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‘Maisie can help put them up for Alfie. We thought he might like to decide exactly where they go.’
‘That’s so sweet of you both. He’ll never want to leave.’
‘That’s our cunning plan.’ Alfie lines up his pencils in meticulous height order and arranges his desk to his liking before turning to the blank walls to consider where his posters should go. ‘This might take a while …’ he says, tapping a finger to his chin.
‘Take your time, Alfie.’ I turn to Jo. ‘Can we have a quick chat?’
She raises a brow. ‘Oh … sure?’
I lead her outside the cubicle so Alfie can’t hear. ‘Feel free to say no but I wanted to run the idea past you and if you agree then I can ask Alfie.’I go on to explain about the People Library experiment and how library members could ‘borrow’ Alfie for thirty minutes or so and give him the opportunity to tell his story. Jo patiently listens. Her expression gives nothing away. ‘I’m wondering if it would help people understand Alfie better. He’d be in control of what he shares …’
Jo interjects. ‘Which would beeverything.’
I grin. ‘And then some. You sparked the idea when you said to me:I wish they’d see what you see.In this controlled and supervised environment, we know Alfie will be safe and cared for and it gives him the opportunity to call the shots and show people just how extraordinary he is. My hope is that it can lead to more social interactions for him, as you said he’s keen to make friends.’
Hesitation flashes across Jo’s features. ‘I don’t know, Elodie. It sounds good in theory but he’s been hurt too many times. He might act as if it doesn’t bother him, but it does and then I deal with the fallout. The long meltdowns, and the anxiety that never goes away.’
I rub her arm in support. ‘I totally understand and I don’t want you to feel pressured at all. I’d hate it to go wrong. The verylastthing I want is to add to Alfie’s anxiety.’
She gives me a tired smile. ‘You know, I always feel torn when making decisions for him. Am I protecting him too much and holding him back? He can only stay in bubble wrap so long, but because there’s just me at home I do what I can to get through every day as best we can with the tools I’ve got. It’s so much harder when every choice is made through a fog of fatigue. Is he missing out on life, on friendships because I’m too scared to let him stay in school,or try new things like the People Library experiment? I know at some point I have to let go; it’s just so hard to know when that time is.’
My heart goes out to the exhausted mum who’s trying so hard to make her little man’s life better but is doubting herself every step of the way. ‘You’re following your gut, your maternal instinct, and you have to trust in that. Alfie is lucky to have someone like you protecting him and loving him the way you do. I’m sure the worry you feel is normal because of how much you love your little boy. You’ve made some incredibly hard decisions, but have a look at him, he doesn’t look like a boy who is missing out to me. And if we can add a friendship into the mix, all the better.’
We glance at Alfie who’s now busy doing his schoolwork, a look of deep concentration on his face. Really, he’s so self-sufficient. Jo has done a great job at putting his school curriculum together.
‘Thanks, Elodie. Maybe weshouldtell him about the People Library experiment and see what his take is? Maybe that’s the first step in me letting the reins go a little.’
I hold up my hands as if in surrender. ‘It’s totally up to you. But Alfie’s a smart cookie and I don’t think he’d do something like this if he wasn’t comfortable with it. In my humble opinion the kid was born to be on stage; he’s a natural storyteller.’
Jo laughs. ‘You’re right about that. He doesn’t mind the limelight, that’s for sure. Let’s put it to him then.’ Worry lines Jo’s face and I realise every choice she makes for Alfie comes with that same level of uncertainty. I wish there was some way to assuage her fears, but I know I can’t. I only hope that he loves the idea, and more importantly that it actually helps him.
‘Hey, Alfie,’ I say. ‘Sorry to interrupt your schoolwork but I can have a quick chat with you about something?’
‘A quick chat is one minute or less. Is it going to be one minute or less?’
I grin. ‘Maybe a medium-length chat then.’
‘OK. Five to ten minutes should suffice and I won’t need to alter my schedule too much as long as you don’t go over that.’
He’s a planner all right. ‘Sounds good.’ I give him the card. ‘Read it out loud if you want.’
‘We’d like you to share your story. You matter. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we didn’t judge a book by its cover? #PeopleLibrary #BorrowPeople.So, wait. You’re saying that I’d be a BOOK?’
‘Yes, a human book.’ I tell him all about the People Library experiment and he quizzes me until my head spins. Alfie has to know the rules and what’s expected of him before he’s comfortable agreeing – it’s an admirable trait to have.
He glances at his watch. ‘OK, so you’re promising I can talk about sharks as much as I want and no one will tell me to move on?’
‘Yes. That’s totally up to you. You’re the “book” so you get to make the rules on what your story is about. You can talk about schooling, your life, your superpowers, whatever. Your canny ability to calendar count is very interesting and I don’t think many people have heard of such an extraordinary talent, but the floor will be yours.’
‘I get to keep it?’
‘What?’
‘The floor.’
‘Oh.’ I laugh. ‘No, it’s an expression.’
‘Good because honestly, no one would want this carpet. No one.’
