My name is Francesca, and I'm almost ten years old. I live with my sisters Maria and Anna and my parents in a family home called The Wagon. There are eight disabled teenagers living here: Carla, Rita, Silvia, Sabina, Mimmo, Stefano, Pablo, and Alberto. Every morning Dad drives them to school along with Anna and me. I feel a bit embarrassed because we have to jump down from the van's tailgate, though at least we always arrive early. Pablo is convinced that he's the one taking me to school.
I call the house where the teenagers live the big house. It's beautiful, painted red, and very spacious. Maria, Anna, and I play in the hallway—our favorite is "midnight witch."
Stefano scolds me when I touch his copy of Famiglia Cristiana without asking. I really like his smile. Rita is always wanting to go home, and sometimes her complaining bothers me—she tells me off if I get up from the table. But in the end, Rita is my favorite.
When I was smaller, Carla and I would play hand games together. She always makes coffee when we have guests.
Mimmo was the first person to come to the house, so I got attached to him right away, even though he hardly ever talks to me.
Silvia has a diet she never sticks to. Sometimes I catch her sneaking bread and other things she shouldn't eat. But she's always giving me and my sisters chewing gum.
Pablo uses a wheelchair. He loves hearing the goodnight song we made up. Every evening Dad plays guitar while we sing and dance.
Sabina can't see or speak, but she makes sounds and sometimes pinches me. People say she can't hear well, but when we kids argue and make a lot of noise, it seems like she responds to us.
Alberto uses a wheelchair too. He doesn't talk, but like Sabina, he makes sounds. He watches everyone around him very carefully. Anna plays with him all the time.
I spend time with them—sometimes in the afternoon when I get home from school, doing activities. When I was littler, I helped the teenagers plant seedlings in pots. I did addition and subtraction with Stefano. On Wednesday afternoons, Iole and Gregorio come over and do workshops with the teenagers. After I get back from athletics and finish my homework, I go to the big house. I love doing crafts and learning new things.
We eat lunch and dinner together as one group, except on Wednesdays and Sunday nights. I always want to know who's staying overnight. I've written down everyone's birthdays on the computer—the teenagers', the staff's, the volunteers'. It's my job to remind everyone so Mum can make a birthday banner and bake a cake. Anna, being the youngest, blows out Sabina's and Alberto's candles. We celebrate birthdays at dinner, starting the day before and going into the day after.
I'm happy living in this family home because it's always full of people.