Everything, Everything

My disease is as rare as it is famous. It-s a form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, but basically, I-m allergic to the world. I don-t leave my house, have not left my house in fifteen years.

The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives. New next door neighbors.

I look out the window, and I see him. He-s tall, lean a My disease is as rare as it is famous. It-s a form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, but basically, I-m allergic to the world.

I don-t leave my house, have not left my house in fifteen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives.

New next door neighbors. I look out the window, and I see him. He-s tall, lean and wearing all black-black t-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely.

He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

I want to learn everything about him, and I do. I learn that he is funny and fierce. I learn that his eyes are Atlantic Ocean-blue and that his vice is stealing silverware.

I learn that when I talk to him, my whole world opens up, and I feel myself starting to change-starting to want things. To want out of my bubble. To want everything, everything the world has to offer.

Maybe we can-t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It-s almost certainly going to be a disaster.