There are two sisters with down syndrome who I always see at the library. One of them, without fail, will always ask me for two dollars so they can take the bus. Sometimes I give it to them:
The other day I was sitting in the library's lobby surfing the Internet when I notice the two of them three tables over. And then the strangest thing happens - they start arguing. "I have a boyfriend and he come over anytime he want. You not my boss," the first says. "Mom say you not suppose to have boys in apartment. I tell her and boy not come over," the second replies. It goes silent for a moment and then the one with the boyfriend slams her fist on the table and says - "I put a wig on him and sneak him in. You too dumb to know."
I clear my throat as a hint to let them know they are being too loud and should keep it down. They understand the gesture. It's what happens next that I found both bizarre and funny:
One sister writes a note and gives it the other, she then sticks her tongue out. The other writes something back, mumbles something incomprehensible, sticks her middle finger in the air and pushes it to her sisters forehead. The first sister tries, unsuccessfully, to grab the finger. A few moments pass and the second sister who had the finger to the first sisters forehead writes another note and passes it to her.
"I tell mom you said that," she says after reading the note, "You are bad and you will be in trouble!" She gets up from the table, calls their mother and then begins to walk around in circles - "Mom - Delores saying bad things about me. She write nasty thing as well." I could hear their mothers response on the other end of the line...it wasn't pleasant - "What did I fucking tell you! You two are acting like assholes again! I am so sick of this bullshit! Do you understand?" - she replies in a solemn voice - "Yes mother."
Any way, I presumed the argument was over. It wasn't - "You get me in trouble with mother. You bad and I tell her about boyfriend." Without hesitation the second sister gets up from the table and begins to walk in circles like the first. She then calls their mother - "What did I tell Delores? I said you two had better start fucking behaving. Don't fucking call me again why I am working! Do you understand?" - the second sister responds as the first - "Yes mother."
After their comeuppance they both sit at the table in silence and pass notes back and forth to each other for, what I would guess, thirty minutes. Then their mother arrives. The glare she gave both was chilling - "Let's go," she pipes as she snaps her fingers at them. The two get up from their chairs and sheepishly follow her out the library.
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