Him.  I see him sitting there in the corner, by the radiator, staring openmouth at us, as though we were bugs.  He doesn't move a muscle as he gazes at us; he just stares at us as though we were complete strangers.

This is how it is with Cameron Maverick, our son.  He has special needs that make him seem to "stand out" from the other kids.  The other kids don't like to be around him because he often acts so strange.  I know he can't help it, but damnit, I wish things could get easier for him, not to mention, us!

Cameron, who is fourteen, has autism.  He was diagnosed with it when he was two years old.  He seemed to be a normal baby when he was born, but at about a year and a half, he started showing signs that something might be wrong.  When we took him to the doctor, after undergoing extensive testing, it was discovered that Cameron was autistic.

He often "zones out" and retreats into his own world, especially if times are stressful.  Now is such a time.  We are getting ready to move, and I think the stress of the upcoming move is what is causing Cameron to exhibit his autistic-like behaviors (rocking, not speaking, biting or "stimming" his hands, eating only certain foods, not sleeping more than two hours a night, etc.).

We are moving because I lost my job.  After fifteen years of loyal service, the factory I worked at is finally closing shop. Why?  Because of outsourcing, which means that our jobs will go out of our country, to some people in India.  We should have seen it coming; otherwise, the news of our jobs being terminated might have been a little easier to take (emphasis on the word "little").

My wife, Megin, has had her workplace troubles, too.  She's a teacher, and last week she found out that she might be fired because she was "caught" talking to her students about God.  Now she is in danger of losing her job; so we might both end up unemployed.

We are worried for ourselves, but we are most worried for our children, in particular, Cameron, who has never took to change that well.  The last time we moved (five years ago, when he was nine), he ransacked the house and it took us three days to get it cleaned up again.  It was horrible!  I don't want to have to go through this all over again!

I know that London Jolene, our daughter (she's twelve), doesn't like having a brother that can't relate to her all that well, even though he is two years older.  She says she's embarrassed to have a brother like Cameron; and you know something?  I don't blame her one bit!  You never know when Cameron is going to explode; that is what makes his having autism so hard to deal with!

Well, I have to get the kids up for school.  As usual, it will probably become a battle zone, especially as far as Cameron is concerned.  He doesn't like getting up early for school; he'd rather sleep in to noon if he could.  I will write in here again; until later, this is Cary Grant Weissner saying so long!