What My Adult Autism Diagnosis Finally Explained

Six years ago, my now-husband, Sam, asked my father if he could marry me. They sat in my dad’s Volvo in my parents’ driveway in San Antonio, Texas. It was raining. With Sam, my father would offer wisdom that was far more demonstrative and thoughtful than any insights he had ever shared with me. And even as I understood that transitive properties were at work and that my father loved Sam for loving me, I felt there was a closeness between them that I would never know.

My father was a workaholic. Quick to anger. By the time my husband came along, he’d softened. He’d become gentle. He laughed easily. He’d started indulging in that old-man habit of incessantly humming. The first time he met Sam, he hugged him. I was appalled. This was a man who shook my hand in greeting even after months of separation as though I were a business associate whose presence he merely endured.

In the car, my father told Sam how happy he had made him. He said that Sam and I would build our lives brick by brick with intention and love and that we had all the time in the world because we were not beholden to anyone’s happiness but our own.

As they got out, my father stopped Sam before they returned to the house. He held out a business card in both hands to denote respect, honor, mutual care. “Just so you know,” he warned, “she has a difficult character. Please give me a call if there are any issues.”

Same sex relationships are illegal in Cameroon, but that’s not stopping the president’s daughter from posting. Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark will play on the same team for their debut WNBA All-Star game. The 2024 Comedy Pet Photography Award winners have been released. You can also see the best entries (so far) in the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards, or spy on millions of sleeping butterflies and more science shots curated by Nature’s photo team. Meanwhile, air travel continues to be a nightmare. Like, truly horrendous. On the new music front, Quavo and Lana Del Rey released their new song “Tough,” and it comes with a music video. And Rihanna knows it’s “wild hypocritical,” of her to ask, but we’d also like to know when we’re getting GloRilla’s album. Lastly, some tips for keeping your dog calm during fireworks displays. We’re taking a long weekend for the Fourth of July. We’ll see you on Monday!

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