I made my way to Dante's building touting a huge bag of clean laundry over my shoulder, along with another bag full of items on Dante's request list: McDonalds, Nerds, pumpkin cookies (from Panera), ice-cream cones, and mango Juice. I added a bag of apples to the mix; I know he hardly ever gets fruits and vegetables. Brielle greeted me and offered to lighten my load which I took her up on. She escorted me to Dante's room, and she was in good spirits, which I was happy to see since Dante really feeds off positive energy. I entered the room to find Dante sitting on his bed, as always. I imagine weekends are extra monotonous for him without the distraction of school. As soon as he sees me, he begins to bounce and stim, accompanied by a happy humming that warms my heart.
I hand Dante his McDonalds, and before I begin putting away the mountain of clothes, I dump on his bed, I investigate why Dante's Disney Plus isn't working. As I figured it out, Steven, another staff member, came in to say hello. I have known Steven since Dante arrived at Bancroft and he always brings good vibes. When Dante went to Cooper for his ingrown toenail surgery, he was part of the entourage that brought him to Camden. As Steven leaves, I log in to Disney Plus and ask Dante what movie he wants to watch, today's pick, The Incredibles. Solid choice. I put the clothes away and began talking to Dante.
"Girls' tennis is over, and they won their division. I don't know if I'm going back for another season though, the drive is killing me. Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, but I think you have school anyway, so that’s good. Hey, I think you need more hangers." Dante doesn't respond, but he looks up at me from time to time. I know he's listening, and I know that he likes it when I talk to him.
As I made my exit, I reminded Dante what I dropped off in the kitchen and assured him I'll drop off more snacks this week. I grabbed a small bag of dirty laundry and hugged him goodbye.
"Call me whenever, I love you, Dante."
"I love you too dad, yes." there is nothing like the sound of his voice, there was a time in my life, I thought I would never hear it.
Brielle escorted me out and at the door I made sure she knew how much I appreciated all that she and Steven do for Dante. She thanked me for the kind words and said everybody here loves Dante, which I was pleased to hear.
As I walked to my car, I thanked God that Dante was out of his group home and at Bancroft. I knew that there would be another obstacle lurking around the corner that Heena and I would have to face, but at least for now, I was able to breathe, and I am thankful for that.
