alex.

i've been sitting with alex at lunch. he's blind. in fact, he's the only blind kid in our school. not many people approach him or talk to him. i guess they think that since he can't see them they can avoid any confrontations. but why ignore him? he is a person just like you and i, and i know that if i couldn't see, the last thing i'd want is for people to forget about me. and just because he can not see does not mean he can not feel.

he doesn't even care if we talk (even though i usually bombard him with questions, something i tend to do to a lot of people). all he seems to care about is that he has someone there. that he's not alone. even if it's just for one period of the day.

it makes me angry when people simply walk by us. people that i'm friends with, people that i talk to, they all walk by. my friends always have excuses to not sit with us. it makes me so angry. i've thought about it a lot. are they scared? do they feel uncomfortable? but all i can think about it how uncomfortable he must feel. sitting all alone, everyday. why doesn't anyone else see? why doesn't anyone understand?

but some days i can't sit with him. some days i'm finishing up work during lunch or working at the school store, and i think about how lonely he must be. i make sure to stop him in the hallway and say hi. i make sure to do my best to make him feel comfortable. but most importantly i try to make him feel normal because i know that's what i would want. and really, that's the least i can do.