Good Old Mel

Today I was on the floor at Wellness charging my batteries, I was there early because I had my lunch date with Bonnie leaving me a couple hours before 3 o'clock. I rolled past a fellow that I didn't recognize and as I rolled past he called my name. I turned around and looked at him and there was something familiar but I just couldn't place him so I did that thing of smile a lot, nod my head and tried to get him to say something which would click some sort of memory but I just could not place him. He seemed to be at every workout station in my workout routine he was even on my ergometer when I got in there. Luckily he was just finishing as I came on to the floor but we continue to talk and kept bringing up names from my past and little by little I began to place them I still did not know his name but I did recall an association with him as a younger person when I was working with independent living. I was interested in that he seemed to know everybody in the Wellness Program and I hadn't seeing him there before. I finally pulled one of the aides aside and asked who this guy was when she replied Melvin. I remembered, I remembered Me, that's how I knew him then just, Mel.

Mel was one of those walking quads. He took great pleasure can struggling to walk everywhere he went even to the point of hyper extended his knees when he walked . Mel's walking always looked painful, but that what he did. Mel was part of a group of younger folks with disabilities there at the independent living center. Kind of the young dragons or lions or whatever they young were all doing the young of 70'sor 80's. Like with so many folks at that time of my life I lost contact with Mel. He moved out of the state. He went to California he went to law school, had a career and had quite a life. Hooked up with someone and has had quite a life. Melvin finished his law degree but has yet to certify life got in his way. He was forced into taking a medical retirement and is now in Wellness. I don't know why he has we reentered my life but I think I need to pay attention to old Mel and see what happens.