Chapter 11

Christmas was quickly approaching when Samantha called. She told me that she was getting married on May 3 and asked if I would come be in her wedding. Not knowing how well I’d be I said I’d have to call her back. The next day I asked Eric when I'd be jogging. I begged him to take a stab at it. After much instance he threw his hands up in the air and said, “ I don’t know maybe three to four months after your walking”. A few days later I kept after him until he told me when I would be walking without the cane. He said that might be as soon as January. The conclusion was easy for me to figure out so I called Samantha and told her told her that I should be jogging by March or April and wouldn’t miss her wedding for anything.

Christmas and New Year’s have come and gone. It was 1985 and I started walking without my cane as planned. Again I fell so many times but it didn't matter because my mind had not yet fully awakened. February was upon me and I was still kissing the ground quite often. It seemed hopeless that I’d be jogging in a month or even two. I set myself up and asked Eric, “Won’t I be jogging in April?” He laughed and said, “ No”. I replied, “but you said I’d be jogging three to forth months after walking”. He said, “When you were walking… perfectly”. Need I say that I cried myself to sleep that night? Eric saw how this made me feel so he refused to answer another “When will I” question again.`

I felt trapped at home and Kathy came to my rescue again. She took me to see all of my old friends in Chicago. It felt so good to get away from some of the headaches for weekend. I stayed with Lori. On Friday Kathy turned me loose. This was the first time since the accident that I was allowed to go somewhere without being constantly watched. Kathy only agreed to this to shut me up.

Jane, Lori, and I decided to go to the comedy show. Jane and Lori treated me as if I were completely normal. The evening went very well we laughed hysterically and then it was time to go home. I got up and an extremely drunk obnoxious young man yelled out “I see I’m not the only one whose had one too many.” I was in shock for a minute, and then the tears flowed freely. I grabbed Lori and then went out to the car as quickly as possible. I cried for two days over this and thought that these people who were out partying and having a good time have given me more pain than the law should allow.