As Kazuko and Uma made the cookies, Kenji was curious about the deceased autistic man. Kenji and Harold kept talking. Sammy, still playing toys, was in the same room as the guys.
"What were her son's favorite things?" Kenji asked, scratching his head in curiosity. "I know that Sammy loves brownies, shows for infants, videos of trains and car rides, cars, trains, the color blue, and peanut butter crackers. What did that lady's son love?"
"According to his mother," Harold replied, "he loved toy dump trucks, potato chips, crunchy snacks, bath toys and warm bubble baths, weighted blankets, rocking chairs, slippers, hot cocoa, and rough washcloths. Each time he slept, he had to sleep with two weighted blankets - and a lot of multicolored rough washcloths - to provide him with calming sensory input. Otherwise, he'd violently rage, scream, and attack whoever didn't fulfill his needs. He loved the color orange, and he loved piano music. He sometimes liked pizza, but only if the crust underneath was crispy, and it had to be plain cheese, small sized slices. He had a huge collection of DVDs and videos about dogs, trains, and cats. He didn't want to watch anything else."
"How did her poor son's life end?" Kenji asked, frowning.
"He was mistreated in the group home, I said," Harold replied. "Caregivers beat him up, and they injected drugs into him, during his rages. He raged a lot, because staff kept neglecting his needs and wants. His death was probably caused by a seizure after being restrained by several staff members, after he attacked staff over a bag of potato chips. He was epileptic, with self injurious behavior, and nonverbal, so it's hard to pinpoint the exact cause."
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Kazuko and Uma finished making the cookies, and the oven reached the correct temperature. Now, they had to bake them. Uma greased the tray, and Kazuko carefully scooped dough onto each area. Then, Uma set the timer, and the girls wanted to have fun, as the cookies baked.
"I'm thinking about making therapeutic toys for Sammy," Uma said.
"Good idea, sweet girl," Kazuko replied. "We got a new hole punch. Sammy really struggles with his fine motor skills, so… we can mae homemade lacing cards."
"Sammy really loves cars and trains, so I'll draw cars and trains on all cards," Uma replied. "We can make a homemade Therapy Box for Sammy. I'll also give him a mini onigiri (rice ball) mold, blue shinkansen train chopsticks, green chopstick grips, hand-decorated clothespins, fuzzy pompoms, some textured chewy toys, fidget toys, a marble maze, and more."
As the cookies baked, Kazuko and Uma made homemade lacing cards, and they assembled Sammy's Therapy Box.
TBC