Easter Egg (Gawsten)

Mint

"Awsten?"

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Can you take these out to the car?" She thrust a plate of cookies at Awsten.

"Sure, I guess," said Awsten.

He took the cookies and carefully made his way to the car. His mom bustled around a bit in the kitchen, picked something up off the counter, and followed him.

"What are these for?" asked Awsten as he pushed the front door open.

She hurried down the porch steps. "The same person they're for every year."

"Who?"

His mom stopped dead in her tracks. "You don't remember?"

"No."

"I guess I never took you with me, then." She resumed walking to the car. "Remember the support group I was in?"

"No."

She sighed. "Well, I was in a support group when you were younger. It was for parents like me, and people like you, and just anyone who needed that kind of consoling. I met this woman there and we were friends."

"So these are for her?"

"No," said his mom, "these are for her family."

"What happened to her?"

"She died a while ago. You were about eleven."

"Oh."

"So I figure the cookies are the least I can do." His mom unlocked the car. "She had a son, about your age. I can't remember if I already asked you about him."

Awsten opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"And from what you've said just now, you don't either." She got into the driver's seat and motioned for him to sit next to her. "Let's get going."

She started the car up and began down the road.

"Do you know her son?"

"I don't know, who is he?"

His mom smiled. "I don't remember his first name, but their last name was Wigington. She didn't tell me much about him, just that he got it from her and..."

"And what?"

"And that he was on the autism spectrum," she finished. "So you probably don't know him."

Awsten grunted an acknowledgement and turned his attention to the road. The route his mother was taking was decidedly familiar, very similar to the route to school.

They had just pulled onto the street Awsten's school was on when they turned right and headed down a smaller side street. Awsten knew this side street. He also knew that house they were pulling up right in front of.

"This is the place," said his mother as she parked the car. "Come on, get out."

Awsten dragged himself onto the sidewalk and followed his mother up the front path to the door. She rang the doorbell and handed Awsten the plate of cookies.

The door opened and Awsten almost dropped the plate.

"H-hey," said Geoff.

"Hello, sweetheart," said Awsten's mother. "We brought you cookies."

"Like last year," murmured Geoff. "Thank you."

"Any time, dear," said Awsten's mother.

"I didn't know, uh, this was your mom."

Awsten looked at his feet and passed Geoff the plate of cookies. "Yeah, she is, I guess."

"You know each other?" said Awsten's mother.

Geoff nodded. "Class."

"He's one of Ms. Costello's students," clarified Awsten.

"Oh, really?" said his mother. "Are you friends?"

Awsten looked up at Geoff. "Are we?"

Geoff shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Why are you, like, asking me? I wouldn't know. Um, did that, like, sound rude? Sorry. I just, uh, don't know."

"We can be."

"What?"

"Sure," said Awsten. "Why not? We're friends now."

"Okay."