We die our second death when the last person on earth who knew us thinks of us for the very last time.

  Mike was right in that we cannot bring a loved one back by talking about them or remembering them.

  But we can extend their time on earth by helping their memories to live on.

  Two different perspectives, two different opinions, neither one right or wrong.

  Mike stood and took Randy’s manifest, then walked the full length of the flatbed trailer to inventory his load.

  It was all there and untampered with.

  He signed and dated the bottom and pulled off the first, second and third copies.

  “Copies four and five are yours to turn in. Give copy six to the guard shack on the way out.”

  He climbed aboard the big forklift and added, “Follow me to lot 2316. It’s about half a block down on the left.”

  Randy did as he was told, then unstrapped the cargo and stood out of the way as Mike did his thing.

  It was obvious he’d been driving the lift for awhile.

  He raised the forks to exactly two inches above trailer height and deftly made his turn, the tines slipping smoothly beneath the first bundle of lumber in one fluid motion.

  He lifted the bundle and tilted it back in another fluid motion, at the same time backing away from the trailer and turning toward lot 2316.

  The lot was up a ten degree incline, which the big International took with ease, and he dropped the load a few feet from a freshly poured slab.

  By the time he removed and dropped the other three pallets only ten minutes had elapsed.

  Randy was impressed.

  He hung around until Mike returned the lift to the roadway, then walked over to shake his new friend’s hand again and to commend him for his driving.

  Randy, like all truckers, had seen plenty of forklift drivers who couldn’t drive worth a diddly damn. It was nice to occasionally come across one who knew his stuff.

  And there was something else he wanted to mention to Mike too.

  Something he felt was somehow important.

  “I thought I saw some pain in your eyes when we were talking about the dead,” he said by way of apology. “I get the sense you lost some people and it hurts too much to talk about. If I caused you any distress I just wanted to apologize.”

  “You didn’t,” Mike said. “And there’s certainly no reason to apologize. I miss the people I’ve lost, but I consider them the lucky ones. Their pain is over.

  “I consider us survivors the cursed ones. We have to suffer every day of our lives without them. Whatever God is up there, I figure I must have pissed him off pretty damn bad somewhere down the line.

  “I figure that’s why He cursed me to stay down here and hurt while my loved ones are all beyond all that.”

  Randy would be troubled for quite some time about Mike’s words.

  They represented another opinion, another perspective.

  And for the life of him, Randy couldn’t figure out who was right and who was wrong.

  Chapter 50

  More than a thousand miles away, another conversation was going on about the Hulaville Relocation Project.

  Samson sat next to his Nana, reading to her from a FEMA informational pamphlet.

  “Homes will be new, single or split level, and all-electric in accordance with California environmental codes. Number of bedrooms will be based upon the ages and genders of each family member.

  “Most will be three bedrooms, but a limited number of four bedrooms will be available for those families willing to be placed on a waiting list of twelve to twenty-four months.”

  “Nana, what does all that mean?”

  “Well, honey, it means that bigger families will be put into larger houses, so they’re not very crowded. But that very large families might have to wait awhile.”

  “Are we considered a large family, Nana?”

  “I don’t know, honey. I think you’re probably average size. But because of your age you’d need a bedroom of your very own. You and Autumn are too old to share a room anymore.

  “She and Meadow could probably share one in a pinch. But they’d be pretty crowded.”

  “No way!” Meadow said rather firmly. “I refuse to share a room with Autumn. She’s the biggest slob in Slobsville.”

  “I am not. You just don’t want to share a room with me because you don’t want me to hear when you talk on the phone with Billy Robison and you talk about wanting to kiss him and marry him and have fourteen babies.”

  “You better shut up, you butthead, or you’re gonna get hurt.”

  Darrell thought it time to step in and try to avoid a bloodbath.

  “You guys stop it. Nobody’s gonna hurt anybody. And last I heard your Mom hadn’t even decided she was gonna move you to California.

  “If you continue to fight over every little thing she might just move out there by herself and leave you guys behind to live in the woods and become sasquatches.”

  Autumn said, “What in heck is a Sasquatch?”

  “It’s like a Bigfoot, honey.”

  “Oh.”

  Sam objected.

  “Hey, but I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t even arguing. Why do I have to get left behind?”

  Nana jumped into the fray, “Well, probably, Mr. Sam, because your feet are bigger than theirs put together. You’d make a perfect Bigfoot.”

  Jennifer walked into the room.

  She kissed her mom on the cheek.

  “How are you feeling, Mom?”

  “Better, honey. Thank you.”

  “I’m surprised you’re not in better spirits. I thought you’d be out of bed and dancing with Grandpa and making him dizzy.”

  “Why? Do you know something I don’t know?”

  “Has Doctor Abril been in here yet?”

  “No. He’s supposed to be making his rounds in about half an hour. Why?”

  “Oops. Never mind.”

  “What do you mean, never mind? You can’t just come in here and ask if I’ve seen my doctor and then tell me never mind. What’s wrong with you?”

  Instead of answering Jenn turned to the kids and said, “They finally fixed the ice cream machine down in the cafeteria. Who wants to go?”

  Three little kids jumped up and headed for the door, Jenn right behind them.

  She turned her head as she went and asked, “You guys want us to bring some back for you?”

  Darrell said, “No thank you, honey.”

  Rocki called after her, “Don’t you dare walk out of here, young lady. You may be thirty one years old, but you’re not too old to spank.”

  “Gotta catch me first, Mom,” Jenn called back with a wicked smile.

  Just the two of them were in the room now.

  Rocki asked Darrell, “You’re supposed to be my protector and my knight in shining armor. Are you gonna let her get away with that?”

  “Get away with what? Taking the chitlins downstairs for ice cream? Of course I’m gonna let her get away with it. If she hadn’t taken them down they’d have asked me to do it. And I’m an old man, getting older by the day.

  “Half of the features on my body don’t work anymore. The other half hurt when I use them. She’s young and full of energy. And they’re her kids. So no, it doesn’t bother me at all that she took them for ice cream.”

  “That wasn’t what I was talking about, honey. But I suspect you already knew that.”

  He certainly did, but he’d never admit it.

  He preferred to pretend to be blissfully unaware.

  “Honey, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

  “You didn’t hear her come in here and drop a big hint that I had something to be happy about? And when I asked her about it she said something about Dr. Abril must not have made it around yet?”

  “Yes, I heard all that.”

  “So… she was hinting that Doctor Abril has some good news to tell me. Something so good it’s going to make me want to dance with you. And make you dizzy, she said.”

  “Honey, you’re making me dizzy just talking to you.”

  “Okay, then. Let’s forget about Dr. Abril and whatever news he has for me. Tell me more about that other stuff you were talking about.”

  “What other stuff?”

  “You were saying that half your features don’t work anymore, and the other half hurt when you use them.”

  “Okay, so?”

  “So I’m wondering about just one in particular.”

  “Which one?”

  “You know which one. The one I’ve been looking forward to checking out once I’m well.”

  “Oh. That one.”

  “Which category does that one fall in? The not working or the one that hurts when you use it?”

  “I thought you were finished using that one.”

  “Au contrere, mon amour.”

  “Well, it’s as flat as a flat tire these days. I suppose we can get an air pump…”

  “Seriously?”

  He smiled slyly.

  “Actually, I haven’t needed it lately, what with you being in a one person bed. But it’ll be there when you need it. I just hope it’s pretty soon.”

  And as if on cue, Doctor Abril walked into the room.

  Chapter 51

  “I saw your daughter in the hallway,” the doctor said. “She told me to drag it out, not to tell you you’re going home until after I bore you with your lab results and all the other details.”

  Rocki smiled broadly.

  “To heck with the lab results and all the other details. I feel good. I’m able to walk to and from the bathroom, albeit not very fast. And I can remember my husband’s name at least one third of the time. Sounds to me like I’m more than ready to go home.

  “I don’t need any stinkin’ lab results. And details are for squatters. People who plan to stay in the hospital for a long time. Me, I hate hospitals. They’re full of sick people. And people who are injured.

  “And they’re full of doctors who use big words I don’t understand. I like small words. Four letters or less. Most of my favorite words in the whole world are four letters or less. In fact, most of the words I use each and every day are four letters.

  “Let me give you a couple of examples, Doc. Go and home. Four letters or less, both of them. They’re easy to say and easy to spell. And easy to understand. I know because I had a concussion. I had bleeding in my brain. You took part of my skull off and I heard a rumor you and the anesthesiologist threw it around the operating room like a Frisbee. But that’s okay because I survived. Despite the concussion, the bleeding and the Frisbee throwing I came through. And I can still understand those two words:

  “Go home. I got it. Now, are we finished here?”

  Dr. Abril was impressed.

  “That’s more than you’ve said in our last five conversations all put together.”

  “That’s because I want to… you know… go home. Just in case you haven’t been listening.”

  “Oh, trust me, I got your subtle hint.”

  He turned to Darrell and asked, “Is she always like this?”

  “Yeah, pretty much.”

  “Okay. Then we’ll get the ball rolling. But there is a glitch.”

  Rocki’s smile left her face and was replaced with a look of slight concern.

  She looked to Darrell and said, “Honey… what’s your name again?”

  “Darrell.”

  “That’s it. Darrell. He didn’t say glitch, did he? Because I thought we agreed we were going to use words of four letters or less. Easy to spell, easy to say, easy to understand.

  “Glitch has more than four letters. It has six. I know because I’m an author. I auth for a living.”

  She glared at the doctor.

  “Do you know the difference between a writer and an author, Doctor?”

  “Um… no…”

  “Anybody can write. Only an author can auth. Now then, Doctor, do you know the definition of the word auth?”

  “Um… I’m not even sure that is a word.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Exactly?”

  “Yes. Exactly. You see, anybody can write. Only an author can auth. Authing is the art of placing words in an order in which they can be easily understood. And when authors cannot find a word which suits them, they have the right and the power to make up a new one.”

  “So you made up the word auth to strengthen your argument?”

  “Precisely.”

  “And… you’re allowed to do that?”

  “Of course. It’s in the authing handbook.”

  He repeated her words, while at the same time looking like he had the most painful of headaches.

  “In the… authing… handbook.”

  “Precisely. Now we understand each other.”

  “But if auth is a word you just made up, isn’t authing also a…”

  Darrell thought it time to intervene.

  “Just go with it, Doc. You’ll never win an argument with her. Take my word for it. I’ve known her for forty two years. I haven’t won one yet.”

  Rocki said, “Just come up with a new word, Doc. A four letter word. Glitch bad. Four letter word good.”

  “Okay,” the good doctor finally said. “Forget glitch. Instead of glitch we’ll use prob.”

  Rocki looked like she was personally offended.

  “Wait a minute. You’re not an author. You can’t make up words. And while prob does have four letters, which is good, it is most definitely not a real word. Which is bad. Very very bad.”

  “It most certainly is a word,” the doctor countered. “I know because my fifteen year old daughter uses it all the time.”

  He mimicked imaginary conversations with his daughter.

  “Honey, you’ll be late to school.”

  “No prob, they cancelled my first period class.”

  “Honey, if you go out with your friends you won’t have time to do your homework.”

  “No prob, it’s not due until Wednesday.”

  “Honey, the tire’s flat on your car.”

  “No prob. Mom said I could take yours and that you could change my tire and then take mine.”

  Rocki paused and thought.

  He was right.

  She’d heard Meadow and Autumn use the word “prob” at least a thousand times each.

  She gave up. She surrendered.

  “Okay. I’ll shut up now.”

  And in doing so she allowed the good doctor to accomplish something Darrell hadn’t done in forty two years.

  He won an argument with Rocki.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Darrell said.

  Chapter 52

  “Anyway, whatever you want to call it… a glitch or a prob or whatever, we can’t release you until you decide where you’re going once you leave here.”

  Darrell asked, “What do you mean? We’re taking her home.”

  “I understand,” the doctor said. “But last time I talked to you about it, you weren’t sure where that home was going to be. You said you’ve been on the road for so many years home was a meaningless concept to you.

  “You said on the one hand, you might go to Little Rock where you have family. One the other hand, you said, the whole country is in a state of flux. You said now might be the time to try someplace new. Someplace you’ve always wanted to live but never had the chance.

  “Then your daughter told me in the hallway that it might not matter whether you decide to live in Little Rock where your family is. Because they might not be there. That they’re thinking of moving to Alaska or to southern California.”

  “But,” Rocki said, “Why do we have to know now, before I’m released? Why can’t we go back to Little Rock temporarily while we weigh all the pros and cons and decide where we want to live permanently?”

  “Oh, you certainly can. I didn’t mean to imply we were going to hold you hostage until you decided on a permanent home. A temporary stay in Little Rock is perfectly fine. We just need to have an address to give to our administration department so they can process your discharge.

  “You see, there’s a lot of work to be done. Our discharge staff will make an appointment with a therapy clinic near your home. You’ll need to see a physical therapist three times a week for four months. Then you’ll be reevaluated to see if you’re ready to fly out of the nest.

  “In addition, you’ll have occupational therapy four times a week. And you’ll need to be assigned a good neurosurgeon to monitor your progress.

  “You’ll be taking five different medications for varying lengths of time. We’ll need to find a working pharmacy near your home in Little Rock. Many have gone out of business.

  “Many others are having logistical problems. Their supply chains have broken down and they’re having trouble getting certain types of medications. We need to find out if they’re going to be able to fulfill your needs.”

  “And if they can’t?”

  “Then we’ll make more phone calls. We’ll talk to as many pharmacies as we have to until we’re satisfied you won’t run out of your medications.

  “We’ve spent too much time putting you back together again just to send you off to Arkansas and hope for the best. We’re still considering you our patient until your recovery is complete.”

  “So… you want us to stay in Little Rock until after all my prescriptions have run out and a doctor says I’m officially healed?”

  “Well now, I can’t mandate that. Especially in the chaotic world we’re living in.

  “Let me just say that option would be the best.

  “And best is a four letter word. A word you should approve of.”

  Rocki smiled.

  She could have made a comment to keep their little volley going. She was having fun dueling with the doctor. She got the sense he was as well.

  But she’d let him have the last word.

  He saved her life.

  She owed him something.

  The doctor stood up and said, “I’ll be off now. Regarding the lab results, your cholesterol is a bit high. Keep watching your diet and keep taking your medications.

  “Regarding discharge instructions, you’re in very good health, considering what you’ve been through. You’re healing well. Be careful that you don’t overdo it. Our staff will give you a list of your appointments and the doctors’ and therapists’ names. Be sure you don’t drive them all insane.

 

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