1210 seeing john

My parents made arrangements for my brother, John, to come home for a few hours today. Long Beach Transit was having a special for point-to-point transportation of the disabled, so they took advantage of it.

If you didn’t know, John had a stroke in November 2005 (a week before Thanksgiving), and was transferred to nursing homes after his hospital stay. So this was his first time to be “at home” in over three years.

After getting dropped off at the curb, John was wheeled through the gate and was welcomed by Jett, the family black lab. You could tell that Jett remembered John, and although John couldn’t speak, he smiled and reached out to pet Jett on the head.

My father gave John a brief tour of the house, including his room, which generally remains untouched since he left. Even the dust has dust. He was parked at the kitchen table and went through the newspapers.

We “communicated” with John, although it was kind of limited to “one finger means yes, two fingers means no.” We found out then that my father didn’t know, when he asked us what we were doing. My mother explained, but then asked, “How do you ask John if he wants to go outside when you visit?”

My father replied, “I just wheel him outside because it’s a nice day and better than staying indoors.” So when Dad visits, John goes outside whether he wants to or not.

My father took John outside for a look at the yard. We wanted him to stay longer, but he needed to get back to the nursing home for medications. LB Transit picked him up shortly afterwards. It was nice to see him.