Dear Mom

EXT. WHOLE VIEW OF CITY- LOS ANGELES-DAY
The opening scene shows the sight of Los Angeles where lower income people live.

INT.AT THE AUDITORIUM-MIDNIGHT



MC
Good evening, ladies and gentle man. In next two hours of piano recital, our young pianists will show their talents. We have our first pianist in second grade Roy Howard who’s going to play Beethoven Sonatina.


Roy Howard comes out to the stage and he begins to play. The short, light piece ends soon.

After Roy is finished, there is applause from the audience.

MC
Next we have second pianist CATHERINE ANDERSON.
She is a first grader. The piece she is going to play is I..mpromp..tus Op.90 No.2 by Schubert.

When MC hesitates, the audiences laugh.

Catherine comes out to the stage, wearing a pink dress. Her hair is tied with pink ribbon that makes her look like a girl. She sits on the chair.

Catherine plays the piano with skill.
Almost everyone in the audience knows that she has a talent at playing the piano.

MOTHER, who is sitting on the audience, proudly looks at her daughter.

MOTHER (V.O.)
There Catherine goes. My daughter.



EXT.AT THE RESTAURANT-NIGHT
Catherine and her mother went to restaurant to eat out. Now Catherine is a sophomore in high school. She looks alike her mother. They talk happily.



INT.AT THE RESTAURANT-DAY
Catherine’s MOTHER, MRS. ANDERSON, goes to the restaurant like the other usual day.Early in the morning.
There is nobody. She is always the first arriver.
Steps into the kitchen room.

Takes a cup of water and drinks.
Suddenly she chokes hard.
She couldn’t stop choking.

Someone is coming by the door.
MR. HANKS, the owner of the restaurant, sees her choking.
Wearing glasses, bald hair, little fat, he comes to MRS.ANDERSON.

MR. HANKS
Mrs. Anderson,
Are you alright?

MRS.ANDERSON
(keep choking)
Yes…I am alright.

MR. HANKS
You look sick.

MRS. ANDERSON
I think I am just tired.


MR. HANKS
Oh… Okay. Let’s start to cook.

For a while, they prepare to make food.

MR. HANKS
Did you have breakfast, Mrs. Anderson?

MRS. ANDERSON
Um…No.

MR. HANKS
I didn’t either. Do you want some bread?

He shares the bread and they eat while they are working.
Mrs. Anderson couldn’t eat because she felt sour in her throat.
She starts to choke again.
Feeling same thing as she was drinking water in the beginning.

MR. HANKS
What’s wrong?

MRS. ANDERSON
My throat is sour… I can’t eat this.

MR. HANKS
I think your condition is not okay. You should go to the hospital.

MRS. ANDERSON
I am really okay.

MR. HANKS
No, I am worried about you. Please don’t make me a mean person.

MRS. ANDERSON
(smiles)
Thanks. I will work more next time. See you.


She takes a bus and goes to the hospital.
She takes several body tests.
She goes into the radiation room.



INT.AT THE HOSPITAL-DAY
Mother waits on the sofa for the doctor. The doctor comes in. His face is solemn, cold.
Mother sits on the chair. Doctor and she face each other.

DR.CLARK
(glances at her while examines the picture)
Um…Are you Mrs. Anderson? Could you sit down there?

MOTHER
Sure.

Mother sits on the chair. Doctor and she face each other.

DR. CLARK
(shows picture, indicates a white clump between throats)
Do you see this?

MOTHER
Yes.

DR. CLARK
I am sorry to tell this. You have a cancer, which is a quite big one. Didn’t you feel anything in your throat recently?


MOTHER
(pretending not have heard)
Excuse me?
.......oh yeah...this morning I was drinking a cup of water. I felt something sour in my throat.

DR. CLARK
That is a natural symptom for usual people who have pharynx or esophagus cancer. Usually men have esophagus cancer that they smoke, and usually pharynx cancer happens to all age. In your case, it must be a pharynx cancer that you had a sour feeling.
It needs to be removed by a surgery as soon as possible.
Also you need to stay one week before the date you are getting surgery.
MOTHER
(Sighing)
How long do I need to stay?

DR.CLARK
I am not sure. But I can tell that it is not going to be easy. We need to see if surgery is done well. The cancer has to be removed completely, or you will be hospitalized again.
You won’t be able to eat food because cancer is spread out into your throat. You will be using lining tube connecting to your throat to translate food.

MOTHER
That’s disgusting.


DR.CLARK
But there’s nothing we can do.

MOTHER
Could you tell me about how much money the surgery cost?

DR.CLARK
It will be cost more than $7000, including medicine and hospitalization.

MOTHER
Okay, Dr. Clark. Thank you.

DR.CLARK
I hope the surgery make you to recover. God bless you.

Mother opens the door of the room. When it is shut, the scene fades out.


INT.AT HOME-DAY
Mother puts pharynx cancer medicines into the drawer boxes. She leaves itself.

INT.AT HOME-DAY
A few days later, Catherine had stomachache. She looks for antacids. She opens the drawer boxes and sees mother’s medicines. She is suspicious why they are in the drawer boxes.

INT.AT HOME-NIGHT
Catherine asks her mother about the medicines. Mother doesn’t say anything at first. Then she starts to say about cancer. She says she will go to the hospital next week. The mother and daughter cry and they hug each other.

EXT.ON THE STREET-DAY
Catherine is coming back from school. She is strolling down on the street. She notices the poster on a telegraph pole.

Insert - The poster

“Junior National Piano Competition for”

The first winner will take chance to be a pianist and the company will offer $10,000. The winner will get to contract with Smith Music Entertainment.
It will be on June 16th, in the William Academy Center. This will be a perfect chance to challenge your musical talents and be a professional in your area.

This competition is sponsored by the Juvenile National Piano Association.


CATHERINE
I can’t wait to challenge.

She races all the way to her house.

INT.AT HOME- DAY
Catherine got home and shuts the door.


CATHERINE
(yelling)
Motheeerrrrrrrr! Guess what?

Mother is lying in the bed. She doesn’t go to work these days. Her body is becoming skinnier and her hair seems less than a month ago. She is still healthy anyway.

MOTHER
What’s the matter, sweetie?







CATHERINE
I have a news to tell you. I saw an advertisement as I walking down the street.
There is a piano competition in June. It says the winner will get $10,000. Doesn’t it sound sweet?

MOTHER
That’s a breaking news. But how are you going to win?

CATHERINE
Mom… I will practice really hard. I promise.

MOTHER
Are you sure? You don’t even have a piano teacher


CATHERINE
Yes…but…

MOTHER
Hmm...I have an old friend who plays the piano. She is a professor in UCLA.
She also tutors piano lessons. I am not sure if she is still doing it now.
Let me find her phone number.

Mother crumbles her phone book from the drawer.

MOTHER
I found her phone number.






She dials the numbers.


MS KELLY
Hello? Who’s this?

MOTHER
Hello, Kelly. This is Samantha.

MS KELLY
Samantha...? Oh.. Hi
What’s up to calling me?

MOTHER
It’s my daughter’s problem. She wants to compete in piano competition and needs a piano teacher to hire. Are you still tutoring piano lessons?

MS KELLY
Yes. Why does your daughter want to participate in competing piano competition?

MOTHER
Actually I am very sick. She wants to get the money for my treatment. Could you help her to get in the winner’s place?


MS KELLY
I am so sorry to hear that. Of course I can help you.

MOTHER
Thanks, Kelly.





INT-AT HOME-DAY
Ms Kelly and Catherine start piano lessons at Catherine’s house. She decides the piece called Fantasie-Impromptu by Chopin.

On the other hand, mother is hospitalized. There is no one in Catherine’s house.

INT-AT HOSPITAL-DAY
Day by day, Mother is getting worse. She beShe got a surgery and needs to get another one. She is fighting with herself.



INT-AT HOME-DAY
Catherine is practicing the piano. When she sees mother’s picture on the piano, she suddenly feels lonely.

INT.DRESSING ROOM-AFTERNOON
Catherine is looking herself in the mirror.

CATHERINE
You can do this. You can do this. You can do this...

Suddenly Rachel appears in the mirror too.

RACHEL
Do you think you will get 1st place?
Don’t worry.
1st place is mine.

Catherine ignores her.

RACHEL
(keep saying)
Where is your dad?
Do you have one?



CATHERINE
Shut up.

Rachel’s mother approaches to them.

RACHEL’S MOTHER
How come you say such a word to my daughter?

CATHERINE
....

RACHEL
Don’t talk to her. She doesn’t deserve any kindness.

Rachel and her mother go out of the room.

INT.AUDITORIUM-AFTERNOON

Catherine is really nervous. Before she starts to play, she takes one deep breath. Then there she goes. The rhythm is fast at the first part and alters to a sweet melody.

CATHERINE(V.O.)
Concentrate, Catherine.
...Concentrate.

She sees her mother’s face in her mind. She feels the emotion rise over her and thinks about the mother. She sees her face inside her head. She makes a mistake that she miss pressed a key. She doesn’t stop. But it was a stupid mistake. Audiences give applause and cheer at Catherine.

CATHERINE (V.O.)
Stupid.

Audiences give applause and cheer at Catherine.





INT.JUDGE’S ROOM-AFTERNOON
Judges are examining the grades of each student.
Rachel Stallings, Catherine Anderson, and the other three students got the highest score among the total of seventy-five students.


JUDGE 1
What do you think about Catherine?

JUDGE 2
She has a talent. Today she made a mistake…that’s not acceptable.
I was disappointed. I saw her since she was in elementary school


JUDGE 3
How about Rachel? She is one of best player in this competition.


All the Judges write name of the winner in the blank line.

“Rachel Stallings”


EXT.AT THE HOSPITAL-NIGHT
Catherine arrives at hospital. Her mother was waiting for Catherine. The doctors and nurses are trying to save the mother. Catherine arrives.

MOTHER
Catherine.

CATHERINE
MOM!

MOTHER
My sweetie.

Mother hands her a bible. The covers are bleached but the word ‘BIBLE’ is clear.

CATHERINE
Mom... what’s this?

MOTHER
This is a bible from your grandmother. This bible changed my own world of view.. I...ho...p... you...could find the t...ru...th...

CATHERINE
Mother!

Mother’s eyes are closed. Mother doesn’t move.


EXT-AT FUNERAL-DAY
There weren’t many relative people. Ms. Kelly consoles Catherine.

INT-AT HOME-DAY
Catherine is left alone. She has to leave the house next week. She is moving to another apartment. She thinks that her mother died because of herself.

EXT-AT SCHOOL-DAY
Catherine talks with the counselor. They talk about the future.



INT-AT HOME-DAY
Catherine is cleaning her house. She discovers the diary her mother wrote when she was in the hospital. There was a letter from mother. It says, in the bible in drawer box, there will be a gold key and the numbers. It is a bank account.

EXT-AT THE BANK-DAY
Catherine opens a bank account based on the number in the letter. She surprises to see $100000 of money her mother had left to her.

INT-AT HOME-DAY
Catherine plans her rest of the life. She decides to be a pianist which is the most valuable talent she has. She learns how to live independently.

EXT-UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-DAY
Catherine studied hard and got into the University of California. She is listening attentively to a lecture.

INT.HALL-DAY
Catherine plays piano in the big hall. She achieved her dream. She became a famous pianist and a lot of people know her. She does not make a mistake, for she has no reason to be fear of. She looks confident.

CATHERINE(V.O.)
Dear Mom.
I didn’t give up.
The bible taught me that.
Thank you mom.



The voice fades Out.
The End.