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Back Again
I was released around the end of November and returned to my apartment, eager to strengthen myself after this stay. Things were progressing well until the end of December. On December 27th we experienced a huge snowstorm that dumped about 18 inches of snow in just a few hours. Since my landlord was away for the weekend, I ended up snowed in for two days.
After the second day, the weather looked really good and I mustered up the courage to go out and brush the snow off my car. I basically wanted to get the snow off so it doesn’t ice up when the snow starts melting. I had no desire to dig out my car since I noticed that the plows clearing the street had piled a mountain of snow next to my car.
The snow was still light and fluffy so brushing it off was not too hard. After I finished that I headed back down my driveway but unfortunately, I slipped and landed hard on my hip. The pain was intense and I decided to just lay there until the pain subsided. Luckily, I was bundled up pretty well and did not feel cold yet.
A few minutes passed and the pain had still not subsided so I tried to get up but there was a sharp jabbing pain in my right hip. Concerned, I used my cell phone (I always carry it on me as a precaution) to call Deanne up for help and she and Peter rushed over to help. When Peter tried to lift me slowly, the sharp pain in my hip returned so they took me directly to the ER.
The ER doctor believed that I had either fractured or dislocated my hip joint so he ordered x-rays. The x-rays showed that I had a crack in the right groin area of my pelvic plate. I stayed in the hospital until the first week of January when I was released in a wheelchair. The ambulette left me at the house and brought in the walker and wheelchair that the insurance company had provided me on the doctors’ recommendation.
So here I was, back in a wheelchair – unable to walk due to the pain and with no assistance. I thumbed through a local Penny Saver and called an ad that offered home care services. I hired the aide on the spot and she promised to come the next morning. I had also scheduled a home visit from a recommended Physical Therapist the following morning.
Chapter IV: Pasadena Bound
With the assistance of the aide and the patience of the new therapist I am now returning to normalcy again. I am now making plans to return to work, but before that I want to take a short trip to visit some key friends and family members who have stuck with me through all this. It is sad that you have to go through something serious to really get to know who your real friends are.
The love of my life
During my visit to friends in Southern California I received an email from a pen pal that I had been corresponding with for the last year. Rhona had written to me informing me of her temporary residence in Pasadena, CA. She encouraged me to stop in and say hello so she could witness my progress.
I was in Los Angeles in November 2001 and gave her a call. She was excited to hear from me and we agreed to meet in downtown Pasadena that evening for a “date”. It was a little weird for us because we had shared so much with each other over emails that we felt we really knew each other but we had no idea what either of looked like. We decided that we would pick a quiet restaurant to meet at and I told her what I would be wearing so she could recognize me.
We met around 7pm that evening and really enjoyed had a good time. By the end of the evening she invited me to attend Church with her the next day. There was a youth ministry that she belonged to that met right after the morning service and she felt that meeting others from her group might be a good experience for me.
I went home very happy. I have had girlfriends before but never felt about anyone like I felt about her. Something inside me told me that I had just met my life partner. There was something about her confidence and no-nonsense attitude that just drew me to her. She was nothing like the dreams I have had about the ideal woman … she was more.
The next few weeks were filled with bliss. I loved the Church, loved the youth group and the fellowship I felt here. Most of all I loved being with Rhona.
Wedding Bells
I decided to make Pasadena my new home. When I informed Rhona of my decision, she invited me to join her family for Thanksgiving since I was not going to be returning to New York. I asked her to meet me the evening before at a romantic Italian restaurant near the Church. We had often commented on trying the food there as we passed it every Sunday.
I spent a busy morning that day at the Jewelry Mart in downtown Los Angeles. It was a magnificent day and I had decided to propose to her that evening. I knew that we had really not spent as much time together but due to my recently found appreciation of life, I did not want to pass up any opportunity. On pins and needles I picked her up and drove to the restaurant. Rhona looked like a real angel and I was at complete peace with my decision. After we ordered our main course I slipped away for a chat with the hostess. I explained my reason for coming here and asked her to bring us two glasses of champagne with dessert after our meal and gave her the engagement ring to place inside Rhona’s dessert.
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Vijay_Nath
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