INT.
TEACHERS' WORKROOM -- A LITTLE LATER, SAME MORNING
Victor,
leaning heavily on his cane, stands by the mimeograph machine. The floor
beneath the machine is covered with blue-stained newspapers. His hands,
stained blue from the mimeo fluid, tighten some screws.
Emma
leads Jimmy (whose face is now clean) to the worktable. She pours fluid
into the mimeo machine, while Victor bends down, watching for drips.
VICTOR
All
set ma'am.
EMMA
Oh,
thank you, Mr. Schneider.
VICTOR
My
pleasure, ma'am. I'll just have a look at that radiator now.
Victor
nods his head at Jimmy in greeting, and starts to work on a nearby
radiator. As he works he hums some familiar snappy WWII hit tune
(examples: "Swinging on a Star," "Boogie Woogie Bugle
Boy," "Mairsie Doats"). Emma smiles at him.
Emma
begins cranking out War Bond flyers.
The
flyers feature a combination of typed and hand-drawn text all in blue
ink. They are on the same color paper as the poster on the wall behind
her, which shows a baby who looks a great deal like Betsy [Jimmy's sick
little sister]. The caption on the poster reads "To have and to
hold. Buy War Bonds."
Another
poster features a cartoon Parrot and the caption: "Free Speech
doesn't mean Careless Talk."
EMMA
Stack
the flyers in piles of twenty. Can you count that high, Jimmy?
JIMMY
I
know how.
As
the flyers stack up on the out tray, Jimmy takes the stack to a
worktable near the radiator where Victor is tinkering.
An
"Order Coal Now! Keep Warm Next Winter" poster hangs over the
radiator. Victor is watching curiously as Jimmy looks longingly up at
that poster.
Victor's
cane leans against the wall. He sits beside the radiator holding a knob
assembly in one hand and some piping in the other.
JIMMY
(CONT'D)
Are
you a repairman?
VICTOR
Am I
a repairman?! I am the Merlin of the monkey wrench, the Svengali of the
screwdriver.
He
juggles the two items for a moment. Jimmy giggles. Victor fumbles the
awkward items, but manages to catch them and set them down.
VICTOR
(CONT'D)
Glad
to see you helping with the war effort, son. We all have to do what we
can to win!
EMMA
Jimmy
is a very good helper, Mr. Schneider.
Jimmy
looks disappointed, and gives another look at the coal poster. Again
Victor notes the boy's response.
Jimmy
stacks the war bond flyers into neat, even piles.
VICTOR
Your
heart's in the right place. But sometimes it's better not to draw
attention to yourself. You could have waited until Marty put the lunch
sack down and then snitched it back when he wasn't looking.
JIMMY
Then
I'd feel like a thief.
VICTOR
It's
not stealing to take what's yours. Look -- you're a smart lad. Marty's
bigger and stronger than you are. You have to use your brains if you're
going to beat him.
Jimmy's
mom Carol walks into the room.
CAROL
Oh,
Jimmy--what have you done? You've never been in a fight before, Honey.
EMMA
Marty
was bullying Andy. Jimmy stopped him.
CAROL
(to
Jimmy)
You
should have called a teacher, Sugar, not hit Marty. You can't afford to
be so hotheaded.
JIMMY
I'm
sorry, Mama.
VICTOR
Forgive
me, ma'am, but sounds to me like your son was defending the weak and
protecting the good, like a knight of old. Sometimes a man has to do
things that the womenfolk don't understand.
Victor
winks at Jimmy.
The
BELL RINGS.
EMMA
(sternly)
Stay
right where you are Jimmy. You can finish stacking those flyers before
the second bell.
Carol
and Emma converse quietly together, smiling frequently. Victor returns
to his repair job, limping badly.
The
way Carol and Emma are standing, Emma is close enough to hear what
Victor and Jimmy are saying, although she is involved in her own
conversation with Carol.
Victor
presses the center of the radiator valve handle, causing steam and water
to spray out with a hissing sound.
VICTOR
It's
obvious you're not a fighter. This is no time of the year to be bad.
JIMMY
My
little sister's really sick. The doctor says we have to warm the house
up. We need coal for that.
VICTOR
So
you literally do want coal for Christmas.