Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

My name is Shawn McDaniel and I’m 14. I’d like to share my story with you, but first, you have to know that I have some good news and some bad news. I’ll share the good news first, because that’s how it always works. I have a secret, wonderful, weird ability. I can remember everything I’ve ever heard, “perfectly, with total recall”. Anything anyone says, TV commercials, elevator Muzak, everything. I’ve been able to do this since I was four. “I hope I’m not coming off as conceited here. I’m sure I am. I mean, I do think that my hearing memory is kind of amazing, but it’s not like it’s made me rich or famous. I just happen to have this one talent that I know makes me gifted and special-yuck! I hate that word “special” when it’s applied to people.” So that’s the good news. On to the bad, and there happens to be a lot of that. “My being born changed everything for all of us, in every way. My dad didn’t divorce my mom, or my sister, Cindy, or my brother, Paul—he divorced me. He couldn’t handle my condition, so he had to leave. My condition? Well, that brings us to the guts of my bad news.” Bad news is to the world I’m a total retard. That’s what everyone thinks, but that’s not the truth. The truth is I have cerebral palsy. “When I was born I got brain damaged. A tiny blood vessel burst inside my head, and as luck would have it, this blood vessel was in exactly 100 percent the wrong spot. I don’t know enough about the brain to be able to say where in my brain this injury happened but wherever it was, it wiped out my muscle control. I can’t control any of my muscles. If you asked me to blink if I understand, I can’t make myself do it, even though I do understand. So you see, people think I’m a vegetable. They think I can’t hear, I can’t understand, and that I don’t know what’s going on. It’s so frustrating. It’s like I’m STUCK IN NEUTRAL. But that’s not the worst news of all. Maybe I shouldn’t even tell you. I think my dad is going to kill me…