Wine Mama (53) Dropping In For A Visit

Kirk Carter@ WGA Copyright 2013

WINE MAMA (53)

DROPPING IN FOR A VISIT

INT: DC-3-FLIGHT 1776-10 P.M.

CAPTAIN FRANKS

"Put your headphones on, you can sit up front here in the Navigator's seat if you want...this girl makes a  lot of noise when we get her running!"

ARTHUR

"Okay, is my chute ready, think I should put it on now?"

FRANKS

"No, it's almost four hours to Modesto, don't want all those straps cutting off your circulation...after all, you've been uncertified for a while...either your going to make to the ground in one piece or die trying..."

ARTHUR

"Yea, never thought about it like that!"

FRANKS

CAPTAIN FRANKS TURNS OVER ENGINE ONE, SMOKE POURING OUT OF EXHAUST

REVS UP RPM'S ON ENGINE, PROP PITCH NEUTRAL

STARTS UP ENGINE NUMBER TWO, WHOLE AIRPLANE SHUDDERS, AS HE BALANCES OUT ENGINE RPM'S

WHOLE PLANE SHUDDERING

ON INTERCOM, OVER HEADPHONES, ARTHUR HEARS FRANKS

"Check, check...does everybody copy, confirm?"

JANICE-CO-PILOT

"Check, copy!"

ARTHUR

"Check, can you hear me?"

FRANKS

"I hear both of you just fine!"

SWITCHING TO TOWER FREQUENCY ON RADIO, HE TRANSMITS DEPARTURE INFO AND REQUEST PERMISSION TO DEPART

"Break, Aerounion 4776 to tower, requesting permission to depart, runway consignment please, ten-four?"

(PAUSE)

AS CAPTAIN FRANKS THROTTLES UP, TAXING DC-3 INTO NEUTRAL ZONE FOR RUNWAY CONSIGNMENT

ARTHUR PUSHES TRANSMIT BUTTON

"Hey Franks, when was this girl built?"

FRANKS

"Got her in an auction, not even flyable, left wheel damage, hydraulics shot, trims were worn, spent a ton getting her certified...I think she was born in sixty-three!"

ARTHUR

"Got a name for her?"

FRANKS

"Yea, Bertha...pain in the ass Bertha!"

JANICE

"One of the flying butt sisters..."

FRANKS

"Got a find a woman, got find a woman, got find a woman, yea I make fun, but Bertha's been good to me, they don't build 'em like this anymore, that's for sure!"

TOWER

"Break, Aerounion 4776 you are cleared on runway four-seven, pull to yellow line, and hold ten-four?"

FRANKS

"Affirmative tower, 4776 moving to yellow line and holding, ten-four."

10 MINUTES OF IDLING 

AFTER ANOTHER CARGO PLANE LANDS IN FRONT OF THEM AND TAXI'S OFF

TOWER

"Break, Aerounion 4776, you are authorized to take-off on runway four-seven, have safe trip, Juarez tower, ten-six!"

REVVING UP ENGINES, ADJUSTING TRIM, AND FUEL MIX, GOES TO FULL POWER UP, BERTHA STARTS MOVING ONTO RUNWAY FOUR-SEVEN

AS THE DC-3 APPROACHES TAKE OFF SPEED, FRANK PULLS FLAPS AND THE OLD PLANE TAKES OFF, VIBRATIONS CEASE IMMEDIATELY

FRANKS

"She's much happier in the air...less grumbling

JANICE

"Yea, she may be old, but boy, this has one smooth ride...really knows her place!"

ARTHUR

"Man, what are carrying, Clorox?"

FRANKS

"No, just about nine-thousand pounds of prept-out coca leave, your probably catching vapors of the Acetone, it really leaches when you get to altitude, but you get use'd to it after a while!" 

ARTHUR

"Yea, I keep forgetting, this is a freight run..."

FRANKS

"That it is my man...that it is...trying to feed the need for Seattle's growing infrastructure...dirty job...but I take pride..."


JANICE

"But he's committed to the cause's he serves!"


ARTHUR

"The causes's?"


JANICE

"Yea, Bertha, Me, and the State of Washington...a man of a lot of responsibility...but he makes it look easy, takes it in stride, just..."


FRANKS

"Okay, Janice, enough sucking up, concentrate on the check-list please?"


JANICE

"Yes sir!"


FRANKS

"Arthur, this is what happens when you start dating the crew!"


ARTHUR

"Heard that...been there before...many times!"

(4 HOURS LATER)

FRANKS

"Hey Arthur, go on head and put your chute on, I', going off course here in about ten-minutes..."

FRANKS REACHES DOWN AND PROMPTS I-PHONE TO BRIAN

(scene switch)

BRIAN ANSWERING

"Hey Captain, everything good?

(scene switch)

FRANKS

"We don't want to draw attention to anything blatent, so I'm just going to pull my vector over about two-degrees...I've plotted that I should be over the vineyard, so when you jump, go on head and loop back if you need to?"

PHONE STARTS CUTTING OUT, GOING BETWEEN CELL TOWERS

"Sorry about that Brian, I'm a little bit off from any cell towers and you keep going from one to another...yea everythings been good, everybody good downstairs?"

BRIAN

"Yea, got the lights set up...let me call you back from my angle, let's see what happens, bye!

BRIAN PROMPTS CALL BACK AND CONNECTS PERFECTLY

FRANKS

"Hello there my friend, you sound great, everybody been good down there?"

(scene switch)

BRIAN

"Oh yea, we've been holding down the fort, everybody is still alive...so far!"

FRANKS

"Getting ready to kick out that troublemaker friend of yours...you sure you want him?"

BRIAN

"Yea, I guess...if you have to toss the trash out, I'll put it on the curb for you...so what's your E.T.A.?

FRANKS

"About ten-minutes...go on head and lite 'em up!"

BRIAN

"Okay, you'll be looking for some red and blue L.E.D.'s creating kind of a perimeter circle, then you'll see one white spot shining straight up...that's your target, okay?"

FRANKS

"So that's "HIS" target...just to let you know, I'm letting him use one of my delta's cause I'm flying straight through, no altitude changes, airspeed, nothing...just do me a favor, try to fold it up carefully and get it back to me...that's a twelve-thousand dollar chute!"

BRIAN

"Heard that, I'll make sure to ship it back...okay Captain, Sandy is lighting them up now, and I'm doing the flood."

FRANKS

"Yea, I see you a couple of miles in front of me...perfect, just perfect...hey you take care."

BRIAN

"Yea, wanted to thank you again for all your help, take care."

FRANKS

"I'll try to drive down a little later...you can ask me for anything at anytime, be good Buddy, bye!"

ALL OF A SUDDEN THE MODESTO AIRPORT TOWER COMES ON AFTER SEEING RADAR IMAGE AND READING HIS TRANSPONDER NUMBER

MODESTO TOWER

"Break, hailing Aerunion flight 4776, do you copy?"

FRANK WAITS FOR A FEW SECONDS, THEN RESPONDS

FRANKS

"Yes, this is Aerounion 4776, I apologize tower, my auto-pilot must have turned off, sorry to get into your air space!"

MODESTO TOWER

"What's your destination 4776?"

FRANKS

"Yes, this is 4776, that would be Seattle out of Mexico City, mail freight...I'm now returning to my course setting, affirmitive?"

MODESTO TOWER"

"That's affirmative, you might want to get your auto-pilot checked when you go in...have a good night 4776, Modesto Tower ten-six!"

FRANKS

"I'll do that, thanks 4776 clear..."

LOOKING DOWN IN FRONT HE SPOTS BLUE AND RED LIGHTS FORMED INTO A CIRCLE AROUND A LONE WHITE SPOT SHINING STRAIGHT UP

FRANKS

"Well Arthur, this is where you get off, have a good one...be careful with my chute, oh...and you be careful, too!"

ARTHUR PULLING DOOR IN WITH A SWOOSH. HE FACES BACKWARDS TOWARD THE DOOR, DOING A CROSS OVER HIS HEART, THEN TAKES A SIMPLE PUSH AWAY FROM THE DOORWAY, COUNTS TO FIVE, AND DEPLOYS CHUTE.

LOOKING AROUND HE SEE'S THE LIGHTS, BUT HE ALSO REALIZES THAT HIS ALTITUDE WAS BIT HIGH AT TWELVE THOUSAND FEET, SO HE IS FORCED TO CIRCLE AROUND TO BURN OFF A LITTLE ALTITUDE

AS HE CLOSES IN ON THE LITTLE CLEARING THAT BRIAN HAS MADE, HE DOES AN OVER-SPIN AND CATCHES ONE OF THE WINGS ON A BRANCH OF A SYCAMORE TREE HOLDING HIM SIDEWAYS, HE STARTS FORCING HIMSELF TO SWING BACK AND FORTH, TILL HE'S ABLE TO GET ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO GRAB A LIMB, AND WALKING WITH HIS HANDS UP THE BRANCH TILL HE'S ABLE TO GRAB THE MAIN TRUNK OF THE TREE

BRIAN YELLS UP

"Arthur, you okay?"

ARTHUR

"Yea, I've got a footing, let me get this harness disconnected...kind of overshot the clearing!

BRIAN

"I thought you were trying to relive some boyhood fantasy of tree-climbing?"

ARTHUR

"Yea, that too!

BRIAN

"Yea, you missed the zone a little, just get your ass down here, we'll go back for the kite later!"

ARTHUR MAKES HIS WAY DOWN THE TREE, TRYING TO JUGGLE HIS ATTACHE CASE, AND FINALLY JUMPING THE LAST TEN FEET TO THE GROUND

BRIAN

"That was a hell of an entrance, you scared me there..."


ARTHUR

"Well, it has been twenty years, just a little rusty, almost forgot what a rush that was like!"

BOTH OF THEM GIVING EACH OTHER A BEAR HUG


BRIAN

So good to see you again, come on into the house, we'll get you a drink...hey, did you have much trouble with the airports?"


ARTHUR

"Not really, but they were very cautious, kind of that twenty question shit!"


BRIAN

"Yea, kind of figured that, but all my Bud's try to make sure your the real deal...too many imposters, snitches...these guys don't play around!"

WALKING INTO THE HOUSE, SANDY WALKS UP WITH A TRAY FULL OF HOT CHOCOLATE


SANDY

"Welcome to the Cashman Vineyards..."


BRIAN

"Cashman Vineyards, when did that come into play?"


SANDY

"Oh, just a little surprise I've been saving, not official yet...until we have the little hitching party, just thought I would break it in?"


ARTHUR

"Congradulations to the both of you...man, what a beautiful  place you have here...especially from the angle I came in!"


(1 hour later)


AFTER THE SWITCH OVER FROM HOT CHOCOLATE TO A COUPLE OF SINGLE-MALT WHISKY'S, WITH SOME GATORTAIL SANDWICHES, EVERYONE IS LOOKING TIRED


BRIAN

"You made good time...look it's two a.m., so why don't you go hit the guest bedroom, try to get us some sleep...picking crew will be here around seven, sound good?"


ARTHUR

"Yea, just curious...why did you Fed-Ex me here anyway?"


BRIAN

"Suspicious situation with the winery...I'm going to suggest to the Foreman to hire you on as a favor...your going to go with the shipment as it leaves here and make sure it get's to where it's suppose to be!"


ARTHUR

"Captain Franks had mentioned that, but I thought "Na", why would he go through all that trouble for just a laborer...now I see the deal!"


BRIAN

"Well you are one of my best friends, even if it was from the past, all these many years, but it's Bud's for life the way I see it...but, it get's worse, reality is showing it's ugly head...your just working..."


ARTHUR

"Yes?'


BRIAN

"You'll just be working for food...I'm presenting you as a desperate drifting border...we just took you in a couple of weeks ago out of the goodness of our heart!"


SANDY

"Yea, we took you in out of compassion, so try dressing down a little!"


ARTHUR

"That's my life, one moment in a beautiful villa...now I'm sleeping on a bale of hay!"


BRIAN

"Sure beats a week on a rusted freighter..."


SANDY

"Yea, show some appeciation or we'll have to ship ya back to the villa!"

EVERYBODY LAUGHING


BRIAN

"Good night Art!"


ARTHUR

"Yea, good night you two!"



scene close