God Bless Ben

Yesterday, I was in Whole Foods Market, taking a look at the wheat-free pasta items (I’d been doing some reading that suggests that some sinus problems may be related to wheat gluten intolerance). Anyhow, all of a sudden, I could feel the presence of a person standing very close to me. I looked up, and there was a young man (late teens?) standing well within my “personal space.”

He says, “Are you autistic?”

“No,” I replied. Where is this conversation going???

“I’m autistic, and I can’t eat wheat.”

“Really? I've heard that many autistic people have problems with wheat.” (I really had.)

“When I eat wheat, I get all bloated, and I fart a lot.”

“Really!” I look down the aisle and see a woman that I presume was his mother burying her face in her hands. “When I eat beans, I get really gassy,” I said.

“I like to fart,” he said…and his mother starts coming down the aisle to pry him out of my way.

“What’s your name,” I said.

“Ben. Who are you?”

“I’m Lisa. I’m very glad to meet you, Ben. It’s been an enlightening conversation! Thank you!”

“THANK YOU,” his mother mouths as she takes his arm and leads him away.

God bless Ben! He totally made my day.