I tried focusing on the game and my bitterness of not having grown up with anything other than the Blue Jays to cheer for. The girl continued eating, and I stole glances her way occasionally. Finally, as one inning ended, I looked over and noticed they had gone. I could just barely see them through the window in the parking lot, and the young one grimaced as she made her way about, crutches under her arms.
3
MALIA
Saturdays at the university were usually filled to the absolute brim with things to do. Either I had projects to finish, things to study, games to watch, or sleep to catch up on. I wasn’t much for the partying scene, but occasionally I would get dragged out to one. By the time Sunday rolled around, I was usually exhausted and ready for a day of pajamas and bad TV or a visit from my sister and a dinner out.
My first Saturday in Ashford was decidedly different. For one, there was no test to study for and no projects to finish. School was on pause. While there were some games I could watch, none of them were pressing, and without the need to study the presentation or the players for preparation purposes, which only left being interested in good matchups. None of which were happening.
So, I had nothing going on, nothing enough that I slept in until eight on a Saturday, an unheard of time for me, then got up to take a long bath.
Baths were considerably harder now. Showers were completely out of the realm of possibility for the moment, but baths were still difficult, as I needed to unwrap my bandage, clean off the wound, wash it, and then keep it propped up and out of the tub while I washed everything else. Also, since I was still like freaking Bambi on one leg, I needed to make sure Dee was around and could help me if I needed her.
I tried to make sure I wouldn’t, though. Preparation was key. A weighted cushion in the tub made it easier to get in and out, along with the bar on the wall that was there when Dee moved in. I had all the clean clothes that I would need, including a new bandage that sitting on the bathroom counter, and my crutches were by the door for when I was dressed. The body soap, shampoo, and conditioner that I would need were laid out before I turned the water on, and I had towels stacked on the little rack by the tub. I even lit a candle and sat it in the sink so it couldn’t possibly burn out of control. It filled the air with a pleasant smell of lilac.
I had sunk my body deep in the water, finally clean and resting my stump on the water table I’d bought just for that purpose, when there was a knock on the door. I sighed. As much as I didn’t want to be interrupted while I relaxed, it was probably a good thing. The meds I had switched to no longer made my stomach uneasy, but they did make me tired. It wasn’t unlikely that I would fall asleep in there.
“Come in,” I said.
“Hey, sis,” Dee said, sweeping into the room and putting the lid down on the commode so she could sit on it. “What are you thinking about doing today?”
“Nothing, really.”
“Good, then you should come with me,” she said. “I’m going to see Wendy, and she would love to have you over.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Of course. You haven’t gotten a chance to meet her guy Finn yet, and he will be there.”
“Sure,” I said, “that sounds fun. I’ll be out of here in a minute.”
Dee smiled, and then I watched as it turned into a pensive look.
“Do you need help?” she asked.
“No, Dee,” I said. “Thank you, though. I can get out of the tub by myself.”
“Alright, well, I’ll be just in the other room. Holler if you need me.”
With that, she hesitantly got up, glanced over to where my crutches were, and kind of nodded to herself before slipping out. I groaned. She wanted to be helpful, and I loved that about her, but I needed to be able to do these things for myself. I needed to be able to do everything for myself that was possible. But her motherly instincts kept kicking in, and she tried to take care of me.
Considerably more effort than I thought I would need was used to get out of the tub and get dressed, but I made it. By the time I got into the living room, she was ready, shoes on and keys in her hand. I wasn’t going to get a chance to slip out of it, even if I wanted to.
“Do you mind handing me my shoe?” I asked, and her eyes lit up. She was trying so hard to let me do everything on my own, that any request I made was met with zeal.