Gerome is mumbling to himself and covers his ears. Marion reaches out to touch him and Gerome screams in her face and draws back suddenly.
I didn’t touch him!
Gerome: No, I said no!
(mumbling) Cut out my shoulder blades, that’d be okay, I’ll use them for wings —
Reid: Yeeeeah, so meditation’s sounding pretty good — how do we do that?
Nick tries to make eye contact with Gerome.
Nick: Gerome, eyes — here — where are your eyes?
Gerome points at Marion.
Gerome: She wants to cut me open but my bones are wings — I’ll get away!
Saski: Listen to me, Gerome. I was sent. By the voices.
Nick: What’s going on?
Saski: To help you.
Nick: You’re facilitating delusional thinking —
Saski points at Marion.
Saski: She won’t hurt us.
Gerome covers his ears and mumbles to himself unintelligibly.
Nick: (to Saski) Did it work?
Reid: Anyone know psycho first aid?
Nick puts himself beside Gerome, not directly in front of him.
Nick: Bud, what do we have to remember about the voices?
Gerome shakes his head, distracted.
They’re in your head.
Gerome: They’re too loud.
Nick: If they’re only in your head, who’s stronger?
Gerome: What if . . .
Gerome trails off, distracted again.
Nick: What if what?
Gerome: They’re not in my head?
Nick: That’s possible too. I’m not saying it isn’t —
Gerome suddenly and quickly moves to go.
Sit, stay. Don’t do what the voices tell you —
Gerome points at Marion.
Gerome: I don’t want her here —
Reid: She can go —
Nick: She’s not going anywhere. You are stronger than anything in your head.
Marion holds up her hands.
Marion: My hands are empty and —
Marion puts her hands over her eyes.
My eyes aren’t gonna kill you either.
Michael plays “Mama Said” on the iPad again.
Reid: Mike —
Michael: He likes it —
Marion’s up and bouncing to the music with her hands over her eyes.
Marion: It’ll distract him! Gerome! Show us your moves!
Michael and Marion both sing along.
Nick: Look at me. This is you putting up a fight.
Gerome nods, but he’s still distracted.
Marion starts clapping.
Marion: Yay! Our beautiful nephew’s back!
Gerome starts singing along quietly to the song.
Nick hands Saski the birthday card.
Nick: (to Saski, quietly) Might be almost eight.
Saski: (to Nick, mostly) Oops. Is that the time already?
Saski puts Gerome’s card on the table as Nick grabs the iPad and turns down the music.
Nick: Gerome! You wanna say goodbye to Saski?
Gerome: (to Saski) Why did it matter if I was smart?
Saski: Of course it mattered.
Gerome: But why would it matter to you?
Saski: Whether or not I was giving up the baby —
Gerome: Me —
Nick: Don’t let feelings sneak up on you, bud.
Saski: You. Whether or not I was giving you up. I needed to know there was a person out there I consciously contributed to.
Gerome: My ventricles are enlarged.
Saski: I don’t know what —
Gerome: They’re the spaces inside heads — more ventricles, more emptiness — less brain. Your —
He imitates Rott’s Symphony in E major.
Didn’t help with that. Schizophrenia is all wide-open spaces.
Saski: I don’t think they know where schizophrenia comes from.
Gerome knocks on his skull.
Gerome: I know what comes from you.
Nick: Emotional regulation, let’s do the steps. One: name the emotion —
Gerome: I don’t feel emotion, I’m a Vulcan —
He waves Saski away.
“Live long and prosper!” We’re talking about diminished cognitions!
Nick: (to Gerome) You have to cool it.
Saski: (to Gerome) “Diminished cognitions”?
Nick: (to Saski) It’s probably best if you —
Marion: No, come on — just change the subject. Black holes! Geromey and Michael know all about black holes!
Saski: (to Gerome) You seem extremely intelligent to me.
Gerome: When exactly were you going to check up on my brainpower?
Nick: (to Saski) Ignore that question.
Saski: No, it’s valuable. Gerome. I wasn’t around because . . . my presence in your life . . . was not encouraged.
Nick: What is that supposed to mean?
Reid: Oh-ho, take it like a bitch, Nickster.
Marion: Reid!
Gerome: (to Saski) But it’s up to you, right?
Saski: It’s up to everybody. All the adults. My having contact with you . . . was not fostered.
Reid’s cellphone rings.
Nick: We didn’t stop you from knowing him —
Reid answers his cell.
Reid: (to cell) Reid here. Go.
Saski: We have different perspectives.
Reid: (to cell) Toby, my man! How’s all that work treating ya?
Nick: There are no perspectives!
Marion: Emotions! Emotions!
Reid: (to Nick) Preach it!
(to cell) . . . Oh, he isn’t answering, huh?
Nick: You were fifteen. You said —
Saski: Right, yes! Fifteen! Of course I said something stupid!
Reid: (to cell) . . . Yeah, he’s too busy ripping into the woman who bore your child.
Nick: No, you said to us —
Reid: Yo, Nicky —
Nick: And the social worker —
Marion: Red alert!
Reid: Hubby wants to know —
Nick: And all the doctors and the nurses —
Reid: Did you fix Gerome?
Nick: I — no!
Marion: Persians! How about we all have Persians!
Nick: You said to anyone who would fucking listen if you never —
Marion lets out a scream and throws some broccoli at Nick. She misses and hits Reid.
Marion: (to Nick) Don’t you dare, don’t you dare!
Reid throws the broccoli back at her.
Reid: Don’t you dare!
Reid follows it up with a volley of tater tots — a direct hit, and Marion screams.
Marion: You got me in the eye!
Reid: No I didn’t!
Michael throws broccoli at her and misses. Marion exits to the kitchen. Reid throws food at his son.
(to Michael) Hey, what are you fucking doing? Behave yourself.
(to cell) . . . You getting all this, Toby?
Nick: Gimme the phone!
Nick grabs the phone from his brother and exits to the kitchen.
(to cell) Toby — ?
Reid and Michael are firing food back and forth across the room at each other. Saski takes cover and Gerome is now seated at the table and doesn’t seem to notice.
Gerome: What did you say to everyone when I was born?
Saski shakes her head.
Saski: I have no idea. I was too busy giving birth.
Gerome gets up.
Gerome: May I be excused?
Saski: Where are you going?
Reid: Go for it —
Saski: But where —
Gerome exits and Michael follows.
Reid: (calling after him) Mikey! Leave the poor kid alone!
Marion enters with a can of beer eating a Persian. She opens her beer.
Truce and cheers, babe?
Reid reaches for the Persian, but Marion doesn’t le
t him.
Saski: Nicholas is a passionate father.
Marion: No better papa than Nick.
Saski: Is that true? No better father?
Reid: Ahhhh — yeah.
Saski: At least you’re protective of each other. But you’re family? Not the most objective. It’s the hardest thing. To say “I don’t think so and so is such a . . . ”
Saski trails off.
Marion: Is that what you’re saying? Wait — such a what?
Michael enters.
Saski: It’s terrifying to be called out on. And this is a faux pas. As a non-parent. Me. Talking about his parenting. Not allowed.
Marion: No, not in front of the K-I-D-S! Michael, where’s Gerome?
Michael: Get ready.
Marion: (calling off) Geromey, eat your Persians!
Gerome enters. He is shirtless and his torso is clean of writing. He offers Saski the permanent marker.
Reid: Booyah! This party’s gettin’ naked!
Gerome: Sign.
Marion: This isn’t marker time. I want that shirt on. Dessert, everyone!
Michael: Ewwww, I’m not having floor dessert!
Gerome: (to Saski) Sign your name. Sign it!
Michael grabs the pen and tries to sign his name. Gerome lunges and screams at him.
Marion: stop!
Reid steps in front of Gerome.
Reid: (to Gerome) Back off.
(to Michael) Go to your room.
Michael doesn’t leave. Gerome lies down on the ground.
Gerome: I need proof you’re my mother.
Marion: Oh, she is, honey — she is, she is, she is!
Gerome covers his ears.
Gerome: Ahhhh!
(to Saski) You’re looking at me like the rest of them, thinking, “Oh oh oh, if only he could help himself.”
Saski: Not at all.
Gerome: Hold on to your quiet, ordinary thoughts a little more tightly, babe: your brain is plaid, it’s saran wrap. And I hear angels. They talk to me — they chose me —
(to Saski) Can’t you hear them?
Saski shakes her head.
You lied.
Saski: I thought I could understand.
Reid puts up his hand.
Reid: Actually, the angels chose me.
Marion: Reid!
Reid: This is what Nicky did. You gotta reason him out of it —
(to Gerome) I’m the chosen one.
Gerome: No, I am —
Reid: We can’t both be the chosen one.
Gerome’s lips are moving, and he writes a “G” on his face in a big messy block letter.
Never mind, you’re the chosen one.
Gerome writes “E” and “R” on his chest.
Marion: My turn for the pen!
Gerome writes the “O” over his belly button. To continue writing his name, he starts to take off his pants.
Saski: All right, I’ll sign!
Saski holds out her hand. Gerome doesn’t give her the marker.
Gerome: Too late. You were supposed to be like me.
Nick enters. Gerome drops the marker.
I want to go home.
Nick looks tired, and his heaviness is palpable. He takes off his suit jacket and puts it over Gerome.
Nick: It’s a nineteen-hour drive. A deer smashed our car. We can’t go home tonight.
Gerome takes Nick’s cellphone out of his pocket and does his gesture to make it safe over and over.
Gimme my phone, Gerome.
Gerome does not respond.
Fine, keep it, I don’t care.
Saski: He’s saying the voices are angels —
Gerome: (re: Saski) How is she getting my thoughts?
Saski: I can’t read your thoughts. You told me —
Nick puts his head in his hands.
Gerome: (to Saski) My thoughts are being sent like text messages — you are receiving them. I don’t know how you do it, but you do — betraying my thoughts to Serotonin and his legion of archaliens, alien–arches, arch arch arch —
Gerome’s voice goes soft abruptly, and he continues under his breath. Nick slumps down to the floor, defeated.
Marion: Not a good time to sit down.
Nick doesn’t move.
Michael: Maybe he should take his pills.
Marion: Michael, clear the plates.
Michael: You told me to go to my room.
Marion: Then go to your room!
Michael: But —
Reid: Go!
Michael exits.
Gerome: I’m breaking open — there’s only smooth craten edges, no cracks — as if I was always grunden, meant to be in pieces from the start.
Reid: What the fuck’s “grunden”? Klingon?
Marion: It doesn’t mean anything in Klingon — he’s making up words.
Reid: Oh, we’re on to gibberish — greaaaat. Everyone know where the emergency exits are?
Saski: Is it necessary to joke?
Gerome: You are all traitors —
Marion: We’re keeping you safe —
Gerome starts dialing a number on the cell.
Gerome: Let me go home!
Marion: Is it time to call the hospital yet?
Gerome: (to cell) Hello?
(a wail) Daaaaaaaad!
Nick: (quietly) Fuck!
(to Gerome) Give me the phone —
Nick shouts into the cell.
Toby, it’s under control!
Gerome: You have to come pick me up right now! Please!
Nick grabs Gerome.
Nick: He’s hours away!
Gerome throws the cell at Nick, and Nick ducks.
Marion: Gerome!
But Gerome is looking past Nick. Michael has entered dressed in his costume for the school play. It’s hastily made but hauntingly grotesque, and it engulfs him. Makeup covers his face.
Michael: This is my costume!
Gerome screams, unable to look away, terrified.
Reid: Fuck off!
Michael: He’ll like this!
Gerome: Stay away from me!
Nick: Listen to my voice —
Michael: Gerome, it’s me!
Reid gestures upstairs.
Reid: (to Michael) Go!
Gerome: Don’t you touch me! You get away from me!
Nick: Focus here — eyes!
Gerome covers his eyes.
Gerome: Getoutofinsideme getoutofinsideme getout getoutout —
Michael: But he knows me.
Reid grabs at the costume, and it tears as Michael runs from him. Gerome screams and pounds the floor with his fists. Reid chases Michael out.
Gerome: This is the prayer: You live like them for a day — one day singular. Then you’re eaten alive, punctured from your sole toooo your eyeball. Keep keep keep yourself like them. I say yes! Deal! Trade. All this for one day.
Gerome is curled on the floor, hugging himself. Michael creeps back in with half his costume off, watching. No one notices him.
Reid is very shaken by Gerome.
Reid: There he is, ladies and gentlemen . . . Our fuckin’ chosen one!
Nick: No! You don’t get to do that right now!
Reid tries to laugh.
Reid: I know, I know — what the hell’s the matter with me?
Nick: Please. Leave.
Reid nods.
Reid: Yeah, I should um — let’s give him some space . . . Why do I always have to say shit? I dunno.
Reid exits to the kitchen. Gerome is still.
Saski: I can go too.
Nick: I need his pills.
Marion: What?
Nick crosses to exit upstairs.
Nick: His pills!
Marion: What do we do?
Nick: Keep him there!
Nick exits upstairs. Saski approaches Gerome and kneels by him.
Saski: . . . When I was pregnant, your father, he left these homemade VHS recordings, Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes by the boxful. I watche
d them with you religiously. You kicked whenever the theme music came on. He was an interesting . . . boy, your daddy. He had visions of the future. He said he saw himself on a starship in his mind, exploring beyond the known universe. And I wonder if . . .
Saski’s hand hovers above Gerome for a moment and then she stands. She goes to gather her things.
I have to — I’m already late —
Marion: Ah — sorry, where?
Saski: I can’t offer anything that matters.
Marion: No, but — where is more important than here?
Saski: He wouldn’t like me to see this.
Saski goes to exit. Michael takes Gerome’s pill bottle from his pocket. Michael goes to Gerome and puts the pill bottle in his hand. Gerome exits with the bottle. Saski and Marion don’t see any of this. Saski is outside the house and turns back to Marion, standing at the door.
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