does it mean?” she asked in a soft voice. “I know it doesn’t have to do with hippopotamuses.”
Mr. Summers’ lips crept into a smile.
“No, Ms. Know Everything. It’s horseback riding therapy. Hippo is the Latin word for horse. Hippopotamus actually means water horse ,” he explained.
“Oh,” Katani answered, relieved. She couldn’t wait to somehow bring this up in front of Charlotte. The word nerd would be very impressed with her.
“We called the stable that the physical therapist recommended—the High Hopes Riding Stable,” her mother said.” “They have an immediate opening and can accept Kelley right away.”
Katani looked up at the hopeful tone in her mother’s voice. “That’s great,” Katani said, still wondering what all this had to do with her.
Her parents looked at each other.
“Well, Katani,” her father started. “Horseback-riding therapy helps improve many, many aspects of autistic kids’ lives. We feel very lucky to have found a stable that has a therapeutic riding program for autistic kids—one that had an opening.”
“Uh-huh,” Katani nodded, becoming suspicious. She knew her parents didn’t call her into the room to describe her sister’s therapy.
“Well,” her mother continued. “Claudia McClelland, the director at the stable, says it helps if the autistic child has a peer role model….”
The term “peer role model” set off alarms in Katani’s head. She’d heard this term before, many times before. It meant they liked to have a “normal kid” to cue Kelley on how to behave. Someone Kelley was familiar with, and someone close to her age. Usually, that meant Katani.
Mrs. Summers kept on, but Katani had zoned out. The idea of climbing on top of a 1,000-pound animal wasn’t her cup of tea. She just wanted to go back to her room and plan her outfit for tomorrow.
“So what do you think?” her mother asked.
“Think about what?”
“About accompanying your sister to therapeutic horseback riding lessons?”
“You mean like walking her there, like I took her to the physical therapist?” Katani asked, wondering how far away this place was. There weren’t any riding stables within walking distance that she knew of.
“No, your grandmother will be driving you to the riding stable.” Her mother was starting to look exasperated.
“So why do I have to go?”
Her mother sighed.
“Ms. McClelland says it’s easier for autistic children if they have a peer role model.”
There was that phrase again.
“Me? I’m supposed to be her peer role model?”
“Yes.”
“What do I have to do?”
Her parents made eye contact again.
“Katani, you’d be taking riding lessons as well,” her father explained.
“What! No! I’m scared of horses. They’re enormous. I don’t like this idea at all!”
“Neither does Kelley, but it would be so much easier for her if…”
“Easier for her? What about me! Does anyone ever think about what I might like to do? How I might like to spend my free time?”
“Katani…” her mother started.
“No way! Mom, I have enough to worry about withschool and all the things I want to do. And now Marty is lost and I have to help. Can’t Patrice do it?”
“Patrice is in high school with an intense workload, and she has basketball practice every day. And you know that we are hoping for an athletic scholarship for her.”
“Well…can’t you find someone else?”
“Katani,” her mother tried to sound optimistic, “look on the bright side. This could be fun for you.”
“Fun? When have I ever given you the idea that sitting on top of some old horse was my idea of fun? I don’t want to.”
“Well…Katani,” her father said in a strained voice. “We were hoping that you’d want to. But the fact is that everything has already been arranged.”
“What? My opinion doesn’t even count? You have got to be kidding me. That’s so unfair.”
“Katani…”
Her mother tried to describe the benefits and how
Mr. Summers’ lips crept into a smile.
“No, Ms. Know Everything. It’s horseback riding therapy. Hippo is the Latin word for horse. Hippopotamus actually means water horse ,” he explained.
“Oh,” Katani answered, relieved. She couldn’t wait to somehow bring this up in front of Charlotte. The word nerd would be very impressed with her.
“We called the stable that the physical therapist recommended—the High Hopes Riding Stable,” her mother said.” “They have an immediate opening and can accept Kelley right away.”
Katani looked up at the hopeful tone in her mother’s voice. “That’s great,” Katani said, still wondering what all this had to do with her.
Her parents looked at each other.
“Well, Katani,” her father started. “Horseback-riding therapy helps improve many, many aspects of autistic kids’ lives. We feel very lucky to have found a stable that has a therapeutic riding program for autistic kids—one that had an opening.”
“Uh-huh,” Katani nodded, becoming suspicious. She knew her parents didn’t call her into the room to describe her sister’s therapy.
“Well,” her mother continued. “Claudia McClelland, the director at the stable, says it helps if the autistic child has a peer role model….”
The term “peer role model” set off alarms in Katani’s head. She’d heard this term before, many times before. It meant they liked to have a “normal kid” to cue Kelley on how to behave. Someone Kelley was familiar with, and someone close to her age. Usually, that meant Katani.
Mrs. Summers kept on, but Katani had zoned out. The idea of climbing on top of a 1,000-pound animal wasn’t her cup of tea. She just wanted to go back to her room and plan her outfit for tomorrow.
“So what do you think?” her mother asked.
“Think about what?”
“About accompanying your sister to therapeutic horseback riding lessons?”
“You mean like walking her there, like I took her to the physical therapist?” Katani asked, wondering how far away this place was. There weren’t any riding stables within walking distance that she knew of.
“No, your grandmother will be driving you to the riding stable.” Her mother was starting to look exasperated.
“So why do I have to go?”
Her mother sighed.
“Ms. McClelland says it’s easier for autistic children if they have a peer role model.”
There was that phrase again.
“Me? I’m supposed to be her peer role model?”
“Yes.”
“What do I have to do?”
Her parents made eye contact again.
“Katani, you’d be taking riding lessons as well,” her father explained.
“What! No! I’m scared of horses. They’re enormous. I don’t like this idea at all!”
“Neither does Kelley, but it would be so much easier for her if…”
“Easier for her? What about me! Does anyone ever think about what I might like to do? How I might like to spend my free time?”
“Katani…” her mother started.
“No way! Mom, I have enough to worry about withschool and all the things I want to do. And now Marty is lost and I have to help. Can’t Patrice do it?”
“Patrice is in high school with an intense workload, and she has basketball practice every day. And you know that we are hoping for an athletic scholarship for her.”
“Well…can’t you find someone else?”
“Katani,” her mother tried to sound optimistic, “look on the bright side. This could be fun for you.”
“Fun? When have I ever given you the idea that sitting on top of some old horse was my idea of fun? I don’t want to.”
“Well…Katani,” her father said in a strained voice. “We were hoping that you’d want to. But the fact is that everything has already been arranged.”
“What? My opinion doesn’t even count? You have got to be kidding me. That’s so unfair.”
“Katani…”
Her mother tried to describe the benefits and how
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