“We don’t know what to do with him, to be honest.”
Those are the words of Lionel Masterson, expressing the general sentiment that he and his wife, Lily Masterson, share about what it’s been like to raise their disabled son, Alex.
Alex unfortunately has a relatively middling degree of function, and therefore he cannot adequately be labeled as either an inspirational example of defying the odds or a tragic example of an illness tearing a family apart.
Alex instead occupies the position of a normal adult fuckup whose disabilities make his life challenging, but not so challenging that he has no voice to complain about it. This greatly annoys his parents, who are at a loss as to how to properly exploit their son.
“What are we supposed to tell our friends? He takes forever to shower and get dressed? How we’re burdened and exhausted having to put his shoes on when he finishes up? Give me a break! No one is going to cry for us over that!” an exasperated Lily complained.
Alex is well aware of the conundrum his family faces.
“Sure, I don’t have a job because no one will hire me. I can’t be a burger flipper even if I wanted to, and even if I were, my folks would be disappointed and want more for me. But that doesn’t make them feel like the center of attention, does it?” he pondered. Then he added, “Lots of adult kids are unemployed and living with their parents, after all. But I get it — my conversational rhythm is terrible. I’m an annoying presence. I piss them off.”
Lionel, clearly exhausted, said, “If he wasn’t going to be a gifted academic or a paralympic athlete, he could’ve at least been a total waste of space!”