Scripts-Aloud

Tina Leary: Veterans Day

In this poignant episode of "Tina Leary," psychic Tina Leary meets Mr. Griffin, an elderly, decorated veteran. Griffin, a West Point commissioned officer who served in conflicts from Vietnam to Afghanistan, is nearing the end of his life and seeks guidance to put the pieces of his long, isolated career together.

Tina, after an initial reading that reveals a lack of deep emotional connection in his mind, reveals her secret tool: a U.S. Government-issued Philco radio, a device inherited from her Navy Intelligence mother, which can contact the decease.

Griffin decides to "fire it up" to find his father, Steven Griffin, who was killed in WWII at Okinawa. The contact is immediate and shocking—not only does he speak to his father, Steven, but also to Tina's mother, Martha, who turns out to be his old flame from Angola. The dramatic, often funny, reunion with Martha uncovers old grudges and "things left unsaid". Steven, Mr. Griffin's father, confirms his pride in his son and, knowing about Mr. Griffin's terminal cancer diagnosis, offers timeless advice on appreciating the little time he has left. The episode ends with Mr. Griffin finding a new perspective: to "stop and smell the roses" and take comfort in the knowledge that his father is always with him.

Major Themes
  • Service and Sacrifice: The episode explores the heavy toll of a lifetime of military service, from Mr. Griffin's decades spent in "every theater"  (war zones) to the tragic, early death of his father in WWII.
  • Legacy and Regret: Mr. Griffin struggles with feeling he left "no legacy" and questions the worth of his life. His father's perspective encourages him to recognize that you "never know how you affect people".
  • The Power of Connection: The story contrasts Mr. Griffin's emotionally isolated life with the unexpected re-ignition of connection through the radio, allowing him to reconnect with a lost love and finally hear his father's affirmation.
  • Mortality and Time: Given his terminal diagnosis 24, Mr. Griffin's perspective shifts from dwelling on the past to accepting that life is a "blink of an eye" and finding meaning in appreciating the short time he has left.

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Tina Leary: Veterans Day
by
Rick Regan
11/12/2024

INT. - TINA LEARY’S OFFICE, MID-MORNING
Tina Leary’s office, NW DC. Tidy townhouse on a block of
mostly-restored units, many built in 1900. Comfortable
with high ceilings, brick walls and new windows.
Tina sits at her desk at the side of the room, scrolling
through her phone, waiting for the next appointment.
There is a pair of comfortable chairs in the main space
with a small sofa between them.
A chime rings when the door opens and an old man comes
in. Tina looks up and sees him come in.
TINA
Mister Griffin?
GRIFFIN
Yep. You the lady?
Tina gets up and shows him to a chair. They sit opposite
each other for a moment.
TINA
Well, what can I do for you?
GRIFFIN
You’re the lady, right? Not just a
secretary or something?
TINA
Yes. The psychic. That’s me.
GRIFFIN
Well, I guess I need some psychic-ing.
TINA
(chuckles)
OK. What do you have in mind?
GRIFFIN
I don’t know. How’s it work?
TINA
Well...first, what brings you in
today?
GRIFFIN
I am an old man. I know my time is
limited. And...I don’t know.
TINA
I see. Or rather, I don’t but,
tell me a little bit about
yourself. Are you from DC? Any
family in the area?
GRIFFIN
I came to Washington after the
war, with the War Department.
TINA
World War Two?
GRIFFIN
Vietnam. I was a commissioned
officer, out of West Point.
TINA
Oh my! Well, what’s on your mind?
GRIFFIN
I guess I’m at a place in life
where I want to put all the pieces
together. See if it makes any
sense. I’m hoping you can look
back, maybe look forward. I don’t
know. I don’t know how it works.
TINA
I see. But I’m not sure that I can
come up with an answer. Is there
something specific that’s
bothering you?
GRIFFIN
Like what?
TINA
Oh, usually it’s life-regrets.
Sometimes a failed marriage,
troubled children, difficult
parents. Sometimes it’s a betrayal
of a friend. These kinds of things
weigh people down.
GRIFFIN
Uh-huh. Do you use cards or
something?
TINA
Like tarot cards? No. No. I’m a
psychic, not a magician.
GRIFFIN
Well, how’s it work then?
TINA
Mister Griffin, it would help if
you could give me something more
to go on, something to look for.
GRIFFIN
Yeah, yeah...you’re right. OK, so
I went to West Point, went into
the Army. Did tours of Vietnam,
came back to the Pentagon. Then I
was in every theater for the next
fifty years.
TINA
Like, movie theaters?
GRIFFIN
No. Like war zones. That’s what
they call it. Theaters.
So..Guatemala, Panama, Honduras.
Then Bosnia, Kuwait, Iraq. Even
Afghanistan by the end.
TINA
My goodness. That’s quite
a...career.
GRIFFIN
It’s a good life, if you don’t
mind it.
TINA
I see.
GRIFFIN
But now I’m out. And I’m just
thinking about, what it was all
for?
TINA
OK. Well, here’s what I do. I put
my hands on your face and I look
into your mind. I will see what I
see and then I can tell you what I
see. Do you understand?
GRIFFIN
Not really, but I’m not the
psychic.
TINA
OK. Ready to give it a try?
GRIFFIN
(nods)
Ready to go.
TINA
Alright. Just relax and close your
eyes.
Mr. Griffin closes his eyes and Tina puts her hands on
his face. She looks at him, then gently takes her hands
away.
GRIFFIN
Done?
TINA
Yes. You can open your eyes.
GRIFFIN
Well?
TINA
Um, I don’t know. It seems that
you experienced a lot, all over.
But I don’t see any real emotional
connection.
GRIFFIN
Why not?
TINA
You tell me. Because, you see,
normally people have in mind their
loved ones, sometimes even
enemies. They appear as glowing
figures in the mind. But there
really weren’t any for you.
GRIFFIN
So you are saying I’m a loveless
bastard.
TINA
No, no. I’m not judging, but it
does seem kind of sad.
GRIFFIN
I was married once. Does that
count?
TINA
Oh! And what happened?
GRIFFIN
I guess she finally figured out
that I’m a loveless bastard too.
But she’s got a good life now.
Family, kids, grandkids. You know,
the whole-show.
TINA
And are you happy for her?
GRIFFIN
Eh, I don’t know. It was good when
she was there, but it was good
when she was gone. I didn’t miss
her much.
TINA
I see. Well, I don’t know if I
helped you find an answer. Also, I
didn’t see much family either.
Your father, your mother.
GRIFFIN
Yeah, the old man was killed
before I was born. W-W 2.
TINA
I’m sorry.
GRIFFIN
Don’t be. It freed me to be
whoever I wanted, without having
to worry about getting out from a
father’s shadow.
TINA
And your mother?
GRIFFIN
We kicked around, in Iowa,
Illinois. Men showing up, then
leaving. I left when I was 17,
then she died when I was 19.
TINA
That sounds lonely. And hard for a
young person.
GRIFFIN
I was already at West Point so I
didn’t have any time to pity
myself. Then life just kept going.
TINA
What about now?
GRIFFIN
What do you mean?
TINA
Do you want life to just keep
going? Or, something else.
GRIFFIN
Sometimes I think about my pa. How
he never got a chance in the
world. How I signed right up too,
but somehow I came out the other
side. But he was done before he
even got started.
TINA
I wouldn’t say that. He had you,
even if he didn’t know it. I’m
sure he’d be proud.
GRIFFIN
Would he? I don’t know.
TINA
Mister Griffin, I have a device,
like a radio... that does some
unusual things.
GRIFFIN
The Philco in the corner? I saw
that through the window.
TINA
Through the window?
GRIFFIN
I’d seen models like that used in
posts around the world. I wondered
how you got your hands on one.
TINA
It was my mother’s. She was...Navy
Intelligence.
GRIFFIN
Heh! A spook, huh? And a daughter
who’s a psychic. Funny.
TINA
The thing is, I can sometimes
speak to those who are no longer
living.
GRIFFIN
I thought you said you didn’t do
tricks.
TINA
And the dead speak back.
GRIFFIN
(doubtful)
Ma’am, that sounds shady as hell.
TINA
I’ll be honest. I don’t really
know how it works. But maybe we
could find your father.
GRIFFIN
Does it cost extra?
TINA
No, included.
GRIFFIN
Well then, fire it up.
Tina wheels the device forward, setting up the microphone
and speaker. She switches it on.
MOTHER
Tina, dear. Are you there?
TINA
Yes, mother. Are you alright?
MOTHER
Nothing ever changes here,
sweetie.
TINA
Mother, this man would like to
hear from his deceased father. Can
you help him?
MOTHER
It might take a while. I gather he
has been here a while.
GRIFFIN
Since Forty-Five.
MOTHER
Yes. And his name?
GRIFFIN
Griffin. Steven Griffin. US Army.
Killed in Okinawa.
MOTHER
Hmmm. That was a terrible time.
TINA
Mother, can you help?
MOTHER
Wait. Griffin? Steve? Is that you?
GRIFFIN
Uh, yeah. Junior.
MOTHER
Angola?
GRIFFIN
Yeah, I did a tour. Hang on.
Martha?
MOTHER
Steve!
GRIFFIN
Is that really you?
MOTHER
I would say, in the flesh, but
it’s not really like that here.
GRIFFIN
But you are dead? How long? What
happened?
MOTHER
Oh my! It seems like it was just
yesterday. You and me. Just us.
GRIFFIN
Martha, that was a long time ago.
I got married once. That broke up.
Then I kept hitching up to the big
green machine.
MOTHER
Good heavens. Do you remember? We
were so young. Do you remember me?
GRIFFIN
Martha, I’d never forget you. You
were the one that got away. It’s
funny for me to say it now but
nobody else was even close.
MOTHER
Oh, stop it.
GRIFFIN
I mean it. Never saw a another
woman so beautiful. Nobody as
smart or as funny. Nobody but you.
MOTHER
Steven...that’s so nice of you. I
have such fond memories of our
time, together.
GRIFFIN
Martha, Martha, Martha. What
coulda-shoulda. But you did OK?
MOTHER
OK? Sure! Got out, got married.
Had Tina. We made a life. It was
good.
GRIFFIN
Honey, you can’t fool me. Once
you’re in that line, you never
really leave.
MOTHER
Who? Me?
GRIFFIN
Sweetie, I’m looking at your
radio, your US Government-issued
Philco. You don’t get to just walk
out with one of those.
MOTHER
Well, Steve, there are some things
maybe better left unsaid.
GRIFFIN
There we go! That’s her. Things
left unsaid. I haven’t heard that
in a while.
MOTHER
Don’t be mean.
GRIFFIN
That’s why we split up! Things
left unsaid. And that jerk, Water
boy.
MOTHER
Waterstone. Steve, believe me,
there was never anything between
myself and Christophe.
GRIFFIN
More cloak and dagger stuff. Smoke
and mirrors. At least I served at
the point of the spear.
MOTHER
Steve, you ran catering, on-base.
GRIFFIN
Around the world! Angola.
Guatemala, Iraq, Afghanistan. Do
you have any idea how hard it was
getting bacon through Uzbekistan
down to Kandahar? And oranges!
Everybody wants oranges!
MOTHER
Of course, of course.
GRIFFIN
But that’s not good enough for you - and Water-boy. Not one of the
cool kids, I guess. I never
measured up.
MOTHER
It was the nature of the work. You
know that going in. You knew what
you were signing up for when we
were together. This isn’t on me.
GRIFFIN
Well, it’s not on me. I can tell
you that much.
MOTHER
Fine. OK. But just stop for a
minute. You wanted to talk to your
father, right?
GRIFFIN
Yeah. Yeah, I guess.
MOTHER
He’s right here.
TINA
Already?
MOTHER
Time works differently here.
GRIFFIN
Dad?
STEVEN
Steve-o? That’s you?
GRIFFIN
(to Tina)
Is this a trick? Like a set-up?
Somebody in a closet or something?
TINA
No. It’s him. Ask him what you
want to know.
GRIFFIN
Uh, Dad? Can you see me?
STEVEN
I have been with you the whole
time, my boy. And I’m proud of
you.
GRIFFIN
You are?
STEVEN
I am. I was killed in combat but I
got to watch you grow up and make
your way in the world. You done
good, boy.
GRIFFIN
But I didn’t leave any legacy.
Nothing left behind. It’s like, my
life never happened. Was any of it
worth it?
STEVEN
Was it worth it? I don’t know. But
I will tell you, you never know
how you affect people, as you go
along.
GRIFFIN
Change people?
STEVEN
I’ve been up here, if that’s what
it is, for near eighty years. And
it’s like a blink of the eye.
We’re here. We’re gone. And the
souls just watch and listen. It’ll
be over soon. And that’s alright.
GRIFFIN
So soon?
STEVEN
I was sitting next to you, at the
doctor.
TINA
Mr. Griffin?
GRIFFIN
I’ve got the cancer. Six months,
they said.
STEVEN
So don’t rush through it. Enjoy,
even this little time. You can
usually help somebody out, just
being kind. Like the bum sitting
at the light. Throw him a nickel.
It doesn’t hurt, and it might
help. You don’t know, but better
to be on the credit side of
things.
GRIFFIN
But how do I make up for lost
time, lost opportunities?
STEVEN
You can’t. You just gotta go
forward, and grab the bull by the
horns.
GRIFFIN
But, six months?
STEVEN
Well, the light will go out on all
of us soon enough. Don’t be
hurrying it along. Why I remember
when you were with that pretty
little filly, Martha here. I was
hoping you two would make a go of
it. Shame it didn’t. And that gal,
Celine, I never thought she was a
good fit for you. But what do I
know.
GRIFFIN
What about Mom? You see her?
STEVEN
She’s around. Good time gal. Just
like I remember. She doesn’t have
a whole lot of time for me though.
But she’s got plenty of friends
here. Me too, mostly boys from my
platoon, and from back home.
GRIFFIN
Do you miss it, your home town?
STEVEN
Not really. I wish you were
happier though. It seemed like you
really liked being out in the
world.
GRIFFIN
I don’t know who I am anymore.
STEVEN
Eh, that’s nothing new. I wonder
myself, a fair amount.
GRIFFIN
And you don’t know?
STEVEN
Not to the degree they all
promised. Pearly-gates and all.
We’re just here, and nowhere.
Forever.
All are silent.
STEVEN
But I get to watch you. That’s
nice.
GRIFFIN
Is it?
STEVEN
Yes, son. It is. I love you.
GRIFFIN
I love you too.
STEVEN
But look here, I’ve got to get
back. I stepped out of a game of
cribbage to come talk. But, I
guess...
GRIFFIN
Yep. I guess...
STEVEN
I’ll keep an eye on ya. Until next
time.
MOTHER
Tina dear? We’re signing off.
Goodbye.
The radio clicks and goes dead.
TINA
I don’t know what to say.
GRIFFIN
Me neither. Um...how much?
TINA
Seventy-five.
Griffin fishes cash out of his pocket.
GRIFFIN
Here’s a hundred. Keep it.
TINA
Are you sure?
GRIFFIN
I couldn’t believe such a thing
could be done. I’m still not sure.
But that was her, and that was
him. It’s either a miracle or a
scam, but you know what? I’ll take
the miracle. Thank you.
Griffin gets up and heads towards the door.
TINA
Mister Griffin, any final
thoughts? Do you want to take a
minute. Here, sit down.
Griffin sits.
GRIFFIN
You know, I’ve been wondering if
it all adds up.
TINA
Right.
GRIFFIN
But I think I might be looking at
things through the wrong end.
TINA
How so?
GRIFFIN
I’ve been thinking about how long
I’ve lived, all the things I’ve
done, places I’ve been. But maybe
I should have been thinking about
how short everything is, how
brief. Blink of an eye, he said.
TINA
Go on.
GRIFFIN
And when I think of it like that,
it doesn’t seem like much would
add up to anything, you know, in
the long run. So probably better
to enjoy the ride, instead of
trying to hurry through.
TINA
Don’t rush things, you mean.
GRIFFIN
I know it sounds trite: stop and
smell the roses. But maybe I
didn’t do enough of that. And
maybe with the time I do have,
well, I ought to be stopping and
smelling.
TINA
Sure, yeah.
GRIFFIN
Anyway, maybe I can come back?
Talk to him again?
TINA
I’m sorry, Mister Griffin, but I
have to say no. It’s just not
practical.
GRIFFIN
I understand. You’re not running a
switchboard.
TINA
And remember, he IS listening. He
IS with you. You don’t need a
special radio to talk to your
father. He is always watching out
for you. You can reach to him.
GRIFFIN
You make him sound like he’s God.
Always watching.
TINA
I don’t understand how it works. I
don’t know. I really don’t. But
all the time, I have people talk
to the families who have left
their lives, and they almost
always say the same thing. “I am
here. I am with you.” If you can
take comfort in that, then
maybe...
GRIFFIN
What? I’ll open my heart and it
will be flowers and rainbows?
TINA
No, not like that. It’s that if
you know that he is with you,
maybe it makes smelling the roses
a little more important because,
Mr. Griffin, he is smelling them
too, with you. You are sharing the
experience. Good or bad. Do you
understand?
GRIFFIN
I doubt it but I’ll go on. And
I’ll think about him.
TINA
OK.
GRIFFIN
Thank you, Miss Leary. I’ll go.
TINA
Nice to meet you.
Griffin stands, waves and goes out the door.
TINA
(looking at the
radio)
Thanks, Mom.
END