Commotion in the Rain: The Road to Being Okay - Part 1

It was an outing day for the service my eldest son attends.
At the time to head home, we didn't make the usual train, so we had to take the next one.

My son, who struggles with irregularities, was trying something irregular for the first time.

Just thinking about trying it is a job well done!!
I felt deeply moved as I met him at the local station, thinking it was worth the nervous wait.

Something seemed off.
I drove the car, wondering if he was just tired.

Suddenly, my son started making a huge scene.

I don't know why, but I made a U-turn.
We went back to the station, and as I listened to his side of the story and observed him, I realized...

He apparently didn't have his communication notebook 😰

He panics when something that is always there is missing. We went back and looked everywhere, but couldn't find it.

It was pouring rain outside, and my son's heart was pouring rain too.


When I contacted the service, they confirmed it had been put in his bag.
It seems he must have left it on the train.

It had been a fun day.
But maybe coming home alone on the train was beyond his capacity.
He is often careless. When he doesn't have the mental space to think, he forgets things more often.
That is exactly why, through trial and error, we have been creating a system he can manage himself.

I believe this lost item can also be an experience that leads to the next step, but...

──Right now, those words won't reach him.

＊＊Total Panic＊＊

Sitting down, running off, making a scene in the rain.
Unable to speak, he pleads with his whole body.

“Let's chase the train!”
“Let's go get it!”

Crying, screaming, holding his head, repeating it over and over.

The station's lost and found hours were over.
Still, I showed him that I was doing what I could, making calls and sending inquiries via LINE.

──Even so, his feelings would not settle.

**Words That Reach Him**

"Then, let's call the service person."

"You don't need to bring it tomorrow. It's okay, I'll give you a new one."

"I'll be waiting for you tomorrow."

The usual staff member's voice from the other end of the phone.
As soon as he heard those words, he calmed down.
He started eating the snack he was holding.

──So, you're okay now, aren't you?

**Anxiety Returning Again**

When we got home, he started making a fuss again.

"It's okay."
"I told you, you don't have to take it tomorrow."

I repeated it many times, and he finally calmed down.
He started preparing for tomorrow by himself.
But he said he didn't want to eat and shut himself in his room.

After a while, he finally calmed down and came to the dining table.
You did your best.

**I Hope You Can Sleep**

I wrote down the schedule for tomorrow in chronological order,
added drawings for the things he was worried about,
and after explaining it again, I put it up in his room.

So he can look back at it if he gets worried.

I hope he can sleep with this tonight.
Though I think it's probably impossible,
I think I'll go to sleep with just a tiny bit of hope.

Will he be able to go tomorrow?

To be continued in Part 2