Unable to speak, autistic Claire fears she will never be hired. Then an autism organization offers her a chance to realize her dream: to publish her writing and share her voice with the world.
It's a dream come true, right? But Claire's father can'...
Claire's feet pound against the mossy ground of the woods. Finally she leans against a familiar tree and hunches over to catch her breath.
She's alone now. No more Susanna. No more cameras. No more sweaty hands on her knee.
She pulls out her phone. Better text Dad.
Claire: Hey, Dad. I'm in the woods.
Dad: What happened?
Claire: I just... needed to leave.
Dad: Ok I will handle everything here
Dad: Stay safe and don't go too far
Claire: I will, I promise.
Claire takes a deep breath. She's safe.
Like many autistics, Claire tends to wander a lot. Sometimes for fun, and sometimes when she can't cope with what's going on. Usually, she knows how to stay safe and not get lost. She knows these woods VERY well.
Her dad helped her install a tracker on her phone, just in case. She feels safer, knowing that he can find her if there's ever a problem.
And now, she's free to climb trees and calm down until she's ready to return home.
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[Illustration of Claire standing in the woods, looking around.]
At the Fields' house
John puts down his phone. He doesn't know what upset his daughter, but that's okay. When she comes back, she may want to talk about it. Or, perhaps she'll want a distraction. He could offer to take her shopping.
If she's having a good sensory day, Claire likes to prance through the aisles and touch all the merchandise. Especially if they're buying clothes, which always have different textures for her to pet or even hug. And John does have a shopping list: sandals for himself, new shorts for his husband, more hot-weather tank tops for Claire.
John puts it out of his mind. Claire is likely to be gone for at least half an hour, and they'll figure it out then.
Susanna walks up to John. "Could I interview you about your daughter now?"
John shrugs. "Sure."
They get seated on the couch.
"Any idea why Claire ran off?" John asks while the camerawoman makes adjustments.
Susanna shakes her head. "She just bolted off for no reason!"
John knows his daughter. There's always a reason. The question is whether John knows what it is or not. Susanna doesn't seem to have any idea, though, so he doubts it would be worth asking anything more.
