Ashling

Chapter 43

Just when I thought that it'll be a one-sided conversation with Cass doing all the talking, Alex slowly lifts his head up and looks at her.

"I'm Cassandra. Do you remember me?" She softly asks.

A small smile appears as a flicker of recognition crosses his face. "I know... Hi.. Candra."

She beams at me. "Alex, this is Tyler. Can you say 'hi' to him for me?"

He looks at me, but he doesn't really look at me. His gaze keeps shifting and he never focuses on my face. It's like one of those moments when you're purposefully avoiding someone so you don't look at them directly. Except that in Alex's case, he doesn't have a choice.

Then in a very low voice, almost like a mumble, he says, "Hi.. Tyler..."

I smile warmly, touched by the fact that he managed to communicate with a complete stranger. Cassandra squeezes my hand in delight.

"Hey, buddy." I say.

Alex goes back to his drawing. I whisper to Cass, "Are they all like this? I mean, do they have the same characteristics?"

She shakes her head. "No. Individuals with autism are as different from each other as the rest of us. Their struggles and successes vary. It's kind of like 'If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism.'"

"Ahh.." I nod, letting her know that this knowledge is clear to me.

She shifts slightly to get closer to a girl. "Hi, Marie."

Marie looks up immediately and gives us an easy smile; unlike Alex who was having a hard time making eye contact. Meeting these two was literally a demonstration of what Cassandra just explained to me; that autism is actually a spectrum.

Cassandra keeps making conversations with the kids; some of them respond and some just ignore. But not once did Cassandra's smile fade, not once did she lose her calm. She was so patient, so gentle. You could tell how happy she was with these kids.

We spent a whole two hours; after we were done spending time with the kids, Cass showed me some of the building. Now we were headed out. We wave Jim a goodbye and exit.

We walk in silence for some time, our hands slightly brushing. I slowly touch her hand deliberately and snake my fingers through hers. She gladly accepts them, tightening our grip.

"Thank you for accompanying me.." Her voice is so low, almost like a hushed whisper. It takes me a moment to realize that she actually spoke.

"No, thank you for letting me accompany you."

She brings my hands to her chest and holds them tightly. "You have no idea.. How much this meant-"

She stops mid-sentence as a tear rolls down her cheek.

"Cass.." I quickly detach my hands from hers and bring them to her face, stroking her cheeks gently. "I know how much it meant to you. Because it meant a lot to me too. I am grateful for this opportunity."

She quickly leans in for a hug and buries herself in my chest. I embrace her firmly and bring my left hand to stroke her hair.

We stay like this for what feels like a lifetime; just standing with our bodies pressed softly together. Then she slowly moves back and looks at me fondly. I notice that the lock of hair on her right side is lose again, so I gently tuck it behind her ear, all the while my stomach is doing somersaults because I will finally be able to cancel this gesture off of my bucket-list.

Her phone rings and she fishes it out of her bag.

"Hello? Really? Aww, man.. Yeah, okay.. Yeah, I'll be there." She hangs up and groans.

"Who was that?"

"My incharge from Madame Tussaud's. Amanda's sick so I have to fill in her shift."

"Wait, you're going right now?"

She pouts. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Aww, man.. Here I was thinking I have you for the whole day." I whine. This sucks. I don't want her to leave, I want to spend this entire day with her.

"I thought so too.. But I really have to go."

I sigh. "I know.. Do you want me to drop you home when you get free?"

"No, no! I'll take the subway."

"Sure?" I really want to drop her off, but I don't wanna annoy her by asking again and again. She absolutely hates it when I force her to not take the subway and go with me instead.

"Yes!" She assures me. "Now let me go so I can get to work."

"Okay.." I reluctantly let go of her waist. She steps back but quickly reaches up to kiss me. I smile and kiss her back.

We pull apart and she makes her way across the street and into the museum. I breathe happily, content with the way things worked out for me.