She’s not contagious..
She’s not contagious I wanted to tell the ladies looking, no staring, at Carly as we were hanging out at South Station. They were trying so hard to not make it obvious but were having no luck as each time I looked up our eyes would meet and they would quickly turn away. Noses turned up and eyes pinched gave their faces a look of disgust. They moved their chairs further and further away as if Carly had some sort of disease that they were going to catch by just being around her. Funny, the other people we met that day were excited to meet Carly and share smiles and waves with her.
There was the young lady who is considering a career in special needs education, who spent the ride out to Worcester, asking a wide variety of questions in between playing peek-a-boo and tickling Carly toes. The only disease she was catching was Carly’s infectious smile.
The couple getting off the train who stopped and commented on Carly’s “gorgeous smile and incredible flexibility” (while Carly was chewing on her toes) were not worried about catching Down syndrome.
The conductor who helped carry her stroller up to the second level of the double decker car was more concerned about Carly getting a great view of the countryside, then catching Down syndrome.
The young ladies who entertained Carly and were entertained by Carly during the train ride up to Swampscott where not concerned about catching Down syndrome, rather they were having a blast hanging out with a little girl and showing off their Halloween painted fingernails.
As we made the short walk from the train station to our house, I kept thinking about the ladies at South Station and the disgusted looks they gave Carly. At first, I was angry and upset that they would feel that way about my Carly, however; the anger turned to sadness as I realized that with that type of fear and disgust they would never get to experience the joy of having child or knowing someone who is blessed with Down syndrome.
The two ladies at the train station, they’re not contagious I thought to myself as we settled in for the night.
