December 1
I smile at the sight of me and my friends laughing.
"Come on!" 8-year-old Sophie exclaims. "Group selfie!"
"With silly faces?" Gail asks.
"Sure!" I say. We all make silly faces and point the camera toward ourselves.
"Bye!" we say in unison. The video stops. I stare at the ending pose for a moment, then close the Camcorder. We just moved from Kentucky to Oregon. I am 11 years old. My name is Maia, which is a water name because it sounds like Maria. "Mare" means water. My middle name is Rose, which puts the R back in. I hug one of my 84 stuffed animals, Sprocket, to my chest and think back to the time my parents told me The News.
"Maia, we have something to tell you," Mama had said.
"What?" I asked.
"Well, the thing is, we're moving," Daddy told me. It took a moment to register.
"WHAT?!" I exclaimed.
"Daddy got a new job in Oregon," Mama explained.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!" I yelled. I felt a meltdown coming on, and I completely ignored all of the calm-down techniques Candice gave me. I ran out the door and around the neighborhood. When I cooled off, I went back inside.
"When are we leaving?" I asked.
"In 2 months," Mama replied. Then they launched into a talk about how much fun we would have and that I would make so many new friends, while I just sat there stroking my Alvin doll.
I snap back to the present. I take out my iPhone and unlock it. I tap Color Number. It opens to my current work: A picture from the ALVINNN!!! And the Chipmunks theme song. I color it until Daddy calls me for dinner.
"Coming!" I yell. I look for a book on one of my 2 bookshelves.
I pick Adult Asperger's Syndrome. In Kindergarten I was reading Harry Potter, and now I can read at any level. I go down and see a Subway sandwich. My fave! I sit down and eat and start reading the introduction. When I'm finished with Subway, I have made it to page 8.
I go to my room and open my computer. I open up a new tab and type Hulu in the search bar. I sign in and click my current favorite show, Animaniacs. I watch King Yakko and marvel at their ability to never fail. When the episode is over, my mind wanders to when I told Gail and Sophie The News.
"Guys, I have terrible news," I said.
"What is it?" Gail asked.
"I'm m-moving," I stuttered.
"What?!" Gail exclaimed.
"When?" Sophie asked.
"Where to?" they said in unison. I answered as many questions as I could. We promised to spend every day together before I moved.
The phone ringing jolts me out of my memory. I look at my screen.
Mimi.
"Hello?" I say.
"Hi, Maia! How are you?" comes the cheerful voice of my grandmother.
"I'm good."
"Do you know what you want for Christmas?"
"Oh, I have a whole list!" I exclaim excitedly. Then I blurt out all the things I want for Christmas. I wait while Mimi writes this down. "You don't have to get everything," I assure her. We talk for a while then hang up.
I start thinking about KY. To stop thinking about it, I crawl into my Box and play with Alvin. My Box is perfect. It's big enough to put stuff in, but still small enough so it's comfy. I like tight spaces. Box is decorated with my name and drawings of all my obsessions. I've had it all my life. Drawings of American Girl dolls, bunnies, trolls, Animaniacs, and Alvin and the Chipmunks are all on there. I take my computer in there and look up an autism quiz. I click the first result and pass because I'm already diagnosed. It's 6:41. I don't really know what to do. I have a longing to watch Wakko's America over and over, so I do. I sigh contentedly when he gets to NC like I always do. I gasp when he says, "Old Kentucky home" like I always do because it's as if he knows. I giggle like I always do when Wakko finds out he "Neglected to put his answer in the form of a question". Then I switch to the parodies. When I get bored with that, I read Wakko's Fandom page for the 47th time. Then I read Yakko's Fandom page for the 14th time. Then Noah comes in and we start playing with Legos. Time is going by sooo slow. Then, Noah eats dinner which leaves me alone with my thoughts. I start talking to Wakko, wherever he may be. Yes, I'm that weird.
"I need a friend. So does Alvin," I say. I've been waiting for him to talk to me like Alvin did.
I get out my iPad, yes, I have a lot of electronics, and play Cool Math Games. It's 7:10. I go to bed at 8. I take a long time to go to sleep because I am autistic. I draw Alvin and then start my night routine. I water my plant, Jade, and take my second shower of the day. I take care of my rabbits and dog. I take my computer in the bed and watch Just Add Magic until I fall asleep.
