Vanzilla hummed along the damp highway. Leni stared out the window, captivated by the individual raindrops slide down the glass surface. She envisioned them as shooting stars in a night sky, moving in distinct paths at varying speeds. To her, it was magical how they were able to do that even though they were made of the same water, falling on comparable positions on the window. And yet, they always managed to find their own unique travel to arrive at a individual destiny.
She and Rita were the only ones in the vehicle, the two of them sitting next to each other in the front. Leni recalled her mother saying something about this, but was ashamed by her inability to remember. Meanwhile, Rita was grateful for her husband, who agreed to pick up the kids and walk them home.
"So, like, where are we going?" Leni asked, particularly confused. It was a school day, yet she specifically was pulled out.
"I told you. We're gonna visit Dr. Henry," Rita said gently.
"Doctor? Am I, like, sick? I don't feel tired or woozy or, like, bad," Leni replied, suddenly concerned.
Rita giggled, much to her daughter's confusion.
"You're fine, Leni. The one we're seeing is a different type of doctor, not like Dr. Tyson," Rita said. On cue, she slowed down to yield to a traffic jam ahead. She used this opportunity to face her daughter, "This isn't the first time we've seen Dr. Henry. When you were little, we saw him quite a lot."
Leni perked her head, a mannerism she had been getting more acquainted with in recent months. Now she was lost. She didn't remember anything about a 'Dr. Henry' and here her mother was saying otherwise. She figured she must have been really young or...she didn't want to ruin the morning already.
"What do you mean?" Leni asked.
"He helped your father and I understand you better."
The car in front of them pushed forward, allowing Rita to nudge Vanzilla. Once she was anchored, she turned back to Leni. She was back to focusing on the raindrops. Was that enough to answer the question? It seemed that way; Leni did have a way of investing herself in things she finds amusing. Rita then shifted her focus back to the traffic.
"You needed a special doctor to, like, figure me out?" Leni asked in a plain voice, however the curiosity was apparent to Rita.
"Yes," Rita replied.
The rain picked up in fervor, allowing the drops to clatter against the window like marbles. Leni must have had quite the spectacle to witness, the mother thought.
"Oh," Leni said. And then, she turned from the wet window to see her mother, "Couldn't I have just, like, told you like Lori or Luan or my other sisters and brother what I like and stuff?"
A pause.
"Well...when you were younger, things were differe-"
"I like clothes. I like making clothes and touching clothes and feeling clothes. I love Lori and Luna and Luan and Lynn and Linky and Lucy and Lana and Lana and you and Dad. I like those girls in my school that wear clothes and, like, talk about clothes and talk to me. I like Mrs. Boxer and Mrs. Johnson because they are nice to me and teach me nice things and I always try to remember those things because that's what they care about and they want me to do good and be good."
Rita was baffled by how quickly Leni was speaking. She had never seen her talk with such drive over such a long period. Not to mention her eyes penetrating the space separating them, such a direct stare.
"I understand you very well, Leni. Over these past few years, you have made remarkable progress," Rita said, giving Leni a smile, "I know you can tell others who you are and what makes you special."
Any marker of Rita's laughter was reined in as she tried displaying a direct approach. Her daughter picked up quickly. All she could see was her mother shifting her focus between her and the road in front of her.
"But it wasn't always that way," Rita added.
As Leni looked at her mother's serious expression, she herself tried piecing together whatever she remembered. Now that she thought about it, she started to wonder why Mrs. Boxer didn't teach anyone else in any of her classes.
"Tell me more," Leni said, staring at Rita.
The mother turned to her daughter at the next halt from traffic. The convenience of this long traffic jam briefly floated in her mind before returning to the ground. She then gave a small, supportive smile.
"Okay," she said, using this opportunity to place a hand on Leni's shoulder. By now, the eleven-year old was sitting upright, head turned to her mother.
"The first time you came home from the hospital, you were the cutest thing me or your father could have asked for. It was so exciting for us all to have you around. We treated you and Lori with the same amount of love and care and she just couldn't get enough of you. And for a while, everything seemed fine,"
Rita then chuckled as she remembered some adorable antics the two infants got into, much of it flying over Leni's head. Once she noticed that her daughter wasn't smiling, she cleared her throat and continued.
"But then when you were about a year old, we started noticing things that weren't...normal," she then paused. Rita knew that Leni, while not always showing it, could pick up things from even the smallest oversights; she understood that each word had to be carefully chosen.
"Things would happen and you wouldn't react. One time, you were in the kitchen and I was making you breakfast. I dropped a whole bunch of pans and it made a big sound throughout the whole house. Your father was sleeping and he jumped out of bed, thinking a robber broke in," she then looked directly at her daughter, "you didn't even flinch."
Traffic started clearing up, forcing Rita to take her eyes off her attentive daughter.
"Go on," she heard Leni say.
A brief pause as she got Vanzilla moving.
"But it wasn't just that," Rita said, her voice dampening, "you almost never wanted to play with Lori and after Luna was born, you didn't want to spend time with her either."
Leni was immediately conflicted. Vague images began surfacing, ones she wasn't aware of before. While they barely told a story on their own, her mother's words bridged this gap well. Too well for Leni's comfort.
"But I, like, love my sisters and Linky," she said.
"I know you do. You're a very loving person, Leni. But back then, there were times where you were in your own world, away from it all."
The girl then started pouring through all those daydream sessions she had, all those extra seconds she spent doing things.
"And then we tried teaching you how to talk. We would spend hours using the same things we used to help Lori, but we couldn't even get a sound out of you," she said, starting to get anxious by the possibility of an unexpected reaction, "Eventually, we took you to Dr. Tyson and had you examined. He had some ideas of what was going on, but this wasn't something he could do by himself. He's not that type of doctor. So he sent you to Dr. Henry, special Doctor, and he figured out what was going on."
By then, the traffic was mostly clear and Vanzilla was moving at a steady pace. The wheel's contact with the pavement and rain's with the windows were the only audible sound.
"Wait," Leni said, finally making a connection, "is this about that weird word that you and Dad, like, use sometimes when you're talking about me?"
"Yes, honey," Rita replied, trying her best to keep her eyes on the road, "because of him, we found out that you have autism."
Leni already noticed how connections were penetrating her mind; memories that were once isolated episodes were now interlinked to larger trends. But this was the one theme that she felt encompassed a lot of what she experienced. All in one, silly-sounding word.
"So why are we going back?" Leni asked innocently, "Did they, like, find something else wrong with me?"
Rita's eyes widened as she felt her heart jumped and hands gripped to the steering wheel. She was grateful there were no nearby cars, otherwise she wasn't sure what might have happened.
"Leni Loud," she said, trying to ground her voice amongst her shaky breathing and firm lips, "there is nothing wrong with you. You have your own way of thinking and seeing the world. Just because it's different from other kids doesn't make it wrong or less valuable. And you have come so far in making others appreciate all the wonderful things you are. You have blown us away and no words can ever tell you how proud I am of you!"
On cue, Vanzilla approached another spot of heavy traffic, allowing Rita to stop and face her daughter.
"Do you wanna know who else is blown away by you?" Rita asked, softening her lips into that of a reassuring smile.
Her daughter's attentive stare said it all.
"Dr. Henry."
"What?" Leni said, confused, "He's a doctor and, like, really smart. How could he be surprised at anything?"
"Smart people don't know everything and they can't see into the future," Rita said, occasionally monitoring the highway, "When he first saw you, he was worried that you wouldn't get very far. He thought that at most, all you would ever be able to say would be one or two words. But what he didn't know was how much you, your father, and myself wanted you to overcome that."
Rita then turned back to Leni, who had an indiscernible expression. And so, she smiled again and continued. By then, the road had cleared up.
"We found out when you were pretty young, so we were able to act early," Rita said, finding a smile to give herself, "Thankfully, your Dad and I knew tons of people that were able to help you. Remember Maddy?"
Leni was unable to answer, but that name did generate a fleeting image of an older woman with jet black hair. Was that her down there? Deep in the subconscious?
"She came to the house three times a week and worked with you. She taught you how to read and talk," she said.
By now, Leni's cheeks were red hot and her tummy was full of butterflies. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she could easily tell that this was not something she could be peaceful for. Was it embarrassment? Shame? Pride? Why couldn't she figure it out?
"Maddy adored you and loved helping you. But at the end of the day, you were the one that pulled it off," Rita said, recollecting the times she watched over those sessions, "You had this determination to learn how to talk. We were all amazed by how hard you worked. And...well, here we are."
She turned the steering wheel as Vanzilla zoomed off the exit into Detroit. During all of this, there was silence. Rita was consumed by a worry. Does her daughter understand how remarkable she is?
"Can we see her on the way home?" Leni asked. Thankfully, nothing in her voice suggested sadness, "I want to thank her for helping me?"
While her immediate concern was at bay, Rita still felt her spirit dampen. Not that she let it show.
"Sadly, we can't see her in person. She moved away a couple years ago," Rita said softly, "but I still talk to her on the phone and she thinks of you every day. You continue to inspire her even now. She's usually busy during the week so if you want, we can call her this weekend and you can talk to her."
"Okay," Leni said calmly.
For the next minute or so, Rita concentrated specifically on the road. The city was filled with care, low speed limits, pedestrians, and traffic lights. Despite living relatively close, the Louds rarely ventured into Detroit, only going in for day trips. Rita was ashamed by her discomfort with driving in a place that lacked the familiarity of Royal Woods.
"So when we get to Dr. Henry's office," Rita said while stopped at a red light, "he's just gonna do some tests with you to see how you've been doing."
Leni, though, was too absorbed by the sights outside the window to listen. Rita, though, simply attributed it to excitement of being in 'the big city'.
Soon enough, they arrived at the children's hospital. It was a large building wrapped in stainless glass windows. The gray clouds dampened the reflection. Right outside the main entrance was a large blue statue of two stick figures holding hands. Leni admired this simple, yet fitting piece of architecture. Once they found a spot in the parking garage, they headed in a special entrance in a different wing of the building.
The lobby was a colorful room. The walls had rainbows, animals, and smiles painted across, immediately capturing Leni's focus. Rita smiled at her daughter's erratic head movements as they made their way to the counter, where a smiling man was seated.
"Good morning, how may I help you," the receptionist said.
"Hi," Rita replied, "we're here to see Dr. Henry."
"Your child's name?"
"Leni Loud."
The man proceeded to tap the name into a nearby computer. Sure enough, all the appropriate information appeared.
"Okay, yes," he said, giving a smile, "Dr. Henry will see you shortly. Feel free to make yourself comfortable in the lobby."
"Thank you," Rita replied. She then offered Leni her hand and the two walked over to two open seats. The room was fairly empty; they and the receptionist were the only occupants on that morning. Once they were settled, Rita pulled a yellow notebook and a pen out of her purse. She opened to where she left off and wrote in it. Unfortunately, the process had been slowing down for her. Just yesterday, she got a burst of ideas dropping all over the page. Now, she was all tapped out and was practically squeezing her creative fibers for new content. Oh, the agony.
"Are you, like, having another baby?"
Rita perked up to see Leni staring intently on the bright yellow covers. It didn't take long for her to connect the dots.
"No, honey," Rita said, shaking her head, "we're gonna wait a few more months before that...process starts."
She then started scribbling lines onto the page, meaningless strokes to give the impression of progress. The mother lamented the lack of ideas. Why was everything so devoid of excitement?
"Then what are you writing?" Leni asked, her eyes continuing to drill into the object of interest. In that moment, none of the colorful paintings on the walls could have drawn her focus anywhere else.
"Oh...this is just for...um...work," Rita replied timidly. Now was a time more than ever for new ideas, "just keeping track of all that stuff."
"Oh..." Leni said, her voice dropping off. She then turned to look around the room. Rita briefly observed her daughter, making sure she was settled, and then she returned to her book, the pen frozen above the white surface.
Meanwhile, Leni passed the time mostly through sitting. There were some toys strewn about the room, but she had no interest in them. She gazed at the walls, her Mom, the man behind the reception counter. She pressed her hands together, played with her fingers, tapped her feet, the usual stuff. And through all that, her mind running wild with commentary. There was much she wanted to tak through by herself.
"Leni."
The Louds turned their attention to the voice. Emerging from a door was an older man with gray curly hair and thick black glasses. The defining feature, though, was the badge he wore around his neck. Rita got up and shook his hand.
"Dr. Henry, glad to see you again," she said.
"The same can be said for yourself," he answered warmly. The man then walked towards Leni, who was silently seated, staring at him with a blank face, "Good morning Leni. It's been a while since I've last seen you."
Leni sheepishly stared up at the man standing before her.
"Hello Dr. Henry," she said slowly, even allowing her lips to gradually curl into a smile.
"Your Mom has told me a lot about all the great things you're up to these days," he said, smiling as well, "my grandniece is crazy about fashion. She reads all the magazines, see what new clothes are in. She always comes to school dressed to impress. I think she would love to meet you."
Hearing that made the girl's eyes glow, always a good sign to Dr. Henry.
"I like clothes and I make them too," Leni said, the excitement gently lifting her voice.
"I think that's wonderful," he said before turning to Rita. After a momentary glance, he shifted back to the young girl, "we're gonna head to my office now and do some tests. Okay?"
Leni nodded, another gesture she was growing used to.
The girl got up and walked alongside Dr. Henry. Once they caught up to Rita, she took up her daughter's other side and the trio headed through the door.
The hallway was remarkably narrow, the walls saturated with navy blue. For the most part, it was a typical hallway. The only noticeable point of interest was a section where one side was covered in transparent windows. Leni peered through them and saw what appeared to be a ball pit and net above it all. To her, it looked like the perfect playground.
Eventually, the group turned into a relatively large room. The ceilings had blinding fluorescent lights, the walls were the purest shade of white possible. The space was divided into three corners. One had a desk, full with a computer, mini bulletin board, and book shelf overseeing it. In another was a bed that Leni recalled seeing in Dr. Tyson's office. And yet another was a blue leather couch. The one entity connecting these sectors was a prominent circular table in the room's center, stocked with boxes, folders, and papers.
Dr. Henry invited Rita to take a seat on the couch while he and Leni settled at the round table.
"Okay, Leni," he said as he grabbed one of the little boxes. Inside were a bunch of colored wooden blocks, which he spread across the table, "we're gonna play a game."
"Okay," Leni simply said.
"I'm gonna show you a bunch of pictures and I want you to move around these blocks so that they look like the picture. Does that make sense?" Dr. Henry said.
Leni glanced at the collection before her. She then nodded.
"Alright, then," he said. He then took out a packet and passed the first page over. It was a picture of nine squares of various colors and arrangement.
Leni stared at it for a few seconds before glancing down at the block. She slowly raised her hand and grabbed one block, an orange. She pinched it as she looked at the table, trying to determine where to place it within the blank space. Soon enough, she decisively planted it in the middle of the open space. This process repeated for each of the parts as she gradually assembled the creation. During all of this, Dr. Henry observed her and scribbled into a clipboard. After a minute, she correctly arranged all the squares.
"Very good," the doctor said upon Leni's completion, "Now, here's another one."
He then flipped to another page before handing it back. It was a different configuration, but it used the same nine blocks. At first, the girl wasn't certain how to proceed. She just stared blankly at the picture, her mind not really moving. In her complacency, she gazed at Dr. Henry and caught him bringing his pen to his clipboard.
"What's he writing in that thing?"
Was it something bad, something that reinforced the fact that there was something wrong with her? And who could forget her mother, who was spectating from behind. What was she thinking about all this? How would she react if she read whatever this doctor was jotting down? To Leni, these thoughts caused her heart to accelerate and for her mind to wake. Her eyes frantically went to the diagram and she forced her hands to move quickly. She couldn't stop. She didn't want to stop. It must have taken less than half the time for her to complete this diagram correctly.
There were about eighteen more of these problems. While Leni found herself able to solve them in a reasonable amount of time, she kept staring back at Dr. Henry, seeing if he was writing in that ominous brown clipboard. Whenever there was a point where she was idle for even a few seconds, panic seeped its way in, forcing her to respond. Luckily, she got most of the diagrams correct.
"Very good," he said. But Leni knew that was the same thing he said after each problem. Now that the test was over, was there more to say? Was that all?, "Now, I want you to take a seat up there," he said, pointing to the bed. The girl obliged and did so. Dr. Henry went to his desk and opened one of the cabinets. He quickly pulled out a white, hammer-like instrument.
"Next, I'm going to test your reflexes. I'm gonna tap you very lightly with this," he said. Her eyes then averted from him, opting to focus on her supportive mom. She suddenly felt her chest squeeze itself tightly, "Don't worry, it's rubber. You'll barely feel it."
Leni then saw her mother smile.
"It's okay, honey. He's not gonna hurt you," she said warmly.
It took her a moment to internalize that. Leni still felt nerves pulling at her, telling her that the hammer was much harder than it was (or at least looked). Dr. Henry could clearly see her anxiety and gently touched her hand. This contact sent shockwaves through the girl's body. She was thrown off by how soft the doctor's hand felt. It was soothing. She gradually felt her heart slow, her nerves loosen, her mind to relax. She turned her head to him, seeing his reassuring face. He looked a man that was only trying to help. And so she gave in.
He hovered the hammer over her knee and tapped it. Sure enough, the bottom half of the leg popped up appropriately. Dr. Henry then went to the other knee and repeated the process, to a similar result. Just what we hoped to see. He then did this to various points on her body, each tap immediately met with a visual and proportionate reaction. All he could think was the dramatic improvement from when he did this when Leni was a baby, where there was little to no jerking movement.
"Very good," he said upon completion, "Now on to the next test."
Throughout the morning, Dr. Henry conducted a series of examinations on Leni. Most of them involved the two sitting at the table working with paper. Leni was tested on her communication, identification of faces, and reading comprehension. To her, this largely felt like a session with Mrs. Boxer, only that she wasn't learning anything new. Sprinkled into this morning were tests that involved moving around the room and out in the hallway. She was asked to walk around, touch certain points on her body, stand up straight, and other odd requests.
As Leni performed these tasks, she felt comfortable completing them successfully. But she kept finding herself noticing Dr. Henry's clipboard. It seemed that every motion, every sound, every second she was in his sight warranted something being written in that thing. It was a question that burnt in her mind, a parasite that wouldn't go away. What was it about her that made him have to document it? Was she doing something wrong? Was she a freak of nature in his eyes?
"Alright. That's the last of them," he eventually said with a smile, "you two are free to sit at the table. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes."
Dr. Henry sat down at his desk. He scribbled down some last second observations on the clipboard before turning to his computer. He opened up a special program and began typing his findings into it.
Meanwhile, Leni twidled her thumbs as she sat at the table. Rita grinned as she was beside her.
"You were great," Rita whispered to her daughter. Leni, though, barely acknowledged it.
The next few minutes were without words. Leni had no desire of starting a conversation. Her thoughts swirled around clothes and clipboards.
"Did Mom just take me here to see me mess up?"
At one point, Leni glanced at her mother. She appeared to be the same loving figure she's known as long as she could remember. Her mom would never make her feel bad about herself, right?
The silence was eventually ceased when Dr. Henry got up from his chair with his clipboard and claimed a seat at the table.
"Leni," he said. The girl shot up, staring at him, "you did remarkably well on all the tests," his vision expanded to also include Rita, "Leni has improved in every aspect. Her reflexes and motor skills are up to par, her cognition and reasoning have gotten better, her speech and reading are well on their way to being up to that of her peers."
Rita's smile grew as more of this news was revealed, as was Dr. Henry's.
"I must say," he continued, "you Louds have proven me wrong. And I've never been happier to not be right."
"Thank you, Dr. Henry," Rita replied. She then gestures to Leni and nudged her shoulder. Leni snapped herself to attention.
"Thank you...Doctor," she said slowly.
"If I may, I would like to speak to you alone out in the hallway," he said, pointing to his clipboard.
Rita nodded her head. She briefly grinned at Leni, to assure her that she trusted her, before following the doctor into the hallway. The room felt empty. Leni's eyes graced through various corners of the room, trying to find some entertainment from the dry setup. She then tried thinking of clothes, what new designs she could develop. Oh, the number of colors and fabrics there were to choose from. She figured she could make a dress for Luna or a T-shirt for Lincoln. They would love that, right.
But then she heard something, some mumbling. That buzzing sensation in her ears quickly caught her attention. She jerked her head back towards the long white wall. It was louder from this vantage point. Curious, Leni got up and pressed her ear against the settled plaster.
"Her progress has been impressive," she heard Dr. Henry say, "I'll forward it to the school where they can then make recommendations."
"Do you think she may not need an IEP anymore?"
"Not right now. I don't think her skills are quite developed enough yet. But I would urge Mrs. Boxer to start teaching her more advanced concepts. And I don't think she'll need to see me again. I also think if she keeps improving, I would say she would be all set to end her Plan at the end of tenth grade."
"What do you think they should focus on for her?"
"Mostly comprehension skills. I feel as if her reading and math skills need the most work. Do you know how's she been doing in school for those subjects?"
Ow"Yes...those are two subjects she's been struggling with. She's not failing, but she needs a lot of help to understand the concepts."
"Hmm. Perhaps Mrs. Boxer can help her out with that on top of speech therapy. Of course, this also ties into cognitive and reasoning skills. Whatever help you can give her will be ideal. But overall, she is on a good track. She should be proud of herself."
A pause.
"I'm...astonished by her. Especially in the last year or two, she's really been blossoming. I got her a sewing machine last year and already, she can make clothes. She even made Lori a dress for her birthday."
"I'm quite glad to hear that. It's good that she's finding a hobby and pursuing it. If I were you, I would encourage her to use that passion to get involved and make friends. I have a feeling a lot of kids her age share that interest and would be happy to use that to befriend her."
"I feel the same way. And she's so friendly that I have no doubt she can easily become liked too. Lately, she has been speaking up more and she's been telling me about these girls she started talking to...I'm glad she's been opening up a little, but her interactions are still limited...I haven't seen any of these girls come over our House to hang out. I gave her a cell phone a while back and she doesn't have any of their numbers on it."
"Just give her time. Sociability can develop slowly in those on the spectrum. She may really like these girls, but it may not be in her nature to interact with others."
"Do you think it's something Mrs. Boxer could help her out with?"
"Only to a fault. Speech therapy can help somewhat, but I think she also needs additional encouragement. Keep asking her about her interactions. Keep praising her when she makes a new friend. Make her feel comfortable doing it. It may not happen overnight, but I think she can do it."
"Thank you Dr. Henry."
She then softly heard footsteps and a door hinge swinging open.
"Okay Leni, are you ready to head out," Rita said, now holding a stack of papers. Leni obediently joined her mother and stood by her side.
"Leni, it's been wonderful working with you," Dr. Henry said, smiling, "you have exceeded my expectations. I want you to know that you have a great future ahead of you."
Leni gazed at him before mirroring his grin.
"Thank you," she said gently.
The three of them wave goodbye and head out. Even as she followed her mother out, Leni kept her eyes on Dr. Henry's supportive figure as she moved away from him, letting him and the (distant) memories of him shrink from view. Once she could no longer see him, she turned her focus forward.
The walk to Vanzilla and much of the drive back was without note. By now, school was out for the day.
"Thanks Lynn."
Fortunately, Royal Woods was relatively close from Detroit. Much of the weather had cleared up, leaving the sky to be a dry gray. Still, Leni found herself gazing out the window, watching the cars roaring along the pavement, the buildings, trees, signs, and other landmarks they raced by. However, in a surprise, Rita deliberately made a pit stop. It was in a parking lot outside the grocery store.
"We just have to pick up a couple things before dinner," Rita announced as she got out of the car. Leni followed her in.
To her, the grocery store had always been a boring place to go to. There were no clothes to be felt anywhere, most of the food items were things she didn't even like, there was nothing to do, and there was nowhere to sit. Leni just saw the grocery store as a place to stand around and wait for Mom to find what she needed. She hoped that this time, mom was telling the truth when she said "couple things".
The two of them were parked in the paper towels aisle. Given the short lifespan of the stuff (and toilet paper), no Loud trip to the store would ever be finished without a stop by this section. To pass the time, Leni leaned against some of the items. She tried thinking more about clothes, of what types she would make next. She thought more about Luna's new dress. But then she remembered Luan, whose birthday was technically next in the calendar year. She lamented how she could overlook a member of her own family. What kind of big sister was she?
"Rita!"
"Eileen!"
Leni was drawn from her thoughts once more as she saw two people approach her mother. One of them was a woman about Rita's age with black hair. She smiled as she waved 'hi' and started talking to her. The other was a boy about her age. He had a white t-shirt, red sweat pants, and unruly brown hair. What Leni noticed, however, was the black tablet he carried in his hand. The boy found himself wandering around the vicinity, touching most of the parcels neatly stacked on the shelves.
"Hey Leni," Rita said cheerfully, "do you remember Derek? You two went to preschool together."
Leni saw the boy still picking through individual items, his back facing her. She nervously wove to him.
"Derek, honey," Eileen said, smiling. On cue, the boy dropped a mini package of toilet paper, letting it fall on the tile floor. He then stumbled as he turned to face all of them. Eileen then gestured to the girl on the other side. By now, Leni had her Ducky arms up.
"This is Leni," his mother said, "you two knew each other a long time ago," she then stared at him and threw up her open palm, "Say 'hi' to her."
"Hi Derek," Leni said, softly curling her lips into a smile.
The boy stared at her. For a solid ten seconds, the two made eye contact. Leni simply smiled, hoping that would encourage him to open up. After all, Dr. Henry said himself that time is the ingridient to conversation and friendship. Indeed, Derek eventually held up the tablet and used one of his fingers to tap on it. She waited happily as he did this.
"Hi. There," a voice said. It was monotonous and detached, however the boy's mouth wasn't even moving. He simply held his finger in midair as he stared at the tablet's screen. He was frozen for several seconds, his face clearly indicating concentration.
Then, the rest of his fingers unbended, forming his hand into a single shape. While holding the tablet with one hand, the other drove itself into his cheek.
"Here, let me help you, honey," Eileen said, rushing over to him. After a whole minute of trying to gesture to him, she saw her chance to finally jump in. She grabbed the tablet from his hands and typed into it.
"Leni," the machine said.
She then held it as she used her hand to work out some of its other functions.
"Who on Earth would name their baby girl Leni?" Eileen thought to herself, "It's not even a nickname! Why couldn't it be something easier to spell, like Helen?"
After typing that name several more times into the program, she handed the tablet back to Derek.
"And saved," Eileen said proudly, leaning into her son, "now you can just click on the 'L' box and be able to find it."
Derek stared off in the distance as Eileen went back to Rita to resume their conversation. Leni observed him, trying to remember seeing him before. After a brief moment, she was able to conjur up several brief scenes of her interacting with him. They didn't say much, though. Did he like her? Did he like clothes too? And, after seeing him not smiling, did he need a hug?
Seeing an opening, Leni started walking up to him, extending her arms out, hoping he would notice the offer. He never seemed to turn away from that imaginary point he was fixated on. She just kept moving. And then, once she was close enough, she wrapped her arms around, enveloping him in a deep hug.
Derek tensed. He was frozen in place. Leni didn't care, though. To her, all he needed was a little affection. But then he started squirming, trying to break away from her. Suddenly Leni was confused, which made her grip him tighter. Derek's lips were clenched, however he started panicking, making a muffled scream. This caught Eileen's attention and she raced over to them.
"Leni, let go," she said, her voice wracked with concern.
Instantly, Leni jumped back, throwing up her Ducky arms. She saw fear and pain in those eyes of his. He screamed once more, bringing his hands to his head. Eileen placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke gently in an effort to calm him down.
"I'm sorry!" Leni exclaimed, genuinely ashamed of the disturbance she caused, "I was just trying to hug him a-and, like, make him happy!"
After several moments, Eileen rubbed her son's back and turned to the Louds.
"It's okay, Leni," she said softly, "Derek doesn't like to be touched by people he doesn't know very well."
"I'm sorry!" Leni exclaimed again. This time, Rita went over to her and hugged her daughter.
"Leni, it's okay," Eileen said, watching the mother and daughter, "you didn't know. And you only did what you thought was best. It's okay."
Leni, though, had her face on the other end of the aisle.
"Is Derek mad at me?" she asked sadly.
"He's not," she heard Eileen's voice say, "he knows that you care a lot about him."
Following a brief period of silence, the two groups calmed down and parted ways.
"Have a nice day," Eileen said as she and Derek departed, the former waving at the two Louds. Leni, though, couldn't help but keep staring in that direction even after they were out of sight.
"Are you okay, honey?" Rita asked, seeing her daughter.
Leni sighed tiredly.
"Yes," she said resigned, "but, like, I didn't want to hurt Derek."
"I know you didn't. But don't worry, he forgives you."
Even with that effort of reassurance, Leni's mind was still consumed by the entirety of the matter. The incident (Derek's screaming) kept replaying in her mind, as if it were a bad nightmare.
"Mom," Leni said, still not facing her, "why does Derek have that thing in his hand?"
A pause. One that was long enough for Leni to discern. What was going on? Was this just a terrible prank that wouldn't end?
"He uses that to talk, honey," Rita answered.
At first, that seemed to make sense. After all, it did speak out words that were tapped into it. It was a simple tool that one could use anytime. But then, she started noticing things. She was suddenly rife with curiosity.
"But...like, why doesn't he get someone like Maddy to, like, teach him?" Leni asked. And, only then, did she turn to see her own mother, eyes full of desperation, "Like you did for me?"
Rita's face told so much. Leni could pick out something wrong. Was her mother hiding something? What could it possibly be?
Rita sighed.
"Derek's parents weren't able to find someone like Maddy. People like that cost money and they weren't able to pay it," Rita said, hoping that was a satisfactory answer.
Leni, though, was still troubled. Her frown was quite upsetting to Rita.
"But...if parents, like, love them, then they could have, like, gotten something," Leni said, her voice succumbing to mere rambling, "what's gonna happen to Derek? Don't his parents, like, love him?"
"Of course Derek's parents love him," Rita said. This time, she kneeled down and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "They did everything they could for Derek. Even now, he goes to a special school, his mom and dad give him all the love and attention he needs."
The young girl merely stood there. Her head fell to the ground, her eyes too tired to be attracted to the neat tile lines.
"It's just not fair," Leni replied softly, "Derek should be able to, like, get the things that you and dad gave to me. He's, like, a good person and I wish his mom and dad had more things to help him out."
From her viewpoint, Leni felt herself being pulled into an embrace. She looked up to see her mother smiling.
"Oh Leni," Rita said, "I think that's very sweet of you," she then looked down at her flustered daughter, "you should think about doing something to help out kids like Derek."
Leni, though, was at a loss of thought.
"Like what?" she asked.
Rita's eyes widened as she looked around. She noticed some of the passer us were staring at the scene happening.
"We can come up with some ideas later," she said. Rita then pulled away, allowing herself to see the entirety of her daughter's face. That horrible frown was gone, "I don't want to put any pressure on you, but I think it would be wonderful if you could do something."
Rita then gave Leni a kiss, causing the girl to giggle.
"Okay, I'll think about," Leni said, finally smiling.
"Good."
And with that, the two Louds got up and continued their shopping. For the first time in a while, Leni found an air in the store that wasn't just boredom.