“Franklin,” Caro proceeded, “we don’t know what Dani is capable of. Those pills help keep her flaw at bay. I don’t think it would be wise for her not to take them.”
“You’re absolutely right, Carolina,” Franklin responded, “We don’t know what Dani is capable of. All these pills do is stifle her potential. She’s extraordinary, and these pills attempt to normalize her to the world’s standards. No, I will not allow it.”
Caro swallowed whatever response she wanted to give, knowing she was already in the dog house with Franklin. He stood up and walked to the other side of the desk in front of me.
“I have a job for you, Dani,” he said with a smile. I was relieved at these words.
“Okay, sir,” I responded.
“Come, take a walk with me,” he said with a wave of his hand as he headed for the office doors. Caro began to rise from her seat, “Just wait here a bit, Caro. We’ll be right back.”
Caro lowered herself back into her seat and an expression of concern crossed her face. Franklin put an arm around my shoulder and led me down the hallway.
“Dani, I just want you to know that I’m so glad you’re on my team. Last night was crazy, but I know Caro can be a bit of a loose cannon sometimes. Regardless, you guys completed your job and I got what I wanted, so no harm done. I’m curious though, what did you think of Law when you met him?”
“Honestly, sir, I didn’t pay much attention to him. I thought he was an ex-boyfriend of Caro’s,” I said. Franklin gave a disingenuous laugh.
“That’s funny, Dani. Anyway, as you know, I’m running for Mayor this upcoming term.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Really?” stopping in his tracks, “You didn’t know that your boss was running for mayor? There are literally signs all over town.”
I shook my head.
“Okay. . . Well, Dani, part of running for office is playing the part and looking the part. I clearly have looking the part and playing the part down. Eh, I just have one small issue. See, my wife is actually my second wife, which cannot be held against me because my former wife passed away. The only issue with having a second wife is I have recently found out that she has a son from a, um, previous relationship. Now, I’m a family man and I want to take care of my family in every way possible.”
“How did your wife die?” I asked.
“That’s not important, Dani, are you paying attention?”
“Sorry. Yes, sir. You’re a family man and want to take care of your family.”
“Well, my newly acquired son is very sick and I do not want him subjected to the public’s ridicule because of his sickness. Now, rumor has it that you can help me out.”
“I think I can. . . Is he dying? Because that might be harder —”
“No, no. He’s not dying. . .” Franklin paused, “In fact, would you like to meet him?”
Not thrilled at the idea of the company of children, I hesitate.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you,” he said, once again putting a hand on my shoulder to lead me to our destination.
We walked the hallways until we entered a large playroom filled with toys, TVs, game consoles, movies, books, everything a child could want. A woman sat in the room, not regarding anything, reading a book.
“Susan, if you could give me and my friend here a moment with Andrew,” Franklin said to the woman, who silently rose and left the room.
At a small table in the corner of the room, I could see a boy sitting with his back to us. He appeared to be playing with blocks of some sort. He made no noise and did not acknowledge our presence as we walked across the room towards him.
“Hey, Andrew, I want you to meet a friend of mine,” Franklin said, placing his hand slightly on the boy’s shoulder. The boy moved his shoulder away from Franklin. This action perplexed me. I advanced to the other side of the table, opposite Andrew, and sat down in a chair barely off the ground. I surveyed Andrew. He appeared about seven or eight years old. He had long hair that hung in his face, concealing his eyes, but he avoided eye contact with me and continued moving his blocks around in no particular fashion.
“Andrew has low functioning Autism, he doesn’t speak much, does not like to be touched. . . We don’t take him in public because he freaks out.”
“I’ve never heard of this sickness,” I replied. I raised my hand a little and reached out for him, “May I?”
“Yes, of course. He might struggle, but do what you have to.” Franklin said.
I reached toward Andrew, increasingly nervous as my fingertip brushed his hair. I had barely made contact with his skin when he reached his hand up and placed it on mine.
I was immediately projected into a different realm. It was like awakening in my tranquility place except this place was childlike and magical, like an outdoor play paradise. The floor was bouncy, there was a huge treehouse, food and candy everywhere. A running stream with a rainbow of colors in the water. The air smelled of freshly baked cookies. Animals of all sorts roamed around; there was everything from rabbits to unicorns- the ultimate child fantasy. Andrew was bouncing on the turf next to me, holding a tiny rabbit.
“This is where I come to play,” he said and began laughing. He ran around in circles with his arms outstretched and the animals followed him and cuddled up to him. He petted each one lightly, then ran toward the stream and splashed in the water, causing colors to cascade through the air and make gigantic bubbles that began to float away. I approached the stream and dipped my foot in. The water didn’t dampen, it just gave warmth and a feeling
