Different World

Part 2 : Patience and Perseverance

Glory's parents started to panic as they searched for a new school. With the school year coming to an end, most schools were already filling up and closing their registration. The pressure was overwhelming—it felt like there was no room to breathe, no way to relax, and even sleep became difficult.

Glory's mom had never attended another school; she had stayed at the same one from kindergarten through high school. And her dad, coming from outside the city, didn't know much about the schools in the area or how good they were.

But you know, God never leaves us alone. Out of the blue, an old friend called Glory's mom just to check in. During that chat, the friend mentioned a school that might be a perfect fit. This school welcomed all kids, but they also made room for up to two children with special needs in each class, which had a maximum of twenty students. The idea was that by being in a regular class, kids with special needs could learn by observing their peers, while parents, teachers, and therapists worked together to help them catch up. It also taught the other kids about accepting and caring for friends who might be a little different.

Every three months, Glory's parents would meet with the head therapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, principal, and teachers to discuss her progress and plan what to focus on next. The teachers collaborated with the therapists to ensure everyone was on the same page, while Glory's parents and grandparents reinforced the same lessons at home. In this way, the school, therapy centre, and home all worked together, creating a unified approach to help Glory develop and grow as quickly as she could.

After six years of therapy, Glory started to show real progress, especially with the help of a strict diet recommended by her pediatric growth and development doctor. Glory's diet was tough—no wheat flour, cow's milk, or eggs, and she had to cut back on sugar. It wasn't easy for her. This diet meant saying goodbye to so many of her favorite treats, like delicious chicken noodles, birthday cake, chocolate cheese bread, biscuits, and wafers—because they all contained wheat, sugar, eggs, or milk. And it didn't stop there—yogurt, cheese, cheese sticks, and so many other yummy things were off-limits too.

But Glory wasn't in this alone. Her mom and dad also followed the same strict diet to support her, showing that they were all in this together.

How long would this diet last? At that time, Glory's parents didn't know. They just had to keep going and couldn't let Glory feel sorry for herself because of the food restrictions. Her mom often thought, it would be even sadder if Glory grew up and still didn't develop well. So, they all kept pushing forward together, knowing this was a collective struggle without a clear end in sight.

After several months of diligent therapy, Glory began to show promising signs. She started to communicate, at least for the basic things she needed.

"Teacher, may I go to the toilet?" she asked during a lesson.

"Yes, but remember, go straight back to class afterward," the teacher replied.

Of course, Glory didn't go back to class. The moment she stepped out, it felt like she was escaping from a cage. Instead of returning to her seat, she wandered around the school, peeked into other classrooms, and eventually ended up in her favorite spot—the library. There were so many interesting books waiting to be read, much better than sitting through boring lessons.

Glory often found herself dozing off in class, especially when there was an exam. The other kids took an hour to finish, but Glory would be done in ten minutes. With nothing else to do, she'd just wait, sometimes playing with her eraser, pinching it into tiny pieces. But the teacher would always take it away as soon as Glory finished her test. With nothing else to occupy her, Glory would eventually get sleepy and drift off at her desk.

The teacher couldn't help but find Glory's behavior amusing, but she had to keep a serious face. Instead of laughing, she would wake Glory up and send her to stand in the corner as punishment. But standing still was nearly impossible for Glory. She'd start squatting, then wandering over to a friend's desk to see what they were doing, which meant the teacher had to keep sending her back to the corner over and over again.

The next day, it happened again...

"Teacher, Glory wants to go to the toilet," she said again during another lesson the next day. Yesterday's trick had worked, so she thought, why not try it again today? Maybe it'll work this time too.

"Yes, but remember, go straight back to class afterward," the teacher replied.

The teacher was curious to see if Glory would actually return to class or disappear again. This time, she had a plan. She'd already talked to all the other teachers—if they spotted Glory wandering around the school, it meant she had escaped from class again and needed to be sent back right away.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" the headmaster said with a laugh, blocking Glory with both hands. "Trying to escape again, huh? Come on, back to class you go." Caught in the act, Glory had no choice but to head back to her classroom.

The teachers usually couldn't resist Glory's cute and adorable face. And Glory knew it too—she'd often use her "cute" look to try and trick the teachers and security guards. But over time, everyone at the school caught on to her little game. The teachers, security guards, and staff all teamed up to make sure they wouldn't be fooled again. Almost every day, Glory ended up staying at school later than usual because she was punished for trying to outsmart the teachers with her clever excuses. Glory quickly became a favorite topic of conversation during the afternoon chats in the teachers' office. One day she'd be punished for falling asleep in class, the next for sneaking out and hiding in the library, and another day for randomly joining a sixth-grade math class. Even though her own lessons bored her to tears, Glory's sharp ears would catch wind of something interesting going on in another classroom—especially when it involved numbers.

"Teacher, I have to go home now. I can't stay for punishment because my little brother was just born," Glory said one day, giving her best pleading face. The teacher nearly burst out laughing but managed to hold it in. "Alright, you can go home. But the punishment is just postponed, okay? We'll continue it tomorrow afternoon," she said with a smile.

Glory was over the moon when she finally became a big sister. That morning, she woke up to find her mom missing from her room, and her grandparents quickly shared the exciting news—Glory was now an older sister! She was thrilled because her little brother would soon be calling her "Sis Glory." With ten years between them, Glory felt so proud to have a younger sibling. She gazed at her baby brother with so much love, gently stroking his chubby cheek and affectionately calling him "Bro' Gelal." She meant to say "Gerald," but Glory has a bit of a lisp and struggles to pronounce the letter "r" clearly.

Gerald grew up healthy and strong. Though their mom worried he might have some of the same challenges as Glory, those fears were quickly put to rest. By the time baby Gerald was just three weeks old, he was already finding ways to communicate, tugging at his mom's clothes to ask for milk. He'd patiently wait for her to say, "Okay, let's go upstairs, and then Gerald can have his milk." But if his mom took too long, Gerald would start to get fussy, tugging on her clothes again and letting out a few shouts to remind her it was time to eat!

When Gerald was four months old, he was asked to take a photo with his mom's friend's child, who was a month older. Gerald was all smiles and drooling as he happily responded to his name, ready for the photo. It was no surprise, though—he was still toothless at the time! Gerald continued to grow right on track for his age, and by his first birthday, he was already starting to learn how to talk.

Glory was delighted to have her baby brother around. She often watched as her mom taught Gerald new words, and she would quietly mumble the same words herself. Both Glory and Gerald were learning to speak together, picking up vocabulary in both Bahasa Indonesia and English. This was a key moment for their parents to help Glory improve her communication and interaction skills. Baby Gerald was eager to interact and talk, and his enthusiasm became a great motivator for Glory to start communicating more with the people around her.

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