I knew it was wrong and creepy, but I searched through a few social media websites until I found her. Most of her page was friends-only, but to my great relief, it didn’t seem that she was married.
From what I could gather from the few photos that were publicly visible, she liked hiking on a forest trail, big family dinners, and a few people that it looked like she had gone to school with. She was absolutely beaming in one photo where they all had their arms around each other. There was a photo of her with two other girls that must have been her sisters.
Everything about her was sweet and pure. Being near her energy was like turning on a light bulb inside me that had been burnt out for...a while.
I’ve never looked forward to a physical therapy session in my life, but I could not wait until Friday morning. I found myself doing the strangest things without even quite realizing why.
I scrubbed both the inside and outside of my truck, just in case she saw it. I got a haircut. I found a much nicer t-shirt and shorts.
For the first time since I was able to walk without crutches, I practiced walking more naturally, straightening up so that I was my full height. Luckily, this fancy cane my brother had found for me had a telescoping base, so I was able to make it two inches longer.
By the time I drove up to the clinic Friday a few minutes early, I was so excited to see Molly I felt like a nervous schoolboy with a huge crush.
Even though I parked around back, this time I went around to walk in the front door. Several of the staff who had worked with me over the past few months gave me a big nod and smile, obviously noticing that I was improving.
Even the pinch-faced woman who ran the clinic looked impressed. Yet I didn’t care about any of them. My eyes were scanning the lobby almost desperately for Molly.
Finally, she came out of the main room, holding the arm of an elderly lady whom she delivered to a waiting gentleman who was probably her husband. “See you next week, Mrs. Lopez,” she said brightly.
The second her eyes turned to me, her smile shifted. Walking straight to me, she tipped up her chin. “You’ve gotten taller, Mr. Little,” she smiled. “Were you a good boy who did all of his exercises this week?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said. “Every one, every single day. I’ll be expecting that gold star on my chart.”
> Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the friendly receptionist nudged the boss, and they both glanced in our direction. Molly’s laugh made everything else disappear as she led me into the back room.
Once again, our session went brilliantly, and this time I forced myself to be more chatty. I mentioned looking forward to taking long, slow walks in the forest someday soon, and her eyes lit up.
“There are amazing hiking trails just a twenty-minute drive from here,” she said excitedly. “I talk my sisters into coming with me sometimes.”
I had to practically bite my lip so that I wouldn’t suggest that I could go with her. Even if I couldn’t walk the full trail yet, I would love to keep her company on the drive.
“You know,” she said, “the shortest trail is wide and flat, so that people can go through with strollers and show their little kids the forest. That would be an amazing trail for you to start on.”
“How about this,” I said. “You tell me when you think I’m ready to go on the kiddie hike, then maybe you could give me directions?”
“Perfect.”
As she ran me through the shoulder stretches, my hand nearly darted out to graze her cheek. Her delicate skin looked so soft that I just had to know what it really felt like. Whoa, dude, hitting on your therapist? It was genuinely possible that I was finally losing my grip on reality after the strangely stressful time I’d been through.
After the stretching and exercises, I managed to keep my focus during the massage, except when she hit that one spot on my leg. Gritting my teeth, I stayed silent, but Molly picked up on my expression.
“Sorry,” she said. “It really shouldn’t be so sore there. I’ll make a note for your doctor to check next time you’re in.”
“Please don’t,” I said quickly. “I can’t stand going for those stupid scans again. I thought that part was finished.”
She looked uncomfortable, her mouth tightening. “If there’s something out of place, I’m supposed to make a note.”
“It’s just a mushy spot,” I tried to smile. “With the whole area healing, it’s going to put pressure in weird places. If it’s not better in a month, maybe we’ll look into it then.”
She wagged a light pink-tipped finger at me. “If you promise to do all of your exercises every single day, I’ll let it go for this week.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I slid off the table, grabbing my cane and following her out to the main room. I could see the receptionist waving to her.
“Have a great week,” I said. “I’m just going to use the washroom before I leave.”
“Good work today,” she said, patting the back of my shoulder gently. “Even though I don’t have real stickers, I’m giving you an imaginary gold star.”