Ben has been asking me about the prom on a daily basis. OK, sometimes he switches it up and asks about his birthday, but the prom has been on his mind. One of the benefits of Ben’s extended high school stay is that for the last three years, he and Lena have gone to the prom together. This year they planned to go again, but obviously, that won’t happen. I’m sure that Lena’s parents and we will come up with something to give Ben and Lena a prom of some kind. Usually, we join Lena and her parents, along with Mrs. Forker, for dinner out, and then Mrs. Forker takes them to the prom. Mrs. Forker is Lena’s former aide in school and she remains a close friend of Lena’s family. She has accompanied Ben and Lena to several other events, including a movie and a football game. From her time in the classroom, she and Ben know each other well. She calls him “Big Ben,” and he calls her “Big Forker.”
Tonight’s carry-out was in celebration of prom. We ordered from Barrel 135, and as usual, everything was great! Ben and Sophia went with the steak house burger. Phil and I each had the chicken cordon bleu sandwich. Though their menu is understandably somewhat smaller than when we aren’t having a world health crisis, they still offer quite a few choices and it is a different list every week. If you have not yet ordered from here – what are you waiting for?!
Good news came in two forms today (and that isn’t even counting our meal!) First, we are cautiously optimistic that the governor’s movement of our region from red to yellow (to go into effect in a week) will be a good thing.
Next, Diana and Amber Logan stopped by today to give Ben an opportunity to drum and dance Super Stars style! One of the things Ben has missed the most has been the exercise music drumming dance program that Diana runs at the Y. Diana is the most positive, inclusive person on the planet, and Ben absolutely loves her program!
This is Lena’s last year in high school, so I’m sure that losing out on this prom comes with an even greater pang for her than it does for Ben, who has a year left in high school (and who fully expects to invite Lena next year). I know seniors everywhere are hurting, mourning the loss of milestones that won’t occur. For our kids, the loss is real, too. While Ben doesn’t have a checklist of high school events he expects to occur, and he would never be able to articulate what it is about this particular event that is special, prom is really the only extra-curricular high school event that he can be a full part of with classmates and typical peers. Sure, he is in Special Olympics sports and The Penguin Project theater program, both ideal outlets for Ben. We have no complaints about the opportunities Ben has been offered, but losing prom means losing a rare chance to just be a regular high school kid.
So, no prom this weekend, but you surely know by now that Ben is a glass-half-full kind of guy, and if Lena’s wonderfully positive parents are any indication, Lena must be an optimist too. We will celebrate past proms, and look forward to a prom in the future, whenever and however it takes form.
I’ve enjoyed your Ben stories! I had Sophia in class at WAHS & Ben at WAMS. Both are great humans! I’m back at WAHS so I still get to see Ben in the hallways which makes my day! Missing school & prom & all of our normal end of the year fun. Your pictures in this story helped the heart. Take care!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for checking out the blog! Both of my kids have talked about you – thanks for being a part of their lives! These days we all do the best we can to keep looking up!