Page 54 of Give Me a Shot

“Okay, I think I see your vision,” Stephanie said. “Muscular, blacksmith…but what’s his limp?”

“His empathy,” said Jess. “His sensitivity. They’re…strong enough that he doesn’t like a lot of attention on himself, so he’s not very communicative.”

She’d hesitated to outright say that they were manifestations of his neurodiversity; she didn’t think he broadcasted that about himself, so it certainly wasn’t her place to do so.

“Is he silent and brooding, Jess?” Stephanie asked. “Haven’t we all learned from Alice’s foolhardy expeditions into the land of brooding men?”

“Hey!” said Alice. “We cannot generalize from one man.”

“Two men,” said Stephanie. “And didn’t they rhyme?”

Jess laughed.

“Eddie and Freddie,” she said. “I mean, she’s right, Alice. Those were—”

“Technically, Edward and Alfred,” Alice said, tipping her chin. “And they were…learning experiences.”

“More like experiments,” Stephanie said. “Jess, do you—”

“Actually,” Jess said. “I’m wrong. If you’re paying attention, Mo does communicate. He just doesn’t like to talk.”

Both of her friends furrowed their brows.

“Uh…how does that work, exactly?” Stephanie asked.

“Hmm,” Jess said. She wasn’t quite sure how to explain it well. “He is very, very spartan with his words most of the time. When he speaks, it’s less volunteering his opinion than responding to what someone else says. He’ll grunt, or his face changes.”

“Is he a Neanderthal, Jess?” Stephanie asked flatly.

“No, it’s not that. When he has something to say, people listen because he doesn’t say much. But he uses whole sentences when we’re alone. And he’s not exactly passive. When the other guy on the team said something sexist, Mo immediately called him out.”

“That’s a good sign,” Alice said.

“Quite important,” Stephanie said.

—

Jess felt lighter having shared. She was surprised at how much more secure she felt about going forward with Mo having talked to her friends. Even though she’d never thought of needing their approval. She did need their specific help, however.

“Ladies,” she said, “I need some concrete guidance. I don’t know what to wear for the date tomorrow night.”

“Show us what you’ve got,” Stephanie said.

Jess slid off the bed, carrying her laptop with her. After putting it in a good spot on the corner of her dresser, she opened the closet doors and reached for the pants she’d rejected earlier.

“Jess,” Alice called out before Jess’s hand closed on the hanger. “What’s that on your arm?”

Jess had forgotten to remove the Band-Aid that had been placed there after her blood test.

“Oh,” she said. “I went to the doctor as instructed, Mom and Mom. Had some blood work done, too.”

“What did the doctor say?” Alice asked.

“I’m fine, everything looks good. She did prescribe me something for my stomach being upset all the time.”

“So why the blood test?” Stephanie asked.

“I asked for a full physical, since I was making the appointment,” Jess said.

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