the stand
are completely baffled!  Sam is completely ecstatic!

		SAM (CONT'D)
	L-u-c-y!  That's our battlecry!

The ball heads into the goal, just passing the goalie,
Conner.  Sam runs to embrace Lucy when he hears Duncan
reaming his son --

		MR. RHODES
	The whole game was right in front of
	your nose!  I leave work early to watch
	you blow the whole game!?

Conner slouches against the fence as his father walks away. 
Seeing this, Sam whispers to Lucy.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - AFTERNOON

A child's hand double jumps across a checker board.

		CONNER (O.S.)
	Ha!

Lucy and Conner are playing checkers while Sam cooks dinner. 
Two carrots cut into ten pieces. Bow Tie Pasta - 35 pieces
each.

		CONNER (CONT'D)
	What's wrong with your father?  Why's he
	acting like a retard?

		LUCY
	He is.

Their hands graze against each other on the check board - he
pulls his hand away.

		CONNER
	Are you?

		LUCY
	No.

		CONNER
	Are you sure?

		LUCY
	Yeah.

		CONNER
	How do you know?

		LUCY
	He told me.

		CONNER
	But he's a retard.

		LUCY
	Yeah well it takes one to know one!

He crowns her - her eyes shift to Sam in the kitchen, for the
first time a bit uneasily.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Sam's reading Lucy her homework book.

		SAM
	"They perched in sisisi..."

		LUCY
	"Silence."

		SAM
	"...silence for a long time."  Boy. 
	Your teacher chose a hard book this
	time.  "How can we be so difdifdif..."

		LUCY
	"Different."

Sam glances up at Lucy self-consciously.  Lucy grabs the book
from Sam, tosses it on the pile and picks up another.

		LUCY (CONT'D)
	I don't like that book - let's read
	"Green Eggs and Ham".

Relieved, Sam plunges into the book, which is more memorized
than read.

		SAM
	"I am Sam, Sam I am.  Do you like green
	eggs and ham?  I do not like them, Sam I
	am!"

They both laugh, delighted.  Lucy looks sleepy.

						 MATCH DISSOLVE:

Lucy is getting drowsy.  Sam is just getting started.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	"And I will eat them here and there. 
	Say I will eat them ANYWHERE.  I do so
	like green eggs and ham, thank you thank
	you, Sam I am!"  One more time!

		LUCY
	Daddy, I have school tomorrow...I don't
	wanna be too sleepy.

		SAM
	Just the part about the boat and the
	goat in the rain in the train?

		LUCY
	Daddy, Hamburger Hamlet has twelve
	different kinds of hamburgers.  Can we
	go there Wednesday instead of Denny's?

		SAM
	But Wednesday night's Denny's,
	Thursday's Video Night, Friday Night
	Karaoke.

Lucy nods, a little deflated.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	How about one more time, just the
	beginning?  "I am Sam, Sam I am..."

Lucy sighs and closes her eyes against her father's chest.

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY

Lucy draws a picture while everyone reads aloud from
"STELLALUNA".

		MISS WRIGHT
	Lucy, your turn.  Start where Sara left
	off...Lucy?

		LUCY
	I can't.

		MISS WRIGHT
	Sure you can.

		LUCY
	"They perched in sisisisi..."

		MISS WRIGHT
	Silence.

		LUCY
			(throws down book)
	There.  I told you.  It's too hard.

		MISS WRIGHT
	Lucy!  I know you can read this!

		LUCY
	No, I can't!  And you can't make me!

Lucy runs out of the class.

EXT. BUS STOP - DUSK

Sam, in sunglasses, waits for the BUS.  A YOUNG WOMAN, LILY,
sits down next to him.  The WIND CATCHES her floral dress
that's just left of innocent; just right of alluring.  She
reads a TABLOID.

		LILY
	Look here.  "Premature baby claims he's
	cupid - has the arrow to prove it."  Do
	you believe that?

		SAM
	Well, if he has the arrow.

		LILY
	Yeah.  You got a good point.

She crosses her legs.  A tuft of pink dress falls on Sam's
knee.

		SAM
	You're a good reader.

		LILY
	Yeah, I've always been smart.

		SAM
	You're lucky.  I'm looking for a smart,
	good mother.

		LILY
	I can be a mother.  A real good mother.

		SAM
	Oh, good.  Good.

		LILY
	I could even spank you.

		SAM
	Oh no no no.  I don't believe in that.

		LILY
	Okay okay.  I can be very gentle.

		SAM
	Gentle.  Gentle.  Yes.  Do you tell
	stories?

		LILY
	I got stories up the wazoo.  Why don't
	you come with me.  I'll tell you a nice
	story.

		SAM
	I have to pick up Lucy at Annie's first.

		LILY
	A menage a toi?

		SAM
	French, French the language of France. 
	You could teach my daughter, Lucy.

		LILY
	Your daughter?!  Can't you pick her up
	after?!

		SAM
	After?!  No no, Lucy comes too.

		LILY
	Whatever.

She takes Sam's hand, they move to get on the bus JUST AS
ANOTHER HAND brusquely lands on theirs.

		COP
	Not so fast.  You're under arrest. 
	Solicitation.

		LILY
	He wanted to bring his kid, I said no.

A lightbulb flashes and we --

							 SMASH CUT TO:

INT. POLICE HEADQUARTERS - THAT NIGHT

Sam blinks as his MUGSHOT is being taken.  Now the profile. 
He turns so they can get the back of his head.  Now the
FINGERPRINT.

Now Sam, in the corner of the room, on the phone making
thumbprints on the wall.  While the COP discusses his case
with a social worker, MARGARET BROWN.  Over the years she's
seen it all, and to get through it has had to pretend it's
just a job.

		COP
	It's the first time in nineteen years I
	actually believe the guy when he says he
	didn't know she was a hooker --

		MARGARET BROWN
	You say that like it's a good thing.

		SAM
	...Your teeth don't sound like they were
	brushed.  Do it with me now.

		COP
	Let him go.  He says he's never spent a
	night away from his kid... Come with me -
	I got a guy who beat the shit out of his
	two year old.  Again.

Her cell phone beeps.

		MARGARET BROWN
	Yes.  I am seeing you tomorrow, Mr.
	Rabins.  She's still screaming?  No,
	McDonald's won't help...she's four
	months old.

		SAM
	Thirteen up...not on the gum line not on
	the gum line, 1, 2, 3.

Margaret watches Sam as he talks to Lucy on the phone.

INT. PRINCIPALS OFFICE - DAY

The WALLS are lined with CHILDREN'S ART.  Various
interpretations of the family.  We stop at one of a very
small man and a very big little girl with her arm around him.

		MISS WRIGHT
	It gives us a great deal of insight into
	what she must be feeling.  And in the
	classroom, it's becoming clear she's
	holding herself back.  It's as if she's
	literally afraid to learn.

We PULL BACK and see Sam staring at the picture.  Mrs. Wright
and the principal watch him.

		MISS WRIGHT (CONT'D)
	No one doubts that you love your
	daughter, Mr. Dawson.  But the
	Department of Social Services contacted
	us.  They shared with us that your
	records show that your intellectual
	capacity is around that of a seven year
	old.  Our concern is what happens when
	Lucy turns eight?

		PRINCIPAL
	Mr. Dawson, do you understand what Miss
	Wright is trying to tell you about Lucy?

		SAM
	No one wanted The Beatles to break up. 
	But you can hear it on the White Album. 
	They were going in different directions.

INT. LUCY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

It's bedtime.  Sam and Lucy are reading from "STELLALUNA".

		LUCY
	How can we be so dif..dif...I don't know
	that word.

		SAM
	Yes you do.  It starts with a "d" --

		LUCY
	I'm tired.

		SAM
	I don't believe you.

		LUCY
	Are you calling me a liar?

		SAM
	Yes.  Now read the word.

		LUCY
			(crying)
	No...I'm stupid.

		SAM
	No you're not.

		LUCY
	I don't want to read it if you can't.

		SAM
	It makes me happy.  I'm happy hearing
	you read it.

He holds the book open for Lucy.  Now Lucy, pushing through a
mountain of resistance, reads.  And reads beautifully.

		LUCY
	"Why are we different and so much
	alike?"

INT. SCHOOL HALLOWEEN PARADE - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Two children, dressed as Batman, march followed by
CINDERELLA.  We see Lucy dressed in NEWSPAPER - an ORIGAMI
BIRD.  And behind her, marching more proudly than any child,
is Sam, dressed as PAUL McCARTNEY, in the black suit era -
with Beatle boots and guitar strapped to his chest.  Sam is
the only adult participating in the parade.

Music BLASTS over the loudspeaker.  Sam begins to dance with
joyous abandon.  Lucy joins him.  They dance together
happily.

Suddenly Lucy becomes aware that her classmates are beginning
to laugh.  She slows and watches through their eyes Sam pony
around the room.  Conner pulls up his pants high on his waist
and begins to imitate Sam.  Another kid joins him.

		KID
	I'm a Super Freak!

		CONNER
	And I thought my dad was a dork.

Lucy's face hardens for the first time.  In a corrupt world
the pure can only stay pure for so long.

INT. HAMBURGER HAMLET - EVENING

Sam and Lucy sit in a booth.  Lucy's ecstatic.  Sam's trying.

		LUCY
	They have eleven different kinds of
	hamburgers.  This is so great.

		SAM
	A new place.  Your choice.  I said we'd
	go to a new place.  And here we are.

Sam anxiously rearranges the condiments on the table.  Lucy
tries to fold a napkin into an Origami bird.

		LUCY
	You know what else I want for my
	birthday, Daddy?  I want a hundred
	birds.

		SAM
	The napkins are much stiffer at Denny's. 
	They make better birds.  There's not so
	much stuff on the tables there either. 
	Why do they have two kinds of mustard on
	every table?

		WAITRESS
	Coffee?

		SAM
	No, no coffee.  Sam's system can't
	handle coffee.

		WAITRESS
	Okaaay!  What can I get you folks?

		LUCY
	I'd like the Benito Bandito burger and a
	chocolate chip milkshake, please.

		SAM
	I'll have the fish special, side of
	potatoes, salad with Thousand Island
	Dressing, cherry pie, and...

		WAITRESS
	I'm sorry, sir.  We don't have a fish
	special.  There's fish and chips.  It
	comes with a dinner salad.

		SAM
	Chips, chips?  You mean potato chips?  I
	don't want potato chips.  I want a side
	of potatoes.

		WAITRESS
	You want french fries?

		SAM
	No, a side of potatoes, like at Denny's. 
	A side of potatoes.

		LUCY
	They're little red potatoes.

		WAITRESS
	We don't have new potatoes...

		SAM
	Denny's has new potatoes.  Six new
	potatoes parsley garnish parsley
	garnish...

ON LUCY

Her smile fades.

							 SMASH CUT TO:

INT. DENNY'S - HALF-HOUR LATER

Sam happily eats his fish special with six new potatoes. 
Lucy's untouched dinner sits in the middle of the table.  She
doodles on the placement - drawing a man sitting with a pile
of new potatoes in front of him; larger than he is.

		SAM
	Fish and chips fish and chips.  I will
	not eat fish and chips.

		LUCY
			(exploding)
	I will not eat them here or there!  I
	will not eat them anywhere!  I will not
	eat green eggs and ham!  I will not eat
	them, Sam I am!

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - DAY

Balloons and a banner reading "Happy Birthday, Lucy!"  For
Lucy's birthday, Sam has rented a moon bounce - which sits in
the center of the apartment and filling the entire place -
leaving no room for the few kids and their parents.  Brad
stands too close to a young attractive mother.  Robert shakes
all the presents suspiciously.

		SAM
	Now when they come through the door,
	everybody yell "Surprise!"  Do you want
	to rehearse again?

		CONNER
	No.  I bet she already knows.

		ROBERT
	I didn't tell her.  Did Brad say I did?

There's a KNOCK at the door.

		SAM
	Is that Lucy?  Annie's supposed to call
	and warn us.  Shhhh, everyone.

Brad hits the lights.  Sam OPENS THE DOOR and everyone yells
"SURPRISE!"  But instead of Lucy, it's the Social Worker.

		MARGARET BROWN
	I don't know if you remember me.  I'm
	Margaret Brown from Children's Social
	Services.  We met at the police station.

		SAM
	Put your present over there - Hurry up! 
	Lucy might be on her way.
			(the phone rings)
	Hello?  Annie says she's coming up the
	stairs.  Everyone be quiet.  Assume
	surprise positions!
			(Conner keeps talking)
	Be quiet!  Assume surprise positions!

		CONNER
	Oh brother!

		SAM
	Why are you such a party pooper?! 
	Assume surprise positions!

		CONNER
	Make me!

Sam puts a hand over Conner's mouth; Conner struggles against
him.

		MR. RHODES
	Hey!

		SAM
	He's gonna ruin the surprise!  He's
	gonna ruin the surprise!

		CONNER
	He touched me!  I've got cooties!  I've
	got cooties!

		MR. RHODES
	Get your hands off my boy!

Conner's father hurls Sam across the room - Sam gets tangled
in the MOON BOUNCE!  To get attention, Conner bursts into
tears.  We hear FOOTSTEPS outside the door - Brad hits the
lights.  We hear a CRASH!  And in the light, the DOOR SHEDS
as it opens, Lucy and Ifty see - that MOONBOUNCE, swaying. 
Then from within the Moonbounce:

		SAM
	Surprise!  Happy Birthday!

Lucy stands frozen, holding a red balloon.

		LUCY
	Daddy?!

		CONNER
	You don't have to call him "Daddy".
			(in Sam's face)
	She says you're not her real father,
	anyway.  She's adopted!

Humiliated, Lucy RUNS AWAY!  The Social Worker watches,
profoundly concerned, and reaches for her cellular phone.

EXT. WALMART - DAY

A police car pulls into the parking lot.  Sam and Margaret in
the back.  Sam and Margaret see Lucy's little feet dangling
from beneath the curtain of the photo booth.

		SAM
	I'll go get her.

		MARGARET BROWN
	It would be better if you stay here. 
	I'm sorry to say this, Mr. Dawson, it's
	clear how much you love your daughter,
	but we're going to have to remove Lucy
	from your home.

Sam's baffled.  One cop places his hand on Sam's shoulder,
restraining him.  The OTHER heads toward the photo booth.

		SAM
	No, no no no.  It's her birthday!  It's
	her birthday!

		MARGARET BROWN
	I know how hard this must be...
			(cell phone rings)
	...Hello, Betsy.  I'm scheduled to come
	to your apartment at four.  No, not five
	every two hours.  It's two every five
	hours.  She only weighs thirty pounds
	for chrissakes...
			(back to Sam)
	The city has given me the difficult task
	of deciding when to intervene on behalf
	of the child.  Unfortunately, I've
	learned the hard way that it's better
	too soon than too late.  For now the
	court will decide what's in Lucy's best
	interest.

Sam watches the cop's legs meet Lucy's under the curtain. 
Suddenly, Sam screams from the deepest core of his being.

		SAM
	Run, Lucy, run!

We see LUCY'S FEET KICK the COP'S LEGS and wrestle out of his
grasp.  She flies out the booth, holding that balloon.  She
runs down the street, the balloon soaring into the sky - a
cop follows.  Sam struggles.

ON SAM

Reeling, devastated, we HEAR A JUDGE speaking:

		JUDGE (O.S.)
	Given the fact that the father was
	arrested for solicitation, did not
	cooperate with the police...

INT. COURTROOM - DAY

Sam sits ALONE.  At another table, Margaret Brown and a
lawyer, along with several people from the CPS.

		JUDGE
	...could not control his emotions,
	endangering other children.  Miss Brown
	also cites Mr. Dawson's mental
	deficiencies which raise serious
	questions about his ability to properly
	parent.  I agree to grant petition. 
	The child shall be removed from the home
	until a forma jurisdictional hearing. 
	Mr. Dawson, is there anything you'd like
	to add?

		SAM
	Yes.  I just wanted it to be a nice
	surprise party.  I had gotten the plates
	at Pic-N-Save.  Pink and yellow, pink
	and yellow.  Like a princess.  And the
	balloons at --

		JUDGE
			(gently)
	Mr. Dawson, it sounds like a lovely
	party, but right now I want to talk to
	you about your legal rights.  I would
	strongly suggest you get yourself legal
	counsel and allow your attorney to
	present your case at the jurisdictional
	hearing on February 13th.  Counsel, are
	you available?

		COUNSEL
	Ted, I have a trial that day.

		JUDGE
	February 20th.  8:00 a.m.

		SAM
			(panicking)
	Twenty-two days?  Lucy will come home
	and you want me to bring Lucy back in
	twenty-two days?

		JUDGE
	No, Mr. Dawson.  You'll have supervised
	visits twice a week for two hours.  Now
	I'm sorry, we have thirty more cases to
	see today.  Next!  Hopkins vs. Clifford.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - DAY

Sam's on the phone, a teddy bear in his hand.  Robert, Ifty,
and Brad all sit with Yellow Pages open in front of them.

		SAM
	Thursday?  Today is Monday, Mrs.  Brown. 
	That's three days away.  That's too
	long.  She can't sleep without Mr.
	Jeeters.  Well if you're not available
	until Thursday, maybe I could see her
	without you there...
	maybe the Judge made a mistake - maybe
	he doesn't know that for seven years I
	played with her without you there...No
	Mrs. Brown, I'm not trying to violate
	the court...
			(the other line hangs up)
	Mrs. Brown?

		ROBERT
	I bet they were recording the whole
	conversation.  Check your phone.  You
	can't make a move.  You need a lawyer.

		BRAD
	Call Jerry Spence.  He has his own show. 
	He must know what he's doing.

		ROBERT
	No.  Johnny Cochran.  He has his own
	show, too.

		BRAD
	Yeah!  He can even get a guilty person
	off.

		SAM
	So you think I'm guilty?

		IFTY
	No.  You didn't kill anybody.

		SAM
	But she said I'm not her father.  

		IFTY
	She didn't say that.  That runty kid
	with the blue shirt and the mean father
	whose voice sounds like the man on the
	Channel Four News who has a toupee. 
	Toupees are expensive.

		SAM
	But Ifty.  She said it.

		IFTY
	But she didn't mean it.  I said I hated
	my mother once.  "Once upon a time..."
	is how stories begin.

		ROBERT
	You should get a personal injury lawyer. 
	You've been personally injured.

		BRAD
	Here - look at this - "Sebastion
	Gibson."  He can do anything. 
	Pedestrians.  Back and neck.  Uninsured
	Motorist.  Dog attacks.

		SAM
	The Social Worker said it's a custody
	case.

		ROBERT
	Then get a divorce lawyer.

		IFTY
	When Dustin Hoffman was trying to keep
	Billy from going back to Meryl Streep,
	his lawyer said it was going to cost him
	fifteen thousand dollars - and that's if
	we win!

		SAM
	Fifteen thousand dollars!

		BRAD
	Don't worry about money now.  Get the
	best.  Century City - Here: "Rubel Bly
	Harrison and Williams".

INT. RITA HARRISON'S CENTURY CITY OFFICE - DAY

A Century City lawyer spins in front of our eyes.  It's SAM'S
POV as he sits in a chair that spins - in the center of RITA
HARRISON'S lavish, penthouse office.  Now we see the
panoramic of Los Angeles.  Now the dots in the Lichtenstein
on the wall WHIRL PAST US.  Now the DOOR SWINGS OPEN AND --

RITA HARRISON and her assistant burst in.  Rita moves in
opposite circles around the room.  Looking for something.  In
fact, as we watch Rita, we realize that she never stops
moving.  Period.  Ten steps ahead of anyone, too much energy,
too much caffeine, not enough food.  If she slowed down a
beat she might get vulnerable.  Can't have that.  Can't be
wrong.  Can't really look you in the eye.  Can't help it if
she's smarter than anyone else in the room.  Any room.  Any
time.

		RITA
	Did Fred Kimble call?  I'm already
	twenty minutes late.

		PATRICIA
	He --

		RITA
	What'd Michelle Kresge say?

		PATRICIA
	She --

		RITA
	She wasn't defensive, was she?

		PATRICIA
	Well --

		RITA
	That's ridiculous.  What happened with
	my car?

		PATRICIA
	They --

		RITA
	Because it wasn't my fault.

		PATRICIA
	I --

		RITA
	Thank you, Patricia.

		PATRICIA
	This is Mr. Dawson.  There was some
	confusion with the temp last week and --

		RITA
	Mr. Dawson, it's a pleasure.  Since
	somebody made a mistake, unfortunately
	we only have a little time.  Hold all my
	calls unless it's my kid - I'll have a
	double cap.

		SAM
	Good choice, very good choice.

		RITA
	Can we get you anything to drink?

		SAM
	Is it free?

ON RITA

Hmmmm?

TEN MINUTES LATER --

Sam is in the middle of the beginning of his story.  Rita on
her second cappuccino, eyes her computer screen for calls.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	...Lucy had an ice-cream cake with pink
	flowers - pink, not white not
	white...Lucy's favorite is cherry
	vanilla which is pink, too.  Cherries
	and vanilla.

		RITA
	Uh huh uh huh -- uh huh uh
			(into Amtel)
	If that's Jake Hiller, put him through.
			(picking up phone)
	Jake.  No no no no no no.

		PATRICIA
			(from speaker)
	Your son's on line two.

		RITA
	Jake, did you get that?!  
			(to Patricia)
	Tell him to hold for just one second. 
	Jake I have to go...he what?

		PATRICIA
			(through speaker)
	Deborah Chapman on line three --

		RITA
	Hold on Jake.
			(she punches another line)
	No no no no no no no.  Have a nice
	weekend.
			(punches another button)
	Jake?!

We HEAR MUSIC coming from the other end of the phone --

		SAM
	Burt Bacharach shared billing with The
	Beatles and Jose Jiminez on the Ed
	Sullivan Show June 5th, 1968.

		RITA
	Really?
			(then)
	Jake, what'd you say you tell him yes I
	am.
			(yelling; re: coffee)
	This tastes like low, are you sure it's
	non?  Okay okay okay.  I think there's
	been a little mistake here --

		SAM
	Yes.  A little one.  Your son's on line
	two.

		RITA
	Oh my God.
			(pushes another line)
	Danny?
			(Danny's hung up)
	Patricia?  Get Danny back.  Well keep
	trying.

She unconsciously digs through the bowl of jelly beans on her
desk sorting out all the yellow ones.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Mr. Dawson, what I'm trying to say is
	I'm a divorce lawyer and as much as I'd
	like to, I don't handle cases like yours
	--

		SAM
	Since you would like to, why don't you
	talk to your boss.  Maybe he would let
	you.

She pours the bowl of jelly beans onto her desk, now
frantically sorting through them.

		RITA
			(into phone)
	Then keep dialing --
			(to Sam)
	What I mean is that at this point in my
	career, I can't afford to.

		SAM
	I earn eight dollars an hour at
	Starbucks.  I can pay your hourly rate,
	rate by the hour, hourly --

Rita stands up, ushering him to the door.

		RITA
	Mr. Dawson, I'm sorry, I have to be in
	court in eight minutes with the Kresges. 
	You understand, good luck to you and
	don't give up.

She turns, ahhhh!  He's gone!  She begins searching the room.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Patricia?!  Where are my keys?  Where
	the hell are my keys?!  Alright alright.
			(replaying)
	I walked into the room - I went over
	here - I looked at my desk - I put my
	coat down - Patricia?!  Where's my coat?

		SAM (O.S.)
	Is there a child involved in Mr.
	Kresges' case?

Stunned, Rita looks up and sees Sam holding up a strip of
photos taken at the birthday booth.

		RITA
	No.

		SAM
	This is Lucy.  One year old.  First
	word, "apple".  December third.  3:16
	p.m.  December third.

Out of his pocket he pulls another photo strip.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	Here's Lucy two years old.  First merry
	go-round ride.  June 6th.  4:13 p.m. 
	June 6th.  Here's Lucy.  Seven years
	old.  The day the police took her away.

Rita looks at the photo strip of Lucy's birthday.  In the
first three we see Lucy's sad face.  The fourth has a cop's
face smashed into the frame with her.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	Thank you for telling me not to give up. 
	I won't give up.

		PATRICIA
			(through the phone)
	Danny on Line 2.

Rita LUNGES FOR THE PHONE.

		RITA
	Danny?  Hi.  Could we possibly talk
	about this when I get home.  Danny? 
	Danny?  C'mon.  You're not gonna talk to
	me?  I bought you a bag of your favorite
	lemonade jelly beans.  Danny?
			(Rita starts singing)
	"One little bird in one little tree,
	we're all alone and we don't want to
	be... So they flew far away over the
	trees..." I said "Over the sea..." I
	know the words, I said "Over the sea..."
	Since when don't you like that song? 
	Danny?

She checks her watch, puts him on the SPEAKER PHONE, and
frantically searches the room for her keys.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Danny?

Silence.  We hear SIX LOUD THUDS - the sound of a basketball
bouncing against the floor.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Danny?

CLICK!  The LINE GOES DEAD.  Rita trips over the coffee
table, completely losing it.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	I hate this stupid coffee table - how
	many times have I asked you to get rid
	of this crappy coffee table?

She kicks it, sending the lemonade jelly beans FLYING.  Then,
after a beat.

		SAM
			(from the doorway)
	You did say "over the trees" instead of
	"over the sea."  It's hard to remember
	all the words to all the songs.  There's
	so many.
			(Rita almost stops)
	you have a child Rita rubel Bly Harrison
	Williams.  If they took him away
	wouldn't you hire the fastest talking
	four-named lawyer you could?

		RITA
	Yes, I would.  I went to college with a
	friend who does these kinds of cases. 
	Leave your number.  I'll see if she can
	help you.

		PATRICIA
			(through your phone)
	Your therapist on Line 1.

		RITA
	Tell him you can't find me.

INT. STARBUCKS - DAY

Sam is face to face with George.

		SAM
	I'm ready.

		GEORGE
	Let's not add more stress to your life.

		SAM
	I'm ready.  I'm ready to make coffee. 
	Lo-fat decaf latte.  Coffee up to here. 
	Add steamed milk up to here.  No foam,
	no foam.  Cinnamon or chocolate
	sprinkles.

		GEORGE
	That's pretty good Sam.  I'll think
	about it.

		SAM
	I know what that means.  I stock shelves
	at Lucky Supermarkets.  I want to bag
	groceries, Miss Losey says "I'll think
	about it."  Randy Brenner gets the job. 
	I was the janitor at the La Reina
	Theater, I wanted to take tickets.  Mr.
	Jenkins said he'd think about it.  Larry
	Peters gets the job.  Lets his friends
	in for free...

		GEORGE
	I promise you, Sam.  I'll honestly think
	about it.  You have my word.

		SAM
	Words, words, words.  I need more than
	that.  I need to pay my lawyer.  I need
	to make coffee.

INT. RUBEL BLY HARRISON AND WILLIAMS - 8:15 P.M.

A group of Rita's colleagues are celebrating a big win.  Rita
is backing out of the room with her glass of champagne.

		RITA
	I am celebrating congratulations to us
	these are the moments good night.

She stops, stunned, as she sees Sam, sitting in the lobby
holding out a Starbucks Cappuccino.

		SAM
	Non-fat vente cap.  I'm sorry to bother
	you, but did you call your friend?
			(Rita's confused)
	Your friend from college, your friend
	who does this kind of work?

		RITA
			(there never was a friend)
	I don't have her number anymore, Sam. 
	We lost touch.

		SAM
			(devastated)
	Oh, that happens.  That happens.  People
	lose touch.  Will you call me if you
	find it?  If you get back in touch?

		RITA
	Yes, I'm just in the middle..it's a
	special..I'll call you.

To avoid any further interaction, she heads back to the
employee party she previously escaped from.  Sam walks down
the hall.

		COLLEAGUE
	Is that the new janitor?

		RITA
	No, it's a case.  Sort of a pro-bono
	thing.

Her assistant Patricia clears her throat.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	What's that supposed to mean?

		PATRICIA
	Nothing.  A cracker went down the wrong
	pipe.

Muffled laughter from her colleagues.

		RITA
	You think I don't pro-bono?..I can do
	pro-bono.. I can do Goddamn pro-bono..
	where the hell are my keys..hold the
	door!

Rita runs to the open elevator and comes face to face with
Sam who's been holding the door open for her.

INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS

The door closes.  Rita is trapped with Sam.  She stares
forward trying to will him not there.  Rita gulps her
champagne.

		SAM
	32nd floor.  32 floors more.  31st
	floor.  31 floors more...

And on and on and on.  Rita is about to spontaneously
combust.  Finally, "G" - Rita bolts out the elevator doors,
then just as suddenly turns around.

		RITA
	Alright, alright I'll take you. 
	Alright, Goddammitt, I'll take you.

		SAM
	Oh my God oh my God!  Rubel Bly Harrison
	and Williams!

Sam, shaking with relief, pulls out his wallet just as the
elevator door starts closing.

		RITA
	No, no  no.  Pro-bono.  Alright?  Pro
	bono.

The doors close.  We hear from within, as Sam goes up again:

		SAM (O.S.)
	Yes!  Alright!  I liked Sonny Bono too!

INT. BUS - MORNING

Sam stares out the window at an unfamiliar neighborhood.  On
his lap, the pink box, now ripped, allowing us to see Lucy's
birthday cake.  It's lopsided from having been thawed and
refrozen.

EXT. BUS STOP - NOON

Sam waits for his transfer.  He sets the cake down on the
bench and takes out a piece of paper with directions written
on it.  The number 43 bus pull sup and Sam consults his paper
once more before jumping on, forgetting the cake.

The bus goes half a block before it SCREECHES to a halt.  Sam
jumps off and runs back for the cake, but the bus continues
on its way.  Moments later, the NUMBER 34 bus pulls up. 
Flustered and worried about being late, Sam jumps on.  He
feels something cold on his hand, looks down, the box is
starting to leak ice cream.

INT. SOCIAL WORKERS OFFICE - DAY

Lucy, Margaret, a therapist and a child psychologist wait for
Sam.

		MARGARET BROWN
	Lucy, I'm sorry.  But it doesn't look
	like he's going to make it.

		LUCY
			(staring forward)
	He'll be here.  You smell like soap.

		MARGARET BROWN
	Lucy, he's an hour and 45 minutes late. 
	You'll only have a few minutes left.

Suddenly through the door comes Sam CARRYING THE MELTED,
DRIPPING birthday cake.  Lucy runs to him.

		LUCY
	Daddy!  I told you I told you!

						 CUT TO:

INT. THE SOCIAL WORKER'S SMALL GREY OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

Margaret, the therapist (Ms. Geller), and the Child
Pscyhologist all write voraciously into note pads as they
observe Sam and Lucy who sit in the center of the room,
nervous under their scrutiny.

		SAM
	...and she's a Century City lawyer - a
	very famous lawyer.  Guess what her name
	is?  Rita Harrison.

		LUCY
			(jaw drops)
	Lovely Rita Meter Maid.

		SAM
	Harrison.  Just like George.

They move to hug each other.  EVERYONE REACHES for their
pens.  Sam pulls back self-consciously.  Everyone writes even
harder.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	You've grown.

		LUCY
	Have I?

		SAM
	Your ears are larger.  And your eyes are
	older.

He's right.  Her eyes are older.  He hugs her - ALL THE PENS
GO UP.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	I'm gonna get a phone machine.  Next
	paycheck.  If I'm not home, you can
	leave a message.  "Hi, This is Lucy."

		LUCY
	You can't afford a phone machine.

The writing starts again.

		SAM
	Yes we can.  I'm in line for a
	promotion.  Big promotion.  A promotion
	that's big.

		LUCY
	They're gonna let you make coffee?!

		SAM
	Set your dreams high, Lucy.

Lucy looks at her father lovingly.

		LUCY
	I'm sorry, Daddy.  It was all my fault.

		SAM
	No, Lucy.  Don't say that.

		LUCY
	I wouldn't want any Daddy but you.

She looks around to see if anybody's writing.  NOBODY IS. 
She suddenly screams at them:

		LUCY (CONT'D)
	I said I was sorry!  I said I didn't
	want any Daddy but him!  Why don't you
	write that down?!

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - DAY

We hear sobbing and see Rita sitting across from a very rich,
very angry COUPLE.  Rita's foot is twitching furiously.

		RITA
	...are you telling me that neither of
	you want custody of your child?

		WOMAN
	He's created a monster.  He's exactly
	like him.  He...he...

The woman is distracted by a loud thumping on Rita's glass
wall - it's SAM.  Holding an envelope.  Very distressed, as
the Secretary attempts to corral him back into the lobby.

		RITA
	I am right here with you, excuse me.
			(she unlocks door)
	Sam?  Didn't I tell you that you have to
	call?

		SAM
	I -

		RITA
	You know how to make an appointment.

		SAM
	It's -

		RITA
	That's ridiculous you can always get
	Patricia.

		SAM
	They -

		RITA
	Good.  I'll see you next week.

		SAM
	But it's an emergency - lots of three
	syllable words urgent open at once.

He hands the letter to Rita.  Rita looks through the glass
wall at her clients who are getting impatient.

		RITA
	They want to have you and Lucy evaluated
	by a shrink.  The appointment is today
	at three.  Today.  Now.  Today!

		SAM
	I know and I want you to object.

		RITA
	Sam I can't object.  It's court ordered.

Sam notices that the woman in Rita's office is crying.  He
walks in and hands her a handkerchief from his pocket.

		SAM
	Here.  Don't be sad.

She looks at him as if he's from Mars.  Rita, now outside her
office, watches Sam now inside the office.

		RITA
	Patricia, I'm in the middle - get him
	out of there -

She quickly gets up but Rita's too impatient and pushes past
her into the office.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Sam.  Sam come with me.
			(to the Couple)
	We're gonna get through this excuse
	us...
			(to Sam)
	Sam this is their turn now.  Not yours. 
	Theirs.  If you leave now you'll never
	make it and you have to make it.

		SAM
	Okay okay I know I take the #34 bus and
	transfer to the #13...than the Downtown
	Express to Wilshire then -

Rita looks at the Couple leaving her office.

INT. RITA'S PORSCHE - DAY

Redefining road rage, Rita's slamming the horn.  Sam next to
her.

		RITA
	Go! Go! GO! for chrissakes!  Green means
	GO!

		SAM
	Red means stop yellow in the middle
	means no no no...I don't like shrinks. 
	I've seen too many shrinks.

		RITA
	Yeah.  You and me both.  Right or left
	which will it be you IDIOT!?

		SAM
	Your mother sent you to shrinks, too?

		RITA
	No.  Well, sort of.  I talk about her
	the whole time I'm there.

		SAM
	That's nice.  Did you notice that
	everyone else is driving slower.  I
	noticed that did you?

		RITA
			(on the horn)
	Go for Chrissakes!  How about your
	mother?  Maybe she can help you -

		SAM
	She's gone.  She's at the Park Lane
	Mortuary.  Two from the left.  Under the
	big tree.

		RITA
	Oh.  I'm sorry.  The light is green! 
	WOULD YOU MOVE MOVE MOVE!?

She cuts around the car in front of her; flips him off, and
in a split second that her head is turned, almost SMASHES
into the car in front of her!  She slams on the brakes.

		SAM
	Too many shrinks...I'm sorry Mrs.
	Dawson, if I were you I wouldn't waste
	any more time.  I'm sorry Mrs. Dawson it
	must be a tremendous disappointment. 
	I'm sorry Mrs. Dawson I think you'd both
	be happier if Sam was in a home.

Rita looks over at Sam, forced to stop.

INT. PSYCHOLOGIST OFFICE - DAY

Sam sits across from a shrink, MS. GELLER, nervously
straightening her desk.

		PSYCHOLOGIST
	Mr. Dawson, you do understand, that
	since I am a court appointed
	psychologist, the traditional client
	therapist confidentiality will be
	waived.
			(Sam looks confused)
	Mr. Dawson, do you understand that the
	confidentiality will be waived?

Sam nods nervously and waves.  With that she begins.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Sam, Ifty, Brad and Robert hover over a used answering
machine.  Ifty pours over the instructions.

		IFTY
	Before you read your message press the
	red button for record, when you finish,
	press the yellow button.  If you press
	the green button, it will play it back
	you.  Let's start with the "ogm".

		SAM
	Okay, okay.  I'm ready.  Hello, I am
	Sam.

		IFTY
	No, no.  I didn't press the red button.

		SAM
	Oh, yes.  False start, false start.

		IFTY
	It's not working.  That's what you get
	for buying a used machine.  Used means
	broken.  You're asking for other
	people's problems, you have enough of
	your own, not that everyone doesn't have
	problems.

		BRAD
	It's not used.  It's pre-owned.  Guy
	bought it for his auto shop and then he
	got a secretary.

		IFTY
	Testing, one two three.

		SAM
	That's a good code.  I'll remember that. 
	One, two, three.

		IFTY
			(pressing button)
	Quick, you're recording.

		SAM
	I'm hi.  I am Sam.  I'm not home.

		ROBERT
	No, you don't want to say that.  you
	don't want them to know you're not home.

		SAM
	But then I'm lying.

		ROBERT
	Everybody's lying.

		SAM
	I'm not a liar.  It will send a mixed
	message to Lucy.

		IFTY
			(pressing the button)
	You're on the air!

		SAM
	Let me see, let me see, let me see.  Hi,
	how are you?

BEEP! the tape runs out.

		IFTY
	That was pretty good.  That was natural.

		SAM
	Did I sound like a good father?

		IFTY
	It's the outgoing message.  You need to
	sound more outgoing.  Let's start again.

INT. GROUP HOME - NIGHT

Mrs. Kerry unlocks the phone and dials.  She hands the phone
to Lucy who waits eagerly in her pj's.  Sam's answering
machine clicks on; as if on slow speed.

		ANSWERING MACHINE
	Hi, it's Len's Auto Body Shop.  We'd
	love to show you our body work, but it's
	invisible.  Leave it at the beep.

		LUCY
	Try again.  You must have dialed the
	wrong number.

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - DAY

Rita and Sam walk through the lobby at Rita's Olympic pace. 
She passes the elevator and heads for the stairs.

		RITA
	Look, we've got a lot to go over and
	I've got five minutes.

		SAM
			(pointing to elevator)
	Rubel Bly Harrison and Williams thirty
	second floor, thirty-two floors up.

Rita heads up the stairs.  We hear a BEEP.  Then another. 
Rita checks her heart rate watch.  Starts walking up the
stairs.

		RITA
	One-twenty.  Gotta get to one-twenty
	five to make it count.  Okay okay okay. 
	I'm gonna need that list of people who
	can testify that you're a good father
	despite your handicap.  I didn't mean
	your handicap I meant your disability -
	I mean the fact that you're retarded. 
	That's not the right word.  I mean...
	What do I call you?

		SAM
	Sam.  I am Sam.

Rita looks at Sam as she bounds up the fourth floor.

		RITA
	Yes you are.
			(he hands her a list - her CELL
			 PHONE RINGS)
	Hello Ted how you doing/  Whattaya mean
	what's that supposed to mean? 
			(her heart beep rate goes up)
	Put Danny on... You're supposed to be
	taking him to karate.  No it is not my
	day it's your day.  I took your day last
	Wednesday - are you eating no I will not
	hold.  Go pick him up!  What?  I can't
	hear you I'm in the car - they put you
	through to me here...I'm losing you --
			(clicks off phone)
	I get paid for this memory - I know I
	took him last.

A look of horror falls across her face.  She does a 180 and
starts RUNNING down the stairs reading the list.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	We're making progress.  Three character
	witnesses.  That's a good start.  What
	does Ifty Bhutto do?

		SAM
	He works in a bank.

		RITA
			(tripping down the stairs)
	Excellent.

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - THE VERY NEXT DAY

Ifty sits across from Rita who attempts to take notes.

		IFTY
	Sam is a very concerned father.  He
	always saves his money at Bank of
	America.  Last year there was a lion on
	the calendar.  This year a gazelle.  The
	gazelle is national bird of Tunisia.  We
	have clients, not customers.  At Bank of
	America.  Bank on us.

He looks up at her, lost.  So is she.

		IFTY (CONT'D)
	What was the question again, please?

						 CUT TO:

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - DAY

ON BRAD

Who sits across from Rita.  She tape records him.

		BRAD
	He always made a point of feeding her
	breakfast when "Bewitched" was on and
	lunch when "Jeopardy" was on so she'd be
	smart.  Is that Wonderbra you're
	wearing?  Because you look wonderful.

						 CUT TO:

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - DAY

Robert sits across from Rita, who records him.

		RITA
	How long have you and Sam - 

		ROBERT
	Why are you recording this?  Who's
	listening?

		RITA
	It's often necessary -

		ROBERT
	Who are you really?

		RITA
	I'm -

		ROBERT
	What's that supposed to mean?

		RITA
	Let's -

		ROBERT
	I need to talk to my lawyer.

						 CUT TO:

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - LATER

Rita maniacally picks the frosting off a donut.

		RITA
	Patricia, get Mr. Dawson on the line.

Over her INTERCOM, we hear SAM'S ANSWERING MACHINE.

		ANSWERING MACHINE (O.S.)
	Hi, it's Len's Auto Body Shop -

		RITA
	I need this like a - call him at
	Starbucks - no I don't know which
	Starbucks.  There's forty two between
	here and the end of the block.

EXT. STREETS - DAY

Rita stands next to her Porsche.  There are Starbucks in
every direction she looks.

INT. STARBUCKS - DAY

Sam is straightening Sweet and Lows.  Rita barrels in.

		RITA
	Look I don't think you understand what
	you're up against we have to be in court
	in three days and we don't have a decent
	witness.  Now you've gotta know someone
	who can testify who's been to college -
	or has a degree of some kind - or some
	sort of way of expressing themselves
	that's gonna make the court believe that
	you deserve to get your daughter back I
	need a coffee.  Big.  Tall.

		SAM
	Tall's the smallest.

		RITA
	Of course.  Of course, whatever.  Okay
	okay okay.  Damn!  I forgot to call back
	no I did and once you think of this
	person and there has to be one person -
	I want you to call me at work - because
	I'm going back there now to my seven
	other cases --
			(her cellphone RINGS)
	What?  Mrs. Robeck?  I'm on my way, the
	traffic's horrible on the 405.  Dorothy,
	we put in five months lets not let a
	three car pile up..I know it's been
	enormously stressful.. Your Esczema? 
	Oh, honey, nobody notices..AH!  They
	opened a lane!

		SAM
			(too loudly)
	Do you want it here or to go?

		RITA
			(dial tone)
	Dorothy?  Dorothy?  No no no I didn't
	stare at the eczema for five months for -

She takes out her car beeper, clicks it towards the window
and realizes that they're towing her car!

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Sonuvabitch!

INT. ANNIE'S APARTMENT - EVENING

Annie is at the piano, lost in a Beethoven concerto.

		SAM
	Annie, it's one day.  One hour.  Maybe
	only 53 minutes.  Lucy needs you.
			(Annie keeps playing)
	You went to college.  You can give the
	right answers.

Annie plays even harder.  Frustrated, he POUNDS the piano.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	We can't lose her.

		ANNIE
	I can't.  I'd make it worse for you.  I
	can't do it.  Don't you think I would if
	I could?

						 CUT TO:

INT. COURTROOM - DAY

We HEAR A VOICE:

		VOICE (O.S.)
	All rise for the Honorable Judge Phillip
	McNeily.

Sam stands along with others in the courtroom.  The Judge
enters and sits.  Everyone else sits now, too.  Except Sam. 
Who continues to stand until Rita pulls him down.  Now we
see:

Ifty, Robert, Brad - and Brad's MOTHER, who sits several
seats behind Brad knitting.  Robert holds up a handmade sign
from the back of the courtroom "Free Lucy Dawson".

INT. COURTROOM - ONE HOUR LATER

Turner, the prosecuting attorney, examines his first witness. 
He's disheveled, but don't let the rumpled suit fool you. 
This man is razor-sharp.  The THERAPIST who evaluated Sam is
on the stand.  Sam anxiously rearranges all the pens on the
desk he sits at with Rita.  Projected on a SCREEN is a SLIDE
of the drawing Lucy made in school.

		THERAPIST
	...there is an unhealthy reversal of
	roles here. 
	As you can see from her drawings, she
	has an exaggerated sense of
	responsibility.  Lucy feels she has to
	take care of her father.  Although at
	her birthday party her true feelings
	about her father were revealed.

		RITA
	Objection.  "True feelings revealed"?!

		TURNER
	The state is paying Miss Geller for her
	opinions -

		RITA
	Then every child who rages because they
	didn't get to stay up for that extra
	hour of TV -

		TURNER
	Objection your honor -

Sam TUGS at Rita's sleeve.  She ignores it.

		RITA
	...in fact any child who said they hated
	their parents because they didn't want
	to take a bath would be a prime
	candidate for Foster Care.

		TURNER
	Objection.

		SAM
	I think they want you to stop.

		RITA
	Really?!  Thank you, Sam.

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	We all appreciate your assistance Mr.
	Dawson - continue with your witness, Mr.
	Turner.

		TURNER
	Now Ms. Geller, I assume in your therapy
	session, Mr. Dawson extolled his
	parenting abilities.

		THERAPIST
	On the contrary, Mr. Dawson admitted he
	felt profoundly inadequate - that he was
	terrified he'd made and would continue
	to make - and I quote: "Huge mistakes,
	huge mistakes, mistakes that are huge."

		TURNER
	No further questions.

Rita starts to scribble notes furiously.  So does Sam. 
Turner smugly sits down.  Rita confidently strides toward the
witness.

		RITA
	You're a mother, aren't you Ms. Geller?

		THERAPIST
	Yes.

		RITA
	Would it be fair to say that as a
	parent, you've felt confused from time
	to time, possibly overwhelmed on
	occasion, even though you're a wonderful
	mother?

		TURNER
	Objection.  It's Mr. Dawson's parenting. 
	Not Ms. Geller's that's at question
	here.

		RITA
	But if Ms. Geller has never had a moment
	where she felt confused as a mother it
	would bias her opinion.  And it is her
	expert opinion we're all after, isn't
	it, Mr. Turner?

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	Overruled.  I'll allow it.

		RITA
	Thank you, your Honor.  Ms. Geller, I
	know there have been many moments as a
	parent where I've felt I've made huge
	mistakes - mistakes that are huge.  And
	I've had to admit them to myself.  My
	husband.  But most importantly, to my
	therapist.  Which is the guise Mr.
	Dawson thought he was seeing you under,
	isn't that right, Ms. Geller?

		TURNER
	Objection.

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	Get to the point, Ms. Harrison.

		RITA
	The point is you've never had those
	moments, have you Ms. Geller?  Moments
	that every parent I've ever spoken to
	has - moments when you've felt the task
	is so unbelievably challenging that you
	feel retarded, disabled in some way. 
	Moments when you feel everyone has the
	key but you.  But you've never had those
	moments, have you Ms. Geller?

		THERAPIST
	I -

		RITA
	Yes or no?

		THERAPIST
	I - 

		RITA
	Let me rephrase the question.  When your
	son od'ed -

		TURNER
	Objection!

		RITA
	But if Ms. Geller didn't feel she had
	made mistakes - mistakes that were huge
	it might bias her opinion toward Mr.
	Dawson.

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	I will -

		RITA
	Thank you.  So Ms. Geller - yes or no -
	when your son od'ed, did you feel you
	might have made mistakes, mistakes that
	were huge?

		THERAPIST
			(tearfully)
	Yes.

INT. COURTROOM CAFETERIA - DAY

Sam and Rita go down the cafeteria line.

		SAM
	You made her cry.

		RITA
	You got lucky.

		SAM
	That's not nice.  Not very nice.

		RITA
	Only in there.

		SAM
	Your secretary too.  Yellow and green in
	one bowl.
			(Sam stares at a bowl of Lima
			 beans and corn)
	You separate the Lima beans from the
	corn please?

The CAFETERIA WORKER stares at him.  Yeah.  Sure he will.

		RITA
	Sam, don't be impossible.
			(then to Worker)
	Can I have the spinach omelet - only egg
	whites no fat no oil no butter and extra
	mushrooms.

		CAFETERIA WORKER
	Absolutely.

Sam is anxiously separating his Lima beans and corn into
separate piles.  They arrive at the cashier.  Rita pulls out
her billfold.  Sam reaches for his wallet.

		SAM
	My treat.  My treat.

		RITA
	Don't be ridiculous.  I'll get it.

		SAM
	I said it's my treat.  That means I'll
	get it.

		RITA
	Sam, do you really want to get it or are
	you just trying to --

		SAM
	Trying to what?

		RITA
	You know, trying to act like a -

		SAM
	Like a what?

		RITA
	Like a...a...

		SAM
	A real man?

		RITA
	I didn't say that.

		SAM
	You're my lawyer and you think what they
	think.  I don't have a chance.  No
	chance at all.  Even with an expert
	witness.

Rita looks at him.  He's right.  She chooses her words
carefully.

		RITA
	I think...you deserve...a fair trial.

		SAM
	Answer the question.

		RITA
	Okay okay okay.  What was the question
	again?

		SAM
	Do you think what they think?  Sam can't
	order food.  Sam can't pay a check.  Sam
	can't take care of Lucy?

		RITA
	It doesn't matter what I think - it
	matters that we win.

		SAM
	You're my lawyer it matters what you
	think.

		RITA
	Hey, it doesn't matter to them what I
	think.

		SAM
	Me.  It matters to me.

He reaches for the receipt, and faces the CASHIER defiantly.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	Fourteen thirty three.  That's 5 ones, 2
	quarters and 16 cents less than twenty.

He slowly counts his money, takes his tray and walks away. 
Rita watches him, with a trace of remorse and a hint of
admiration.

INT. COURTROOM - DAY

DR. DONOVAN, an attractive soft-spoken woman is on the stand. 
Rita is working the room.  Sam, having a hard time
concentrating, is following a crack up the wall and onto the
ceiling.

		RITA
	Dr. Donovan, the American Medical
	Journal named you one of the country's
	leading oncologists.  Isn't that
	correct?

		DR. DONOVAN
	Yes.

		RITA
	What kept you going the twelve years you
	were in medical school?

		DR. DONOVAN
	Caffeine.  Sugar.  And my mother's
	confidence in me.

		RITA
	I wish I had a mother like that.  She
	must have been smart.

		DR. DONOVAN
	She had great instincts.

		RITA
	Do you have any idea what her IQ was?

		DR. DONOVAN
	In the lower ranges.  About eighty.

		RITA
	So your mother, this woman with the IQ
	of a nine-year old had the wisdom to
	recognize that you would be a great
	doctor.  I guess her disability didn't
	seem to hold you back in life.

		DR. DONOVAN
	No.  My mother's condition taught me
	what they can't teach you; compassion
	and patience.

		RITA
	Traits most doctors have in spades. 
	Thank you, no further questions.

Sam runs to hug Dr. Donovan, bumping into Rita who sits him
down.

		TURNER
	How'd you get through medical school? 
	Where'd you live?

		DR. DONOVAN
	We lived with my mother's parents.

		TURNER
	Oh, Grandma and Grandpa.  Would it be
	fair to say your grandparents were of
	normal intelligence?

		DR. DONOVAN
	Yes.

		TURNER
	And didn't these people - your
	grandparents - with normal intelligence -
	have the real responsibilities?

		RITA
			(relishing this)
	Objection!  I hear Mr. Turner's mother
	in-law lives with him!  She must help
	out.  Does that mean he doesn't have the
	real -

		TURNER
	Motion to strike that from the record. 
	Irrelevant, immaterial and immature -

		RITA
	Irrelevant?!  Any parent has a right to
	a support system.

		TURNER
	I'm not talking about the rights of the
	parent, I'm talking about the rights of
	a child.
			(the gavel bangs)
	I'm talking about entrusting an eight
	year old's welfare in the hands of
	someone whose records show he was
	diagnosed with infantile autism, mental
	retardation...

		RITA
	Objection!  Motion to strike that from
	the record.  It's clear that one's
	intellectual capacity has no bearing on
	their ability to love.  You Honor, would
	you please instruct council to proceed
	with a modicum of sensitivity?

		TURNER
	Oh, I'm sensitive.  I'm real sensitive
	when I see people like you --
			(the gavel BANGS!)
	come here and try to give meaning to
	your life by screwing up somebody
	else's!

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	That's enough.  Both lawyers approach
	the bench!

		RITA
			(both approach)
	And I suppose tearing apart a family is
	truly noble work, Mr. Turner.

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	That's it.  I fine you both for
	contempt.  Two-hundred fifty dollars.

		TURNER
	What's that to her?  She gets that for
	picking up the phone.

		RITA
	Oh, that's what this is about.

		TURNER
	I'll tell you what this is about.  See
	this is an award for you at some
	luncheon.  But I'm here everyday.
			(gavel POUNDS AGAIN)
	You win, you're out the door. 
	But guess who I see come back?  The kid. 
	Most of the time, in less than a year. 
	Only now it's too late.  So you're
	right.  I'm real sensitive.  You can't
	even touch that area.

ON SAM

Devastated.

						 CUT TO:

INT. INSTITUTIONAL GRAY SOCIAL WORKERS OFFICE - DAY

Margaret Brown observes Sam and Lucy.

		LUCY
	But how did he prove it?

		SAM
	Columbus had to sail around the world to
	prove it was round.

		LUCY
	You're so smart, Daddy.

Sam shoots a look at Margaret.  He hasn't heard anything nice
about himself in so long.  Lucy looks into her father's eyes.

		LUCY (CONT'D)
	Are we winning, Daddy?

Sam shoots ANOTHER look.  He doesn't want to lie.  Lucy
catches the look between Sam and Margaret.

		MARGARET BROWN
	Excuse me, time's up.

		LUCY
	Please.  Just a little more.

		MARGARET BROWN
	I have another client at two-thirty. 
	You need to put your shoes on and get
	ready to go.

		LUCY
	Oh no!  There's a knot.  A really big
	knot.

Sam attempts to undo it.  Lucy and he work very slowly,
cherishing each moment together.

		MARGARET BROWN
	I'll help you.

She undoes it quickly.  Hands it back.

		LUCY
	I need to go to the bathroom.

INT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Lucy's feet dangle from under the stall.  Margaret's sturdy
shoes from under another.  Suddenly, Lucy's head pops out and
now she quietly wriggles out from under the stall, tip toes
across the room and out the door.  Locking it with a key.

INT. SOCIAL WORKERS ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Lucy runs up to her father.

		LUCY
	Daddy, she said we could go to the park.

		SAM
	What's going on?  What made her change
	her mind?

		LUCY
	I started crying in the bathroom.  She
	thought we needed more time.

		SAM
	That was so nice of her.  Very nice.

INT. BUS - DAY

Sam and Lucy hold hands and look out the window.  Sam sees
Echo Park approaching and gets up.  Lucy pulls him back to
the seat.  She looks Daddy in the eye and in a furtive
whisper:

		LUCY
	Let's not get off.  Let's keep going.

		SAM
	No, Lucy.

		LUCY
	Please.

		SAM
	That would be wrong.

		LUCY
	Tamara's Mommy lost her case and Tamara
	hasn't seen her in six years.  She's had
	five different mommies and one of them
	hit her.

		SAM
	I won't let that happen.

		LUCY
	That's what her real mommy said.  And
	now they won't even let her talk to her.

Sam reels with confusion.  Lucy buries herself in his chest.

		LUCY (CONT'D)
	Daddy, it's the only way to be together. 
	We'll start a new life, get new names. 
	We'll live in a new apartment.  They'll
	never find us.

The bus has stopped.  Passengers for the park have exited. 
Sam doesn't move.  As the BUSDRIVER closes the door and heads
on, he holds Lucy protectively to his chest.

		SAM
	I love you Lucy.  I love you.

		LUCY
	My name isn't Lucy anymore, it's
	Michelle.

INT. BUS - NIGHT

Lucy sleeps cuddled close to Sam, who is wide awake, as he
gazes out at the passing highway, far from home.  We hear the
song "Michelle".

EXT. PARK - 4 A.M.

Sam, totally disoriented, walks in circles around the plastic
tunnels and jungle gym.  A flashlight shines in Sam's face.

		COP
	Hey, buddy.  No loitering.  Move it.

		SAM
	Not yet not yet not yet.

		COP
	You want me to get a black and white
	down here?

He moves toward Sam.  SUDDENLY THE SPRINKLER SYSTEM goes on. 
The cop backs off, but Sam doesn't move, standing in the
middle of the park and getting totally wet.

		SAM
	Not yet not yet not yet.

He shines the flashlight in Sam's face and we see INSIDE THE
PLASTIC TUNNEL where LUCY SLEEPS PEACEFULLY on a bed of
coats, holding a discarded stuffed animal.

		COP
	Jesus Christ.

		SAM
	She hasn't been sleeping well.  She
	needs a good night's rest.  Let her
	sleep, let her sleep.
			(the cop moves toward Sam)
	NO!

		COP
	What are you, crazy?

All the cop sees is a lunatic walking in protective circles
in the downpour of the sprinklers with a kid in a plastic
tunnel.

							 SMASH CUT TO:

INT. POLICE STATION - DAWN

Police doors swing open as Rita, coat over pj's, a sleepy
DANNY by her side, storm inside.  Lucy lies on a bench with
her head in Sam's lap.

		RITA
	What were you thinking what were you
	possibly thinking?!

		SAM
	I -

		RITA
	That's ridiculous!  Danny stay with me -
			(he moves away)
	What could you possibly gain by
	kidnapping your kid in the middle of a
	custody hearing?!

		SAM
	She -

		RITA
	I don't wanna hear it!  Can you possibly
	explain this to me?!

		SAM
	But Lucy said -

		RITA
	Who's the parent here?  Who's the
	goddamned parent here?  Danny!  Stay in
	the hallway -

Danny turns the corner just as Margaret Brown rushes in. 
Rita turns to her - her expression changes on a dime.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Miss Brown, I can imagine what you're
	thinking.

		MARGARET BROWN
	I'm -

		RITA
	But I ask you what parent in their right
	mind seeing their child in pain --

		MARGARET BROWN
	I have seen -

		RITA
	Their yearning for contact - wouldn't
	take them in an attempt to comfort them? 
	Where the hell is Danny?

		MARGARET BROWN
	You - 

		RITA
	He - 

		MARGARET BROWN
	There's - 

		RITA
	Oh yes there is!  And if I were you I'd
	look at my conscience you do have one
	don't you long and hard before I tried
	to use this in court.

		MARGARET BROWN
	Is that a threat?

		RITA
	No.  It's a plea.  Give'm a break. 
	Give'm one goddman break.

Margaret's cell phone RINGS.

		MARGARET BROWN
	What?!  No, Mrs. Sloan.  His temperature
	couldn't be 117, no not even 107.  Okay,
	okay, I'll come...Come on Lucy, I'll
	take you back.

		RITA
	C'mon, Danny.  We're going home. 
	Danny!?  Danny!?!?

The FIRE ALARM GOES OFF and --

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Goddamn it, Danny!

Rita avoids Margaret's look.  Margaret's cell phone goes off
again.  She doesn't answer.  Now Rita looks at Margaret, but
this time Margaret avoids looking at her.  Lucy runs to Rita
and throws her arms around her waist.

		LUCY
	Please don't fire us.  It was all my
	idea.  Please don't.  Please.  Please.

Rita is disarmed.  She's moved and not used to being moved.

INT. COURTROOM - DAY

		BAILIFF
	...the whole truth, and nothing but the
	truth, so help you God?

Lucy's in her best dress, being sworn in.  One hand in the
air.

		LUCY
	So help me God...

And now CAMERA MOVES AROUND HER AND WE SEE THAT SHE'S HIDING
HER OTHER HAND BEHIND HER BACK - FINGERS CROSSED.

INT. COURTROOM - LATER

Lucy is on the stand, Turner is cross-examining her.

		TURNER
	I heard you turned seven this year. 
	That's pretty exciting.

		LUCY
	Everybody gets older.  It's not that big
	a deal.

		TURNER
	What'd you get for your birthday?

		LUCY
	I haven't opened my presents yet.

		TURNER
	Really?  That's odd.  Why not?

Lucy looks to her father and Rita.

		LUCY
	I opened my presents.  I got the HELP
	album - limited edition.

ON RITA AND SAM

What is she doing?

		TURNER
	Oh, I'm sorry.  I was confused.  I
	thought you didn't open your birthday
	presents because you ran away from your
	own party when your best friend told
	everyone that you were adopted.

		LUCY
	I never said that; why would I say that?

		TURNER
	Why would your friends say it if you
	hadn't said it?

		LUCY
	Kids lie all the time.

Next to her skirt, we see her fingers are crossed so hard
they're practically turning purple.

		TURNER
	May I remind you Lucy that you're under
	oath?

		LUCY
	You may.

		TURNER
	And do you know that means if you lie
	you could be in serious trouble?

		LUCY
	I do.

		TURNER
	So now that you and I have agreed to
	tell the truth, where did you sleep last
	night?

Rita glares at Margaret.  Thanks a lot.

		LUCY
	In my bed at the Foster home.

		TURNER
	All right, Lucy.  If you're not going to
	tell the truth, I am.  Your dad
	kidnapped you last night and the police
	found you sleeping in a seedy park a
	hundred miles from here.  You're lying
	right now because you're afraid.  Afraid
	that everyone will see how scared and
	frustrated you really are.  You're
	afraid of hurting him, but now we need
	to tell the truth.  The truth is deep
	inside you know you're not getting what
	you need from your father.  Isn't that
	right, Lucy?

A LONG SILENCE.  She stares at Turner defiantly.

		LUCY
	"All you need is love."

INT. COURTROOM CORRIDOR - DAY

WE HEAR THAT SONG as Sam and Rita walk out of the courtroom. 
Rita is breaking pieces off a candy bar she has stuffed in
her purse.  They see Lucy running down the corridor toward
Sam, Margaret Brown behind her.

		LUCY
	Daddy!  I did great, didn't I?

		SAM
	No, Lucy, you lied.

		LUCY
	Shhh!  Don't tell anyone.

Rita watches Sam.  Moved by his concern as a parent.

		MARGARET BROWN
	Lucy, Mrs. Kerry's here to take you
	back.

		LUCY
	I thought you'd be proud of me.  Jo Jo's
	mom told him to lie on the stand and say
	he never saw a needle in the house; and
	he did, and now they're back together.

		SAM
	Jo Jo isn't us.  The truth, the truth,
	when the judge hears the truth, he'll
	know, he'll know we should be together.

		LUCY
			(bursting)
	Nobody's interested in the truth, Daddy. 
	Nobody cares!

They lead her down the hallway toward Mrs. Kerry - Sam's
voice gets louder and louder - determined to make her hear.

		SAM
	I CARE!  DO YOU HEAR ME?  THE TRUTH. 
	THE WHOLE TRUTH!  SO HELP ME GOD!!

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

The darkness of Sam's apartment.  We see him on his knees. 
Saying his prayers by his bedside.

		SAM
	Help me, God.  Help me, God.  Help me,
	God...

We see ANNIE'S SILHOUETTE from the window of her apartment as
it moves across the frame.

INT. COURTROOM - DAY

Turner cross examines George, the manager of Starbucks.

		GEORGE
	Sam's my most reliable employee.  He's
	never missed a day of work in eight
	years.  Always warm, always friendly.

		TURNER
	Admirable qualities for a single father. 
	Mr. Walker, in these eight years, have
	Mr. Dawson's responsibilities,
	which...let me see...would include
	bussing tables, replenishing Sweet 'n
	Lows, and sweeping up the place...
	increased?

		GEORGE
	No.  Not really.

		TURNER
	And isn't that because he's mentally
	incapable of learning management skills
	or working the cash register or even
	making a cup of coffee?

		RITA
	Objection.  Leading the witness.

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	You may answer the question.

George searches for a way to tell the truth.

		GEORGE
	Well as a matter of fact, Sam and I have
	been discussing a promotion that I was
	planning on putting into effect at the
	end of the week.

Sam leaps to his feet.

		SAM
	Oh boy!  Thank you, George!

Rita pulls him down.  Turner seizes the moment.

		TURNER
	Yes.  Thank you, George.  Now, after
	eight years, Sam can finally measure out
	a teaspoon of coffee and cup of water. 
	Now, he must certainly be able to help
	Lucy with her geometry.

		RITA
	Objection -

		TURNER
	No further questions.

INT. COURTROOM CORRIDOR - LATER

Rita prepares Ifty.

		RITA
	...and when I ask another question?

		IFTY
	I answer in one sentence.

		RITA
	Yes.  Short and sweet.

		IFTY
	Yes.  One sentence.  Short and sweet. 
	My aunt was short and sweet.  But her
	cooking was too spicy she...

Rita's twitching foot knocks over her purse.  Out spill
several Snickers Bars with the chocolate picked off them. 
Embarrassed, she kneels to pick them up when she and Sam see
something that stops them both, awestruck.  In the corner of
the corridor, huddled on a bench in dark sunglasses, sits
ANNIE IN A PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS SUIT.  Sam runs to her.

		SAM
	Annie!  I can't believe it!

		ANNIE
			(visibly trembling)
	Tell them to take me quickly.

		RITA
	Give me one minute with the judge.

INT. COURTROOM - FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER

Annie, wearing her dark glasses, is being questioned by Rita.

		RITA
	Besides being Lucy's godmother, aren't
	you also Lucy's piano teacher?

		ANNIE
	Yes.

		RITA
	Lucy's very lucky.  Didn't you graduate
	Magna Cum Laud from the Julliard School
	of Music?

		ANNIE
	Summa Cum Laud.

		RITA
			(delighted)
	Excuse me.  Now Ms. Cassell, in all the
	time you've known them, have you ever
	questioned Sam's ability as a father?

		ANNIE
	Never.

		RITA
	Never?

		ANNIE
	Never.  Look at Lucy.  She's strong,
	she's able to display true empathy for
	people, all kinds of people.  I know you
	all think she's as bright as she is
	despite him.  But it's because of him.

								DISSOLVE TO:

INT. COURTROOM - LATER

Turner stands where Rita did.

		TURNER
	Can Sam add?

		ANNIE
	Yes.

		TURNER
	How about multiplication?

		ANNIE
	He's learning.

		TURNER
	So what you're saying is that Sam can
	not even multiply two times two?  

		ANNIE
	I don't know about you, Mr. Turner, but
	my fondest memories of my parents have
	nothing to do with times tables or state
	capitals.

		TURNER
	I bet he's knocking on your door all the
	time with questions.

		ANNIE
	Yes.  All the time.  The last question
	was whether to use Biz or Clorox to get
	the grass stains out of Lucy's soccer
	uniform.

ON RITA AND SAM

This is too good to be true.

		TURNER
	So let's see..he doesn't know math...he
	can't even wash her clothes.  How about
	puberty?  I can only imagine how much
	insight he'll bring to approaching the
	sensitive issues of a young girl's
	development.

		ANNIE
	Mr. Turner, show me a father, any
	father, who knows how to do that and
	I'll give them the Parent of the Year
	award.

		TURNER
	And you've had plenty of opportunity to
	observe fathers, haven't you?

		RITA
	Objection!

		TURNER
	But the fact that Ms. Cassell hasn't
	come out of her room in years might have
	some effect on her perception.

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	I'll allow it.

		ANNIE
	I had twenty eight years in the world to
	observe all kinds of fathers.

		TURNER
	What about your father, Ms. Cassell? 
	Since you appear to be an expert on
	father-daughter relationships.

A long pause.  Sam watches as Annie visibly tightens.

		TURNER (CONT'D)
	Excuse me, Ms. Cassell, I didn't hear
	your response.  What about your father?

Annie reaches for her water glass.  We see her hand SHAKE. 
It knocks over the glass, shattering it on the floor.

		SAM
	Objection!  No further questions!

		TURNER
	Excuse me, Mr. Dawson?

		SAM
	I said that's enough!  I will not allow
	it!  Overruled!  Overruled!!

Rita doesn't stop him.  The Judge hesitates, incredulous,
then pounds the gavel as the courtroom erupts.

EXT. SAM'S APARTMENT - DUSK

Rita sits in her Porsche with Annie and Sam.  Annie is curled
into a tight ball in the passenger seat.  Sam is tucked into
the shelf in the back.  His legs kick Rita in the face with
every gear shift.

		RITA
	Thank you again, Annie.  You were truly
	extraordinary.

		SAM
	Extraordinary.  Truly extraordinary.

Annie doesn't move.

		RITA
	Okay okay okay okay.  Well, Sam has his
	big day on the stand tomorrow and we
	need to work a little bit so that he's
	as effective as you were.

		SAM
	Effective.  Very effective.

		RITA
	On a Porsche, the, uh, the door handle
	is a little hidden by that thingamajig,
	so if you're having a hard time finding
	it I'll just --

Rita reaches across to open Annie's door when she SCREAMS!

		ANNIE
	Noooooooo!

		SAM
	Annie's not quite ready to go outside
	yet.

		RITA
	Okay, we'll just take our time.

INT. PORSCHE - TWO HOURS LATER

It's dark now.  Annie is still catatonic.  Rita's on the car
phone, the kind that voice activates and she's yelling.

		RITA
	Home!  Home!  HOME GODDAMNIT!  Juanita,
	help Danny with his English assignment. 
	Ayude Danny un story...story...STORIO!

		ANNIE
			(rising from the dead)
	I'm ready now.

		RITA
			(gently)
	Good, fine, Sam?  Annie's ready.

Sam's fallen asleep.

EXT. RITA'S LAVISH BEL AIR HOME - NIGHT

Rita and Sam enter.

INT. RITA'S BEL AIR HOME - NIGHT

Sam is awestruck at the magnificent home.

		RITA
	Okay okay okay okay.  We'll work in the
	library.  It's down the hall and to the
	left.

They pass another room and see Danny zoned out in front of
the wide-screen TV watching MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Hey, Danny.  
			(no answer)
	Where's your father?

		DANNY
			(staring at TV)
	Guess.

		RITA
	I don't want to guess.  Where is he?
			(Sam watches Rita)
	I told you I don't want to guess.

		DANNY
	Well where was he last night?

		RITA
	Working late.

		DANNY
	There you guessed it.

		RITA
	He said he was working late?

		DANNY
	That's what he said.

		RITA
	Well who did he say was taking care of
	you?

		DANNY
	You.  But you said you were working
	late.

		RITA
	I am working late.

		DANNY
	Then go work.

		RITA
	How was your day?

		DANNY
	You have to work.  Go work.

		RITA
	No.  How was your -

Her CELL PHONE goes off.  Rita moves into the hallway to
answer her phone.  Sam moves into the den, sits on the couch,
the sound of Rita arguing with her husband drifts into the
room.  Sam looks sideways at Danny who remains stonefaced.

		SAM
	This is my favorite part.  Hey Dommy,
	this one looks like he's suffering from
	shell shock.

		DANNY
	Boy I guess we can shell it out... It
	was a shell of a good hit.

Rita stands in the doorway watching Sam have a longer
conversation with her son than she's had in months.  She
retreats.

INT. RITA'S DEN - LATER

Danny and Sam eat popcorn watching the movie.

		SAM
			(bellowing)
	"Turtles in the half-shell, turtle
	power!"  Rita!  Come this is the best
	part.

He heads towards Rita.

INT. PANTRY - CONTINUOUS

In the half-light Sam catches a glimpse of Rita standing in
the pantry unconsciously stuffing marshmallows into her
mouth.  Their eyes lock for a moment.

		SAM
	You eat too fast.  Come watch the movie.

		RITA
	It's getting late.  We have to get to
	work.
			(handing him a suit)
	This is my husband's.  He won't notice. 
	He's got ten more just like it.  Try it
	on.

INT. RITA'S LIBRARY - MOMENTS LATER

Sam comes out of the bathroom in the new suit.  Rita stares
at him astonished.  He looks incredibly handsome.  Rita,
attempting to stifle her reaction, turns away from Sam.

		SAM
	Bad?

		RITA
	No.  Very, very good.  But your tie's
	crooked.

Rita stands behind Sam with her around him showing him how to
do his tie properly.  Their images are reflected in the
mirror.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Cross over once.  Loop it around on the
	inside of your neck.
			(her hand grazes his neck)
	Slide the other side through the loop,
	then tighten.

Rita comes around to the front and straightens and tightens
the tie.  They are both nervous.  The room is charged.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Okay okay okay okay.  Our strategy is
	that we're aggressively pursuing a
	support system.  I'm going to ask you h
	ow are you prepared to help Lucy in
	school?

		SAM
	Let me see let me see let me see.

		RITA
	Sam!  I told you you have to stop that! 
	It makes you look stupid!  Okay okay
	okay.  Try again.
			(endless pause)
	You say you will find her a tutor.  Then
	I say, "How will you pay for it?"

		SAM
	Could you slow down?  Why do you eat so
	fast?

		RITA
			(ignoring him)
	We've gone over this a million times. 
	You've found a free tutoring service for
	her at the YMCA.

		SAM
	But I didn't.  You did.

		RITA
	Can't you grasp the concept of
	manipulating the truth?  Not lying. 
	Just a little tweak here and there.

		SAM
	No...You're so lucky.  You get to play
	with Danny all the time.

		RITA
	He doesn't want to play with me.

		SAM
	Yes he does.  He does he does.  He
	thinks you don't want to.

		RITA
	Oh that's ridiculous of course I want
	to.

		SAM
	Tweak, tweak.

		RITA
			(exploding)
	I drove around after work yesterday 'til
	9:30 looking for a goddman razor
	scooter!

		SAM
			(in his own world)
	Tweak, squeak, peek peek...

Rita shifts uneasily, embarrassed by her overreaction.

INT. RITA'S LIBRARY - LATER

		RITA
	Okay, why did you harass that young boy
	at your home?

		SAM
	You know I didn't harass him, Rita.  You
	know that, you know that!

		RITA
	Sam, I'm pretending to be Mr. Turner,
	remember?  Okay?

		SAM
	Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah.  I didn't harass
	him, Mr. Turner.  Mr. Turner -
			(Sam can't keep a straight
			 face)
	You don't look like him.

		RITA
	That's a blessing.

		SAM
	You're so much prettier.

		RITA
			(suddenly shy)
	Thank you.  Now. 
	What makes you think you can take care
	of a woman - I mean a young child - when
	you have a hard time taking care of
	yourself?

INT. RITA'S LIBRARY - TWO HOURS LATER

Rita is relentless.  Sam is exhausted but determined.

		RITA
	But who are you kidding?  Isn't Lucy
	already smarter than you?

		SAM
	In some ways.  But in other ways, she's
	not, I think.

		RITA
	You think?

		SAM
	I think.

		RITA
	Sam.  You've got to be firm on this.

		SAM
	I think in other ways I'm smarter than
	her.  Smarter than you are, Mr. Turner. 
	In fact, in some ways I'm smarter than
	you, Judge McNeilly.

		RITA
	Whoa!  Bring it down.

		SAM
	What parent doesn't want more for their
	child?  To be more than the sum of the
	parts of the whole of them.

		RITA
	Yeah yeah yeah, but it's one thing for a
	little girl to love her daddy when she's
	a baby, but once she loses respect for
	you, what will you do?

		SAM
			(fierce)
	I won't let that happen.  I won't.

		RITA
	How can you say that?

		SAM
	Respect is not just about how smart
	someone is.  Smart is not just about how
	smart someone is.

		RITA
	But what about Lucy?  Aren't you being
	selfish?  Doesn't she deserve a better
	life?  Don't you think she's just
	pretending she's happy to not hurt your
	feelings?  

Sam jumps up from the table, trembling with anger.

		SAM
	Lucy is happy!  We have fun!  We go to
	Denny's, we go to video night.  I know
	how to love her.  I know I'm not going
	to able to go to law school and learn
	how to be a mean person, but I know how
	to love.  I know how to be her father,
	Mr. Turner!

By this time he is face to face with Rita, breathing hard,
overcome with emotion.  Rita is unexpectedly near tears. 
Suddenly before she knows it, she is HOLDING SAM.  The room
charged.  She speaks tenderly, moved by this awkward boy/man.

		RITA
	I know you do, Sam.  I know you do.

INT. STARBUCKS - MORNING

Sam rushes into the coffee shop in his new suit.

		GEORGE
	You look great, Sam.  What time do you
	have to be in court?

		SAM
	Half day, half day.  I take the stand at
	two.

George leads him behind the counter.  THE STAFF BEAMS. 
Euphorically, Sam approaches the huge espresso machines.

		GEORGE
	Okay, we need two grande cappucinos, non
	fat.

		SAM
	Sprinkles or Cinnamon?

INT. STARBUCKS - 11:00 A.M.

Sam is doing great.  He's humming as he prepares a triple
latte with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker.

INT. STARBUCKS - 12:00 P.M.

The place is packed, including a GROUP OF JAPANESE TOURISTS. 
Sam zips around, trying to juggle between the blender, the
espresso machine, steamed milk, icemaker, all the while
glancing up at the clock.  Sam hands three cups to customers,
the foam overflowing, coffee spilling out.

A CUSTOMER takes a sip and SPITS IT OUT.

		GUY
	What is this?  I ordered an Americano,
	not a latte.

		SAM
	Americano, Americano, not a latte.

Working as fast as he can but still NOT FAST ENOUGH, Sam
unconsciously drinks the latte.

INT. STARBUCKS - 12:45 P.M.

Hyped on coffee, Sam is zooming around and he's a mess. 
Shirt hangs out, coffee stains on it, his hair wild. 
Frazzled, he forgets to put the lid on the blender and turns
it ON.  A mint mocha frappuccino SPLATTERS HIM in the face. 
At that moment, George comes out of his office.

		SAM
	I'm going to be late!  I'm going to be
	late!

		GEORGE
	I'll call a taxi.

		SAM
	No, no, I can't wait.  I can't wait. 
	I've got to go right now.

Sam heads out, the coffee drink still dripping from his face.

EXT. STREET - DAY

Walking a hundred miles an hour, Sam barrels down the street
out of his mind.  Cars are jammed up.  He walks over them, a
man possessed.

INT. COURTROOM - DAY

Everyone is in their places, waiting.

		TURNER
	Your Honor, if the defendant doesn't
	have enough interest in his daughter to
	even show up -

		RITA
	Your Honor, I'm sure he'll be here any
	moment.  This is an extremely important
	day to Mr. Dawson.

At THAT MOMENT, Sam bursts through the doors.  Suit stained,
hair sticky with frappuccino.  Rita's jaw drops.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Your Honor, may I have a moment with my
	client?

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	Make it brief, Ms. Harrison.

Rita heads towards Sam.  Up close, he looks even worse.  

		RITA
	What the hell happened?
			(sniffing the air)
	What is that smell?  Mint?

Sam, determined, heads for the stand.  Rita grabs Sam's
shoulders and tries to focus him.  Looks deep into his eyes.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Sam, look at me.  Look at me! 
			(he does)
	I will guide you like last night.
			(Sam hugs her)
	Not that part of last night, the other
	part.  Now you can do it.  I know you
	can.  Lucy needs you.

		SAM
			(a mile a minute)
	Lucy needs me.

		RITA
	Yes, slow down because Lucy needs you.

		SAM
	Lucy needs you.

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	Ms. Harrison.  We need you!

INT. COURTROOM - LATER

Sam, on the stand, talks a mile a minute from the coffee.

		RITA
	How will you be able to pay for private
	tutoring?

		SAM
	There's a free program at the YMCA. 
	Lucy can go there.

		RITA
	But don't you ever think it would be
	better for Lucy if she lived with a
	permanent foster family and you could
	visit whenever you wanted?

		SAM
	The Fosters don't know her.  Why can't
	she live with me and they can come visit
	if they want to.  I'm firm on this.  And
	I'm getting firmer.  Lucy belongs with
	me.

		RITA
	Why?

Sam puts his finger to his chin and starts his "Let me
see..." Rita gives him a look; he lowers his finger and
starts talking very fast from the coffee.  The STENOGRAPHER
desperately tries to keep pace.

		SAM
	Paul wrote the first part of the song
	"Michelle".  He said to John, "Where do
	I go from here?"  John had been
	listening to Nina Simone.  There was a
	line in it that went something like, "I
	love you, I love you, I love you..."
	They put that into the song.  It
	wouldn't be the same song without that. 
	It made the song complete.  That's why
	the whole world cried when they broke up
	on April 10, 1970.

ON RITA

Well, he has some kind of point. 

MARY, the Stenographer, is still typing.

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	Did you get that, Mary?

INT. COURTROOM - LATER

Turner fires questions at Sam - a mile a minute.

		TURNER
	When you were Lucy's age, were you
	living at home?

		SAM
	No.

		TURNER
	Were you living with your mother and
	father?

		SAM
	No.

		TURNER
	Well then where were you living?

		SAM
			(very quietly)
	In an institution.

		TURNER
	So your parents put you in an
	institution?

		SAM
	Only after my mom got sick.

		TURNER
	What about your father?  Where was he?

		SAM
	Gone with the wind when Sam was born.

		TURNER
	So, you weren't raised by your mother?

		SAM
	I saw her I saw her.

		TURNER
	When?

		SAM
	Christmas, Easter and my birthday.

		TURNER
	Oh, once a year on your birthday.  So in
	a way, the people at the institution
	were your parents.  Were they nice to
	you?

		SAM
	Some yes.  Some on.  Some yes.

		TURNER
	Did they hit you?

		SAM
	Sometimes.  Sometimes they did
	sometimes.

		TURNER
	Like when you hit Lucy's friend at her
	birthday party?

		RITA
	Objection!  Nobody hit anybody!

		TURNER
	Let me rephrase that, strong-armed.  So
	what role model do you call upon as a
	father when you're parenting Lucy?  The
	head of the institution?  The Principal 
	the warden?

		SAM
	No.  Not Mr. Whitehead.  Not him.

		TURNER
	Then who?

		SAM
	Myself.

		TURNER
	you have the mental capacity of a seven
	year old.  So you ask yourself, a seven
	year old -

		SAM
	I am not a seven-year old.

		TURNER
	How to parent a fellow seven-year old?

		SAM
	Yes.  No.  What was the question?

		TURNER
	The question is: what makes you think
	you can be a parent?  Your background? 
	Your IQ?  Your friends who can't even
	testify for you?

		RITA
	Objection -

		SAM
	My friends -

		RITA
	Objection -

		SAM
	My friends love Lucy even if Rita
	thought they weren't smart enough to
	testify.  Even if she said you'd wipe
	the floor with them.

ON RITA

Trying to telepathically reach Sam.

		TURNER
	Excuse me, Mr. Dawson, your lawyer just
	objected; that means you didn't have to
	answer the question.  You can't even
	follow the simple rules you've watched
	here day after day.  You really think
	you can raise a seven-year old?  A ten
	year old?  A thirteen-year old?
			(in his face)
	That means she'll be six years more
	advanced than you.

Sweat pours down Sam's coffee stained collar.  He searches
for words.  Then from the clearest place inside himself:

		SAM
	I've had a lot of time to think about
	whatever it is that makes somebody a
	good parent.  It has to do with
	constancy.  It has to do with patience. 
	It has to do with listening.  To
	pretending to listen when you can't even
	listen anymore.

The court is riveted by Sam's eloquence.  Rita's amazed.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	It has to do with love, like she says...

Rita's antenna goes up: who's "she?"

		SAM (CONT'D)
	And I don't know where it's written that
	a woman has a corner on that market,
	that a man has any less of those
	emotions than a woman.  Billy has a home
	with me!  It's not perfect!  I'm not a
	perfect parent!  Sometimes I forget he's
	just a little kid...
			(whispers from the courtroom)
	We built a life together and we love
	each other and if you destroy that, it
	may be irrep, irrep, irrep...

		IFTY
	Irreparable.

All eyes TURN to the back of the room.  Ifty is there trying
with all his might to help his friend.

		IFTY (CONT'D)
	Joanne, don't do that, please.  Don't do
	it twice, not to him.  Then Meryl Streep
	can't even look at Dustin Hoffman after
	that.

		TURNER
	Right, "Kramer vs. Kramer."  Thank you
	for the commentary, Mr. Bhutto.  It's
	hard to find words isn't it, Mr. Dawson. 
	It's confusing.  It's confusing to know
	what to say to Lucy half the time, isn't
	it?

Mortified, so uncomfortable in this strange world, so at a
loss how to swim through it, beginning to believe everything
Turner's saying, Sam looks out at the faces in the courtroom. 
Rita, stunned and incredulous; Turner and his associate
smirking at him; Ifty, shaking his head; Robert, his face in
his hands; Miss Wright, Margaret Brown, the State's Expert,
almost willing him to fail.  Are they right?  Are they?

		SAM
	No, yes, no.

		TURNER
	No what?

		SAM
	Let me see let me see let me see.

		TURNER
	You don't know what?

		SAM
	Yes.

		TURNER
	Yes.  You're right, you don't know.  You
	don't know enough to really raise your
	daughter?

		RITA
	Objection.  These aren't questions,
	these are attacks.

		SAM
			(frantic)
	I am Lucy's father.

		TURNER
	Are you?  Are you really?  I'm not
	talking about the fact that you got some
	homeless woman pregnant.

		RITA
	Objection your Honor.  I motion a
	recess.

		JUDGE MCNEILY
	Denied.  Get to the question, Mr.
	Turner.

		TURNER
	The question is if you love your
	daughter as much as they say you do
	don't you think she deserves more?! 
	Don't you?  In your heart of hearts,
	secretly question yourself every day? 
	Don't you?!

		SAM
	Yes.

		TURNER
	Was that a "yes?"

		RITA
	Objection.

		SAM
	Yes.  She does.  She deserves
	everything.  In my heart of hearts.

		TURNER
	Yes she does.  And you agree with
	everyone, you can't give her that?

		SAM
			(in unbearable pain)
	Maybe.  Maybe everybody's right.

ON TURNER

There.  He got it.  

ON RITA

Anguished.  Watching Sam unravel as he stands up and starts
walking around in a circle in the witness box.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	No more no more!  Let it stop!  No more! 
	No more!  No more!

The Judge watches Sam, sad and stunned.  The verdict is
obvious.  Sam has passed judgement on himself.

EXT. CHILD AND FAMILY PROTECTIVE SERVICES - HALLWAY

Sam, broken, walks down the long hallway with Rita toward
Margaret Brown's office.  Suddenly, Rita stops as she and Sam
both see -

LUCY

Sitting, hopeful on the bench.  She searches Sam's face for
the verdict.  The minute she sees sorrow in his eyes, she
knows.  She runs to him, gluing herself to his chest.

		LUCY
	No Daddy!  No Daddy!  No Daddy!

In a SERIES OF WORDLESS DISSOLVES, they hold each other in
the hallway through the entire forty five minute visit.  The
only thing moving is the hands of a large wall clock in the
background.  Pained, Margaret reaches for Lucy.

		MARGARET BROWN
	C'mon, Lucy.  It's time to say goodbye.

		LUCY
	NOOOO!  Don't let go don't let go don't
	let go -

Sam's tears mix with Lucy's as they sob, clinging to each
other.  With such fierce love; a parent and a child.

		LUCY (CONT'D)
	Don't let them Daddy don't let them! 
	Don't ever let me go!

He can't let her go.  That he can't do.  Margaret, steel
herself, turns to Rita, no matter how many times she's done
this.

		MARGARET BROWN
	Please help me.

Rita, aching from a place she thought she buried long ago,
shakes her head, NO.  Now, Margaret literally has to wrench
Lucy away from her father's arms.  Lucy bellowing as she
pulls her down the hallway.  Sam is frozen in incalculable
pain.

EXT. SAM'S APARTMENT HALLWAY - NIGHT

We hear "Fool on the Hill".  We follow a trail of PINK LIQUID
melting down the hall and come to Annie's door where a pile
of grocery bags and newspapers sit in a PUDDLE OF STRAWBERRY
ICE CREAM.  Suddenly, the needle SCRAPES LOUDLY across the
record, followed by a mysterious POUNDING against the wall.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

The CAMERA MOVES to the WINDOW.  Inside, the lights are dim. 
Lucy's HAMMOCK SWINGS EMPTY, ghostlike.  Sam, curled into a
ball in Lucy's bare corner, bangs his head over and over
again against the wall, overcome with grief.

INT. DANNY'S ROOM - RITA'S HOUSE - NIGHT

The POUNDING CONTINUES as we see Rita standing in the
doorway, watching her sleeping child.  This stranger that
she's raised.  She moves to cover him, this tough little boy,
when she sees POOH BEAR tucked under his arm.  She tucks them
both in, tenderly.

EXT. CARPENTER HOUSE - DAY

Saturday in idyllic suburbia.  Sam, directions and a map in
his hands, tentatively rounds the corner.  A small bouquet of
flowers in his hands when he stops - STARING AHEAD AT --

REVERSE ANGLE

Lucy looking absolutely radiant in a new spring dress.  She
stands on the front porch with RANDY, who wears a red smock
and is setting up TWO EASELS AND PAINTS.  There's a tiny
chair for Lucy and a tiny chair for her.

CLOSE ON LUCY AND RANDY

The tension in Lucy's face, Randy straining to connect with
her.

		RANDY
	Your teacher told me you were an artist.

		LUCY
	You wear too much perfume.  You're
	trying too hard.

		RANDY
	I am, aren't I.  Maybe you could teach
	me how to paint.

		LUCY
	My daddy's coming today.  We're going to
	open my birthday presents.  Why don't
	you just go do something.

BACK TO SAM

From where he stands, all he sees is Lucy getting everything
she deserves.  He looks down at the tiny bouquet in his hand -
feeling profoundly inadequate, he reaches for some flowers
from a garden he's passing.  Puts them in his bouquet.  Then
stops.  Feels guilty.  Tries to put the flowers BACK.  He
stares up at Lucy on the porch a few houses away.

Lucy sits on the steps.  Randy sits right next to her.

BACK ON SAM

Where he WAS standing, but is now GONE.  The flowers lay in
the dirt.  From the porch, Lucy looks out and waits.  And
waits.  And waits.

INT. STARBUCKS - DAY

It's Saturday.  The place is buzzing.  Sam listlessly cleans
the tables, without the usual energy and verve.  A TODDLER
marches around a table, playing under the adoring gaze of his
parents.

		MAN
	Excuse me, my kid knocked over a coffee,
	could you clean this up?

Sam sees a FAMILY at a table covered with spilled coffee.

		MAN (CONT'D)
	I said I need a refill and a towel over
	here.

		SAM
			(snapping)
	You need a towel?  A refill?  A glass of
	water?  You need more than you already
	have?  You have everything -
			(all his fury and frustration)
	Everything.  But it's not enough.  Take
	my daughter, too!

Sam's out of control, the whole shop stares at him as he
backs into a shelf of MUGS he so carefully arranged.  They
CRASH onto the floor.

							 SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. CARPENTER PORCH - DAY

Paints and brushes go FLYING across the porch as Lucy KNOCKS
THEM OVER.  Totally out of control.

		LUCY
	You gave him the wrong address!  You're
	hiding me from him!

As Randy reaches for her, Lucy pours black paint on her.

EXT. CARPENTER HOUSE - DUSK

Lucy sits in a ball on the corner of the porch.  Her eyes
swollen from crying.  Finally, she gets up and moves to the
tiny chair that Randy put out for her.  Straightens the easel
and begins to paint.

The front door opens and Randy comes out having washed her
face and hair.  Without speaking, Randy straightens her easel
and sits down next to Lucy and begins to paint.  Randy and
Lucy paint in silence for a long time.  Then -

		LUCY
	You're going to send me away now, aren't
	you?

		RANDY
			(tenderly)
	No.

We hear what sounds like a child's hand playing the song
"Here, There and Everywhere..."

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - EVENING

We see SAM sitting at Lucy's miniature toy piano as he plays
with one finger.  IN A SERIES OF DISSOLVES, as DAYS and WEEKS
PASS, we see SAM'S HANDS at the PIANO -

					 INTERCUT:

EXT. CARPENTER HOUSE - DAY

With Lucy and Randy's hands as they PAINT side by side to
Sam's sad melody.  Lucy's pictures start ANGRY, angular with
blacks and blues, then GRADUALLY soften and the dark figures
recede.  By the END, there is a BRUSHSTROKE of the red of
Randy's smock peeking into the corner of Lucy's picture.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - DAY

We come back to Sam, having withdrawn completely into himself
serenading no one.

INT. LUCY'S BEDROOM - DAY

We see Lucy and Randy sitting on her bed unwrapping the
birthday presents.  TIME HAS PASSED.  They look close, almost
like a mother and daughter.  Lucy finishes unwrapping Sam's
present and we see a stack of ONE HUNDRED DENNY'S NAPKINS.

		RANDY
	Oh, he must've forgotten to put the gift
	in.

Randy picks up one of Lucy's pictures and moves to the wall.

		RANDY (CONT'D)
	You know, this wall really needs
	something special on it.

Lucy half-smiles and unconsciously begins to fold one of the
Denny's napkins into an origami bird.  Then crushes it.  Then
cautiously:

		LUCY
	What's the longest any one of those kids
	stayed with you?

		RANDY
	Megan stayed a little over a year.

		LUCY
			(averting her eyes)
	Did you ever want any of them to stay
	longer?

ON RANDY

Moved herself.  Understanding how huge a question this is
coming from this bruised little heart.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - WEEKS LATER - DAY

Sam sits in a dark corner; maniacally folding newspaper into
an odd origami pattern.  There's a knock at the door - Sam
doesn't move, he just continues folding his paper.

		RITA (O.S.)
	Sam it's me!  Open up!

He doesn't answer it, just methodically folds.

EXT. SAM'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Rita stands there impatiently.

		RITA
	I don't have time for this!  You were
	supposed to show up for your first
	evaluation.  And I leave work early to
	get there and where the hell are you?! 
	Open the door!  Sam!  Open the goddamn
	door!
			(nothing)
	Alright.  If you don't care enough to
	open the goddamn door I'm outta here! 
	I've ruined my practice, I've alienated
	my colleagues - I sent my kid off on a
	fishing trip with his father so I could
	work with you and you won't open your
	goddman door for me?!  Fine!  THAT'S IT! 
	I've had enough!

She starts down the hall when suddenly she turns and - with
the mastery of a karate black belt - RUNS AND KICKS the door
down.

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Rita bursts through the door and then stops.  Sam has created
an origami wall of newspapers, intricately woven together. 
A fortress against the world.  He keeps folding - doesn't
even look at Rita.  He's more far gone than she could
imagine, she walks gingerly to the wall and knocks gently on
it.

		RITA
	Sam, it's Rita.  Can I come in?

		SAM
	No room.  No room.

		RITA
	Hey.  I lived in the East Village.  I
	don't need a lot of room.

		SAM
	Sam makes life too hard.  Sam makes life
	too hard on everyone.

		RITA
	Sam, I can go at least nine more rounds. 
	But you gotta let me in.  Please Sam. 
	Please.

He pulls out one small brick of origami, opening a window.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Thank you.  Now I can see your kind
	eyes...George told me you needed a break
	from work.

		SAM
	I don't want to work there anymore.  Too
	many people.

		RITA
	Maybe we could find you a quieter job. 
	Because remember one of the judges
	conditions is you have to earn more
	money; you've got to keep earning more
	money for when we get you Lucy back.

		SAM
	Lucy doesn't need me anymore.  She has a
	new family.  She doesn't need me
	anymore.

		RITA
	Is that what she said?

		SAM
	She didn't have to say it.  I may be
	stupid, but I know.  I know.

		RITA
	Well that's the first stupid thing I've
	ever heard you say.

Sam looks at her through the window.  A CHINK in the wall.

		RITA (CONT'D)
	Sam, Sam you can get her back.  The
	court favors reunification.  The only
	thing that can block you is if the
	foster family petitions to adopt.  And
	from what I've heard, Lucy's making
	their life miserable - that's our girl. 
	Sam, fight for her.

		SAM
	I tried.  I tried.

		RITA
	Try harder.

		SAM
	You don't know.  You don't know.

		RITA
	I don't know?

		SAM
	You don't know what it is to try and try
	and never get there.  You were born
	perfect, perfect.

		RITA
	Is that right?  Everyone else is perfect
	but only Sam feels loss and pain?

		SAM
	That's right.  People like you don't
	know.

		RITA
	People like me?

		SAM
	People like you don't know, don't know
	what hurt feels like, people like you
	don't feel, don't feel anything.

She slaps him.  STUNNED, he slaps her back.  STUNNED, she
slaps him again.  HE SLAPS HER.  She rips the newspaper wall
down.

		RITA
	You think you got the market cornered on
	human suffering?  Well let me tell you
	something about "People like me." 
	People like me feel little and lost and
	ugly and dispensable.  People like me
	have perfect husbands screwing someone
	far more perfect than me and my son, my
	son hates me, I try too hard and I push
	and he knows it and I talk in that
	voice, that voice I promised I'd never
	use, and I've screamed, I've screamed
	horrible things to him, a five year-old
	because he doesn't want to get in the
	car at the end of a day and he stares at
	me with such anger and I hate him then. 
	I know I'm failing you, I know I'm
	disappointing you, I know you deserve
	better but get in the fucking car!  It's
	like every morning I wake up and fail,
	and I look around and anybody, anybody
	can pull it off, but somehow I can't. 
	And I know, I know I have everything,
	and I'm still miserable and it's
	pathetic.  I know it's pathetic.  No
	matter how hard I try, something about
	me will never be enough.

She's crying too hard to continue.  He pulls her to him. 
Before she realizes what's happening, she's holding him
tightly.  He whispers in her ear.

		SAM
	You're enough.  You're so much more than
	enough.

He looks her straight in the eye - she's undone by the
intimacy of the moment, by the strength of his purity.  And
staring into his eyes, she begins to sob, walls crumbling. 
He kisses her elbow, her shoulder, her forehead, her eyes,
her tears.  And something ignites between them - something
confused and scary and deep and filled with a passionate
ache.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	Lovely Rita...

On a bed of newspaper that was once a wall they come
together, whole again.

EXT. RANDY'S NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY

Sam rounds the corner walking - or rather being walked by SIX
DOGS, all shapes, all sizes.  He heads up the walkway to
Randy's house.  She comes out of the house and shuts the door
behind her, stopping him.

		RANDY
	You're early.

		SAM
	All the lights were green.

		RANDY
	There's a reason for the court schedule. 
	You stopped showing up.  Lucy has had to
	rebuild her life.

		SAM
	I want her back.  I can do it.  I know I
	can.

		RANDY
	That's not up to me, but I'm telling
	you, I will do everything in my power to
	prevent Lucy from getting hurt again.

Sam hangs his head.  A dog barks at Randy.

		RANDY (CONT'D)
	Whose dogs are these?

		SAM
	Supplemental income supplemental income -
	bathe, walk and feed.  Sam Dawson meets
	your canine needs.
			(to dogs)
	Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit!

All the dogs sit but a BIG BLACK LAB.  Randy heads into the
house.  The front door opens and Lucy comes out.  She runs
down the stares to Sam.  Thrilled, Sam opens his arms to her. 
She leaps into them and begins slugging his chest with pent
up fury.

		LUCY
	You never came!  You never even called! 
	You forgot about me!  How could you
	forget me!

		SAM
	I never forgot you.  I forgot me.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	I hate you I hate you I hate you!

Lucy pulls away.  A long charged silence.  Lucy refusing to
even look at her father.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	Lucy, I tried to write you a letter last
	night...

A BASSET HOUND SNEEZES.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	Gesundheit, Buster.  Buster has a cold. 
	But the letter had too many big words. 
	Pokey, sit.

The black lab has begun eating Randy's flowers.  Lucy stares
forward.  Sam speaks tentatively, carefully:

		SAM (CONT'D)
	Dear Lucy.  Pokey sit.  Dear Lucy, I'm
	sorry that I hurt you.  Every moment of
	the day I thought about you.  Lucy in
	the hammock, Lucy at school.  Lucy in
	the sky...XXOO.  Daddy.  P.S. I love
	you, recorded September 11th, the day
	you took your first step.

Lucy raises her head and looks at Sam for the first time.

INT. DENNY'S - DAY

ON SALAD BAR

Rows of carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and - uh-oh, a tomato's
in the peas.  A hand comes into frame and carefully places
the tomato just so, in the tomato bin.  Now it moves to the
olives.  Shouldn't all the pimentos be facing up?

PULL BACK

To reveal Sam, in white apron and hat, deftly filling the
containers of the elaborate salad bar as people fill their
plates.

		SAM
	Napa cabbage, excellent choice.  Purple
	and green, purple and green.  Very rich
	in Vitamin C.  Good choice. Very good
	choice.

INT. COURTHOUSE - HALLWAY - DAY

Sam walks toward the courtroom when we see Rita approaching
from the other end of the hall.  They both slow down when
they see each other.  Rita unconsciously fixes her hair.  Sam
adjusts his tie.

		RITA
	Hello, Sam.  Mr. Dawson.  Sam.  Dawson.

		SAM
	Hello, lawyer.

They almost shake hands - realize that means touching each
other and don't.  Rita motions toward the door.

		RITA
	Shall we?

		SAM
	No.  We already did.  Don't tell
	anybody.

They nervously walk through the door, bumping into each
other.

INT. SMALL COURT ROOM - LATER

She's very aware of Sam.  He looks away, over compensating
obviously.  Throughout the scene, Rita's hair falls in her
eyes.  She attempts to put it in place.

		RITA
	Furthermore, my client has found a new
	job, and is making every effort to find
	a bigger apartment so that -

Rita's hair falls in her eyes again.  Sam stands up, pulls
HER BARRETTE from his pocket, the one she left at his house.

		SAM
	Here.

Rita stares at the barrette as if it were the murder weapon.

		RITA
	Oh, thank you.  What a...a lovely
	barrette, Mr. Dawson.  It will look
	great on Lucy.  Who I'm sure you bought
	it for.  Furthermore, so that...there
	will be more room for Lucy as she grows
	up.

		MARGARET BROWN
	All of that is well and good but the
	fact that Mr. Dawson quite his job,
	missed his hearing, and did not even
	show up for his visits with his
	daughter...

		RITA
	The fact that my client went through
	profound depression is the most natural
	reaction any parent could have.

		MARGARET BROWN
	But once again he had no idea how his
	behavior during that depression impacted
	on his daughter.

		RITA
	In these next months, Mr. Dawson will be
	expanding his support system to include
	Social Service programs, tutors --

		MARGARET BROWN
	It's too late!  The foster family is
	petitioning the court for sole custody
	of Lucy and I fully support their
	request.

Sam turns to Rita.  This can't be happening.

INT. DENNY'S - NIGHT

Sam, Rita, Ifty, Robert and Brad sit in a booth.  With one
extra person, it's a little tight.  Rita picks at her
Salisbury Steak special, trying to deal with the business at
hand.

		IFTY
	Isn't it illegal?  It's illegal to go
	through stop signs.  It's illegal to
	cross on the red.

		RITA
	It's not illegal.  It's very
	complicated.  When a strong foster
	parent lobbies for a child it changes
	the equation.

		ROBERT
	They're reaching right through Sam as if
	he doesn't exist.  As if he's a ghost.

		RITA
	There's one option we've never talked
	about, Sam. 
			(very carefully)
	I know what you went through the last
	time you took the stand.  We could
	settle out of court, ask for the most
	incredible visitation rights - it would
	almost seem like joint custody.

		SAM
	You're saying I don't have a chance. 
	That's what you're saying.

		RITA
	I'm not saying you don't have a chance.

		ROBERT
	That's what you said last time and look
	where he is now.

		SAM
	Stop.  Rita's not saying I don't have a
	chance.  Are you?  Tell me I have a
	chance.

Too long a pause.  Ifty looks at the clock.

		IFTY
	Oh my God!  6:35 is Video Night at my
	house and I'm not even there!

		ROBERT
	If we get there before you do we'll wait
	for you - check!

		BRAD
	Sam get your dessert to go.

		SAM
	This is very hard to say.  I'm having my
	dessert here.  With Rita.  I'm not
	coming to video night.

Devastated, Ifty, Robert and Brad solemnly gather their
things.

		RITA
	Sam - if you want to go...

		SAM
	I said no, Rita.

		RITA
	I know, but if you -

		SAM
	What?  Do you want me to go?

		RITA
	I didn't say that.  But do you want to
	go?

		SAM
	Where?

		RITA
	Nevermind.

		SAM
	Fine.

		RITA
	Fine.

		IFTY, ROBERT & BRAD
	Fine.

They leave in a huff.  The WAITRESS delivers the check with
dessert and coffee.

		RITA
	I've got it.

		SAM
	I've got it.

Long pause.  Rita slowly eats her pie.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	It's good to chew.  You're eating more
	slowly.

Rita laughs and nods.

		SAM (CONT'D)
	Coconut Rhubarb.  Sidebar, we need to
	talk.  Sidebar.

		RITA
			(carefully)
	Yes we do.

		SAM
	I need to get Lucy back.  We need, we
	need - to be professional.

		RITA
	Do you know what that means?

		SAM
	When dealing with Starbucks' customers,
	be friendly but not familiar.  I can be
	your friend.

		RITA
			(oddly touched)
	Thank you, Sam.

		SAM
	You need to leave your husband.

		RITA
			(her armor up again)
	Oh, my marriage isn't so bad.

		SAM
	'Life is very short and there's no time
	for fussing and fighting, my friend.'

		RITA
			(undone)
	It's just...it's just that...I've never
	lost anything.

EXT. SCHOOL - DAY

Randy kisses Lucy goodbye as she heads toward school.  We
follow Lucy - suddenly a BIRD SAILS THROUGH THE SKY and LANDS
IN FRONT OF LUCY.  It's an ORIGAMI BIRD.  She looks around -
but doesn't see Sam anywhere.  But she feels him.  She walks
toward school, clutching the bird, past a tree and we move up
that tree and see Sam nestled in the branches.  There.  They
made contact.

EXT. RANDY'S NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY

It's later that week.  Lucy walks proudly down the street in
a GIRL SCOUT UNIFORM, selling cookies.  Randy is by her side,
beaming.

		LUCY
	We've made $22.36.  That's seven
	dollars, 64 cents less than thirty.

		RANDY
	Well that's one way of looking at it.

EXT. RANDY'S NEIGHBORHOOD - LATER

DISSOLVE as they move through the neighborhood.  Finally we
see her bound up the steps to an apartment building.  She
knocks on the door.  It opens - and Lucy and Randy's JAW
DROPS. 

REVERSE ANGLE

Sam stands there.  Holding three kittens.  WE see various
dogs in arm chairs, the couch...

		LUCY
	Daddy?!

		RANDY
	What are you doing here?

		SAM
	I live here.  This is where I live.

		LUCY
	This is where you live?  So close to me?

		SAM
	I wanted to be close to you.  I wanted
	to be closer.  Look at my apartment
	number.
			(it's number 9)
	John was born on October 9th.  His son
	was born on October 9th.

		LUCY
	John met Yoko on November 9th.

		SAM
	His mother lived at 9 Newcastle,
	Liverpool.

		LUCY
	Newcastle.  9 letters.  Liverpool - 9
	letters...

		RANDY
	Lucy, give me one minute with your
	father.  Sam, I consider myself an
	understanding person but I don't
	understand this.  You can't close the
	distance between you and Lucy with a new
	address.  We go to court in a week -

		SAM
	I don't want to spend half my visit with
	Lucy on the bus getting to Lucy.  I
	don't want to waste one more minute.

Buster sneezes.

		LUCY
			(from the doorway)
	Does Buster still have his cold?

		SAM
	He's better, much better.  Now I'll have
	one box of mint chocolate cookies.

		LUCY
	That'll be three-eighty six.

		LUCY & SAM
			(in unison)
	Let me see let me see let me see...
	That's one dollar and 14 cents less than
	five.

Randy watches with a mixture of jealousy and fear as Lucy
effortlessly enters her and Sam's universe.

EXT. CARPENTER HOUSE - DAY

From the window, Randy watches as Sam hands Lucy four leashes
and the two of them get pulled down the street by the dogs.

INT. LUCY'S BEDROOM - 2 A.M.

Lucy lies in her hammock, unable to sleep.  Staring at the
little origami bird on her window sill.  She moves it, opens
the window wide, quickly takes Mr. Jeeters - and within a
moment she's out the window and onto the limb of the tree.

EXT. MAIN THOROUGHFARE - NIGHT

"The night grows teeth..." stray dogs fight over garbage - a
wino talks to himself and in the midst of it all walks Lucy
in her pj's.  Mr. Jeeters tucked under her arm.  Lucy crosses
the street.  HONK!  the screeching of tires...

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - MOMENTS LATER

We're looking at an old fashioned fire escape when suddenly
we make out a figure climbing higher and higher.  It's Lucy. 
We catch glimpses of her and then lose her as the neon sign
across the street blinks on and off.

INT. SAM'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Sam's asleep.  Suddenly his eyes open wide.  And like an
animal sensing danger, he gets up.  We HEAR THE SOUND of
something THUMPING AGAINST RUNG AFTER RUNG OF THE FIRE
ESCAPE.  He rushes to his window and looks to see --

EXT. SAM'S APARTMENT

Lucy climbing the fire escape!  Sam opens the window and
reaches for her.

		SAM
	Lucy Lucy.  What are you doing?!  You
	could have really hurt yourself.  What
	are you doing?

		LUCY
	I couldn't sleep.  Daddy, did you know
	that Warren G. Harding was the twenty
	ninth President of the United States?

		SAM
	No.

		LUCY
	Remember - the twenty-ninth President. 
	In case the Judge asks.

EXT. RANDY'S STREET - NIGHT

Sam, in his pajamas, holds a sleeping Lucy in his arms.  He
turns a corner and heads up the walkway to Randy's house.  He
knocks on the door.  Finally the door opens and we see Randy
and Bill in their pajamas SHOCKED at seeing Sam and Lucy.

		SAM
	She couldn't sleep.

		RANDY
	Give me my daugh -
			(she stops herself)
	Give me - I'll take Lucy.

		SAM
	Maybe if you rub her tummy twenty-three
	times, tell her two stories and give her
	half a Denny's blueberry muffin and a
	third of a glass of milk she'll sleep. 
	Good night.

Randy and BILL, her husband, watch as Sam turns and walks
purposely down the walkway - his houseslippers scuffling on
the quiet street.

SERIES OF SHOTS AT 3:00 A.M. --

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Lucy in her pj's walks down the middle of the street.

EXT. SAM'S WINDOW - NIGHT

Lucy knocks on Sam's window.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Lucy and Sam walk back down the street to Randy's house.

EXT. SAM'S WINDOW - NIGHT

Lucy lugs encyclopedias to Sam's windowsill.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Lucy in a blanket being carried by Sam toward Randy's house.

INT. LUCY'S ROOM - NIGHT

Until FINALLY, we see Lucy in her hammock at Randy's house
looking out the windows, which have now been completely
covered with BARS.  Her room is filled with origami birds
from the 100 Denny's napkins, her birthday gift.  Lucy gets
out of her hammock and tiptoes across her room - quietly
opening the door.

INT. CARPENTER HOUSE - STAIRS TO LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

We follow her through the dark house as she creeps down the
stairs.  She gets to the front door.  It's been DEAD BOLTED
where she cannot reach it.  From the darkness we hear --

		RANDY
			(tenderly)
	Lucy.  Come here.

Randy sits in the darkness, next to a THIRD OF A GLASS OF
MILK and a HALF A DENNY'S BLUEBERRY MUFFIN.

		RANDY (CONT'D)
	I made us a midnight snack.

Lucy stares at the muffin and milk.  Torn.

		RANDY (CONT'D)
	I understand that you want to see your
	daddy.  And I don't want to keep you
	from him.  I honestly don't.  So you
	tell me when you want to see him.  You
	can see him anytime you want.  But we
	have to arrange it first.  Do you
	understand?
			(Lucy nods)
	Now would you like a snack?

Lucy nods.  Elated, Randy makes room for her on the couch. 
But Lucy just reaches for the milk and muffin and heads up
the stairs then turns back and speaks gently to Randy.

		LUCY
	Thank you.  Goodnight.

		RANDY
			(words caught in her throat)
	Goodnight, Lucy.

INT. SAM'S BEDROOM - DAY

We PAN ACROSS THE ROOM and see Sam's shoes, his tie, and a
YELLOW PAD WITH ALL THE PRESIDENTS LISTED IN ORDER.  A KNOCK
at the door - Sam opens it to see Rita standing there,
looking intensely vulnerable, holding her husband's suit.

		RITA
	My husband left this when he moved out.

		SAM
	Oh, lovely Rita, meter maid.

		RITA
			(entering)
	Nice place.  I worry.  I worry
	sometimes...

		SAM
	You worry you did the wrong thing?

		RITA
	I worry that I've gotten more out of
	this relationship than you.

		SAM
	No no no.  I'm the lucky one.  I have
	the lawyer that never loses.

		RITA
			(covering)
	That's me...okay, let me see, let me
	see, let me see.
			(pulls out notes)
	They're going to put Bill and Randy on
	the stand first and then you.

		SAM
	Them first, then me.  They're a nice
	couple.  They have a nice house.  She's
	pretty.  She's smart, too.  I can tell. 
	The manager of the salad bar is gonna
	testify, isn't he?  That will help us.

For a moment, Rita's mask drops and her fear for Sam
overwhelms her.

		RITA
	Absolutely.

		SAM
	Nobody believed that George Harrison
	could really be a song writer.  But he
	wrote "Here Comes the Sun".  John and
	Paul said it was one of the best songs
	on ABBEY ROAD.

		RITA
			(tenderly)
	George was always my favorite Beatle.

		SAM
	Lucy's was Paul.

INT. RANDY AND BILL'S BEDROOM - 2 A.M.

Randy and Bill are asleep when Randy senses something.  She
opens her eyes and sees Lucy staring at her.

		LUCY
	Now.

		RANDY
	What honey?

		LUCY
	Now.  I want to see him now.

INT. SAM'S BEDROOM - 3:30 A.M.

We see Sam sleeping in bed.  There's a KNOCK at the door. 
Sam wakes with a start, throws down the covers. 
We see that he's wearing the Armani suit.  Sam opens the door
to see Randy standing there, holding a sleeping Lucy in her
arms.

		RANDY
	She fell asleep on the car ride over.  I
	was gonna turn back and tuck her in to
	her bed...with the pink canopy...and the
	quilt I made...But I was afraid she'd
	wake up at our house...
			(fighting the ache in her soul)
	...and want to come home.

Sam looks at Randy with profound compassion.

		RANDY (CONT'D)
	I was gonna tell the judge that I could
	give Lucy the kind of love she never
	had.  But I would be lying.

		SAM
	I hope I hope I hope that you're saying
	what I think you're saying even though
	you're not saying it.

Randy nods and hands the sleeping Lucy into Sam's strong
arms.  For a moment they BOTH HOLD LUCY between them in the
most unique embrace.  Randy finally lets go and struggles to
say goodbye.

		RANDY
	Goodnight.  I'll see you in court.  Save
	me a seat...on your side.

Randy walks away.  Stunned, Sam watches her, holding Lucy in
his arms.  Then, from a very brave place:

		SAM
	Randy!  If I tell you I can't do it
	alone, will you tell the judge?

		RANDY
			(turns gently)
	No.

		SAM
	Promise?

		RANDY
	Promise...

		SAM
	I've looked and looked for a mother for
	Lucy. 
	Help, I need someone, help, not just
	anyone.  You're the red in Lucy's
	painting.

ON RANDY

So unexpectedly bonded to them both.

EXT. SOCCER FIELD - DAY

A glorious sunny day.  Lucy and her team are in the middle of
a fierce game.  A foul is called when we hear -

		SAM
	Penalty!  Rules broken.  Penalty,
	please!

Sam, wearing a UNIFORM and whistle around his neck, walking
his inimitable walk, races up the field, COACHING THE TEAM.

Ifty, Robert and Brad sit in the bleachers.  Robert, in
sunglasses, paranoid, looking behind him.  Brad follows
around an attractive YOUNG WOMAN as close as he can get to
her.  Sam runs by the water stand, manned by Randy and Bill.  

They share a look - a moment of intense parental pride.  Lucy
and a kid named PHILLIP go after the ball.

		OBNOXIOUS MOM
	Get her!  Phillip, you get her!

		ROBERT
	I saw that!  You gave him a secret
	signal!  Didn't you?

		IFTY
	Keep both eyes on the ball, Lucy - balls
	are round - on sale at Kmart.  The earth
	is a ball, too...

Phillip steps in front of Lucy and shoves her as hard as he
can.  Sam blows his whistle repeatedly and races over.

		SAM
	Penalty!  Repeat!  Rules broken! 
	Penalty!

		RITA (O.S.)
	Penalty?!  Sue him!  Kick his ass outta
	the game!

It's RITA!  With Danny - hollering from the stands.

ON LUCY

Looks over at her father.  Sam does every coaching gesture,
and referee hand signal from every sport known to man.  It
looks like a bizarre TWYLA THARP DANCE.

ON LUCY

She does it right back at him.  Their secret code.  The code
that will bind them for the rest of their lives.

ON THE CROWD AND PLAYERS

All watching.  What the hell was that?  Sam blows his
whistle.

		SAM
	Play ball!  Play ball!

The game heats up.  Lucy's team gets the ball and is headed
toward the goal.  Sam is running right alongside them, so
excited, until he can't hold himself back anymore and
intercepts the ball!  Sam runs valiantly down the field with
it!  We hear "Here Comes the Sun"...

Little darlin', it's been a long, cold lonely winter.  Little
darlin', it feels like years since you've been here.  Here
comes the Sun...Here comes the sun...And I say, "It's
alright..."

And the CREDITS ROLL.

			FADE TO BLACK.