Luke and Laura: Day of Reckoning scene
{Laura walks in to Luke's office as he and Sonny are saying their good-byes}
Luke: "Something on your mind?" {After Sonny leaves}
Laura: "Yeah. I think we need to talk. I didn't want to have to do this,
but I'm afraid. I am afraid that we are going to lose everything that we
have, and maybe for good this time. So I think that we should talk about
what happened that night that--one bad night 20 years ago." {Luke realizes
the time has finally come}
Laura: "I don't know how to begin."
Luke: "When something's been dead for 20 years and buried--then you dig it
up, it's difficult to know what it was."
Laura: "I've got to sit down. {She sits} Elizabeth Webber came over to the
house a couple of weeks ago. She just showed up in the middle of the night
at the front door. She was very upset, and her eyes just looked haunted.
And there was something about her that reminded me of myself. And all of
a sudden, I remembered--the bruise on my shoulder, the cramp in my leg. I
was struggling to try to cover myself up, but I couldn't do it because my
blouse was torn and--and you--you turned into someone that I had never, ever
seen before, someone that I was terrified of. It didn't matter how many times
I said no. You weren't going to hear me. You were going to do this thing
to me whether I wanted you to or not. {Luke looks down, unable to look her
in the eye. She gets up and starts pacing} Oh. Oh, God knows that I was--I
was really naive back then. I--I didn't know much about anything. But the
one thing that I thought I knew for sure was that you would never, ever hurt
me. But seeing this girl, Elizabeth, made me realize that you did hurt me.
And it made me remember how badly. {Her voice starts breaking} I had no idea
that that could be so brutal. How could you do that to me? {She starts screaming
at Luke} How could you say that you loved me and call me your Angel and the
rape me?"
Laura: "You wanted me to say it. I finally did. {She sees how upset Luke
is} Oh, God. I hate doing this to you."
Luke: "I don't know. I hate regrets. I don't usually have them. I think that
they're insulting. Take responsibility for what you do. And I don't like
apologies. They're for cowards like my father, who used to drink and then
break dishes and give us bruises and break bones and the drink some more
and go to sleep and then wake up sobbing, 'I'm sorry'. But, it doesn't work
like that. Once something's broken, you can't unbreak it. The wreckage is
your life. You have to live in your own filth until the day you die. I should
have lost you, Laura, by all rights. You see, that's how it works, when you--when
you break something that you love. It can't--it can't love you back. That's
the punishment. That's the law! Did I hear you crying? Yes. Did I hear you
saying no? Yes. But you were married to another man, and you kept telling
me that. And tomorrow you'd be with him, and tomorrow I'd be dead. So--I
found a way for you to love me and not be unfaithful to him. I know. {He
breaks down} It's crazy! I know it's crazy. But that's the way I thought.
{Back under control} And then when it was over and I looked at you--"
Laura: "You mean when you were done."
Luke: {Whispering} "When I was done, I looked at you. I reached for you.
And you made this sound, this sound like a kid who knows nothing but beatings.
And I knew then. I knew the price I'd have to pay, and I was willing to pay
it. And I've been like a man with a noose around his neck waiting for the
hangman to come ever since, but he never comes. Why is that?"
Laura: "So then you would have preferred that that night was the end of all
possibility for us?"
Luke: "No. No. But, Laura, nothing is free."
Laura: "Oh. I know you think that, but it isn't true. You seem to want me
to accuse you and to blame you--in fact, you insist on it. But what I don't
understand, Luke, is why you don't blame me."
Luke: "For what?"
Laura: "You mean you don't know? Oh, for God's sake. Oh. Ok. I was 17 years
old and happily married--very publicly married--and there you were. It wasn't
a lie when I told Lucky that it was love at first sight. I was fascinated
with you. But I was supposed to have everything I wanted. I was supposed
to be settled, and I didn't know how to unravel that situation. And you know,
I didn't even have the guts to admit that I wanted to. So instead, I pestered
you and dressed for you and stood too close, told you that I just wanted
to be your friend. And that's what young girls do when men are still a
mystery--or when we're still a mystery to ourselves. It's not an invitation
to rape. But when I was in my hospital room that night afterwards and I was
lying there thinking, and I wondered if maybe somehow you had seen through
me and maybe I made you do those things to me. And--and that made me sick.
It made me feel dirtier than all of the rest of it. I mean, I ruined your
life and my life, too, all because I was trying to get you to think that
I was pretty. Oh. And when Scotty and the police kept asking me 'Who did
this to you? Who did this to you?' I wanted to say, 'I did it.' "
Luke: "Oh, Laura, come on."
Laura: "I don't--I don't blame myself anymore, and you know why? Because
you didn't. You were the only one who had a right to. And it was at that
moment that I realized maybe this didn't have to ruin everyone's lives. It
felt like forgiveness to me, and that felt like something that I could give
back to you. {Laura reaches out her hand and Luke goes down on his knees
and takes it, tears streaming down his face} Now I find out all these years
later that you would have rather that I hurt you back and that I punished
you. My God, Luke, if we add up everything that I've done wrong since then,
wouldn't we be even? {Luke shakes his head} Would'nt we?"
Luke: "No."
Laura: "Well, if not, then what? You know, do we have to lose everything?
Do you have to stop loving me just to teach yourself a lesson?"
Luke: "I don't know how not to love you, Laura. Whatever problems we have,
we'll never have that one. You're my life's blood. Do you think I want to
lose you?"
Laura: "Then why do you seem to expect to? Aren't we more than that one night?"
Luke: "Yes. Oh, yes. But that is how we started. I raped you. I hurt you.
How can anything good come of that?"
Laura: "So you don't believe that I really love you, then."
Luke: "I know you do, baby."
Laura: "But you don't think that my reasons are good enough, that--that ,
you know, you don't deserve it or you're not worthy of it? Damn you. Luke,
come on. Take a good look at me. I'm not anything that special. You know,
I'm not an angel to anybody except you. I think that everybody feels unworthy
of love. We're all surprised when we get it. And I think for you, the worst
punishment of all was not being punished. But for God's sakes, Luke, it has
been 20 years. Forgive yourself. And come home."
Luke: "So now what?"
Laura: "Now we let it be."
Luke: And where do we go from here, Laura?"
Laura: "Home. After that, I don't know. I don't care."
Luke: "Let's go home." {He picks up her purse and holds it out to her. She
comes over and they hug}
Laura: "I love you."
Luke: "I know." {They leave together}
