Tonight was beyond amazing. I cannot express in mere words how fulfilling and spectacular tonight was. So, I'll just walk you through the night instead.
When I 1st got to Edison Lanes, not only was I early (it was 5:34 according to my GPS, the bowling doesn't start until 6), but I was starting to have those butterflies you get on the first day of a new school where you know absolutely nobody and you're ridiculously early. At 5:45, after watching different groups of parents and their kids walking in, I decided to walk in as well, visibly alone.
As soon as I openned the door, I knew things would be okay.
A boy with Downs, who had to be about 17 or 18, came up to me, stuck out his hand to shake mine, and said, "Hi, I'm Jimmy. What's your name? Do you like to bowl? I LOVE to bowl!!" Then after I talked with him for a few minutes, he ran off to say hi to his friends, who had just walked in. I walked over to the sign in table, and after explaining that no, I had never been a buddy before, no, I didn't know anyone in Buddy Ball,and no, I didn't need service hours to get into college, that I was just there to help out of the goodness of my heart, a lady very much in disbelief gave me a t-shirt and told me to wait for her to pair me up with someone. I heard her talking to another lady, and both of them couldn't believe I just wanted to help. After 10 minutes or so, Ada (the lady) called me over and I was paired with Ethan.
Before she introduced herself, Ethan's mom introduced me to Ethan and said, "This is Ethan, he's severely Autistic, and he can't speak." We got talking, and I learned that her name was Terry and she has 3 boys, an older son Max who is 15, Ethan who is 13, and Sam, who is 4. She's a history teacher in Bridgewater, and they live about 25 minutes away from Edison. Ethan hasn't been to Buddy Ball for a few years.
I can't even express how amazing Ethan is. Although he cannot speak alot, he can say "yah" and grunt "uhhuh," although he doesn't speak often. Although Ethan is a loving child, he (usually) takes awhile to warm up to strangers. I helped him throughout the night, and after he would squat down and push the bowling ball down the lane, he would look up at me and wait for my reaction. I would tell him "Alright, way to go, high-five!" and he would give me a HUGE, beaming smile and give me a high-five before taking me by the hand and walking back to our seats. At one point, Ethan started taking my hand in his and placing his against mine, tracing our fingers. It was so sweet! For some reason, it calms him down/ relaxes him if you gently squeeze his elbows, and he started poking his elbows out at me to do that, something his Mom says he only lets family members do!
By the end of the night, I was in love. Ethan laid his head on my shoulder while we were sitting and started snuggling against me, something that amazed both me and his mom. She said that she was shocked at how quickly he warmed up to me, and then she gave me a shy smile before asking if I would be his buddy every week. I didn't even hesitate before saying yes! Ethan is such an amazing boy, I can tell he's going to influence my life for the better. :)
After Ethan and his mom left, I stuck around and helped another boy, an 8 year old named Bobby whom i had been bowling against with Ethan. He also had Autism, but a less severe case. With him, I basically high-fived him every time he went. By the way, he is the Tiger Woods of bowling! This kid got a spare or strike every time he got up, and he didn't even use the bumpers! It was insane. He didn't talk much, although he could. At the end of the night, however, i said bye to him and his mom, and he just kept walking. Then he turned around and shouted, "BYE KAILYNN!" as loud as could be. It was really awesome.
I can't express how amazed I was by this entire evening. I've never felt so fulfilled and good about myself. I think I've finally found a way to make a difference in the world, one child at a time...
Thank you, Dougie, wherever you are, for inspiring me to get involved without even knowing you did so. <3
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