PP TAKES THE LOVELY I TO WATER THERAPY

“I was so nervous about today. When I woke up. I just had to cry.”
PP nods. She can see the Lovely I’s nervousness in her face, her posture, as she perches there on the lovely couch watching as her Fix-It GF fiddles with the wheelchair. This isn’t helping matters. PP was a little nervous too, but was trying not to let on. The wheelchair was daunting. Why is that? PP had a little experience with wheelchairs. Or she thought she did. Had some vague memory of her Aunt Nancy in a wheelchair. But then. Had PP ever really wheeled Nancy around?

PP thinks not. Doesn’t mention this to the Lovely I, but instead says how she knows about wheelchairs. Not to worry. All would be fine.
But yet…..

“Let me try something else…” Fix-it GF marches into the other room and returns with a hammer and a cloth, places the cloth over one of the wheelchair’s arms and starts bangin on it with the hammer.

“That doesn’t look like such a good idea,” the Lovely I interrupts, “we don’t want to destroy the Rental Wheelchair and then have them charge us a gazillion dollars for it.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Here, lemme try this.”FIGF kneels and starts fiddling with the ‘pin’ in the arm thingee again. PP can’t tell what the hell she’s even tryin to fix. It looks fine to her. But then, she’s not really looking at it that closely, but instead is trying not to watch the worry grow on the Lovely I’s lovely face.

Damn! Had PP made a mistake offering to take I to her Water Therapy out at Albany Pool? After her conversation the night before with her mom about how much the Lovely I would need water therapy, PP had thought, of course, she’s swimming kitty! It’s her job to help with the water end of her recovery. Who else? And when the Lovely I had told her the day before how PP had been the only person she’d seen after she’d hurt her hand the year before cuz PP had taken her to the pool, PP had thought. Yes! Now that I had been thrown from her horse and broken her pelvis, can you even imagine? PP thinks: Yes. Water therapy. Swimming kitty.
It’s a match.

But now?

“There we go! That should do it!” FIGF announces, rising and glancing around the cluttered living room. “Where’s the legs?”

PP swallows hard. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Now she had to learn how to put on the legs of the wheelchair? Oh, but this she could do, as FIGF shows her and PP tries it. Gets it after only a couple tries.
Voila!

Now to get the wheelchair into the Geo. FIGF rolls the Lovely I down to the car and gets her in to the front seat, then lets PP fold up the wheelchair. (PP had learned this too) Then PP heaves it into the hatchback of the Geo with only a little awkwardness. There. That wasn’t so bad ! Finally! They were off!

Whew! In the car with the Lovely I on the way to a pool seemed so natural. PP was starting to relax as I started to narrate a story about a friend who was worse off than her, had broken her leg, gotten a surgery, they’d done the surgery wrong. Had the leg broken and resurged. Shit. It did sound worse than the Lovely I’s scenario. At least she hadn’t had any surgery or had to stay in the wretched Kaiser like PP had after her surgery….
But that’s another story.

“And Delia didn’t have anyone when she went thro all that pain and surgeries. So when I called her this morning for my pep talk, she said, ‘You know, I, you’re gonna get better. It’s a temporary thing. You will heal.”

And this had helped. We both agreed that the Lovely I would be better soon.

Especially after her Water Therapy!



Safely inside the Albany Pool after negotiating the high schoolers’ basketball frenzy, PP sighs happily. The pool. She always feels safe around pools, no matter what the circumstances. And the fact that no basketballs brained the Lovely I on the way into the pool and PP had even gotten one of the bored teens to hold the door open for them while he was unwrapping his ham sandwich –those teens, they’re so good at multitasking—well, the BLUENESS of the Albany Pool was so welcoming.

And what a scene! Bobbing shower caps abounded. Yellow, green, blue ‘noodles’ surronding them. All kinds of ‘equipments’ for Therapy! And everyone was smiling!
Water Therapy was the ticket to Bliss. That was for sure.

So, when the Lovely I got strapped into the Water Insert Chair, PP was momentarily distracted by all the activity. Besides, I was safely in the hands of one of the Therapists, who was there working the water chair along with the handsome lifeguard.

And then!

Oh, no!

PP glances down and the Lovely I is crying!
DAMN!!!
What the hell happened?

The Therapist has her in the pool now and is gently talking to her, but PP can’t hear what she’s saying. Something happened with the goddamn chair that hurt the Lovely I’s pelvis!

BAD CHAIR!!!

PP sticks out her tongue at the Evil Chair. Makes a face. Hissssss!
The Lovely I sees this and starts laughing.
Thank heavens!
“Oh, she’s making me laugh,” the Lovely I exclaims thro her tears. “That’s good.”
And the Therapist glances up at PP and nods, smiling gently.
PP grins. Shouts out, “Bad Chair!”
And with the Lovely I’s giggles, the Therapist pulls her into the beautiful blue safety of the pool.

All would be fine now, PP thinks as she watches the Lovely I stand and make her way across the pool, between the chatting Floral Woman and handsome floating man and purple parachute guy who slinks by Chatty Chinese woman, “You catch anything yet with that Thing,” she calls out.
“I caught you!” he hollers back as he tosses the purple parachute onto the deck, Chatty Chinese Woman’s chuckles cascading around the chlorinated atmosphere.

Yup, PP thinks, it’s all gonna be just fine as she settles into the Lovely I’s wheelchair to watch the show.