Laura sampled everything, even the stargazy pie. To her surprise, she found that it was all quite good. Jeremy and Jennifer tried the bangers and mash and, to their mother's relief, never said a negative word about anything.
Laura soon noticed an annoying 'tinging' sound and saw that it was coming from Karen hitting her fork against the side of her plate, over and over again, while gazing into space with a completely blank look on her face.
"You have to eat, Karen," Michael gently urged his daughter. He tried to spoon feed her, but she kept turning her head away. At last he gave a deep sigh and returned to his own food.
After dinner, Mrs. Wright suggested a trip to a local park.
"It's such a beautiful day, and I know our guests will enjoy it."
The park was only a short walk from the Wright home. It was small but tidy. A couple of shade trees sheltered two picnic tables and a jungle gym, and a set of swings were parallel to a fence.
Jeremy scowled.
"There's nothing to do," he grumbled.
Laura was about to scold him, but then Michael produced a soccer ball, and Jeremy grinned.
"Hey!"
Karen stood completely still, transfixed by a daisy. Jennifer stooped to look on with her.
"Hey, there's a ladybug on the stalk!" she said.
She picked the daisy and tried to hand it to Karen, but the younger girl's body became as stiff as a board, and she let out a blood-curdling scream. Frightened, Jennifer took several steps back. Michael went to his daughter and held her tight.
"I'm sorry!" said Jennifer.
Michael shook his head.
"It isn't your fault. She's having a meltdown."
He cuddled Karen and spoke softly to her, and within a few minutes, she'd relaxed and stopped screaming.
"Want to play volley ball with your new friends?" asked Michael.
Karen shook her head.
"Swing!"
Michael took her by the hand and led her to the swings. Seconds later, she was swinging happily, her meltdown completely forgotten.
"She's autistic," Michael told Laura as he handed her a cup of steaming hot Lady Grey tea. Laura sipped slowly, relishing the combination bergamot and citrus flavor. She'd never had hot tea with milk before coming to England, and she found it to be quite tasty.
Michael took his own cup of tea and sat beside Laura on the sofa. It was about ten thirty at night. The soft light coming from the lamp on the table beside the sofa bathed the living room with its glow, and Cliff Richard sang softly on a cassette in the background.
"She was diagnosed when she was two and a half," Michael continued. "She had a severe language delay, and potty training wasn't working out at all. She wouldn't wear clothes - we'd dress her, and she'd just tear everything off straight away."
"So how did you finally get her to start wearing clothes?" asked Laura.
Michael chuckled. "With much effort and patience. Underneath it all, she's quite sharp in her own way."
"She's a beautiful little girl." Laura rested her cup on a coaster. "You'd never guess she's autistic just by looking at her."
Michael smiled as he sipped his tea. Laura wondered what had happened to Karen's mother but didn't dare ask out of fear of appearing nosy.
"Your two are twins, right? How old are they?"
"They turned twelve in April."
"Their Dad must be right proud of them."
Laura felt the familiar knife plunge into her heart.
"Their father - he died when they were less than a month old. He'd been wounded in Vietnam, and then he got pneumonia on top of that. His body just couldn't take it all."
"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Michael gasped, shocked. "So you've had to raise them all on your own, then?"
"My parents have helped me a lot," said Laura. "After Stephen died, I had to give up the house because I couldn't keep up the mortgage payments. I moved in with my parents for a couple of years while I went to secretarial school, and when I got my job, I started saving up for an apartment. It isn't much, but it's ours."
"Your story sounds a lot like my own," said Michael. "Cilla left us not too long after Karen was diagnosed. She just couldn't take it. After she left, I moved in with Mum and Dad so Mum could watch Karen while I worked. It's worked out all right so far."
"I can't believe she'd leave her own child!" Laura cried. "Doesn't she at least visit sometimes?"
"Sometimes on her birthday, or at Christmas," said Michael. "Karen doesn't even recognize her, anyway, so she never stays long."
"That's so sad!" said Laura.
"It is," Michael agreed. "Karen tends to get perturbed after she leaves, so perhaps it would be better if she didn't come at all."
"Maybe she does recognize her mother after all, then, if she gets upset when she leaves."
Michael shook his head. "It's simply that her routine gets upset. That's all."
"Wow, meeting me and my kids must have really upset her routine," Laura remarked.
Michael smiled. "Perhaps, but in a good way. She likes the three of you. I can tell."
The vacation seemed to fly by, and before she realized it, it was time for Laura and her children to fly back to the United States. Michael drove them to the airport and went inside with them to say goodbye.
"I've enjoyed meeting you very much," he said as he embraced first Laura, then Jennifer, and shook Jeremy's hand. "I do hope to stay in touch with you."
"I've enjoyed meeting you too," said Laura. "I can't wait to read your first letter."
Michael laughed.
"And I can't wait to write it. Hopefully, we'll see each other again before too long."
Laura had to swallow a lump in her throat. "I hope that happens, too."
"Goodbye," said Karen in a crystal clear voice.
Laura held her close and kissed the top of her hair.
"Goodbye, sweetheart."
