Page 32 of Inherited Light
She stared up at me from the chair. “I can’t get in the truck, Ren. It’s too high.”
I leaned down and scooped her out of the chair. “I know, but it’s a good reason to have you in my arms,” I said, kissing her gently before sitting her on the seat. She grimaced slightly and readjusted herself. “Are you okay?” I asked and she nodded noncommittally as she snapped on her seatbelt. I handed her the purse and seat cushion from the chair. “Is it okay if I tie the chair down in the back without taking it apart?”
She shrugged. “Sure, if you can, otherwise take the wheels off and lay the frame of the chair down. It won’t go anywhere if its lying down.”
I smiled and shut the door, rolling the chair to the back of the truck and lowering the tailgate. I lifted the lightweight chair into the bed of the truck and rolled it up the side to the built-in tie downs I have for equipment. In a matter of seconds, I had the chair secured and I jumped in the driver’s side, turning the engine over.
She leaned back against the seat and smiled at me. “Thanks, I owe you one. I’m exhausted from working all day and smiling all night. Wine is what I need. Wine and some time out of the chair.”
She rubbed her back and I took notice as I steered out of the parking lot toward her house. “Your back is the problem, isn’t it?” I asked her, reaching over to massage her shoulder. I noticed my own back aching earlier, but figured it was bound to after standing hunched over the ramp all afternoon.
“It starts to hurt if I sit in the chair for too long. Normally I vary my sitting positions throughout the day, but yesterday and today were spent in the chair for far too many hours. It will be okay tomorrow.”
“Do you have anything you can take to help with the pain?” I asked, steering into a parking lot a few blocks from her gallery.
“I do at home, but why are we here?” she asked glancing around in the dark.
I pointed at the small building. “You said you wanted wine. I’ll go in and grab a bottle. What’s your favorite kind?”
She looked at me with a teasing grin on her face. “I hate to say it, because most people think its trash, but I love white zin.”
I leaned over and kissed her nose. “If you love it then it’s not trash. I’ll be right back. You’ll be okay in here alone? Or do you want to come in?”
She smiled as her head rested on the back of the seat. “I couldn’t if I tried.”
“I’ll be right back,” I promised, jumping from the cab and striding to the door. I noticed we made it just in the nick of time and I jogged to the wine display and made a selection before they closed the registers. Living in wine country, I had more choices than I could count, so I grabbed the first bottle of white zinfandel I could find and carried it to the checkout.
I set it down on the counter and the older gentleman at the register twisted it toward him as I took out my wallet. “Nice choice, son. You’ll love it. Sweet, but not too sweet.”
I nodded. “Thanks, I feel like saying eeny meeny miney mo when it comes to wine sometimes. There are too many choices.”
I showed him my ID and waited while he scanned the wine. “Tell me about it. Every day there’s a rep in here pedaling a new one. It’s hard to stay current with all the choices. Anything else for you tonight?”
My eyes caught sight of a small display below the counter. “Hang on,” I said, bending down to check it out. There were sample packs of Tylenol, Advil, aspirin and surprisingly, packs of condoms. I grabbed two types of pain relievers and a pack of condoms, setting it all up on the counter. “My friend has a sore back,” I explained as he rung it all up. I didn’t make eye contact with him as he scanned the items and threw them in the bag with the bottle of wine.
“Nice of you to grab her some pain relievers,” he said, but I could tell he was trying not to laugh as I paid for the purchases and grabbed the bag.
“Have a great night,” I called as I approached the front of the building. I was grateful the entrance to the store didn’t have any windows, and I slipped the condoms into my coat pocket until I could put them in the truck. I didn’t intend to use them tonight, but at least they would be there when, and if, I needed them.
I climbed back in the truck and handed her the two packets of medication, holding out a bottle of unopened water from the console. “Maybe this will take the edge off until I get you home.”
She took the packets of medication and the bottle of water, but I noticed her hand shook as she did it. She held the bottle of water to her chest. “Thank you, Ren. How sweet of you. I appreciate this more than you know.”
She ripped open the Tylenol and took the two pills, resting the bottle of water in the console while she tore open the Advil and held them in her hand, too. I grabbed her arm before she could put the pills on her tongue. “Is it safe to take both together?”
She nodded, so I let her hand go and she swallowed them, screwing the cap back on the water bottle as I turned out of the parking lot and toward Martindale.
“Don’t worry, I don’t always take both, but tonight the pain is especially exquisite.”
I rested my hand on her thin thigh. “I’ll get you home soon and do whatever you need me to do. Would a backrub help?”
She leaned back, putting her hand over mine. “I’ll be okay, but thanks for the offer. I’m excited to see the ramp. I bet a tornado wouldn’t budge it now.
I laughed and lifted my hand from her leg, giving her the so-so motion. “It’s sturdy and you won’t get hurt on it, but it needs to be torn down. I’ll build the one to the back door first, then demolish the old one. Since I was under it anyway, I checked out the stairs to the front door and they’re going to have to go. The cement is crumbling and sinking into the soil, which was also causing some of the instability in the ramp. They’ve been covered for too long and there’s no way to make them usable again. If you’re interested, I could build a set of stairs and small deck on the front of the house. It would be a space you could sit on with your chair in the morning and enjoy the sunshine. If a friend stopped by, it would be a great place to sit and visit. What do you think?”
She stared out the windshield and I noticed her sniffing. I caught a tear with my thumb as it ran down her face then squeezed her shoulder, my heart clenching to hear her cry. “I can just replace the stairs. You don’t have to cry, sweetheart.”
I slowed the truck and exited the highway, glad we were almost home. She swiped at her other eye and sighed. “As you were describing what you would do I realized I don’t have any friends to sit on a deck with, Ren. It’s no one’s fault but my own. You can build it, but there will be no friends to fill it.”
