I came home from college for thanksgiving that year only to find out the truth. I was disordered and frustrated with my parents for keeping my Autism a secret from me. I kept my emotions a secret from them, and wore a plastic smile. Never in my life, would I have guessed that my parents would neglect to tell me I had some sort of medical disorder. Dinner that night was fine, I was a typical teenage boy, eating a typical thanksgiving dinner, in a typical house with typical faces, and haunting questions roaming around my skull.
....
After dinner, we sat around the table and waited for our maid Consuela to serve dessert. My father became a psychologist, and my mother was a lawyer so we always had the luxury of having money.
"So, Sebastian."
I looked up at my father. "Hm?"
"What have you been studying lately at Harvard?" He asked me.
"Autism." I said blankly. This was my chance to do something about the lie that has been hidden from me for almost half my life.
My father opened his mouth as if he were to say something, but sunk back down into the wooden chair. The room had an eerie feel to it. Even though most of my aunts and uncles were present at the table. Consuela had set down dessert: pies, cakes, brownies and fresh baked alaska. My father took a slice of pie and took a bite, trying to exclude himself from the conversation, even though he was the one who started it. I think he thought I knew about my Autism. Of course I will not tell him.
"Actually, I find Autism a very intriguing topic, and controversial. Did you know one in 88 children have Autism now-a-days? That's crazy! That's such a little number, one of us could have it and be undiagnosed!"
No one was really paying attention to me anymore.
Did I say too much?
Did everyone know about it except for me?
Was I ever supposed to know about my disorder?
Would anyone in my family speak the truth for me?
Was my whole life a lie?
"I know what I want to do in life now." I stated.
My mom looked up, her mouth full of baked alaska "hmmph?"
"I want to find the cure for Autism."
My dad looked me right in the eyes, he was so deep, I thought he was staring into my soul.
"...You have to find the initial cause before you find the cure son."
"Oh?" I pondered.
"Yeah, Aspergers is still, well we-"
"I never said Aspergers dad..." I looked at my dad cautiously and offended.
"Oh, I thought that's-" My aunt cut him off,
"Kevin, we will give you guys some privacy okay?" My aunt Hazel led everybody out of the room and into the backyard. Living in Southern Florida is great in the winter because it is still warm enough to go out with just a T-shirt. The lizards stayed out, and the sun still shines.
"Mom... Dad..." I started to cry.
"What's wrong Sebastian?"
I got up and stormed out of the room shouting, "MY WHOLE LIFE IS A LIE!" With a door slam to follow. It was as loud as a boom of thunder that even made my nephews, nieces, and little cousins agitated, and overturned.
YOU ARE READING
Autism Notes
Short StorySebastian White never knew he was different, until one startling connection he makes while studying... The feud between him and his own father, and his future as an outcast in society will grip your attention for more!
