Chapter 2
1700 Words
Chapter 2
Jacksonville, FL
CHRIS SAT FOR a few minutes finishing his breakfast, while Teddy sat across the table looking expectantly at him.
“See that yellow pad and pen over there on the counter, Teddy?” Chris said.
“Sure.”
“Why don’t you bring it to me, and we’ll make a shopping list.”
“Okay.”
Teddy retrieved the pad and pen and handed them to Chris.
“All right, then,” Chris said. “Let’s start with what you like for breakfast and go from there.”
Chris quickly learned that Teddy had several food likes but no particular dislikes other than liver, which he despised.
“Guess what?” Chris said when he heard that.
“What?”
“I don’t like liver either. It looks so nasty and slimy sitting there in the meat counter.”
Teddy giggled at the image. “Grandma says it’s good for you.”
“And she’s correct, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.”
“Are you going to buy some when we go to the store?”
“Absolutely not. There are a lot of other foods that are just as good for you.”
“Good,” Teddy said.
Chris completed his shopping list. “Teddy, why don’t you watch TV in the library while I go upstairs and get ready?”
“Okay.”
“We don’t have all of the channels that are available, but there are a couple of them that have cartoons.”
“What about the Cartoon Network? Do we have it?”
“I think so. Let’s go have a look at the TV guide.”
Chris went into the library and turned on the television. He called up the online guide and said, “There’s what we have available, and the Cartoon Network is one of the channels we get.”
“What about Paula Deen? Do we have the Food Network?”
“We sure do, kiddo. Do you like her program?”
“Yes, Sir. I love to listen to her talk and watch her cook.”
“Good for you.”
With Teddy settled down in the library watching television, Chris went upstairs to dress for the day. I showered last night, so I’ll bypass my morning shower, but I do need a shave, he thought. That taken care of, he dressed in shorts and a polo shirt, slipped into a pair of deck shoes and started to head downstairs, then remembered something that he needed to do, so he went into the upstairs den and made a phone call.
When he was downstairs, he walked into the library and said, “Ready to go, kiddo?”
“Yes, Sir.” Teddy got up and headed for the door.
“You forgot something, Teddy.”
“What’s that?”
“When you leave the room you turn off the television.”
“Okay.” Teddy found the remote and clicked the TV off. “Ma always left it running.”
“Yeah, but that wastes electricity, and we don’t do that in this house.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good boy. Now we can go.”
Chris led Teddy to the garage, and when his brother saw Mabel his eyes widened. “It’s a Mustang,” he said.
“It’s not just a Mustang; it’s a vintage Mustang from 1968, and her name is Mabel.”
“That’s cool,” Teddy said. “She looks like she’s brand-new.”
“That’s because I’ve worked very hard to get her that way and keep her that way. Let’s go.” Their first stop was a lengthy visit to Publix, and as they walked through the aisles, Chris began to get a better feel for Teddy’s likes. He spotted a number of things that he hadn’t thought to ask about when he’d prepared his shopping list. “Okay, kiddo, that’s it,” he said. “Let’s head for the checkout lines.”
TEDDY HELPED CHRIS bring in the groceries and waited patiently in the kitchen while they were stowed in their proper places.
Chris had an inspiration and said, “Teddy, do you know how to use a computer?”
“Sure. We had them in school.”
“Good. I think our next visit will be to one of the electronics stores.”
“Does that mean I’m gonna have a computer?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks, Chris, I mean Papa.” Teddy grabbed Chris and hugged him fiercely.
“You’re welcome, kiddo. I don’t see how a kid can get through school these days without a computer.”
Chris’s search for a computer took them across town to the Regency Square Mall area and a nearby Best Buy outlet, where he had a lengthy conversation with a clerk on the topic of desktop machines versus laptops for kids. He finally settled on a desktop computer, complete with a flat screen monitor. They loaded the items into Mabel’s trunk, and when Chris was behind the wheel he pointed her west.
As they passed through downtown, Chris detoured to the heart of the business district until he came to Mickey’s building.
“That’s where Mickey works,” he said, pointing.
“Wow! That’s a tall building,” Teddy said.
“One of the tallest in the city.”
“And you work at a hospital, right?”
“Yes, I do. We’d stop by it on the way home, but the clock on Mabel’s dash tells me that it’s time for lunch, so we’re going to stop somewhere else first.”
“Okay.”
Chris pulled into the parking lot at Richard’s Sandwich Shop and led Teddy inside, where he ordered two Camel Riders, Sprite, and iced tea. When the order was ready, he carried it to a table.
“What’s a Camel Rider?” Teddy said.
“It’s a pita pocket with lettuce, tomato, cold cuts and sliced cheese. Richard’s makes the best Camel Riders in town. Give it a try, why don’t you?”
“Okay.”
Teddy picked up the pita pocket and took a generous bite from it. He chewed for a while, swallowed, then said, “That was good.”
“It’s one of my favorites.”
They finished their sandwiches, and Teddy said, “Are we going to the hospital now?”
“We’ll do that another time. Right now, we need to take your new computer home and set it inside the house. Then we’ll hook up my little utility trailer and go buy you a desk.”
“I didn’t see a trailer.”
“That’s because it’s on the other side of the garage covered up with a tarpaulin. I bought it when Mickey and I were remodeling the house. It came in real handy then, and it will now.”
At the house, they carried Teddy’s computer and monitor upstairs, then returned to Mabel and hooked up the trailer.
“Let’s go,” Chris said.
He drove to one of the used furniture stores he and his friend Quentin had visited when he’d been buying furniture for the house he’d rented when he’d first moved to Jacksonville. They didn’t have what he wanted, so he tried another store and found a sturdy desk and chair. He also purchased a nice freestanding bookcase. The furniture was surprisingly light, and he and Teddy were able to carry everything upstairs.
“Okay,” Chris said. “Let’s get you set up and ready to go.”
They got the computer up and running in no time, then Chris realized that he’d overlooked something.
“Darn,” he said.
“What’s the matter?” Teddy said.
“I forgot to buy a wireless modem.”
“Does that mean we have to go back to Best Buy?”
“Probably not. Let me call a friend of mine.” Chris opened his cell phone and punched a speed-dial number.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mike, Chris Bottoms here.”
“Hi, yourself, what can I do for you?”
“You can tell me where I can find a wireless modem for a desktop machine—preferably on this side of town.”
Mike gave him the names of two stores, Chris thanked him, and they said good-bye.
“Okay, Teddy,” Chris said. “We’re going to make one more trip.”
They got back in Mabel and drove to Roosevelt Square Shopping Center, which was only a few blocks away. They returned home shortly thereafter, and went upstairs to test the new device.
“There you go, Teddy,” Chris said. “You’re up and running. I don’t have to tell you to stay away from those adult sites, do I?”
“No, Sir.”
“Good. I think I’m going to leave you with it and go take a short nap, just as soon as I put that trailer back where it belongs.”
Chris took care of the trailer; then he walked upstairs. He peeked into Teddy’s room, saw that the boy was engrossed in playing some sort of computer game, so he went to the master suite, lay down on his bed, and crashed.
When he awoke, he went straight to the bathroom to take care of business, leaving the door open out of habit. He was sitting on the toilet seat in his boxers dealing with the ostomy bag when Teddy wandered into the master bathroom.
He took one look at Chris and said, “Eeew, what’s that thing?”
Chris thought a minute, then said, “Teddy, have you seen pictures of what it looks like inside your body?”
“Sure.”
“Then you know that your intestines are very long. Over twenty feet long, in fact, and they’re all coiled up inside your abdomen.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I had cancer of my rectum and lower intestine some time back. To get rid of it, they removed a foot or more of my intestines; when they did that, they left an opening in my belly like this. It’s called a stoma.”
“But what’s it for?”
“Because I don’t have a rectum anymore, this is where the poop comes out. It winds up in this bag, and I have to change it two or three times a day, depending on how much I’ve eaten.”
“That’s yucky. Does it hurt?”
“No, it doesn’t hurt. It’s just annoying to have to deal with. Maybe it’s good that you saw this.”
“Why?”
“Remember, I told you that it isn’t safe to swim in the river in back of the house?”
“Sure.”
“If you were to try that and needed to be rescued, I’d be afraid to jump in after you because of this thing. If some of that polluted water got inside my abdomen, it could be very bad.”
“You mean you could die?”
“I hope not, but it’s certainly a possibility that I have to worry about.”
“Can I touch it?”
“No, you can’t. I’ve just finished wiping it with anti-bacterial paste, and it’s clean and ready for a new bag to be attached.” Teddy watched wide-eyed as Chris finished putting the new ostomy bag in place, then pulled his outer clothing back on. “I’m kind of hungry, Teddy. How about a snack?”
“Okay.”
They went to the kitchen, and Chris warmed up a couple of apple fritters by nuking them. They carried the apple fritters out to the swing on the back porch and settled down in it.
“Tomorrow we’ll snack on something less fattening,” Chris said. “Bananas, apples, or something like that.”
“Okay.”
They sat for a long time after their fritters had been consumed, then Chris said, “I need to go inside and start cooking our dinner.”
“Can I help?” Teddy said.
“You sure can, kiddo. Let’s go do some cooking.”
- Writer
