Free Free as a Bird by Gina McMurchy-Barber

I really could leave one day. When I looked at Dr. Lennox his face had turned splotchy red.
    â€œAh, thank you, Mrs. Gentry. Now shall we begin?”
    We was all in that liddle room for a long, long time. Mostly, Mrs. Gentry, Millie, an Dr. Lennox did the talkin. The other doctor did lots a writin on paper. Dr. Lennox sure asked lots a questions bout me. Millie told bout all the bad things I done an Mrs. Gentry told bout all the good things. But with all that talkin my eyes dint wanna stay open for long — nope, I got sleepy an full of imaginations.
    I had a nice dream that I gotta wear a pink-flowered shirt every day. An I made toast an tea for breakfast cause that’s what I wanted to eat — not cold porridge. Susan an me went to the store an I bought her a pink band for her hair. Then we vizzided Norval an brought him muffins I made by myself. In my dream nobody told me what to do — I got to do whatever I wanted …
    â€œRuby Jean, are you listening?” Millie asked.
    Oh-oh — I wasn’t listenin a’tall. I looked up at Millie whose eyes was small an narrow again.
    â€œFor heaven’s sake, wipe the drool off your lip, girl, and sit up.” I rubbed my mouth on my sleeve an tried to listen bedder. “The doctor needs to know if you can do what you’re told.” Millie looked at the doctors. I wondered if they knowed bout me not bein so smart. “Don’t expect much. This patient can be quite uncooperative.”
    â€œWell, if that’s the case, then we’re all wasting our time, aren’t we?” Dr. Lennox said. “But, on the other hand, if these reports are accurate, I’d say we should see what Ruby Jean has learned in the program and whether she’s capable of learning more. So let’s get started, Mrs. Gentry.”
    â€œThere’s nothing to be concerned about, Ruby Jean,” whispered Mrs. Gentry. Then she said out loud, “Now, Ruby Jean, would you please untie your shoes and take them off.”
    I dint knowed why she asked me to do that. But I always did what Mrs. Gentry asked me too — that’s cause I liked her … an cause she liked me too. I pulled apart the laces on both my shoes an loosened em. Then I pulled back the tongue jus like I was sposed to do an took em off my feet.
    â€œThat’s wonderful, dear. Now, if you don’t mind, will you show us how well you can put them on again and then tie your laces?”
    Mrs. Gentry was bein silly. Yup, awful silly — first she asked me to take my shoes off an then to put em back on again. But it dint matter if it was silly, I did what Mrs. Gentry asked.
    In my head I said the shoelace song she taught me: “Criss Cross an under the bridge, gotta pull it tight. Make a loop but keep a tail, that is how to do it right. Then I take the other string, wrap it round the loop. Pull it through the peepin hole, now you’ve got the scoop.”
    â€œThat’s all very well, Mrs. Gentry,” Millie said. “But being able to tie her own shoes doesn’t mean she’s equipped to live outside Woodlands. Quite frankly, I find this all —”
    Dr. Lennox shushed Millie. “Please continue, Ruby Jean.” This time it was Millie’s face that got splotchy red.
    After that I showed em how I can button up buttons an zip zippers an tell red from pink and blue from green. I used the tatoe peeler to take the skin off the tatoe, an cut a carrot into little bits. Finally, Dr. Lennox told me to use the telephone to call Mrs. Gentry. I dint think that was a good idea cause she was sittin in the chair side me, but I dialled her number anyways. Course I knowed she wasn’t gunna answer the telephone — nope, not a’tall.
    After I did all em things everybody stopped payin attention to me an started talkin between themselves. Dr. Lennox said stuff like “cognitive power” and “supervised independent living” and