Susan Senator

Yesterday was a gorgeous Saturday. I just had to get out of here, so I told Ned I was going to the Cape just for the day. He had plans anyway, so it was fine with him. Of course Max and Ben didn’t want to go, because “we were just there,” as if that has any relevance! But I knew Nat would want to go, and so I went with just him.

A new thing for me: the talk-free car ride! Nat is not into talking, but he is very interested in all kinds of music, so I could just blare it and sing and he didn’t mind at all. Occasionally he would stop and stare intently, something which Ned and I once called “Tape record mode,” meaning that Nat was memorizing or perhaps merging with the song.

We didn’t have much traffic and got there in two hours (usually it is an hour and a half, pretty much). My aunt and uncle were there, which was nice, although it’s odd to me that my well-meaning aunt shouts at Nat when she is addressing him, as if he were deaf. I should have said something, but I’m not always up to that sort of diplomacy. Nat probably just thought, “Another Loudie,” and went on his merry way.

And merry it was. I have never seen such Stompies and Happy Slappies. His usual circuit was twice as wide, as if he wanted to include even more gawking beachgoers than ever before. (There actually did not seem to be that many rude starers this time; the Special Olympics tee shirt he wore may have helped in this regard.) His waving arms were like a windmill, and his smile was just huge. I slept on and off, waking every few minutes to check where he was, but he was always nearby, either sucking his thumb with a delicious ardor and staring at the churning water, or (literally) jumping for joy on the wide sandy beach. We went in a couple of times, both of us shuddering as the powerful waves slapped our bellies. Mom and Dad showed up an hour into it, and it was good to have conversational company. Dad threw a ball with Nat and Mom and I caught up on the week.

I cooked us a delicious shrimp scampi, and then Nat and I had a quick, uneventful ride home.

My only regret was not bringing boogie boards, because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control Nat by myself in those waves. Plus I was feeling wimpy about the cold water, a balmy 61 degrees.