Chapter Seven

 

 

 

Dad and Mom walk to the bus to greet me at our house.

Before I turn the chair on, I shout, “I met a girl, Dad! She’s cute! School is awesome. I have homework to do. I am not bad! I am a regular kid! Regular students get homework.”

“That’s great, honey. Now be careful driving onto the ramp,” Mom says.

I want to say, “Oh Mother,” but I stop talking to maneuver the chair onto the lift. Then I drive off the lift as I head to the garage with Dad, hoping to talk to him.

Mom stays outside for a couple of minutes.

I stop at the base of the plywood ramp, waiting for Dad to open the door leading to the living room. After pausing I say, “Dad, I won’t be able to go to Oscars for ice cream today. I have homework to do. I am a regular student now and my teachers assign homework. Okay?”

“I understand, buddy. We’ll go for ice cream on Friday or this weekend, I promise. Just you and I will go.” Dad says, smiling at me. “Would you like that?”

“Yeah, thanks.” I say, as I love spending time alone with my Dad, without Mom.

“Good. That’s a plan. Now I’ve a surprise for you,” Dad says as he opens the door.

“What is it?” I ask, as I drive up the ramp into the living room. I love surprises! When I enter the den, I see an oak desk with a computer, and a green office lamp. I can’t believe my eyes as I head over to the computer and ask, “Is it mine, Dad?”

“It sure is, buddy,” Dad replies.

I check out my computer and say, “It’s awesome! It’s a Dell! That’s what I wanted, Dad. I have a Dell at school. Now you and I don’t have to share a computer. I can write whenever I want.” My Mom walks into the living room. Mom, I have a computer at school and home now. It’s perfect! Thank you,” I say, smiling and enjoying my office. It’s unbelievable!

My parents look at me before Mom says, “You’re welcome. I bet that you have to go to the bathroom.”

“Yeah,” I say, feeling ashamed that I still need Mom or Dad to help me.

Mom retrieves my urinal and assists me in the bathroom.

Afterwards Mom asks, “Would you like a drink?”

“Please, yeah. Hey, Mom, I went to school without you! I didn’t call you all day. Mrs. Day, my aide, understood me. I like Dee. See, I can do stuff on my own! Mom, I am growing up. It feels very, very good,” I say, showing Mom that I can be independent. I feel proud of myself.

“Yes, I am very proud of you! I need to learn to give you more freedom. My son is growing up,” Mom says.

I giggle, agreeing with Mom since I know that I am right!

Mom disappears into the kitchen to fix me a drink. Dad takes out the notebooks and the books from my backpack after I drive the electric wheelchair to the dining-room table. When I turn off the chair, Mom brings me glass mug filled with lemonade and ice cubes with a flexible straw. Once Mom puts the straw in my mouth, I drain half of the drink before taking a deep breath. Then I drink the rest of it, “More, Mom,” I say, after I let out a loud burp.

“Wow! You’re thirsty,” Mom says, going back into the kitchen to refill my mug. Then I start working on the mountain of homework. I am tired, but I am starting a new way of life. If I want to be a regular student, I need to do my homework to prove to my classmates and teachers that I do belong at my new school. I decide to do my math first since it’s the easiest subject for me. My Dad helps me do my math. I sip on my second glass of lemonade as I answer the four word problems. My assignment takes twenty minutes. I don’t want to do my science homework, but it’s better than social studies and I have four pages to read. After I finish reading the last four pages of the first chapter of science, I dictate the answers to the five questions to Mom. She writes my responses in my science notebook. I ask Dad to help me find a newspaper article for social studies. On the front page of the newspaper there is a perfect article for me to take to class. I find an article about how Leeds needs to improve the sidewalks to accommodate people in wheelchairs to be in compliance with the American Disabilities Act for my newspaper assignment.

When John and I were at Maxwell Street Days last summer when my family visited my grandparents, we had to jaywalk at the street corners to avoid the curbs. A car almost hit me when I came out of an alley. I agree with the article and ask Dad to cut out it for me.

Next I read the United States Constitution. The long complicated words are confusing to me. The Constitution is very boring! My Dad turns pages. Mom starts to fix supper in the kitchen as I read. When I finish reading the Constitution, I start reading The Letter A by Christy Brown. My Dad begins to set the table for supper. I continue to read the first chapter of Christy Brown’s novel. The book is more interesting to read than the Constitution. The book excites me! The writing is easier to read, too. I don’t notice our food is on the table until Mom pulls the book away from me, and says, “You can finish it after we eat.”

“Okay. I just have three pages to go. It’s awesome! It’s about a CP guy who writes with his left foot. He has published two books. My English teacher, Mrs. Tilley has a friend with CP! He’s an author with three books. Today at school he emailed to tell her that he has an agent. Mrs. Tilley cried. She’s very proud of him. His name is Tom Pike.” I say.

“Here,” Dad says, placing the twenty-milligram tablet of my muscle-relaxation medicine in my mouth. He then raises the mug of lemonade to my lips, giving me a drink.

I suck half of the mug in an instant. After swallowing my drink, I continue, talking, “Dad, Tom uses Morse code to write,” I say.

“That’s great!” Dad says. “Do you want salad?”

“Yeah and bread please, Dad. I am hungry!” I say, salivating at my food since I am starving.

Dad heaps my plate with leaf lettuce drizzled with hot bacon dressing, and puts a piece of French bread on the side to go with my T-bone steak. Mom has made one of my favorite meals to celebrate my first day of regular school.

My excitement in recalling the first day of “regular” school and my new computer brings on a prodigious appetite: I eat two big helpings of salad, four pieces of French bread with butter and a large piece of steak. For dessert, I have a big bowl of New York cherry ice cream with chocolate sauce. Then I drain the rest of my lemonade, letting out a gigantic burp, spraying Dad with spittle before he gives me a lemon drop to suck on.

Dad puts the book in front of me to read.

Before I start to read, I say, “Dad, I want to be a writer. Mrs. Tilley has a writing contest and I am going to enter it. I would like to start on the project tonight!”

Dad smiles and says, “After you finish reading your English homework.”

The phone rings. Dad walks into the kitchen to answer it. Dad says, “Hello, yes, this is the Trout residence.” He pauses for a minute, listening to the person on the other end of the line. “Hi, yes, Mrs. Tilley. How are you? Yes, Rich told us about you and Tom. That’s marvelous news about Tom, having an agent and being published. Tom wants to email Rich. Well, Rich received a new computer when he got home. I’m sure that he would like that. Let me give you his email address,” Dad says

I’m eavesdropping and when my Dad returns to the dining room table, I say, “I will write now.”

“No, you finish your homework first,” Dad replies.

“Okay. Okay, turn the page please,” I tell Dad. After he turns the page, I read the last two pages of the chapter. I enjoy reading about Christy, who uses his left foot to write. It makes me want to become an author. Then I think about using a pencil in my mouth to use a typewriter in elementary school to memorize my spelling words. If Christy Brown and Tom Pike can be authors why can’t I? When I finish reading, I turn on my chair with my left hand and maneuver over to my new computer. My Dad has turned on the computer to warm it up. I watch Dad exchange the two head arrays, making the conversion to Morse code. “One day I am going to be a famous author, like Tom,” I say to Dad as he plugs in the white console output device to activate it. Morse code becomes like a second language for me.

“That’s great, buddy,” Dad replies, turning on the green light. Before Dad leaves, he asks, “Do you need anything else?”

“No,” I tell Dad, looking forward to being alone at my office to write.

After my Dad walks out of the living room, I activate the Mouse Mode to load CoWriter. I click on Outlook Express to read my email. The mouse can’t move fast enough for me. “Hurry up mouse move,” I say. I want to read Tom’s email. An author has emailed me! I click on the inbox and exit out of Mouse Mode. Then I tab on Tom’s email. The email reads:

 

Rich,

Mrs. Tilley emailed me about you. It’s a big day for both of us! Some people will always tell you that you can’t. Always know that you can. Never give up! Tom

 

I stare at the computer screen, reading Tom’s email over and over again. It’s unbelievable! I start to gag, getting excited, but I control my gagging reflex, biting my big bottom lip. At times when I get really excited, I will gag and can’t stop. It’s just a part of my Cerebral palsy that I try to control but sometimes I can’t. After several minutes, I decide to write back to Tom and ask if he help me write an article. I take a couple deep breaths.

 

Tom,

Thank you, I promise to not give up. I want to be like you. Will you help me write an article? I want to submit an article to Disabled Today and enter a writing contest at school. Thank you. You’re amazing! Rich.

 

I do the code for Alt and S to send the email to Tom. Then I repeat Alt. I start tapping F for File when an incoming email pops up in the inbox from Tom. That was fast! I am smiling. I bring up Mouse Mode to operate the mouse double-clicking out of File before maneuvering the mouse on the little box next to the email. After double-clicking the box, I get out of Mouse Mode before doing the code for Down Arrow to read Tom’s reply. The response reads,

 

Sure. Send it when you’re ready. Anything is possible! Believe! Tom

 

I sit there for a moment, grinning from ear to ear, wanting to write the article before going to bed. Becoming a writer seems real in my mind now. It feels neat to be alone at night, writing at my computer. It’s so quiet and peaceful that I can write all night. I feel like I can be a writer, tapping away in solitude. Then I tap Alt again and F for File and tap X for Exiting Outlook Express. After reactivating Mouse Mode, I move the mouse up to My Documents. I stop the arrow on the My Documents icon before double-clicking on it, opening the file. Then I create a new document for my essay for the Tilley’s Writing Contest. I begin to yawn when I tap the sequence for equals to open the CoWriter word prediction window. When I start to write, I yawn again.

 

I will never ever forget my first day of regular school. So much happened in one day that I can’t remember all of it now. I like my teachers. Mrs. Tilley is the best! I have friends like Timmy, Tyrone and Amy. During my first day of school, I think a lot about Miss Evans, my Special Education teacher in Ohio, and know that she will be proud of me. At first I don’t know if I can be a part of regular school. Now, I know that I can be just like the rest of the class. I can do anything now. It won’t be easy, but I will try! Thanks to Tom Pike, the CP author. If Tom can do it, I can too!

I want to be a writer.

 

I start to write the next sentence, but I fall asleep writing at the computer. My Dad finds me sound asleep in my electric wheelchair with my head, leaning on the right button, leaving a string of “zzzzzzzzzzz” on the computer screen. I am dreaming of being a New York author with me on TV and my name in lights. But Dad wakes me up and says, “It’s time for bed, buddy.”

I wake up and say, “Dad, I can’t wait to go back to school to learn how to write and become a writer. And someday I will be an author like Tom.”

“Sweet dreams, buddy,” Dad says as I go back to sleep again.