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    counterpane

    Page 6
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      DAVID    

      Your personal life is none of my business.    

      Jean. You've given me a chance -- a chance to     

      get myself straightened out. You've given    

      Tommy a chance too -- to have someone to love.    

      (beat)    

      I've asked too much. If you have to go,    

      I understand.

          

      Tommy walks into the room with feigned innocence.

          

      TOMMY    

      Jean, who is Masters and Johnson?

      JEAN    

      Not "is." Are.

          

      TOMMY    

      Huh? Are what?

          

      David and Jean break into laughter.

          

      JEAN    

      It's okay Tommy.    

      (to David)     

      Now you see what I mean.

          

      DAVID     

      Tommy, can you leave us for a few minutes?

          

      JEAN    

      Let him stay, David. He should know.    

      I'll stay on.

          

      (beat)    

      But only on the condition that we set     

      a time limit.     

          

      Tommy throws his arms around Jeans neck.

          

      DAVID    

      Thanks, Jean. I promise. 

     

          

      THE SAME ITALIAN RESTAURANT

          

      Tommy sits twirling his spaghetti as David struggles to express to Tommy the feelings he has kept pent up for so long.

           DAVID    

      Tommy!    

          

      TOMMY    

      (twirling absently)    

      Yes Dad.

          

      DAVID    

      You haven't heard a thing I said.    

      I wanted to tell you why I.

          

      Tommy moves closer to his father and with a fork full of spaghetti throws his arms around David and hugs him.

          

      TOMMY    

      It's no biggee, Dad.

          

      DAVID    

      (Tommy pulls back)    

      Tommy, I love.

      David catches Tommy's pensive look then turns to see the spaghetti draped over his jacket. A smile breaks across David's face. Tommy laughs and David gathers him into his arms.

          

      TOMMY    

      I know Daddy. Please stay home.

      A PRIMITIVE BAR SOMEWHERE IN CENTRAL AMERICA

          

      Where David sits solitary in a group of greenhorn American COMMANDOS and military advisors, who will shortly join him on a raid. Joe and Maria sit near David and his pile of empty bottles, cooing at one another.

          

      JOE    

      Okay, try it again, little missy.    

      Joe. Joe Bob Baker.

          

      Maria tries, but her J's sound like H's.

          

      JOE    

      Pretty good. Again.

          

      MARIA    

      Hj-yo Bop Baker,     

      J-yo Bob Baker.    

      (staccatto)    

      Joe Bob Baker, Joe Bob Baker,     

      JOE BOB BAKER.

          

      MARIA    

      (with glee,turning to David)    

      I got it. I got it.    

      David, is not that wonderful?

          

      DAVID    

      Joe Bob. Everybody in Texas have    

      two first names?

          

      JOE    

      Naw. My brother's name is Keeper.    

      That's what you call a fish when     

      he's to big to throw back in.

          

      DAVID    

      (looking at Maria)     

      What are the people back in Moosejaw or     

      where-ever, going to say about Maria?    

          

      JOE    

      It's Muleshoe. Muleshoe, Texas.    

      How many times have I got to tell you.     

      I dunno. I just might stay down here.    

      With a little persistence and some    

      elbow-grease a guy could make out.

      DAVID    

      (fiddling with beer)    

      You thinking of gettin out?.

          

      JOE    

      I'm tired, Bubba.     

      I don't know whether I'm comin or going.    

      (beat)    

      You ought to think about it too,     

      buddy, before they carry us both out     

      in coffins.     

      (beat to no response)    

      How's that kid of yours?

               

      DAVID    

      Okay. I guess.    

      (beat)    

      Let's hear another English lesson.

          

      JOE    

      (winks)    

      Watch this.     

      (turns to Maria)    

      Hey muchaca, let me hear you give out    

      with that old Rebel Yell.

          

      MARIA    

      Ya -- Hooo.

          

      The other Americans LAUGH and AD LIB.

          

      DAVID    

      (looking over group)    

      You think these guys are going     

      to be all right?

          

      JOE    

      I dunno. Ask Benson, he sent 'em.

          

      DAVID  
      

      I don't like working with guys    

      I've never seen before.

          

      JOE    

      I miss Big Daddy.   

          

      DAVID   

      So do I,     

      (in thought)    

      So do I.

         

      DAVID'S HOUSE, TOMMY'S BEDROOM,

          

      which is decorated in early Salvation Army and kid modern. Tommy talks on a toy military headset, amidst piles of toys and keepsakes from Disney and the movies. Dozens of tiny models of planes and spaceships hang from the ceiling and a toy train runs on a fancy layout in the corner. The place HUMS and Tommy picks up a model of a -

          

      SUBMARINE -

          

      and places it on the railroad track and picks up a paper Stamped in Red -

          

      TOP SECRET.

          

      TOMMY    

      Blue Fox leader interdict combat     

      team red four and proceed to destination     

      Tortuga in the Caribbean.    

          

      THERE IS A SOFT KNOCK ON THE DOOR -

          

      JEAN

      (enters)    

      I thought you were working     

      on your math problems.

          

      Tommy points to the blackboard where the algebraic equations have been handily solved and sets the Top Secret Paper down, blank side up. Manny and Rosy poke their heads in the door  behind JEAN.

          

      JEAN    

      Tommy, some friends of your father --

          

      TOMMY    

      (rushing)    

      Rosy, Rosy. I've got some new tricks     

      to show you.

          

      They end up in a hug as Manny moves weakly into the room.

          

      MANNY    

      Buenas dias, Tomas.

          

      TOMMY    

      Ola, Manuel. Did the ort-is-cop-ic    

      (mangling "arthroscopic")    

      surgery get all of the bullet fragments?

          

      MANNY    

      Si sen~or. I'm as fit as a fiddle.

          

      The toy train crashes into the submarine.

      TOMMY    

      (panicked to headset)    

      Blue Fox leader abort mission,    

      report to Benson at Langley.    

      I repeat, report to Benson at     

      Langley. Petrovsky has our number.

           MANNY    

      (amazed and wondering)    

      Tomasito, who taught you that?

          

      Tommy looks at Manny with a blank stare as Manny pats him on the back.

         

      MANNY (cont'd)    

      That's not a funny game.    

     

      ROSY    

      The child's only playing, love.

          

      THE HOT COMMANDO TRAINING CAMP IN THE CENTRAL AMERICAN JUNGLES

      A jungle war training the course made up of tires, logs, nets and ropes etc. David finishes then stops and pulls out a stop watch as Joe finishes and moves beside him.

          

      DAVID    

      See how it's done. Okay Bernstein, you     

      first, then the rest.

          

        The commandos, in shorts and college T-shirts, move to the line.

          

      DAVID    

      Go!

          

      The men stumble through the course, some exceeding, but most don't come up to the expectations of David and Joe.

          

      JOE    

      This is bad, Bubba.    

      Shii-eet, we'd be better off with     

      my rag-tag bunch of chicanos.    

      (beat, then in different voice)    

      David?

          

      DAVID    

      Yeah?,. Okay, go.     

      (presses stopwatch)

          

      JOE    

      David?

          

      In b.g. a trainee staggers and falls into the tires.

      DAVID

      Goddamn Benson's Ivy leaguers.    

      (to Joe)    

      What?

           JOE    

      Take care of Maria, will you?    

      I want my little rug rat to grow    

      up in the USA.

          

      DAVID    

      What are you talking about?  

     

      JOE    

      My kid, David. My kid.

          

      DAVID    

      Your what ?

          

      JOE    

      Maria's pregnant.

          

      DAVID    

      Good God, Joe. You want to bring a     

      kid into this kind of world.

          

      David stops in mid-sentence as both he and Joe realize the stupidity of the remark, and look at one another.

          

      DAVID'S HOUSE -

          

      where Tommy works on a project in his usual place in the middle  of the living room floor; television blaring, cookies, milk and sophisticated toys scattered all around. Smudge licks the milk glass. A maze of wires and various pots and pans and

      other resurrected parts are being laboriously assembled to the top secret plans of the "atomic" device in David's papers.

      Jean walks into the room and backs in front of the television, then turns it off. Tommy looks up, startled by the silence.ヘ

         

      JEAN    

      Young man, the living room is     

      no place for these things.

          

      Tommys quickly shuffles David's papers under some paraphernalia.

          

      TOMMY    

      Jeanny, do all wrist watches have    

      radium on their dials?    

          

      A BUNK ROOM INSIDE A SUBMARINE IN THE CARIBBEAN, -    

     

       where Da
    vid dons the last of his commando gear, then opens the -

      HALIBURTON BRIEFCASE, - pulls out a water proof envelope and examines it methodically.

          

      DAVID'S LOOK TURNS WORRIED, - he ruffles through the top-secret papers again and again .    

      DAVID    

      (worried)    

      Don't tell me, I couldn't have.

              

      THE MARINA GREEN - SAN FRANCISCO

          

      Tommy, wearing a school uniform, sits with with several classmates gathered around him. He shows them the plans he has taken from David's briefcase.

          

      TOMMY    

      My Dad's real important.    

      See, these plans are marked top    

      secret.

      LITTLE BOY    

      You don't know what it says.

          

      LITTLE GIRL    

      Gee Tommy can you read that.    

     

           TOMMY    

      I can do better than that.    

      I building it at home for my Dad so     

      he won't have to work so hard.

          

      LITTLE GIRL    

      You must be really lucky to have such    

      great parents. 

      THE MISSION:

          

      TWO - MAN RAFTS ON THE SEA, BENEATH OMINOUS CLOUDS.

          

      DAVID, JOE AND THE GREEN HORN COMMANDOS

          

      in war paint paddle away from the USN SUBMARINE in the b.g. David looks up at the thunder clouds.

          

      BENSON O.S.    

      An atomic device has been stolen from one of    

             our NATO friends, Carson. We want it returned.     

      Quickly.

          

      JOE

                Can you read those deactivation plans, Bubba?    

          

      With that, several large droplets hit the raft. Everyone paddles faster as the rain falls in sheets. Now the rain pours so hard that its difficult to keep sight of the other rafts, which bob in and out of the giant swells.

          

      DAVID TOSSES A LINE TOWARD ONE OF THE BARELY VISIBLE RAFTS.

          

      DAVID     

      (shouting)    

      Lash yourselves together!

          

      They paddle and bail, fighting the storm for their lives.  

          

      TOMMY'S BEDROOM, -

          

      the computers and other toys have been moved into his bedroom, in contrast to his previous run of the house. Jean moves into the room where Tommy sits dejectedly with Smudge.

          

      TOMMY    

      Jeanny, it's not fair. You always     

      let me play in the living room.

          

     


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