It makes my heart swell so much that my ribs might crack to hear her say that. She’s made me feel safe, too. I can be vulnerable with her, lean on her for help the way she leans on me. The fact that she’s sitting here with me instead of me handling this alone is a huge comfort.
Wayne comes in and joins us after I’ve been keeping him updated through texts, having made sure Gina and the kids are all settled at home. After an hour of us chatting, doom scrolling, and even a little dozing in the chairs, the doctor comes out to see us.
“Your dad is doing great. His hip is badly bruised butthankfully not broken. We do want to keep him overnight to observe how he walks and moves, and get him a physical therapy evaluation first thing in the morning,” he informs us.
“So he’s been admitted? Is he in a room already?” Wayne asks.
“Yes, if you’ll come with me, I’ll take you to his room to see him.”
He leads us to the elevators and up two floors, then down a winding hallway until we reach my dad. He’s in bed, looking sleepy and plenty annoyed, but also relieved that his hip isn’t broken.
“They’re keeping me here overnight for a bruised hip. It’s not even broken,” he complains.
“Stop whining and do what the doctor and physical therapist say, old man,” Wayne chides.
“You’ll be fine dad, they just need to make sure you’re moving ok, and physical therapists are not here at nine at night,” I tell him.
Wayne looks at me with raised eyebrows.
“Did we just play good cop/bad cop?” he asks, getting me, Celeste, and even my dad to laugh.
“I’m pretty tired, why don’t you all get home,” my dad says.
“I’ll stay with you, dad. Gina’s got the kids, and I don’t want you here by yourself. Plus, I’ll get you home in the morning,” Wayne offers.
Then he turns to us.
“You two have been here for hours, why don’t you get home to those birds and get some rest.”
He’s right that we need to get home to check on the flock. So I nod.
“Keep us updated,ok?” Celeste asks.
“You bet,” Wayne promises, bringing her into a hug before giving me one as well.
“Dad, we’ll see you soon, ok? Behave yourself tonight.”
He rolls his eyes playfully but hugs me when I go to his bedside.
“We’ll talk more about getting everything transitioned to you in a few days, son. Do some thinking about how you’d like to do it, and we’ll work it out,” he promises.
There’s so much I want to say about him retiring, but now isn’t the time, so I just nod and look at Wayne. He gives me an encouraging look with a goofy thumbs up. I filled him in on dad’s announcement earlier, and he seems proud.
Celeste goes to squeeze my dad’s hand and kiss his cheek with a few murmured words of encouragement. We leave on a chorus of goodnights.
At home, we get the birds situated after playing with them a little and get ready for bed. It’s the most natural thing in the world now to brush out teeth side by side and shower together. She has developed a deep fondness for wearing my shirts to bed and nothing else. Tonight though, we just hold each other after a tough night, exchanging kisses that are affirming and reassuring, and fall asleep quickly with our limbs tangled.
Chapter 21
Celeste
The realtor leads me through the small, but bright commercial space that could act as the brick and mortar site for my non-profit. It’s a corner unit with floor to ceiling windows to the front and right side, letting in the sun to gleam off of the white tile floor. Over the couple of months since I’ve started trying to put this dream organization together for women to get their lives on track after prison, monetary and other needed donations have started coming in. My anger management group has been supportive, so have my diner coworkers, and animal shelter friends.
I got in touch with a grant writer, who has helped me put together a proposal that is now in the process of going through review at our local municipal government. So far the feedback has been positive, they like the idea of my program. I’m crossing everything in the hopes they’ll help fund it with a government grant. Maybe I’m overshooting, and trying to do too much, but I want this win badly.
It’ll take time to grow this little seedling idea into a full tree, and although patience has never been my strong suit, I’m trying to find some. I want to also take this programonline, where women who need it can access career services advice, mental health services, and anything else that will help get them on their feet. The brick and mortar place will serve as a venue for women to come and interact with others who have been through a similar experience, while getting what they need. Hence, the exciting tour today at this potentially perfect spot.
“This space could use some cleaning since it has sat vacant for a while, but based on what you’ve told me, I think it would suit your needs well. There’s a small back office through that door, a restroom over to the right, and enough room to have a seating area, display tables, brochures, you name it.”
