Silence (Troyler Au)

2nd Grade

t r o y e

It is summer now and I am going into second grade. I'm seven years old now and I think that Tyler is turning eight when we start school again. I am excited that it is summer time because now Tyler and I are going to have lots of playdates. Ms. Jackie and my mommy have been talking lots and lots. I have a playdate with him today, our very first one.

My mom and I are walking to his house right now because he only lives a few blocks away from me. Ms. Jackie said that it would be better for Tyler if we came to their house so thats why. I have pool, I don't think Tyler does but maybe he can come to my house soon. And maybe he will talk to me soon.

He still hasn't talked but we play in school all the time. The teacher pairs us up and once he is next to me he stops crying. He even started to take his jacket off in March of the school year. And he put his yellow school bus lunch box next to my pink power ranger one.

"Hi Troye! Hi Laurelle" Ms. Jackie says with a smile as we walked inside the house. I smiled and waved running in the house behind them. I was excited to play with Tyler. The house was much louder than I thought it would be.

"This is Codi, Tyler's older sister" his mom said and I waved and said hello. She looked very pretty and her hair was braided and her nails were a pretty color pink. He was holding her barbie dolls as she skipped out of the room.

Ms. Jackie called up the stairs for Tyler and I waited at the bottom. He hopped down the stairs with a smile tackling me in a hug and laughing. I liked when he laughed, it was better than him crying. "Hi Ty!" I giggled

He got up and glanced over at my mom. I was confused but I wanted to go play so I just shrugged it off. Ms. Jackie prompted Tyler to go to the play room and play with anything we like. He nodded quickly and darted out of the room pulling me behind him.

Tyler sat down in front of a bucket of legos as his older sister tossed aside two Ken dolls. Tyler scooped them up and gave me one. I set it aside and started building. I was going to build a house for my doll.

"Want to b-build one big house t-together" Tyler said.

I snapped my head up at him and he looked down again and began to click legos together. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but I wanted to hear his voice again.

"Yeah lets do it!" I said, adding blocks onto what he had started.

Forty minutes later we had a really awesome house for our two dolls and we were playing family. Codi walked out of the playroom so we moved over to her doll house and were using our lego house as a house for the dog.

Tyler walked his doll over to mine, he glanced and me and then back at the doll. We had talked a bit more since I first heard him say something. It shocked me that he talked right away, why didn't he do that at school? or near anyone else?

Tyler leaned his doll's face towards my doll's face so that their faces touched softly. I looked at him, wondering what that was.

"What was that?" I asked

Tyler shrugged "Nothing, j-just like this" He said and he leaned towards me and put his lips on mine. It was soft and it felt kinda weird but kinda not.

"Okay" I said and I walked my doll to the car, we were going to go shopping.

-

j a c k i e

I was hoping that Tyler would speak since Troye was here. But he still wasn't ready, after he tackled Troye he was still using non-verbal communication. It was difficult to see because this was the place he was most comfortable. He talks all the time here. To Codi and to me, I just thought....I don't know what I thought...but I was thinking maybe he would talk.

"Are you alright?" Laurelle asked and I suddenly felt the urge to cry. This was so hard. This is the most frustration and heartbreaking thing ever. No one got it but people who lived it. It was hard going through alone.

"yeah" I sighed "Would you like some coffee" I asked trying to clear my head

"Sure that sounds lovely" Laurelle responded sliding out the kitchen chair to sit down. I turned on the coffee pot and placed the milk and sugar on the table.

"So how Troye doing" I asked, trying to make conversation

"Oh alright, we have been taking him to the doctor because the school seems to think that he has ADHD but I think that he's okay. Kids have lots of energy ya know? Other than that he is doing well. How is Tyler doing?" Laurelle said as the coffee began to stream out of the pot.

"Same old same old really. I thought that he would open up more but nothing seems to be working" I said, she didn't know about his mutism but she had to know something was off.

Laurelle nodded as I spoke and I pulled the pot off the coffee machine pouring her and myself a cup and sitting down. She started preparing her cup "If you don't mind my asking what is going on with him, not that there is something wrong. Troye just tells me that he doesn't talk" Laurelle says

"He has something called selective mutism. Its a condition driven by severe social anxiety. when he is feeling anxious he physically can't speak" I respond stirring my coffee

"Oh has he always been like that" She presses on

"Well no" I respond "He was quite chatty in pre-k both in school and at home. But at the end of his year in pre-school his father and I got a divorce and it triggered his mutism. He stopped speaking in school and around people he didn't know. Troye is the first person he took a liking to in a long time"

Laurelle nodded and smiled "Well I'm glad that Troye could help. He's very chatty and energetic, poor Tyler probably can't get a word in anyway" she said with a giggle

I laughed too "He sure is outgoing with that little accent of his" I said and Laurelle began laughing again

"I'm not even sure how that accent happened. He was born in South Africa and lived there until he was two and then we moved to Australia until he was 5 and then we came here and he met Tyler. The accent has stuck over the years" She explained

"it suits him perfectly thought" I said and she nodded in agreement sipping her coffee

I think I can grow used to have Laurelle and Troye around. Who knows, maybe Tyler will talk to them.