Following My Own Footsteps by Mary Downing Hahn

Author:Mary Downing Hahn [Hahn, Mary Downing]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Fifteen

The next afternoon, William and I sat under the tree, waiting for "The Right to Happiness" to begin. When the first throb of organ music floated out the kitchen window, I jumped to my feet. "Let's go, William."

I thought he'd be as excited as I was but he gave me one of his worrywart looks. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Instead of answering, I started pushing his wheelchair around the house. William didn't say anything, so I kept going. Out the gate, down the sidewalk, around the corner, heading for Meridian Hill as fast as I could go before William decided to tell me to stop, he'd changed his mind, he didn't want to walk after all.

When we got to the park, I was so hot I thought I might have sunstroke like the English soldiers I once saw in a movie about the Sahara Desert. I wanted to get a drink at the public fountain but William said I'd better not. You never knew who'd drunk before you or what germs they might have left behind. He finished by saying, "Do you want to end up with polio, too?"

"Next time I'll bring a thermos or something," I said, remembering those cherry Cokes at Costello's.

I rolled the wheelchair down a little slope, trying not to think about pushing it back up, and stopped in the nice shady place I'd told William about. There wasn't a soul in sight. The park was as deserted as a meadow in the Alps. I wouldn't have been surprised to see a goat or two grazing on the grass.

Too pooped to do anything else, I flopped down to take a breather.

William stared at me. "What now, Gordy?"

"As soon as I get my strength back, I'll help you stand up. Then we'll take a step or two."

He looked around, smiling like he was enjoying a change of scenery. "This is nice, Gordy. Can't I just sit a while?"

"That's not what we came here for, William. You want to walk again, don't you?"

His hands tightened on the wheelchair's arms. "Yes, but I'm scared it'll hurt."

"It probably will at first," I said, remembering how Clara winced and cried in the beginning. "But you'll get used to it."

"What if I fall?" His voice came out sort of high and wobbly.

"I'll pick you up."

"You're sure I can do it?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? If you try hard enough, you'll walk. Remember—T. R. Y. Try."

I took hold of William's hands. I thought I could just pull him to his feet, but even though William was shorter and skinnier than I was, he seemed to weigh two or three times as much. Maybe it was because he couldn't help lift himself. Anyway, we ended up tipping the chair over. The grass was soft, so it didn't hurt William much when he tumbled out onto the ground.

"Now we have to get you up on your feet," I said.

We struggled and tried and grunted and groaned, but William just couldn't stand up.

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