Into the Woods (DeBeers 4)

"I'll hel... help you ge... get one," he offered.

Despite my pleas, he accompanied me home and walked me to the condo. When we got there, we found Augustus lying on our front lawn, looking up at the sky.

"Who... who... who's that?" Randy asked with some concern.

"His name is Augustus Brewster. He lives in one of the units. He's a genius and goes to a special school." I explained quickly. "Don't worry. He does whatever he wants at the spur of the moment. Augustus?" I called, and he sat up.

"Oh. I was looking for you. I wanted to tell you about this movie I saw tonight." he said excitedly. He looked at Randy. "You're the boy in the backseat." he said, pointing his forefinger at him.

"Wha... what?"

This is Randy. Augustus."

"Right. Do you want to hear about this movie or not?"

"Sure," Randy said. "Where... where did you... you see it?"

"Here," Augustus replied.

"Here?" "Augustus. Randy has to catch a bus. It's late, Maybe some other night," I said.

"I won't remember it some other night," he angrily shot back at me.

"I.., can... can stay a li... little longer."

"You have a pronounced speech defect. huh?"

"Augustus," I snapped. chastising.

"It's wrong to pretend it doesn't exist. Some people have thought that addressing the problem makes the stutterer or, as the English call it, the stammerer more aware of his problem and more sensitive and withdrawn. That's medieval." Augustus concluded,

Randy continued to look impressed.

"How long has it been since you had any treatment?" Randy just shook his head.

"Your parents never had you in any therapy?"

"No."

"Typical. They bury their heads in the sand expecting him to outgrow it He's too old. It would have happened already."

"He has a school therapy program. He told me so. Right. Randy?"

He looked at Augustus.

"He lied," Augustus said nonchalantly. "Randy?"

"I... gotta.... go."

"Don't worry about it." Augustus said. "We all don't have that much worthwhile to say to each other anyway."

"Stop it. Augustus."

"We'll all be communicating through computers soon. The phone will become an antique," Augustus continued.

"I'm... I'm on a com..."

"Computer? Me. too. I'm sending e-mail to God and getting back 'No longer at that address.' Let me know if you find him," Augustus said, and looked at me. "I forgot the movie." He turned and walked off.