you know in some movies how they have a dream sequence only they don't tell you it's a dream? pull out to reveal josie on pitcher's mound of a--
told you. i'm over there. the camera swings to josie entering. rhoda, a young copy assistant, tails her, pen and paper in hand.
standard american calls for "er". standard british is "re". so go for "er", unless you're a pompous american, then go for british. josie keeps negotiating the maze, leaving rhoda in her wake.
messages? merkin removes his finger from his nose and uses it to pick up a pink message. he holds it out to josie. disgusted, she takes it by one corner.
merkin, do you think we could get some more yellow highlighters? i checked the box and we're-- merkin swivels his chair 180 degrees so his back is to josie and continues with his phone call.
roger in op. ed.
you did. yesterday you said, and i quote, "i have a date with roger from op. ed tonight and i'm going to do it with him."
it is hoped that it's not a mess. "hopefully" is an adverb. it means "with hope". you have it defining the copy, and i'm pretty sure the copy doesn't have feelings. gus and anita just stare at josie.
well, excuse me for caring about words.
intra office. and they're not dating. they're having sex.
five-- six--
hey gus--did you see the story idea i left on your desk?
oh. cahoon. yeah, he's--good.
you've done five of my ideas.
they don't have to be in the office christmas show?
a--flack jacket.
you don't think i can grab bulls' balls?
hey--i can be out of control. gus smiles. on his way out he re-adjusts josie's nameplate so it hangs at an angle. tormented, josie waits a beat. she can't take it, and runs to the door and straightens it.
be honest. do you think i'm aggressive? anita ponders a moment.
yeah.
just because i'm not out of control doesn't mean i can't write.
you write obituaries.
forget it.
i'm concentrating on my career right now.
anita!
the right guy is out there. i'm just not going to kiss a whole bunch of losers to get to him.
when i finally get kissed, i'll know. anita and cynthia trade looks.
i've kissed guys. i've just never kissed a guy. felt that thing--
that thing. that moment. you kiss someone and it's like the world around you gets all hazy and the only thing in focus is you and this other person and you know that one person is the person you're meant to be kissing for the rest of your life. and for that one moment you've been given this amazing gift and you want to laugh and cry at the same time because you're so lucky you found it, and so scared that it will all go away. anita and cynthia take this in.
that is so--weird that you name your car.
okaaaay.  that car's going to bankrupt you.
because i bought the windshield last week. i'm a hubcap away from owning more of bambi than you do. rob hands the money back.
rob, take the money, okay? it's no big deal.
better person than i.
i know this woman. she works in admissions at lakeshore community? she might be able to get you in for the fall semester. maybe she could get you the baseball scholarship, and i could help and--
this--this is a luau that sells packing material!
how can you just give up like that? you had a real shot at playing college ball and you let one case of mono stop everything. don't you want more? to move out of mom and dad's? pay your own bills?
for your information, i am very happy. deliriously happy. i lead a very happy life! she exits. the music starts up again.
there. what d'you think, guys? where should it go? josie looks around the living room.
hmm. what's that? bedroom? great idea! she walks into the bedroom with the pillow.
perfect.
josie. josie geller.
oh. but--i'm not a reporter yet.
it's finally happening, anita! i'm going to write! anita looks concerned.
my own undercover feature - "written by josie geller".
you don't think i can do it.
but i don't want it straightened out.
okay, just so i'm clear here -- neither of you think i can do this.
anita, when you wanted to seduce the guy in the mailroom and you didn't think you could learn spanish fast enough, who quizzed you on your verbs? anita looks down, chastened.
and gus - when you picked up knitting, who showed you how to hold the needles?
so, this is my chance. a beat.
you can start by handing me that bag. anita does. josie sticks it over her face, flips her head between her knees and starts hyperventilating again. close up on rob, wearing his tiki post outfit. he shakes his head.
it's just for a couple of months.
i'll give you my buick le sabre. rob rolls his eyes and enters the store.
you can name it whatever you want.
i got an assignment from the paper. i'm going undercover. back to high school. rob starts laughing uncontrollably.
what!?
it was a long time ago -
josie grossie.
nauseated. i look nauseated. oh god. she puts her hand over her mouth, races for the bathroom.
hey, billy prince, i noticed you weren't in math today, and i have the notes in case you want - midway through josie's speech, we hear the odd sound of liquid hitting linoleum. josie follow billy's gaze down to between her feet where a pool of sprite has gathered. billy starts to laugh. kids around him join in. as the laughter echoes around her we dissolve back to:
this is a very bad idea.
anita, remember espadrilles?
the girls threw them at me in the locker room.
at the end of the yeat the person who got the most direct his to my head got to toss me into the pool.
that is lingerie.
what'd you feel when you kissed him?
very romantic. josie pulls out a plain button-down cardigan.
how about this?
'nita, this is about reporting, not accessorizing.
anita!
okay, i can do this. piece of cake. i can do this.
yeah, okay. feeling good.
oh, i'm a student. most definitely a student. in high school. here. i am going to class. with my fellow students. hi. hi there. the guard stares at her a beat and then motions behind them, to three huge metal detectors that the kids are filtering through. josie smiles, "whoops," walks back.
hi--um, i'm looking for room 204, ms. knox? as soon as the boy starts to talk, we notice something in his mouth - a tongue pierce. josie does too. we zoom in on that shiny little metal ball. josie is fixated. so fixated that we stop hearing the boy's voice. all we see is the mouth - and that ball - moving. the mouth closes. he's done. josie's face is contorted in imagined pain.
ow. i mean, wow. wow. great directions. clear. concise. and josie takes off, totally embarrassed.
sorry i'm late.
i'm really sorry -- ms. knox pulls a ridiculously huge sombrero out from under her desk. the class laughs in recognition.
my name is josie. i'm a high school student. i came from -- just then the classroom door opens. we see from josie's perspective a blinding light, josie squints. from the light emerges a shadowy vision of billy prince.
billy? josie blinks, reveal not billy, but a beautiful guy, guy. he stands very close to her.
bali. i'm from billy-bali. it's a suburb of bali proper. guy pushes past her, tosses a wooden hall pass to ms. knox, and moves to his seat.
we were--sheep--farmers. we raised sheep. in billy-bali. josie realizes the trouble she's gotten herself into.
oh my god. oh my god--do i miss billy-bali. it had--a really great. aquarium. she sits. defeated.
note to self--research bali. kill anita for picking out this outfit. find and destroy sombrero.
oh. sorry--i didn't know these were assigned. gibby: they're not. josie quickly gathers her things and moves one row forward, next to two empty seats. two stoners shuffle over to josie.
couldn't you two--sit there?
i'm josie. geller. i think the school would probably be pretty comfortable with you calling, me that. josie. sam smiles.
pastoral means set in the country. originally seen in the eclogues of virgil. it's from the latin pascere. to graze. student bleets like a sheep o.s. sam just stares at her, smiling. finally, he walks over and shakes her hand.
excuse me. what's in the cole slaw? the cafeteria guy hauls an industrial-size plastic tub onto the, counter and turns it-so josie can read the label: "kole slaw food." josie wrinkles her nose. she moves on to the cash register.
oh my gosh. wow. that's.  pricey.
boy--that's a lot of bread for that bread! the girl rolls her eyes, reaches past josie to grab a mustard bottle. josie turns with her tray toward the room.
hi kristen.
that'll teach me to wear white after labor day.
right, right. josie picks up her notepad and her pen.
so - tell me about yourselves. they all just stare at josie in disgust. guy approaches their table.
yes you are. a guy. guy. quite a guy. oh my. look at that--i rhymed. yikes. bikes!
bye. guy. others. she leaves the cafeteria, passing a-couple of denominators.
aaaah! how old am i?
must--have--water--
oh--my--god--you guys arestill telling that lie--?
rhoda, make sure gus gets-the whole message, okay? yeah--bye-- josie arrives where she parked bambi. the space is empty. she still holds the phone to her ear--
wait a second-- no, not you--bye-- josie shuts the phone, looks around. retraces her steps .  bambi is gone. josie walks around the lot, getting visibly upset. in the corner of the lot, we see a group of denominators removing a big metal chain from around a group of tightly packed cars.
who's of they? aldys motions up to a second floor window. guy and his group look down on them, laughing.
i'm josie. aldys is an interesting name.
try being named after a guitar-playing pussycat. aldys doesn't get it.
never mind. that is so awful that they hide your cars.
i know. it's pathetic. aldys stares josie down.
what?
synecdoche uses a part to represent a whole- as in " head of cattle", whereas a hyperbole is simple exaggeration like "i could eat a horse."
how long will they watch us for?
why do they listen to guy? aldys: because he's guy perkins. listen, you want to walk to na-na's and get something to eat?
yeah. let's do that. they start to walk out of the parking lot. josie is visibly thrilled - having finally found a friend.
oh i know. a waiter delivers two huge chocolate shakes.
hey--i went to northwestern! once. to use the bathroom. out the window, josie sees her buick with rob at the wheel stopped at a red light. detailed on to the side in big white script is: "the tiki post". josie's eyes widen. the light changes. rob pulls away.
oh. my. god. you'll really like northwestern. they both slurp down their shakes.
so what are your hopes, your dreams, what do you want to be?
hello? we intercut with:
it's my dad. he worries. hi, dad. i miss you too.
it's an expose on cafeteria food.
well, the bulk of it will be about the pimento loaf--
you didn't taste the pimento loaf. she looks back to the table where aldys is dividing the check.
thanks.
petty good.
college?
"no sooner had they met but they looked; no sooner looked but they loved; no sooner loved but they sighed" josie's voice begins to fade away-
does he notice me? does he hear my heart screaming his name-- sometimes it's so loud i think the gods can hear my pain. his voice is so mellifluous, oh to get just one small kiss. the class laughs at her except for billy, who smiles at her, looking slightly touched.
that they'd start an olympic team for grammar - like diagramming sentences and verb declensions and stuff. and i'm scouted for the team- just as an alternate, of course- because i'm so young. but then there's talk of me in the '96 games-
i'm the most popular girl in school, and billy prince is taking me to prom. josie laughs at the absurdity. she looks at sheila. sheila is dead serious.
what?
why?
the poem! i knew he liked the poem! billy prince is asking me to the prom.
what is with this school and prom?
aldys, don't miss your prom--it only happens once.
i left my bag in english. i'll see you later. josie dashes down the hallway.
sorry. forgetful. josie picks up her bookbag. she notices the book sam's reading--
dorothy parker--
i love the way she writes.
but i think she wanted to be happy, that's why she wrote. i mean, she was still writing about love, right?
sure, why?
well, i'm definitely seventeen and now definitely late-- and she smiles and runs out.
what's that?
yeah, i know.
have you ever wanted to go to the court?
it is?
yeah, it sounds lame. why would we want to go there, and stand around?
jeez, so am i. i had no idea that these kids- let's see- turn to a14- she tries to turn to a14, but gus grabs the paper out of her hands in a rage.
oh. right. gus angrily tries to fold the paper back 'up. he's having a hard time. josie tries to help, but he yanks it away. gus reads aloud from the newspaper.
kristen got a quote? gus looks up at josie.
yes, urm, she's right. i have learned it is a very popular place for the young people to go.
uhh, no.
well, how would you define to parties"? because we ordered a deli platter at this one denominator drill session-- gus looks like he may combust. he opens the newspaper, finds what he's looking for, and shoves it in josie's face. it is a picture of all of the popular kids at southglen- kristen, kirsten, gibby, guy- they are all posing for the picture at the court, smiling and holding beers.
gus i, the popular kids and i, we just don't- i mean, i don't think i can do this. he points to the picture in the paper of the popular kids.
they hid my car-- gus leans in very close.
depend on it. no s. your subject is plural.
are mom and dad here?
good. she shoves her way into the house. rob follows.
i can't do it. i thought i could. i can't. i give up--i'm never going to be a reporter. rob sits next to her on the couch. he looks up at the t.v.-, which is now off.
i can't do this. she pulls the article out of her purse, and shoves it at rob. he sees the picture of all the popular kids at the court.
gus insists that i become friends with these kids. the popular kids. it's impossible.
rob, you don't know how it was for me back in high school. no one ever threw juice boxes at you in the hallway. you never dreamed about being popular- you already were. all i wanted was to be accepted, and they just fucking tortured me. i can't do all that again. i can't go back to southglen south.
rob. please focus. he puts his arm around her.
don't you realize how much i wanted to be you in high school? just for one minute to feel what it was like to be popular?
is that true?
yes, desperately.
better than i.
george! what are you doing here?
what is this?
wings?
i'm not doing this until i speak with gus.
gus?
what if i say no?
hey! kirsten, kristen, gibby-- what's up girlfriends? the three girls pause and turn just as josie, caught up in the moment, doesn't see a stray backpack on the stairs in front of her. josie trips and-- josie-cam pov: the camera face-plants into the pavement.
and so it is rosalind, in disguise, who is best able to see through the disguises of others. to say to phebe, "mistress, know thy self," to look at love from every angle, and to realize, finally, that she is in love with orlando-- the bell rings. class is over. josie puts her stuff away and starts to follow the cool girls out.
hey guys, wait up-- the girls keep moving. sam stops josie.
oh i don't think so.
thank you.
college. haven't really thought about it.
oh no no no no no. see, my family, we don't go to college. we just go right into sheep herding.
thanks. wow. that's--really nice to hear.
excuse me. hi. do you guys have some kind of schedule i could work around? he ignores josie and goes back to his girlfriend. aldys, in her denominator sweatshirt decorated with pins, approaches josie.
i – uhh, must have forgotten-
right. 7:30.
i am not 21. i am only seventeen and i still attend high school. the bouncer stamps her hand. she looks down at her hand. we cu on her hand, reading delloser. she enters as the two stoners approach the bouncer.
hi.
hi. is it okay if i sit here?
get it?! get it?! he was a firecracker! she lifts up rasta 1's dreadlocks to get his ear.
a firecracker! and she cracks up again.
oh my god! this music rules! and josie proceeds to get up and take over the place--she's dancing on the table, getting up with the band and playing the bongos, all with absolutely no rhythm or style. but with a lot of whooping. the club is agog. angle on: lara and sam. they both look aghast.
i'm telling you, rob! i think i did it! i'm totally in! i was soo cool tonight! you'd be so-- you know what's a weird word? fork. wait! wait! did i tell you about my new friends? i made friends with a whole table of rastafarians! not one, a whole table! oh. my. god. someone ate my entire pie. dissolve to:
hi guy. guys. guy's guys. they stare, then snicker.
hey, billy. i'm ready. sure, i can just wait for you on the front porch. see you in a -uhh- jiffer. she hangs up. sixteen year old rob, very cute and buff, enters. his pretty girlfriend is on his arm.
as every loser should.
i've been in a horrible accident. this is a coma-induced nightmare.
oh my god! that's worse! what are you doing here?! rob leans in and whispers to josie.
are you crazy?! you can't do this.
you're twenty-three years old!
hear one. rob, this is so like you. you know, you can't just come in here and be popular in just one day. smash cut to:
oh my god.
what?
oh. i forgot. aldys is really hurt.
oh, please. josie has seen enough, and walks on.
i don't--i don't have one--
do you have to yell like that? sam, standing by a vendor, looks over and notices josie's predicament.
thank you. he gets in. the ride jerks into motion.
are you--scared?
you're afraid of the ferris wheel.
oh right. the spiderman incident.
of course. i remember everything from your class. they smile at each other. the smile is interrupted by a heavy swaying of their bucket, caused by tommy rocking in the bucket ahead. sam looks a little green.
don't look down! they're facing the ground at this point.
that's what makes you interesting. as a teacher.
you do. seem to. have passion. in the classroom.
i don't have to say that. they look into each other's eyes just as tommy rattles his bucket ruthlessly.
i know.
why do you do that?
that's okay. it's nice to have someone to talk to-- the bucket is rocked again by tommy--sam grips the safety bar.
you have to say that. you're my teacher.
when are you going to open your eyes?
oh, aldys, y'know, i have to-- and josie walks over to guy's table, leaving aldys staring after her. josie sits down at the table. everyone stares at her.
okay, that's good to know--
yeah it's french. there's no accent aigue, so the e is soft. a silent beat. josie thinks she may have blown it.
what are you doing here?!
maybe because we're not supposed to be having sex with bananas.
wow. that's big. i mean sex is a really big deal. you shouldn't do it until you know you've found the right person. angle on sam, listening. josie is oblivious.
you know, adele penguins pick one mate. they spend their whole life looking for that one other penguin and when they find it, they know. that's the penguin they stay with for the rest of their lives.
excuse me. i have to go die now. the class is interrupted by sydney over the loudspeaker:
how about--' meant for each other--famous couples throughout history? another beat as the class considers.
thanks. thank you. josie looks from sam and anita's smiling faces to find guy smiling at her. close up on a banner reading: "millennium". it comes down, replaced by one that reads: "meant for each other.  widen to reveal:
i'm telling you gus. it's a great story. they keep the tags on, then return the clothes after they've worn them. gus?--gus? kirsten discovers josie behind the rack. josie quickly pulls a cardigan off a rack, feigning interest in it. the girls all do the same.
transitioned?
why?
rob's?
do i want to be crunched?
totally. josie keeps going. a confused rhoda stares after her. she passes merkin's desk. he is still on the phone.
hi. sorry i'm late. sorry. excuse me-- josie takes the chair next to anita's. anita looks her up and down.
oh it's great. totally rufus. gus and anita look at each other, both mouthing "rufus?"
i have, um-- josie dumps out her backpack on the table. teen items spill out-notebooks, cds, barrettes, a hacky sac, a frisbee, glitter nail polish. she rifles through it all--
--notes here somewhere- there's my math homework!
hey rob, what's going on?
really? rob-, that girl is sixteen.
she's sixteen years old, rob. that's totally and completely illegal. josie feels an arm around her shoulder. it's guy.
hey. there. guy takes josie's hand.
maybe we should go in a different room?
yes. i'll go. yes. guy leans in as if to kiss her and whispers.
you know what? why don't you just pick me up here? we could all share a limo.
rob, this is unbelievable. i mean-- josie shoves through the double doors leading into the gym.
--i spent my whole life wanting to fit in, and now-- gibby and kirsten run up to josie.
betty. gibby turns to kirsten.
you did? and they begin to walk through the prom prop area, and it begins to appear like a romantic date--they pass flowers, he picks one out, they pass a bistro table, a backdrop of a sunset follows them for awhile, etc.
well, in a strict sense, probably not. but for prom--sure.
thanks. they weren't related to humpty dumpty, were they? tweedle dum and tweedle dee?
but humpty dumpty was alone.
that's really what we all need, right? someone to sit up on the wall with us--
to put us back together again when we fall. they share a meaningful glance and a smile.
do you think you'll find her?
what! but--i wasn't even going to go to college--
oh--yikes!
wow. you believe in me that much--
you're crazy. i can't--i can't-no. no.
he's my teacher!
there is no lid! nothing's going on between sam and me. coulson. mr. sam coulson and me.
you already pitched this to rigfort?! gus leans in, now all business.
rufus?
thanks. and what are -
rob--thanks. for everything. this is really happening. i never thought--
rosalind and orlando. from "as you like it"? shakespeare? it's like talking to a sack of hammers. guy interjects.
kristen, what are you doing?
oh yeah. the best. josie takes in the spectacle around her.
shakespeare. how he described a night like this--"look how the floor of heaven is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold". what about you? what are you thinking about?
oh.
you said that already.
thanks. so do you. they both laugh, embarrassed, at josie's flub.
yeah, okay-- and they walk off onto the dance floor. angle on: the side of the dance floor. guy approaches aldys.
well, are you here with anybody?
it's weird because "prom" is actually from the word "promenade". and you can't really promenade alone, can you? sam smiles at this.
yeah, i have. close up on josie's hand as she subtlety removes her hidden camera pin and drops it to the ground.
there's something i have to tell you-- her foot comes down on top of it.
nooooooo! slow motion as josie lunges for aldys and pulls her to floor as tommy, off-balance, dumps the dog food all down guy's front. the crowd stops dead, staring. the can, now empty, rolls slowly off the dance floor, the metal rolling noise echoing in the silence.
let me tell you something. it is still silent. josie takes a deep breath, and looks around the room.
i don't care about being the prom queen. i am twenty five years old. looks of confusion and teenage disgust. rob is pissed. sam looks shocked.
i'm here as an undercover reporter for the sun times for god's sake and i've been beating my brains out trying to impress you. she tears off her crown, and chucks it. she's on a roll.
i want to tell you something. you people- guy, gibby, the rest of you who have been keeping the geeks down through the ages. you will spend your lives trying to figure out ways to keep others down, because it makes you feel more important. and you will miss out on so much. why her, huh? what did she ever do to you? let me tell you something about this girl. she is unbelievable. i was new here, and she befriended me- no questions asked. but you people, you were my friends only after my brother, rob.  she points out rob in the crowd. he's mortified.
posed as a student and told you to like me. but y'know--l have to thank you. i got to go to an amazing prom. i got to be prom queen. i got to be cool. it felt good. but not as good as being myself. and to all of you-- there's a big world out there. bigger than prom. bigger than high school. when you get there, it won't matter if you were prom queen or the quarterback or the biggest nerd in school. what matters is that you don't regret who you were, who you are-what if steven spielberg had quit the audio. visual club because it wasn't "cool"? what if rosie o'donnell had stopped cracking jokes because someone told her they were stupid? what if michael jordan never went back to basketball after he got cut from his high school team?. in this room right now, there could be a future nobel prize winner, a supreme court justice, an amazing mom. find out who you are and don't be afraid of it. and if you'll all excuse me, i have some business to take care of. reaction shots' all around. kids start clapping, hollering, whooping. the music starts up again. they all go back to dancing the denominators lead their own conga line. angle on: josie she looks around for sam but he is gone. she runs out, brushing past the judges. angle on: judges judge #2 dabs his eyes.
so--surprise! he shakes his head in disbelief and walks off. josie chases after him. he turns back to her.
no, surprise, i thought you'd be--
you were attracted to me?
wait, i was going to tell you--
but now you don't have to--
i did exist. i do exist. i'm the same person!
i don't! look, you could get to know me, again. sam turns and starts to walk away.
please. please don't walk away.
really? he gets up. he's not happy.
i wasn't even thinking about-
maybe i could talk to rigfort, you know, tell him the whole story.
we are not screwed. yes, i made a mistake. but we will have a story. you will have an amazing story. josie exits.
yeah, but i'm okay. i've got some work to do.
no, thanks--i'm doing this on my own. josie walks past merkin's desk. she holds out her hand to merkin.
merkin. highlighter. merkin slaps a highlighter into her hand, she continues on. anita watches her go.
i'll do what i can. and tell your mom not to worry - you'll do o.k. josie continues down the hall.
hi, coach romano, my name is josie geller, from the chicago sun times listen, you know the local sports guy for the sun times, jim lakin?
well, what would you say if i told you that i could guarantee that jim and every other reporter in the area would be at the game?
someone once told me that to write well you have to write what you know. this is what i know. i am twenty five years old. i have never really kissed a guy. a geek to the core, most of my childhood years were spent doing extra homework i requested from the teacher.
high school was more of the same. then, at seventeen, it seemed as if my luck was about to change. the cutest guy in school asked me to senior prom - but it turned out he invited me as a cruel joke. i have never fully recovered.
yes, it is embarrassing to share this with the world. but it would be hard to explain what i learned, and how i learned it, without sharing this humiliating history.
i received an assignment, my first as a reporter, to enroll in high school as a student, to gain some insight into kids today. understandably, returning to high school was my worst nightmare. sam shuts the door.
what i found?
there's still that one teacher, who marches to her own drummer- and in the back row, kirsten, kristen and gibby are laughing an talking--
those girls are still there. the ones that, even as you grow up, will still be the most beautiful girls that you've ever seen close up.
the athletes - and the immense sense of fraternity and loyalty that they share-
the smart kids. who everyone else always knew as the brains. but who i just knew as my soulmates, my teachers, my friends.
and there's still that one guy, the one who is so perfect in every way, from the muscles in his shoulders-
- to the way he, in his own way, struggles to uphold tradition. southglen would not have been the same without him. high school would not be the same without him. i would not have been the same without him.
all of these things made me miserable at seventeen. but at twenty five i finally see that this - all of this- is just the way it should be. it is all part of this thing- high school. a time in our lives that we can never truly repeat. a time that shapes us. a time that makes us who we are, for years to come.
high school- going through it the first time- helped make me who i am. but going there a second time made me see that who i am is o.k. i always wanted to be "in", but seven years later, when they finally opened the door, i somehow gained the confidence to stay outside, firmly, happily. exterior. "el" train platform - day about 75% of the people have their life and style sections opened, reading josie's piece.
this is not the article i was sent in to write. this is the article i needed to write. i lived a lifetime of regret after my first high school experience, and now, after my second, my regrets are down to one.
a certain teacher was trampled in my path to self-discovery, and though this article may serve as a step, it in no way makes up for what i did to him. he's not paying attention and the milk overflows the bowl, soaking the table.
to this man, you know who you are, i am so sorry. he takes the wet paper, using it like a sponge, he sops up the remaining milk, and throws the paper into an open trash can. he leaves the kitchen. we hold on the empty room.
and, i would like to add one more thing - i think i am in love with you. exterior. baseball, stadium parking lot – night cars begin to fill the parking lot in a steady stream.
and so i propose this - as an ending to this article, and, perhaps, as an ending to this portion of my life. i, josie geller, will be at the state championship baseball game – where my friends the southglen rams are playing for the title.
i will stand on the pitcher's mound for the five minutes prior to the first pitch. if this man accepts my apology, i ask him to come to kiss me, in front of everyone, for my first real kiss. we find a nervous looking josie standing in the dugout.
five minutes may seem like a short time, but trust me, when you've been waiting twenty-five years, it's usually the last five minutes that kill you. cu: the picture taken of josie and sam at the prom.
i went back to high school and discovered i was a loser, again. widen to reveal the picture on the fridge in--
and then i discovered it wasn't so bad. i wasn't so bad. so, now that i'm ready to start living the rest of my life, it would be magical if i could live the rest of it with him. sam lets the photo slowly drop from his hand into the trash.
because inside everyone is a loser afraid to be loved, and out there is the one person who can kiss us and make it all better. we follow sam's stare down into the trash and see the photo lying on top and to the side of josie's article--the photos from the article are clearly visible. angle on hot dogs, popcorn changing hands being sold by the truckload at the stadium. the crowds are over capacity. way over. people fill the parking lot, they cover every other inch of school grounds, as well. they stand on the roofs of nearby buildings, they sit on top of their cars. it looks like most of chicago is either already there, or on their way. some women hold signs for josie, others hold and wave her article. josie sticks her head out of the dugout, and looks out at the fans. tv reporters are everywhere, including several on the field. she looks like she may faint. she ducks back in.
wow. it's packed.
well i'm so glad that you guys are. josie then starts to hyperventilate. she puts her head between her ankles. anita and aldys both grab the brown paper bag and hand it to josie. she hyperventilates into it. coach romano approaches. josie puts the bag down.
could i have five minutes on the clock, please? the scoreboard clock reads 5:00. josie stands, alone. exterior. box seats – same the staff from the sun times sits in box seats up front. rigfort joins them, carrying a huge load of hot dogs.
i finally found my story. and they kiss passionately. the most amazing, most waited-for kiss in the history of man. a kiss that will last forever.