A.B. NORMAL BLOOD

UNEDITED SAMPLE LITERARY ARTICLE
By Geraldine Arosa Refareal
I - Blaise Pascal


Once in a lifetime experiences happen to me all the time. I do not think of it so extraordinary for I am not so ordinary myself. I was born with an abnormality I almost didn’t escape – autism. It was not an enduring experience but it lasted a year or so, making me suffer from insults and harsh words. But, in those times I was better cared for than today.

It was during the early years of my existence when I came in contact with the cruel, judging, unlikely, sad, harsh world. I was always stared at, pointed at, with them not knowing that I can understand every word they say or know- maybe even more. And I was right. I hated them for that, I was separated from the world because of that. But, on that faithful day that I nor anyone knew that I will relieve some of my abnormality, I was awake – for the very first time in my life. And every other day I can feel myself being stronger and capable of the things I want to achieve. And until then that I knew what a different kind of gift that I possessed, I pursued to enrich and use it in my daily life, to let “them’’ know what I can do, to let them know that they were wrong, that they were unaware of my rarity.

And in these nights that I think about it, I felt uplifted that I know what I am, and disgraced if I think of what I am not. I still have flaws because I am still human, but then as I said I am not that ordinary as I want to be. Sometimes I am not as sane as I am when I face others who are strangers to me.

But then I also thank them for they made me stronger everyday. They made me hate the world –which I think is a good thing- because if I didn’t think of myself highly I wouldn’t be where I am now. Cruel life made me humble in the outside but proud and confident in the deepest of my thoughts that I don’t want to visit anymore. So with this kind of strength, I really lead a good life –tolerating younger siblings, listening to my mother’s daily, fiery sermons, getting praised for my grades- in spite of my time-to-time disorder.

I learned life’s lesson for me in this tragedy that a certain gift is never without cruel payment. I can relate to it because in the wee hours of the night, I think that God let me be autistic because he prepared for me, a good life where I was intelligent and has the knowledge in solving life’s problems, but before he can give me that, I was first to pass through the hole of a needle, to test me if I were not a quitter, because I know if I were, there is a dark future ahead of me.

And now I am a bit better leading an A.B. normal life.