Adventure 441: The Story of George, 18

February 8, 2018

Hold on on minute until this chiropractor sets my neck for whiplash. Real time found George dressed, calm, and dapper when we arrived at Harvard Park this morning before breakfast. He said slept well and obviously managed to dress himself despite wrestling with his oversized temporary catheter. He merely tucked it inside his pants as if it was just another accessory. He also took his pills.I find it interesting how previously offensive or disgusting things can become so ordinary. Last night, George thought nothing of holding up his catheter bag to show Vina the  volume produced and the color. He had no reluctance at all. It was like show and tell in first grade. And in the hospital, he and the nurse's assistant kept up a running dialogue as she measured the urine she'd just emptied from his bag. It's like relationships, I guess. There's shyness at first; then familiarity comes; then the surprises end, and finally an accepted normal sets in. Whatever it is, George snapped right back into his new normal this morning. Stay tuned for the next ride.

Due to many factors, George and Chris didn't make it as a couple. As George says, "We both can take a little blame." George and Margaret, on the other hand, fit together like peas in a pod, a hand in a glove, a key and a lock, or whatever pat analogy you can think of. Both like to have a good time. They liked to bowl, fish, camp, gamble, play cards, and in the early years, smoke and drink. Once George reconciled himself to a new direction, he and Margaret were off on their life journey together. They were married for over fifty years when Margaret died at age 92. One thing they really enjoyed in their retired years was casino gambling. They would take their motor home to some casino somewhere and stay for three or four days. They's gamble the day away, always on a strict budget that they never strayed from. Margaret liked the penny machines-those blinking lighted games that chirp, whistle, ring, and whirr. She was lucky, too. She'd sit in front of the same machine, puffing away on one cigarette after another for hours. It was common for her to be five or six hundred dollars ahead at the end of one of their jaunts. George, meanwhile, liked the blackjack table. Good with numbers and the odds, he often came out ahead as well. At night, they'd play a card game they called "Hollywood Gin", drink beer, and generally enjoy each other. This was one part of their entertainment for many years, and it worked for them. It didn't really work for George's children. To commit to Margaret, he had to essentially abandoned his own children, although there were some visitations. Mostly, Margaret's daughter and her family became George's extended family. If holidays mean that families get together,  George and Margaret's Thanksgiving and Christmas always included Wendy and hers. When George met Margaret, he had a choice to make. It was unfortunate that he couldn't make a go of it with Chris, but that became water under the bridge. He chose to move on.

Not a bad bounce back from a three day "vacation" at the hospital. Maybe George pretended he was at the blackjack table. He's got a pretty mischievous look on his face, almost like the cat that swallowed the canary.