Tweedledum and Tweedledee by Willow Rose Read Free Book Online

asked, while his eyes were fixated on the screen.
    My heart dropped. Was that how he saw himself?
    "No! Don't you ever think that about yourself."
    "But I'm just like them, Mom. I'm a freak too."
    I almost burst into tears, but managed to hold them back. I grabbed the remote from his hand and finally turned off the TV. "You are not a freak, Victor. Listen to me. You're not a freak."
    "But what's the difference between them and me?"
    I exhaled deeply. "Well most of them can't walk or take care of themselves. You can. You can do everything by yourself and you're smart, Victor. You're smarter than most people."
    Victor shook his head. It was the first time I had seen him like this, questioning himself and who he was.
    "No. I'm like them. I'm a circus-freak. That's what they call me at school."
    I closed my eyes for a short second and took a deep breath. I knew this would come eventually. I knew they would start picking on him in school. It was bound to happen. I had just hoped he wouldn't care.
    "I'm sorry that they do that, Victor. I'll have to talk to your teacher about it. Kids can be really cruel sometimes. Especially when someone is a little different."
    Victor sat on the bed with his head bowed. He nodded. He was drumming his fingers on his lap. "I am different. I know I am. Why am I different Mommy?"
    "I don't know, Victor. You have what they call a light autism. It makes you really smart and special, but also different in the way you act around people. That can be hard for other kids to accept."
    Victor went quiet all of a sudden. He stopped drumming on his pants.
    "What's wrong buddy?" I asked.
    "Call a doctor," he said.
    "What? Why? Is something wrong with you? Are you alright?"
    Victor turned his head and looked at me. Then he screamed: "CALL A DOCTOR!"
     

14
    April 2014
    S TARTLED, I JUMPED UP and ran to the phone. I called the front desk downstairs.
    "Yes?" the lady asked.
    "I need a doctor to the penthouse suites," I said. I looked at Victor who was walking in circles, massaging his temples while humming. I was scared he was having a seizure, but he wasn't shaking or rolling his eyes like he usually did.
    "What is the emergency, Mrs.?"
    "Mrs. Frost. I have to say I'm not sure. But my son is not feeling well, I think." I bit my lip, knowing it sounded like I was just a crazy overprotective mother.
    "Okay," the woman said. "We have a doctor onboard. I'll send him to your room right away."
    "Thanks." I hung up, slightly surprised that the woman had taken me this seriously. I looked at Victor.
    The door to Christoffer's room opened and he peeked out. "What's going on? Is Victor alright?"
    "Yes. Everything is fine, Christoffer. Just go to bed. Victor is just having a fit that's all."
    "Do you need any help, Emma?" he asked.
    I was moved by his compassion. I wasn't used to that from a boy his age. "No. It's sweet of you. But I'll take care of it."
    "Okay," Christoffer said, and closed the door again.
    I stared at Victor. His body was shaking all over. "Could you please tell me what is going on? Why did I have to call for a doctor?" I asked.
    Victor was humming and walking. It was about to drive me nuts. "Please, just talk to me, buddy. Tell me what's going on."
    "Three, four, five…three, four, five," he kept repeating.
    "Three, four, five? What does that mean?" I asked.
    But Victor had somehow escaped to his own little world and I could no longer reach him. He was humming and saying the numbers over and over again.
    There was a knock on the door and I ran to open it. Outside stood a small elderly man in a white shirt with a brown bag in his hand.
    "Did someone call for a doctor?"
    "Yes. Yes, I did," I said. Then I looked up at the door leading to my suite and saw the number three hundred and thirty eight. I looked at the doctor.
    "Three, four, five," I said.
    He looked at me like I had lost my mind.
    "Three, four, five," I repeated.
    "Excuse me? I was told there was some sort of emergency?" the doctor asked.
    "Yes. I