My Perfect Imperfections by Jalpa Williby

Author:Jalpa Williby [Williby, Jalpa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781515224747
Amazon: 1515224740
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2015-08-10T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Although living on my own is scary at first, I’m proud of myself for facing my fears. Soon, I become accustomed to my life on my own. The staff is great, and they soon realize that I’m probably the smartest resident there. The other residents also get to know me pretty quickly and respect me for working full time and attending school at the same time.

Kathy comes to visit me a few times a week and so do my parents. Life is suddenly even busier for me. I travel to and from work with the transportation provided by the facility. The staff there also makes sure to bathe, toilet, and feed me. I train them well on my routine and exactly how I like things done. I’m glad that it’s usually the regular caretakers who come to help me.

Every weekend, as promised, I visit my parents. Every Friday evening, Dad is right in the front, waiting to pick me up. I don’t mind, though. I enjoy going home and sleeping in my bedroom. They also take me to my therapy sessions on the weekends. Keeping up with my therapy is imperative so the right muscles stay strong and the tight muscles stay loose.

Although the staff is nice at my new place, some things still bother me. There are other residents who also drive their power wheelchairs, but require supervision when they’re driving. Many times, I see their wheelchairs turned off, parked in front of the television in the common room for hours. I can’t even imagine sitting in front of the TV that long, without having the freedom to move about or a choice to not watch it any longer. They can’t communicate, so this is how their day passes most of the time.

Jen is the one resident who is parked in front of the television almost all day. She can’t talk or move her wheelchair, so she just sits there, staring at the screen. I find out that she used to be married, but her husband was abusive. One day, he beat her to a point of leaving her with a severe head injury. Since then, she’s basically been unresponsive and immobile.

Curious about her, I drive my wheelchair next to her and sit with her one evening after work.

“Big Bang Theory is on, huh? I like that show a lot. Do you?” I start a conversation to get a reaction out of her.

Jen ignores me.

I continue to talk with her with my device as if I’m talking to any other person. I make an effort to spend some time with her every evening, watching whatever she’s watching. She never really acknowledges me, except for one fateful day.

As I’m talking about nothing important, just to give her companionship, she suddenly reaches with her hand and touches my cheek. Shocked—because I’ve never seen her move any part of her body—I simply stare at her in awe. She flashes me a quick smile, takes her hand back, and resumes staring at the television once again.

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