Anything Else?

It was a beautiful Sunday, God’s day of rest. Blue skies, a chill in the air. No heat on, but the electric fireplace, and definitely no air conditioning turned on. Windows all shut, and I hate this, because I love fresh air.

We had no plans, since I worked so hard yesterday, cleaning the house. I was going to laze and Al was watching television, when my son came down and invited us both to go to Fort Wayne to a car show, that just happened to be at the restaurant, The Quick Lube. Al loves that place. I posted pics of it a few months back. This place is all about cars and women standing near cars. Most of the women were at the back though, by the male restroom door, go figure. There are also real miniature race cars hanging from the ceilings. Al thinks this is cooler than the cat’s meow!

Although, he has great struggles with moving, his brain was anxious to get his shoes and socks and jacket on and said yes! I want to go, can we go nice sister? Get that, trying to butter me up by calling me nice. LOL I said alright, I know you would love it, so let’s go and save being lazy for another day.

We followed them up there and went to the restaurant parking lot, but there was no car show going on. We parked and my son made some phone calls and discovered it didn’t start until 4pm. He wanted to know what we should do since it was only 1:30. I suggested eating, as Al needs to be on his medication schedule, and they agreed.

We all got out and Al was slow but we all made it. Al just used his cane to go in, as the scooter would not be welcome in this place. As soon as we go in, Al has to use the mens room, and since I had to use the lady’s room, I walked back with him. I went and came out, and Al did not. I waited and waited, still nothing. I kept wondering to myself, should I ask a nice guy going in or coming out to check on him? Men came and went, but no Al.

Slowly, I cracked open the door, and yelled his name, and he answered. Well, he is still standing, I think to myself. I ask him  if he is alright and he says yes, that he is hurrying. Another ten minutes goes by. My son and his family have been seated now about fifteen minutes, and I am hoping they have taken the initiative to go ahead and order.

Finally, Al comes out, and he is just beaming ear to ear. I don’t know what could be so exciting about peeing, and I was not going to ask. I told him to let’s go, the others are waiting. We get to the main entrance where waiters and staffers are heavily trafficking, and all of a sudden, Al stops dead in his tracks. I think, oh no, his legs are frozen again. He says, Terry, guess what, and I look at him still smiling and slowly, with hesitation say what. He says I did it! I say you did what. He says I went poop and he shows me a diagram with his hands that it was definitely a large. He says this  in front of everyone, you don’t need to give me that poop medicine tonight, because I went a whole bunch.

I died, right there I died. I didn’t have to check myself in my compact mirror, I knew my face was burning hot. People around started snickering and laughing out loud. One kid I noticed plugged his nose and was laughing. I took a nice deep breath and smiling at Al, I stated calmly, that is wonderful bub, now let’s go to our seats.

We ordered and I tried not to look at the few tables near us that overheard Al’s exciting story, and our food finally came and we dug in. I never let on to my son what had happened, I just wanted to forget it.

When we got up to leave and everyone was outside, Al’s legs froze. No moving, no marching, no baby steps, no mother may I. He and I struggled for about fifteen minutes, and we were not being very successful. He would take a shuffle, then stop, then try again, then stop.

The car looked like it was ten miles away, and Al was bent over in half, telling me he could not stand up much longer. I begged him to keep standing telling him how cold and hard the cement was. Standing in the background was my son and his girlfriend,  just watching…..

I yelled over at my son and shook my head no, but he seemed like he didn’t get the picture, so I yelled, I need help now!! He walks over and says what, and I say please, please grab his other arm to help me to keep his balance. He says that I need to go get the car, and inside I am thinking uh yep, but how am I going to get it and leave him here with just you. I looked at him and Al and I said to my son, do you think you can hold him up while I run and get the car? I don’t think I waited for an answer, because all I remember is running, ya me run, huffing and puffing at my middle-aged speed. I got the car and raced over to where he was and I mentioned that I needed a wheelchair. My son says you don’t need no stupid wheelchair. I say yes we do, because by the time I get the scooter out of the trunk and all put together, he will have fallen to the ground. The cane is useless now. He is too weak for it.

I get him in the car, and then I light up a cigarette and thank God for helping Al to stand while I got the car. They wanted to go to the Halloween store, and so we followed them there, and this time, I got the scooter out and he rode it through the store, laughing at all the spooky items. After this store, they knew of one more, so I broke down the scooter by myself, and put it in the trunk,, and I had loaded Al already and we went to the other spooky store.

I unload the scooter again by myself, and put it together, and get Al out of the car and into the seat. We go in, and get about a fourth of the way through the store, and I saw this beautiful red, feathery, glitter face mask and I wanted to take a photo shot of it so I could show all of you its beauty. I handed my camera to my daughter-in-law, and she is turning the camera in the right position, and she drops it. It is in slow motion in my mind,as I am standing there watching it fall to the cement floor, lens first. Pieces break and scatter on the floor. My son tries to fix it but it can not be fixed. He was embarrassed I think, and she said that she didn’t mean to do it. I placed the camera back in my purse, and now I do not have a camera. I don’t know if they are going to try to get it fixed, or if I have to go buy a new camera,or maybe my son will try to fix it, I  just don’t know. I should not feel this way, but I felt like I lost one of my close friends.

By then it was getting late afternoon, and I think the camera incident sort of ruined the fun. They decided it was too late to go to the car show and they had to go pick up their son from family’s house, and so Al and I came home. On the way home, Al wanted a coke, so I stopped at a gas station and got some coffee and him a diet coke, and we splurged and each got a small cake doughnut.

As soon as we got home, he headed to his bed, and I am sitting here waiting for him to get up so I can fix supper