“How long have you wanted this?” his mother asked. Slowly, Andy lifted his head. He was surprised to discover that his parents weren’t angry. They were concerned and a little bewildered, but not mad.
“A long time,” Andy replied. “I don’t know why. I kinda wish that I didn’t, but I do.”
His mother and father exchanged long glances, their eyes blank slates for Andy to project his anxiety. What if they try to have me sent away?, he thought. What if…
“Your mother and I talked this over,” his father said. “And I also discussed it with a doctor in my building, someone who works with children. We feel…” He paused, looking to his wife for confirmation, and Andy’s mother nodded with her lips pressed tightly together. “…that if this is something you want, something you really want, that we should let you have it.”