There are some things that are nearly as good as surfing. Like having a friend that is fun to surf with, and who also is the best car mechanic in the world! Andy took care of the Prius yesterday, and then Bob and Cindy showed up at the dealership and took me to dinner. That was a great ending to a rough day at school.
Vinnie had a rough day, and that nearly always spills over into mine. For being only ten years old, he has a lot to deal with. That is what expands my patience. Yesterday, as we were walking to my classroom, he was in a horrible mood. He was saying and doing everything to test me. "I care about you," I said, "No matter what you ever say or do, I will always care about you." He asked if I still would if he brought a gun to school and killed everyone (Thanks for that, now I have to document that little statement). I said, without the shock or emotion that he was trying to elicit,"Oh, yes. I will care about you. I will even visit you in prison." That got him. He looked at me sideways, and smiled. I smiled back. "There's nothing you can do to stop me from caring about you," I said.
So, today, we had nearly an hour together, one on one. He is always asking how much time we have left. It makes him anxious that we only have twenty minutes a day together. There is so much he wants to do, and to tell me. We work on his book. He dictates, and I write and illustrate. He loves this. Today we had an assignment to complete. He had to write a story, with a beginning, three paragraphs in the middle, and a conclusion. I was to scribe for him. He had no ideas, and we sat there in silence for a few moments. He was looking out the window, and suddenly said, "I want to write about that butterfly." I turned to look, and sure enough, there was one yellow butterfly circling around a leafy bush, just outside the window.
He began to tell me things about the butterfly, how it was so strong it made the bush shake. It was really the wind, but he said, "No, the sun is out!" I guess he equates wind with cloudy weather. There are so many things this kid has missed out on, things most kids take for granted. His life has been hard. His sister was murdered two years ago. She was the one that loved him most, at least that is what they told me when I first started working with him. His mom, well, we won't go into that here. I am trying to stay positive, and write about good things, since there are no surf stories to tell.
So, I am scribing for him, writing down what he says. Suddenly, all these butterflies start coming from everywhere. We couldn't believe it. They were fluttering all around, landing on the yellow flowers just beyond the window glass. One hit the window, and fell to the ground. All the time, I kept writing. After a half hour, we were done. I finished the last sentence, and looked at Vinnie. He was looking out the window with his mouth open. "Where did they all go?" he asked. Sure enough, there were no more butterflies.
As we walked back to his classroom, I told him what I thought. "I think," I said, "it might be your sister and my mom sending us a message." We have this commonality, you see. When I found out his sister had died, I told him about my mom dying, too. Ever since that day, we have had this little bond. He cried that day we talked about it. He talks about my mom sometimes, and I talk about his sister. "I think they love it when we work together, and we are happy. They want us to be happy," I said. He was really quiet as we walked, as I told him this. He is usually always angry. He has had so much to deal with, in his ten years of life.
He wanted me to tell the teacher about the butterflies. He was anxious, bouncing up and down, waiting, as she was speaking with another teacher. He looked at me, and then at her, and when she was free, he said, "Tell her about it! Tell her about the butterflies!" And, when I was done, he smiled. Vinnie hardly ever smiles.
Yes, today was a good day, even without surfing.
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