Just the Way You Are
Baby Dory woke up laughing when she felt something tickle her on the cheek. She turned around to see her parents. Charlie was tickling his daughter awake with a seaweed.
"Mommy! Daddy!" She cried out, excited to see them.
"Mornin' Kelpcake!" Her father greeted.
"How was your sleep, honey?" Her mom asked. Dory was confused.
"My sleep?" She asked. "Uh…my sleep was…" She looked at her parents. "I don't know. I can't remember." Her parents giggled.
"Never mind about that." Jenny said. "Are you ready for today?" Dory was confused again.
"What's today?"
"Why, your first day of school!"
"First day of school?" Dory was disappointed. "Aw, I forgot." Her parents giggled again. Charlie offered Dory his fin.
"Don't you worry about that. Just grab my fin, and your Mom and I can take you." Dory looked at his fin, and thought about this.
"Okay." She said. She took her dad's fin.
"Now, who's ready for school?" Dory was puzzled again.
"What's school? Will it hurt?" Her dad chuckled.
"Not at all, now come on, and we'll be on our way." They were on their way.
Jenny and Charlie dropped Dory at the drop off. The school was in a corner of the aquarium tank.
"Okay, Dory." Her mom said. "You're at school now. We have to go now. We love you; we'll pick you up later." She and her husband hugged her, and swam off. Dory swam after them. Charlie saw this, and stopped her.
"You can't come with us, Dory. You have to stay here." Dory was puzzled.
"Why?"
"You're at school. You have to stay here. Your teacher, Mr. Manta, will come and get you. Listen to what he says until we come back."
"When?"
"After school."
"When will that be?"
"Later. We'll come back."
"Promise?" Jenny and Charlie smiled.
"Promise. Now, have fun at school, kelpcake!" He and his wife swam off again.
A few seconds later, Dory panicked. Where were her mom and dad? She was about to swim off to find her parents when a little tiger fish and a little sea bass stopped her.
"Whoa!" The tiger fish said to her. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm trying to find my parents. Do you know where they are? Have you seen them? I think they're like me, but bigger."
"Oh, we saw them." The sea bass put in. Dory got excited.
"You did? Where?"
"They dropped you off."
"Where did they go after that?" Both the sea bass and tiger fish both burst out laughing. This confused Dory even further. "What? Did I say something funny? Where are they?" The bass and tiger fish stopped laughing.
"Gee, I don't know." The tiger fish said. "Home?"
"Home? But why would they go without me?"
"You don't know?" The sea bass asked. Dory shook her head.
"I have short-term memory loss."
"Short- term memory loss?" The tiger fish asked. "That's a thing?" Dory nodded.
"I have it, so it is a thing I guess."
"Why are you going to school then?" Dory was puzzled.
"School? Is that where I am?" The tiger fish nodded.
"Remembering things is required when you're at school."
"It is?" Both fish nodded.
"Uh-oh. Why am I here then?"
"Don't know. But, if you can't remember, you can't go here."
"Why am I here then?" The tiger fish groaned. "Wait, did you tell me why before? I'm sorry, I have short- ter…" This annoyed the tiger fish.
"I know; you have short-term memory loss!" His sudden snap scared Dory. He calmed down. "I know." Dory was shocked.
"Really? How did you know?" The tiger fish was about to snap again, when his friend stopped him.
"Stop, John!" He said to him. "I have something to tell you." He looked at Dory. "Just a sec." He pulled John aside.
"If she can't remember things seconds later, Bob," John said to him. "Then, why is she here for? It doesn't make any sense."
"I don't know, but I have an idea."
"What?"
"We can tell her that school's over there." He pointed at the undertow. John gasped.
Little Destiny, who overheard this on the other side of the pipe from her exhibit, and went closer to the pipe to listen for more.
"The undertow?" She heard John ask. "But Bob, no kid has ever beat the undertow." Bob grinned evilly.
"Exactly!"
"She could get lost."
"Not our problem." John smiled evilly too.
"I like it; let's do it!" Destiny gasped. She can't let them do such an awful thing! Bob and John faced Dory again.
"This isn't school." Bob told Dory as she tried to introduce herself to them.
"It's not?" Dory wanted to know. John pointed to the undertow.
"School is right over there." He lied.
"Okay." Dory swam close to the undertow. The bullies chuckled to themselves. Destiny was determined.
"STOOOOOPPPPPPP!" She called from the pipe. Dory froze, wondering who was talking. Bob and John did too. "THEY ARE FIBBING. THEY WANT YOU TO BE SWEPT AWAY BY THE UNDERTOW."
"SWIM AWAY!" John yelled in a panic. "This tank is haunted!" They both swam away.
Dory was about to swim away when Destiny spoke up again.
"Wait; don't go! I'm not a ghost. The tank isn't haunted." Dory looked all around to see where the noise was coming from.
"You can't see me." Destiny told her. "I'm speaking to you from the pipes." Dory swam to the pipes. "I'm Destiny by the way. Who are you?"
"I'm Dory."
"Hi, Dory. Want to be friends? It gets lonely with just me and the trainers, and the people that come to our shows."
"Um, okay. I never been friends with a pipe before." Destiny laughed. "Uh, what's so funny?"
"Oh, Dory! I'm not a pipe, I'm a whale shark."
"You are?"
"Yeah, what species are you?"
"I'm a fish."
"What species of fish are you?" Dory was confused.
"Species?"
"Yeah. Are you a salmon, butterfly fish, angel fish, or any other kind of fish?"
"I-I don't know."
"You don't know what species you are?"
"Well, my parents might have told me, but I might've forgot. You see, I always seem to forget. I suffer from short-term memory loss."
"Oh, dear! Well, I suffer from near-sightedness."
"Near-sightedness?"
"Yeah. I can't see things clearly which makes me a lousy swimmer."
"I don't have that problem."
"Well, you're lucky then."
"I guess. But, I don't want to forget things all the time. By the time, I swim away, I might forget you, and I don't want to do that. You sound nice."
"Well, thanks. You sound nice too. And I won't forget you. What color are you? Maybe I can help tell you what species you are."
"Okay." Dory looked at herself. She then forgot what she was doing. "Um, what am I doing?"
"You're seeing what color you are, so we can figure out what species of fish you are." Dory then gasped.
"Oh my gosh; The tank is haunted!"
"No, it's not. I'm Destiny, the whale shark. Now, what color are you?" Dory looked at herself.
"I'm blue with a yellow tail."
"Blue with a yellow tail? Sounds like you're a regal blue tang." Dory gasped in shock.
"A regal blue tang?"
"Yes."
"Um, what species are you?" Destiny laughed as she told Dory about herself all over again.
"Look at her!" John told Bob, who were both nearby. "She lost it; she's talking to a pipe! I'm telling you; she doesn't belong here. She belongs with all the other crazy fishes."
"I hear you." Bob agreed. "I still don't get why her parents sent her here. She won't survive on her own."
"Not unless she made up her condition just to be special."
"Yeah." And with that, they burst out laughing.
"Okay, kids!" A manta ray announced as he swam by. "Your teacher, Mr. Manta is here, and it's time to learn some facts!" Kids swam to him. Mr. Manta saw that Dory wasn't coming to him.
"Don't mind her, Mr. Manta." John told him. "She doesn't belong here." The manta ray shot a look at him.
"What is your name kid?" He asked.
"John."
"Well John, that's not a nice thing to say. Everyone belongs here! Now, is everybody on?"
"Yes, Mr. Manta!" The kids all stated. With that, Mr. Manta swam to Dory's side. John sighed.
"Hello, kid." Mr. Manta told her. "You must be Dory. Your parents told me all about you." Dory looked at him.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Mr. Manta, your school teacher."
"My school teacher?" Mr. Manta nodded. "What does that mean?" Mr. Manta laughed. "Well, hop aboard my back, and I'll show you."
"Okay. Will it hurt?" Mr. Manta just shook his head.
"Promise?"
"You have my word."
"Just let me say goodbye to Destiny, okay?"
"Who's Destiny?"
"She's probably her imaginary friend." John said. He and the other kids laughed. Mr. Manta hit him with his tail. "Ow! Well, how come no one can see her then unless she's the pipe." Mr. Manta wracked him with his tail again. "Ow!"
"Um, she's…"
"You leaving, Dory?" Destiny asked. "Then, bye! Have a good time! Try not to forget me, and I won't forget you! I hope we'll talk again."
"See?" John questioned. "She made friends with a ghost." He got wracked again. "Ow! Why do you keep doing that?"
"Hop aboard, Dory." Mr. Manta told her, offering her a ride. "And I'll show you what school is all about." Dory swam onto his back, and off they went.
All throughout the day, Dory was bullied. Not by just John and Bob, but by the other students too. Mr. Manta noticed this, and didn't approve. Poor Dory cried, but a minute later, stopped, wondering what she was crying about.
At the end of the day Dory was playing with the sand, laughing as it fell out of her fins. John and Bob watched her.
"What are you doing?" John wanted to know. Dory looked at them.
"Playing with the sand." She answered.
"Why?"
"I like sand. Sand is squishy." John then whipped sand in her face with his tail. Dory coughed, and looked at him.
"If you like sand so much, then why don't you marry it?" His friend joined in, and the two whipped sand in her face. They circled her.
"Stop it!" She pleaded. "Please; I don't like this. Please, stop."
"What? I thought you liked sand. Don't tell me you changed your mind." They stopped. Dory burst out crying.
"Come on, John." Bob told him. "Let's leave this crybaby, and let her and the sand work out their issues." He and his friend laughed as they swam off.
Mr. Manta saw Dory was crying, and swam over to her.
"Were fish mean to you again?" Dory looked at him, and sniffed.
"I can't remember? Were they?"
"Well, you were crying, and you're all covered with sand."
"I am? Why was I crying?"
"Come. Let's get you washed up." Dory swam on his back, and they swam off.
"Hey, sweetie." Jenny said when she saw her. Dory swam up to hug her. Jenny hugged her back.
"Hey, Mommy." Dory greeted. "Where's Daddy?"
"Dad is waiting for us at home." Jenny answered. "Now, come, let's go meet him."
"Okay, Mommy." Jenny took her daughter's fin. They were about to swim away, when Mr. Manta swam to her.
"Jenny!" He said. "Can I talk to you?" Jenny looked at him.
"Sure." She replied. She let go of Dory's fin. "Wait here, Dory. Mommy needs to have a chat with your teacher."
"Okay, Mommy." Dory responded. And with that, Jenny swam off with Mr. Manta.
"Mr. Manta wants us to homeschool Dory?" Charlie wanted to know. His wife nodded.
"He thinks it's for the best for her." She told him. Charlie nodded in agreement.
"I think he's right. We should've homeschooled Dory from the start. We should've known she wouldn't do well in public school."
"I guess, but at least we gave it a shot."
"You're right about that, dear." Jenny smiled. "Then it's settled then. Starting tomorrow, we homeschool Dory. We'll go, and tell Mr. Manta in the morning."
"Sorry it didn't work out, Dory." Mr. Manta told her when the parents finished their talk with him. "You're a great, and cute kid. I would've been happy to have you part of my class."
They said their goodbyes, and left.
They were swimming by the pipes when Dory asked a question.
"Mommy, where are we going?" She questioned.
"We're going home, dear." Her mother answered. "You're going to be homeschooled from now on."
"I am?" Her parents nodded. "Why?"
"Well, honey," Her dad began. "Your teacher, Mr. Manta, your mother, and I didn't think you going to school with other kids was a good idea for you. Your mom and I are going to teach you at home instead. That's what homeschool is, teaching you at home."
"Homeschool? Will it hurt?" Her parents laughed. Destiny heard Dory from the pipes, and grew excited. She swam to the pipes. She swam so fast, that she bumped her head on the wall. She looked at the pipes again.
"Do I hear my friend, Dory?" She asked through the pipes. The tangs froze.
"Did you hear that, honey?" Charlie asked his wife.
"I did." Jenny answered. She looked around. "But I don't see anyone here." Charlie thought about this.
"Hmmm, strange." They started swimming again.
"Dory!" Destiny called. "It's me, Destiny!" The parents froze again.
"There it is again." Jenny said, looking around again. "Where it is coming from?"
"Dory, are these your parents?"
"How do you know my name?" Dory asked.
"We talked yesterday."
"We did?"
"Yeah. I talked to through the pipes."
"We did?"
"Destiny." Charlie told her, going close to the pipes. "I'm Charlie, Dory's father, and my wife, Dory's mother, is Jenny."
"It's so nice to meet you all."
"It's nice to meet you too." Jenny spoke.
"Destiny," Charlie started telling her. "Dory is going to be homeschooled from now on." Destiny frowned.
"Oh, so we can't talk to each other again?" She wanted to know, sadly.
"No." Jenny stated. "You and Dory can still be friends. We'll take Dory here whenever she wants."
"Yeah!" Charlie added. "So, you have nothing to worry about." Destiny sighed in relief.
"Good." She said. "Because I like talking to your daugther. We can be pipe pals, right, Dory?"
"Sure!" Dory said, unsure what she meant by 'pipe pals'.
"Well, see you, Dory!"
"See you!" They then swam off.
Dory and Destiny kept talking to each other though the pipes each day. At first, Dory forgot all about Destiny, but as the days went by, she began to remember. Dory and her parents even moved just so she and Destiny can keep being pipe pals.
Dory's parents were proud of their daughter, making a friend that doesn't have a problem with her disability. And Dory didn't mind Destiny's, either. Because their parents loved them, and told them that they loved them 'just the way you are.'