I've asked myself several times as my first 20 yrs of life was living with a
disability of dwarfism. I grew up in a small town in Ohio and most of the town
new me because see I'm a dwarf. Going to school in the early years was a
challenge as I was leg braces tromping through the snow to catch the bus to
school. My schoolmates would sometimes call me names or exclude me from
school games. I'll never forget 4th grade as I had an overweight teacher who
had a half inch paddle that if you got hit by it you knew it. Well, one day
the teach was out of the room and and people started throwing paper balls,
erasers and other things at each other. I made the mistake of joining in, but
I threw an Elmer's glue at a kid. He ducked and the bottle broke the glass
fish tank. All the fish in the bowl were all over the floor when the teacher
came back to the room. She called me up to her desk to explain why I was
throwing things and I said everyone else was. Well, that was the wrong answer.
She picked up her paddle and took me out in the hallway and gave me a long
lecture about what happened and how it was wrong. She then told me to bend
over and grab my knees. I was bracing myself for what was coming, but just
when I thought I'd feel the pain I heard three slaps up against the wall. The
teacher and I went back to the room and
you could of heard a pin drop. No one ever thought the teacher would paddle
me. I never said a word to my school mates because I knew consequences if I
said anything.
The night before I went to high school I asked my mother if she thought the
kids would accept me. She encouraged me to ask the athletic coach if I could
be the football manager. That afternoon I asked the coaches and they said
sure. I was ecstatic as this was my way of fitting in and at the same time I
knew that no one would mess with me. Those four years were the most exciting
but challenging time of my life.
I attended a junior college and after a year and a half I got burned out. At
that time my father accepted a job in Kuwait. He asked me if I wanted to go
along and work for his company, I did not hesitate to say yes because I knew
I'd never get this chance again. Kuwait at that time was very peaceful as they
were looking for companies that could get their oil out of the ground. We flew
into Kuwait via Amsterdam. We spent two days in Amsterdam and visited the
canals, what a site. The next day we flew into Kuwait just in time to meet
our dog who we shipped via London. Our dog was happy to see us and after
taking him out of the crate the Kuwait's that were staring at me soon scrambled
when the dog was out. We went to customs to claim our bags and what we
thought was going to be a hassle turned out to be very easy. I found life in
Kuwait was very different then what I thought sure the people there would stare
but once I spoke to them I was
soon accept me. We spent a month at the hotel while waited for out villa
to be finished being built.
Once we moved into the villa it was great. Our house in California paled in
size compared to its tall vaulted ceilings that were in the villa. I went to
work with my father, while my mother unpacked and settled in. There was a
titor we came to our house to help my mother and I Arabic. We learned the
simple words and numbers first because you didn't want to be cheated when going
to the different markets. We had a maid from India move into the maid quarters
outside. Her name was Matilda and I appreciated her very much a she was a
great cook. She made great curry's and dahl which my stomach enjoyed very
much. She was a big help to our family and she would go with me into town to
get fruits, vegetables and Arabic bread for the homas that she would make. that
tasted great.
After about a 1 1/2 years. I decided it was time to come back to school in
California. I moved into a motel apartment and attended classes at the local
junior college. I adjusted to living alone as I feel it help me mature to the
man I have become. The first three semesters went very well, I attended
college and passed my classes. In order to afford monies for gas and extras, I
took a job at a local pool hall. I spent about half my time there and the
owner appreciated my work and moved me up to assistant manager on the
weekends. I'd go to school on Friday and after school I'd go to my job at the
pool hall. until 2am. I learned very quickly to make friends with the
biggest bikers and any one else that I thought would help me keep the peace in
case there were any fights at work. Everyone accepted me as an equal even
though our size was very different. Every once in a while you'd get some
unruly customers but with my new friends and a big
stick behind the counter, I managed to keep the peace very well.
I went to a district Little People convention and met a girl there and I
thought I'd try to develop a relationship with her. In December it will be 30
years.
After 9 yrs of being a quad and all the pain. agony and frustration that seems
to consumed my life, I would rather deal with being a dwarf then the life of be
dependent on others to care for me.
David
