One story is in an earlier blog 'a dog named Bob' and today I am posting the other story although I havent finished it.
This is a challenge to me to get my mojo back so the first chapter I have below.
I hope you enjoy
I have called it.
Things change
A very large man was the subject of ridicule from the teenage children who walked passed his house every day. The taunts came thick and fast and he doubted that they knew how much their taunts caused pain in his heart.
It was hard to hear it, hard to hear the truth but even harder when it got slammed home with such viciousness, it didn’t matter if he was inside the house or not, or even if he was not at his home at all, the kids still threw their verbal taunts at him.
They would laugh and carry on and keep on walking and he knew that within one minute of hurling their taunts that they would have forgotten all about him, they would be talking about the latest music or sport or whatever it was that teenage children talked about these days.
But for him the matter hurt, and he wouldn’t have forgotten about it, it would take him a good couple of hours to heal the taunts, to block the hurt, he tried not to let it bother him but bother him it did, it hurt.
Sometimes he would cry, the hurt would just get to him and he would just cry and wonder why they had to be so cruel, sometimes he would get so angry at the children that he wanted to go out and hurt them, but he knew that wasn’t the answer and if he did go out the children had larger numbers than himself alone he wouldn’t stand a chance not only that but he would be in trouble with the police.
He hadn’t always been a large man, over the years it had just crept on but since he had the accident and was placed on medication the weight piled on and he blew out like a balloon, sometimes he would look at photos of when he was younger, he was handsome, he had been the best and fairest in his footy team three years running, it had been a great time in his life.
Funny how things change, he looked around his room at the sparse old second hand furniture and wished that he could go back twenty years to when his life was good, he was ashamed to admit it but he took it all for granted, life had been very good, he had a wife, two children, a beautiful home, a great job, he was content, happy and satisfied with himself.
It only took one day to change it, a moment in time to change a life of good with all that life had to offer, to a life that was hard and have nothing and no-one, to find the courage to get out of bed each day was a struggle in itself and to ask the question why it was worth getting out of bed that day?
He found it hard to look for the good in each day, which was what his therapist had asked him to do, each day he needed to find something good in his life. But he found it hard to find good in the kids that taunted him each day.
Most times the only good in his life was the therapist herself, she was kind and pretty to look at and if he had of been younger and not so disabled he would ask her out on a date, but who would want to date an old fat man.
He looked at the walking frame he was supposed to use when walking it was such a pain in the arse he hated using it and around the home he would use it but when he had to go out he needed it and it was embarrassing this was something only old women used not a fifty something man.
He wanted one of those scooters to buzz around on but they were expensive and he tried for aid but his disability was deemed not bad enough for a scooter to be granted to him.
Cindy his therapist had suggested several times that he should give swimming a go as part of his therapy session but he balked at it each and every time, the thought of going to the pool terrified the living daylights out of him and that hurt too because he used to love swimming and going to the pool, that of course was before he became obese, morbidly obese were the doctors words, in fact he said that if there was a category after morbidly obese he would fit into it. He wondered if the doctor knew how humiliating he felt, perhaps the doctor was trying to shame him into losing weight, it didn’t work it only made him feel more miserable and he tried not to, but he turned to food for comfort.
Today Cindy was coming and he always enjoyed the days she came, she was so sunny everything brightened the moment she stepped into the door.
“Good morning Peter, how are you today?” she said smiling
“Good morning Miss sunshine I am a lot better now that you are here.”
Cindy laughed “Oh Peter, you do have a way with words” she put her bags down two of them and went back out to the car for her mat.
He hated the mat, floor exercises. It meant that he had to get down on the floor to do the exercises and it took effort to get down without looking like an elephant and a while to get up without looking like a beached whale rolling around.
“Ok let’s get started.”
For the next hour the two did exercises with Cindy leading the way and coaxing and coaching, she enjoyed working with Peter he was such a gentle man, and very kind. She had seen the photos around his dilapidated home and she could see that once upon a time he had been quite a good looking man and had a very beautiful family.
She didn’t know the reason that some people came to her, only that they had come to her and it was usually through the centrelink program to help get them off disability. She had been working with Peter for a few years now and she wasn’t getting very far with his rehabilitation and she thought that it had a more serious note to his disability than just the physical side to it, but she wasn’t able to speak with anyone regarding his progress or speak to his doctor, this was probably the most frustrating part of her job that she couldn’t do it effectively as she would like. Sometimes in order to heal, the healing needed to come from several sides. And Peter needed extra help.
Over the time she had come to care for Peter he was funny, smart, charming they had a lot in common and she liked him, a lot and probably a bit too much for a professional to be liking her client.
He wasn’t that much older than her, only nine years and she knew he thought she was younger, a lot of people did, she was glad that she was able to maintain a youthful image without enhancements or cosmetic interference, it was all down to healthy eating, regular exercise and good genes.
As she was packing up, she saw the light that had been shining in him snuff out, her heart tore that he was so lonely, he was such a kind man.
“What are you doing tonight?” she asked she didn’t know why she asked and she knew where she was going with it and it was against all of her working principal but she just had to ask, she wanted to ask.
“Sitting in front of the television watching bad shows. Why?”
“Well there is this really nice band playing at a cute little café that I regularly frequent and it would be nice to have a companion”
She wants me as a companion he thought and his heart began beating faster and he blushed. He didn’t have anything to wear apart from track pants and old t-shirts with holes in them.
“You don’t want me tagging along.”
“Of course I do that’s why I asked.”
She noted his unease and her heart went out to him “Come on please I would really love for you to hear this band I think you would like them.”
He hung his head in shame “I don’t have anything to wear.’ he admitted
She smiled in sympathy she knew how he felt “Its ok, what you’re wearing now would be fine, I’ll pick you up at seven.”
He looked down at his daggy track pants and faded blue t-shirt that was half soaked in sweat, she couldn’t possibly be serious he hesitated “if you’re sure.”
“Never surer, I’ll see you later Peter”
As she said her goodbye she noted the glint in his eye, his spark was coming back and she smiled.
Chapter 2 to be posted (hopefully) tomorrow.
til next time
Happy Reading
Valissa
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