talked at me. I didn’t understand
half of what he was saying but I found out at dinner that as long as I looked
at him and answered every once in a while with a yes or ok he was fine. Right
now he had a whole lot of shit to say so I listened. When he was done I kissed
his head and stepped back so Linda could do her thing.
Back in my jeep my
girls were chattering away like magpies. Mom was planning a scarf and hat
knitted set though the barometer was set to hell, I guess she was looking ahead
to winter. Mindy with her teacher wanna be ass was trying to plan lessons or
some shit, and Jacqueline was plotting something if the way she was going after
her nail with her teeth was any indication. Me I just kept my mouth shut as we
followed them home. I watched until she got inside the little house and turned
on a light before waving to us out the window. My women had that place picked
apart in five seconds flat.
“I don’t like it,
look at that place next door with all that old junk in the front yard.”
“What about her yard it’s too small there’s no
place for Andrew to run and play.”
And on and on it went, I kept my damn mouth shut
while the three of them rearranged that poor woman’s life like she’d asked them
to. “Look whatever you three are gonna do you’d better do it soon because we
leave in two days.” Shit the racket started then, apparently two days wasn’t
long enough time for them to stick their noses in people’s shit and decide
what’s best for them. I took my life in my hands and offered up a suggestion.
“Why don’t the three
of you wait until she asks for help? She’s an adult ladies and though I’d be the first one there with a moving van it’s her call. Don’t go
overstepping boundaries.” They let that settle in for all of two seconds before
they ripped into me. “Honey her whole conversation was a cry for help, didn’t
you hear her?” My wife was giving me the pouty face. “No I was too busy trying
to break Andrew’s code the little fuck thinks he’s slick.” Tonight was the
first time I’d ever had any dealings with an autistic child, never had any
reason to before. But I have lots of experience with observing and deciphering
shit, that’s what I get paid hundreds of thousands a year to do. My brain is
like some kind of machine or some shit.
What I got from
Andrew is that everything he says makes sense he’s just speaking in a different
language. It’s like some cultures read from right to left. Personally I think
for kids like Andrew it’s a choice, some people believer that we get to choose
who we are before we come here. I don’t know why the fuck that shouldn’t apply
to the autistic too. Maybe Andrew and his posse told the Big guy upstairs that they wanted as little to do with the rest of us humans as
possible. Because from what I could see wasn’t shit wrong with that kid, he’s
just a four year old with attitude.
“She won’t come
right out and ask for help son but we’re women, we know what to listen for and
she needs help.” I went back to listening and keeping my mouth shut; whatever
they needed me to do they’d let me know.
By the time we
reached the house I think they’d pretty much figured it out. I’d heard bits and
pieces but my mind had wandered towards our trip. I was trying to plot out the
routes and shit, Jacqueline wanted to play it by ear and just go, sounds good
to me but I’m not sure she’s ready for that just yet. I’m willing to let her
have her way for now though if it’ll make her happy. “So have we decided how
we’re gonna disrupt this woman’s life?” The three of them smiled at me all sweet
and shit which was a dead giveaway. “Why don’t we tackle that when we get back
from our trips?” I guess mom was taking lead on this one, fine whatever.
We said our
goodnights and once again Mindy was staying over with mom. Jacqueline still
seemed a bit down in the dumps, which was not on my agenda for her so I’d have
to
half of what he was saying but I found out at dinner that as long as I looked
at him and answered every once in a while with a yes or ok he was fine. Right
now he had a whole lot of shit to say so I listened. When he was done I kissed
his head and stepped back so Linda could do her thing.
Back in my jeep my
girls were chattering away like magpies. Mom was planning a scarf and hat
knitted set though the barometer was set to hell, I guess she was looking ahead
to winter. Mindy with her teacher wanna be ass was trying to plan lessons or
some shit, and Jacqueline was plotting something if the way she was going after
her nail with her teeth was any indication. Me I just kept my mouth shut as we
followed them home. I watched until she got inside the little house and turned
on a light before waving to us out the window. My women had that place picked
apart in five seconds flat.
“I don’t like it,
look at that place next door with all that old junk in the front yard.”
“What about her yard it’s too small there’s no
place for Andrew to run and play.”
And on and on it went, I kept my damn mouth shut
while the three of them rearranged that poor woman’s life like she’d asked them
to. “Look whatever you three are gonna do you’d better do it soon because we
leave in two days.” Shit the racket started then, apparently two days wasn’t
long enough time for them to stick their noses in people’s shit and decide
what’s best for them. I took my life in my hands and offered up a suggestion.
“Why don’t the three
of you wait until she asks for help? She’s an adult ladies and though I’d be the first one there with a moving van it’s her call. Don’t go
overstepping boundaries.” They let that settle in for all of two seconds before
they ripped into me. “Honey her whole conversation was a cry for help, didn’t
you hear her?” My wife was giving me the pouty face. “No I was too busy trying
to break Andrew’s code the little fuck thinks he’s slick.” Tonight was the
first time I’d ever had any dealings with an autistic child, never had any
reason to before. But I have lots of experience with observing and deciphering
shit, that’s what I get paid hundreds of thousands a year to do. My brain is
like some kind of machine or some shit.
What I got from
Andrew is that everything he says makes sense he’s just speaking in a different
language. It’s like some cultures read from right to left. Personally I think
for kids like Andrew it’s a choice, some people believer that we get to choose
who we are before we come here. I don’t know why the fuck that shouldn’t apply
to the autistic too. Maybe Andrew and his posse told the Big guy upstairs that they wanted as little to do with the rest of us humans as
possible. Because from what I could see wasn’t shit wrong with that kid, he’s
just a four year old with attitude.
“She won’t come
right out and ask for help son but we’re women, we know what to listen for and
she needs help.” I went back to listening and keeping my mouth shut; whatever
they needed me to do they’d let me know.
By the time we
reached the house I think they’d pretty much figured it out. I’d heard bits and
pieces but my mind had wandered towards our trip. I was trying to plot out the
routes and shit, Jacqueline wanted to play it by ear and just go, sounds good
to me but I’m not sure she’s ready for that just yet. I’m willing to let her
have her way for now though if it’ll make her happy. “So have we decided how
we’re gonna disrupt this woman’s life?” The three of them smiled at me all sweet
and shit which was a dead giveaway. “Why don’t we tackle that when we get back
from our trips?” I guess mom was taking lead on this one, fine whatever.
We said our
goodnights and once again Mindy was staying over with mom. Jacqueline still
seemed a bit down in the dumps, which was not on my agenda for her so I’d have
to
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