Her story…
If we were going to get to the restaurant on time, she’d have to get dressed in a hurry. What to wear? She chose a dress, but it was too fancy. Jess settled on a pretty new top and her nicest jeans. Before leaving the house, she put on her lip gloss, her favorite necklace and off she went.
His story…
He was nervous to meet her. When she walked in, he just stared and turned red. His expression said it all.
I’m not sure if she was excited to meet another SFY user, or if it was because she was meeting a boy. When he spoke, she gave him her full attention.
His story…
He talked to her using his AAC device and they giggled a lot. They found shared interests. He liked the fact she likes movies. He was a bit shy, but he smiled a lot. This evening was going good and he knew it.
At the time we arranged to meet for dinner, it never occurred to me that this would end up being a date. We mom’s chaperoned and our matchmaking SLP was with us too. Typically, dinner lasts about an hour, but this went on for nearly two before calling it a night.
She has Angelman’s Syndrome, he is in the autistic spectrum. Where the world may see them as “different”, they saw each other as a person of interest and we saw young adults who were enjoying a night out.
When the evening came to a close, we all knew that we’d be meeting again.
They were happy to have their picture taken. He put his arms around her and they both beamed.
Jess has his name programmed into her talker. She’s already asked about him. And it begins…