Dear Lady

Arielle Kilgore

Dec. 10, 2020

JOMC 244
 EXT: BLACK TRAIN BEGINS TO SLOW TO A STOP AT TRAIN STATION

The train is coming to a slow stop at the Florence Station in Florence, South Carolina. It is snowing and

gloomy as Lady looks out her window and sees people walking to different entrances and exits of the train station. Lady

pulls her head from the cold fogged glass and begins to button her coat to get ready to leave the train. She starts to hear

a fruit vendor arguing and yelling at a girl outside her window when the train comes to a stop. She turns to face the

window and sees the vendor pulling on the girls arm. Lady looks distressed and rushes to get off the train.

TITLE CARD: Florence Train Station, 1965

LADY
Excuse me. Sorry.

Lady squeezes past one of the passengers and rushes down the aisle almost slipping at the opening right before

the exit. She grabs the handles to swing herself off the stairs.

RANDOM BYSTANDER ON TRAIN PLATFORM

Aye, watch it. Stupid dame.

Lady zooms pass the person on the platform to the fruit vendor that has his hands on the little girl who had an

apple in her hand. Lady begins to slow down and slides up to the vendor through the snow. The vendor is about to take

away the girl to the police at the station.

LADY
You definitely have a way with children, don’t cha?

The man begins to sneer as he looks in the direction of Lady. He was lucky to catch her as overweight as he

was. His apron no longer white from all the fruit spills and dirt of the station.

FRUIT VENDOR AT TRAIN STATION

Mind your business. This knucklehead was stealing fromme’ and she’s gonna pay the price.

LADY
She ain’t stealing if she was gonna pay for it.

FRUIT VENDOR AT THE STATION

Well she ain’t pay for it. Now stop bussin’ my sticks lady and let me handle this.
 YOUNG DANNY
You’re hurting me. Lemme’ go.

The fruit vendor begins to tighten his grip as young Danny tries to wrestle out the man’s grasp. The little girl was

so small it was a wonder that the vendor was holding on to anything at all. She has brunette curly hair with hints of red.

Lady begins to see young Danny’s wrist turn red. Lady took her purse off her shoulder and begins to rummage through it

looking for some change. She finds the change and slams it on the wooden table top of the stand.

LADY
Now it’s paid for.

The fruit vendor looks at the money and then looks at Lady in disgust. He unhands the little girl and takes that change

off the table. Lady gently touches young Danny on the back and guides her away from the vendor. The vendor snarls as

they walk away into the middle of traffic of the train station. Young Danny steps back from Lady and begins to rub her

wrist. Lady squats unlady like in the middle of the train station to look at young Danny in the eye.

LADY
A thank you would be nice, ya’ know. I did just save your butt.

YOUNG DANNY
You saved my wrist.

LADY
Same difference.

They both smiled at each other. The little girl begins to look at Lady for the first time. She sees her curly brown

hair, but is more freeform and long and untamed. Lady’s face looks old, but not like in age, but as if she’s been through a

lot. Young Danny realizes she is staring and needs to go before she gets into any more trouble.

YOUNG DANNY
I gotta go. See you around…? What’s your name?

Young Danny looks puzzled as she realizes she didn’t ask for Lady’s name. She looks at Lady waiting for her to

respond.

LADY
It’s Lady.

YOUNG DANNY
Weird name. See you later, Lady.
Young Danny turns and takes off down the train platform. She bumps into some of the passengers along the way causing

the people she bumps to go into a frenzy. Lady gets up distraught seeing the child leave her and not ever getting her

name. A smile begins to form on her face. She looks relieved to have saved the little girl, and then she remembers that

she has left her baggage on the train. As she turns to start to go get it, the train is already taking off whistling down the

track. Defeated, Lady begins to walk into the train station to file a missing bag report. She pulls on the big grey doors of

the train station which reads Florence Train Station, South Carolina on one of the sides of the doors. The door closes

behind her and people begin to cover the entrance as she disappears inside.

EXT.-- FLORENCE TRAIN STATION, SOUTH CAROLINA INSIDE STATION

TITLE CARD: Florence Train Station, South Carolina, 2005

The camera shows people walking inside the train station claiming their bags and talking to the employees at the kiosk.

It follows a random man walking towards a bench which is now where an older Danny sits in all black. She vigorously

begins typing on her phone. The camera shows her texting the driver that is supposed to be picking her up to go to the

funeral. The phone dings with a text that the driver is outside and she scrambles all her stuff. The camera shows her

walking out the train station in the rain and getting into the car. Scenes of her car on the highway to the funeral and

then the camera shows Danny looking out the window with the rain hitting the cab’s window. The camera unfocuses to

show that she has arrived at the funeral.

CAB DRIVER
This is your stop, hun.

Danny begins to exit the cab with all her things. Just before she gets out of the cab, the driver turns around and clears

his throat to get her attention.

CAB DRIVER
Um, sorry for your loss. If you feeling really sad and need someone to,

you know, you can call me.

The cab driver looks her up and down and begins to give her his card. She scoffs at the cab driver and slams the door.

She makes her way to the casket plot where people are gathered in all black and holding up umbrellas. Danny packed

her umbrella in her bags and refused to get them out. She stands soaked from the rain listening to the Preacher finish

the passage from the funeral.

 PREACHER
Ashes to ashes. Dust to Dust.As I walk through the valley of

the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil. May she rest in peace

And God have mercy on her soul.

As people finished spreading the dirt across the casket, A man caught Danny’s eyes from across the crowd. Danny

looked away not to keep the stare going. People began to walk away from the funeral, and it was finally time for Danny

to find the person who had sent her here and offer her shelter. The man , who was staring at her earlier, began to

approach her. Danny tried to shrink herself unsure of who the man might be.

PETER
You must be wet.

Danny looked him up and down. She was not sure how to react, but she tried to look engaged with the man and not

scare him.

PETER
You’re Danny, right? I’m Peter, the one that sent you the invite. Where’s your umbrella?

DANNY
I packed it away, and I didn’t feel like getting it, so.

PETER
Well, let’s get you out of this rain shall we? Let me take

your bags for ya’.

Peter begins to grab Danny’s bags and walk her to the car. From a distance you see him and Danny walking to the road

where all the cars are parked. As Danny gets into the passenger seat, Peter puts her luggage in the trunk and then

makes his way to the driver seat. As Peter turns the car on, Danny tries not to shiver from being cold and wet. They soon

take off to Peter’s house,

EXT.--PETER’S HOUSE-FRONT PORCH

Peter sets Danny’s luggage on the porch and fumbles to get his keys out his pocket. Danny looks at him weirdly and

annoyed. She is cold and shivering now uncontrollably. The outside of the house is blue with two brown rocker chairs on

each side of the porch. In one of the rocking chairs, a cream blanket laid diagonal of the arm rest with the letter “L”

embroidered in it. Peter finally finds the right key and smiles fondly at Danny before putting the house key in and

turning the lock. They enter through the doorway.

INT.--PETER’S HOUSE--DOWNSTAIRS

PETER
Me casa en su casa

DANNY
Mhm.

Danny tries to smile at him but she can’t help but feel awkward in a house she’s never been in. Peter comes from the

hallway after putting his keys down.

PETER
I’ll show you to your room. I think you might like it.

Lady grabs her luggage and begins to follow Peter up the stairs to a room in the far right corner of the upstairs hallway.

Danny begins to look along the walls where pictures of Lady, Peter, and a little girl are hugging on Christmas day. The

pictures begin to show the ages of all them as they get older down the hall. Danny loses sight of Peter as he dips around

the bannister.

PETER
(off-screen)
You coming?

DANNY
Yeah.

Danny turns into the room. Her eyes scan the room looking at photographs of different countries and cities. The bed is

draped in white sheets and a big white fluffy comforter with pink pillows and a pink bunny in the center to tie it all

together. Danny sits her luggage in front of the bed and turns to look at the rest of the room. She spots an easel with a

half finished painting of a young woman sitting in a garden. The camera zooms into the painting. It soon zooms out and

shows Danny walking towards the painting and Peter behind her unfocused.

DANNY
Whose room was this?

PETER
Your mom’s.

DANNY
Lady.

PETER
Yes, Lady. Your mom.
Danny turns around to face Peter and backs away from the painting. She begins to step toward Peter with dominance

and anger.

DANNY
My mom was red bricks and four walls that contained over thirty children. My mom was the gray
steel metal bars and white quilt blanket that kept me warm at night. My mom was the five
different houses that didn’t want a raggedy daughter. I buried a stranger back there in Colombia. Lady isn’t my
mom. She’s just a stranger.

Peter looked at Danny solemnly. He wants to defend Lady. but he knows what Danny says is true.

DANNY
You two have another daughter that could have come and done all of this. The packing, the moving,
the reminiscing on family memories.
PETER
Well, the lawyer gave the notice to you for you to do it.

DANNY
You gave the lawyer the notice to notice me to come down here and do it. No one told you to come interrupt my
life.
Peter slammed on the bed frame catching Danny off guard. Peter was angry now as he looked deep into Danny’s eyes
almost looking to captivate her soul.

PETER
You wouldn’t have a life to interrupt without her. Dammit, you may not want
To be here and I sure as hell can care less if you leave or stay, but her dying request was for you
To come see who she was and the lawyer’s request was for you to come clean this house
Before I move out!

Danny turned away from Peter to look out the window beside her bed. It was still raining, but the rain seemed to have

gotten harder since they’ve been in the house. Exhausted, she sat down on the side of the white bed. She turned to

reach for the pink bunny and squeeze it in her hands.

PETER
(off-screen behind Danny out of focus)
I’m sorry.
Peter rubs his face.

PETER
Let’s just get some sleep and pick this back up in the morning.

Danny gets up with the bunny in her hand. She approaches Peter to give Peter the bunny that was sitting on Lady’s bed.

She then returns to sit at the edge of the bed and stare out the window.Peter turns towards the door to leave Danny

alone in her room. He turns around before he closes it to look at her looking out the window still.

PETER
Good night.

DANNY
 (off screen)
Night
Danny looks at the rain for a few more minutes before slipping into her pajamas. She then returns to her bed to lay

down and turn off the lamp in her room.

INT.--LADY’S ROOM--UPSTAIRS

Danny awakes in Lady’s bed the next morning. She rubs her eyes and tries to adjust to the sun that peaks through the

window. She is then startled but the clank of the attic stairs hitting the floor. Sinking into her bed annoyed, she gradually

gets you and begins to get dressed for the day.

INT.--ATTIC OF PETER’S HOUSE

Danny emerges from the opening of the attic where the stairs were let down. She looks to the left to see old chests

pouring out with clothes and records. She then looks to the right to see cases of photography supplies and toys probably

from their child that lived in the house. She then finally sees Peter off to the near side of the attic wrapping old antique

dining ware in newspaper and putting them in boxes.

DANNY
(monotone)
Good morning.

PETER
(cheerful)
Good morning!

DANNY
Well, what do you want me to start with first or like what do I need to do?

PETER
(disgruntled)
Well, you can start with anything you like honestly. Whatever you may want of hers you can
grab it and put it in these balck crates we got and anything else you can pack up and put it into one
of these brown boxes and I’ll deal with the rest of it. Sounds good?

DANNY
Yeah, sounds good

Peter gets up to dust off the dirt from his hands and points at the crates and boxes Danny can use. Danny begins to look

around seeing where she wants to start. Her eyes land on a bookcase that's being held up by some chairs. Peter catches

her looking at it and begins to smile.

PETER
 That's a good choice.
Danny dismisses his comment and begins to make her way towards the bookcase. She grabs a brown box and begins to

throw Lady’s books in the box, not even bothering to look at them. She moves the first box to the side and picks up

another. A couple of boxes later, without realizing it, she leaves a box in front of the bookcase which is blocking her

path. Peter stops to look at Danny.

PETER
(upset)
You can’t just throw all the books away. Some of them you might like.

DANNY
(dismissive)
It’s all trash to me. I have no use for them. Might as well give them to someone
who cares; Or you.

Danny moves the box she left from the cluster of chairs and the bookcase comes toppling over her. One of the shelves
collapses to sending booking falling down to the floor. A black old 1920s book falls next to her. Peter rushes to Danny to
make sure she is ok.

PETER
(smirking and slyly)
Are you ok?

Danny dismisses him pulling away from his grasp on her arms. They both try to push the bookcase off her legs and
examine her body.

DANNY
(frustrated)
I’m fine. I’m fine.

Danny examines her surroundings. She begins to notice the bookcase is cracked on the side and one of the shelves fell
with it. She then looks to the side to see the 1920s diary next to her. She picks it up and rubs her hands over the felt like
leather of the book. She starts to untie the string around the diary that secures it.

PETER
(solemnly)
That’s her old diary

Danny opens the diary to its first pages and begins to read. The diary starts at the recording of 1939. The camera begins
to move past Danny reading the journal and over a dark space that will soon reveal Lady at her desk writing in the same
journal. The voice fades from Danny Reading the entry to Lady reading the entry of her diary. Her mom sits at the vanity
in her room writing the doctors appointment she came from that day.

INT.-- LADY’S HOUSE--ROOM

TITLE CARD: SEPTEMBER 19TH, 1939 Savannah, Georgia

LADY
(relaxed)
Parkinson’s Disease. Well that’s another way to say the young always die beautiful. And of course there would
Be no cure. Who needs a cure anyways, Now i can be as wild as I want and blame it on
Death. Let me not flip my wig so much. Momma would tell me
“It’s unlady like to lose your temperature. You must be calm, cool and well mannered
Or no husband will eva’ wanna be with you.” All my momma got is a hairy fig with a
 Lot of money. But I know she doesn’t love him. I don’t want my mama’s love. I
Wanna love that leaves ya’ breathless. Hot like a Georgia summer in July and sweet like the honeysuckles
That grow in the bushes of our garden. Parkinson’s won’t take that away from me. Not if I can help it.
LADY’S MOTHER
(nervous)
(off-screen)
What on God’s green Earth are you doing up here?

LADY
(sweetly)
Writin’ mama.

LADY’S MOTHER
Oh well then good. That’s what the doctor said to do.

INT.--DOCTOR’S OFFICE--ROOM

The scene switches from Lady’s mother in the doorway to the doctor’s office where Lady waits for the doctor to come
in. The cold white room with pictures of the war and girls drinking cola bottles made Lady laugh. How could females be
so happy during a time like this. She then turned on the silver platform she was sitting on to listen to the doctor and her
mother argue outside.

LADY’S MOTHER
(angrily)
So you gonna sit her’ and tell me that she’s just gonna die. You’re supposed to be able to do
something.If I wanted hear bad news I would’ve just waited for my husband to come home.
If I wanted worthless, I would’ve gone to the colored hospital.

DOCTOR
(reassuring)
I am sorry madam. This is a new disease. The good news is that we caught it early.

LADY’S MOTHER
(frustrated)
Early? You call nineteen early?

The doctor and Lady’s mother continued to argue outside the room Lady was waiting in. She understood her mother’s
concern but her heightened toned embarrassed Lady. The doctor finally opens the door and the doctor and her mother
walk in.

LADY’S MOTHER
Let’s go lady.

Lady and her mom left the office and drove to the bookstore down the street. They then walk into the bookstore for her
mother to buy her a journal to write in. As they checkout, Lady’s mother begins to cry and they soon walk out the
door.The scene fades back to Lady’s mother in the middle of her doorway.

LADY’S MOTHER
Well that’s why I bought you that journal. It is unlady like for a woman to express her feelings so
she writes them down. That way she won't offend her man.

Lady closes her journal and begins to fix herself up in the mirror. In this effort, she is trying to brush off the ignorant
comment her mom just made.
LADY’S MOTHER
(smilingly)
Now let’s go greet your father and have dinner now shall we.
Lady’s mother brushes Lady’s hair and smoothes her shoulders.

LADY
(wearily)
Yes ma’am.