When I was 20, my boyfriend's band mate Crane had this paid-under-the-table freelance psuedo-social work gig. Some wealthy couple had a son with a low IQ, Autism and Asbergers, and they wanted him to be properly socialized. His self esteem was suffering and was starting to get into trouble.
Crane was paid to cart this kid Sam around with him in his Geo a couple days a week during his normal off-work activities. He came to band practice, out to eat, to the bank, the grocery store, wherever. Why these richie parents charged a dread-head guitar playing opium smoker with the safekeeping of their only child I'll never know, but it sure says a lot about our public school system's programs.
Anyway, a few years later I started seeing him around, riding my same busses. He was socialized alright--just like Crane, he hit on everything that moved and prattled on forever about nothing and everything. I decided to avoid eye contact whenever I noticed him coming my way. Well lately, he's been on the bus I take to work (still avoiding eye contact by the way). I just so happened to forget my earphones, and Sam just happened to squeeze into the seat between me and someone else, and also happened to be chattering away with some middle-aged office-type lady.
But it wasn't so bad eavesdropping and finding out a little bit of what he's been doing all this time. He graduated from high school and went to tech school, but the cooking program proved to be too much. He's got a job, he's got a girlfriend, and the girlfriend's got a job. His parents retired early and sail around the world. They take him on vacation sometimes. He said that he's starting to get more sensitive as he gets older and cries at movies now, and he's reading a book called "Heart Song" that makes him cry too.
I hadn't ever wondered about it on my own, but it's nice to know things are working out for him.
No comments:
Post a Comment