Act One, Scene Three
(Next Day, Late Afternoon)
Interior: Nate's Granny Unit
(There is a knock at Nate's front door. No answer. Knocking grows louder, more frantic. Finally, Nate enters from his bedroom, followed on his footsteps by Doodle. He runs to the front door, opens it, Laura stands on his front porch.)
NATE
Laura, I...
LAURA
Hi. I wanted to talk, can we talk?
Cut to: Laura and Nate sitting On Nate's couch, Doodle between them.
LAURA
I ran into my old high school best friend, Jacob, at the funeral. We hung out and talked and had one of those, what if moments. I lost my cell phone or thought I did and Jacob drove me around trying to find it, but we couldn't find it anywhere and I was frantic because...what if...just when I decided to give up, throw in the towel, the phone rang, in Jacob's car. It was you.
NATE
Yeah, okay.
LAURA
But, there's more. I kissed Jacob.
NATE
Um, okay...
LAURA
Please listen. I kissed him, yeah, but then your phone call, I had my cell-phone after all. And, I heard the bells on my ringtone. And, I realized why am I playing the what if game with Jacob, when I'm just hesitating with you. Its never going to be safe or not scary...
NATE
Okay, so?
LAURA
Its just that, the reason I was frantic for my phone, its stupid, really but I didn't want to miss your calls, I didn't want to miss you.
NATE
Yeah. Me neither.
LAURA
Nate, I don't want to hesitate anymore. I want to be with you.
NATE
Yeah?
(He leans in. She leans in.)
LAURA
Yeah.
NATE
Yeah.
LAURA
Yeah.
(They kiss passionately.)
Fade out.
Cutaway: Ashley in front of Planned Parenthood, walking in, there are a crowd of protestors about her.
Protestor
Do you know what you are doing? There is a life growing inside of you. How can you take what has been given to you?
ASHLEY
Look, you don't know me or anything about me. Or even why I am here. How can you presume?
PROTESTOR
I know that you are about to do something you will regret for the rest of your life.
ASHLEY
Walk into a building? If that's the case, I have a shitload of regrets in my life. Well, I do, but walking into buildings, not one of them. Anyway, just let go of your script for a moment and listen.
PROTESTOR
To you?
ASHLEY
To anyone, to everyone. Just listen. You'll reach more people that way. Now, if you excuse me, I've got a regret to make.
(She exits into the building.)
Fade into: Nate's bedroom, a little while later
(Nate and Laura are in bed together, he is holding her, asleep. She wakes up, smiles, reaches for her phone.)
Text from Samantha: Where the hell are you?
Laura texts Samantha: With Nate. Not hesitating.
(Nate stirs and raises himself to look at her, then snuggles against her.)
NATE
What's up?
LAURA
Its Samantha, just wondering where I'm at.
NATE
Yeah.
LAURA
Yeah, no biggie.
NATE
So, we have time for more--
LAURA
Yeah.
(They start kissing. Nate starts kissing her neck. Laura's cell phone buzzes.)
Text from Samantha: What about Ashley?
Laura's text to Samantha: ?
(Laura and Nate start making out some more, response back from Samantha. Nate is kissing Samantha's neck again.)
Cutaway: Ashley sitting in exam room, waiting. Nurse enters, smiles at her, Ashley sighs deeply.
Fade intO: laura and Nate making out, Nate kissing Laura's neck.
Text from Samantha: She's preggo.
(Laura sits up, knocking Nate to the floor.)
LAURA
What the hell? It can't be.
NATE
Um, what?
LAURA
(getting up and grabbing her clothes)
When were you going to tell me? Were you going to tell me? Is this part of your plan to...to what impregnate the town, proliferate the world with little Nates everywhere?
NATE
Excuse me?
LAURA
Ashley! Ashley! Ashley? When were you going to tell me about Ashley?
NATE
Um, right, that. Well, when you got back, actually, but I got um, distracted.
LAURA
Oh my god, really, Nate, really?
NATE
Look, Laura, I'm sorry.
LAURA
Oh my god, poor Ashley.
NATE
I wouldn't worry too much about Ashley--
LAURA
Really, really, that's what you have to say.
NATE
Well, its just that I think--
LAURA
You think? You think what?
NATE
Look, Laura, I don't want to proliferate the world with little Nates? I mean, that's not to say that I don't want to be a dad some day but not like that, with...this isn't coming out right...look, I'll make it right, it was a mistake--
LAURA
Ashley was a mistake?
NATE
Well, sort of, I mean.
LAURA
Oh my god!
(Laura leaves hurriedly. Nate chases after her.)
Just leave me alone, Nate. Please.
NATE
I didn't mean like that. I mean, Ashley even said that it wasn't anything serious. This wasn't...
(Laura exits and runs towards her car.)
NATE
(yelling after Laura at his front door)
Supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to be like this!
No comments:
Post a Comment