Mark Flores sits at the kitchen table drawing birthday cakes. At 44, he loves to draw circles, a skill heâs mastered over the past decade of his life. His thick black hair is neatly combed like the Superman cartoon on his T-shirt. Grasping thick Crayola markers, he lines up small circles in rows within larger oblong shapes. Mark has accomplished much more than his mother, Yvette, was told he ever could when he was born â when doctors said he wouldnât be able to interact with people because of his intellectual disabilities.
Instead, Mark greets most people with a big, toothy smile, stoops over to give them a hug if theyâre willing, and is quick to answer most questions with an enthusiastic âyeah.â
When Mark coughs at the table, Yvette asks him if he needs water. âYou donât have to, Mark, you can say no,â she says, her soft brown eyes behind black cat-eye glasses. âWeâre learning âno,ââ she says to me as an aside. Like her son, sheâs quick to flash a smile. Her dark hair falls loosely around her shoulders, streaked with silver against her face.
Yvette was working at a factory in the early days of Silicon Valley when she got pregnant with Mark. An …
Written by Justine Calma
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