I
Ron sat quietly, staring out the large window that stretched across the rear wall of the living room and studied the hills far off in the distance while Ben performed his ritual of lightly tugging and straightening and smoothing out his pant legs, stopping at times to pick off specks of lint or dust.
“There’s some green coming in,” Ron said, still staring out.
“Yeah. I know. My nose knows. My sinuses knows.”
“Already?”
“I can tell you what is coming into bloom just by how inflamed I get.”
“No.”
“No.”
“Elm and hack berry are the culprits right now.”
Ben gave one last brush of Ron’s pants and reached for the large strap in the sack hanging down from the rear of Ron’s wheelchair. He deftly slipped the band through Ron’s arms, across his chest and secured Ron to the chair.
“Not too bad right now. But in another week…” Ben turned and went through a coughing fit.
“Are you sure it’s not your smoking?”
“Nah. The hack berry.”
Yeah. Right.” Ron turned from Ben, letting him finish his coughing spell on his own and continued to study the hills.
Still coughing, Ben picked up a fleece blanket from a nearby chair and tucked it in around Ron.
“This going to be enough?”
“I think so.”
“I think so.”
Ben gave the blanket a couple more tucks with his hand, straightened it out the edges and then turned his attention to Ron’s hair, giving it some light attention with a few strokes of his fingers.
“Okay. Ready?”
“Yep. Let’s go.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You seem tired.”
“I’m fine. I want to go.”
“You’re sweating.”
“Am I?”
“Are you hot?”
“No. I guess I’m getting excited.”
“There’s not something pinching you, is there?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Let me check.”
Ben removed the blanket and checked to see if Ron’s catheter was caught beneath his leg.
“Everything okay?”
“The tube is.”
Ben unsnapped the belt that he just placed around Ron , let it drape to the sides and then unhooked the chair’s upper belt that held Ron upright.
“What are you doing? Getting me totally undressed?”
“You would like that, wouldn’t you?
“Not from you.”
I
Ron sat quietly, staring out the large window that stretched across the rear wall of the living room and studied the hills far off in the distance while Ben performed his ritual of lightly tugging and straightening and smoothing out his pant legs, stopping at times to pick off specks of lint or dust.
“There’s some green coming in,” Ron said, still staring out.
“Yeah. I know. My nose knows. My sinuses knows.”
“Already?”
“I can tell you what is coming into bloom just by how inflamed I get.”
“No.”
“No.”
“Elm and hack berry are the culprits right now.”
Ben gave one last brush of Ron’s pants and reached for the large strap in the sack hanging down from the rear of Ron’s wheelchair. He deftly slipped the band through Ron’s arms, across his chest and secured Ron to the chair.
“Not too bad right now. But in another week…” Ben turned and went through a coughing fit.
“Are you sure it’s not your smoking?”
“Nah. The hack berry.”
Yeah. Right.” Ron turned from Ben, letting him finish his coughing spell on his own and continued to study the hills.
Still coughing, Ben picked up a fleece blanket from a nearby chair and tucked it in around Ron.
“This going to be enough?”
“I think so.”
“I think so.”
Ben gave the blanket a couple more tucks with his hand, straightened it out the edges and then turned his attention to Ron’s hair, giving it some light attention with a few strokes of his fingers.
“Okay. Ready?”
“Yep. Let’s go.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You seem tired.”
“I’m fine. I want to go.”
“You’re sweating.”
“Am I?”
“Are you hot?”
“No. I guess I’m getting excited.”
“There’s not something pinching you, is there?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Let me check.”
Ben removed the blanket and checked to see if Ron’s catheter was caught beneath his leg.
“Everything okay?”
“The tube is.”
Ben unsnapped the belt that he just placed around Ron , let it drape to the sides and then unhooked the chair’s upper belt that held Ron upright.
“What are you doing? Getting me totally undressed?”
“You would like that, wouldn’t you?
“Not from you.”
Ben pulled Ron forward, letting Ron’s head rest against Ben’s chest.
“Oomph.”
“You’re fine.”
“I know. I just like to say that.”
“Good for your lungs.”
“I’m not so sure if your breast up my nose is.”
Ben kept Ron’s head leaned against his chest as he worked his hands down the back of Ron’s shirt.
“A little wrinkled, but nothing that should be causing any problems.”
“Like I said, just a bit excited.”
“Yeah, well…”
Ben reached further forward, squeezing Ron’s head even tighter as Ben reached his hands down under Ron’s pants.
“You’re suffocating me.”
“I’m almost done.”
One more feel along both edges of Ron’s pants and a final run of his hands along the back of Ron’s shirt.
“Okay.”
“Fine?”
“Yeah. I think you’re just nervous.”
“That’s what I said.”
“Well, what do you know, anyhow?”
Ben pushed Ron back up.
“Oomph.”
“Again with the oomph.”
“I like the oomph. The oomph is good.”
“Hmm.”
“What now?”
‘You’re tilting.”
Ben leaned over, reached both hands down and grabbed the back edges of Ron’s pants along the belt line. He gave a quick tug which shifted Ron in his chair. Ben stood back and reviewed his work.
“Much better.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”
Ben pulled Ron forward, letting Ron’s head rest against Ben’s chest.
“Oomph.”
“You’re fine.”
“I know. I just like to say that.”
“Good for your lungs.”
“I’m not so sure if your breast up my nose is.”
Ben kept Ron’s head leaned against his chest as he worked his hands down the back of Ron’s shirt.
“A little wrinkled, but nothing that should be causing any problems.”
“Like I said, just a bit excited.”
“Yeah, well…”
Ben reached further forward, squeezing Ron’s head even tighter as Ben reached his hands down under Ron’s pants.
“You’re suffocating me.”
“I’m almost done.”
One more feel along both edges of Ron’s pants and a final run of his hands along the back of Ron’s shirt.
“Okay.”
“Fine?”
“Yeah. I think you’re just nervous.”
“That’s what I said.”
“Well, what do you know, anyhow?”
Ben pushed Ron back up.
“Oomph.”
“Again with the oomph.”
“I like the oomph. The oomph is good.”
“Hmm.”
“What now?”
‘You’re tilting.”
Ben leaned over, reached both hands down and grabbed the back edges of Ron’s pants along the belt line. He gave a quick tug which shifted Ron in his chair. Ben stood back and reviewed his work.
“Much better.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”
copyright © 2012 Philip Zweig. All rights reserved.
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