Safety

Written for https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/category/what-do-you-see/

It is not the end. A lifetime of overthinking, and her therapists words tapped in Betty’s mind like a keyboard. She hadn’t thought about a possible diagnosis of autism.

A solitary child; she preferred her company, to the hustle of the playground. She joined in when they played with a skipping rope, marbles or conkers but couldn’t talk about her interests when they were so different to her friends.

She loved reading Misty, a comic full of ghosts and female leads. Every comic was put into a box, to be read later. Listening to her music, singing out of tune, helped heal the overwhelming day. During her lessons, she rarely spoke, unless the teachers asked her to. Books helped her to imagine another life where she didn’t have to pretend.

‘Can you tell me what you are going to do this week.’

‘I am going to see a play, I saw it advertised,’ Betty said, with a smile.