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Teresa's Blog – December 2010 Archive (9)

Bad Dream

The dark-haired boy who approached me was about seven, crying because he'd wet his pants at school; I was a stranger but the only one who could help him, the only one he wanted help from. He couldn't speak well, was overly distraught and I knew he couldn't clean himself alone, so I bathed him as other teachers around me stared, and sensing his embarrassment I told him it was okay, that I'm a mother and would protect him, and the tension in his body melted…

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Added by Teresa on December 31, 2010 at 10:00am — 6 Comments

Legacy

She is the only author whose books I borrow from the library, an odd behavior for a book hoarder. She and I were born in the sign of Scorpio, both married egotistical Leos and quickly added children -- a girl then a boy. Despite also sharing occasional feelings of domestic entrapment, depression, a love of words and painfully acute radars ("The truth loves me," she said of sensing her husband's infidelity), we don't share her self-destructive tendencies or the poetic genius that…

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Added by Teresa on December 30, 2010 at 1:00pm — 6 Comments

Hitching A Ride In New York

It was dark when we left the Bronx Zoo and the cab driver with a mohawk who delivered us from Manhattan didn't show as promised to take us back. We pushed two umbrella strollers of thickly bundled kids to a brightly lit bus stop for the illusion of safety and to pray for a taxi. After an hour of twenty-four degrees, stink-eye from the locals and no luck, we briskly crossed a wide busy street and turned right in front of an old four-storey apartment building… Continue

Added by Teresa on December 27, 2010 at 8:30pm — 7 Comments

Spit & Shine

I'm wearing the new Rolex my husband gave me which catches light as I wrestle my son down in the seat of the grocery cart for the thousandth time. I'm driving a shiny black Mercedes which I enjoy because it lies -- All is well -- and because my son is strapped safely in his carseat, almost a double-entendre as his straps for me are also socially acceptable contraints which provide respite and relief. The fancy dollars meant to send our son to Harvard will… Continue

Added by Teresa on December 27, 2010 at 7:00pm — 13 Comments

Ernest Seeks Help

Ernest Ledbetter had always wanted his very own psychiatrist, someone he could pay to spend quality time with him and keep dark, dark secrets. In addition to his other shameful secrets, Ernest was still a virgin and living with his mother at forty, so he made an appointment with a qualified professional whose name he'd gotten from a trampled business card dropped in the subway. Ernest didn't feel comfortable talking to Adele about his problems, the woman on the subway who smelled…

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Added by Teresa on December 23, 2010 at 11:30am — 12 Comments

New Paint

For three days now my kitchen sink has been home to numerous coils of clear tubing, plastic snakes spitting water sucked from wood, Sheetrock, carpet and air. Other unexpected guests include giant blue dehumidifiers and dryers -- seven in all and I've tripped over each -- whose roar overwhelms like heavy machinery in a factory or industrial environment; we can't hear the TV, each other or the doorbell when cleanup crews arrive each day. The children and I are sharing a king-sized bed since…

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Added by Teresa on December 20, 2010 at 7:30pm — 14 Comments

Texas/New York

Hey guys, just a note to say I'll be out of the office for a week. My family is traveling to New York tomorrow morning. Ya'll know I hate...hate...flying so that part won't be fun (my husband will be dosing me with a sedative at take-off). I'll be thinking of you guys and gathering 6S ideas to write about later. I've never been to the "city that never sleeps" but I think we'll get along. I met a guy from New York at the mall the other day and he said, "Texans go about 30 mph and New…

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Added by Teresa on December 11, 2010 at 9:00pm — 7 Comments

Welcome To Planet Autism

I. Turning Down the Volume

There are no fluorescent lights in the school because I'm told the brightness and occasional buzzing can distract the children. There's a Zen calm throughout both buildings that comprise Westview School in Houston, Texas, where peace flows along softly lit hallways and cushions sparsely decorated rooms. Teaching supplies are hidden behind plain doors, teachers wear muted colors and the quiet is so thick, so warm, the…

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Added by Teresa on December 11, 2010 at 8:30am — 16 Comments

Mean Dog

June 2006: The mean dog who lives behind me has bit my daughter's finger but because I allowed her to reach under our shared fence and because the skin isn't broken, I let the incident go and vow to avoid the dog.

May 2007: Despite a leash law, the neighbors behind us never walk their mean dog but rather let him out of the house to relieve himself on his own; today he approached my dog as we were walking, growled and bit…

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Added by Teresa on December 5, 2010 at 12:00pm — 8 Comments