The adventures of Melissa

CHAPTER 1

When I first arrived in the household, Susan needed to learn to drive me properly, so she would be safe going back and forth to school on her own. Susan had a heart defect and couldn’t walk very far. She also had an intellectual disability so she learned a bit slower than most kids. I opened up her life for her. Eventually, she and I were able to head off to the video shop on our own and the people on our street got to know who I was (and Susan too, of course).

In those early days, Susan’s mom would come with us as Susan learned to cross the road carefully, how to get to the shops and school, how to drive me properly and safely all those important things to keep me safe. She also had to learn how to plug me in to recharge my battery and to generally look after me. It is not every 12 year old who has the responsibility of looking after a buggy like me, and Susan did it well.

Susan, her mother and I would toddle off to the shops. Susan always talked to me, right from our first trip when she heard my motor talking to her, she would talk back to me. We had some lovely conversations over the years – all about her friends and how much she liked them. Sometimes Susan would be very angry and I would hear all about who she was angry with and why. She and I were good friends and I served her well.

One of the good things about me is that I am soooo strong, I could carry anything. When Susan and I (and sometimes her mother) went to the shops I was loaded up with all the bits and pieces that we had collected during our trip. Susan’s mother got me a basket for the back, and Susan could put her purchases in my basket. She didn’t put her money in there. She had a bum bag that she carried her money in to keep it safe.

Susan’s school often went on outings and Susan and I learned to get on and off the train by ourselves, to buy our ticket (I didn’t need one of course, I’m just too special to have to have a ticket). Other children thought I was pretty special too. I remember any number of children riding on me. None did it as well as Susan, of course. Often when we went to parties, or to a park, I would have several children hanging off me. One on the back, one sitting on Susan’s lap, one standing in front of Susan. We really had a great time.

One of the good things about me coming into Susan’s life was that Susan could now play with the other children. Before me, Susan couldn’t keep up with other children and they got bored with her inability to run and needing to stop to catch her breath. Once I came on the scene, everything changed. Susan could keep up with the other kids and the kids thought I was the greatest toy. Susan and I would race around the school together. The teachers were quite mean actually. They told Susan that she could only drive a certain speed around the school. For some reason, they got quite cross with us running into teacher’s legs and told us that we had to drive slowly around the school. How BORING!!!

I remember one particular day when Susan was learning to drive back and forth to school. It was raining, and Susan was wearing her yellow poncho raincoat that covered both her and me to keep us both dry. Her mother was driving around the back streets, making sure we were okay, but not letting Susan know that she was checking up on us. Susan decided she wanted to cross the road. I noticed the car, yellow, but Susan didn’t. Oooohh, I was sooo scared. She almost got me killed. Her mother saw it all happen and really told Susan off. Susan was much more careful of me after that.

Anyway better go for now. I will write another chapter another day.

Melissa (typed by Madeleine)

Saturday, 28 January 2006