A Life Lost, Part 1 of 3 by Cathy Glass

Author:Cathy Glass
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-12-09T12:42:04+00:00

I stopped off on the way home and bought Jackson a new school uniform and school shoes.

‘I don’t think they’ll have me back,’ he said, referring to his school.

‘If not, we’ll find you another school,’ I told him positively. Although I knew it might not be that easy. If a child has been excluded from one school, others are reluctant to take them.

Once home, I hung his uniform in his wardrobe and unpacked the bag his mother had sent. Then, after dinner, I persuaded him to have a game of draughts with me. For a short time – while he was involved in playing the game – the weight of his sadness seemed to lift and he was just another child playing to win, then it descended again. I tried to talk to him about his problems, but he wouldn’t be drawn. A shutter came down, which I guessed had probably happened with his mother too.

That night at bedtime, I waited on the landing while he washed and then changed into his pyjamas in the bathroom. It was Saturday night, so Adrian and Paula were out and Tilly was in her bedroom watching a film on her laptop. As I went with Jackson into his room I remembered to ask him for his phone. He hadn’t been using it during the evening because he’d been playing a game with me.

‘It’s downstairs,’ he said. ‘I left it in my place at the table like you said.’ You could have knocked me down with a feather! I struggled to hide my surprise. ‘Well done. Good boy.’ I smiled.

Not only did this arrangement mean that the child wasn’t tempted to use their phone at night, but it had the added advantage of being an incentive for them to get up in the morning, which can be a problem, especially on a school day.

‘I think you’ll sleep better tonight,’ I told Jackson as I waited for him to get into bed. ‘If you’re upset or need anything, call me, but I don’t want any silly noises. It’s not fair on everyone else.’

I asked him if he’d like a goodnight kiss or hug, but he shook his head, so, saying goodnight, I came out and closed his door. I waited on the landing for a few minutes to see if he would get out of bed, but all remained quiet. I looked in on Tilly to make sure she was OK and then went downstairs. I sat in the living room and wrote up my log notes while the day’s events were still fresh in my mind. At 8.45 Kayla called my mobile.

‘How is he?’ she asked, concerned.

‘He’s in bed, hopefully asleep.’

‘The girls are too. I told them Jackson didn’t mean to be nasty, but he can’t help himself sometimes. Cathy, you’ve been fostering a long time and must have looked after a lot of children; do you think there is something wrong with him?’

‘Like what?’ I asked.

‘I don’t know. Autism?’

‘No.’ Sometimes, if a parent is struggling with a child’s behaviour, they can wonder if it’s autism.

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