So this is really happening? Okay I guess it is.

So, a friend suggested that I write Full Swing as though it were a play, and so it shall be.

The dA link (without proper formatting)

Scene opens on a cool autumn afternoon. Camera pans/curtains open on a park with a large field for children and their parents to run around and play sports. Large fences surrounding paved baseball diamonds can be seen in the corners of the park, with football/soccer nets in the center of the field. Children can be heard playing together and with their parents. Camera pans closer/lights focus on a specific group at the park; a man and a woman with a small child, sitting in the dugout of one of the baseball fields. The man steps out of the dugout, carrying an old, wooden baseball bat with a crack running down the middle, held together by a tightly knotted red-and-white piece of fabric. Following behind him is the young child, adorned in a Little League baseball uniform. He is holding a baseball mitt several times too large for himself, and a baseball. The man stops at the pitcher's mound, and the boy catches up to him and stops as well.

Timothy: Are you ready, Tatsuku?

The young boy nods.

Timothy: Good boy. Now, give me my mitt (he reaches out to Tatsuku who hands him his father's baseball mitt) and the ball I'll be pitching to you (the boy passes over the ball as well). And, you take this… (he gently hands over the worn bat to Tatsuku, who finds the large wooden pole unwieldy before balancing it in both his hands.) Good. You look like a perfect little slugger! (he smiles) Now, then, son. Go stand over there, by that rubber plate in the far back, and I'll toss the ball and you swing as hard as you can. Don't be afraid of anything. Just relax and make a perfect, full swing. Can you do that for me, big guy?

Tatsuku nods.

Timothy: Good boy. Okay, get ready…

Tatsuku holds the bat steady in his hands as he walks over to the home plate, and stands in a southpaw batting position. Timothy stands tall, grinning. He readies the ball in his hand, and in one smooth motion, pitches a fastball at Tatsuku, who swings his bat and hits the ball. The ball goes soaring over Timothy's catching hand and a long ways past the baseball diamond. Timothy is pleased, but is caught off-guard by Tatsuku's sudden sobbing. In the dugout, the woman can be seen distressed as well, but, although hesitant, she doesn't get up from the wooden bench within the fence. Timothy rushes over to Tatsuku's side and kneels down.

Timothy: (distressed) What is it, Tatsuku? What's wrong? Why are you crying? Did I hurt you with my pitch? Or did you hurt yourself?

Young Tatsuku: Tasukete! Tasukete! (Help! Help!) The bat! Daddy's bat!

Timothy looks down at the ground. The old wooden bat is now lying on the ground beside Tatsuku, and has completely split down the center in spite of the tied fabric, all the way to the taped grip around the handle. Timothy looks back up at his son and flashes a huge grin, and leans forward, hugging him tightly. Tears can be seen in his eyes.

Timothy: Oh, don't cry. Don't cry, big guy. It's okay, it's okay. It's just a bat. I'm not angry. I'm so happy for you, Tatsuku. So happy. Don't cry, okay?

Tatsuku looks up at his father, and slowly returns the warm embrace. He is still sobbing, but much more gently and is calming down.

Young Tatsuku: It's okay…? Daddy's bat is okay?

Timothy: (nodding) It'll be fine. It's just an old bat. I don't need it anymore. Come on. I'm so proud of you. I'll even get you your own bat. We'll get a matching pair. Come on, don't cry now. Everything's okay.

Young Tatsuku: (sniffling) R-really? You'll get me my really own bat?

Timothy: (smiles) Yes. We'll both get our own bats. We'll go right now. Come on! Wait till you tell Mr. Nolan that you hit your first home run!

Tatsuku is ecstatic. He breaks away from his father and starts leaping up and down. The tears of sadness have now become that of joy. The woman in the dugout gets off the bench and walks over to the two at the home plate.

Mayumi: So what happened, Tatsuku-chan?

Young Tatsuku: Mommy! Mommy! I hit my first home run! My first home run! Really! With Daddy's bat! And Daddy's going to get me my own bat and we're going to see Mr. Nolan and everything! Really!

Mayumi: (smiling) Aww, I'm so proud of you! (bends down, hugging Tatsuku) You really are your father's son, aren't you! Come on. We'll go see Mr. Nolan together with your daddy and then we'll go home and have a nice dinner. How does that sound?

Timothy: That sounds fantastic. I'm sure our little slugger here will really enjoy that. Come on, let's go now. We're going to go see Mr. Nolan

Timothy begins walking away from the baseball field, with Tatsuku following closely behind, skipping happily and dragging the broken bat behind him, with Mayumi slowly walking behind Tatsuku. Timothy picks up the baseball Tatsuku hit, which landed a good distance away from the diamond, and pockets it. Camera pans off/lights dim as the three enter their car/exit off stage.

Scene opens on Tatsuku, now ten, watching baseball highlights on a small television screen in his room. He is sitting on top of his bed and is silent, hugging the remains of the wooden baseball bat he shattered four years ago. Suddenly, loud noises can be heard from behind Tatsuku's bedroom door. Tatsuku turns off the television and the noises can be determined to be his parents arguing.

Timothy: Well, what the hell'd you expect me to do? You think I wouldn't find out?

Mayumi: No, I didn't, but-

Timothy: I'd get bills back and we'd have so much less in our accounts than we did the previous time and then it'd be that much more difficult to pay for things. I'd been wondering where the money was going. Mayumi, how long has this been going on?

Mayumi is silent.

Timothy: Answer me, Mayumi. This is illegal. You can't exactly buy a load of heroin and then use it and then honestly expect nothing bad to happen. How long have you been doing these drugs?

Mayumi remains silent.

Timothy: Fine. I can just check your withdrawals from our bank accounts. (He picks up a telephone and begins to dial a number.)

Mayumi: Wait!

Timothy stops, and puts the phone down.

Timothy: Well? What is it?

Mayumi: For…some time after my miscarriage… after Tatsuku. I was in pain and my prescriptions wouldn't help… and there was a dullness set back in my mind. I don't know. But I needed something else. My doctors wouldn't prescribe me anything I asked for. So I tried to find something stronger, and…

Timothy: And now you're addicted.

Mayumi becomes silent again.

Timothy: Mayumi. If you were having problems, you should've said something. Why couldn't you communicate with me? It's not like I'm not here. You know that.

Mayumi: I've been trying to quit… it's difficult.

Timothy: You need help. Medical help. I'll call Bobby and maybe he can help us.

Tatsuku opens the door to his room, as his parent's voices have quieted some. This is the first time the audience sees Timothy and Mayumi, as this scene is experienced from Tatsuku's point of view. Upon opening the door, Tatsuku (and the audience) can see that Mayumi has been crying, and Timothy's expression is in between some state of anger and fear. Timothy turns around, hearing the door open, and upon seeing Tatsuku, all traces of emotion disappear from his face, and are replaced with a look of anguish. Mayumi, too, notices her son, but she remains still. Timothy quickly rushes over to Tatsuku, walks into his room, and quietly closes the door behind him and his son.

Young Tatsuku: Daddy? What's going on?

Timothy: Nothing, son. Nothing you need to worry about. It's just that Mommy's done something wrong and Daddy has to help her fix it. So she might be going away for a while.

Young Tatsuku: Going where?

Timothy: She'll be going on a vacation. And while she's there she and I can fix the mess she made. But she might not be back as soon as you think.

Young Tatsuku: Until everything's better?

Timothy: Yes, Tatsuku. Until everything's better. Now don't worry. We won't yell anymore. Go back to watching the game. (he hugs Tatsuku and turns on the TV set, and then opens the door, leaving and closing it behind him. Camera centers/stage lights focus on Tatsuku before the fade to black.)


Fade away to the next scene. Camera opens on the front steps of a courthouse. Tatsuku is now 15. He is wearing a dressy, button-up shirt and slacks, and is sitting on the courthouse steps with his arms around his knees, and his head buried between them. Beside him, a much older man of hefty weight in formal attire stands above him. Mayumi can be seen standing apart from the pair, looking away.

Tatsuku: We lost, Mr. Nolan.

Robert: (sighs) I don't think we could've even won. The evidence was against us and he even pleaded guilty to possession. They had his fingerprints on the syringes and the drugs, and the purchases were made from withdrawals from his bank account.

Tatsuku: But they weren't his.

Robert: (turning to Mayumi) No. No, they were not.

Mayumi feels Robert's eyes upon her, and awkwardly shuffles and tries to step away in spite of the distance between her and Robert.

Tatsuku: Ma. How could you let him do this?

Mayumi is quiet.

Tatsuku: Ma.

Robert: Mayumi.

Mayumi leaves.

Robert: Hey-!

Tatsuku: She won't listen. She knows this is all on her. But she let Pa take the heat. And now he's in there for crimes she committed. For another five frickin' years.

Robert: We'll take every opportunity we can get to appeal his case for a shorter sentence or an early release. It's your father, after all. He'll behave. Maybe they'll let him out on good behavior.

Tatsuku: Mmhm.

Robert and Tatsuku grow solemn. After a few minutes pass, Robert breaks the silence.

Robert: Tatsuku.

Tatsuku: Hm?

Robert: Since your mother is unfit to take care of you, and your father's in prison, for the time being you're in foster care. I filed your adoption papers.

Tatsuku: I figured. Thank you.

Robert: (tucks his hands into his pockets) In the meantime, though, your mother's going to continue her self-destructive habits… she's been to rehab a couple of times now, hasn't she?

Tatsuku: Two times. Maybe three. The third time would be much more recent.

Robert: I'm sorry, Tatsuku. About everything.

Tatsuku picks himself up from the courthouse steps. He wipes the seat of his pants off and smooths his shirt with his hands.

Tatsuku: I'm fine. Let's go home.

Robert nods. He starts going down the courthouse steps, then begins walking from the courthouse to a parking garage in the distance. Tatsuku follows. Camera fades to black as the two enter an SUV and then drive off.

Camera fades from black and focuses on a single bedroom. The bedroom is painted light blue. Several posters of various boy bands and other rock stars adorn the walls. A mirror with a table in front of it for applying makeup lies against the shorter wall nearest the door. There is a dresser with some women's clothes hanging out of it. More clothes are tossed on the floor- some of them appear to be a man's clothes. In the bed, against the two walls farthest from the door, sleeps Tatsuku, with a beautiful, brown-haired woman in his arms, facing away from him. They are clothed in pajamas, although Tatsuku is bare chested, and are under warm sheets. There is a nightstand besides the bed. A clock on the nightstand begins sounding the snooze alarm. The woman wakes abruptly.

Hillary: (wakes with a start, observes the clock) Ohh! It's seven.
(her eyes are half-open, half closed. She rubs her eyes with one hand and drowsily operates the ringing alarm with the other) Stupid... piece of ****... trying to sleep!

The alarm is silenced. Hillary slips back under the sheets. Tatsuku slowly wakes. He sees Hillary still in his arms, and smiles, kissing her neck.

Tatsuku: Good morning, Hillary.

Hillary: (she rotates herself so she faces Tatsuku) Good morning. Did I wake you up?

Tatsuku: Yeah, but don't worry about it. I need to be up early anyway.

Hillary: Oh, that's right. Practice.

Tatsuku: Mmhm.

Hillary gets out of bed to make room for Tatsuku to get up as well. He walks to the dresser and opens it. He pulls out a pair of jeans, a black T-shirt, a green and yellow letterman jacket with a W emblazoned on the left breast, and a same-colored bag with two baseball bats in it. As he undresses and puts on the clothes, Hillary climbs back into bed.

Tatsuku: You don't have to be there for a while, right?

Hillary: Nope. (she stretches, yawning) Don't have first or second period second semester.

Tatsuku: (smiles) Lucky. I've got practice in the morning. But, I get out sooner.

Hillary: Well, that's because you're in off-season.

Tatsuku: That's not true. I have like five games before June.

Hillary: Five. You're in off-season.

Tatsuku: No I'm not!

Tatsuku playfully picks up a pillow from the ground and tosses it at Hillary, who catches it and tosses it back. Tatsuku lets it fall to the ground. He walks through a door close to the bed. The sink can be heard running. Tatsuku is brushing his teeth.

Hillary: When will you get back?

Tatsuku: (spits into the sink) Around two, but I might go pick up groceries for your parents if they ask.

Hillary: Okay. I'll go with you then?

Tatsuku: If you get back before I go. (he walks out of the bathroom and leans into the bed, kissing Hillary on the cheek) I'm going. See you later.

Tatsuku exits. He can be heard heading down stairs. A door opens, and a motorcycle engine starts and fades into the distance. Hillary rolls over in bed and goes back to sleep. End scene.