It’s daunting how one seemingly meaningless task ignited a series of events that paved a route directing me to adulthood. It took time to realize the ways my traveling had molded me; these differences, slowly but surely, appeared in the way I thought about and questioned the world. My journey began in 2014 as I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Unbeknownst to me, this book was equipping me with the knowledge to uncover a family secret.
The next milestone along my path came two months later when my cousin Koby came to visit. I’d always disregard Koby’s quirks as it was just “Koby being Koby,” but during our dinner I began to connect some dots.
I listened intently as Koby caught me up on his life. He talked of new job and his relief to be within an “8-mile radius” of home. He mentioned how his girlfriend, Marlena, would do things he found peculiar and coined the term that she followed “selective Judaism.” At this Koby, slamming his hands down on the restaurant’s table, shouted, “It’s too confusing to keep up!” To be comfortable, life has to be predictable; Marlena’s inconsistencies disoriented his structured lifestyle. …show more content…
Once Koby left I took a leap of faith, potentially entering offensive territory if incorrect.
“Mom,hear me out…I can’t shake this thought.” I told her how all of Koby’s quirks were beginning to make sense. Like how he pats three times when he hugs someone like he’s counting the seconds to be freed, why he’s so literal, why he likes being so close to home, and why he sees what Marlena does in black and white. “He has a lot in common with Christopher from my summer reading book…and he has Aspergers.”
Looking at me in semi-awe she hesitantly said, “Jen what I’m about to say you can’t tell anyone. Only Uncle Mark, Aunt Fern, Koby, and I know…and now
The next milestone along my path came two months later when my cousin Koby came to visit. I’d always disregard Koby’s quirks as it was just “Koby being Koby,” but during our dinner I began to connect some dots.
I listened intently as Koby caught me up on his life. He talked of new job and his relief to be within an “8-mile radius” of home. He mentioned how his girlfriend, Marlena, would do things he found peculiar and coined the term that she followed “selective Judaism.” At this Koby, slamming his hands down on the restaurant’s table, shouted, “It’s too confusing to keep up!” To be comfortable, life has to be predictable; Marlena’s inconsistencies disoriented his structured lifestyle. …show more content…
Once Koby left I took a leap of faith, potentially entering offensive territory if incorrect.
“Mom,hear me out…I can’t shake this thought.” I told her how all of Koby’s quirks were beginning to make sense. Like how he pats three times when he hugs someone like he’s counting the seconds to be freed, why he’s so literal, why he likes being so close to home, and why he sees what Marlena does in black and white. “He has a lot in common with Christopher from my summer reading book…and he has Aspergers.”
Looking at me in semi-awe she hesitantly said, “Jen what I’m about to say you can’t tell anyone. Only Uncle Mark, Aunt Fern, Koby, and I know…and now