C.A.R. — The Finale
I sit up in the bath.
I pull back the shower curtain that has been cocooning me in my bath.
I twist the drain control and the water quickly starts draining out of the tub.
I place my right hand on the bottom of the tub, slightly behind me. I rotate my body so I am lying on the right side of my legs.
I place my left hand just over the edge of the tub. Pushing down on my right hand I lever myself onto my knees.
Grasping the vertical frame of the tub enclosure with my left hand I place my right hand on the wooden towel bar that sits on the half wall that partially encloses the tub. I pull myself up onto my knees with both hands.
I step out the tub, with my left leg, always my left, ensuring I raise my leg enough to clear the edge of the tub. Then my right leg follows suit. I am standing on the bath mat that waits beside the tub. I turn to the wooden door to the bathroom and take down my towel that hangs on a hook that adorns the back of the door.
I unfold the towel and scrub my hair dry. Then my face. Then I towel dry my right arm. Then my left. Then I grasp my left thigh in the towels embrace and rub it smooth and dry. Then my right leg follow.
Then I fold the towel in half vertically. Then I fold it again. Then I grasp the folded towel in my right hand. I pass the folded towel behind my back and grasp the other end in my left hand. Then I begin to draw the towel back and forth across my back.
And, each and every time I do this I think of Alana.
An Excerpt from CRASH! Memories of a Healing Journey, Copyright Lyle T. Lachmuth
