Cracking Up!

Chapter 4

 

CHAPTER 4

ADJUSTING

 

 

As usual, my plans didn’t come to fruition. Imagine that! Dad hung around another three days. He spent three days looking at wheelchairs. Seriously? Three days? Well, he could be a bit anal when it came to buying certain items. Since Julie would be using this day-in-day-out, he wanted only the best and by God he succeeded. Damn thing cost over $1,000. Once he picked out the perfect four wheel contraption, he triumphantly announced, “I’m leaving.” Thank God. I would have gone nuts if he’d stayed one more day. His parting words were, “Don’t worry about paying me back son, you’re good for it. I’ll add it to the balance sheet.” Gee, thanks Dad.

Despite it being a tough go with him around, I really did appreciate his help. I learned how to help Julie get in and out of the chair. Dad, being the safety consummate engineer, showed me all the correct techniques to help her in and out without blowing out my back. I thought I could treat her like a sack of potatoes and just toss her in and out of the chair. Not the case. No, not all. There is a true technique when helping someone in and out of a chair. For that, I was grateful. His constant badgering about me finding a job, not so much. But I really did have some good leads.

Mom was a saint. She never said a word or complained. She did the laundry, cleaned the house and cooked meals, without asking for anything. Wish Dad would have done the same at times, but then, he wouldn’t be Dad.

By the time he left, life was returning to normal, or normal as could be. Mom did her thing and I helped Julie when she needed help. Didn’t matter if it is was dressing, showering or exercising; it was like when we were first married. She also let me talk to her clients, letting them know her status and when she’d be back in the saddle. And on top of that, I was up for a real interview with a start-up company inPlano. They didn’t know about my past and didn’t care. They were impressed with the resume, but to top it off, they remembered me from my playing days at OSU. Like many at the championship game that day, they felt terrible when my knee blew-out. Things were looking up!

 

* * *

 

Three months later, we were back on track. The new job was going great guns. I was back in my environment: twelve hour days, five days a week, plenty of jobs to bid, materials to order, and estimating—my true passion. Julie was catching up where she left off. Sure, she lost an antsy client or two who just couldn’t wait to have their dream home. It hurt her when she lost a client, but keeping with her style, she wished them the best and would suggest a different realtor. It kind of upset her, but in the long run, she was setting up future clients and working relationships. We couldn’t be happier. And then the pain started.

Doctor Anderson warned her about the discs. He’d suggested surgery was the only real way to correct the damage, but she and I weren’t ready for another lengthy hospital stay. We were still trying to catch up with the last round of bills. She believed taking more pain meds would ease the problem, but the higher dosages were interfering with her work. Some days, she couldn’t pick up her phone she was so stoned. She was loopy as hell. We agreed. She should check out the chiropractor Doctor Anderson recommended. She dug through the hospital paperwork until she found the card. She read the name slow and slurred, Doctor Drew Waters.