Oh boy, what a week, what a week... My dear friend Thomas and his mum paid us a visit. A visit that we're definitely going to remember for a very long time! He was soooo thrilled to see me back after all these months that he nearly stormed past me in his enthusiasm at the airport. But then he gave me the warmest "hello" I've received in ages. Even though it was his very first time in an aircraft (let alone going abroad), he was very brave and even encouraged his mum (who wasn't quite as brave at first but in the end also thoroughly enjoyed the flight). It was a moment we've both looked forward to for so long, and there it was. The not-so-little-anymore lad jumped with joy because of this whole week without worries, far away from pestering administrations, a new school (for the 8th time), a new appartment (for the umpteenth time), being beaten up and a shipload of family problems. One thing was almost as important to him than seeing me though, and that was visiting a real Roman amphitheater. So we drove all the way to Verona because there we would find the nearest of these ancient buildings which is still in a very good state. Obviously, not-so-little Thomas knew everything about amphitheaters so he gladly showed us around like if he were a professional guide!
But that wasn't nearly all! Thomas's birthday is next month, but nevertheless Christine insisted that we'd already celebrate it during his visit. So she baked him a cake. And what a cake! She even sculpted Tabaluga, his favourite cuddle, out of sugar paste...
And on Friday we went all the way up one of the mountains. Well, not quite up to the top because Thomas was suffering too much from the high wind, but he nevertheless reached 1.700m! Can you see how proud he was? :-)
That being said, the visit wasn't all roses. Apart from being autistic, I suspect that Thomas is also endowed with some form of ADHD, just like his mum. I want to be very careful with this because I know all too well how easy it is to make a wrong diagnosis and of course I'm not a doctor. But Thomas was just... too much for Christine and I to handle. Always talking, humming, singing and jumping about... Obviously he was so enthusiastic about this holiday, but it had to be more than just that because I've never met an autistic person with, let's just say, so much energy. Today, Thomas and his mum have returned home and Christine and I are totally wasted. Up to a point that we feel it would take us at least a month to recover from the terrible amount of stress we've had to endure this entire week. It's all so sad, really, because Thomas is such a great kid and the very best friend you could ever imagine. Anyway, I'll take a bit of rest right now, get the batteries recharged and then see how it goes. Thomas will be returning in two months, so we'd better be prepared! :-D
At least someone wasn't bothered by Thomas' enthusiasm...
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