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Blog > Thoughts > Other's Thoughts > Ada's Thoughts > Day two continued…

Day two continued…

Written by Ada on Saturday, December 13, 2008

Last night, I came home from work, unpacked groceries, changed into jammies and jumped in my wheelchair.

I puttered about the house, fixed supper, fed the beasts supper, watched tv and talked to my friend on the phone. Sometime after midnight, I had what can only be described as a moment of temporary insanity. I decided I needed something from the store, and I needed it immediately! There is an all night store not to far from me. So I changed into street clothes, got into my wheelchair and left my home.

I don’t know why I did this. I didn’t need anything from the store. I also did not need what would be a twenty minute walk to turn into a nearly two hour ordeal.

I wheeled down the hallway and called the elevator which would deposit me on the lower level. I exited the building through the loading dock. There is a park next to my building and I crossed the street and wheeled up the path.

I wheeled through the park without much effort. It’s rather steady, and generally downhill. There are several forks in the path, and I’ve not walked them all, but I continued in the right direction. I arrived at the other side of the park, and the path diverged. I stopped to contemplate. The path to the right loops around in the direction I had just come. The path to the left heads to a parking garage. I proceeded straight. As I crested a small hill, the paved path stopped and in front of me, was a four foot drop where the grass was worn away to dirt. From here it is about 20 feet to the street. I headed rapidly downhill. It was very bumpy and I was scared I was going to fall forward. I had to cheat and put my foot down, as I was not able to stop the wheelchair using only my hands.

I refocused and was able to take control of the chair for the last section of the dirt path. At the bottom, there was no curb cut, and I had to cheat the chair onto the street.

I crossed the street and there is a curb cut to get on the sidewalk, however there is about a two inch rise from the street to the curb cut. I struggled here for a bit, and I was not able to pop a wheelie as was easy at home that morning. I tried a few times. I backed up and repositioned myself, thinking I may be able to get the angle just right and jump the rise.

There were two residential buildings in front of me, and a woman returning home saw me as she drove to the garage. She proceeded, then stopped and backed up her car to me. She rolled down the window and asked if I needed any help. I thanked her and said, no, I am learning. She waved and drove off.

I was not able to get onto the sidewalk, so I wheeled in the street. I positioned myself on the edge of the street where I could see oncoming cars. It’s not a high traffic area, and I only encountered a couple cars. This area was a bit tricky for me. The road crests in the center and dips rather far on the edge. I had a hard time wheeling straight. I eventually moved to the other side of the street thinking it would be easier, and it was a little.

The edge of the residential complex has landscaping and there is a path up a hill about 8 feet. There is a very busy road on the other side. I tried so hard, but I could not get up that hill. I cheated again and put one foot down and pushed with that while my hands pushed my wheels backward. At the top of the hill, I righted my direction. At this point I could see the store, but I had to cross a busy six lane street.

I waited only a few seconds for the signal to cross, and it was straight down hill across the street. I arrived in the parking lot and there was a tractor trailer unloading a delivery. I wheeled around to the right. The store is in a strip mall, and it’s at the corner of an intersection, so some of the store fronts are staggered. I saw a the curb cut. BUT because the stores are staggered, the sidewalk did not continue around to the store.

I turned around and headed toward the other side of the truck. At this point, there was a car full of people and the guy in the passenger side was staring at me. I looked at him, smiled, and waved. He waved back and they drove off. I waved at everyone I noticed staring at me that night. I don’t know why, and I know I will have to stop that.

I wheeled around the truck to the other side. No curb cut. I wheeled out to look and see where there was one. It appeared the curb cut was all the way at the end of the strip mall, probably 50 meters away. I was getting tired and I knew I had to conserve my energy. So I wheeled back around the truck again. I cheated and helped the chair up onto the sidewalk.

I went into the store and the tile floor felt so nice beneath my wheels. I couldn’t remember what I came to the store for. I wheeled up and down the aisles thinking something would trigger my memory, and enjoying how nice it felt wheeling. I remembered! I didn’t see it though and wheeled up to the checkout and asked the clerk. They didn’t sell what I wanted, and I left the store.

I returned to the spot where I cheated the chair up onto the sidewalk, and I cheated the chair back down and wheeled through the parking lot.

I waited at the edge of the road, and this area is much more dangerous. Cars travel around the curve very quickly and I was afraid I was going to be hit by a car. The signal changed, while crossing the street I was looking in both directions and it’s uphill across the street and I was moving much slower than I wanted to. I crossed the sidewalk again, and was able to head down the hill that gave me trouble. It was really nice wheeling down that hill and into the street. What a thrill!

I passed the residential area and approached the park with the dirt path in front of me. Unable to go back the way I came, I had to proceed left around the park. I was starting to get very tired now. And from this point it took me twice as long to return home as it had thus far.

The sidewalk runs along a well traveled road. The first of three cabbies stopped and asked me if I needed a lift. I said no thanks. I thought it very funny that three taxis asked me this, as I know from wheelchair users how hard it can be to get a cab!.

I had to stop several times as I was very tired and I am very inexperienced. A man was walking behind me. I stopped to rest as he passed me and he asked me if I was okay. I said I was. Did I need any help? No. Have a good night. Have a good night yourself! :)

I don’t recall how many times I stopped, but this part of the trip seemed endless. I never thought about getting out of the chair. I didn’t know how long it would take me to get home. I knew I could make it there, because I HAD to. I did not have a choice. At this time, I WAS a wheelchair user.

I returned to the loading dock of my building. I had to dig out my access card and it’s a bit of a reach to wave it and grab the door, but I did. Once inside, tile beneath my wheels again. Ahhh, sweet glorious tile. I had to swipe again at a second door, proceeded through and called the elevator.

Once it arrived, I wheeled on straight. I didn’t have the strength to turn myself around. I backed out on my floor. The corridors in my building have two types of carpet as a design element. There are solid patches, and patterned patches. They feel different and the patterned patches are harder to wheel on. I was so very tired at this point and my hands hurt so badly. I wheeled to the corridor and there was nobody in the corridor. I got out of the chair as I did not have the strength to wheel myself down to my door.

I entered my home and went to bed and I slept quite soundly!

Tags: Pretending, Wheelchair

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