by Pepper Pace
Jason people watched until they got to a picnic table. Most everyone he saw was black—not that he cared. He just had never been to an all black park before. Robin sat down facing him instead of the table and removed her meal form the now greasy sack. He mimicked her. Her fish was laddened with hot sauce and ketchup while his was plain. There was also a strange bundle nestled between the filets and he looked at it curiously.
“That’s sautéed onions and peppers. It’s really good, but kinda smelly.” She took her plastic fork and unfolded her sodden, wax paper packet and dug into the spicy looking sautéed vegetables. Then she munched her fish with fervor. Her fish and fries were coated in spicy smelling hot sauce and ketchup, the tantalizing aroma of the condiments stinging his nose. He frowned. Why was his fish was his plain?
“Where’s my hot sauce and ketchup?”
“Well…I didn’t think you’d want it like this.” Frankly her mom always made fun of her for covering the taste of the fish with condiment goop. ‘How about a side of fish with your ketchup, Robin?’ “I got you tartar sauce…”
He wrinkled his nose. “I want it the way you have it.” Using her fork she picked up two of her oversized filets and placed them on his plate and then she took two of his plain ones. Now satisfied, he picked up a chunk of the fish with his fingers and placed most of it into his mouth, the part that didn’t make it to his mouth found its way to his shirt.
“Mmm.” He hummed. He picked up French fries and shoved them into his mouth, and again, some actually made it in. She popped the top from his can of soda and after he’d swallowed the items in his mouth, he reached for it carefully and drank.
“That’s good fish.” He had hot sauce and ketchup all over his mouth and chin, as well as crumbs on his shirt.
“Can I-?” She reached out with her napkin and brushed off his shirt and cleaned his lips. He didn’t protest and tried to stay still while she did it. But soon he had grabbed more fish and was continuing the mess. He unwrapped the bundle of onions and peppers and tried them.
But they wouldn’t go down his throat, caught there as his throat muscles froze. Before he knew it, he was choking up gobs of partially chewed fish, fries and slimy onions. Robin jumped up, her unfinished meal flipping onto the ground. She grabbed Jason by the shirt front and yanked him out of the chair. Unsure of how she had managed it, she had herself positioned behind him and was attempting to administer the Heimlich maneuver.
As she applied fist over his solar plexus she heard him trying to say something, yet the words were masked by the strong force of air being pushed from his body. His hands went to her wrist.
“Drink-”
Robin paused in her attempts to save his life. “What?!”
“Drink.” He tried again.
She dropped him back into his wheelchair and quickly grabbed the can of soda from the picnic table. He snatched it from her hands and gulped it down, belching and gulping in air, but no longer choking. Like she would do to a kid that had just recovered from a choking spell, Robin rubbed his shoulder and watched his face turn from red to its usual freckled white.
She waited until he stopped clearing his throat before she asked if he was alright. He nodded and rubbed the wetness from his eyes. She reached for her purse and got tissues to hand to him and he wiped the remains of the ketchup and hot sauce from his fingertips and face. Then he looked at the ground where all of their delicious fish lay trampled in the grass.
“Damn.” He pouted. “That was really good.”
“Jason, you almost choked to death.” She stared at him remembering to remove her hand from his shoulder, but still not getting how he just let things like this bounce off of him.
“Well…that happens all the time.” He reached down nonchalantly, and began cleaning up as much of the mess as he could from the ground. Robin took it from him and deposited it until the trash. She noticed for the first time that the two of them were the center of attention. Not that it was surprising considering that she’d bodily lifted a man from a wheelchair in order to give him the Heimlich maneuver!
He was already wheeling back to the car. “My physical therapist is going to wonder why I stink of onions and fish.” Once back in the car she sniffed. Yes--perhaps not a wise lunch choice right before a massage session. He gave her directions to a Sports Therapy Center inside of a strip mall.
“So you get a massage once a week?”
“Well depending on the weather. When it’s summer I won’t have to go as often.”
“Why is that?” She asked while following him into the facility.
“The temperature helps to keep me limber. The massages help keep my joints from locking up. I’m really lucky to have a lot of mobility. But sometimes my hip joints hurt.” He knew some people relegated to wheelchairs got frozen in one position due to lack of movement. “A massage will also ensure that my muscles don’t cramp and that they stay loose.” He signed in at the front desk and Robin looked around. This was not the average sports therapy facility; she didn’t see anyone else in a wheelchair, but she did see people that looked like professional athletes. Jason evidently had money. He had his own apartment—and a nice one, physical therapy once a week and his own personal assistant.
“You’re here early.” The smiling receptionist said to him.
“Yeah. Lunch kinda…fell...” He and Robin exchanged looks. “…on the ground.” She tried not to smile but he laughed first and then she couldn’t help but to join him. Again she was surprised at how much his face changed just by smiling. “I’m going to get in the hot tub since my aid is here.”
“Ok. Enjoy.”
He wheeled to the locker with Robin following. “Wait here. I’ll be out after I change.” She stopped short, chuckling to herself.
“Right.”
Jason wasn’t long in the locker room. When he wheeled himself out he was wearing athletic shorts and nothing else. Robin’s brow rose. He had two tattoos; a band of barbed wire around his sizeable bicep and a tribal circle on his shoulder.
“Wow…” She said.
“What?”
If she could have blushed she would have. “I…um, always wanted a tattoo.” She lied. She’d actually been admiring his big biceps. He was buff! Damn, he really looked good.
“Why don’t you get one?”
“Oh, no. My Mom would drop dead; literally.”
“Come on.” He led her to the back room where there was a Sauna and private jacuzzi’s. She wondered again about money and how much it would cost to come to a place like this. They bypassed the one-man jacuzzi’s because you’d have to step up into them. But there was one set into the floor meant for four people. It was currently empty.
He locked the wheels on his chair and then easily lowered himself out of it and to the floor. He turned and scooted himself to the edge of the Jacuzzi. Then he swiveled his hips until his legs were into the water. He lowered himself carefully into one of the seats and then moved over to the controls. After he’d gotten the jets the way he liked he leaned his head back and sighed.
“Ahhh.” He said softly, eyes closing. “This feels amazing.” He looked at her. “You should come in with me.” She just smiled. “Seriously.” He responded to her dismissive expression.
“Do you see what I’m wearing?”
He grinned, eyes lingering on her shapely form. “Yeah I noticed.”
“So I’m not exactly dressed for the Jacuzzi.” She looked behind her for his chair and then sat down in it.
“Okay, well your loss.” He dunked his head underwater and when he reappeared he pushed his sopping wet hair back and then closed his eyes again.
“Don’t fall asleep.” She warned.
“That’s why you’re here; to make sure I stay alert.” After about five minutes of quiet her cell phone began to vibrate. She checked it and saw that it was the restaurant. Damn, she had hoped to put this off at least until her shift ended with Jason.
When her phone continued to vibrate loudly and unanswer
ed, Jason peeked at her. “Did you need to get that?” He was a stickler but he wasn’t so hard not to allow her to answer her phone.
“Um…I better.” She quickly moved to the far side of the room, her eyes resting on him as she talked in a low voice. With eyes still closed, he strained to listen.
Robin was happy that Jason wasn’t looking at her because she was cringing. Mike, the daytime manager was reading her the riot act. “Robin, where have you been? You missed your entire shift; no call-”
“Yeah, I know-”
“Well, obviously you know.” He snickered dryly. “We couldn’t get anyone to cover your shift last night at such a late notice.” He paused, providing her with the opportunity to apologize or beg for mercy.
“Well, that’s what I want to talk to you about, finding someone to cover me…permanently.” There was silence and Robin closed her eyes and wished that this part was over.
“You’re quitting?” He seemed stunned.
“I think it would be for the best. The message that was left for me last night kind of told me to make a choice.” So there, it’s made.
“So you’re saying that you’re not even going to give us a few days in order to replace you?” Robin chewed her lip without responding. “Can you at least come in tonight?” He pleaded. She suddenly realized that Mike had not anticipated losing her as an employee. He got off on giving people shit, but the restaurant couldn’t really afford to lose a valuable employee like her. And now his tone was completely different.
Somehow that made her feel…powerful. She stopped fidgeting. “Mike. I’ll come in tonight and as long as my final check is ready and waiting for me for the hours that I did work, as well as the shift that I’m going to work tonight, then I’ll go ahead and work. But Mike, I want you to understand this; I overslept and missed my shift and for that I apologize. But I never call off, I’m never late and I fill in at the drop of a dime. I think that under the circumstances the message that was left for me could have been a bit more understanding. Maybe some employees screw people—but I don’t.” She was amazed that her voice didn’t quiver although the rest of her did. She’d never said anything like that to an employer. Then she thought, what the hell?! It’s just Mike. He needed her, she didn’t need him.
And he seemed to know it as he replied with stilted words. “Ok. I’ll have your check ready. You’ll have to leave your uniform, and bring in the spare.”
“Fine. I’ll be there tonight.” She hung up. Then she smiled. That hadn’t been so bad after all.
Jason had been listening quietly. Robin had been working two jobs? He felt even worse about yelling at her now that he understood the reason she’d fallen asleep. Did that mean she was hurting for money…? Duh. And he’d let her treat for lunch and not even offered to pay it back. Then the food had fallen on the ground and gotten trampled. She probably thought he was such an ass. He was an ass, so why did she keep this job and not the other?
“Sorry about that.” She said when she was done with her conversation. “I would have stepped outside…but…”
“It’s fine. Look, Robin, I’m sorry that…um, well that I dropped lunch. And I meant to tell you thanks for paying.”
Robin suddenly looked embarrassed. “Don’t worry about it, you always pay for my lunch at school...And it’s not like I can’t afford to skip a meal or two.”
He didn’t know what to say, nothing seemed safe on that topic, especially since he thought her rounded form was…nice so he closed his eyes and relaxed again.
Robin watched him. Cerebral Palsy was a disorder that had so many different faces. Over the last week she’d seen him in uncontrolled muscle movements, she’d seen him stuttering with spit flying, she’d seen him laughing…and now this; relaxed. Each emotion created a different face, but this one, where his eyes were closed and he seemed calm was her favorite. So she sat and watched him, marveling at the number of freckles that covered his light skin. There was not an inch of skin that wasn’t dotted with brown spots. But it was his ginger colored lashes that took up most of her attention. Their length actually seemed to leave shadows on his cheek.
Jason had the thick stocky build of a wrestler, but there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. If he hadn’t been born with this disorder then he probably would have been a football player or something. He was definitely over six feet tall.
The whole package appealed to her, including the crooked tilt of his mouth which was evidence of his Cerebral Palsy, for it did not repel her, it was just a different way for him to move.
She looked away guiltily when two people entered the room and headed for the sauna. Then reality like a splash of cold water hit her because she had been having ‘thoughts’ about a nineteen year old disabled boy who also happened to be her client! It was totally inappropriate. She didn’t have to be a real doctor or nurse to know that.
Jason pulled himself out of the Jacuzzi a few minutes later. Robin folded a towel in his chair as he instructed and after he was seated in it she handed him a second towel and he quickly dried himself. She helped him situate his legs. He obviously had very limited ability to move his legs and feet; which was obvious by their diminished size. She glanced up and saw that he was watching the way she stared at them and she ducked her head down. She then followed him to the physical therapist office, stopping short of entering.
“I need to…” she pointed in the direction of the ladies room.
He nodded in amusement. Her bladder must be the size of a nut. “Come in when you’re done.” He wheeled himself into the room where his physical therapist was watching Robin with open curiosity.
“So who’s the cute girl; new assistant?” Raymond was not just his physical therapist, but also a good friend. He was big, muscular, with ebony skin and a shaved head. He had been working with Jason since he was sixteen—after his Mom had fired the woman that had given him the hand jobs. She figured Raymond would be a safer option as a therapist…and though the older black man had not ever given him a hand job, Raymond wasn’t the most innocuous of people. Still, he was another that Jason would characterize as a ‘diamond in the rough.’
Jason’s lip twisted as he sneered playfully. “Don’t go there, Ray. You’re old enough to be her father.”
“How old do you think I am, Jason?”
“Forties?”
Raymond’s laughter rumbled from the pit of his stomach. “Damn. I’m thirty-two.” He worked his thumbs into Jason’s instep. “You should put in a good word for me. I haven’t been on a date in weeks.”
“Well…I think she has a boyfriend,” he lied and wasn’t sure why. He liked Raymond but a guy that good looking shouldn’t have any trouble pulling in his own dates.
“Damn, well she’s a cutie. Nice big body the way I like ‘em.”
Jason cleared his throat. “So how’s my feet looking?”
“Pretty good. I can tell you’ve been walking; though.” He and Raymond had an understanding. Like Vegas; what happened in Physical Therapy stayed in Physical Therapy. He knew that Raymond wouldn’t tell his Mom about his walking, or the bruises. Once, Raymond had found him black and blue because he’d had a seizure while in the tub. He’d cracked his head pretty hard but evidently not too hard; he hadn’t knocked himself out or anything. Raymond had never mentioned it to his mother.
The big man rubbed and flexed his feet, rolling his ankle joints, listening for them to pop. Then there was a brief knock on the door and Robin poked her head in.
“Hey…is it okay if I come in?” She asked shyly.
“Come on in. Pull up a chair and make yourself at home.” Raymond spoke. His face broke into a broad grin just as Jason’s mouth pulled down into a sour grimace. Raymond nudged him. “Are you going to introduce us? Damn Jay, where’s your manners?”
