INT.

HOUSE
There is a vase of PEONY ROSES on the table, being arranged
by CLARE, a kind looking nurse with mousy hair and a soft
delicacy. She is humming softly which is cut against the
snipping of flower stems. Her watch beeps and she glances
up.
CLARE
John, it’s time for your meds.

She walks into a homely living room where an old man is

seated reading.
JOHN
You’re much nicer than the last
nurse, she was an awful old biddy.

CLARE
(laughing) I’m sure she wasn’t so
bad, you’re hardly a difficult
patient.

She unpacks a little bag of medication and blood pressure

equipment and gives him tablets to swallow whilst attaching
the arm strap.
CLARE (CONT.)
So how has Sally been? Is today a
good day or a bad day?
JOHN
She... sometimes it is wonderful.
Sometimes she just needs a nudge...

TRANSITION TO RECENT MEMORY

JOHN calls up the stairs for SALLY to come get a cup of tea.
SALLY emerges at the top of the stairs and a cry and crash
is heard from the kitchen. SALLY is clearly terrified. JOHN
is lying on the kitchen floor, the tea has spilled and the
mug is smashed around him. SALLY begins to shake her head
and mumble. JOHN groans in pain and glances up, noticing
SALLY’s reaction.
JOHN
Sal, Sally love, it’s fine, I’m
fine. It’s me. Sally? Sal.
SALLY
(wailing) Who are you? Get out of
my house! Get out! Who are you?!
 2.

She grabs a photo frame and lifts it, shaking above her
head.
JOHN
SAL! Love, it’s me, it’s John. Your
husband, your John.

She hesitates, looks from JOHN on the floor to the frame in

her hand and sees that the frame is a photo of their
wedding. Her hand slowly lowers as she sinks to the ground
beside JOHN sobbing. They hold each other.

JOHN (V.O.)
Some days it’s harder than
others...
TRANSITION BACK TO PRESENT DAY

CLARE
That must be incredibly hard. You
know I will help as much as I
can... So how long have you and
Sally been together then?

JOHN
We met when I was 18 and she was
17. So that’s... 64 years ago now.
This dialogue is cut with shots of photos on the
mantlepiece.
JOHN (CONT.)
She worked in the local flower shop
and I used to find reasons to go in
all the time. I think my mother
knew something was going on when
she got 3 bunches of tulips in one
week.
CLARE
That’s so sweet! And you finally
plucked up the courage to ask her
out?
JOHN
It took me a while, her father
didn’t like me, He didn’t think I
had a proper job I remember him
saying
CLARE
A proper job? well what did you do
 3.

JOHN
I was working in a garage at the
time, it wasn’t what I wanted to do
forever but I was 18 and it was
good enough. Her father never
approved of me though, he wanted
Sally to marry this boy who worked
in a bank
CLARE
So how did you manage to marry her
then without her father’s
permission?
JOHN
He came round in the end, saw how
much I loved his daughter and how
much she loved me, no father
despite what they want for their
daughter will ever deny them the
chance of true love.
CLARE
So how did you propose?
JOHN
I took her to my favourite café and
we went to a movie. It cost me 3
shillings, which was a lot back
then. ’Some like it hot’ I think
the film was. We were married 2
years later.
TRANSITION TO FLASHBACK SEQUENCE

We see a church door opening and a beautiful young couple

come out, laughing and smiling as petals and confetti are
thrown over them.
JOHN
I remember the morning of the
wedding it was raining and my
mother told me that Sally would be
so heartbroken if her hair got wet
so I ran down the street in my suit
and bought the prettiest umbrella I
could find. I made sure a
bridesmaid had it so she could keep
my Sally dry. It didn’t matter
anyway because the sun came out 10
minutes before she arrived and I
remember thinking... this is how
it’s going to be, sunny.
 4.

TRANSITION BACK TO PRESENT DAY

CLARE
That’s so beautiful. I’m praying it
doesn’t rain for my wedding, it’s
an outdoor ceremony so I really
would need the umbrella!
JOHN
When are you getting married?
CLARE
In 3 weeks.
JOHN
Would you pass me that box over
there?
CLARE reaches over and picks up a wooden box and hands it to
him. Inside is a collection of vintage items, clearly a
memoir box including cinema tickets, an old pressed flower,
a brooch, photographs, bits of confetti, an old makeup
mirror, cufflinks and a wedding invitation.
JOHN (CONT.)
This is the hairpiece (blue) she
wore to keep her hair back when she
arranged flowers at the shop. She
gave me these cufflinks as an
engagement present but the jeweller
forgot the ’H’ in my name when he
engraved them...

He slips the Blue hairpin to claire

CLARE
No... No John I couldn’t

JOHN
No I want you to have it
CLARE
It means to much

JOHN
Im not going to discuss it, take
it... I hope it brings you the same
luck I was lucky enough to stumble
across.

The dialogue fades out as we cut to a close up of Clare’s

hand clutching the pin. This then pans across to a dining
table wear a wedding invitation lies asnon-diegetic voices
are heard yelling.
 5.

INT. APARTMENT - EVENING

A pile of wedding invitations are sprawled on a low coffee
table. It is evening and the flat is lit atmospherically.
CLARE and BEN come storming in, their voices heard before
they are seen, clearly in the midst of a heated argument.

BEN
Clare, she’s a bloody dragon! You
know she’ll spend the whole dinner
complaining about how the fish
course doesn’t match the wine or
some crap and it will come down to
my ’lack of refinement’ or some
bullshit like that-
CLARE
She’s my mother! For god’s sake
it’s not always an elitist thing,
she’s just fussy! I can’t not have
my mother sit next to us and the
only place left is next to you!

BEN
Well then swap someone! I won’t
have my own wedding ruined by some
stuck up -
CLARE
Don’t you dare speak about my
mother like that!
BEN
Oh there it is! You sound just like
her!
CLARE looks appalled and storms out slamming the bedroom
door. BEN bites his knuckles and throws a sofa cushion
across the room. After collecting himself, he picks up the
cushion, finds a blanket and lies down to sleep on the
couch.
INT. APARTMENT - MORNING
BEN wakes up, still in his clothes from the night before,
and makes himself a coffee. Just as he puts a jacket on, he
turns to the bedroom door, hesitates as if contemplating
opening it to say goodbye. He writes "I was just as much of
a dragon as she can be,I love you sorry" on a post-it note
and sticks it to a vase of flowers on the kitchen table.
 6.

EXT. SCHOOL PLAYGROUND- MORNING

BEN walks through the playground, being addressed by the
kids as ’Mr. Adams’. He is smiling and seems carefree, a
different person to the stressed one we saw leave the
apartment.

INT. CLASSROOM
The bell rings to signify the end of class and the 7 year
olds file out excitedly. One boy remains standing in front
of BEN’s desk looking deadly serious with a worried,
determined frown.
BEN
Liam, can I help?

LIAM
Sir, Mr Adams, I would like to
speak to you about a problem I’m
having.
BEN
Of course, what is it?
LIAM
(sincerely) Sir, I’m in love.
BEN
(bemused) In love? Now that’s
hardly a problem is it.
LIAM
No, you don’t understand, I need to
make her love me back. She’s my
best friend.
BEN
Ah, it’s Willow? Well, do you know
what she likes?

LIAM
She likes dragons and reading.
BEN
What about getting her a book she
might like? You could give it to
her and tell her you like her.
LIAM
... Okay, thank you.
 7.

BEN
Anytime. And good luck-

He watches LIAM bounce out the classroom determinedly and

smiles. He looks down below his desk at the freshly bought
bunch of plastic wrapped flowers sitting under his desk with
warmth, ready to be handed to Clare as an apology for his
behaviour in their argument.

EXT. STREET & GARDENS

We follow LIAM home where he goes straight to his back
garden and climbs the fence. WILLOW’s face appears opposite
his as they both reach the top with breathless smiles.

LIAM
Come over
WILLOW
I don’t know if I can, I’ve got tea
soon.

LIAM
Just for a little bit so I can show
you something.
WILLOW
Show me what?
LIAM
Just come on already, quick!

She climbs over and they sit in a tree house. Their voices
are distant and disjointed as we watch their feet dangling
off the edge.
WILLOW
Ah, sweets can I have one

Willow opens the bag of Haribos, Liam takes out two Haribo
rings from the bag.
LIAM
Give me your hand.

WILLOW
Why?
LIAM
Just give me your hand.

Liam slips one on the rings on Willow’s finger and hands her
the other one, she holds it up.
 8.

WILLOW
For you?
LIAM
Yeah as long as we have these we
can be best friends

WILLOW
Really, but its just a sweet.
LIAM
No it’s not, it’s a ring, and as
long as you have it I’ll always be
with you.
WILLOW
Promise?

LIAM
Promise.
We cut to a close up up of their hands holding one another
with the rings visible at the top of the treehouse. We here
willow’s mums voice calling her in for tea

INT. HOUSE
JOHN and SALLY are holding hands on the sofa, their wedding
rings visible.
JOHN
Honey, are you hungry?
SALLY is clearly not quite in the room, with a faraway look
on her face.
JOHN (CONT.)
Sally, come back to me.
She is startled and stares at him in fear. He clutches her
hand and caresses her cheek.
JOHN (CONT.)
Shh, shh, it’s okay. I’m here, I’m
your John. Are you hungry?

SALLY
(with sudden lucidity) Can we have
beans on toast?
JOHN’s face lights up.
 9.

INT. CAFÉ - THE 50’S

YOUNG SALLY and YOUNG JOHN are sitting in a booth in a café
eating beans on toast. The sound of the jukebox is heard and
their conversation is distant as they laughing and eat, we
are merely observing their happiness in a voyeuristic way -
kept out from their bubble of love.
TRANSITION TO PRESENT DAY

The same café with JOHN and SALLY sitting eating beans on
toast. SALLY gets up at one point and changes the jukebox so
it is playing the song that was played in the flashback then
sits back down. They exactly parallel their younger selves.
As Sally returns back to the booth she dances gleamingly to
the song. We see the excitement in John’s face as he
realises that the song has triggered Sally’s memory.
TRANSITION TO 50S
YOUNG JOHN grabs YOUNG SALLY’s hand and a bunch of PEONY
ROSES that were sitting on the table and they hurry out of
the café.
TRANSITION TO PRESENT DAY
EXT. CINEMA

JOHN and SALLY enter the cinema, SALLY carrying the same
flowers that were seen in her younger hands in the
flashback.

INT. FLORISTS
LIAM is standing at the counter and clutching a piggy bank
which he empties onto the counter.
LIAM
These please.
He places a bunch of barely open PEONY ROSES on the counter
beside his pile of pennies.
He leaves looking victorious, a small hand made book under
one arm.
INT. CINEMA
LIAM and WILLOW stand at the counter to buy their movie
tickets but are too small to see over so have to tip toe.
Once they are bought, LIAM shyly hands over the flowers and
we see the cover of the book on which he has drawn a Dragon.
The title reads ’ WILLOW AND LIAM’. They walk into the
cinema holding hands.
 10.

Behind them, BEN and CLARE are buying tickets, CLARE holding
the PEONIES. We see their engaged hands reach over to take
the tickets from the staff member. They also walk into the
cinema.

Following them, we see the four couples sitting scattered

across the cinema, each holding PEONIES in progressive
stages of growth.
In between cuts of the couples’ faces and the light of the
screen reflecting on them, the YOUNG SALLY and YOUNG JOHN
are sometimes there and sometimes not. The film they are
watching is ’Some Like It Hot’.