Tuesday, January 30, 2018

A Small Circus

After shoveling my front and back steps and sidewalk I took Romeo for a downtown walk. It was still snowing. I spotted a person in a wheelchair behind the baseball field at Saint Germain. At first I wasn't sure if he was meditating on the beautiful snow or if he was stuck. I said hello. He asked for a push. Sure, where'd you like to go? I asked. To the bus stop, he replied. I introduced him to Romeo and then pushed him while holding Romeo on the leash. We toodled along crossing the Elks Club parking lot. Romeo loved it orbiting like a lopsided satellite. Then we got stuck. The man tried to get the wheels moving by lunging forward. He was a huge guy. I suggested he do nothing because both of us pushing sabotaged the momentum. I pushed without him and it worked. We got stuck half a dozen times. I would remind him to do nothing and then I'd push us out. Romeo was having a blast and wasn't afraid of the man or his wheelchair or his prosthetic leg. I was wearing my highway department yellow glow vest and Romeo had on his red coat so we were visible. We must've looked like a small circus. The sidewalks were un-plowed and the streets were like unbaked pie dough. I didn't want us to get caught crossing as traffic was heading our way. We made it across the main street. Then we got stuck trying to get up the Bank of America driveway next to the bus stop. I thought 'turn him around' (physics!) and then I was able to pull him up the ramp. He caught the bus to the VA Hospital in Providence.

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