Chapter 6

“Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh nnn, Ahh…underwear!” André looked startled. Then he laughed.

Ryan smiled. “Well, we’re making some progress.”

By the end of the hour, Mr. Thompson had continued to improve, although he still called himself ‘Underwear.’ Ryan had determined: that ‘yes’ meant just that and ‘no’ meant ‘no’. A series of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ with a ‘but’ or two thrown in meant that they were on the right track but needed to search further. ‘Shit’ was used when frustration or something negative needed to be expressed. André could also say various words that were clear, but not the target word he was shooting for: all classic symptoms of anomial aphasia and oral apraxia. Just how much spontaneous recovery there was still to be expected, Ryan did not know, but he was encouraged.

One thing Ryan did know was that he was beginning to like Mr. Thompson, André, very much: a realization that both pleased and disturbed him.

“Well, that’s about enough for this hour.”