Friday, Apr. 15, 2011
9:21 p.m.
<< [ Maybe I can stretch this one out, make it last the week. ] >>
"Little Rock's dad," she starts, "I just got off the phone with him. They're going to take a break."
Three and a half years I've taught him, now, save a two month break when he was too comfortable with me and I had to give him up. He came back to me though, the way they say true love does, and one month ago he got sick. Out two weeks with a gastrointestinal bug, and with the autism and all, he doesn't do so well with transitions. He was taken off all his medications, his supplements, the ones that sedate him. "Keep him in line". He came back, I knew he'd have a hard time, but didn't watch him closely enough.
Color me ashamed.
I turned for a moment while Little Rock watched the balls. A child swam in his path, out of his path, back into his path, and usually he doesn't fuss unless I have done something, I rationalized later. He only temper tantrums in response to my authority, so how could I have seen it coming?
How could I?
He bit another girl and I didn't see until she said, then yelled, "Ow!" Strong for the parents, asked the girl if she was okay, Little Rock's parents pulled him from the lesson (swimming is a reward, we don't want to reward his bad behavior) and I asked the girl if she needed any ice. When I went to get her some I collapsed, crying, in the staff kitchen.
Fast forward a day, his dad said they'd take a couple weeks off. Fast forward two weeks to today, the day before he comes back, and this girl is telling me they're going to take a 3 or 4 week break now. 3 or 4 more weeks without Little Rock.
Because it's a cancellation, we usually don't hold the spot. Especially for a 1:1 class, we have to close off a normal 4:1 class at a loss of $210 a month (a huge difference for a small swim school). Coworker explains that because they have been such great customers for so long, because they are amazing people and he is an amazing little boy, and because the manager knows how much I love them, manager of the shift has given me a choice: I can hold that spot for Little Rock if I choose to take a break at that time. The company will not pay me for the half hour I am on site but not in the water with him, and they won't pay me for anything else during that time. However, in doing so, I guarantee his spot when he re-signs up, and I guarantee that I am still his teacher. If I open the class, anyone can register for said class. Little Rock will find it more or less impossible to add back on to Saturday mornings because an entire class needs to be closed for him, Saturday mornings are our busiest times, and we are entering summer. Everyone and their mother wants to swim right now. Even if he can get back onto the shift, he definitely wouldn't have me as a teacher anymore.
Held his spot.
Love my life.