Dawn Anna
1
Radio: And the bartender says, "It's not a priest. It's a monkey."
But seriously, Denver, let's open a window on this beautiful spring
morning. It's 6:30 a.m., April 7, 1993 the Year of the Horse.
Or the monkey. Or the way I'm feeling, maybe a three-toed sloth.
Dawn: Let's go. Thirty minutes to leave. Somebody in there? Twentynine minutes we gotta be outta here. Come on. Come on, you
musketeers (soldiers armed with a musket).
Josh: Drat and alas, Captain. I can't get the mixture right. We're
losing power, Uhura (a character from the fictional Star Trek universe). More
flakes!
Lauren: I'm a hawk!
Josh: Lauren, we got no time to finish. Did you eat?
Lauren: Nope. We're out of Fruity Chunks, Captain.
Josh: That's like pure sugar.
Lauren: Hello! Fruity Chunks. They have fruit in them. I'm a hawk!
A hawk? What happened to wolves?
Lauren: Hi, Mom.
Dawn: Good morning.
Josh: Morning, Mom.
Dawn: Stop. Cut, or whatever you say. Did you eat?
Josh: We're out of cereal.
Dawn: Kristen, Matt, come on down! I'm a substitute teacher. Can't
be late.
Kristen: Coming.
Josh: We're out of cereal, Mom.
Dawn: Bring me your hair. Josh, if we're out of cereal, put it on the
list. It doesn't reproduce itself, Josh.
Kristen: Okay, can somebody tell me, Lauren, for example... what
this little rodent was doing in my underwear drawer?
Lauren: I was so worried about you.
Kristen: You knew he was out?
Lauren: She's a her.
Kristen: Mom, I bet the house is full of little hamster turds.
Josh: Little Hamster Turds are my favorite.
Kristen: Oh, funny.
Dawn: You wanna explain that outfit of yours?
Kristen: Mom, Hula Club.
Josh: There's a club for that?
Dawn: When you told me about it I just didn't take it quite so
literally.
Kristen: Mom, it's Hula Club, okay? Is there any toast?
Dawn: Yeah, there's bread... No. Don't be one of those girls who
doesn't eat anything. All right?
Matt: Good morning, everybody.
Together: Good morning, Matt.
Josh: Kristen found wildlife in her panty drawer this morning.
Matt: That explains the screaming, but not that outfit.
Kristen: Hula Club! Matt, Hula Club!
Dawn: Put that hamster back in its cage, all right? And hurry up.
I cannot be late. You can go with me, or you can wait for the Ark.
Lauren: I'm a hawk.
Dawn: Josh, put the camera down, please. All right. Okay, treasures
accordingly, I am subbing at Powell today.
Matt: She's a teacher. She's gonna substitute.
Dawn: But I have an actual interwiew later.
Kristen: That's great, Mom.
Dawn: That's great. Take the casserole out of the freezer...
2
Dawn: and put it in the oven at 5:00, 350. And then, if anyone's
interested, I'm going shopping tonight and then I'm scoring Josh's
game, and... I don't know. Then I'm everywhere. So wish me luck.
Kristen: Good luck enough so you can afford to buy me and Matt a
car.
Dawn: It's about you.
Kristen: You won't have to always drive us around.
Josh: And food, so I don't have to starve all the time.
Dawn: Don't forget your lunches. Lulu!
Kristen: Be quiet, Josh.
Lauren: My hamster got away.
Dawn: Come on. I can't be late.
Lauren: She got away again. My hamster got away.
Kristen: It's yours.
Matt: What is this?
Kristen: Your breakfast.
Josh: Captain, we're breaking up!
Lauren: She got away! Josh!
Dawn: Number 19 is C. Number 20 is A. Number 21 is A. Number 22
is... I'll tell you what. That's kind of boring. Come on. Let's do this.
Give me a vocabulary test. Pick a hard one.
Boy: Test this, sub.
Dawn: Everything that's loud is hollow inside. A drum, a horn. You're
not hollow. I know it. So, come on. Make me look bad. Give me a
tough one.
Boy: To imbibe.
Dawn: To drink. Give me another one.
Boy: Kestrel.
Dawn: Kestrel? A small hawk, like my daughter. Give me another
one. Anybody. Anyone?
Girl: Ubiquitous.
Dawn: Ubiquitous? Everywhere. Ever present.
Interviewer: Good afternoon. Have a seat. Thank you for coming in.
Okay, Mrs. Anna, we have a few questions. Decent credentials. Not
bad. So, Mrs. Anna. Anna is your last name?
Dawn: Yes, it is. It's Miss. Or Ms., I guess.
Interviewer: Well, tell us what makes you a good teacher.
Dawn: I love it. The kids know that I do.
It's like, you know, when that day comes...
You've been hitting a brick wall with some kid that's just not getting
it. And you've seen this faint light, but he's just not getting it. But
he's trying. He's really trying. He's trying, and you're trying and it's
trying, but he's just not getting it. And then that day comes. Well,
that's when the light comes on. Like a huge sun it comes on, and... I
don't know. Just that moment. You get to see that moment. I live for
that moment as a teacher.
Interviewer: Right. Must keep you pretty busy. Okay, so, here's what
we're gonna do. We're gonna keep your resume on file and the next
time we're looking, you're on the list.
Dawn: What about this job?
Interviewer: We'll keep you on file.
Dawn: You have got to be kidding me! How is that a carry? I can't
believe this ref. They're down by one with four and a half seconds
remaining. They need a big play here. That's my baby boy!
Josh: Where were you at my game, sis?
Kristen: I had to study for that history test.
Josh: Was that more important than seeing me drop 30 on the
league's second best player?
Kristen: Shoot! The casserole. I had to put some back for you baby.
Lauren: You know, I like putting things back.
Kristen: Yeah?
Lauren: I like putting crackers where markers are supposed to go
'cause then it's like a surprise or something.
Josh: I'll be surprised when I find my cereal in with the ice cream.
Lauren: Here's the grocery bill, Mom.
Kristen: Go set the table. And why do you have to be such an
asshole.
Dawn: Thanks, honey. Oh, wow.
Matt: What?
3
Dawn: O.K. Wow.
So, all right. Everybody's good?
Together: Yeah.
Dawn: All right. Good night.
Together: Good night, Mom.
Kristen: I love you.
Matt: I'm gonna get a job.
Josh: You're not.
Lauren: No, you're not.
Radio: It's an umbrella, which is something you're not gonna need
today, Denver. Sunny sky...
Dawn: Let's go, let's go. Interview today. Feast tonight if all goes
well. Bus leaves in 28 minutes.
Excuse me, ma'am. Could you tell me where Dr. Bender is?
Mary: "Ma'am"?
Dawn: Miss? Pal?
Mary: He's in the old wing.
Dawn: Okay, Dawn. He's in the old wing.
Mary: You're here for the math job?
Dawn: Yes. Where is the old wing?
Mary: Come on. I'll show you, pal. I'm Mary Kimmel.
Dawn: Well, of course you are. And I'm Dawn Anna.
Mary: Anna's your last name? I bet everybody asks you that. Al? This
is Dawn Anna.
Al: Thank you, Mary. Mary, can you send maintenance up here?
Mary: Sure.
Al: Miss Anna.
Dawn: How do you do? I want this job. I hope you hire me. But if you
don't, somebody somewhere else will be really lucky because I will
get a job sooner or later. I hope it's sooner, because I have 83
dollars in the bank and four great kids that really need to eat. But it
really doesn't matter, because I'm a great teacher and I'm just your
best decision waiting to be made!
Al: Good.
Dawn: O.K.
Al: Can you start next week? That salary is less than I'd like it to be.
But if you stick it out long enough to get through the next budget
crisis that might prove to be a livable wage. What do you say?
Dawn: Come on. Pick up.
Recording: The number you have reached has been disconnected and
is no longer in service. This is a recording. The number you have
reached has been disconnected.
Dawn: What the heck? Kids? Kids?
Shane: What's with the phone?
Dawn: Oh, Kristen...
Shane: Like, I know how things are, Dawn, when you're low on cash
the crib's a little tight, sharing of the bathroom. I, like, feel your pain,
you know? But the phone... That's how you reach out and touch
someone. That's crucial. Like today I couldn't get ahold of Kristen,
and I was worried so I came over to check it out.
Can you pass me whatever it is there?
Dawn: Shane. Let me tell you a couple of things if you ever wanna
step foot into this house again. First, do not call me Dawn, ever.
Second, take your hand off my daughter's leg. This is not a drive-in.
It's a dining room. And third, if you have any ideas about the way my
household works, or doesn't work you could tell them to yourself in
your truck, on the highway going 55 and wearing your seat belt,
away from here. And it's, Please pass the whatever it is."
Lauren: O mighty queen.
Josh: O mighty queen.
Dawn: O mighty queen" is good.
4
Dawn: Oh, yeah. I got the job.
Kristen: Oh, my God!
Matt: Mom, that's fantastic!
Lauren: Mom, that is so great!
Josh: That's great!
Together: She's a teacher. She's gonna teach.
Dawn: My name is Dawn Anna. Anna's my last name. Ms. Anna to
you. I only have one rule in my classroom, and there it is. "No
swimming." Absolutely none. Of course, we'll speak in turn and we'll
do our own work with passion and humor and we'll treat ourselves
and each other with respect but there will be absolutely no
swimming. Any questions? Good. Okay, if anyone else has any
questions or suggestions about other rules, I'll entertain them. But
for me, I only have the one. All right? So, why don't we open our
books to the first set of properties, and we can begin?
Bink: Where'd you play?
Dawn: High school.
Bink: Did you play in an outfit like that?
Dawn: I was MVP three years running. And the outfits had nothing to
do with it. And I won state my senior year, so...
Bink: In the whole state, huh? The high school's looking for a new
volleyball coach. Girls' team.
Dawn: Well, I just got a job teaching here, so...
Bink: It's a real job. It pays real money. How do you like that ball?
Dawn: It's okay. Can I have it back?
Matt: It might be good, Mom.
Kristen: You love volleyball. You're great at it. You're a great coach.
Dawn: It's a lot of sacrifice.
Josh: A human sacrifice. I'll get the camera.
Dawn: Josh, that's not funny, all right? All right, look. It's a
scheduling thing. I won't be able to cook. I can't drive everybody
everywhere.
Kristen: Shane has a truck.
Dawn: Kristen...
Kristen: What? He does.
Dawn: That makes it even harder, all right?
Move to the ball! Up on your toes!
Come on! Hit the deck!
Girl: Let's hit it!
Dawn: I am so rusty. Make me look good. Come on.
Girl: Go for it!
Dawn: Let's go, let's go!
Bink: Hey, Coach.
Dawn: Who are you? What do you do? And what do you want?
Bink: Bruce Beck, Denver Athletic Supply. Apparel and equipment.
Dawn: So, do you sell much apparel and equipment with this
approach?
Bink: First time I tried it. How am I doin'?
Dawn: Look, I gotta go.
Bink: Right. I won't be back this way for a few weeks. If you need
anything in the way of gear...
Dawn: When Beck gets back. With his gear.
Bink: Call me Bink, by the way.
Dawn: Bink?
Bink: It's what everyone calls me.
Dawn: And you let them? All right. I'm Dawn Anna. Anna's my last…
Bink: Your last name. I know. I knew.
Dawn: Well, I'm sure you did… do. Hey, thanks for this.
Bink: Anytime. Anywhere. Anyplace.
Recording: This is your...
5
Recording: ...wake-up call. This is your wake-up call.
Wake up, Mom.
Wake up.
Wake up.
Dawn: Kids! Kids?
Messages: Shane's picking us up. Don't worry.
We are out of milk. There's a hamster at large. We love you. How'd
you like your wake-up call? It was Lulu's idea. See the calendar for
troop movement. I hope you have a great day.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
Have a great first day. Love you lots. Love. Love.
At Jenny's. Matt gets me walking.
Practice, practice, practice. Coach ride. I make dinner.
Library. Pick up Lauren. Antidote to dinner.
Store with Shane. Dance recital, 7:30. Shane to pick up. Up late.
Game at 7:00. We warmed up dinner. Antidote to follow.
What are you making for dinner, Josh?
I don't know. I'm gonna improvise.
A hamster wrap.
Hey, you guys. We're gonna wake up Mom.
Bink: I'm back.
Dawn: Hey, you said a couple of weeks. It hasn't even been a week.
Bink: Countin' the days, huh?
Dawn: All right. What do you want? Do you wanna sell me
something?
Bink: Yeah. I couldn't sleep thinking about your team in those
raggedy uniforms.
Dawn: What do you do when you can't sleep?
Bink: I eat. I really like to eat. I like food. You?
Dawn: Food is good. I like food.
Bink: Good. Let's eat.
Dawn: Not hungry.
Bink: No, I mean tonight. Dinner.
Dawn: I can't.
Bink: Tomorrow night?
Dawn: Can't do it.
Bink: Any night this month? Final offer.
Dawn: Look, I'm flattered, Bink but I just can't go out right now. I
can't date. Not in this lifetime.
Bink: Whoa! Your folks are really strict.
Dawn: I have four kids.
Bink: So, maybe your husband could watch 'em. Kiddin'. Just kiddin'.
Dawn: I don't have a husband but I have four kids.
Bink: And I'm asking you out.
Dawn: Read a magazine. Yeah? I mean, a woman's out with a guy,
she mentions kids... boom, he's gone before dessert.
Bink: Well, there you go.
Dawn: What?
Bink: I love dessert.
Kristen: Fabulous.
Dawn: God! It's been awhile since I wiggled into this, huh?
Lauren: You look so pretty, Mom.
Dawn: You think?
Kristen: Yeah, you look so beautiful.
Dawn: Yeah?
Lauren: Geez.
Dawn: Okay, move over and let's finish this. I'm a wreck.
Lauren: Mom!
Dawn: No, I'm dizzy. That's all.
Kristen: What is it? Are you okay?
Dawn: Yeah.
Kristen: You know, maybe you shouldn't drive.
Dawn: No. I'm goofy (silly or unintelligent). I'm nervous. There's no way
I'm not driving. I'm fine. Just finish this.
Matt: You look great, Mom.
Dawn: Let's get this done.
Matt: Mama got it goin' on. Wow, Mom!
Dawn: You think?
Matt: Wow.
Dawn: O.K.
What am I doing?
Bink: Here we are. We're out.
Dawn: I know. But we're highly unlikely.
Bink: I always liked the long shots.
Dawn: You know, I've been watching you and this. I thought it was a
nervous habit this cleaning, straightening thing but you like it. You
like cleaning and straightening, don't you?
Bink: Yeah. Yeah, I do. I think it comes from being on my own. My
folks told me, when I was little, they were raising an adult. I was
doing laundry at six, and I'm good at it.
Dawn: So you've never been married.
Bink: Like I said.
Dawn: Ever been serious?
Bink: Serious now. Not that serious.
Dawn: No, no, I don't know. I've been tripping over myself and
drop... I guess it's stress, right?
Bink: Four kids, two jobs...
6
Bink: ... and now a stalker. Pretty stressful.
Waiter: Be right there.
Bink: It's been a long day. We can go.
Dawn: So that "I love dessert" bit, that was just a line, huh?
Bink: Could we get a pie and a loaf of biscotti?
Dawn: I haven't been out, really out... like, before I was married,
like, before dinosaurs roamed the earth. But I know one thing. You
have to stretch before a game. So we'll keep it really simple, right?
Thank you so much. Thank you.
Bink: This is the game.
Dawn: Well, let me have it.
Josh: I just don't like it. That's all.
Dawn: I love you. And I'm tired. So don't stay up too late. It's gonna
storm.
Girl: Again, because there's no sign between the eight and the
parentheses it means you multiply everything that's in the
parentheses by eight. But two plus eight can't be reduced any more
because we don't know what the value of eight is.
Dawn: Right.
Dr. Emerson: There you go.
Dawn: Thanks.
Lauren: Here are your pills, Mom. Some water?
Dawn: Come here.
Lauren: I'm sorry, Mom.
Dawn: Hey, pal.
Mary: Dawn, what is it? What's wrong?
Dawn: No, I'm fine. Nothing. Dizzy. Can I go to my classroom?
Mary: No, it is something. Your eyes look funny.
Dawn: It drives the boys wild. I'm fine. I'm just gonna go to my
classroom.
The drugs made me loopy. I couldn't tell whether I was symptomatic
or... I don't know. The other guy told me that I should rest which
wasn't very difficult, given all the medication I had laying around.
And then the third or was it the fourth guy thought it was
chiropractic. So, I went to a chiropractor, but that made me really
dizzy. And so I went and got some medication for the dizziness. But I
can't function on that medication. I mean, the volleyballs were sailing
over my head.
Lauren: I'll get it. Hi.
Bink: Hi.
Lauren: Come on in. Nice to meet you. I'm Lauren.
Bink: Bink.
Lauren: This is Matt and Kristen.
Matt: It's nice to meet you.
Kristen: Very nice to meet you.
Lauren: They're twins, but Matt's earlier.
Kristen: Yeah, 'cause he was stepping on my head.
Bink: Hi, your own self.
Dawn: Thank you. That's sweet. And this is Josh. So, I'll go finish the
dinner. Okay, guys?
Matt: Can I get you anything to drink?
Bink: Sure. A beer if you got it.
Matt: A beer? Yeah, absolutely.
Kristen: Can I take your jacket for you?
Bink: Yeah.
Kristen: Come have a seat.
Matt: There you go.
Bink: Thank you. Is everyone here?
Matt: My dad's missing.
7
Bink: So the hamster says, What happened to you?" And the snail
says, I don't know. It happened so fast."
Matt: How are you feeling, Mom?
Dawn: Fuzzy, but good. It'd be better if I knew what this was.
Matt: What about the last test?
Dawn: I don't know, honey. I think I've given up on them finding
anything. I am an anomaly.
Lauren: What's an anomaly?
Josh: It's a rarity, Lulu. She's rare.
Dawn: Ooh, Mr. SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test).
Josh: And you don't eat, Mom. You should take snacks with you to
school.
Kristen: He's right, Mom. Okay? Though I loathe to admit it. That'll
be Shane. It better be Shane. Hello?
Lauren: What if it's always an anomaly?
Dawn: No, I'm fine, honey. It'll be fine.
Kristen: Yes. Mom? It's Dr. Emerson.
Dawn: Hello? Is it the disease that makes me keep forgetting the
name of the disease or is it just the lousy disease name? No, I mean,
with cancer, you know what you have. And with something like I
don't know Epstein-Barr (also called Human herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4), named after
Michael Epstein and Yvonne Barr.) you can imagine the guys fighting over
whose name went first. So, tell me again. What is it?
Dr. Emerson: Arteriovascular malformation.
Dawn: See? I already forgot it.
Dr. Emerson: You may forget you have the condition sometimes. You
may feel perfectly fine one minute and the next, you can't pronounce
your own name or you wind up (end up) flat on the floor, as you
know. Now, with the problem where it is, in that context you're also
at a high risk of a stroke or worse.
Dawn: So what do you do?
Dr. Emerson: Two options. One is surgery. We open up the skull,
repair the blood vessels...
Dawn: My skull? Let's just talk about the other option.
Dr. Emerson: It's called embolization. We come up through the
arteries in a microscopic tool and we clip the veins and capillaries
that are bleeding. Stop the bleeding, stop the problem.
Dawn: Well, that sounds much kinder.
Dr. Emerson: It's less invasive than actual brain surgery but it's not a
sure thing.
Dawn: So, here's your out.
Bink: You didn't say that.
Dawn: It's much more than you bargained for.
Bink: There is no bargain. I'm here. I'm not leaving. I just found you.
Dawn: Look, Bink...
Bink: We both know you're gonna need help. The kids are gonna
need help. Let me help. That's all.
Dawn: I just don't understand why you'd take this on.
Bink: Somebody once said When you don't understand something
you just stand under it."
Dawn: Who said that?
Bink: Confucius, I think. Or Woodrow Wilson (the 28th President of the
United States, 1913–1921).
Dawn: That's either really deep or really stupid.
Bink: It's deeply stupid.
Dr. Emerson: O.K. So this is what we're gonna do here. We're gonna
track the fiber-optic camera all the way up through the artery until it
reaches the mass in your brain. Then we're going to insert a needle
and run a current through...
Dawn: Great. I'm a video game.
Dr. Emerson: Ha-ha. We're gonna run a current through the needle
to cauterize the vessels. It's a bit like cutting off the supply lines.
Now, you'll be awake the whole time, but you won't feel a thing.
Any questions?
Dawn: Can you cauterize the one that stores the theme for Bonanza
(unexpected extreme luck; an American western/cowboy television series which
aired on NBC. Bonanza got its name from the Comstock Lode which was "an exceptionally
large and rich mineral deposit" of silver.)?
Bink: Hey, Matt.
Matt: Bink.
8
Bink: Hi, guys. You like hockey?
Josh: I don't really get it. Nothing happens.
Bink: Yeah. Yeah, it's not like basketball. But then, what else is,
really? What they should do is let some cows loose on the ice.
Dr. Emerson: Thank you.
Bink: Skating cows and pigs. And monkeys to ride 'em.
Josh: And polar bears. Man-eating.
Bink: Man-eating.
Dr. Emerson: I'm right there. But there's nowhere left to go. I
thought I could make the turn and keep everything intact but I can't.
Dawn: I wanna go home.
Bink: I know. I know. So, we'll go to plan B.
Dawn: Under the knife. The saw. They start with a little saw. I don't
think I can face it.
Bink: Sure you can.
Dawn: No, there's no "sure" about it. Not one thing. And how do you
know what I can face?
Bink: Listen to me. We're gonna beat this.
Dawn: Who's this "we," kemosabe (faithful friend; has various meanings in
Native American language, used this way in "The Lone Ranger' television show)? The
hole they drill is in my skull. And what they put through it goes into
my brain. And those scared kids in the waiting room are my kids that
I've taken care of on my own for what seems like my whole life. So
don't play "we" with me. I'm too tired and scared. This thing has me
stripped down to nothing. I can't do it. And I haven't slept at all. I'm
sorry.
Bink: I know. I know.
Dawn: I really love you. I really do.
Bink: It's okay. It's gonna be okay.
Dawn: How do you know?
Bink: I know. I know.
Anesthetist: I'm gonna put an anesthetic port into your neck. You're
gonna feel a slight prick then a little cold. Now, just try to relax.
Lauren: Mom?
Kristen: Hey, Mom.
Josh: She's back. You did it, Mom.
Matt: You're back, Mom.
Bink: Hey, there, space gal.
9
Matt: Okay, how about this one, Mom? And this one? What about this
one? It's okay, Mom. We'll get this. It just takes time.
Josh: Next time you get brain surgery, Mom... can you pick a
hospital with better snacks?
Kristen: Josh, cut it out.
Shane: How's this going?
Matt: It's hard.
Kristen: Mom, you know what they said. The more you talk, the
faster you're gonna recover. You can do this. Mom, what does this
mean? It's okay. It's okay!
Bink: Hey, beautiful.
Lauren: Hi, Mom.
Bink: So, the captain of the volleyball team called. They wanna visit.
All of them. I thought tomorrow might be good.
Matt: Maybe Tuesday.
Kristen: Yeah. I think a little more time. I just know that she'd wanna
be further along before they all come and see her.
Dawn: Baby.
Lauren: Mom, it's you!
Dawn: Baby. Baby.
Kristen: Baby. That's you!
Dawn: Baby.
Bink: I was worried, but I think she did really well.
Matt: Bink, see you later. I'll come back tomorrow.
Lauren: Bye, Bink. See you tomorrow.
Bink: Drive carefully.
Shane: She's gonna be okay. I'll go with you guys.
Therapist: Put your weight on your left side. Left side. That's it.
That's it. Left side.
Dawn: I can't.
Therapist: You can. No "can't." Not here. "Can." Can do it. It always
starts out in here like this. Sooner or later you grab hold, you go. Put
your weight on your left side. Left side. Now bring your right foot to
me. That's it. Left, left, left. That's it. All right.
Dawn: Those guys have rooms?
Therapist: Those guys. Probably they wait for your gown to fly open
again. Put your weight on your left side. Your right foot too. That's it.
Good. Left, left. That's it. Good.
Dawn: Hot water. Hot water.
Kristen: Lauren, will you get the door?
Lauren: Yeah, I got it.
Kristen: Lauren, get the door!
Lauren: I've got it!
Shane: I got some juice, peanut butter and some cereal.
Therapist: Move your right leg. That's it. Good.
10
Therapist: Put your weight on your right leg. Now, move your left
leg. That's it. On your left, yes. It's all right. Bring the chair. In the
chair.
Bink: You all right?
Dawn: Go, Bink. Go. Go.
Therapist: She had to fall. She got to fall.
Dawn: But I bet they have come a long long"...
Lauren: Big.
Dawn: Big.
Lauren: Big. Big win.
Dawn: Win.
Mary: I miss you, pal.
Dawn: I miss me more. This is a bad hand.
Team members: Coach Anna.! Hey, Coach Anna. Get well soon,
Coach. The team needs you, Coach Anna. Can't wait to see you
again, Coach Anna. We miss you!
Dawn: I can stand.
Therapist: Good. Now walk. Good. One more. One more. Walk.
Walking. Walking.
Dr. Emerson: I heard your shoes. How are you doing?
Dawn: I had a good day.
Dr. Emerson: Yeah, so I heard. Your charts look great. You're making
good progress. I just... I wanted to talk to you about after... after
you get out of here, which will be soon, I imagine. Imminent. So, you
may... You probably always will be symptomatic. Bright light will
bother you. You'll have reoccurring dizzy spells, nausea headaches,
particularly when you tire. So keep track. Watch for the patterns
we've identified, discussed. We couldn't repair the blockage
because... Actually, it's become part of you now.
Dawn: What the heck?
Dr. Emerson: So, there are new drugs coming which you probably
won't take. And there are some new surgical avenues that are very
promising. There's an acrylic... I practiced this. Quite intently,
actually. I'm sorry, Dawn.
Dawn: It's okay.
Dawn: Josh, slow it down!
11
Josh: That's good. That's good.
Dawn: That was great. That was so great.
I feel sick. Something's wrong! Something's wrong. Go. Go. Get him.
Nurse: Janice, get Emerson. Janice, get Emerson.
Dawn: Something's wrong!
Bink: You know, she gambled on your first procedure, okay? No
guarantee. She knew that, okay? She recovers from brain surgery
wakes up speechless, cannot walk...
Dr. Emerson: That wasn't a result of the surgery or the pre-op.
Bink: Now she gets a staph (staphylococcus) infection from a place
she's been busting herself in half to get out of. It's not a setback.
How long? Just tell me how long.
Dr. Emerson: To go home? Be three weeks, give or take.
Bink: Three weeks. Dr. Emerson said it would be three weeks before
she's home.
Josh: This fortune sucks.
Bink: "Teenage jock like desert flower. Both in need of ice-cold
shower."
Josh: I'm not doing this. It's not my night. It's your turn, Kristen.
Bink: I wanna take her home.
Dr. Emerson: Oh, we're hardly ready for that.
Bink: Look, she needs her kids, and boy, and they need her.
Dr. Emerson: She can't go home to meet anyone's needs. She
requires constant care.
Bink: You said yourself she needed to get back to her life.
Dr. Emerson: Well, that was before this last little problem.
Bink: You said she was out of the woods on that.
Dr. Emerson: Look I'm just wondering if you're ready. That's all.
Mike.
Mike: Hi, Doc.
Dr. Emerson: How's it going?
Mike: Good.
Dr. Emerson: I mean, we're talking about regimented (strictly controlled)
IV (intravenous) administration of antibiotics... four-hour cycles, on the
minute without fail, stringent (demanding strict attention to rules and procedures)
physical therapy. It's very serious health care. Very serious.
Bink: I'm serious. These kids, they're...
Dr. Emerson: I know. I've seen the kids in action, but it's different
around the clock.
Bink: These are around-the-clock kids. You don't see kids like this
not in this lifetime or the next. If you believe in that stuff.
Man: Excuse me.
Dr. Emerson: O.K. All right. She's yours.
Bink: Right.
Lauren: There she is. She's coming.
Dawn: My word (used to express surprise or astonishment). Such a big... Such a
big to-do (ORIGIN from much to do). I don't need...
Matt: Josh, get out of the way.
Dawn: Look at who's here.
Team members: Welcome home, Coach Anna. You're the top banana
(the most important person in a group or undertaking).
Dawn: It's a choir and a volleyball team. All right. I'm going to take a
nap now.
Dawn: Oh, God.
Josh: I'm sorry. I thought you were upstairs. Awesome hair.
12
Dawn: You're one to talk.
Josh: I'm just trying to... When's Bink coming?
Dawn: I don't know, honey. Soon, I guess.
Josh: Listen, I just want to tell you that I absolutely approve of him
and of you. I approve of him and you. He's been awesome. I don't
know how... He's been awesome to me. He really has.
Dawn: Just get out of here, okay? Go on.
Bink: Always brings her own salad dressing. Made by monks in
Alaska. She's so particular.
Radio: It's the Riley twins, and they're speaking Latin.
I know, folks. Hey, Denver, it's 5:30 in the morning. What do you
expect?
Kristen: Ready?
Dawn: Yeah.
Kristen: Let's go.
Dawn: Yes, I am, Kristen.
Kristen: No, you're not, Mom.
Dawn: I am, Kristen.
Kristen: You're not going back, Mom. You're not ready.
Dawn: Kristen, I am. I am. Kristen, I am.
Now, where were we?
Referee: Time out Rebels.
Dawn: Are you worried about me? Is that it? Hit the floor, or let's go
home. I'm the one with the pole, not you. Get out there.
Team member: Let's go, Coach.
And I'm not so wild about you either. Watch the outside hitter. She's
been in the net all night.
Dawn: Kristen, do you want me to turn your light out? Okay, sweetie.
13
Lauren: I was flying.
Dawn: Go back to sleep, honey.
Lauren: I will.
Dawn: Your drawings are amazing. Growing up too fast. It's all going
too fast.
Lauren: I know. I know.
Dawn: Wow. You're back, huh? How was your run?
Lauren: Great. It's a beautiful day.
Dawn: That was quite a pace you had on.
Lauren: We were smokin' (really excellent; hot).
Dawn: Smokin'? I'll say. Smokin' something. The time you made
Wow. That's like a four-minute mile, and without even breaking a
sweat. How is that?
Lauren: We cut through the Hendersons' pasture. He has new calves.
Dawn: I'll bet.
Lauren: They're brand-new. It was dumb.
Dawn: Dumb? Well, that depends on how you look at it. I mean, you
had your little nature hike and now you have enough energy left to
do dive lines. Now! On the line! On the line! Townsend, Lauren, come
with me. You are team captain. Go! Go! Your teammates made you
captain and a captain on my team leads, and you are not leading. So
you sit in that chair and you let them do the dive lines for you. I'm
glad you saw the calf. Go, go, go! Faster!
You know, I haven't seen him for two weeks but I didn't know I'd be
climbing the walls (become tense or frantic).
Lauren: Look out, Bink.
Dawn: So tell me what this job entails (to involve or result in something
inevitably), so I know.
Lauren: Everything cleaning cages, walking dogs, feeding sick birds
with little eyedroppers. I'd even assist on spaying and neutering
(removing the testicles or ovaries of an animal).
Dawn: I always told the kids if they kept their grades up, they could
get a job. But I don't know.
Lauren: Mom. Mom, Josh may not get a scholarship this year. He
says they've got this hot two guard (defensive position in basketball) coming
in from New York. And, you know, we want to help Kristen and Shane
with their place. At least let me buy my own CD's.
Dawn: It's about your CD's. I don't know. Lose a job, find a job,
everywhere a job, job.
Lauren: E-l-E-l-O.
Dawn: You're doing the cleaning thing again.
Bink: Yeah, well a real man's work is never done. I've been thinking.
Dawn: I hope not when you're driving.
Bink: I've been thinking a lot.
Dawn: Don't think and drive.
Bink: A buddy of mine asked me the other day what I like in a
woman. Just casually. I thought she should be pretty smart, funny,
generous...
Dawn: Four kids, vascularly challenged...
Bink: Kind, honest, strong.
Dawn: Are you breaking up with me?
Bink: I never would have dreamed this in a thousand years.
Everything you've been through that you let me in on. Everything
I've learned... that you get what you need when you need it. And
you're it. You're everything I need. You're what I've been asking
myself for the past five years and haven't had the guts to answer.
The question is, will you marry me?
Dawn: Yeah, right.
14
Bink: Will you marry me?
Dawn: Are we gonna have real ones?
Bink: Yeah.
Dawn: Get over here so I can really kiss you a lot.
Josh: A beer label?
Lauren: She showed it off like it was a diamond.
Josh: Probably left the real one in the car. I warned Mom. I warned
everybody. Now we're totally "Binked."
Lauren: Be quiet, Josh.
Josh: Wow. You get a room to yourself, your own phone, and you
turn into Kristen.
Kristen: You know what? Be quiet, Josh.
Matt: Josh, the conference call format is just not a good one for you.
Lauren: Looks like we get a new house in the bargain. Over in
Highland Ranch.
Josh: Highland Ranch? Uptown (the upper or northern part of a city) girl.
Kristen: Wow. How romantic.
Josh: Will you be in by the wedding?
Kristen: Are you gonna have to change schools?
Josh: Do they have indoor plumbing up there?
Lauren: Josh, I don't have to change. I'm staying a Rebel. I've got to
play for Mom one last year. She drives me anyways. And I'll make
sure there's room for you when you come up for the wedding. Josh,
you can sleep in the doghouse.
Josh: Which I'm in if I don't ace this chem exam. Later.
Lauren: Bye, guys. Love you.
Josh: Later.
Lauren: Matt, are you still there?
Matt: I'm still here, Lulu. I'm still chasing the Dominican tree frogs.
Lauren: Are they singing tonight?
Matt: Yeah, they are. Listen.
Bink: Oh, what a honeymoon. Home, sweet home. Honey, where's
my toothbrush?
Dawn: Lulu, 27 minutes. You set?
Lauren: You bet.
Dawn: Totally (really; completely love you).
Lauren: Totally.
Dawn: So if the incentive amount is X and the amount of productivity
is a dependent variable Y with Y being equal to, say, 1.5 times X then
we can graph that relationship as a linear function like so. And that's
how you make the case to your folks to raise your allowance. Sorry,
Leonard. Your assignment for... is page...
Girl: Is it 23, Miss Anna?
Dawn: 123. 123. When I first came back to teaching I had college
tuition. My medical bills were like science fiction. I needed the
insurance, definitely. I needed a place to go. I mean, I needed the
job. I really needed to know whether I could do it and I don't need to
know that anymore. These kids deserve more than half a teacher.
The job, the insurance, it's nothing next to that.
Mary: Go on. A fraction of you is worth 10 times more than anybody
else.
Dawn: Talk about your fuzzy math. I can still coach. Lauren pretty
much runs that show. But I have to let this go. I just gotta let it go.
15
Dawn: What's that?
Mary: My sick days.
Dawn: What about 'em?
Mary: These are the personal days I never took.
Dawn: I don't follow you.
Mary: I never took them. They're yours.
Dawn: Mary, I can't.
Mary: Don't even start. You know you'd do the same. You know it.
They're yours. Use them in good health.
Colleague: I never get sick.
Dawn: You don't even work here.
Mary: From all over the district, they lined up to sign away their days
as soon as they heard.
Dawn: Hey, Lulu, stop. Listen, the room's spinning. I gotta sit down.
So you know what to do to get 'em ready?
Lauren: Yeah. You guys, come on. Let's go. Let's go. O.K., coach is
taking a break. Now, we lost to these guys once this year. We're
better than them. Three more wins, we make it to divisionals.
They're home games. Pass, set, spike, game over, we win. Now, can
we do this?
Team members: Yeah.
Lauren: I said, can we do this?
Team members: Yeah!
Lauren: One, twoTeam members: Together!
Lauren: Yes!
Dawn: I'm as proud of this team as any I've ever had. You guys have
left it all on the court the last few games. That's all that I could ask
for. You played together. Yeah, Lulu.
Lauren: My egg should have hatched by now.
Dawn: What, honey?
Lauren: My egg. It's not hatching. The gestation period is over. It
should be a chick by now.
Dawn: Well, give it a day or two. I think it's like a timetable thing.
You know, trains are late. You, my dear, were early.
Lauren: Maybe the egg's a dud. Maybe the Mozart killed it.
Bink: Maybe you could put a tiny blanket on it to cozy it up. Or a
little hat and P.J.'s (pajamas) from the Short and Round Store. I'll get
that.
Dawn: Good idea. What's wrong with him?
Bink: Aw, you shouldn't have.
Shane: I didn't, sir.
Dawn: Shane, take a load off (Sit down).
Shane: I'm here to ask for Kristen's hand in marriage.
Bink: Buddy boy, buddy boy. Yeah!
Shane: Please say okay because I sent her...
16
Shane: ... on a scavenger hunt all over town to all the places that
we've gone and I left her clues and these white roses at every stop.
Lauren: You rock, you rock!
Shane: She'll probably be coming in any minute. I'm really, like,
really nervous, but I think she might say yes.
Lauren: Oh, my God!
Shane: But I won't do it without your blessing.
Bink: Oh, yeah, you would.
Shane: So would you bless usBink: Get the phone! Call somebody!
Shane: Getting married if I and your daughter got married?
Together, Dawn?
Dawn: Don't ever call me Dawn again. You call me Mom.
Bink: She's here! Hurry. She's here. Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
Shane: KristenKristen: Yes. Yes. I will. I will. I love you so much. Mom.
Dawn: My baby.
Bink: Oh, man.
Dawn: Let's see it.
Kristen: It's so beautiful. It's so beautiful. I can't help it.
Dawn: Here, I'll hold her.
Kristen: Oh, my God. Oh, God!
Dawn: Big night, huh?
Lauren: Big, all right.
Dawn: Hey, Lulu, you know when you're a world-renowned biologist
and that old Henderson still thinks you're a veterinarian or...
And he calls you in the middle of the night 'cause his calf is stuck,
and there's three feet of snow you might just wish for slow eggs.
Good night, baby.
Lauren: Good night.
Dawn: Come on. Let me have it.
Lauren: Right here. He sees her, and she sees him across the court.
And she calls him, O my fair warrior." And they talk to each other,
and then he says this... He says, I cannot speak enough of this
content. It stops me here. It is too much of joy." And then they kiss.
And he says, And this, and this the greatest discords be that e'er our
hearts shall make." But it's not just that. There's just so much right
now, and it's beautiful, and it's big. It's so big, it's kind of awful too.
But beautiful. So beautiful, you know? But it just seems like
everything lately is just too big or too small or too late...
Dawn: Or too too.
Lauren: So too too.
Dawn: It is. Come on, little guy.
Radio: Good morning, Denver. It's April 20, 1999, and it's my Aunt
Bunny's birthday. Aunt Bunny, if you're listening...
Dawn: Twenty-six minutes, Lulu.
Bink: Where are my keys?
Dawn: Shane. Who would have thought, huh?
Lauren: White roses. He rocks (have an atmosphere of excitement) and rocks
and rocks all day.
Dawn: I really didn't see it coming.
Lauren: The bridesmaids' dresses better be cool, is all I'm talking
about. I mean, Kristen's got okay taste, but sometimes with
weddings people, like, lose it or something. I wanna look good. Very
simple,...
17
Lauren: ... very elegant.
Dawn: Well, that chicken's going to poop in your lap.
Lauren: No way. We are so bonded. You gotta bond.
Dawn: I'll bond him upside his fuzzy little head if he ruins that skirt. I
don't really buy him as a biology project.
Lauren: Whatever do you mean?
Dawn: I mean, don't go naming him. All right?
Lauren: Moo Shu.
Dawn: Moo Shu"? Are you set?
Lauren: You bet. Mom? So totally.
Dawn: Totally.
Boy: Hey, Lauren. Oh, man.
Dawn: Absolutely. Eternally.
Radio: Gunshots have been fired in or outside of Columbine High
School. Police are confirming gunfire and some sort of minor
explosion at the school where nearly 2,000 students are now in
classes. Again, gunshots and explosionsDawn: Please, please, please.
Radio: At Columbine High School.
Dawn: Pick up!
Radio: All of the parents of students from Columbine High are urged
to remain calm, and they are also urged to stay at home. There are
roadblocks all around the school, so nobody does have access. We
have no word yet as to the injuries or fatalities. Several SWAT (Special
Weapons and Tactics) units have been sent.
Dawn: She's in the library. She's sitting at the table.
Radio: We'll continue to update you...
Dawn: She's at the table in the library. Okay, so go home. She knows
to call. She'll call. She's at the library. She'll call.
Radio: We have confirmed that... Jefferson County and Arapaho
County Police have erected barricades. We have confirmed continued
gunfireDawn: Just stay calm. She'll call. Baby! She's gonna call. She's okay.
Hey, babe, it's... No, no, no, no. Bink.
TV: Still no word on how many students have been wounded and no
word on fatalities, if any but reports of repeated, sustained automatic
gunfire continue to pour in from residents in the nearby community
who are witnessing this horrific attack.
Dawn: Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
TV: FBI received reports that the shooting began this morning around
11:00. We have reports of 911 calls coming from inside the school.
Witnesses report hearing the sound of automatic gunfire and
explosions.
Dawn: Hello?
Shane: Hello?
Dawn: I'm in here, Shane. I'm in here. What reporters? What paper?
Boston... You can't call me here now. This line has to stay clear. This
line has to stay clear, Shane.
Shane: Hello?
18
TV: Still no word on how many students have been wounded.
No word on fatalities, if any but reports of repeated, sustained
automatic gunfire continue to pour in from residents in the nearby
community.
Kristen: No, I told you. I will call you as soon as Lauren calls us,
okay?
TV: The parents of students from Columbine High are urged to
remain calm.
Kristen: When you see Lauren, please tell her to call home. We're all
waiting for her. Thanks. Bye.
TV: And they are also urged to stay at home. There are roadblocks
all around...
Kristen: Will you guys please stop calling here? We need to keep the
line clear. What is wrong with you people?
Bink: Just hang it up!
TV: We will bring you information as it becomes available. And
relatives of any students at Columbine High School stay home, stay
calm, and authorities will contact you if you are affected.
Kristen: Where is Lauren? Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Dawn: Hello? We need to keep this line clear, all right?
Kristen: Where's Lauren?
Woman: We realize how difficult this is for you and I want to
emphasize that the questions that we have for you we're asking as
advocates (helpers).
Dawn: Advocates?
Woman: Yes. We're a victims' advocacy association.
Dawn: Is my Lauren a victim?
Woman: The questions we have are meant to help determine that.
Dawn: Is my daughter dead?
Woman: We can't confirm that at this time. What was Lauren
wearing this morning?
Dawn: A blue A-line skirt and a white T-shirt, a short-sleeved shirt.
Woman: All right. Did she have any birthmarks or tattoos?
Dawn: Tattoos, no. Goodness, no. What?
Kristen: Well, she has a tattoo, Mom. She was gonna tell you, but
obviously she didn't tell you. She was gonna tell you later. It's a little
one.
Josh: Yeah, she was gonna tell you later, after she graduated like it
was a college thing.
Dawn: A tattoo. She had a little tattoo.
Josh: She was gonna tell you.
Dawn: Where was the tattoo?
Kristen: It's on her hip.
TV: We will bring you information as it becomes available. And
relatives of any students unaccounted for from Columbine High
School it is now confirmed that they are among the fatalities.
Matt: Mom! Mom, what's happened?
TV: Again, as we've been reporting...
Matt: Where's Lauren? Oh, my God! Where's Lauren?
Dawn: They told us on the TV Lulu's dead. They told us on the TV.
19
Lauren's voice: You're asleep. Wake up. Wake up. Everything's gonna
be all right.
Dawn: Dear daughter of mine, I've been everywhere looking for you.
I think I see you everywhere I look but it's like seeing something in
the corner of my eye and when I look right at it, it's not there. Why
am I writing? I've told you everything already. I can't seem to stop
talking to you. I've told you everything that's happened and still,
there's this awful quality of everything being normal somehow. For
awhile, I wanted nothing to happen again... that life should just stop
because you're not here. So I did what I'm good at. I talked.
My name is Dawn Anna. I'm not a professional speaker. I'm just a
mother standing here for anyone who's ever loved a child. Lauren
Townsend, my Lulu. She had written in her diary that it was going to
take something really huge to force our world to change. She had
hoped she would be here to witness it. She bravely told themThe first time I felt you close by was the big march, the first one.
A million moms. It felt like the world.
Dawn: Here, Matt. You want some popcorn? Let me have little
McKenna. Let me have that baby.
I swear, Lulu, when I think of how you would have loved your little
niece and how she would have loved you it's enough heartbreak for a
lifetime.
You wanna see Lulu? Look at little Lulu.
Do you know that? Can you feel it at all, I wonder? Or did all that
beautiful yearning of yours fall away with you?
We're tearing down that library. We're building a new one with
nickels and dimes from all over the world. You wouldn't believe
people what's in their hearts how much they want things to change,
and how hard it is anyway.
I'll stop feeling sorry for people who never had the chance to know
you. I...
20
Dawn: ... wish you'd give me a sign.
I feel like I'm talking to myself, as usual. Or, maybe even if I am
talking to myself, I'm talking to you. They day you were born, early
girl they said we wouldn't make it, either one. I was so scared and
weak, lying there alone. I heard a voice. It held me like arms. It said,
"It's going to be all right." The peace and certainty I felt then I've
longed for now. It's going to be all right.
You said that to those little girls under that table with you... the ones
who made it out because of you.
I want to say something I haven't already told you. It's the kind of
thing you love, and I just learned it. The biggest organism on Earth is
an aspen grove. Did you know that? All the trees are joined
underground. It's one big tree. That's something you'd have told me.
I thought I died the day you were murdered. You were right. I was
sleeping. Talking in my sleep. I'm awake now, and I've set this down
so I could see it all in front of me and then let it all go to be delivered
into this world, the one without you in it. I miss you, thank you, bless
you every day. Love always, Mom.