What things ye desire, when ye pray, believe and ye shall receive.Where was Andrew? It had been twenty-four hours without a word. I was
sick to my stomach, but I managed to get down on my knees and pray.
“Please…Lord…send him a guardian angel to guide and protect him. Please
For a few moments, I remained rooted to the spot on the floor. I needed to
believe my autistic son was safe. I felt a warm sensation spread across the top of
my shoulders like an arm comforting me. Was it my imagination or had my prayer
been answered?
Laura, my oldest, along with Kelley, my youngest, began developing a plan
to find Andrew. Laura had called the police department and completed a missing
person’s report, while Kelley decided to go online and visit Andrew’s chat room.
When a police detective contacted me by telephone and asked questions
concerning Andrew’s handicap, I knew I would have a problem. Just because
Andrew was ‘autistic’, did not mean he had a few loose screws.
The detective asked me to describe the clothing Andrew was wearing
before his disappearance. It was hard to say, “I don’t know.”
“Well…who was the last person to see him?” insisted the detective. “Don’t
you have someone keeping an eye on him?”
I knew it was going to be difficult to explain that Andrew was not mentally
deranged and existing on a few IQ points above the vegetative state. In my mind, I saw the following announcement on the six o-clock news, “WARNING!
WARNING! If you see this man call the crime line, Lock-U-Up.”
I answered both questions controlling my rising anger. Andrew, who was a
college student, was quite capable of fixing his own breakfast, getting dressed and
riding the city bus to college. The only information I had for the detective was
Andrew had left a note on the piano stating he would be back in the late
afternoon, due to taking a test in the computer lab. Since Andrew had a
documented disability, he had been provided special accommodations, such as
taking tests which were not timed. Unfortunately, he had to schedule his tests to
be taken in the computer lab.
Since I knew I could not continue answering the questions the detective
asked, I handed the telephone over to Laura and told her to do her best. After all,
she was the one who had called them in the first place.
Leaving the living room, I walked into the kitchen where Kelley was using
the spare computer. My husband, Ronald, was taking a nap in the den where the
newer computer was kept. I did not want to wake him, since he was worn out
with worry like me. Standing behind Kelley, I watched her send an online message. Quickly, a
reply came back and she nearly leaped out of the seat.
“I made contact,” she said. “This person thinks I am Andrew and wants to
know about my trip to Florida.”
“FLORIDA!” I screamed.
Kelley turned around and looked at me. “Yeah…that’s what he says.”
“That’s impossible,” I mumbled. “He doesn’t know Andrew.”
“Oh…he knows… Andrew…anime and all that,” added Kelley.
“Just be careful,” I cautioned walking away from my seventeen year old.
‘Was it possible?’ I asked myself. ‘Did Andrew run away?’
Holding onto the railing, I managed to climb the steps which led to his
bedroom. I check his closet for any missing clothes. The only piece of clothing
absent was his gray jacket. Slowly, I walked over to the dresser and pulled out the
top drawer. It was almost empty, except for a few stray socks. Shocked! My
heart began to race, as I checked the remaining drawers. ANDREW HAD RAN
AWAY FROM HOME! “RONALD…RONALD!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
I did not care if he was in a deep sleep or not. He needed to see this.
After examining Andrew’s bedroom, Ronald admitted having an argument
with our son. He would have mentioned it earlier, but the argument had taken
place a week ago and he did not think there was any connection.
Apparently, Ronald had wanted Andrew to help out more around the
house. He had compared his lack of accomplishments to his sisters. Laura and
Kelley had part-time jobs, numerous friends and were working towards their
career goals.
Sadly, I glanced at Ronald. I reached out for his hand and held it. We sat
together silently. It was too painful for us to admit we had made a mistake. I had
sheltered Andrew, while Ronald was too firm.
I had a strong impulse to email Andrew. I knew he would email me back,
but how did I know that? He did not have access to a computer, unless he was
staying with someone. On the second day, more than forty-eight hours after his
disappearance, I received an email from him. Andrew was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida! He had run away from home,
because of the argument he had with his father. In his email, he explained he was
safe. Andrew was supposed to meet someone from the chat group at the bus
station, but that person never showed up. Andrew was alone in a strange city,
when a homeless man approached him.
“Are you destitute like me?” asked a thin, gray-haired gentleman in his mid
fifties.
Andrew glanced down at the man who was several inches shorter. “Well…
no.”
Andrew believed the man might ask him for money. So, he picked up the
two canvas bags full of clothes and began to walk away.
“It’s going to get dark…soon,” replied the man following behind. “It’s not
safe. You’re a walking target, especially at night.”
Andrew turned around to take another look at the stranger. The man had
bright blue eyes and did not resemble any homeless individuals he had met back
in Norfolk, Virginia. The man seemed out of place. He seemed special and
perhaps he was. This friendly stranger described how dangerous it was on the street at night
along with sharing a little of his personal life. He told Andrew how fortunate he
was to have a family that cared about him. After all, he had no one.
Andrew had offered to buy the man a sandwich at a nearby Subway
Restaurant. The man refused and waited outside, while Andrew went inside to
purchase a sandwich and a drink. Believing the man had left, Andrew stayed
inside and ate.
When he left the restaurant, Andrew hurried back to the bus station to
purchase a ticket to go home. Stepping away from the counter after making his
purchase, he nearly fainted when he saw the blue-eyed stranger smiling at him.
“When will the bus arrive?” he asked.
“I have two hours,” mumbled Andrew.
“This is not the best place for you to stay,” replied the stranger. “The safest
place is the public library.”
“The public library,” echoed Andrew. “Is there one nearby?” “Yes…just a block away…follow me,” answered the stranger leading Andrew
out the exit.
There were accessible computers at the library for a nominal fee. The
stranger led Andrew to one of the computers and left. He did not return.
Fourteen hours later, Andrew arrived home to a family who realized how
much they loved him. This painful ‘wake-up call’ led me to take a chance on
finding something to help my son. I mean really help my son. He needed to have
a real life. He needed to feel successful and not a burden on his family. I would eventually find a cure for my son’s autism through using the magnet within me.