Just Another Kid

My son, K1 has made a new friend this school year. I had first seen Codi when I stopped in K1's classroom one afternoon this fall. The two boys soon became fast friends. Both are in the same "special" reading class and share the same homeroom. K1 was delighted to be invited to Codi's birthday sleep over bash. Codi's mom and I both now share joint weekend custody of our boys. I have yet to meet her in person, as she also works weekends.

I came home from work one Friday night and there was Codi in my kitchen. "Hi, you must be K1's mom, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Codi", the ashonishingly well mannered pre adolescent greeted me holding out his left hand for me to shake. "Umm, hi Corey, good to see ya" , I answer surprised because I was unaware we were having a house guest."It's Cori, my name is Cori". "That's right, sorry", I answer peering around my darkened house for signs of my Hubby and my kids. "Is anyone else awake yet other than you Corey?", I probe. " C-O-D-I, you can remember it like, Code-eye", he tells me calmly and unpatronizing. "Well you mind if I call you Corey from now on? The name Jake is already taken". Without hesitation he hits me with the comeback, "Sure you can, I'm going to call you Mom." "Deal, Corey, wanna come watch Lettermen with me?" "As we sit on the couch giggling in the dark watching the flickering screen and listen to the sound of my two kids softly snoring were they dropped after a hard night of playing, my watch alarm goes off to remind me to take my anti-rejection drugs on time. "Oops I tell Codi, time for my munkay pills." "Munkay pills? Codi asks me. I then explain to him why I must medicate myself at regular inervils. "If I don't take my pills on time, Corey, I start to grow a munkay tail." "Right Mom, I need to take my pills now too. My Corey pills. If I don't, I turn into a forgetful woman". Sure enough, he shows me two zip lock baggies of prescription pills with the time written on the outside. I don't bother to ask what they are really for. If he wants me to know why he maust take theses he will tell me without my questioning.

The next morning we all playing the shooting video game Codi had brought with him to our house. Codi teaches me how to aim better by holding the rifle butt against my side as I shoot. It is then I finally realize he cannot use his right hand at all. Cerebral palsy has affected his one side is my guess. He does perfectly well with out as is. I do not ask him what causes him to be diferent. My kids with handicaps try their best not to stand out.

This past weekend Codi had planned on coming over. It was my idea to go to his house and surprise him by picking him up. I had never been to Codi's house. Hubby had met his mom while I was at work but I have only talked on the phone. K1 gave us the directions to his place as we were on our way to go kill a tree in the spirit of the holiday. Our tradition is to load numerous axes , hatches, and saws into our car and go hunt a Christmas tree. We have tamed it down over the years, as we only hunt on tree farms.

"There's Cori's house, mom, right there. It's the first trailer." We pull alongside the trailer that is smaller than my husbands truck, and out pops a kids head out of the door. Then another. And another. And some more. When I walk up to the house to talk with his mom, I find that she is at work but the surly teenage babysitter is expecting me and more than happy to have one kid less to be responsible for. As she packs up Codi's medication, I survey the clean little trailer with a bed were the living room should be. Cori's mom sleeps in the livingroom so she can get up for work early and not wake up her sleeping kids who inhabit the two bedrooms.

Cori was ecstatic when he found out we were getting a tree. "You get a tree? Really? A real live tree?" The thought boggled his mind. He has never gotten a Christmas tree.

We slowly cruised throughout fields of trees looking for the perfect one. When we spotted a likely candidate off on the distance, we stop the truck, grab an axe and run like maniacs. Part of the fun is seeing who can get to the tree first. We want the biggest fattest tree possible. Last year we found a giant spruce that we names "Mongo". Mongo was so fat he would not fit into our tree stand when he drug him home. We tried to prop him up but he fell over. Usually the trees always look better from far away and once we close we spot the defects and look for another tree to chase after.

This year we gave Codi the privilege of choosing the tree. After turning down all our many picks, Codi told us, "The one you like are just too fat, they look over stuffed". The one he found us was skinny and twisted, even crooked. "This is Lucy -Loo, (from The Grinch) she's perfect." We drop to ground and began fighting over who gets first turn at being a lumber jack. A third of the way into our hacking, Lucy-Loo, we discover, is a Siamese tree and a big part of her trunk falls over but her main body is still standing. "Oh no- can we put both parts into our tree holder", we ask Hubby. "No- it's not going to work". "Off to find a new tree" K2 yells ready to run again. "NO!", yells Codi, "You can't kill her and leave her lay". "Ok", my boys say, we will just push that side to the wall." "No, it is perfect for hanging ornaments", Cori our new found tree expert tells us. It was easy to drag light Lucy-Loo to our truck.

The boys decorated the entire tree. All the ornaments are hung at about three feet high. That is eye level for the boys. They do fit perfectly in that flat bare area that had been the other part of the tree. It is beautiful, like a hidden Christmas party surrounded by green.

That Cori's body may not be considered perfect by someone looking for a sculpted norm. But he sure got his head on straight. This kid has won a special spot in my heart. I'm going to do my best not to treat him "special" though. In our home he is just another kid.