say? Then it hit me. He was trying to say the word, “blue.” Of course, it made sense. The sky was blue and the ocean was blue.
“Yeah, it is a pretty blue, isn’t it?” I said.
He slapped his open palm on the armrest of the wheelchair and moved his head slightly from side to side. Again, he pointed. “Wue . . . wue.”
“Sorry, sir, but I don’t know what you’re trying to say, other than the sky and ocean are blue.”
He gave a sigh and dropped his arm, resigned, I suspected, to my stupidity. We sat there a while longer, but the enjoyment had left. A nippy fresh breeze sprung up, which made me decide to get the old man back to the house. He made one more try as I turned him away from the bluff.
“Wue, wue,” he slobbered.
When I looked down at his face, I saw a tear forming. Damn, it must be important, at least to him. On the way back, he let out another burst of guttural sounds in what I was sure was an effort to make me understand.
I lifted one hand off the wheelchair and patted his shoulder. “Sorry, I can’t make out what you’re trying to say, sir.”
He mumbled some more as I pushed him down the path to the house. I was sure that by this time he was saying something like, “What a dumb-ass!”
Back in the house, I mentioned the incident to his daughter, who said he’d done the same thing when she’d pushed him up to the bluff. “If only he could write, but he can’t do that either. I find this very frustrating, and I know it is for him,” she said.
She thanked me for taking him and pushed him off to his room while I went up the stairs to mine. It was time to check in with Jeanette. She had a way of putting things in order. I might handle the job okay, but when it came to handling my life, I needed Jeanette to let me really know how things were.
She answered the phone on the first ring. I loved that about her. She was always there, Johnny-on-the-spot. She began by telling me her problems at the Howes Bluff Post Office. Mostly paperwork stuff. I joked with her about losing my job security now that she knew all the secrets of making the Postal Service think everything was okay.
Her comeback was a quiet, “I’ll never know all your secrets, my husband.”
Right then, I hated the Postal Service. I belonged back in Howes Bluff in her arms, murmuring sweet nothings in her ears. I was quiet for a moment, trying not to break down. I took a deep breath. “The Boss tells me I’m getting a new supervisor on Monday. Her name is Ashley Norsbe. Ever heard of her?”
There was a quick sound of air being inhaled, as if Jeanette had just seen a grizzly coming at her. Her answer came slowly, as if she was afraid for what the future held.
“Yes.”
“And . . . ” I prodded.
Again, that moment of silence and I knew she was going to choose her words carefully. “She is very aggressive.”
“You mean pushy?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I took another deep breath. “Who did you hear this from?” I asked.
“The Boss’s assistant told me soon after she overheard the Boss tell you.” Jeanette went on to tell me that she rarely got to speak to the Boss as I did, that usually her questions were routed to him through the assistant. “You get to talk to him because he likes you. You are lucky man.”
I couldn’t see whether Jeanette had a smile on her face, but I was willing to bet she was teasing me.
“Yeah, thanks a lot, half-pint.” I retorted. I called her that only when she half-annoyed me.
That was her cue to jump on me and give me what I deserved, or at least what I craved.
“Leo Bronski, if I were there, you know what I’d be doing!”
“Yes, love, I certainly do know,” I said, my face breaking into a grin.
We were quiet for a moment, savoring this close time and the friendship that went with it.
“Leo. You okay?”
“Honey, the only thing that could make me more okay would be having you here with me.”
With that we said our good-byes and rang off. I
“Yeah, it is a pretty blue, isn’t it?” I said.
He slapped his open palm on the armrest of the wheelchair and moved his head slightly from side to side. Again, he pointed. “Wue . . . wue.”
“Sorry, sir, but I don’t know what you’re trying to say, other than the sky and ocean are blue.”
He gave a sigh and dropped his arm, resigned, I suspected, to my stupidity. We sat there a while longer, but the enjoyment had left. A nippy fresh breeze sprung up, which made me decide to get the old man back to the house. He made one more try as I turned him away from the bluff.
“Wue, wue,” he slobbered.
When I looked down at his face, I saw a tear forming. Damn, it must be important, at least to him. On the way back, he let out another burst of guttural sounds in what I was sure was an effort to make me understand.
I lifted one hand off the wheelchair and patted his shoulder. “Sorry, I can’t make out what you’re trying to say, sir.”
He mumbled some more as I pushed him down the path to the house. I was sure that by this time he was saying something like, “What a dumb-ass!”
Back in the house, I mentioned the incident to his daughter, who said he’d done the same thing when she’d pushed him up to the bluff. “If only he could write, but he can’t do that either. I find this very frustrating, and I know it is for him,” she said.
She thanked me for taking him and pushed him off to his room while I went up the stairs to mine. It was time to check in with Jeanette. She had a way of putting things in order. I might handle the job okay, but when it came to handling my life, I needed Jeanette to let me really know how things were.
She answered the phone on the first ring. I loved that about her. She was always there, Johnny-on-the-spot. She began by telling me her problems at the Howes Bluff Post Office. Mostly paperwork stuff. I joked with her about losing my job security now that she knew all the secrets of making the Postal Service think everything was okay.
Her comeback was a quiet, “I’ll never know all your secrets, my husband.”
Right then, I hated the Postal Service. I belonged back in Howes Bluff in her arms, murmuring sweet nothings in her ears. I was quiet for a moment, trying not to break down. I took a deep breath. “The Boss tells me I’m getting a new supervisor on Monday. Her name is Ashley Norsbe. Ever heard of her?”
There was a quick sound of air being inhaled, as if Jeanette had just seen a grizzly coming at her. Her answer came slowly, as if she was afraid for what the future held.
“Yes.”
“And . . . ” I prodded.
Again, that moment of silence and I knew she was going to choose her words carefully. “She is very aggressive.”
“You mean pushy?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I took another deep breath. “Who did you hear this from?” I asked.
“The Boss’s assistant told me soon after she overheard the Boss tell you.” Jeanette went on to tell me that she rarely got to speak to the Boss as I did, that usually her questions were routed to him through the assistant. “You get to talk to him because he likes you. You are lucky man.”
I couldn’t see whether Jeanette had a smile on her face, but I was willing to bet she was teasing me.
“Yeah, thanks a lot, half-pint.” I retorted. I called her that only when she half-annoyed me.
That was her cue to jump on me and give me what I deserved, or at least what I craved.
“Leo Bronski, if I were there, you know what I’d be doing!”
“Yes, love, I certainly do know,” I said, my face breaking into a grin.
We were quiet for a moment, savoring this close time and the friendship that went with it.
“Leo. You okay?”
“Honey, the only thing that could make me more okay would be having you here with me.”
With that we said our good-byes and rang off. I
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