A married woman falls in love with her best friend's teenage son.

SYNOPSIS:

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LOVERBOY

Anthony L Khan

Summer. A well kept, middle class suburban street, in a northern town like Ashby. Through French windows, in his mother’s living room, is DARREN (17), Dance Student. Shirtless, sunlit; he limbers up. His mother, BEVERLY (46) and her younger, apparently more successful friend, SANDRA, come in from a shopping trip/booze up. Sandra glances at Darren’s dancer’s body, a flicker of desire and guilt as he gets ready for his night out. He teases her about never doing anything dangerous. He leaves, meeting friends and girls in a local pub. Later that evening, he returns home. Sandra & Bev dance, drunkenly entertain him. When his mother goes to bed, Sandra & Darren discuss the coming Summer: he needs money to audition in London. Sandra presents her solution: her husband, CHARLES (53) and she need an extra Hotel staff member. Closer to London, a loose deal is struck. More drinks, slower music. Dancing turns to kisses. Sandra puts the brakes on. In the morning, Darren is only worried about that job. Bev, no partner of her own, casts fake doubt, hoping he’ll stay. Sandra talks her round and leaves that morning, taking the boy with her..

The Hotel itself impresses: set in its own grounds and idyllic country setting. Charles appears and disappears, to his office and his wine. Sandra introduces Darren to a hideous uniform, also to mentor JEANNIE (22), self styled Wicken. Summer season training hits full speed. Darren: waiter, receptionist, chamber person, KP, barman, chaotic, clumsy - hilarious for the other staff. First night, he’s exhausted, but Jeannie drags him to the pub. Later, Charles finds him urinating on the precious marigolds, forcefully shows him to his room. Morning! Back to work. CHEF performs. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, bed, Morning! A bacon sandwich for Charles takes an odd twist – maybe he’s drinking just a little too much? Darren becomes friendly with Jeannie, and a jealous Sandra takes over. He’s still too tempting. Passed back to Jeannie, they bond over magic mushrooms. Sandra’s home life has Charles dousing any magic: reports of blossoming romance between Darren & Jeannie gives Sandra the impetus she needs. Next day, Jeannie’s spirituality, Sandra’s sharpness, and Darren’s naivety all overlap. He finishes work to find Sandra has let herself into his room and his bed. Another day, another weird display from Charles… Mysterious tickets arrive: Sandra is delighted. She saves Darren from Charles’ lecture on The Hotel’s place in The Universe, to give Charles the news – Summer Ball invitations! Charles simply turns away to laptop images of cars. Sandra, humiliated, whisks Darren into the countryside. When she returns home, Charles is cooking, drinking. She helps out with both. Charles has innocently invited Darren to dinner. Sandra, on edge, calls for drinks! She continues to isolate Darren from the others at work for their sex sessions. Darren, falling in love, declares he wants only Sandra, despite her ironic insistence of his finding a ‘nice girl’. Charles’ eavesdropping reveals Darren’s aspirations and penniless predicament. His own predicament: whether to buy a Rolls Royce. Darren & Jeannie, alone in their quarters, both frustrated. He makes his excuses, leaves her to herself. In his room, there’s Sandra again, naked in bed. Post coitus, they commit the cardinal sin of falling asleep. Next day, Jeannie is present as Sandra & Darren flirt so openly that she puts two and two together. An evening in the bar and two rowdy drunks sees Charles’ violent side explode. He masterfully beats the drunks into leaving. Darren is clearly in danger and Sandra is scared. Sandra and her mother MILLIE (63), in the Oncologist’s Office for the verdict. Sandra gambles that crazy news might distract Millie from her own ghastly news – it works. Millie, intrigued by the affair, is happy for her daughter. Then comes the Big Declaration from Darren to Sandra: ‘I love you’. She objects, for all the right reasons, but she loves him too. Jeannie, curious, makes a play for Darren. He rejects her, politely. She’s cool, but a woman scorned… and all witnessed by green eyed Sandra. Darren complains to Sandra that she should excuse herself from attending the Ball with Charles. Sandra’s concern builds – he’s still just a boy. She’s torn – her escape route isn’t so easy. Her emotions surface to find fault with Jeannie’s work, seeding further resentment. Millie’s health deteriorates rapidly, but fascination for Sandra and her lover remains. Chef stumbles across Sandra & Darren, all over each other in the Range Rover. Sandra expertly covers damage control: Darren, feeble, stands by. Her wifely duties persist: caring for Charles’ drunken injuries as well as his libido. The Ball: Darren arrives, uninvited, undressed, to Sandra’s barely concealed delight, then he must go back to work. Sandra flees the boring function to be with him. The following day, Jeannie, sneaking about in his room, hides as Sandra enters and joins Darren in the shower. Jeannie records them on her phone, rushes to show Charles. He’s livid, in denial, but the proof is there. Drunken despair and impotence envelop him. Fumbling in the dark, he attempts suicide by shotgun.

A funeral – for Millie. Charles, scarred, escorts Sandra. At home, Charles chooses now to confront her, lays down the law – get rid of Darren. Again, he’s invited ‘Loverboy’ round. Charles leaves, to host Millie’s wake. Sandra is left, bullied into letting Darren go gently, reminding him he hasn’t attended so much as one audition the whole Summer. But Charles returns as Darren’s leaving and, unknown to Sandra, beats Darren up outside. Darren leaves to find comfort with Jeannie. Her turn to reject him, but she can offer magic mushrooms to ‘change his mind’. Morning sees Sandra’s revulsion of Charles heightened, her resolve bolstered in the face of his threats and the realisation that life really is too short. She races to the Hotel, locates Darren - in Jeannie’s room – seeing his battered face, whatever happened in there is instantly forgiven.

‘One Week Later…

… Under a Distant Sky’

Sandra & Darren, having sold the Range Rover, speed through London traffic on a crappy old scooter, getting Darren to his next Dance audition.

LOVERBOY