Lioness in a Chair
In the emergency department at a public hospital for almost 8 hours recently, I stayed in a wheelchair.
It's the first time I’ve ever sat in one, let alone for so long.
I’ve never even had a fun little ride in a chair before.
It all happened a month ago, but I had a lot of time to be alone with my thoughts, within a large crowded waiting room after being triaged.
I googled island holiday destinations to take me away from my surroundings.
The Maldives looked serene, with that pure, bright blue water that was transparent at the edges.
I imagined being there, being anywhere instead of a room full of grumpy, sick people.
Later I went to the bathroom. It took a while to navigate getting in and out of the wheelchair without falling over in the ultra-narrow room. Sometimes my legs give way.
There was a loud banging on the bathroom door.
Someone was demanding to be let in.
It upset me because I’ve just become disabled.
Another first, this time looking down at me as if I was less than.
Moving is painful and painfully slow, I have intractable, chronic pain.
But some angry person needed a wee, and I’d been there too long.
Mostly because I found it difficult to go from sitting to standing.
I’d have to psych myself up, ready for the 10/10 pain…
