best ny moment
there were three blocks to the zoo. the bronx stretched out in a drab urban wasteland, and we walked. christina had her whole body tucked into her peacoat, and was still cold as hell, but for some reason was fighting against my offers to blow hot air directly on her face.
a handicap van was parked on the side of the road. the chair lift hanging off the side of it like that goddamn rack of ribs in the flintstones intro. as we walked by, a surprisly cheery but not at all urgent voice came from within.
"Help."
peering in, a man was visible in his wheelchair, layed flat in the large machine. a hefty man, but not fat. easily in his late 30s or 40s.
"Hey there, could you come here and give me a hand?" was his calm question.
"Uhhm...sure." i climbed inside. part of me wanted to help, the other part didn't want to get scammed by a man in a wheelchair.
climbing in, the inside was messy, but in a normal fashion. nothing i wouldnt expect in my own filthy truck.
"There's a candy bar in a bag up there, could you get it for me?"
fishing around, i hoist up a snickers bar. "this?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
i bring it back to him and point it towards his hands.
"Could you open it?"
again, "Uhhh, okay. sure." his hands look okay, and hes moving them a bit, gesturing, but im guessing he cant control them that well. i tear the wrapper, trying not to get my grubby hands all over the junk inside, and gesture it back towards his hands.
"Ahhng, Annh," he gestures towards his face like a child to accompany the noise, "put it in my mouf."
im sure i made a face, and i move the bar into this large mans mouth, and proceed to feed him half a snickers bar. he chews and says, "you can just leave it here," and gestures towards his chest, in front of his face.
christina leans in, "do you have water accessible to you? are you okay?" her nursing training coming back through the cracks of starbucks coffee slavery. she puts a water bottle near him and we leave.
"thank you" comes the same upbeat but lazy voice from within the van.
and we keep walking to the zoo.
a handicap van was parked on the side of the road. the chair lift hanging off the side of it like that goddamn rack of ribs in the flintstones intro. as we walked by, a surprisly cheery but not at all urgent voice came from within.
"Help."
peering in, a man was visible in his wheelchair, layed flat in the large machine. a hefty man, but not fat. easily in his late 30s or 40s.
"Hey there, could you come here and give me a hand?" was his calm question.
"Uhhm...sure." i climbed inside. part of me wanted to help, the other part didn't want to get scammed by a man in a wheelchair.
climbing in, the inside was messy, but in a normal fashion. nothing i wouldnt expect in my own filthy truck.
"There's a candy bar in a bag up there, could you get it for me?"
fishing around, i hoist up a snickers bar. "this?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
i bring it back to him and point it towards his hands.
"Could you open it?"
again, "Uhhh, okay. sure." his hands look okay, and hes moving them a bit, gesturing, but im guessing he cant control them that well. i tear the wrapper, trying not to get my grubby hands all over the junk inside, and gesture it back towards his hands.
"Ahhng, Annh," he gestures towards his face like a child to accompany the noise, "put it in my mouf."
im sure i made a face, and i move the bar into this large mans mouth, and proceed to feed him half a snickers bar. he chews and says, "you can just leave it here," and gestures towards his chest, in front of his face.
christina leans in, "do you have water accessible to you? are you okay?" her nursing training coming back through the cracks of starbucks coffee slavery. she puts a water bottle near him and we leave.
"thank you" comes the same upbeat but lazy voice from within the van.
and we keep walking to the zoo.