Special Needs Kids Want Friends

Do you remember my friend Ivy’s six sentence stories? I love this prompt and hope to participate more in the future. My first stories have been about a woman named Denise, and tonight, I continue with this fiction and her story.

***

Squatting next to the mound that-might-be-a-grave in the fake-Prada lady’s garden thinking about past contentment on her father’s face, Denise remembered a rare Christmas when her dad was sober enough to take her and her sister to see Santa at the local mall.

The mall had seen better days; shops were closed, but they’d done a decent job of stringing lights and garland. To her six-year-old self, it was magical and the scattered closed store-fronts faded to background in light of the dome and throne that housed Santa.

Denise let her little sister walk through the fake snow to visit Santa before she did, anxious for her because Sam had always been fearful and shy, and Denise worried about Sam’s words which mostly got tangled instead of being understood.

Her feet hurt as she stood on tippie-toes, listening to what Sam might say and sign to Santa’s question of “And what would you like for Christmas, girl?”

“A real friend,” Sam answered and Denise knew she’d spend her life helping her sister make friends because special needs kids want friends as much as the rest of us do.

***

This holiday season, let’s be swept away by the magic, by the joy of children and Santa. Let’s also remember that everybody is important, and that each of us has a story to tell, whether we live in a car or in a castle.  All of us have been through more than we share, and all of our stories are important.

Let’s be thankful for our stories.

For each other.

For this crazy, beautiful, scary, confusing, messy, wonderful, amazing life.

For friends. I’m thankful for each of you and wish you laughter and love this season and always.