(At rise, the lights come on DSC, but stay dim US. The set is bare; any set pieces and props come on and off the stage as the scenes change. Enter AUSTIN USC, looking directly at the audience.)
AUSTIN: Well, look at that. A full-blown audience. Heh. I never expected that I would get used to seeing something like this. I always thought I’d be a loner for the rest of my life. Or at least retain my fear of crowds. But this, well, it only feels natural now—like it’s in my blood. I guess I have my friends to thank for that.
My name is Austin Crisp. (A light comes on USL, showing ADAM and BRICE.) And those guys are my two best friends, Adam and Brice. They’re a nutty couple of guys, but they’re my reason for staying so strong. (The light goes off.) In fact, if they weren’t a part of my life, well, I’d probably have wound up in an institution, just like everybody said I would.
Don’t believe me? Well, let me show you then. (He begins to walk USR as the lights slowly come on there, showing MRS. CRISP, as well as a transition to a scene.) This is me at age 3 on an average day with my mother at a grocery store.
(AUSTIN suddenly changes his character into himself as a 3-year-old. His case of autism should be much more apparent, showing that, while his mother, MRS. CRISP, is busy shopping, AUSTIN is in his own world.)
MRS. CRISP: Okay, we’re almost done sweetie. What kind of cereal would you like?
(AUSTIN does not answer. For a second or two, he sits there, unresponsive. Then, he points behind her at a nonexistent shelf.)
MRS. CRISP: Cheerios again? That’s the kind you always eat. Don’t you want to try something new?
(AUSTIN shakes his head.)
MRS. CRISP: (Sigh.) Okay, I’ll be right back.
(As MRS. CRISP begins to turn around and pick up the cereal, a voice then comes on the intercom, making a simple request for a clean-up on aisle 3 or an extra cashier at register 5, and suddenly, AUSTIN enters a fetal position and has a melt-down, screaming and crying uncontrollably. MRS. CRISP desperately tries in vain to calm him down. Another woman walks by, staring at the dramatic scene unfolding in front of her.)
OLD WOMAN: Ma’am, you need to control your child!
(The OLD WOMAN walks offstage. The scene freezes, and AUSTIN walks DSC, talking once again to the audience, as the lights dim US.)
AUSTIN: If you thought that was bad, just imagine how my mom felt. (A light comes on USR, showing MRS. CRISP having a meltdown of her own, wiping tears from her eyes.) Because I was an only child, not only did she not know how to control me, she thought this was completely normal, and that she was just a bad parent. Of course, after incidents like these continued until I was about 5, it wasn’t long before she began to think there was something wrong with me. (A light then comes on USL, showing MRS. CRISP, talking to a female doctor who specializes in child therapy.) Ah, and it looks like she’s about to find out what.
DOCTOR: Well, he is high-functioning, but his lack of communication skills does show significant signs of autism. His basic speech skills are beginning to surface, but he is still very far behind, and nonverbal communication doesn’t even seem to be a factor to him. He shows signs of intelligence, but I’m afraid he just won’t be able to grasp it and express it the way normal people do. And if not treated, he may have to be institutionalized.
(MRS. CRISP reacts stunned and speechless, and the scene freezes once more. AUSTIN turns back to the audience.)
AUSTIN: Yup, you heard her. Autism. Pretty blunt, right? Well, just imagine how my mom broke the news to me that night.
