The Diagnosis
May 22nd 2008 09:27
The Diagnosis
"MUM!"
It was a scream guaranteed to send the neighbors scrambling for their Welfare Services Emergency numbers.
"MUM!"
And that one was guaranteed to wake up the entire street.
Yet Deanna calmly finished setting the hot bowls of oats on the table, complete with juice, napkins and
"MUM!"
then made her way down the cluttered hallway to her sons' Matthew and Davey's bedroom. She gathered the clutter in her hallway was as a result of all the commotion - especially the pillows, bed linen and one overturned wooden dresser drawer.
Taking a deep breath, Deanna stepped over the remarkably well kept drawer and into the bedroom where her third eldest son Davey continued throwing bedding around the room obviously looking for something very important.
Matthew, her second eldest and most creative son, casually walked up to his mother. All eleven years of him forced to lean precariously to one side; taking the weight of his heavy schoolbag.
Failing to keep any emotion at bay, Deanna gave her mischievous son a peck on the cheek as he walked by. She heard his chuckle.
"MUM!"
This time the voice was muffled. Goodness, Deanna thought to herself - he wasn't hurt was he?
But her fears were unfounded, spotting Davey's legs sticking out from under one of the single beds. Deanna was so tempted to grab both legs and pull her young nine year old out from under the bed, but was spared when he emerged coughing and spluttering from all the dust.
"He hid my bag," Davey blurted out. "AGAIN!" His indignation marred by the onslaught of another cough. "Aren't you going to do anything?"
"Of course I will," Deanna soothed, helping him to his feet and taking the chance to ruffle his hair pretending to take off the dust, of course. "Go and have some breakfast and I'll find your bag."
"I'm telling Dad!" Davey declared, marching out of the room and walking into the wooden drawer. Deanna unfortunately heard the 'crunch'. However, Deanna wasn't in a mood to worry about that.
She wasn't in a mood to get down on her hands and knees and forage under beds and what not for missing bags, but she did.
Deanna couldn't fault Matthew. Telling his brother not to leave his bulky bag lying around was falling on deaf ears. She guessed the bang she heard last night was Matthew sneaking into bed after bedtime and falling over it.
She smiled. Tomorrow, she'd like to see where Davey's bag is left.
"I'll take the kids to school today if you like," her husband offered, peering in from the doorway.
Sitting back on her haunches, with her clothes covered in dust, Deanna coughed and just handed him the now 'found' dusty schoolbag.
He was home again. Possibly laid off - again.
But, before she could dwell on what it would mean to their finances again, laughter escaped her lips at the sight of her husband attempting to maneuver his way through the bedlam in the hallway with a toddler hugging his leg.
She didn't have time to get to her feet before her eldest son, Lucas made himself known. "Any breakfast left?" In the midst of Summer heat, fourteen year old Lucas donned winter track suit pants, a skivvy and tracksuit jacket. On his head he wore a black beanie which he topped off with a bright red sports cap.
Deanna sighed deeply, using the bedpost as a support while she got to her feet. She was so tired these days. "I like the cap," she said, hoping he would remove the woolen beanie at least.
"Me too," Lucas gleefully replied. "Come on. I'm hungry."
No 'Good Morning' hug or kiss.
She sighed again.
It was later that day, while tidying up Matthew and Davey's room that Deanna caught sight of something other than dirty clothes poking out from under doonas; under beds or on top of cupboards.
A bright blue spiral bound book filled with plastic sheets of neatly set out recipes some cut out of magazines; some handwritten; some typed out. Goodness, she hadn't looked at this book for years. It was a Kitchen Tea present from her eldest sister, and now she was to discover it wedged between Matthew's bed and the wall.
Without another thought, Deanna closed the door on the partially cleaned room and, hugging the newly discovered book, raided her larder, anxious to find something in this book that she could make today.
As she predicted, her husband offered to pick the boys up from school and as she planned, when they walked in the door, she had a wondrous meal on the table a savory pasta dish baked in the oven and a good old fashioned apple crumble.
And as she'd hoped the appetites of her five men spoke for themselves.
Suddenly her self-satisfied grin vanished when Matthew spoke up, "Why did aunty just drop this off and leave?"
Deanna was speechless.
"Yeah. How come?" little Davey added.
"Doesn't she want to see us anymore?" Lucas asked no-one in particular, before walking away from the table without excusing himself.
Matthew and Davey raced to their bedroom, their bags forgotten near the door where they dropped them.
"Does your sister think she'll catch it?" Her husband grumbled, himself leaving the table with his youngest in his arms.
Her meal forgotten, Deanna ran her hands up and down her face. Could she feel more tired than this? She was so certain she didn't a moment ago.
Sometime into the night, with silence replacing the squeals of growing boys, Deanna curled up on the couch and leafed through her newly discovered possession, marveling at just how much detail covered the pages of this special cookbook.
Two chimes broke the silence almost startling her. Two in the morning. Would she be awake? Deanna thought to herself.
And then before she lost her nerve, Deanna picked up the phone and dialed her sister's number.
"I'm sorry," Deanna blurted out, even before the person on the other end answered.
And her heart rejoiced as a familiar squeal of delight assaulted her ears and the talking heaven's her sister could talk at the rate of a hundred words per minute!
They laughed.
They cried.
The night left, and as the sun rose to peer through the gap in her drapes, Deanna swallowed her tears and found the courage to share with her sister what she dared not share with her heart "Hey sis," she softly began, swallowing hard; trying to force the lump from her throat. "I I need to tell you ," but her voice broke up with emotion. "Yes, I know you want to come, but well," tears fell unbidden. "Before all that - I - I just need to say Lucas has Asperger's Syndrome. Well, its a form of Autism. We ah we got the diagnosis a while ago and I'm meeting with his doctors - more like a team of people that will be helping him and - no, I'm fine yes, really I am. He's high functioning and we're still working out the right medication for him and and he still likes bright colours "
And in the darkened unlit hallway, little Matthew dragged one very heavy schoolbag to the back door
"MUM!"
It was a scream guaranteed to send the neighbors scrambling for their Welfare Services Emergency numbers.
"MUM!"
And that one was guaranteed to wake up the entire street.
Yet Deanna calmly finished setting the hot bowls of oats on the table, complete with juice, napkins and
"MUM!"
then made her way down the cluttered hallway to her sons' Matthew and Davey's bedroom. She gathered the clutter in her hallway was as a result of all the commotion - especially the pillows, bed linen and one overturned wooden dresser drawer.
Taking a deep breath, Deanna stepped over the remarkably well kept drawer and into the bedroom where her third eldest son Davey continued throwing bedding around the room obviously looking for something very important.
Matthew, her second eldest and most creative son, casually walked up to his mother. All eleven years of him forced to lean precariously to one side; taking the weight of his heavy schoolbag.
Failing to keep any emotion at bay, Deanna gave her mischievous son a peck on the cheek as he walked by. She heard his chuckle.
"MUM!"
This time the voice was muffled. Goodness, Deanna thought to herself - he wasn't hurt was he?
But her fears were unfounded, spotting Davey's legs sticking out from under one of the single beds. Deanna was so tempted to grab both legs and pull her young nine year old out from under the bed, but was spared when he emerged coughing and spluttering from all the dust.
"He hid my bag," Davey blurted out. "AGAIN!" His indignation marred by the onslaught of another cough. "Aren't you going to do anything?"
"Of course I will," Deanna soothed, helping him to his feet and taking the chance to ruffle his hair pretending to take off the dust, of course. "Go and have some breakfast and I'll find your bag."
"I'm telling Dad!" Davey declared, marching out of the room and walking into the wooden drawer. Deanna unfortunately heard the 'crunch'. However, Deanna wasn't in a mood to worry about that.
She wasn't in a mood to get down on her hands and knees and forage under beds and what not for missing bags, but she did.
Deanna couldn't fault Matthew. Telling his brother not to leave his bulky bag lying around was falling on deaf ears. She guessed the bang she heard last night was Matthew sneaking into bed after bedtime and falling over it.
She smiled. Tomorrow, she'd like to see where Davey's bag is left.
"I'll take the kids to school today if you like," her husband offered, peering in from the doorway.
Sitting back on her haunches, with her clothes covered in dust, Deanna coughed and just handed him the now 'found' dusty schoolbag.
He was home again. Possibly laid off - again.
But, before she could dwell on what it would mean to their finances again, laughter escaped her lips at the sight of her husband attempting to maneuver his way through the bedlam in the hallway with a toddler hugging his leg.
She didn't have time to get to her feet before her eldest son, Lucas made himself known. "Any breakfast left?" In the midst of Summer heat, fourteen year old Lucas donned winter track suit pants, a skivvy and tracksuit jacket. On his head he wore a black beanie which he topped off with a bright red sports cap.
Deanna sighed deeply, using the bedpost as a support while she got to her feet. She was so tired these days. "I like the cap," she said, hoping he would remove the woolen beanie at least.
"Me too," Lucas gleefully replied. "Come on. I'm hungry."
No 'Good Morning' hug or kiss.
She sighed again.
It was later that day, while tidying up Matthew and Davey's room that Deanna caught sight of something other than dirty clothes poking out from under doonas; under beds or on top of cupboards.
A bright blue spiral bound book filled with plastic sheets of neatly set out recipes some cut out of magazines; some handwritten; some typed out. Goodness, she hadn't looked at this book for years. It was a Kitchen Tea present from her eldest sister, and now she was to discover it wedged between Matthew's bed and the wall.
Without another thought, Deanna closed the door on the partially cleaned room and, hugging the newly discovered book, raided her larder, anxious to find something in this book that she could make today.
As she predicted, her husband offered to pick the boys up from school and as she planned, when they walked in the door, she had a wondrous meal on the table a savory pasta dish baked in the oven and a good old fashioned apple crumble.
And as she'd hoped the appetites of her five men spoke for themselves.
Suddenly her self-satisfied grin vanished when Matthew spoke up, "Why did aunty just drop this off and leave?"
Deanna was speechless.
"Yeah. How come?" little Davey added.
"Doesn't she want to see us anymore?" Lucas asked no-one in particular, before walking away from the table without excusing himself.
Matthew and Davey raced to their bedroom, their bags forgotten near the door where they dropped them.
"Does your sister think she'll catch it?" Her husband grumbled, himself leaving the table with his youngest in his arms.
Her meal forgotten, Deanna ran her hands up and down her face. Could she feel more tired than this? She was so certain she didn't a moment ago.
Sometime into the night, with silence replacing the squeals of growing boys, Deanna curled up on the couch and leafed through her newly discovered possession, marveling at just how much detail covered the pages of this special cookbook.
Two chimes broke the silence almost startling her. Two in the morning. Would she be awake? Deanna thought to herself.
And then before she lost her nerve, Deanna picked up the phone and dialed her sister's number.
"I'm sorry," Deanna blurted out, even before the person on the other end answered.
And her heart rejoiced as a familiar squeal of delight assaulted her ears and the talking heaven's her sister could talk at the rate of a hundred words per minute!
They laughed.
They cried.
The night left, and as the sun rose to peer through the gap in her drapes, Deanna swallowed her tears and found the courage to share with her sister what she dared not share with her heart "Hey sis," she softly began, swallowing hard; trying to force the lump from her throat. "I I need to tell you ," but her voice broke up with emotion. "Yes, I know you want to come, but well," tears fell unbidden. "Before all that - I - I just need to say Lucas has Asperger's Syndrome. Well, its a form of Autism. We ah we got the diagnosis a while ago and I'm meeting with his doctors - more like a team of people that will be helping him and - no, I'm fine yes, really I am. He's high functioning and we're still working out the right medication for him and and he still likes bright colours "
And in the darkened unlit hallway, little Matthew dragged one very heavy schoolbag to the back door
[ Text and original characters copyright © 2008 by Teresa Strati ]
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Comment by Anonymous
The night left, and as the sun rose to peer through the gap in her drapes . . .
Thank you for sharing your gift, Teresa!