Pasadena.
Bowling alley.
The thought of living with Sheldon made Penny feel utterly miserable.
Leonard forced himself not to laugh, barely stopping the corners of his mouth from stretching all the way to his ears.
Sheldon's usefulness showed itself once again.
The demonstration had an immediate effect.
"Penny, are you still taking acting classes?"
Adam looked at Shaun, who was bowling with Howard and the others in the distance, then glanced at Penny. An idea came to him.
"Of course."
Penny shook her head, trying to shake away that horrifying image, then nodded. "I've always been taking them. This is my career."
"Do you want to become a real actress?"
Adam asked with a smile.
"What do you mean?"
Leonard's heart tightened.
"Adam, are you going to introduce me to some opportunities?"
Penny was overjoyed.
"What entertainment industry connections could I possibly have..."
Adam shook his head modestly. "I mean, if you want to become a real actress, I have an acting job for you right now.
It's part-time, but the hourly pay is definitely much higher than what you make as a waitress. Are you interested?"
"What kind of part-time acting job?"
Penny asked, disappointed.
"I want you to play a Scoundrel Woman and help train Shaun."
Adam said slowly.
"What?!"
Penny and Leonard cried out in unison.
"Shaun's dream is to become a surgeon."
Adam explained, "But surgeons need to be stable enough to hold a scalpel.
Because of his autism, Shaun reacts especially strongly to outside stimuli.
I can train him to handle physical factors like bright lights and noise.
But I can't help with the troubles the innocent-minded him may encounter in the emotional realm. For that, I need a professional actress like you to help train him.
That way, even if he encounters a Scoundrel