Watching this young boy with autism turning into a more well-rounded, better socialized, young man through the years, imagine how much trial his parents must’ve gone through, translated…
It was not yet eight in the morning on a Saturday, the friends at the farmer’s market put out their homegrown vegetables and fruits on the stands, as the crowd gathered, the farmers’ market in the corner of the school campus came to life.
The child’s family’s stand had the finger bananas, the leafy greens, the cucumbers picked fresh, in the springtime, there was the yellow zucchini squash too. The child worked hard, placing the vegetables onto the scale, his mother lowered her head, and kept records of how much everything weighed, there was, that smile that, crept up between her eyebrows, and, you get a twenty-percent discount, if you bring your own shopping bags to carry the goods away, and this stand was already, crowded early in the morn.
This weekend farmers’ market had been running for almost ten years now, it’s, located underneath the cool shades of the old trees. Many years ago, the boy was, about eight, or nine, very handsome, and would, run like the wind, and, chanted to himself, and, he would, raise his eyebrows, looking like he was, the child deity who’s agile and knew kung-fu.
The god from the novel, enjoyed getting into fights with others, but this little boy didn’t mind, running around by himself. Each and every week, as I’d, pulled my vegetable cart to the market, I’d, come face to face with him, and always worried, that we might, bump into one another, but shortly, I’d, realized, that I’d, worried, too much, even though the young boy never maintained eye contact, it was like there was this, equipment’s been, installed on him, he’d, never bumped into the adults setting up their stands at the marketplace.
The young boy’s parents always waited by their stands, and, shared with the customers their homegrown, organic produce, and exchanged the ways they’d, rear their young with the customers. The child’s avoiding eye contact, and was very strong when he was younger, and would mutilate himself when he felt mad, and, the parents needed to hold him tightly, to prevent him from hurting himself. At this time, the child’s mother shown, of that light worry.
The twists and turns of their lives, took their symphony from smooth, to an uphill climb. The father who was doing well in the armed services, didn’t want to miss out on the golden period to help his son grow, he’d, quitted the services early, went back to the family farm. As they’d first started planting the organic coffee beans, the natural disasters, the insects hit them hard, he’d put up ALL his retirement pension, and still owed a ton of debts, they’d adjusted their methods, added in the vegetables, then, slowly, they’d, found that balance. The young boy disliked contact with others, and they’d, taken him to set up their stands where it was, most populated, hoping, that as he grew up, he can understand how to be loved, and how to love others.
The paces of time still marched on, in an instant, that young boy became, a handsome lad. It was the start of the summer, there was, this gentle breeze, the purple eggplants that the young man’s family’s stand had had the glow, it’d, attracted me to them, but, I saw the boy, checking the order slips, and, handed me the produce, he’d, twirled the pencil between his fingers, “I want to get off work now!” his mother smiled toward him, “It’s only ten right now!”
When I left the market, I saw the young man with his back against his father’s, they were, stretching their arms out together, the sun reflected the mother’s face, covered with the years, so bright, so beautiful. I’d, taken a mental note of this picture, and, although the young lad still avoided eye contact with me, I hope, that my smiles had, passed along my blessings to him, beyond my words can.
And so, the parents of this autistic child had, made sure that he grows up, as normally as he possibly can, and, they’d, taught him to interact with the outside world that others found more acceptable, socialized him, to become, better adapted, to survive in this world of ours.