“AS THE WORLD TURNS”
TELEPLAY TO AIR JAN 1, 2008
SCENE: MORNING AT THE SNYDER FARMHOUSE.
EMMA ENTERS THROUGH THE SCREEN DOOR.
EMMA:
Luke?! Are you here?
EMMA GOES AND LOOKS IN THE PARLOR.
LOOKS BACK WITH A WORRIED EXPRESSION.
SHE HEADS TOWARDS THE STAIRWELL.
<TRANSITION>
SCENE: LUKE'S ROOM AT THE SNYDER FARMHOUSE.
LUKE IS UP, HURRIEDLY GETTING DRESSED.
LUKE:
Oh no! Grandma's back already. Noah!
NOAH IS SLEEPING IN BED, STILL UNDRESSED.
HE WAKES SUDDENLY
NOAH:
What?! What's wrong.
LUKE:
Emma's back.
Noah, I love you,
I don't want you to be ashamed of us.
but right now,
I need you to get in the closet!
NOAH LOOKS AT LUKE LIKE HE'S LOST HIS MIND,
THEN GRABS HIS CLOTHES WITH A DETERMINED EXPRESSION.
<FADE OUT>
<OPENING TITLES>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
NOAH RUNS TO THE CLOSET AND CLOSES THE DOOR.
THE DOOR TO LUKE'S ROOM IS KNOCKED ON.
EMMA:
Luke? Are you awake?
LUKE JUMPS INTO BED
(ACTING SLEEPILY):
Yeah, I am now.... something wrong?
EMMA ENTERS LUKE'S ROOM:
No. Noah's truck is here though.
You know where he might be?
LUKE:
I, ummm. (SWALLOWS)
I think he went for a walk.
Said he had a lot to think about.
EMMA:
Hmmm... Alright.
EMMA HEADS TOWARDS LUKE'S CLOSET
EMMA (CONT'D):
Do you have any laundry, dear?
LUKE (NERVOUS):
I can get it, grandma!
You know how much I don't like
other people doing things for me.
Especially now that
I'm walking on my own.
EMMA (CONCERNED):
Alright, Luke.
Don't get upset with me.
I'll just go down and make
some breakfast then.
Is Noah staying?
LUKE:
What?
EMMA:
Is Noah staying for breakfast?
LUKE:
Oh. Umm. I think so.
I'll go out in a bit and see if I
can't find him.
EMMA:
I do hope that boy's alright.
After everything he's done for you and Natalie.
LUKE:
I'm sure he's fine.
EMMA HEADS TOWARD THE DOOR, HESITATING WHEN SHE GETS THERE.
EMMA:
Blueberry muffins or chocolate chip pancakes?
LUKE (SIGHS):
Whatever you want, Grandma, is fine with me.
EMMA:
Alright. Chocolate chip pancakes it is!
EMMA LEAVES LUKE'S ROOM, CLOSING THE DOOR
BEHIND HER. LUKE WAITS FOR A MOMENT,
HIS FINGER TO HIS LIPS TO SIGNAL QUIET.
LUKE:
You can come out, now.
NOAH OPENS THE CLOSET DOOR AND STEPS OUT,
NOW FULLY DRESSED. HE'S HOLDING
A CARDBOARD BOX.
NOAH (EXCITED):
Hey, look what I found.
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
LUKE REACHES OUT FOR THE CARDBOARD BOX. NOAH GIVES IT TO HIM
LUKE:
My old baseball card collection.
Well my dad started it, so
I guess its our baseball card collection.
NOAH LOOKS AT IT SADLY, SITS DOWN ON THE BED NEAR LUKE:
My dad never did anything like that with me.
LUKE:
You went fishing together, though. I know that.
NOAH:
Yeah, but it wasn't really fun.
Mostly him telling me how I was doing it wrong.
LUKE:
I wonder what rock your father crawled out from under.
NOAH (ANGRILY):
It must have been a pretty low one, for him to....
do all the things he did.
LUKE REACHES UP AND CARESSES NOAH'S CHEEK:
I'm just glad none of it rubbed off on you.
EMMA SUDDENLY OPENS THE DOOR.
EMMA:
Luke, we're out of chocolate – oh.
NOAH STANDS UP, A GUILTY LOOK SWEEPS ACROSS HIS FACE.
LUKE REMAINS SEATED ON THE BED BUT LOOKS UP AT EMMA.
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
LUKE:
Hi again, grandma. No chocolate chips?
I guess we'll be having blueberry muffins then.
EMMA IS FLABBERGASTED:
Luke! What's the meaning of this?
Didn't I make myself clear?
NOAH SPEAKS UP:
It was my fault, ma'am.
EMMA LOOKS AT NOAH STERNLY:
I doubt it was entirely your fault.
Luke must have invited you.
LUKE:
Yes. I did.
But its not like anything bad happened.
NOAH LOOKS AT LUKE, SURPRISED, THEN BACK TO EMMA.
HE'S MORE THAN A LITTLE CONFUSED.
EMMA, TO NOAH:
And how long have you been up here?
NOAH RESPONDS CAUTIOUSLY.
HIS EYES DARTING TO LUKE'S OCCASIONALLY
NOAH:
Just a while.
Luke wanted to show me
his baseball card collection.
NOAH HANDS THE CARDBOARD BOX TO LUKE THEN TAKES A STEP
TOWARD EMMA AND THE DOOR.
NOAH (CONT'D):
But I'll leave now, ma'am.
I'm sorry I broke your rule.
EMMA SIGHS, CLOSES HER EYES MOMENTARILY,
THEN LOOKS STERNLY AT LUKE.
EMMA:
Its alright. I guess nothing happened,
but Luke: to make certain that nothing...
inappropriate does happen, in the future can
you bring the things you want to show Noah downstairs?
LUKE NODS:
Sure.
EMMA STANDS ASIDE AND LOOKS POINTEDLY AT NOAH.
NOAH SHEEPISHLY LEAVES THE ROOM.
EMMA CLOSES THE DOOR BEHIND HER, SHAKING HER HEAD
AS THOUGH SHE FINDS THE WHOLE SCENARIO
DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE.
LUKE COLLAPSES ON HIS BED AND RELEASES A SIGH OF RELIEF.
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
SCENE: THE SNYDER FARMHOUSE PORCH
LUKE AND NOAH ARE SITTING ON THE SOFA ON THE PORCH.
LUKE IS WRITING IN A LEATHER BOUND, GILT-EDGE JOURNAL AND NOAH IS STARING STRAIGHT AHEAD, OBVIOUSLY THINKING HARD ABOUT SOMETHING.
LUKE LOOKS UP FROM HIS WRITING, SMILING AT NOAH.
LUKE:
Noah? Did I remember to thank you for the Christmas gift.
NOAH LOOKS TO LUKE, STIFFLY. HE TRIES TO SMILE:
Yeah, you did. About a hundred times.
LUKE:
Something wrong?
NOAH IS AGGRAVATED. HE STANDS UP AND PACES AWAY FROM LUKE.
NOAH:
Yes.
LUKE STANDS UP, WALKS OVER,
AND WRAPS HIS ARMS AROUND NOAH FROM BEHIND HIM.
HE RUBS HIS FOREHEAD AGAINST NOAH'S SHOULDER.
LUKE:
Want to tell me what it is?
NOAH SIGHS:
I – I didn't like lying to Mrs. Snyder.
It didn't feel right.
LUKE:
Noah, we didn't lie...
We just.... didn't reveal the whole truth.
Nothing bad happened.
You had been up there a while.
And I did want to show you my baseball
card collection.
NOAH TURNS TO LUKE, FRUSTRATED:
Luke! We lied!
We deceived!
We reinforced a falsehood.
Whatever you want to call it -
It didn't feel right.
LUKE NODS, SWALLOWS:
I know.
LUKE LEANS AGAINST NOAH'S SHOULDER, WHISPERING PAINFULLY:
I know.
NOAH FINALLY RELAXES IN LUKE'S ARMS,
TURNS AROUND TO EMBRACE HIM.
NOAH:
Luke, look at me.
LUKE LIFTS HIS EYES UP TO NOAH'S.
NOAH (CONT'D):
I want you to know,
I don't feel ashamed about
anything that happened
last night.
NOAH BREATHES DEEPLY.
NOAH (CONT'D):
What I'm ashamed about
is hiding it.
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
LUKE:
I know, Noah.
I know exactly how you feel.
LUKE DROPS HIS VOICE A BIT.
LUKE (CONT'D):
But sometimes you have to.
NOAH:
What do you mean?
LUKE:
Do you think we
could be accepted if
they knew the whole truth?
Every last detail of it?
NOAH (NOW SERIOUSLY THINKING):
I-I don't know. I would hope so.
LUKE SHAKES HIS HEAD, SMILING SADLY:
No, Noah.
I mean, yeah, as long as you're
a single gay man, you're fine.
You're a wonderful person.
You're just the same as
everyone else.
LUKE PAUSES, THINKING
LUKE (CONT'D):
When you're in a relationship though,
I think things change a bit.
They'll put up with
a little romance or a kiss
now and then.
But everything else
remains a dark
and dirty little secret.
NOAH (ANGRILY):
That's not right!
LUKE (QUIETLY):
Shh, Noah. I know it's not right.
But that's the way the world works.
Remember when I told you, last summer,
how I felt like a monk sometimes?
Just because we're in a relationship
doesn't mean that feeling goes away.
NOAH IS SERIOUS AND QUIET:
Ever?
LUKE:
Hopefully someday, things will change.
But right now, our sex life is the
most private thing we have.
And I'm content to keep it that way.
NOAH IS DEADLY SILENT.
LUKE:
But Noah?
NOAH:
Yeah?
LUKE:
That doesn't mean
we have to keep us a secret.
I love you.
I love being with you,
and I want the world to know it.
NOAH LEANS DOWN AND KISSES LUKE
THEN HOLDS HIM CLOSE.
NOAH:
I think I'm beginning to realize that.
<TRANSITION>
EMMA IS LISTENING AT THE SCREEN DOOR, WITH A SERIOUS EXPRESSION.
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
SCENE: THE SNYDER FARMHOUSE
EMMA IS IN THE KITCHEN COOKING. SHE HAS
A LOT ON HER MIND, THOUGH AND OFTEN
PAUSES FOR THOUGHT.
HOLDEN ENTERS THE KITCHEN.
HOLDEN:
Mama, did the boys go somewhere?
EMMA:
I guess so. Noah's truck is gone?
HOLDEN:
Yeah.
EMMA:
I'm worried about them. They need to be more careful.
HOLDEN STILLS:
Why, what happened?
EMMA DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING, JUST CONTINUES COOKING.
HOLDEN:
Mama. If you know something I need to know....
EMMA:
I don't think its my place to say anything.
HOLDEN IS CONFUSED:
Did Noah hurt Luke?
EMMA:
No. Noah's a brave, good-hearted young man.
I'm just worried about them being.... together.
HOLDEN:
You mean being intimate?
EMMA NODS.
HOLDEN:
There's nothing to worry about, mama.
They're mature near-adults with their own private
lives. We just have to let them have their space.
EMMA:
But -
HOLDEN RAISES AN EYEBROW AND ENUNCIATES:
Let them have their space.
EMMA SIGHS:
How much space do they need?
HOLDEN:
About as much as is safe.
EMMA:
And when does it become dangerous?
HOLDEN STARES AT HER:
What happened?
EMMA:
I can't... won't say anything.
THE SCREEN DOOR BANGS. HOLDEN TURNS AROUND TO SEE NOAH
STANDING THERE.
NOAH:
Mr. Snyder...
NOAH RELEASES A RAGGED BREATH
NOAH (CONT'D)
I need to talk to you.
HOLDEN STARES AT NOAH WITH A
MIXTURE OF DISAPPOINTMENT AND
PROTECTIVE ANGER.
<FADE OUT>
END
