Asperger Diaries: Jamie's New School by H.B. Lawson

September
(Saturday)
     
    Jamie's
Diary
    This morning
dad took me to town while mum stayed at home. Dad said I had to get
mum a belated birthday present. She still hadn’t told me what she
wanted. Dad said he would pick something. At least if it is wrong,
it won’t be my fault. Lesley asked dad if he would drop her off at
Courtney’s house, so we had to make a detour on our way to town.
Dad said he would wait, and take them both to town. Lesley said
they would take the bus from there. I was glad because I didn’t
want to have to listen to their stupid chatter.
    Dad said I
could go off on my own, and we could meet up later. I don’t like
going around town on my own, so I stayed with him. We went in
Bargain Parade first, but dad wouldn’t let me stay in there for
very long because we had to look for mum’s present. Dad chose a
scarf for me to buy for mum. He said she would love it. I didn’t
think it was such a good idea because she already has hundreds of
scarves. They all look pretty much the same. I gave him the money
for it, and then we went to buy wrapping paper. I wanted to buy the
cheapest, but dad said I had to buy nice wrapping paper because it
was for mum. The cheaper paper was just as good as the one he
chose, but it was only a third of the price. I don’t understand why
we have to wrap presents at all. I think it’s stupid to buy
expensive wrapping paper just for someone to rip it off, and throw
it in the bin.
    I had to
smuggle the scarf into my bedroom when we got home. Dad kept mum
talking while I wrapped it up. I’m not very good at wrapping
presents. It took mum a long time to get into the present because I
had used a lot of sellotape. Mum said she loved the scarf. She gave
me a big sloppy kiss. I hate it when she does that.
    Mum was
supposed to come up with a brilliant system for getting my homework
done within the two hour limit. But all she did was suggest I spend
an hour on each subject. How does that help? What happens when the
hour is up and I haven’t finished one of the subjects? How do I
know how much to write? How do I know what is important and what I
can leave out?
     
    *****
    Angela's
Diary
    I let Andrew
take Jamie to town this morning. I needed a break to try to clear
my head. These last few weeks have taken their toll. It doesn’t
appear to touch Andrew. He carries on as though everything is hunky
dory. Jamie bought me a lovely scarf as a belated birthday present.
I really must show him how to wrap presents. He must have gone
through half a roll of sellotape.
    I had a session
with Jamie this afternoon to try to organise his homework. We got
nowhere fast. It’s like talking to a brick wall. All the time I’m
trying to help him it’s as though he’s fighting against me. Every
suggestion I made he threw back in my face. In the end he actually
said I had wasted my time talking to the headmaster because it
hadn’t helped. I feel so helpless at the moment.
     
     
    25th September
(Sunday)
     
    Jamie's
Diary
    I ignored what
mum had said, and spent as much time as I needed to get my homework
finished. I don’t know how the headmaster can say I should only
spend two hours on homework. It must have taken me five hours to do
two lots of homework this weekend. I think the teachers must be
giving us more work than they should. Perhaps the headmaster
doesn’t realise how much work we are being set.
    I am going to
ask for model tram kits and tram books for Christmas. I went
through the model catalogue, and put a circle around all those I
would like. Some of them are a lot more expensive than the ones
which I normally buy.
    Nana Edith came
over for Sunday lunch. She told me off for no reason at all again.
I went into my bedroom after lunch, and stayed there until she had
gone home.
    It's half term
in four weeks. I can't wait.
     
    *****
    Angela's
Diary
    Jamie was
working on homework all morning. It feels as though my meeting with
the headmaster was a complete waste of time. Jamie still