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“Anderson Cooper is smiling,” she said with a grin.
“Good girl.” I resumed the video.
When the video stopped, Callie looked at the screen and said, “I want Anderson Cooper smiling.”
I held the iPad and wouldn’t budge.
“I want Anderson Cooper smiling!” Callie laughed staring away from me.
I held back and did nothing.
Then, what I had hoped for happened. She looked at me.
I immediately played the video to reward her for the eye contact to send her a message that looking at me would be a requirement for getting what she wanted. When the video stopped, she looked at me again immediately and said: “I want Anderson Cooper smiling.”
I played the video and stopped it mid-way, turning to her.
“Callie, my name is Allison. Ask me for the video.”
“Allison, I want Anderson Cooper smiling,” she said looking at the iPad.
I waited.
Waited some more.
She looked at me.
“Allison, I want Anderson Cooper smiling,” she said with eye contact.
I played the video. When the video ended this time, she looked at me without my having to say anything.
“Hi Callie,” I said.
“Hi Allison.” She smiled.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Callie.”
***
Almost three weeks into my new position working with Callie, she had become more and more aware of my presence. When I would enter the house, she would look at me unprompted and say, “Hi Allison.”
We developed a good routine each shift. At the start of each afternoon, we would play some of her favorite videos, but she would need to request everything with eye contact and answer any questions I asked her before I let her continue watching. Then, we’d move into the rest of the house and I would assist her with various chores, like sweeping the floor, folding laundry and taking out the recyclables.
After the chores, we would go back to her room and work on some reading and trying to get her to read aloud. Last, we would head to the dinner table and I would sit with Callie while she ate and made sure she fed herself properly and cleaned up.
Bettina insisted that I join them for dinner on the nights I worked, so I, too, would get fed, which worked out great, since by the time I got back to my apartment it was quite late. Bettina was a great cook and every night was a different Italian dish: things like lasagna, gnocchi or eggplant Parmesan. Thank goodness it was only two nights a week or I would need a new wardrobe.
Some nights if dinner was early enough, I would help Callie bathe and dry her hair before bed. I would marvel at the fact that someone with the mind of a child had the body of grown woman, voluptuous in all the right places. It saddened me, because I also realized that this would be a curse for a girl who could so easily be taken advantage of. No wonder Bettina only allowed women to work with Callie and never considered putting her in a group home, since many were male dominated.
Bettina told me that when I wasn’t there, Callie would ask for me. That made me so happy to hear. I could tell she liked being with me, too, because I was getting more and more eye contact, smiles and sometimes she would hold my hand when we sat together. It warmed my heart.
***
Get your dancing shoes ready, dearest Gemini, because celebration is in the stars. You will be jubilant in the very near future and you are going to party. A good time will be had by all.
One Thursday evening, just a few days before Christmas, Bettina asked if I would be willing to stay a bit later since she was having some friends over for a pre-holiday dinner party. She wanted Callie to be occupied and someone to keep an eye on her. She offered to pay me extra, but I insisted that she pay me in the form of the delicious holiday treats she had spent most of the day baking and that I would surely nosh on at the dinner party.
I helped Callie get into her plaid party dress and then we set the table together. Having advanced warning about the dinner party, I decided to wear a red sweater dress today.
