Sometimes in life we find friendships in the strangest of places and people. Jeremiah a teenage boy with cerebral palsy has never had a friend and believes that he never will. When Lily, a transfer student walks into his biology class his world changes in a way he never thought possible. She sits next to him and comes up with a deal, he teaches her the ropes and she will sit next to him everyday and talk to him, as he’s pointed out no one ever has. Jeremiah reluctantly agrees and a friendship is born. Lily falls into his life like the angel that he needed. She makes him realize that he is not his illness, he it who he sees himself as. Jeremiah for most of his life has believed that he is different; people will always see him for the things that make him stand out and not for who he is. Eventually just when Lily thinks she has gotten him to open his eyes he reverts back to how he felt before. In the climax she forces him to come out of his shell and show the school who he is, who he wants them to see him as. He dances, he sings and he brings the house down with a confidence he didn’t know was possible. He owns who he is and owes it all to Lily. In the end Jeremiah becomes a new person because of his friend Lily and realizes that our greatest gifts can be those that are only in our lives for a moment but their impact lasts a lifetime.
Duo/Duet- Deal of Friendship
$60.00Price
- (Scene opens to Jeremiah he struggles to write a note. He is very focused on what he is doing and his actions are slow. It soon becomes evident that he is special needs. Jeremiah has cerebral palsy.) Jeremiah: (Writing) “Today in school we learned about the importance of friends.” (He takes a moment to look at his work, he is proud. Looks to the audience.) I don’t have a lot of friends. My mom would always say that I am a special needs kid, which means that I am different from all of the other kids which is what makes me special, she tried to make this a cool thing. (Laughs) Never worked but I appreciated her for trying. Kids look at me and they wonder why I stand like this and why my body is shaped funny, my leg drags when I walk, my muscles get stiff, I shake sometimes, I talk a little strange. Mom calls it an accent. (Laughs) They think I’m retarded. (Ironic laugh) That’s how stupid they are, they think that anyone who is different is retarded but I’m not retarded. I have cerebral palsy. (Writing) My best friends are my mom, dad and my new friend Lily. (Jeremiah looks up to see Lily enter the classroom. She is looking for a place to sit. She settles on the seat next to Jeremiah.) Lily: (To Jeremiah) Hi, I’m Lily. Moved here last week from Dallas, TX. Looks like a pretty cool school. (Beat, she is looking at Jeremiah look at her. She waits for him to respond.) Hello? Are you there? Jeremiah: (Stuttering from the surprise) Y-yes. I just, umm people don’t usually talk to me a whole lot. Lily: Why? You seem to talk just fine to me. Jeremiah: Yeah, I talk okay. Lily: Great, then you can show me the ropes. Let’s make a deal- Jeremiah: - I’m not supposed to bet. Lily: (Laughs) Not a bet, a deal, there’s a difference. Okay so this is the deal, you show me the ropes, the ins and outs of this school and I’ll sit here everyday and I’ll talk to you. Jeremiah: (Sad) You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to.