Out of My Mind- ch. 14

[0:00]Chapter 14. The Monday following Thanksgiving break, Catherine and I roll into Miss Gordon's language arts class a few minutes before the bell. It doesn't look like I'll ever find out what Rose really thought about the trip to the aquarium because she clearly has more exciting things on her mind. Everyone is huddled around her desk. Awesome. I love the color. I didn't know they'd come in lime green. Oh man, that's what's up. How many songs have you downloaded so far? What's your new email address? You've got I am. Videos, that's so tight. I wish my mom would get me a laptop like that. I roll closer. Rose is showing off a brand new laptop computer. I can get on the internet and find stuff for school and type up all my homework. She's telling the group around her. I have already uploaded pictures of my dog and I've just got my own MySpace page. I just shake my head as Catherine takes me back to my usual place in the back of the room, a laptop. I'm still pointing for words and phrases that Mrs. V and my mother have taped to a board that strapped to my wheelchair. And Rose has the internet. I guess that means the whole universe at her fingertips. I close my eyes, trying not to cry, dreaming of the perfect melody made computer. First of all, it would talk. Oh yes, people would have to tell me to shut up. And it would have room to store all my words, not just the most common ones that I've gotten pasted on my dumb plastic board. I would have big keys so my thumbs could push the right buttons and it would connect to my wheelchair. It would not have to be like green. I open my eyes with a start. Such a thing has to exist, right? Or something like it, maybe? I grab Catherine's arm and point to Rose's computer. Me too, I punch on my board. I do it several times. You want a computer like roses? Catherine glances over at Rose's laptop. It's really is nice. Even I don't have one as cool as hers. No, I point. Wait, you don't want a computer? Catherine sounds confused. I have learned to be patient with people. Once again, I point to Rose's computer and then the words me too. I search all over my communication board, and the words better, nicer and cooler, just aren't there. So I point to good, then go to the alphabet strip and then jab at the letters ER, gooder. I sound like a doofus. Oh, Catherine says finally, you want a better computer than roses. Yes, I pound on the board. Then I pointed to for and me. I get it, Catherine cried. You want something specially designed for you. That's just plain brilliant, melody. I spell out duh, and we laugh. Miss Gordon starts class then, reminding everyone about due dates for the biography project. Tomorrow, she announces. Class will meet in the media center so that you can make final choices about the person you will write about. And next week, we will begin making outlines of your life stories. Any questions? Connor, always the class clown, raises his hand. I found out the guy who invented the flush toilet was named Thomas Craper. Can I do my report on him? Kids crack up. Rodney laughs so hard his whole face turns red. Miss Gordon shushes Rodney and the others. Sorry, Connor. I get this request every year. The flush toilet was invented in 1596 by John Harrington. No funny name. Do you still want to research him? Connor looks deflated. Nah, I guess I'll stay with the folks who started McDonald's. If I've got to spend a lot of time looking up stuff, burgers are better than toilets. Rodney tries to bust out laughing again, but Miss Gordon silences him with a look. Who will you choose to write about? Catherine asks me as Mrs. Gordon walks around the class talking to students about their projects. I think for only a minute. S T E P H E N H A W K I N G, I spell out. I want to know how he does ordinary stuff, like eating and drinking, after all he's a grown man. Does his wife put him on the toilet? He asks kids. How does he manage to be a dad? And I want to know about his talking devices, the super cool computers that help him talk and do really hard math problems like finding black holes in space. I tap out the question for Catherine. Computer for me? I have no idea, she replies. Let's check it out.