Things That Go "Bump"

Cruising home from work yesterday, I had just descended the over pass when my right foot gets caught in my left front castor as my foot often does, the foot usually works itself free and I go on my way. However, yesterday, I stop my chair and lift my foot free of the castor, and situated the foot back on the footplate and I was off. I had no sooner taken off then I felt a thumping on the left side of my chair and the chair was making awful racket very similar to the thumping one experiences when one has a flat tire. On first inspection I thought I had run over something which had adhered to the castor which was causing the thump but on closer inspection I saw a flat piece of the tires surface had come off making a ‘shelf’ which caused the thump with each rotation of the wheel.. I was OK, and I was getting where I needed to go and I seemed safe but I also needed to get the castor repaired or replaced as soon as possible.

I limped (literally) into work this morning without incident just a little slower then I usually traveled primarily due to the fact I did not want the rest of the wheel to disintegrate I as I careened down the far side of the over pass. I made it though safe and sound and realized the faster I traveled the less noise I made. In fact, ball out 8 mile an hour I am just ‘ticking’ as opposed to ‘thumping’. Magic Rest, the wheelchair shop I go to does not even answer their phones until after 9:00 a.m and today I could not get anyone to really answer until about twenty after nine. They tried to song and dance me until they realized I was seriously about I wanted something done about my wheel today. I had to settle for a 4:30 appointment which is later then I wanted but finally caved—and really why not. I am getting along the office and getting round down town just fine—so I just leave a little early and still get my needs met.

So here I am just back from a lunch date with my Buddy JJ Religion writer for the local paper. I got to the restaurant with my defective wheel without incident. It was a good lunch we talked old times, gossiped about old friends no longer in our clique and talked about current projects and aspirations we hope to obtain before we get to old. We chidingly call ourselves ‘old men’ not really meaning it but really meaning it on some level we don’t like to really admit to. We both know now our time here is short even if we are lucky and get all the breaks that neither of us deserve. JJ get the bill for lunch and I let him, that’s twice now I have let him pick up the check. I am going to have to get the Christmas lunch or the check when we celebrate his next book due out about the same time. I gotta go and start pulling this week together I still have lots to do by tomorrow afternoon.