Foto: BB.LV
Twice they let the child say goodbye. But Yurichka survived. However, it quickly became clear that he could hardly see and could hardly hear. His physical development gradually improved: Yurichka sat up, took a toy, then walked near a support. But his mental development was stagnant. At first, the parents hoped. Initially, they fought together, then the father somehow quietly disappeared into thin air, and the mother continued to fight alone. She found a quota, and at three and a half years old, Yurichka was fitted with implants to restore his hearing. Now he seemed to hear everything, but development still did not progress. Sessions with defectologists, speech therapists, psychologists, and various specialists. Mother Yulia came with Yurichka to see me repeatedly. I said: let’s try this, and this, and that... The mother tried different approaches. There was no result. Most of the time, Yurichka quietly sat in the playpen and twisted some object. He would bang it on the floor, bite his hand, and do other things. Sometimes he howled on one note, sometimes modulated. The mother claimed that Yurichka recognized her, called her with some special cooing, and loved it when his back and legs were scratched. Eventually, an elderly psychiatrist told her: well, what diagnosis do you expect? A walking vegetable. Make some decision regarding him and move on. Either you give him up, or you just take care of him. You’ve already learned, haven’t you? I personally see no point in hoping for significant progress in his condition or burying yourself next to his playpen. This was the only person in Yulia's life who spoke definitively. She put Yurichka in a special kindergarten and went back to work. Some time later, she bought a motorcycle. She had always wanted this. She started riding around the streets and out of town with like-minded people. When the engine roared, all anxious thoughts and feelings were forgotten. The father paid alimony, and she spent it entirely on caregivers for the weekends. Yurichka was generally not difficult to care for, once you got used to his howling. Then one of her motorcycling friends told Yulia: you know, I’ve developed a bit of a crush on you, there’s something interestingly tragic about you. - Come on, I’ll show you, - Yulia said. He smiled, thinking she was inviting him home and to bed. She showed him Yurichka. He was lively and howling modulatedly and cooing. Perhaps he recognized his mother or was worried about the unfamiliar person. - Wow! - said the motorcyclist. - What did you think? - Yulia replied. After a while, they not only started riding together but also living together. The motorcyclist Stas did not approach Yurichka (they had discussed this in advance), and Yulia did not want him to. Then Stas said: let’s have a child. Yulia sharply replied: what if we have another one like him, will we? Stas fell silent for almost a year, and then said again: no, let’s do it. Vanechka was born. Fortunately, completely healthy. Stas said: maybe we should put Yura in an institution now? Since we have a normal son? Yulia replied: I’d rather give you up. Stas immediately backtracked: I just asked... Vanechka discovered Yura when he was about nine months old, when he started crawling. He immediately became very interested. Stas was scared and angry: don’t let the little one near him, it’s dangerous, who knows what might happen. But Stas was always at work or on his motorcycle, and Yulia let him. When Vanechka crawled nearby, for some reason, Yura did not howl. And she also thought that he was listening and waiting. Vanechka brought toys, showed how to play, and even squeezed and arranged Yura’s fingers. One day, Stas got sick and stayed home for the weekend. He saw Vanechka unsteadily walking around the apartment and babbling something invitingly, and behind him, like a tethered dog, was Yura (before this, Yura had been sitting in one room in the corner without leaving). Stas made a scene and demanded to keep my son away from your idiot or to watch him all the time. Yulia silently pointed him to the door. He got scared. They made up. Yulia came to me: - He’s a wooden puppet, but I love him, - she said. - Terrible, isn’t it? - That’s natural, - I said. - To love your child regardless of... - Actually, I was talking about Stas, - Yulia clarified. - So Yura is dangerous for Vanya, what’s your opinion? I said that according to all the data, Vanya was the leading one in their pair, but supervision was still necessary. That’s how we decided. At one and a half years old, Vanya taught Yura to stack pyramids by size. And he himself spoke in sentences, sang simple songs, and showed nursery rhymes like the magpie-crow was cooking porridge. - Is he a genius or what? - Yulia asked me. - Stas ordered me to find out. The guy was so proud he might burst - his friends’ kids at this age didn’t say “daddy-mommy.” - I think it’s because of Yura, - I suggested. - Not every child at one and a half gets to be the locomotive of someone else's development. - Exactly! - Yulia rejoiced. - I’ll tell that wooden puppet with eyes. What a family, I thought, a walking vegetable, a wooden puppet with eyes, a woman on a motorcycle, and a genius. After getting used to the potty, Vanya spent about six months teaching his brother to use it. Teaching Yura to eat, drink from a cup, dress, and undress - this task Yulia set for Vanya herself. At three and a half, Vanya posed the question bluntly: what exactly is wrong with Yura? Well, first of all, he sees nothing. He sees, Vanya objected. Just poorly. He sees this much, but not that much. And it depends on the light. The best is the bulb in the bathroom over the mirror; he sees a lot there. The ophthalmologist was very surprised when they brought a three-year-old child to explain Yura's vision condition, but he listened carefully, ordered another examination, and based on the results prescribed treatment and complex glasses. Vanya had a categorical issue with kindergarten. He actually needs to go to school! Such a smart guy, you see! - the teacher said irritably. There’s no getting along with him, he knows everything better than others. I categorically opposed an early start to school: let Vanya attend clubs and focus on Yura’s development. Stas surprisingly agreed with my verdict and told Yulia: well, just sit with them until school, what’s he doing in that silly kindergarten? And have you noticed that your boy hasn’t howled for almost a year? Another six months later, Yura said: mom, dad, Vanya, give me a drink and meow-meow. The boys went to school at the same time. Vanya was very worried: how will he be there without me? And are the specialists there, in that special school, really good? Will they even understand him? He still does his homework first with Yura, and then his own. Yura speaks in simple sentences. He can read and use a computer. He loves to cook and clean (Vanya or mom guide him), loves to sit in the yard on a bench and watch, listen, and smell. He knows all the neighbors and always greets them. He loves to mold with plasticine, assemble, and disassemble construction sets. But most of all in the world, he loves when the whole family rides motorcycles along the country road - he with his mom, and Vanya with his dad, and they all scream something into the wind... Ekaterina Murashova.
