Lily Don’t Care

"Lily, have you ever told your friends that Dublin has autism?"

"No," she shrugs seeming totally unaffected, "If I tell my friends, they will make fun of him."

"How does that make you feel, baby?"

Now with the same cockeye and snarl that I articulate when I hear my own students saying something disgustingly judgey and gross, "Honestly, I don't care. I just don't care."

Deep down inside I know she cares.

More than I want her to.

Deep down inside I'm proud that she's already rehearsed how to maneuver her face when the time comes that one of her friends says something utterly fucking stupid about our family. The more she rehearses, the more believable and epic her performance of protest in favor of her brother will be. #protectivesister