Hey love, so let me tell you the story Ive been carrying around. It all started when Julie and Tom were waiting forever for their little boy, Jamie. The pregnancy was a nightmare Jamie was born way early and had to spend his first days in an incubator. A bunch of his organs were underdeveloped, he needed a ventilator, two surgeries and even a retinal detachment repair. They let us say goodbye twice, but Jamie pulled through.
The trouble was, he could barely see or hear anything. Physically he eventually got the hang of it he sat up, grabbed a toy, shuffled along a support rail but his mind just wouldnt catch up. At first both parents held onto hope. Then Tom sort of faded away, leaving Julie to fight the whole battle on her own.
When Jamie was about three and a half, they managed to get hearing implants. He could hear now, but his development still stalled. He went to countless specialists specialneeds therapists, speechteachers, psychologists. Julie would bring Jamie round to my place so many times. I kept suggesting new things to try, she tried everything, but nothing stuck. Most of the time Jamie would sit quietly in his playpen, spin a little gadget, tap it on the floor, bite his hand, sometimes let out a highpitched wail or a sort of whine. Julie swore she could recognise his little coo and she loved it when someone scratched his back or his legs.
Then an older psychiatrist finally said, Whats the diagnosis, love? Hes a walking vegetable. Youve got to make a decision either look after him or hand him over. Theres no point hoping for a miracle. That was the first time anyone had been blunt with Julie. She placed Jamie in a special nursery and went back to work.
A while later she splurged on a motorbike shed always wanted one. She started cruising the streets and the countryside with a bunch of bikers, and the roar of the engine made all her worries melt away. Tom kept paying child support, and Julie blew most of it on weekend carers. Jamie wasnt that hard to look after once you got used to his quirks. One of the bikers, Steve, told Julie, Theres something tragic and fascinating about you.
Come on, Ill show you, Julie said. He smiled, thinking she was inviting him over for a night, but she just led him to Jamie. The little lad was surprisingly lively, letting out that same modulated whine probably recognising his mum or being startled by a stranger.
Bloody hell, thats something! Steve blurted.
And what did you think it was? Julie shot back.
Soon they were not just riding together, they moved in together. Steve promised never to get too close to Jamie theyd agreed on that beforehand and Julie respected it. After a while Steve suggested, Lets have a baby. Julie snapped back, What if its another one like him? He fell silent for almost a year, then whispered, Alright, lets try.
They had a son, Ethan, a perfectly healthy little bloke. Steve, halfjoking, asked, Should we put Jamie in a care home now that weve got a normal kid? Julie snapped, Id hand you over first. Steve quickly backed off, muttering, I was just asking
When Ethan was about nine months, he started crawling and took a huge interest in Jamie. Steve got nervous, worried about his son getting close to that idiot, but Steve was always at work or on his bike while Julie let the boys play together. Whenever Ethan crawled beside Jamie, Jamie oddly stopped his whine, as if he was listening, waiting. Ethan would bring over toys, demonstrate how to play, even squeeze and stack Jamies tiny fingers.
One weekend Steve fell ill and stayed home. He saw Ethan wobbling around the flat, babbling something, with Jamie trailing like a shadow Jamie had never left his corner before. Steve threw a fit, demanding a fence around his son or constant supervision. Julie just pointed at the door, silent. He got scared, they patched things up, and Julie came to me afterward.
Hes a bit of a nutty log, but I love him, she said, shaking her head. Isnt that awful?
Its natural, I replied. Loving your child, no matter what.
She clarified, I was actually talking about Steve. Jamies dangerous for Ethan what do you think?
I told her the data pointed to Ethan being the stronger link, but they still needed supervision. That settled it.
By the time Ethan was a year and a half, he taught Jamie to stack blocks by size. Ethan himself was talking in short sentences, singing simple songs, and doing little rhymes like the crow cooked porridge. Julie asked me, Is he a little genius? Steve said, Find out. Hell burst with pride.
I guessed, Probably because of Jamie not every toddler becomes the catalyst for someone elses growth.
Julie brightened, Wow! Ill tell that wooden log with eyes.
I thought, what a family a walking vegetable, a log with eyes, a biker mum and a whizzkid. After learning to use the potty, Ethan spent half a year coaxing Jamie into it too. Julie set Ethan the task of teaching Jamie to eat, drink from a cup, dress and undress she gave him that job herself.
When Ethan was three and a half, he asked straight up, Whats up with Jamie?
First off, he cant see, Ethan said.
He does see, Ethan argued. Just not well. He sees best when theres a light, like the bulb over the bathroom mirror.
The eye doctor was stunned when they brought a threeyearold to explain Jamies vision, but he listened, ordered more tests, and gave Jamie a pair of fancy glasses.
Ethans nursery never clicked for him. He really should be in school, you know, a proper smart lad! the caretaker snapped. Hes not a simpleton; he knows more than anyone.
I stood firmly against early school, insisting Ethan stick to clubs and keep working on Jamies development. Steve, surprisingly, agreed and told Julie, Stay with them until school, whats he doing in that silly nursery anyway? And have you noticed hes stopped wailing for almost a year?
Six months later Jamie said, Mum, dad, Ethan, give me a drink, meowmeow. Both boys started primary school together. Ethan fretted, What if Im there without him? Will the teachers get him? Will they understand? He still does lessons with Jamie first, then moves on to his own work.
Jamie now strings simple sentences together, can read and use a computer, loves cooking and tidying (Ethan or Julie supervise), enjoys sitting on the garden bench watching, listening, sniffing the world. He knows all the neighbours and always says hello. He loves modelling with PlayDoh, building and taking apart Lego sets.
But the absolute highlight for him is when the whole family hits the country lanes on their motorbikes Jamie with Julie, Ethan with Steve, all of them shouting into the wind, laughing like mad. Its the one moment that makes everything feel right.
