TheBanyanTree: too personal for FB cont'

[Indiglow]

  Thisis not a short story.  It doesn’t haveplot twists, nor a beginning, a middle, and an end.  The woman doesn’t know the end, and who knowsif any more might ever be added to make it a real story. The young man in prison stripes was released.  His father picked him up from the secondcounty jail where the first had transported him.  He was thirty days clean and sober, and sovery, very thin.  The white-haired manbrought him home to his and the mother’s house and she fed him and fed him andfed him.His car had been brought here earlier by his wife,still legally connected, although the work of divorce is in motion.  She loves him.  She cannot live with him.  The man’s mother understands, and thesoon-to-be ex has been generous in taking care of business.          When the daughter-in-lawand daughter of the old woman went to pick up her son’s car, someone came outof the house legally owned by the daughter-in-law and son – a squatter.  He crossed the street and peered into theson’s car.  The daughter-in-lawconfronted him.          “Oh, I was just lookingto see if ‘she’” (he gestured toward the house) “left the keys in thecar.”            “This is MY car!” thedaughter-in-law challenged.  The squatterbacked off.  The daughter-in-law called alocksmith to have new keys made for the car, and daughter drove it,daughter-in-law following, to the young man’s mother’s home.  The daughter-in-law re-registered it to thenew address.          So, when the young manwas released, he went to his parent’s home, and he ate, and ate, and ate untilsated.  But then, he wanted to gohome.  He wanted to eradicate his home ofthe squatter.  He knew his name.  The man had been there for some time,including during the son’s incarceration. The squatter was a druggie, a dealer, and magically a glass-blower whohad been teaching the son the craft.  Theson knew he had to go, regardless of magic.          Only a less-than-handfuldays later, the young man had a car accident. His car was totaled, and he was in the hospital, his ankle badlysprained.  The mother wasn’t quite surewhat had happened, as the phone call was cut abruptly short when doctors camein to attend.  He’d said “I’ll call youback” but he never did.  That wasSaturday.          Today it isTuesday.  The old woman was in pain, butawake and sitting down to her first cup of coffee, trying to prepare her achingbody for the coming day.  When the phonerang, her daughter-in-law’s first words were “Are you sitting down?”          Apparently, the youngman was in the hospital once again.  He’dreturned to the home to attempt again to oust the squatter, who claimed he wasa tenant, although he’s never paid rent, and no agreement was signed.  The man, instead of evacuating, took theyoung man’s crutches and beat him.  Theyoung man was returned by the police to the hospital.          It was early morning,and the parents had not yet dressed nor breakfasted.  They were 30+ miles away.  It took a while forthem to get there.  The woman had calledtheir daughter – big sister – 11 years his senior, but still, the closest tohim. She’d changed his diapers, baby-sat so often, and loved him as herown.  The daughter was miles closer, andalthough she was awakened from a deep sleep mid-dream, she and her husbandarrived at the hospital before the young man’s parents.          By the time the parentsreached the hospital, the young man had been released.  A bit of frantic phoning, texting, sleuthing revealedthat he was ensconced in his sister’s minivan. His wife, a love-sister to his birth-sister, was there in the parkinglot, standing far enough away to comply with the terms of the restrainingorder.  Son-in-law relayed messages fromone to another.          It finally wasdetermined that while the young man’s sister and wife dealt with the car, he,along with his parents and brother-in-law, would go get something to eat.  They went to a restaurant which was the youngman’s favorite local spot.  Reasonable pricesfor mountains of food.  The parentsordered small, appropriate lunches.  TheS-I-L (who had not had breakfast) and son ordered huge breakfasts, and thetable was literally littered with platters and plates.  A huge bag of boxed leftovers came home.          Meanwhile, the daughterhad not yet eaten, and it was well after noon. The mother was in tremendous pain from too many short ins and outs fromthe car, the long walk from main entrance to ER, and all the other accumulatedstresses from the day.          The plan was that sinceit was easier for the young man to get from his wheelchair to the daughter’smini-van that the parents would take daughter, and son-in-law would take sonhome to the parents’ house.  Ahhh, thebest laid plans of mice and men… sometimes get laid.          A part of the plan waspicking the two grandkids up after school when the bus deposited them at theapartment complex, then heading here.  Onthe way from lunch to the apartment, the son-in­-law ran over something thatlooked like paper.  He heard some noises,but didn’t know the cause.  Once settledat their apartment, the young man with the only comfort being Wi-Fi, remainedin the van, doors open to permit the breeze.             The daughter, riding withthe parents, got to the clinic and explained to the vampire that she had missedher appointment.  They said they couldtake her then, even late for the appointment, so her parents waited… andwaited… and waited.  The old woman’s painwas growing exponentially.The daughter was done. They got the old woman homewhere she could remove her bra and shoes and get comfortable. ( Relatively.)   While the white-haired old man sat on thepot, the daughter took the car and went to the bank to get the money to pay theloan at Cash Call near her parents’ home.While at the clinic, the call came in from the woman’sson-in-law.  Their car wasoverheating.  When he got to theirapartment in time to get the kids, he discovered that the left fan for theradiator was missing all its blades.  Heis in school, his unemployment is expired. Daughter is on medical leave-of-absence for stress.  There is no way he can risk the car.  The young man, incarcerated again in hissister’s van this time, is content.  Withdoors open, there is a breeze.  He hasWi-Fi access and is texting.    Son-in-law finally remembered to take out theorange juice he’d poured.  It could beworse.Stay here?  Staythere? That is the question…  The son wasstill confined to the van, resting as best he could.  The father is taking his daughter home, armedwith the old woman’s shower chair.  Shecan skip a night or two of bathing.The son NEEDS to shower!  There is blood caked in his waist length hairfrom a blow to his head.  After timeincarcerated with limited bathing possibilities, he is filthy.  How healing and rejuvenating could a showerbe.  When confronted with the idea, hesaid “that sounds too ambitious.”  Hissister is willing to bathe him – it wouldn’t be the first time.  If he couldbe in the tub with the broken ankle outside, sitting on a shower chair, with aremovable shower head…  how healing wouldthat be?The mother wants sodesperately to bathe her baby, but she can’t. One has to be honest about physical limitations.  The son-in-law is strong enough to lift theman into a shower chair.  They have aremovable shower head.  They could dothis.  Daughter is willing to go in toshampoo and condition his hair.  She hasa gentle, loving, mother’s touch.  He cancover his privates with a towel, but – it wouldn’t be the first time she’dbathed him.At this point, who knows what’s what?  The white-haired old man in taking hisyounger daughter to her home.  They havethe shower chair in the car, and a smaller wheel-chair.  The young man could come home to his parents,or he could stay with his sister, sleeping on their recliner.  There’s no “perfect” solution.  We all pray, moment by moment, for things towork out.Meanwhile,the mother, still in tremendous pain, prays, cries, pours another glass ofwine.