I’ve written about, old Willie, a man in a wheelchair I see some mornings. https://athingirl.com/2015/12/15/
Our first few encounters didn’t go too well, he being fiercely independent, me determined to help. But in the last few months, Willie and I have become pals.
Every now and then, he disappears, either to Atlantic City to play the slots, or the Veterans Hospital for his ensuing diabetes he doesn’t like to talk about. Along with spine issues, his body, is pretty well fried.
One morning tooling down Lex, I hear someone yelling. “Joan, Joan!” He calls me Joan, as in Arc, after I called myself that once, to be funny. I turn around and there he is, all smiles in his favorite red tweed cap waving for me to come over. As I get nearer, he tells me to stop.
“Watch this,” he says, as he proceeds to do wheelies with the grace of Rudolph Nureyev. Now, it’s only 5 a.m., so there’s no one around in the inky darkness but me, a delivery man dropping off newspapers, a cabbie parked eating a Danish, and an ambulance driver napping in his truck.
After the show Willie says, still sporting that first-class grin…
“I got me, a brand new chair.”.
SB
.
Ride on Willie … ride on!
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You’re so funny. I’m in Starbucks and he’s across the room looking like a casino owner reeking of aftershave. I’ve never seen him look so happy.
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Hahahaha! He’s got the “new wheels” fever.
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Yeah…makes you want a new car. 🙂
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That new chair will make his life so much more comfortable, and he wanted to share the news with you, Joan!
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Yes, Joan of Bark.
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High-ho Silver! Change your name: Joan to Tonto.
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I’ll think about it. 🙂
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Bet he could hardly wait to see you so he could share his good news. Obviously he sees you as a friend.
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I was happy for him…and quite a humbling event to witness.
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