The Speed of Dark

M- has done so well the past few weeks with his cellphone–both making and receiving calls–that I didn’t expect a glitch today.    I phoned him when I reached Austin, to tell him I could pick him up at the bus stop west of Northcross Mall, to take him to supper before ice skating, as it was raining.   R-, who rode with him the first times,  had told me which bus stop he got off at.    I thought M- understood and would repeat what he’d done before.

Instead, he reverted to where I usually meet him, walking in the rain from another bus stop over to the ice rink area.   I saw bus after bus pause at the stop without him getting off, and finally (should have done this earlier) called again.   We met up and all was well, but it’s an example of how routine can cause errors.   (Which happens to all, on or off the spectrum.)    He had not called me, because he was afraid I’d be driving and the phone would distract me.  (I’ve made it clear that I don’t talk on the cellphone while driving–but in fact I was parked, watching buses go by.)

And now I’m going off to a convention for four days, so he and R- can play with the cellphones.    I won’t be back until Monday night, and probably won’t be back here for several days after that.  As I’m not taking the laptop along on this trip, there will be a mountain of email to answer when I get home.