Felicity
Pages 36–37 · Prose excerpt from chapter 3
But I soldier on. “Although I walk with crutches, this in no way means that I’m mentally challenged or not healthy. It just means that there is a certain part of my body that doesn’t respond to what my brain is telling it to do.” I stop. I’m still getting blank stares.
“Think of it this way: If you compare your brain to a cell phone and your body to the parts that make the cell phone work, in my case, the section of my brain that gives commands to my legs is a bit slow, much like an app that needs updating.”
Alora, along with a few other kids, I notice, have zoned out. “So, why don’t you just throw the phone away?” someone sniggers.
“Jacqui Simmons, one more comment from you, and it’ll be detention for a week,” Mrs. Howard reprimands.
Not breaking stride, I add, “So, I’ve learnt to live with the old version of the app. This is the way it is for me; my legs happen to be the outdated app, so although they are there, it takes a bit longer for them to get working.”
Molly Clark and Dev Moodley each crack a smile, and a moment later they start laughing, and I notice the empathy in their eyes. Well, at least some people can relate.
Feeling encouraged, I continue. “I feel there are three types of people in this class. Some people completely ignore me, but that’s okay; I’m used to it by now. Some are starting to understand, like Molly and Dev—” I give them a weak smile. “And then there are those who are just plain mean,” I pause for dramatic effect. “You don’t get it.”