• Scene eight:

    Early morning, Luke’s room. Dim sunlight enters the room and falls onto Luke’s sleeping form. He tosses and turns for ten seconds, before opening his eyes. He is still groggy from sleep his eyes keep closing. Finally they close for good, the screen black and then opens on the same scene with Luke sitting up in bed. On a nightstand a clock reads eight a.m. leaning against the clock on the side facing away from Luke is a paper. He does not see it at first. He stands up, stretches and begins to dress, with his pants on he sits down on the bed preparing his shirt. Then he notices the paper, carefully reaching over he picks it up and opens it, and it is a letter from Torri. He begins to read it.

    Voice over with Torri’s voice:

    Merry Christmas Luke, Sarah, and Mr. and Mrs. Green:

    I wish I could be here to say this in person, Luke, Merry Christmas. Fresh snow has just fallen, I watched it fall while I wrote this letter. It’s about midnight, I don’t know how long it will take me to finish, but by the time you read this, I’ll be gone. You know I have to thank you Luke, Thank you and your family. You’ve shown me great courtesy and hospitality this week. I want you to know how much that meant to me, to be able to be part of a family. I have to tell you something now; I want you to listen to me. My parents have hated each other for years, to the point neither one can even be in the same room with out arguing. They go to bed mad, they wake up mad, they go through their day mad. My father drinks until he is beyond drunk, probably at least three bottles of wine per day through out the whole day. At least that is all I know of.
    Mother blames me for breaking her drams; she had a high ambition once. She regrets having me, of not having an abortion when she could. One point during her life she could have been a lawyer, a doctor. I took that away from her the day I was born. No I take that back, the day she learned I was in her womb, the day she took the pregnancy test. See dad felt guilty and told her not to have an abortion, he told her she could go to school and earn her degree, but that never happened. She could not afford a nurse for me, or a babysitter, while she went to college – she could barely pay the tuition. So she had to stay home with me, a place she did not want to be.
    You know the day of the accident; I was going to commit suicide. I was planning on how to kill myself. I’d been cutting myself for years, so death did not seem so painful. Then, then I meet you, and you turned my life around. I suddenly wanted to live, to live and be myself. Selfish isn’t it for a girl who wished for death. But as I watched you with your family, I realized something, something I never knew I had. I loved you Luke, I loved you. I couldn’t take away your life; it would break your family to pieces. I saw you with your sister, I saw you with you mother, I could not take them away from you. Luke you have a passion, a passion I cannot grasp, but it is strong. I want to be able to see you turn that passion into something else, to be successful in it. Luke, you’re so kind, oh so kind, I know this is causing you great pain.
    I’m sorry about that, I really am. You have to forget about me, Luke, forget about me and continue living. Life is worth it now, you’ve taught me that, don’t ruin yourself over this…week. You have a fine future ahead of you, Luke, go on and live it. You can do it, I know you can. You can live past the pain and endure. You are a survivor, continue to survive. I’ll always love you, even if you find another girl.

    Torri.


    The screen fades out, it becomes completely dark but sounds can be heard.

    Five years later:

    It is graduation at a college, families are huddled around as the final students are given their diplomas. Up at the podium Luke stands, looking older and much more mature. Sadness is still in his eyes, it haunts him like a ghost. He begins to give a speech.

    Luke: I know that everyone has tried hard to get to this point, to get his or her master degrees in four years. I know that many of us have had strong support both from friends and family, But there is nothing stronger than the one you truly love who has given up everything for you to achieve your dream. Today I stand here not only because of my sister and m parents but also because of someone else, a girl who gave up her life so that I may fulfill my dreams. That girl was given a choice, a choice that many would have been unable to make. That choice was simple – to live and watch me die, or die so that I may live. She chose to save me, to push me away from an oncoming, wild truck and to take the hit that would have killed me. We knew each other for one week, one week only, but she made a sacrifice so deep that I can never repay her. Life is so fragile, it can break at a touch, so take it and never let it go, for to release it is to waste your talent that can be used for the greater good.
    Never forget your loved one, for they can bring you much joy and happiness. In everything you do, never harm those you love. Without your family and friends life is not worth half of what it is with them. So love them as you love yourself, and treat them as you would treat yourself. Loyalty is a two way street – what you give will always come back to you. May all of you find success in everything you do with the help of those around you.

    As he finishes his speech silence descends on the crowd, then just as suddenly they begin to cheer and clap. Luke looks towards the front row where his own family sits. Sarah is crying and smiling. His mother hugs his father. Then as his gaze sweeps to the left, there sits Torri, her face shining and a broad grin on her face. No one else can see her, but Luke smiles slightly, he now knew Torri would always be with him. As she disappears, the camera begins to darken, and credits roll.