Raven chuckled. “Whatnot. Did Candy tell you Miguel and I changed your sheets?”
I laughed. “Yeah, buddy, he did. Thanks. That must have been horrifyin’.”
“Not for me. I’m the clean freak, but I can barely get Miguel to change a lightbulb, much less a set of sheets, so it was good practice.” He patted me on the shoulder and as he did, Lola ran into the room in her little wheelchair.
“Oh, my goodness!” Judy exclaimed. “Aren’t you too cute?”
Lola’s whole body wiggled like crazy as Judy leaned down to pet her. She looked up at me. “We had so much fun taking care of her while you were away.”
I felt my face heat. “Another thing I’ll never be able to thank y’all for.”
Lola started barking then ran over to the sliding glass door to the backyard.
“Oh, you need to go out,” I said.
“We’ll let you do that, Rex,” Candy said. “Shall I lock up?”
“I’ll do it.” Alain walked over to the door as the others stepped out onto the porch.
I wheeled over and watched them walk to their cars. “Thanks, guys.”
“No problem. Bye until tomorrow,” Candy replied as they all looked back.
“Good night, guys.” I watched them drive away, and Alain locked the front door. “Gonna take her out.”
Alain appeared slightly awkward as he deliberately shuffled his feet. He let out a long sigh before glancing at me.
“Would it be terribly presumptuous to assume you’d need my help with Lola?”
I shook my head. “I’ve got it, Joy, but thanks.”
He looked relieved. “Right-O, then. I’ll head off to bed, Rex…unless you need my assistance with anything.”
I snorted. “Naw, get yourself some sleep, Alain. You’ve got an important job to do tomorrow. I gotta learn to do stuff on my own.”
“Capital,” he said, looking relieved. “Good night then.”
“Night, buddy, and thanks for bein’ here.”
He smiled and left me in the front room, heading down the hallway and shutting the bedroom door behind him. I grabbed Lola’s belly protector before heading over to the back door. I picked her up, and pulled her out of the wheelchair, wrapped her belly, and set her on the ground next to the doggy door. She pulled herself through it and scooted down the ramp. It had gotten dark, so when she got to the grass, she disappeared into the shadows while I sat at the door. I watched for about five minutes, and when she hadn’t reappeared or barked, I started to get worried. I slid the door open and called to her. “Lola! Lola!”
I heard distant barking from the back of the yard and then a snuffling sound followed by more barking. She had to be after a gopher. My yard was full of them and getting rid of the pesky rodents who dug holes all over the grass was a constant struggle I never seemed to win. Lola was always chasing them back to their holes and digging for them, compounding the problem.
I glanced back in the direction of the hallway, momentarily unsure whether I should bother Alain to go look for her. My mind was made up for me the minute I heard the muffled sounds of music as it started to play behind the closed bedroom door. Alain was putting my old console stereo to use. I kept it, along with a shelf filled with vintage vinyl in the room he was staying in.
My pride won out. I had to learn to do things on my own. I drove the wheelchair out onto the back porch, calling her name the whole time. “Lola! Lola! Come here, girl!”
I rolled down the ramp and came to an abrupt stop, pitching sideways as one front wheel suddenly hit the edge of the patio sinking into the grass. The entire wheelchair tipped to the sideand before I could do anything to stop it, my weight, combined with the momentum of the chair, toppled the whole thing. Unable to stop myself, I fell hard, crashing half on the patio’s edge and half on the grass a second later. Worst of all, as I fell, I somehow managed to bang my cheek on a terra-cotta pot filled with geraniums. The blinding stab of pain in my face as the skin over my cheekbone felt like it split, took my breath away.
I lifted my hand to my face without thinking and it came away wet with what I could only assume was blood I couldn’t see in the darkness. “Dammit!” I hissed. I rolled to my back and looked upward, feeling angry and helpless with my predicament. I craned my neck to look toward the back. “Lola!” I was relieved when she came fast, scooting across the grass, and over to where I lay, feeling slightly panicked and sorry for myself. I reached out and pulled her to me, kissing the top of her head as she began whining. “It’s okay, Lola girl.” I glanced at the wheelchair which lay on its side. “Fuuuck me.”
I gave my precious girl another kiss and then put her down, pushing myself up to a sitting position, pondering how I was going to right the chair and crawl back into it, much less, get it onto the patio. I glanced back at the house and listened, barely able to hear the distant sound of music playing behind Alain’s closed door. Even if I yelled for him, there was no way he’d hear me, not with the stereo going. I contemplated my situation for only a minute or so, before making up my mind.
I glanced at Lola. “Okay, girl, let’s do this.” I patted her little head and then began the arduous task of dragging myself across the ground, using my upper body strength to get the chair set to rights. No easy task, it took more time than I’d hoped, but at least, I was halfway there.
Lola barked. Her entire body was still as she blinked up at me. I couldn’t help but smile as she whimpered again. “I’mgonna be fine, sweetheart.” I petted her head then went back to my task, somehow managing to get all four wheels of the chair onto solid concrete and then literally drag my ass back into it. The upper body strength I’d gained from the manual wheelchair wasn’t lost on me. By the time I was finally seated, I was soaked with sweat, my arm muscles were screaming, and I stunk like wet grass.
I called for Lola and she dragged herself close enough for me to pick her up. Setting her in my lap, I wheeled us both back to the house, cursing my predicament the entire time.