These are the questions that probably keep Mr. Boo up at night. Is he in the mood for a taco, or a big juicy burger? Or does he just want fries? Hmmmm.
Boo came bouncing off the bus in fine form yesterday, giggling and grinning. He used Sam to tell me he was thirsty but did not ask for his usual Gatorade. I was in the mood to go out, so I asked him if he wanted a Freezie. He picked up Sam and trotted for the door. In the car he said, “Coffee”. Ah, the child knows the way to my heart, I will always get coffee. I said, “Okay, first we will go to Caribou and get me a coffee, then we will go to Taco Bell and get you a Freezie.” He smiled. On the way he chatted about this and that. He talked about Mother’s Day, which I told him was next week. I wondered if they have been talking about that in school. He talked about the weather and riding his bike. In the middle of this, it struck me. Boo and I were having an actual back and forth conversation! I told him, “Boo, I love it when you tell me all about your day and what you are thinking.” He beamed ear to ear.
Caribou Coffee is two doors down from McDonalds. As we pulled into the parking lot, Boo looked over at the burger place and locked on. He continued to look at it while I ordered my coffee. It was obvious he was thinking hard. I got my coffee and pulled over. Pointing to Sam, I asked him whether he wanted to go Taco Bell or McDonalds. He spent a long time thinking, finger hovering above the icons on the page. Eventually, he decided he was more in the mood for McDonalds. We drove over and collected a quarter pounder meal with fries and a Sprite. He promptly slugged the Sprite and began digging into the fries with relish. In the back of the Subaru, the dogs were happily devouring their pup cups, whipped cream dripping from their whiskers. The car was filled with the sounds of contended munching. Life was good.
I wonder how much of this was premeditated on the part of Boo. He knows I am an avid coffee drinker but has never suggested that I go out for coffee. He also knows that the coffee shop is next to McDonalds. Was he trying to steer me to the McDonalds instead of Taco Bell? Who knows? I put nothing past him at this point. He is a smart cookie. The nice thing was, we had a fun half an hour together, conversed about the goings on of the day, and each got a treat to enjoy. Life is made up of small miracles, if you just take time to see them. Be good humans, drink all the coffee, pet all the dogs and hedgehogs, and we will chat again soon.
Harriet's Hedgehogs and Autism Advocacy 