Brings Tears To My Eyes.

I work with all different types of people. Some are older and some are younger. People get switched around almost every day. I work with 2 guys in particular, all the time. Bob is about 60 years old and loves to work. He lives in Newark, Ohio and looks just like my father--it's scary. Same laugh, same smile, same everything. I even asked him if his family was from Southern Ohio. He just laughs and shakes his head. But I can't help but wander if he thinks the same thing. The other guy is Derick. He is about 23 and is a senior at The Ohio State University. He is the kind of boy you see fling model planes in the park and loves science and chemistry. He wears glasses, is very bashful and is tall and wirery. I watch him walk and move. Hear him speak and laugh. I even heard him get angry once. The way he behaves is very similar to my son Alex. I want to ask him if he has autism, but don't want to insult him. I keep the thoughts in the back of my mind. I have been nice and kind to Derick and keep special eye on him. Everyday I watch as these two guys talk and mingle. They share stories and let each other know if there's a cool book the other would like. It's really fascinating to watch. Then it dawned on me. I watch Bob and Derick and it's like watching Poppy and Alex. I see the smiles on their faces and hear the laughter that comes out of their mouths, and I jump ahead in time and watch my son listen intently as his Grandfather is teaching him some new trick or telling him a neat joke. Later in the day I went to Darlene to talk about the day and she asked me about Derick and how is was doing. I told her that he reminded me of my son (she knows all about my family). She gave me a look and a light bulb went off in her head. She said it would explain a lot. Then she asked me if I could work with him everyday? I said it would be my pleasure. In my head I was jumping up and down with joy. You mean I get to watch my son everyday. I get to talk to him about hopes and dreams. HELL YEAH! I'm really hoping that when busy season creeps up that whoever is next to me has Bob so I can watch them all day long. It would be the best busy season ever.