Remember I told you that certain things seemed off with the family. At the beginning of the week, Liza said to me:
“Never leave him and Cathy alone, OKAY!!”
“Hmm, ok.”
At first, I thought home-girl was “tripping.” Why couldn’t he be around his sister? Why did I have to stand between them if they were even remotely close to each other? Until one day she left Cathy in her room and went down to the kitchen. Not remembering Corey was in his playroom. Shortly after, Cathy came out of her room excited to show Liza her new drawing. She leaned over the balcony and in her squeaky voice, she joyfully yelled,
“Mommy, mommy look what I drew for you!”
Her wavy hair danced as bounced up and down, trying to get her mother’s attention.
I glanced over at Liza from the living room. When we both turned our attention to Cathy, Corey charged towards her and threw her on the floor. I froze. It was like everything went into instant slow-motion – Liza headed towards the staircase screaming,
“NOOOOO! Corey Stop!!”
And then I looked up at Corey. I watched as he leaned over Cathy, angrily threw his punches and kicks. Then everything sped up, yet, I stood there like a useless idiot. Liza came back downstairs with Cathy firmly wrapped around her arms. She moved the hair out of Cathy’s face and inspected her. There were no scratches nor blood. Just a frightened little girl whose face had turned pink.
“This is why! This is why Kari! I told you to never leave them alone – NEVER!” she shouted at me.
She then saw a cup of tea I placed on the kitchen counter, which made her even more upset,
“Why don’t you listen? I told you to never have liquids on the table. NOTHING. No glass. No knives. No hot objects. NOTHING,” she continued then kissed her crooked teeth.
I would go out on a limb and say she seemed pretty upset as she walked away from me – just a hunch, I guess.
When she turned the corner to go to the Master bedroom. I swiftly walked towards the pantry.
“What have you gotten yourself into Kari?!...... But wait why...” I said out loud.
“Kariiiiii....” Liza screamed.
Without even finishing my thought, I replied “I am coming...”
“I am sorry; I shouted at you a while ago. You can’t have them together. You don’t understand but you can’t leave them alone. Okay? And promise me if this happens again. Remove all things from the counter... EVERYTHING!”
“.....” I said nothing. I just stared into her frazzled eyes. I felt sorry for her; she was still wearing the clothes from the day before, and her hair looked the same from when I first entered the house. Clearly, it’s been a while since she ran a comb through it.
I nodded and in a soft tone replied “Ok...I promise.”
Liza headed back towards her bedroom to check on Cathy. Then, Corey stormed outside in the yard. He had changed his clothes to a matching superman outfit. I monitored him whilst I wiped the kitchen counter. Five minutes later, he was calm. He sat on the freshly cut grass and played with some colorful golf balls he had spread across the yard. Then he looked at me through the glass door that led to the backyard. For about one minute we stared at each other. I looked away and then headed to the bathroom to recoup.
The day after they attempted to take Corey back to school because they wanted him to interact with other kids. Things, however, took a turn for the worst. Shortly after his father dropped Corey off, the principal phoned Liza to collect him. Apparently, he punched a few kids, the teacher and even attacked the principal. They weren’t able to control him.
During my lunch break, Liza walked towards the dining table and leaned against the white wall. She sighed a couple of times. I tried not to make it awkward but I had a spoonful of noodles and chicken in my mouth. Plus, my gran-gran taught me not to speak when my mouth is full. She was holding a glass of coffee tapping the rim of the mug. Her eyes were filled with fear and frustration. As I looked around to see where Corey was, Liza said,
“This isn’t easy. I am always on the edge and nervous because I don’t want what happened last year to happen again. It was so scary. Sometimes I don’t know what to do.”
All I wanted to know was “Dafuq happened last year?” I felt terrible for her. Then I remembered the dirty ass apartment she had me clean. The one where I felt like ghetto Cinderella. I was still curious though, so I asked,
“Was it terrible?”
“... I had to leave. I had to take Cathy and leave...” she said while looking around.
“.. We tried putting him in school but he had a terrible tantrum for weeks. He broke everything in the house; plates, glasses even the glass dining table we had and tried to attack...”
Before she could finish, Corey passed. She looked at me and said, “We should stop speaking about this.”
At least, I understood why everything in the house was plastic. After Corey’s tantrum, the parent’s didn’t know what to do, and they argued with each other. Liza and Cathy then got the apartment for seven months, which explains the apartment. The dad had to leave his job and stay home with Corey.
I must admit after she explained certain things I began to sympathize. Image having kids and always having to keep them apart. For a moment, I felt awful for the many times I called her a bitch in my mind - the many many many times.
Now, I know why Mother Dearest had been so frustrated. If I was a certified doctor, my prescription will state:
Diplomatic Vagrant's Medical Center
Doctor's Name: Dr. Kari Barker
Patient's Name: Liza A.K.A Mother Dearest
Notes: WARNING: Strong dosage issued for Liza. Must be taken immediately.
You are to have hardcore sex five times a week for two weeks. Afterwards, your dosage of sexual intercourse must be performed three times for an additional three weeks. After those periods you are to ENSURE that you get dicked down AT LEAST... at least, once a week.
Have you ever seen an adult so miserable, and wondered how can someone be grumpy so often? Just tell yourself they are probably lacking sex. It saddens me to say this but mostly women behave that way. However, once they get some goooooood loving, you wouldn’t even recognize them. They’ll be in the streets glowing and shit. That’s my opinion.
On a serious note, I felt sorry for Liza. Besides suffering from lack of dick – good dick. She has been through a lot. The father is hardly home, so she does most of the work. She had a job in the past but quitted to become a stay at home mother. Every morning she gets up at 5 A.M. looking as though the last time she had a good rest was 1960.
It took me a while to comprehend everything. I understood that Liza was trying her best to avoid any incidence between him and his sister, like what transpired the other day. Yet the way she was going about it made me scared for my own safety. She feared her son. Did that mean I should fear him too? I became nervous. Waiting for something to “pop off” at any moment. I had to be on alert because at any moment he could “attack.” but I’m sure there’s a different way to go about it.
What if Corey can sense the fear? The way they treated him differently especially when Cathy was around. It baffled me.
Deep moment time:
Imagine how hard it is for parents that not only have autistic kids but those that have kids with other disabilities. I can’t help wonder what goes through their minds;
- Do they wish for things to be different?
- Do they sometimes want to run away?
- Do they love the child any less?
I know Liza loves Corey, but I felt as though she wished things weren’t as difficult and he was more like Cathy. It’s sad because he doesn’t look harmful. I see him as a big teddy-bear but he has a side to him when it unleashes, it’s frightening. I wish I knew what went on in his mind. I wish I could grasp why he wanted to hurt people. I wanted to help. Our bond is still a work in progress but I know he has a lot of love in him. I don’t want to fear him. Sadly, even if I say I’m not scared, deep down I know that's a lie.
The fact that I began locking my door at night after week two proves it. However, I became invested in the boy, I wanted to see him grow and develop. No more hurt nor pain. Instead, I wanted him to be happy.What I believe is that Corey has been kept away from the world for so long, he doesn’t know how to act around other kids. It’s new to him. I know his parents are scared but they need to let him interact. Lord only knows how he’ll react as he becomes older.
Where I come from, a good ass whooping at a young age would have whipped the kid into shape. But I think it's probably too late.
Some of you may think, “What does she know? The parents are aware of Corey’s anger and they have their reasons for reacting that way. I have only been here for two weeks, nevertheless, I know how pain and hurt look. There were moments I saw it in Corey’s eyes. Anytime he walked over to Cathy or even sat at a table whilst she was there – the way WE reacted and ran towards him was disheartening.
Even though it was necessary, it broke my heart. He had no friends; at home, in the neighborhood, nowhere. He had his tantrums, I got that. Yet, he is still a human. I know I shouldn’t become this invested but… it’s hard not to.I had to focus and stick to the plan while making the most of this. The puzzle pieces were coming together. There was still a lot more to uncover. I knew that. I also knew I needed to get out of the house and do something interesting on my days off. So far I’ve been locked in the room writing and reflecting on everything, which was driving me insane! I need other human interactions; a friend or two.
Let’s see how week three goes.
Stay tun......WAIT! One thing I recollected was the interview with the family. They knew about Corey’s situation, yet they never required any experience with special needs. As a matter of fact, they required no experience at all. Isn’t that strange? Wouldn’t you want an individual with experience in that area, better equipped to handle Corey?! No? - I mean they’re cheap people but they can afford a well-educated person. Why would they go for someone with no experience?
Hmmnn.I guess when more of the puzzle pieces come together they will bring more clarity.
Until next time.
xoxo