Dates on a Calendar

A ONE-ACT PLAY

CHARACTERS

TIM, Son of SUSAN, aged 19.

EDGAR, Father of CARLY, aged 50.

JOHN, Son of ROSE, aged 18.

CARLY, Daughter of EDGAR and DIANA, aged 14.

EMILY, Friend of CARLY, aged 15.

SUSAN, Mother of TIM, aged 42.

ROSE, Friend of SUSAN, aged 41.

VICKI, Friend of SUSAN, aged 38.

JULIE, Friend of SUSAN, aged 40.

DIANA, Wife of EDGAR, aged 40.

LAURA, Friend of DIANA, aged 48.

MARY, Friend of DIANA, aged 45.

TERRY, Neighbor of DIANA, aged 22.

TORRIE, Sister of TERRY, aged 21.

PROLOGUE

The lights slowly rise as TIM enters the stage. He is dressed in a long-sleeved Rugby shirt, and khaki pants.

TIM: Some stories are told and are forgotten. Other stories are told and are remembered. And sometimes, different stories are told, yet share the same theme, making them sound like the same story. This is a story about something in my life that happened to me, a tragedy that has been told in many stories, from an African folk tale to a modern-day animated film. This tragedy I have lived through still marks my life today. It started and ended all in the evening, yet forever changed my life. This is a play I have written about this story. Just so you know, my name’s Tim. I’m 19, and I have high-functioning autism. It took place at the 40^th birthday party of one of my mother’s best friends...

The curtain opens to reveal the main room of a house. All of the action occurs within this party. The house is furnished with a bookshelf, a couch, and two tables, as well as two chairs located separately from the two tables. Seated on the couch are SUSAN, TIM’s mother, and three of SUSAN’s friends, JULIE, ROSE, and VICKI. Seated at one table are EDGAR and DIANA, the parents of CARLY, along with three of DIANA’s friends, LAURA and MARY. It is DIANA’s 40^th birthday party. TIM, SUSAN’s son, and CARLY, EDGAR and DIANA’s daughter, are sitting at the other table, along with CARLY’s best friend EMILY, who is also reading the book with SUSAN, and JOHN, ROSE’s son.

During this play, each group will be shown once in conversation. When a group is shown, lighting should be moved to focus on the group. While everyone is talking at the same time, we are only going to listen to portions of everyone’s conversation.

SCENE – The party, inside a house.

JULIE: So, how is everything with you, Susan?

SUSAN: Well, my son is now going to the community college. That’s where he wanted to go. It’s a lot cheaper for us anyway, Julie.

VICKI: You could have always found a scholarship...

SUSAN: Those things don’t always actually work. They require you pay something, and it’s always more than the local college. Besides, he wants to do something that doesn’t even require college, Vicki.

JULIE: College is important for your life. By not making him go to college, you are hurting him in the future.

SUSAN: Not if his job does not require college. He wants to work in computers. He’s already been given a job by a company providing he gets a Software certificate. He’ll get that and start work.

ROSE: You still on the friend hunt?

SUSAN: Rose, I knew you were going to ask that. My son just does not have that many friends, except for his family. There are many boys his age at the college, but he just doesn’t get along with them.

ROSE: Is that normal?

JULIE: No, it’s not. Everyone needs friends. I wouldn’t know what to do without all of you. I wouldn’t be able to live.

ROSE: My son always had friends. He had so many friends he would rarely be home during the summer. I even had to set rules on when he had to come home.

VICKI: Maybe your son will find someone later in the year.

SUSAN: Well, there’s this one boy that tried to befriend him named Josh...but then I remember Josh calling up and saying that he was weird and crazy and didn’t talk to him again. It’s just...I had many friends when I was his age. Why doesn’t he?

Cut to the second table, where TIM, JOHN, EMILY, and CARLY are sitting. SUSAN and CARLY are reading a book.

CARLY: You done, Emily?

EMILY: Yep, Carly.

CARLY: Well, I tried to talk to Gary today at lunch. He hasn’t been answering me the past few days.

EMILY: Well, do you like him?

CARLY: I do. Just as a friend. I want to be his friend. It’s just...he hasn’t talked back to me. I hope I can be his friend.

EMILY: Well, keep trying. Maybe he’ll get around to you.

CARLY: Thanks. So, how has school been?

EMILY: Well, let’s see. I’ve had this horrible paper I’ve had to write for Social Studies. It has to be at least three pages long, and I have to give one reference, and it can’t be from the Internet. I mean, is the teacher living in the Dark Ages? The Internet is where you research, not a book!

CARLY: What class are you in?

EMILY: I’m in Honors World History.

CARLY: I’m glad I’m not in honors classes.

EMILY: I guess so. Anyway, thanks for sharing the book with me. I like your shirt.

CARLY: Thanks. I just got it from Target.

Cut to JOHN and TIM. TIM is reading a book. JOHN is just sitting.

JOHN: So Tim, you rooting for the football team?

TIM, engrossed in his book, does not respond. JOHN pats him on the shoulder.

JOHN: Tim? Did you hear me?

TIM [looking at JOHN]: Oh, no, I’m not into sports, John.

JOHN: But don’t you want the football team to make it?

TIM: I couldn’t really care one way or the other.

JOHN: Well, I hope they win.

TIM: Anyway, today in English I was asked to work with a new partner on our next paper. In class we have to do six papers, and now I’m on paper number 2, which must be done with a partner. My partner’s name was Tammy, and she gave me a lot of nice ideas. We got along pretty nicely. She’s pretty nice. We got along well.

JOHN: Was she cute?

TIM: I didn’t bother to look.

JOHN: Was she cute?

TIM: I told you, I was busy working on the paper with her.

JOHN: Well, was she cute?

TIM: I told you I didn’t know.

JOHN: Well, did you ask her out?

TIM: Of course not.

JOHN: Why didn’t you ask her out?

TIM: Why would I? I barely know her.

JOHN: Well, you started talking to her, and then you should have asked her out.

TIM: Look, you don’t just ask a girl out that you just met.

JOHN: Why not?

TIM: You don’t get it, do you?

JOHN: What? It’s fun to ask girls out when you first know them. You get to see if they like you or not.

TIM: Wouldn’t it be creepy if someone you just met asked you out?

JOHN: No, it’d be nice.

TIM: Actually, it would be creepy.

JOHN: Look, why didn’t you do it, man!

TIM has had it. He pounds his book on the table.

TIM: You know, some people believe that girls are actually people and not objects!

CARLY and EMILY look at TIM and clap their hands. JOHN immediately shuts up.

CARLY: That was nice. If he bugs you, just ignore him. He might think you’re crazy, but I like you. What’s your name?

TIM: Tim.

CARLY: My name is Carly.

TIM: Hello.

EMILY: I’m Emily. She’s my best friend.

TIM: I can see that.

CARLY: I’ve known her since kindergarten.

TIM: So what brings you to this party?

CARLY: Oh, it’s my mother’s birthday.

TIM: My mother and your mother are best friends. My mother talks about your mom all the time. So have you seen any good movies?

CARLY: Yes. I just saw the new American Girl movie.

TIM: Did you like it?

CARLY: I did.

TIM: Truth is, I used to love American Girl dolls. When I was eight, I saved my allowance up for an American Girl doll. I still own her today.

CARLY: You did? Which one?

TIM: Personally, I own Felicity.

CARLY: I own four dolls. I don’t play with them anymore, thought. I’ve outgrown it.

TIM: When I was nine, I wanted to give my cousin an American Girl book, but I couldn’t buy one. So I took out my book and typed the whole thing for my cousin.

CARLY: Wow.

TIM: Do you like American Girl dolls, Emily?

EMILY: Yep. Not anymore, I’ve outgrown them as well. But I do remember when I bought Kit.

TIM: So what has been going on now?

CARLY: Well, I don’t know. I’ve been going to compete at IE tournaments.

TIM: IE? What’s that?

EMILY: Individual events. She’s on the speech team.

TIM: I went to school here, so I’ve heard about that. But I don’t know what it is. So what does the speech team do?

CARLY: We each compete in our own event with schools in the area. It’s hard for me, because, for some reason, my coach asked me to compete in 3 events. Most of the time, you’re either in 1 or 2.

TIM: Why did she ask you to do that?

CARLY: She thinks I’m good enough.

EMILY: So where do you go to school?

TIM: I go to the community college. Do you know what that is?

EMILY: No, I don’t.

TIM: It’s a college in town. I graduated last year from high school.

EMILY: Is college hard?

TIM: Sometimes it is hard. But other times it isn’t. So what is your favorite class? I liked history.

CARLY: I hate history. I like drama. We have a new drama teacher and she’s really nice.

TIM: That’s a nice class.

CARLY: It is. I like it too. It’s nice to have a class that doesn’t give homework, rather than the other classes I have to take.

TIM: That would be nice.

CARLY: So why did you like history?

TIM: I’ve always liked history. In the fifth grade, I remember being the only kid who enjoyed social studies. The kids would laugh at me since I always loved social studies and they didn’t.

CARLY: I didn’t like it in the fifth grade either.

EMILY: I remember in my fifth grade social studies class, being asked on a test how many chests of tea were dumped into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party. That was

TIM: Yeah. But that was a long time ago.

CARLY: Tim, there’s something that I want to give you.

TIM: What?

CARLY pulls out a picture.

CARLY: I like to draw. Here’s one of my pictures.

TIM: Why are you giving me this?

CARLY: I like you, Tim. You’re a really nice guy. You’re a lot nicer than other guys I know. I think we could be good friends.

TIM: Really?

CARLY: Yeah.

EMILY: I like you too. My mother always tries to tell me to stay away from guys, but I know you’re safe. You’re a nice person, and I can see that.

TIM: Well, let’s be friends then.

CARLY gives TIM her picture.

We now cut to the other table, where EDGAR, DIANA, LAURA, and MARY are sitting. They are unaware of what went on at the neighboring table.

LAURA: So how do you feel on your 40^th birthday, Diana? Do you feel any different?

EDGAR: Nope. She looks the same, and she’s told me that she feels the same. Well, she’s still my wife, and I love her.

DIANA: I feel fine, Laura. Besides, they say 40 is the new 30. I don’t have to worry about getting old just yet.

MARY: My mother once told me when she was getting old, “I’m just showing you what will happen to you someday.”

LAURA: So, how have things been with you, Mary?

MARY: The same as usual. I’m still in the middle of my divorce. It’s difficult...and it takes time. But it was worth it. My husband was a dishonest man, and I have to get away from him.

DIANA: What exactly happened?

MARY: I don’t really want to talk about that. Not everyone has to know what happened.

DIANA: Well, it’s always up to you if you want to share. It’s your divorce. I’m so glad my husband isn’t like that, right?

EDGAR: Yep. I don’t know why some men think they can just get away with stuff and it won’t affect their marriage.

LAURA: So, how is your daughter doing?

MARY: She’s doing okay. It’s difficult. She’s becoming a teenager now, and has just started high school. You know how difficult those years are with everyone judging you for crazy things. She actually doesn’t have that many friends—most girls make fun of her. Thank god Emily is still her friend.

DIANA: In the end, how popular you are in high school doesn’t always matter when you grow up.

EDGAR: We just hope that as she and her peers get older, they’ll accept her. Now, when do you want to present your birthday cake?

DIANA: Oh...Edgar, thanks. I almost forgot. I’d actually like to do that at about 8:00...which is in fifteen minutes.

EDGAR: My wife wanted it to be as fresh as she could, so we’re picking it up from the store and bringing it directly here.

LAURA: Well, you’d better go then and get your cake.

DIANA: Well, see you in a few minutes, then.

EDGAR and DIANA get up and leave.

LAURA: Well, would you like some food? There’s plenty in the kitchen, and Diana said we could have our fill.

MARY: Sure. Let’s go.

LAURA and MARY get up and leave. At the same time, TERRY and TORRIE enter.

TERRY: Oh, my God. We are so late, Torrie.

TORRIE: I’m sure we are like, the, last ones here. I hope my makeup is on right. I don’t want to make a bad impression.

TERRY: You look fine. You spent over two hours before we came here putting it on. I just hope my hair looks nice.

TORRIE: Your hair looks fine, Terry, as well. And like always, I brought your favorite colored hairties if you need them.

ROSE walks to greet TERRY and TORRIE.

ROSE: Hey, girls!

TERRY + TORRIE: Oh, hi Rose!

TORRIE: We’re sorry we’re late. We came to celebrate Diana’s birthday.

TERRY: Do you know where she is?

ROSE: I just heard she left to get her birthday cake. You know how she likes her cakes—as fresh as they can be. You don’t need to be sorry—you are here. Go find a place to sit.

TERRY: Torrie, let’s sit over there.

TERRY and TORRIE sit at the table where CARLY, EMILY, JOHN, and TIM are sitting.

TERRY: So, anyway, next week my boyfriend and I are going to the concert.

TORRIE: How much did that cost? I hear tickets for those concerts are expensive.

TERRY: This one was reasonable. Anyway, at least my boyfriend won’t be asking me to pick evergreen needles there.

TORRIE: Haven’t you told him you’re not interested?

TERRY: I know. It’s just he always wants to pick evergreen needles whenever we go for a walk. He has like...a whole collection of them in our house.

TORRIE: Well, anyway...how was your shopping trip?

TERRY: It was very nice. My friend Paula took me to Bebe, and 5, 7, 9, and Kohl’s for my birthday. I got a new dress from Bebe. I hope to be wearing it the day I get engaged.

TORRIE: What color is it?

TERRY: It’s saffron, and it sparkles. It’s something I would have wanted to wear to the prom if I had it. At least my daughter can use it when she finally goes to prom.

TORRIE: Should we be having this conversation here in front of children?

TORRIE points to EMILY and CARLY.

TERRY: I don’t think they’re even listening. Look, the girls are having a personal conversation with that guy. They probably would want some privacy too.

TORRIE: No, I think they should leave. To CARLY, EMILY, JOHN, and TIM: Hey guys, we’d like some privacy. Could you move somewhere else?

EMILY: Oh, okay.

TORRIE: You might want to have some privacy as well. You might feel more comfortable talking between yourselves when there are no adults present.

CARLY: Let’s move to the area around those two chairs. Then we can sit together, Tim.

CARLY, EMILY, TIM, and JOHN all move to the two chairs. TIM and CARLY sit down on the chairs. JOHN and EMILY sit on the floor, cross-legged, on either sides of the chairs—EMILY on the left, and JOHN on the right.

CARLY: So, have people ever made fun of you?

TIM: All the time. I was made fun of a lot, in part because I liked American Girl dolls. None of the other boys understood why I liked it.

CARLY: Why did you like it?

TIM: Because I’ve always liked history. And as you know, you learn a lot about U.S. history with the American Girl dolls.

CARLY: Girls make fun of me too. I don’t know why—they just tell me that I’m fat, or that I’m not cool. I also don’t want to talk about my hair, or my clothes, or boys all the time—and that’s what all the girls in my school want to talk about now. I guess it’s because I like earth science, and am fascinated by earthquakes, and love Star Wars. I remember reading my Star Wars novels during recess and getting laughed by everyone, even the boys.

TIM: You think that’s bad? I would try to talk to people about my favorite American Girl book.

CARLY: Didn’t you think people would laugh at you for that?

TIM: No, I didn’t. I just liked it too much.

CARLY: Well, I thought the same way about Star Wars. I didn’t understand why people laughed at me either.

TIM: Why do you like that?

CARLY: I don’t really know. It’s just...really interesting to me.

DIANA and EDGAR enter with their birthday cake. They sit it on the table.

DIANA: Wait a minute. Where’s Carly?

EDGAR: She’s over there. And she’s talking to someone else by herself she doesn’t know.

DIANA: Oh, not again. I have told my daughter she is not allowed to talk to older boys. They’re not safe, and she could get hurt. The fact that he’s even talking to her means he’s probably dangerous. Boys don’t talk to younger girls unless they want to hurt them. You stay here and guard the cake, honey. I’ll take care of it.

DIANA runs to CARLY and TIM.

DIANA: Carly, you get away from that boy right now! To TIM: Why are you hanging out with my daughter?

EDGAR: Carly, you don’t know him that well. And here you are, alone with him, separate from the rest of the party. That is not safe.

CARLY: What is wrong with you? Tim is my new friend.

DIANA: What did you say?

CARLY: I said he is my friend.

DIANA: What? Excuse me, young man, but my daughter is fourteen years old. You cannot just talk to a fourteen-year-old girl you don’t know and then sit next to her where others are not looking. That is wrong. How old are you, mister?

TIM: Nineteen.

DIANA: Then you need to be hanging out with other nineteen-year-olds, not fourteen-year-olds. If you do, you must be sick. It’s not healthy for you to be hanging out with fourteen-year-olds.

CARLY: This is crazy. All you can see is his age. He is a person just like me, not an age. And he won’t hurt me.

TIM: Excuse me, but we were just talking. I did not mean any harm to your daughter.

DIANA: It’s the same. The fact that you are talking to my daughter and even associating with her is wrong. If I see you again with my daughter, or a girl her age, I will call the police to make sure someone doesn’t get hurt. You need to find boys your age to hang out with, like this boy over here. Points to JOHN.

TIM is silent. He feels that he cannot argue with this rigid parent, so he does not respond.

DIANA: Carly, come with me. I hope nothing like this happens for the rest of my party.

CARLY [quietly]: Well, goodbye, Tim.

DIANA and CARLY walk to the birthday cake.

EDGAR: You can tell me what happened later. Are you ready for everyone to say “Happy Birthday?”

DIANA: Yes. We are. And Carly, if you go anywhere with anyone else tonight, you will be grounded. What you did was inappropriate. I don’t care who he is, he’s an older boy, and that makes him unsafe.

EPILOGUE

All characters leave the stage. The curtain closes. TIM re-enters to give his final speech.

TIM: Well, I never saw Carly or spoke to her again. But I’ll never forget the day I connected with her. I did not want to hurt her, but her mother was unable to be convinced that I did not intend to hurt her. As you can see, I’ve had my share of social rejection. I’ve also had difficulty interacting with boys my age as well. But somehow, for reasons I cannot understand, I was able to immediately get along with Carly. I mean, I am not supposed to get along with someone like that—but I did.

I do not believe this is the way it should be. Ages, at first, seem to be just dates on a calendar, yet we often think they are more than that. Why should it matter how old she was? What really mattered was that for that one time...it seemed as if we had connected. And had something in common.

END

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