Haddencroft 5

Any resemblance to any actual person, place or event is purely coincidental.

Jimmy Wheelis is one 12-year-old that I will never forget. To say the least, Jimmy wasn’t so lucky in the genetic lottery. Aside from being developmentally disabled and having the intellect of a five-year-old child, he also had Cerebral Palsy. This manifested itself in several ways including a spastic condition of his left hand and elbow, making it look like he was negotiating a permanent salute. He dragged an inflexible left leg as he walked and his thick glasses magnified his crossed blue eyes. The twisted muscles in his neck made his head tilt in a way that made him look like he was always pondering something and about to ask a question. (Ironically, he usually was about to ask a question). Lack of control of his salivary glands and swallowing reflex usually ensured that he would be drooling. Despite all of this, Jimmy had an enthusiastic love for life and wanted the same things most 12-year olds want; a good meal, friends, a warm place to sleep and to have some fun at summer camp. Amazingly, he could negotiate the rough terrain of the Tanglewood trails and was actually one of my more physically capable kids. His right side functioned in a reasonably normal fashion, and he had learned to cope. As long as the topic was within his reach, he loved the discussions about birds, animals, the forest and the river and could keep up on our longest hikes. I remember Jimmy as always saying “Hi miha Dickens, how yah doin?” when he’d see me, smiling and waving his crooked hand as he cheerfully bopped along.

Jimmy’s nemesis was Dean Rounds, another 12-year-old with a different set of challenges. Adept as he was at pushing buttons, Dean loved to tease Jimmy. Just like countless other groups of kids everywhere, the teasing and bullying took place here too. With all of Jimmy’s obvious issues, he was an easy target for Dean who had absolutely no intellectual or physical handicaps at all. In fact, Dean was a genius of sorts, a savant when it came to anything with locks and keys. He had a huge collection of keys he kept in a wooden box and could easily pick about any lock. This, along with being a serious sociopath with deep-seated emotional problems, the key and lock issue created a myriad of challenges for all of his caregivers and teachers. When Dean would steal, he did it for the thrill of getting away with it more than for any other reason. A handsome, red-haired, slightly pudgy kid, he was also adept at charming the socks off anyone, easily disarming them before eventually taking advantage. Watching Dean’s every move was a necessity but it was sort of like watching a slight-of-hand magician and trying to guess ahead of time which walnut shell the pea was under. Calling him a “con-man” didn’t even begin to cover it. I recall one instance where Dean stole the keys to one of the camp counselor’s cars, and conned another kid to take off with him on a joy-ride. The police eventually located them in Boston!

The most memorable of the many times Dean teased Jimmy was one day at the mess hall. One of Jimmy’s favorite meals was some sort of rice dish with chicken and vegetables. I remember clearly how Jimmy had just seated himself with a huge plate full of the meal and was about to dig into it when Dean leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Instantly Jimmy’s eyes flew open and he began to scream “MAGGOTS?!!! I DON’T LIKE MAGGOTS!!!!!!” He flew into a tearful rage jumping up and throwing his plate silverware and glasses across the room, continuing to scream as the food went everywhere. Dean just sat back in his seat and roared in derisive laughter as the whole mess hall full of kids erupted in mass confusion. All Jimmy could do was curl up in the fetal position and rock back and forth, crying and loudly repeating over and over, “I DON’T LIKE MAGGOTS!”Later it was determined that Dean had simply whispered the mere suggestion that the white things on his plate were not grains of cooked rice, but in actuality live maggots. I’m pretty sure it took most of the rest of the day to calm poor Jimmy down and explain that Dean was just kidding. Jimmy’s highly limited sense of humor was unfortunately incapable of grasping that concept and it was a full week before he could be convinced to eat at the mess hall again.