For your convenience, here are my short stories on this blog currently:
Loch Ness
Come From Behind the Chair
So, without further ado, here is one of my favorite stories...
___________________________________
Twerking Cougar
by
Rochelle Campbell
Drink in hand,
Shonell turned reluctantly from the hot , smooth-headed bartender. He had heaven-kissed abs and sported neon
green suspenders holding up what appeared to be shorts that were glued on and a
fab neon green and white bowtie. She
sighed imperceptibly. Too young.
Damn. Shonell had a rule;
anyone that she could have babysat when they were born was, for her, stealing
from the cradle. At, forty-four, Shonell
was not about to deal with all the nonsense men under thirty brought with
them. The bartender? If he was a day over twenty-three she'd be
surprised. However, she grinned to
herself, he was checking her out. She
could feel it. Shonell turned back
around and winked at him. Just as she
suspected, he was watching her from underneath his thick au naturelle eyelashes
which she, and half of the women on the planet, had to pay to get. Putting on the strut, Shonell sauntered away wondering if she should throw
away her rule just for tonight…
"There you
are!" shouted Christy, one of Shonell's BFFs.
"You act
like I was lost," smirked Shonell.
"Where's LaTrina?"
"Where
else?" Christy pointed to the dance floor.
"Over there, right in the middle, showing out as usual," she
said with a smile.
Shonell craned
her head a bit, careful not to spill her drink and catch sight of her friend
working it out. A good ten years younger
than Shonell, LaTrina, better known as La-La, was vibrant and attracted
attention like bees to honey. Shonell
smiled a huge cat-just-ate-the bird smile.
"Uh-oh,"
Christy said holding out her hand for the drink she knew would be thrust
there. "I know what that smile
means…"
Shonell's drink ended up in Christy's hand without a drop being spilled, and the older woman sailed towards La-La already gyrating and causing a commotion as she blazed a path through the crowded floor. When she got to the throng, Shonell burst into it twerking as the song changed over to Tyga's Rack City.
The two women put the younger women to shame showing off their dance floor prowess. Twerking on each other and any man that was brave enough to handle these two über-confident women Shonell and La-La were the hit of the night. Christy watched from the outskirts and admired her friends hi-fiving them as they came over to her and tried to pull her in too. Christy pulled her hand back pointing to the drink she held and they both called out, "Chicken!" to which Christy fervently nodded in agreement.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Your
bottom number is elevated; it's 98," Dr. Vundansun told Shonell. "And your top number is 145." Shonell looked back at him with an uncomprehending
look.
"You have
elevated blood pressure, pretty high actually.
And let me see," he looked away toward the monitor as he
re-adjusted the probe against her ribcage under her left breast. "Yes, there is also thickening of the
heart muscle which is not good. This elevation is not a recent thing; it's
long-standing."
Shonell just
stared at Dr. Vundansun horror beginning to dawn in her eyes.
"On a
scale of 1 to 4, you are currently at a 3.5.
You will have to start taking heart pressure medication, reduce your
sodium intake as well as get on a regular exercise regimen." At Shonell's look of disbelief, he added,
"I know you're in good shape, but you told me of your family history with
high blood pressure on both sides, remember?
So, while you may be exercising, the sodium reduction and increased
water intake will help you in conjunction with the medication." The doctor stood up and shook her limp hand
and said on his way out, back to her, "You can clean yourself off and get
dressed. The nurse will give you the
prescription and also the types of blood tests I want when you come back in a
month."
Still
shell-shocked and mute, the doctor turned back and came over to pat Shonell's
hand gently and said, "You'll be okay.
You just have to adjust your lifestyle.
You knew that you couldn't stay young forever, right?"
At that,
Shonell looked up at him and blinked the tears away. I
thought I could stave it off some more…
"We all
have that moment where our mortality hits us dead between our eyes and we
realize we're not twenty anymore," he chuckled a bit. "I had the same kind of rude awakening a
few years ago shortly after my 50th birthday when my doctor told me that I had
heart trouble. I'm a cardiologist! I know what to do to prevent this from
occurring, but…it happens. Ms. Murphy,
please try to come to grips with it. You
will not die. You take good care of
yourself and you'll be fine. Any
questions?"
He hated to
leave her, but she had to change. With
tears streaking down her face she just looked at him lost in her thoughts. He squeezed her hand bringing her focus back
to the moment, "Feel free to call me at any time if you have questions. I'll have the nurse give you my emergency
number, all right?"
Shonell nodded
numbly. He patted the back of her hand
again, smiled benignly and left the room.
The nurse smiled gently and left Shonell as well to allow her to clean
and dress in private with only the thundering silence for Shonell's company.
~ ~ ~
Drink in hand,
Shonell's gaze roamed restlessly around the club. Her eyes alighted on a great set of abs here,
or a terrific smile there but her eyes kept moving. She sat in one of the cozy tables nearest the
dance floor of the 40/40 club in Atlantic City watching the coming's and
going's with little change of expression sipping her blue-hued Jolly Rancher drink
occasionally. After an hour, La-La slid
into the seat next to her bathed in a sheen of perspiration. "Whew.
I'm getting too old for this!"
She immediately winced at her choice of words when Shonell shot her a
withering glare.
"Sorry,
you know I didn't mean it that way."
"S'okay,"
Shonell said waving it off.
"You can't
sit here all night."
"Why
not?"
"You know
you're not supposed to be drinking that stuff either. What is it?
A Long Island Iced Tea? Or, your favorite? A Jolly Rancher?"
"What are
you? My mother?"
"Look,
don't get exasperated with me! You asked
me to keep an eye out. This is your
third drink and you were only supposed to have one." LaTrina put out her
hand and Shonell reluctantly shoved the drink at her.
"Now
dance. Work the alcohol out of your
system. I'll have a mineral water for
you when you get back." Shonell
threw her a nasty look.
"Whatever,
you asked for me to do this, so go," and she pointed to the dance
floor.
"Wish
Christy didn't have to work this weekend; she knows how to have a good
time."
"She
lied. We knew you'd wheedle her into
letting her do whatever you wanted."
Shonell's eyes narrowed to slits.
"You evil…" With a beatific smile, her friend stabbed her
finger towards the dance floor.
Frustrated
beyond her tolerance levels, Shonell shoved back jostling the couple next to
them and stomped off. On the dance
floor, she moved listlessly making no attempt to hide her blaise attitude until
Chris Brown's Beautiful People came
on and Shonell perked up and went full on into dance mode momentarily
forgetting her problems.
"I've been
watching you all night," said a deep, masculine voice from behind
her. He did not touch her but his body
heat radiated towards her making her want to turn around; she didn't.
"So that
makes you a stalker," she threw over her shoulder.
"Ha. That's original. So, you've only just come out of your funk
now that your favorite song came on?
Must be something deep. Man
trouble? Or, life drama?"
Interest peaked;
Shonell decided to humor the mystery man but refused to turn around yet.
"Life
drama. What of it? Are you a shrink?"
"Close. I'm a yoga instructor."
In spite of
herself, Shonell laughed but his quiet confidence and soothing manner had her
very intrigued. In a twirling movement,
Shonell spun and faced a chocolate-y smooth-skinned man with distinct features,
full lips and a short cap of tightly coiled hair. His mesmerizing dark brown eyes made her
knees knock but she managed to swallow and keep dancing on beat.
"Yoga
instructor, huh? What type of yoga?"
"Ah, you
know enough to ask? Pretty good. Hot."
Bronwyn smirked. It figures…
Out loud she
said, "Bikram seems to suit your style." He smiled broadly showing off his beautiful
even ivories.
"Why is
that? You think I'm hot?"
She laughed
fully and with an abandon she hadn't felt in weeks.
"Well, now
that you mention it. Yeah, maybe I
do."
The song
changed to Rihanna's Birthday Cake
and Shonell lost all sense of playfulness and went full hardcore with almost no
thought. Twerking and bouncing and
exorcising the demons that plagued her about her health, aging and her mortality
just fizzled out of her as she moved fluidly and seductively to the song.
Unbeknownst to
her, there was a large ring that had formed around her and when the song
changed over they all shouted for more and cheered her on. Embarrassed, Shonell took a quick bow and
sashayed off the dance floor.
LaTrina handed her
a tall glass with lots of bubbles in it and a twist of lime.
"Lemme
guess? Water?"
"The fizzy
kind."
"So who's
your friend that's making his way over here?"
"He
is?" Shonell looked around.
"Ooo…someone's
interested. This is new for you. He's not 30.
He's not dressed to the nines.
He's well-built but not drop-dead gorgeous like you usually like
them. What gives?"
"Shh! He's almost here. He's a hot
yoga instructor…"
"I'll say..."
Shonell threw her look that would silence the most unruly child seconds before
she turned a sweet smiling face to the handsome man.
"You left
me in the crowd that adored you so I couldn't get through until now. Wow.
Where'd you learn to do that? Is
there a side job I should know about?" he asked and arched his brow.
"This is
my friend LaTrina. I'm Shon. Who are you?"
"Shon. LaTrina," he said nodding curtly with a
smirk at both women. "Yuandre Maban."
Shonell tried
not to swoon. The name fit him perfectly. She knew she was in trouble and he had barely
touched her.
"Yuandre…what's
the origin?"
"Supposedly
Haitian; my parents visited Haiti,
several years before I was born and the name stuck with them. It can work for either a male or
female."
LaTrina was
staring at him slightly glassy-eyed.
Shonell kicked her under the table.
LaTrina straightened her spine, blinked a few times and grabbed
Shonell's Jolly Rancher and took a big sip.
"Well, if
you excuse me," La-La said standing abruptly, "I'm going to the
powder room," and dashed off.
"What
happened to her? Did I say something
wrong?" Yuandre looked after her
perplexed.
"Don't
mind her, she's touched in the head and does the darnedest things
sometimes."
He leaned
closer to her across the table and rested his chin in his hand and looked into
her eyes.
"Do I
scare you?"
Shonell sat
back increasing the space between them and the intense electricity emanating
from him and shook her head with a tenuous smile, "No. Why do you ask?"
"You ran
off the dance floor. Now she runs to the
bathroom. There's an awful lot of
running away from me happening this evening and all I want to do is enjoy your
company again some other time in a…quieter environment. Does that sound like something that could
work for you?"
Her mouth went
dry at the thought of being alone with Yuandre.
Even in a crowded restaurant, he would singe her to a cinder with one
kiss; she just knew it.
"Why don't
we start off with something simple like you giving me your number?"
He threw his
head back and laughed. His whole body
was involved. His chest rose and fell,
his nose wiggled a bit and his eyes were slitted and held a gleam.
"That's
the oldest trick in the book. You know
you're never going to call me."
"How can
you be so sure? Try me," she said
pulling out her phone. He sobered up and
dictated the requested digits. LaTrina
came back as Shonell tucked her phone back in her evening clutch. Yuandre got to his feet.
"Well, I have to run. It's witching hour for me, but I will leave you with this:
Who is my love but the soul of my soul, and the reason for every beat of my heart.
If you want to find out who wrote it. You'll have to call me." With that, he walked off slowly
but not before he saw drool coming slipping from the corner of LaTrina's pretty, now pouting, mouth.
~ ~ ~
No man had ever
affected Shonell quite like Yuandre. At
her desk, Shonell was aimlessly pushing salad greens around in the flimsy
plastic bowl. It had been more than a
week since she had met him and she refused to call him. By the same token, she had not really thought
about her high blood pressure much except to drink 4 full glasses of water eacj
day and visiting the gym regularly in the past week.
If nothing else, he's motivating me to
maintain a healthier lifestyle…
With a sigh,
she forcibly stopped herself and threw the salad away. Turning to her phone she snatched it up and
dialed. It rang twice and then she heard
him.
"Finally."
"Look,
don't get smart with me! You know what
you've done and now you're going to fix it by picking me up from work and
taking me to dinner, or a yoga class, or, or…"
"Where?" She blinked twice at the steady calmness in
his voice that was also tinged with a healthy dollop of good humor.
"Where…what?"
"Where do
I pick you up?"
She wasn't sure
how to handle his calm strength and unruffled tone. After all, she had called him ordering him
around.
"You still
there?"
She gave him
the address in a robotic fashion.
"Feel
better now you've yelled at me?"
Properly chagrined, she said nothing.
"I hear
you smiling. I'm glad you got that out
of your system. You bottle too much
up. You want to know now, or
later?" She frowned.
"Huh?"
"Who the author
is?"
"Right! Yeah."
"Phillip
Varady, Sr.; taken from The Stonebearers." She had no idea what he was talking about;
she'd never heard of Varady. She heard
him laugh.
"Don't try
and bust a gut trying to act like you know him.
He's a little known writer of a book that I happen to like a lot and he
dabbles in poetry." She relaxed a bit
but then said something gauche.
"Can I get
off the phone now?" He laughed again.
"Of course
you may. I'll see you soon," and he
rung off without another word.
Serves me right. She huffed at herself and got down to the
first real work she'd put in all day.
~ ~ ~
The waiter took
the entrée dishes and deftly placed the desert menu on the edge of the linen
covered table.
"So, what
is it with you and Rihanna? When that
cake song came on you…went somewhere.
I'd love to know where. And can I
go with you next time you leave?"
His slow wide smile and the single dimple in his left cheek made her
stomach flutter. Shonell lowered her
eyes and focused on her glass of chardonnay.
"Whatever
do you mean? I was just dancing to a hot
song; just like everyone else."
"Not quite
like everyone else. You drew a crowd and
had a few men drooling." She looked
at him through her lashes.
"Were you
one of them?" Yuandre looked at his
watch and fiddled with his napkin.
My God, is he blushing…?
"I would
like to believe I am a tad more civilized.
Salivate is a term I'd prefer to use." He turned those dreamy dark eyes on her and
took her hand in his. "So, where
did you go?"
"To a
happy place; where everything is all about pleasure -- good pleasure. Nothing that would cause the cops to
come," she added quickly.
His voice
dropped a few octaves. "What if the
cops came because you were making so much noise…?" The temperature rose a good 15 degrees
instantly. Shonell pulled her hand back
slowly and tried to clamp down on the wetness that threatened to overflow. She quickly picked up the menu and scanned it
seeing absolutely nothing while she tried to gather her wits.
"What type
of woman do you think I am? Just because
I can copy a video vixen's dance moves doesn't mean I am one. Don't get it twisted." She strove for a school teacher voice. He leaned back in his seat. His eyes flicked over her taking in her trim
torso with full breasts that flowed into a slim waist. His eyes traveled back up to her face and
noted once again the smooth coffee-and-cream complexion with the fabulous tiny
locs surrounding her heart-shaped face with the inquisitive almond-shaped
dark-brown eyes. No, she was no mere
video vixen. She was an intelligent
woman running from something she was terrified of.
"I think
you're a woman with secrets from the world and quite possibly from
herself." She looked up at him
quickly and studied his eyes a moment before looking back down at the menu.
"No
mystery. Just a woman coming to terms
with gravity." A bubble of gaiety
rose within him and he snickered lightly.
"Gravity? So, that's the going name for it now, is
it? Silly me thinking you were in the
midst of a mid-life crisis. Yoga takes
care of gravity beautifully. You should
take my class sometime." He shifted
his approach; he knew she was feeling vulnerable and unappreciated but why, he
couldn't understand. She had not one
line, wrinkle or age spot -- nothing. She
looked 10 years younger than he assumed she was yet, still, the melancholy of a
mid-aged woman. He cleared his throat
and began speaking melodically:
"Beautiful
woman,
come out and play,
reveal your inner treasures.
come out and play,
reveal your inner treasures.
The
sparkle in your eyes,
the natural swing in your walk,
you radiate excitement and enthusiasm.
the natural swing in your walk,
you radiate excitement and enthusiasm.
You need
no latest fashion,
No expensive hair cuts,
No blinding big accessories.
No expensive hair cuts,
No blinding big accessories.
You glow
in your passions,
passionate in your pursuits;
you know what you are made of.
passionate in your pursuits;
you know what you are made of.
You are
not easily bothered,
by the mindless opinions of others;
you know very well where you want to go.
by the mindless opinions of others;
you know very well where you want to go.
You are a
joy to watch,
an inspiration to others,
your pure soul an endless marvel.
an inspiration to others,
your pure soul an endless marvel.
Beautiful
woman,
let your brilliance shine through,
your eyes speak of true inner beauty."
let your brilliance shine through,
your eyes speak of true inner beauty."
As he was
reciting the poem, Shonell went from disengaged to completely in tune with
him. She hung onto every word and sighed
when he finished.
"That was
beautiful! Did you write that?"
"No, that
was Fion Lim. I just thought you'd like
it."
"What is
it with you and poetry? Is that
something yoga instructors have to master as well as all of the pretzel
positions you guys get into?"
"Was that
a jibe? You never know, you may like
some of the positions I can get into…"
Shonell took a big sip of her chardonnay and pointedly ignored his
comment while trying to stop the raging heat from spreading.
"So, how
long have you been teaching yoga?"
The conversation stayed benign for the rest of the evening because
Shonell forced it that way. She wasn't
ready or willing to deal with a man like Yuandre. He wasn't real. Couldn't possibly be legit. What man spouted poetry at the drop of a hat? Danced well?
Was calm and rock-steady? And, on
top of it all, sexy and a half and probably knew very well how to make a
woman's toes curl -- backwards! No,
Yuandre was off-limits. No second date
would be forthcoming. He was much too dangerous.
Desert finally
over; demitasse refused and light shawl re-acquired, Shonell and Yuandre made
their way to the front to retrieve their cars from the valet.
"That was
an awesome dinner. We should do this
again sometime." Shonell made
noncommittal noises and smiled prettily.
She wasn't prepared for his swift twist and grab of her waist pulling
her up towards his full parted lips. She
wasn't remotely prepared for the shock of his soft wet probing tongue teasing
her reluctant lips apart. She most
definitely wasn't ready for its deft movement which tickled and wiggled and
engaged tongue in a dance as old as time.
Nor was Shonell ready for the thunderous pounding of her heart as it
skipped several beats. When Yuandre
pulled back Shonell immediately felt the loss and keenly wanted him back where
he was just a moment ago. She resisted
the temptation to pull him back and demanded she get a hold of herself.
"Your car,
Miss?" She smiled at the valet,
nodded at Yuandre and quickly got into her Crossfire waved and mouthed, I'll-call-you and drove off thankful she
was sitting and no one could see the wetness seeping down her thighs.
~ ~ ~
The next
morning, Shonell forced herself to get dressed to go back to Dr. Vundansun's
office for her follow-up visit. She had
ignored most of what he said; hadn't stopped drinking, nor had she really
drastically increased her exercise regimen.
All she did was try to drink more water each day. The medication? She hadn't even filled the prescription. She sent a quick email to her co-workers and
let them know she would be in later that morning and trudged out the door at 8:50 perfectly on time for her ten o'clock appointment.
"You're
pressure has gone up a bit. It's now 150
over 99. Have you done anything I
suggested? Do you realize the
seriousness of this situation, Ms. Murphy?
You are playing with your life by disregarding my recommendations. Are you taking the medication? That should have assisted in managing it
somewhat. Did you miss a few days? Did you become stressed at work, or at
home?"
Shonell looked
everywhere except at the doctor.
"Ms.
Murphy?"
She sighed and
looked at him dead in the eye and said, "No, I'm not taking the medication
as yet."
"Why??"
She shrugged and
looked away again. How do I tell him I'd rather die than take a bunch of pills and change
my life? That sounds stupid…
"Ms.
Murphy, you are an intelligent woman.
While I understand that this is a very enormous life change for you,
it's not an impossible one. You can
still enjoy a drink or two a month. You
can eat fried foods about once a week, if
you're on your medication. You need to
exercise two to three times per week for at least one hour each time. If you don't manage this condition, Ms.
Murphy, it will manage you and you won't like the outcome." He stopped speaking. She still did not look at him. She heard him sigh and get up. "Do you still have the
prescription? Or, do you need another
one?"
"I still
have it."
"Good. What is your pharmacy's number? I'll make it easier for you and call it
in."
Shonell looked
at him sharply, "I can handle that, Doctor. I'm fully capable of that small
administrative task."
"Sorry,
that has not been readily apparent to me.
I wish you luck, Ms. Murphy. I
would tell you to come back in a month but at this point, I'm not sure if
you'll come in. So, I leave it in your
capable hands to take care of scheduling the next follow-up appointment. Good Day." The doctor whirled away and the door clicked
shut sharply oupon his exit.
Shonell got up
and left quickly not stopping at the nurses' desk. She just wanted to be out of the
claustrophobic office. She hailed a cab
and got into it blindly as the first of the tears began to flow.
~ ~ ~
The phone on
her desk rang. She lifted the receiver
and put it to her ear. "So, what
did the Doc say?" Shonell closed
her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Christy,
I don't want to talk about that right now."
"I guess
that means it got worse. How much
worse?"
"What part
of…?"
"HOW
BAD."
"150/99."
"Damn it,
Shon! What the hell is wrong with
you! Take the damn medicine! Do you want to die? Are you trying to kill yourself to die young and pretty?" Shonell sighed and rubbed her eyes. She felt the headache getting worse. She had been ignoring it for the better part
of the last hour.
"Answer
me."
"No. I don't want to die. I want to live a normal life. Is that too much to ask?"
"Right
now? Yeah! It's too much."
"Isn't
this La-La's job -- to yell at me? When
did you start?" Shonell grumbled crossly.
"Ever
since LaTrina started crying every time she thought of having to go to your
funeral, that's when."
Shonell's heart
stuttered at that and she had to force breath into her lungs again. The pink elephant that she hadn't wanted to
deal with was just exposed.
DEATH.
Am I calling it??
"So, since
you don't have any answer for me, I'm assuming we should go and pick out
appropriate black dresses. Look, when
you're ready to deal with this, call me or LaLa and we'll come over and help
you." Christy slammed the phone
down causing Shonell to wince and pull the phone quickly from her ear. She hung up the phone, turned to her computer
and her cell rang. She glanced at the
number, sighed and clicked it on.
"Yes, I
remember the yoga class is tonight."
"Good
girl. I see I bully well. But, you sound tired. Are you alright? You have to hydrate to do this class, you
know. It will be about 95 degrees in the
room." Shonell wilted just thinking
about it.
"So
hot? I thought we were starting off with
the warm class?"
"Things
got changed around and I'm covering for someone tonight. That's why I called actually. The class is at six-fifteen, not seven o'clock like we discussed. Can you still make it?" Looking at the time, Shonell made a snap
decision.
"Yeah, I
can leave work a bit early and run home and get my stuff and get there."
"Great! Remember; drink at least another two to three
glasses of water so you don't get light-headed. Bye!"
~ ~ ~
Rushing
slightly, and feeling a little bedraggled, Shonell huffed the last few feet
towards the yoga studio tripping on an upturned broken piece of concrete. She caught herself before she went slamming
down onto the unforgiving rough sidewalk and thanked her lucky stars she hadn't
fallen. It had been years since she had
hurt herself.
~ ~ ~
"Okay,
we're in the home stretch; only 15 more minutes left in the class. Breathe in deeply and go into camel
pose." Yuandre flowed back fluidly
from a kneeling position and tented his arms making an arched back bow with his
body. Perspiring profusely and feeling
parched beyond belief, Shonell was kneeling.
Going backwards with her head down didn't feel right. Everything in her resisted the movement even
the persistent aching in her temples complained but she wanted to prove to
Yuandre, herself and every twenty-something-year-old in that class she could do
it just as effortlessly as they could.
Shonell went for it. Just as her
eyes hit the back wall the room spun; her head pounded. Black and spots obliterated her vision and a
deathly silence took over…
~ ~ ~
A beeping sound
brought her slowly back. Shonell
fluttered her eyes open and saw Yuandre, LaTrina and Christy peering anxiously
at her.
"Sweetie,
you okay?" LaTrina, on Shonell's right, was gently patting her hand in
calming back and forth motions. Shonell
moved her eyes and saw Christy, on her left.
Shonell blinked and tried to speak.
"No,
no. Don't speak. Just rest.
You've been unconscious for three days.
You need your strength," said Yuandre quietly from the foot of the
hospital bed.
"Yeah,
just rest," reiterated Christy. "Now that you're awake, we can breathe
easier."
"Shut
up!" hissed LaTrina.
"Ladies…"
Yuandre said in a menacing tone. They
both quieted and looked back to Shonell who was watching them all fearfully.
What the hell was going on??
She tried to
speak but only croaking sounds came out.
Shonell's fear hit new heights.
She tried harder only to get more croaking sounds.
"I'll get
the doctor," said LaTrina, noting Shonell's increasing distress before
bustling out of the room. Yuandre came
over and took her place. Shonell's eyes
pleaded with him. He looked away, took a
deep breath before speaking.
"Shonell,
you had a stroke. The doctors don't know
how bad yet. They wanted you to…wake
up. Your blood pressure was really high
and taking the hot yoga class didn't help.
Worse, you probably didn't hydrate enough before class…" he trailed
off and looked deep into her wide eyes, noted her trembling lips. He knew what she wanted to know but he didn't
go any further. He waited for the
doctor.
Shonell's eyes
darted between Christy and Yuandre. She
tried to roll her head to look more fully at Christy but something wasn't
right. She couldn't seem to do it. In fact, her whole left side seemed…sluggish.
What the hell is going on?!
Her eyes
wheeled in her head as she began slowly piecing all of the information
together. The panic was rising and she
knew she had to calm down.
At that moment,
LaTrina came back in with the doctor and a nurse in tow.
"Excuse
me, please," Dr. Vundansun pushed Yuandre aside and stood beside Shonell
and peered into each of her eyes with a bright light. She blinked rapidly.
"Good,
good," he mumbled. The nurse had
pushed Christy aside and had wrapped a pressure cuff around Shonell's left
arm. They all waited anxiously watching
the machine work. After a tense sixty
seconds, the machine beeped the result.
"150 over
96; still quite high, but manageable.
You are very very lucky, young lady." The doctor looked at Shonell and sighed. "Now, you have to take your blood pressure medication. There's no way around it." He looked up at the circle of friends and
asked, "Did any of you tell her?"
Everyone shook their heads. He
looked back at Shonell and pulled down the safety rail and sat on the edge of
the bed on her right side.
"Shonell,
you had a hypertensive emergency, or in layman's terms, stroke. From the preliminary tests, it seems that
most of the damage is to your left side.
It also may have affected your vocal cords. If you understand what I'm saying, please say
yes." The air in the room grew
tense as they all waited. Shonell closed
her eyes a moment, marshaled all of her energies and forced the word out.
"Ye
--ss." She stuttered and it took
great effort but the word did come out.
"Okay,
good. Very good! But I see that took a
lot of effort. As soon as you're
stronger, we'll get you into a rehabilitation center and get to work. You're stable now and over the next few days
we'll see where we are. Your body is
still trying to heal itself because you're strong and in relatively good health. But, once you get out of this bed you've got
to commit to a healthier lifestyle. Good
rest, water, a good diet including fresh fruits, lean proteins -- no fried
foods! No alcohol. None.
Do you understand? Just nod your
head." Shonell gave her muscles the
order but they did not comply. Her head
only twitched. The fear blossomed
again. The doctor leaned across her and
began pinching her left arm in various places.
"Do you
feel this?" She croaked her answer.
"Li --
tle." He touched the left side of
her face.
"This?" She felt nothing.
"N--o."
Shonell stomach
lurched. I can't feel on the left side of my body!! Oh my, God! What if I stay like this?! How will I live? Make money?
Take care of myself?!
All of her
fears rose to the surface and she began panting as questions about her co-op
came to mind and her dancing -- her one true escape would be lost to her! A keening sound reached her ears a moment
before she felt strong hands encircling her right hand. Her eyes darted over and Yuandre filled her
gaze.
"Shhh. It's okay.
You're not alone in the world.
I'm here with you and I'll never abandon you."
"Neither
will we," her two friends chimed in.
Shonell's
breathing began to slow but she still was extremely upset. Her life had changed irrevocably in a matter
of days.
~ ~ ~
Seven Months Later
"That's
it…come on. Do one more round of arm
circles. I'll help you if you're
struggling," Shonell's therapist said.
"Stephen,
it hurts."
"It's
supposed to cause tension. Your muscles
are getting stronger. The very fact that
you can feel the pain is a good
sign. Remember last week you didn't feel
anything?"
Shonell was
dumbstruck. That's right! I can FEEL!
"You mean,
after all of these months, my left side isn't completely dead?" she asked
with budding hope.
"Nope. Didn't I tell you to do the work and stop
worrying about the outcome?"
"I just
figured that was therapist optimistic mumbo-jumbo that you guys are paid to
tell us 'stroke victims'. Can't you guys
come up with another term for us? I hate
being a victim of anything."
Stephen grinned
and said nothing. He knew better than to
say anything when a patient like Shonell made a breakthrough of this
magnitude. He let her grouse and
continued his work trying to keep his own excitement in check. Her feeling pain was monumental. Stephen's own hope was beginning to wane when
Shonell had not responded to the therapy.
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital had a wonderful reputation
for assisting people like Shonell to recover.
Her stroke was moderately severe but her body was still young enough to
fight the ravages of the stroke. Stephen
thanked everything and all that was greater than himself for this woman's start
on the path of recovery. He could easily
see that if she did not heal reasonably well that she would be one who would
allow her condition to hold sway and let go of the mantle of life. He sighed imperceptibly and said, "Okay,
that's enough. Shall we get you into the
Jacuzzi and call it a day?"
Shonell nodded
her head vigorously trying to ignore the beads of sweat on her brow. Today was a tough one but she was glad about
her progress. She couldn't wait to tell
her friends and Yuandre. He had been a
pillar of strength for her throughout this process.
Stephen
carefully helped her into her mobile chair and she settled herself in
deftly. She'd had plenty of time to
practice in the last several months. As
she maneuvered her way down the corridor, Shonell carefully viewed the other
patients she passed. She was one of the
few patients that were on the younger side and she noted how much more severe
some of the patients' conditions were and for the first time since being at
Burke, she was thankful; thankful that she just possibly may one day leave the
Center on her own two working feet.
~ ~ ~
Fresh from the
Jacuzzi, Shonell wheeled herself back to her room only to find Yuandre waiting
for her with a large bouquet of white azaleas and soft pink gerbera daisies in
an oversized happy face mug on her windowsill.
He was such a frequent visitor the nurses had let him wait in the comfort of her plush room. A soft sigh escaped her, gerbera daisies were one of her favorite flowers.
He was such a frequent visitor the nurses had let him wait in the comfort of her plush room. A soft sigh escaped her, gerbera daisies were one of her favorite flowers.
"Ahh --
they're beautiful! Thank you, Yuandre,"
she held out her good hand to him and he hastened over and hugged her back carefully. She leaned back to look up at him and
smiled. She appreciated his good looks
but she now appreciated more his steadfastness, his sincerity and his support. She had no idea that all of that stuff she's
read in romance novels was actually true. She'd always thought that stuff was for ugly
idiot women who had nothing better to do with their time than read about Fantasy
Island men and how wonderful they
were. She sighed and mentally kicked
herself. It took a stroke to make her
realize what was important.
"Penny for
your thoughts…"
"Just a
penny? Figured my thoughts had more
value than that," she joked. He
looked at her closely with a serious face.
Struck by the pensive look in his eyes, Shonell's smirk faltered as her
eyes slid down to his full lips. She
licked her own and her eyes darted back up to his.
"Something's
changed. You're…happy. Did you get good news?" Amazed by his intuition she smiled.
"Yeah, I felt pain in my left arm today during
the last few minutes of my therapy.
Isn't that great!" He
laughed.
"I don't
know about the pain part, but the feeling part is wonderful!" She laughed too.
"Yeah,
feeling pain and being happy about it is a bit of an oxymoron but hey, right
now my world is topsy-turvy so I have to go with the flow." Yuandre looked at her sharply, amazed. Since he'd known her, Shonell had never gone
with anyone's flow except her own. He
smiled and kissed her soundly while thanking Oludumare, God's name in the
African Yoruba tradition, for the blessing of healing Shonell's spirit which
was the part of her in most need of repair.
"Hey, I
found something you might enjoy," he said as he disengaged himself from
her. He walked over to the bouquet and
pulled a small pretty sky-blue filmy gift bag from the side. He walked over to her and placed it in her
good hand. She looked down and saw that
within was a deck of cards.
"Cards?"
she asked quizzically.
"Reflection
cards. You shuffle them and pick one out
based on what the image is and turn it over and read the saying on the
back," he took it from her, opened the bag and shuffled. "Pick one," he said when he had
fanned them out. She indicated one that
had a whitish top portion. She wanted to
see the image. He pulled it out and her
eyes feasted on a gorgeous mountainous landscape with a ribbon of highway cut
through it and a large body of water in the background. The sun was not out; it was overcast but it
was not a melancholy scene at all. It
appeared as if the sun would peak out at any moment. And the road, it disappeared around a bend in
the mountain. She couldn't see if it
ended, continued, or what. Her pulse
quickened. She wanted to know where the
road went! She looked up at Yuandre and
smiled.
"I like
this image." He gave her a Cheshire
cat grin.
"Read the back,"
he flipped it over and held it up for her to read. It said:
Optimism…
Unlimited possibilities exist today.
Free yourself to imagine greater!
Shonell laughed
with delight. She couldn't have picked a
more apropos card. She looked up at
Yuandre and said, "You rigged this!"
He shook his
head and put the card back in the deck, "Nah-uh! You
picked the card, not me. You saw me
shuffle them. You had twenty cards to
choose from and you chose that one. Life
is funny like that sometimes, you know?"
Shonell looked
up into his dancing dark eyes and smiled.
Yeah, life is funny like that. One day
you're in a club twerking trying to forget about the grey hairs in your
kitty-cat and the next you're fighting for your life and finding a brand new
one that looks absolutely golden…
"Come here
you," she said as she pulled him closer with her good hand, and she kissed
him hard on the lips. For the first time
Shonell knew what love was and she was determined that she wouldn't throw it
away again.
~ ~ ~
For more short stories, pick up Rochelle's Leaping Out on Faith on Amazon, Smashwords, or your favorite e-bookstore.
