“Can I walk you back?” He smirked and laced his fingers through mine and kissed the back of my hand as we stood.
I felt my heart speed up, but not in an anxious way. “Sure.” I grabbed my lunch, and we walked hand in hand to his office door.
“So.” Adam sighed. “How would testing and labeling help if Danny is neurodivergent?”
I gathered my thoughts. “Have you noticed things you do that help with Danny? Like before you leave in the morning or at basketball games? Or how you can tell when he is feeling overwhelmed, and how to help him?”
He tilted his head. “Yeah.” We walked through the gym and into the elementary building.
I shrugged. “So the hope is that testing and setting up a planwill help the teachers and other people who work with Danny know what he needs to be successful.” We walked through the hall. “There can also be extra support, resources, or accommodations too.”
“Hm.” He put his hand that wasn’t holding mine on the back of his neck.
“It can be challenging. Just like anything else.” I raised my right shoulder. “There can be pros and cons. And labels can be scary.” I squeezed his hand in mine. “But regardless if you label him or not, it doesn’t change who Danny is. He will always be Danny.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
ADAM
The first Saturday of February came, and with it the elementary business fair. I had helped by calling and reminding parents, helped some kids come up with a supply list, and helped others finalize their choices.
And, I got extra time with Faith, which I would never complain about.
After trying to change his mind twice, Danny had decided that for his business he was going to answer questions about space and snow.
I was glad that I had talked him into returning the erasers that he had found in a supply closet at the school. He decided he wanted to sell the pink erasers back to the teachers at two dollars apiece. I had to give it to him; the kid was resourceful. After returning the erasers, I decided that selling Danny’s wisdom was looking like a great idea.
We arrived at the school at eight a.m. with a group of volunteers. I grabbed the “Space and Snow Questions” sign and two camping chairs and handed Danny the bucket full of suckers. At least I convinced him to hand out suckers with his advice, so hopefully other kids didn’t feel cheated.
We went into the cafeteria and to the second graders’ section. The room was set up with tables and poster board signs. There were many things to choose from: fresh bread, cookies, plants, coloring bookmarks, painted rocks, and hot cocoa.
This money could really help with PE equipment, but it also helped the kids practice selling and doing math with giving change. The kids who earned the most money won a teddy bear and a gift card. Danny loved winning anything, especially if it resembled money.
I wondered if part of that was my fault. Maybe I talked too much about budgeting. I made sure he got what he needs, but not all he wants.
Money was only part of the problem; the things he could ask for were the other part. After all, the kid asked Santa for the ability to stop time for Christmas. Luckily, he seemed happy with the stopwatch.
Danny rushed over to his shared table with Lucy, who was raising funds for unicorn research. Her mom looked up at me and smiled. She had brown hair and a pink sweater.
“It seems like our kiddos are going to make a good team.” She nodded toward Danny’s sign, and I chuckled.
“Good call with the suckers.” She pointed to the bucket. “I had to convince Lucy she needed to give away coloring pictures of unicorns after a donation.” Lucy was sitting at the table, ruffling through coloring pages and putting them into piles.
I noticed Faith as she came in through the double doors. She was carrying a small ladder. I looked at Lucy’s mom. “Excuse me.”
I rushed toward Faith. “You didn’t tell me to bring a ladder.”
Her blue eyes met mine. She blew stray hair out of her face and shrugged. “I didn’t know I needed one.”
My brows lowered. “Did you just have a ladder?”
She quirked an eyebrow. “I’m five-one. I always know where the ladder is.”
I leaned down and took the ladder from her hands, feeling hersoft skin under mine. My throat tightened, and I tried to focus my thoughts. “Where to?” I nodded toward the ladder.
She pressed into my side and rested her head against my shoulder, and my heart picked up speed.
“Against the wall over there.” She pointed to the section behind the second-grade tables.
