Playful Peach #4
He wheeled himself up the ramp to the stage and the whole room began to stand, clapping for him. He looked out at the faces of the legislatures and saw some of the most powerful men in New York State all standing and clapping for him. He knew that his father was close behind him, standing proudly having worked so hard for his son to get this praise and recognition. He sat there in his chair smug and proud of what he had been able to accomplish. If only she was here to him now.
It was about five years ago he left for school. His father told him that he would be happier there where he could get full attention and care whenever he wanted it. He tried to reassure him claiming that Massachusetts wasn’t that far away, but to Jimmy it might have well been the moon. Because he was angry with his father he allowed himself to let the cerebral palsy shake him like he was having a seizure. Then his father would go into a panic knowing he could do nothing to help his son. He knew that he could make his father hurt more by making him pity his condition rather than attempt to articulate angry sentences that would come out sounding more like grunts than insults.
He hated it when he first got there. The toys littering the common room made him feel like a child when he wanted to be treated like the 15-year-old young adult that he was. He was even more insulted by the badges that they made everyone wear with their pictures displayed next to stickers of stars and kittens; where were they, in grade school?
The whole place was unbearable and he was planning to escape until he met Muriel. She was the first person in the school to speak to him like he was a person instead of like he was a baby. She had beautiful big chocolate colored eyes and hair the color of fresh corn. Her body was curvy, even under her plain green uniform, (which looked hideous on the other teachers), made her look bright and youthful.
He couldn’t wait for Muriel to come visit him everyday to talk with him asking him to put shapes in the right peg or to count the number of popsicle sticks she placed before him. Normally he would have reacted in anger, throwing the blocks and a tantrum, but for her he would do anything. He was convinced that she was falling in love with him because she treated him so warmly. She made him feel like there was always a warm, soft blanket wrapped around his heart.
Everything went wrong on Valentines Day. He had carefully crafted a plan of how he was going to make his move believing that there was no way she could possibly make him feel this way and not return those feelings. He had saved up the few dollars his father sent him and bribed another teacher to buy him a box of chocolates claiming that he wanted them for himself. He knew that she would be in the teachers lounge later that night and it was there that he planned to make his move.
He somehow got out of his room and wheeled his way into the lounge praying that his wheels wouldn’t squeak and alert a nosy teacher. When he had almost reached the door he realized that it was open just a little bit so he peaked in. He saw Muriel, radiant as ever and not in her uniform but a beautiful, red flowing dress. He wondered if she had been waiting for him and somehow intuitively knew that he was coming. Just as he was about to wheel into the room he saw another person walk up behind Muriel from the other door and cover her eyes. She smiled the sweet smile he thought she reserved only for him and turned around to shower the man with kisses and hugs. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing! He didn’t know how to deal with the feelings that he was having both intense anger and extreme sadness simultaneously. He recognized the man, another teacher, and the hatred in his heart grew. He memorized the man’s face and slowly began to plot how he could get revenge.
Jimmy waited a few months and finally the right time came. The man was assigned to help Jimmy bath in the morning and at night. He allowed him to do so for weeks knowing that his father was planning to visit at the end of the month. When his father came Jimmy told him that the man had touched him in his private places and made him promise not to tell. His father was outraged and more angry than Jimmy had ever seen him. But, before he reacted in anger he hugged Jimmy so hard that he felt like his father was going to crush him, he kissed Jimmy’s face and told him that it was going to be okay and that he would never have to go back there again. Jimmy smiled not because of his father’s comforting but because everything was working out like he had envisioned.
He just wanted to get the man fired but in his wildest dreams he never envisioned what his father was going to do. When they got back to New York his father starting calling all the most powerful people he knew tearfully telling them what had happened to his son and why he felt that he needed to do something about it, not only for Jimmy but for other kids that could have been hurt. His father was a powerful Lawyer with a lot of money and even more friends that had connections so it seemed certain that something big was going to occur. At first Jimmy thought about telling the truth, but then the reporters started coming around and he liked all the attention he was getting. He played the part well, bravely holding his chin up making sure to let his hands shake in front of his body revealing his condition whenever cameras were on him. He broke the hearts of anyone that heard his story, each time delivering the rehearsed tale more passionately than the next.
Then the big moment came. After spending a lot of money and asking for even more favors, Jimmy’s father did it. Not only did the man get fired and school where Jimmy went shut down he also convinced the New York State legislature to pass Jimmy’s law. This law allowed the state to screen and have more control of where disabled children were sent when they went out to out of state facility centers. But, most important to Jimmy, it meant that people would never forget him and all that he had survived. He got the revenge he had plotted and the attention he felt he rightfully deserved; life couldn’t have been better.
It was about five years ago he left for school. His father told him that he would be happier there where he could get full attention and care whenever he wanted it. He tried to reassure him claiming that Massachusetts wasn’t that far away, but to Jimmy it might have well been the moon. Because he was angry with his father he allowed himself to let the cerebral palsy shake him like he was having a seizure. Then his father would go into a panic knowing he could do nothing to help his son. He knew that he could make his father hurt more by making him pity his condition rather than attempt to articulate angry sentences that would come out sounding more like grunts than insults.
He hated it when he first got there. The toys littering the common room made him feel like a child when he wanted to be treated like the 15-year-old young adult that he was. He was even more insulted by the badges that they made everyone wear with their pictures displayed next to stickers of stars and kittens; where were they, in grade school?
The whole place was unbearable and he was planning to escape until he met Muriel. She was the first person in the school to speak to him like he was a person instead of like he was a baby. She had beautiful big chocolate colored eyes and hair the color of fresh corn. Her body was curvy, even under her plain green uniform, (which looked hideous on the other teachers), made her look bright and youthful.
He couldn’t wait for Muriel to come visit him everyday to talk with him asking him to put shapes in the right peg or to count the number of popsicle sticks she placed before him. Normally he would have reacted in anger, throwing the blocks and a tantrum, but for her he would do anything. He was convinced that she was falling in love with him because she treated him so warmly. She made him feel like there was always a warm, soft blanket wrapped around his heart.
Everything went wrong on Valentines Day. He had carefully crafted a plan of how he was going to make his move believing that there was no way she could possibly make him feel this way and not return those feelings. He had saved up the few dollars his father sent him and bribed another teacher to buy him a box of chocolates claiming that he wanted them for himself. He knew that she would be in the teachers lounge later that night and it was there that he planned to make his move.
He somehow got out of his room and wheeled his way into the lounge praying that his wheels wouldn’t squeak and alert a nosy teacher. When he had almost reached the door he realized that it was open just a little bit so he peaked in. He saw Muriel, radiant as ever and not in her uniform but a beautiful, red flowing dress. He wondered if she had been waiting for him and somehow intuitively knew that he was coming. Just as he was about to wheel into the room he saw another person walk up behind Muriel from the other door and cover her eyes. She smiled the sweet smile he thought she reserved only for him and turned around to shower the man with kisses and hugs. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing! He didn’t know how to deal with the feelings that he was having both intense anger and extreme sadness simultaneously. He recognized the man, another teacher, and the hatred in his heart grew. He memorized the man’s face and slowly began to plot how he could get revenge.
Jimmy waited a few months and finally the right time came. The man was assigned to help Jimmy bath in the morning and at night. He allowed him to do so for weeks knowing that his father was planning to visit at the end of the month. When his father came Jimmy told him that the man had touched him in his private places and made him promise not to tell. His father was outraged and more angry than Jimmy had ever seen him. But, before he reacted in anger he hugged Jimmy so hard that he felt like his father was going to crush him, he kissed Jimmy’s face and told him that it was going to be okay and that he would never have to go back there again. Jimmy smiled not because of his father’s comforting but because everything was working out like he had envisioned.
He just wanted to get the man fired but in his wildest dreams he never envisioned what his father was going to do. When they got back to New York his father starting calling all the most powerful people he knew tearfully telling them what had happened to his son and why he felt that he needed to do something about it, not only for Jimmy but for other kids that could have been hurt. His father was a powerful Lawyer with a lot of money and even more friends that had connections so it seemed certain that something big was going to occur. At first Jimmy thought about telling the truth, but then the reporters started coming around and he liked all the attention he was getting. He played the part well, bravely holding his chin up making sure to let his hands shake in front of his body revealing his condition whenever cameras were on him. He broke the hearts of anyone that heard his story, each time delivering the rehearsed tale more passionately than the next.
Then the big moment came. After spending a lot of money and asking for even more favors, Jimmy’s father did it. Not only did the man get fired and school where Jimmy went shut down he also convinced the New York State legislature to pass Jimmy’s law. This law allowed the state to screen and have more control of where disabled children were sent when they went out to out of state facility centers. But, most important to Jimmy, it meant that people would never forget him and all that he had survived. He got the revenge he had plotted and the attention he felt he rightfully deserved; life couldn’t have been better.
posted by Anonymous at 8:45 AM
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