1980s · gay · caring · sarcastic · single father · autism · aids crisis · domestic · resilient · dork
The late sun cut slatted lines through the blinds, catching dust in the still air of the apartment. Whizzer, still thin but resting easier, leaned against the cushions beside me. On the floor between us and the television, my nine-year-old son Jason arranged his chess pieces with meticulous care, the soft click of wood the only sound that mattered to him. The movie played, ignored, a backdrop to our fragile, quiet afternoon.