My Friend Bobby | Page 4

and then he looked in my eyes with a bright light and looked
into my ears, and then he felt my head all over. He had big hairy hands
and I didn't like him touching me but I knew mommy would be angry if
I didn't hold still so I let him finish. Then he told daddy some big words
that I couldn't understand, but in think-talk he was saying that my head
still hadn't closed up right and I didn't have as much hair as you'd
expect but otherwise I seemed to be all right. He said I was a good stout
looking boy but if they wanted a specialist in to look at me he would
arrange it. Daddy asked if that would cost very much and the doctor
said yes it probably would and he didn't see any real need for it because
my bones were just a little slow in developing, and mommy said have
you seen other children like that? The doctor said no but if the boy
seems to be normal and intelligent why should she be worrying so?
Then mommy told me to go upstairs, and I went but I stopped on the
top stair and listened.
When I was gone the doctor said now Carol what is it that's really
bothering you? Then mommy told him what she had told daddy, how
she thought I knew what she was thinking, and the doctor said to daddy,
Ben, have you ever felt any such thing about the boy? Daddy said of
course not, sometimes he gives you the feeling that he's smarter than
you think he is but all parents have that feeling about their children
sometimes. And then mother broke down and her voice got loud and
she said he's a monster, I know it, there's something wrong and he's
different from us, him and that horrible dog. The doctor said but it's a
beautiful collie, and mommy said but he talks to it and it understands
him, and the doctor said now, Carol, let's be reasonable. Mommy said
I've been reasonable too long, you men just can't see it at all, don't you
think I'd know a normal child if I saw one? And then she cried and
cried, and finally she said all right, I know I'm making a fool of myself,
maybe I'm just overtired, and the doctor said I'm sure that's the trouble,
try to get some rest, and sleep longer at night, and mommy said I can't
sleep at night, I just lie there and think.
The doctor said well we'll fix that, enough of this nonsense now, you

need your sleep and if you're not sleeping well it's you that should be
seeing the doctor. He gave her some pills from his bag and then he
went away, and pretty soon daddy let Bobby in, and Bobby came
upstairs and jumped up and licked my face as if he'd been away for a
hundred million years. Later mommy called me down for supper, and
she wasn't crying any more, and she and daddy didn't say anything
about what they had said to the doctor. Mommy made me a special
surprise for dessert, some ice cream with chocolate syrup on top, and
after supper we all went for a walk, even though it was cold outside and
snowing again. Then daddy said well, I think things will be all right,
and mommy said I hope so, but I could tell that she didn't really think
so, and she was more afraid of me than ever.
* * * * *
For a while I thought mommy was really going to be nice to me and
Bobby then. She was especially nice when daddy was home but when
daddy was away at work sometimes mommy jumped when she saw me
looking at her and then sent me outdoors to play and told me not to
come in until lunch. I liked that because I knew if I weren't near
mommy everything would be all right. When I was with mommy I tried
hard not to look at her and I tried not to hear what she was thinking, but
lots of times I would see her looking first at me and then at Bobby, and
those times I couldn't help hearing what she was thinking because it
seemed so loud inside my head that it made my eyes hurt. But I knew
mommy would be angry so I pretended I couldn't hear what she was
thinking at all.
One day when we were out in the barn playing with Bobby the panda
we saw mommy coming down through the snow from the kitchen and
Bobby said look out Jimmy mommy is coming and I quick told Bobby
the panda