I had a rough weekend and had an early staff meeting Monday morning. A colleague had died in a car accident. We were being briefed on how to break the news to the students because although he was a high school teacher, (across the parking lot from my school) he was a volleyball coach at the middle school. As I drove in to work, I was thankful that I didn’t personally know him. I was about 2 minutes from my school when I burst into tears. My Dad’s birthday is next week and I can’t deal very well with death anymore. I always thought that it was “dramatic” when people cried when they really didn’t know the person who died. Now, I know that it is not. It took my first hour prep for me to get it together. About halfway through my 2nd hour is when Pam from Barwis called me. I recognized the number so I answered it. I didn’t know Pam, but I knew to answer my phone when Barwis called.
My students were listening to an audiobook and the CD player was loud because my classroom is small. I asked her to repeat herself half because I couldn’t hear her and half because I was in disbelief. Mike wasn’t going to be there anymore because he had gone to the Canton facility. He wouldn’t be my trainer anymore. She said she wasn’t sure who was going to train me but asked if I was still going to be there at 5. I thought back to the first Fall I was at Barwis. It was Jesse’s last day, before I started working with Adam, he told me that he wasn’t big on long goodbyes but told me that he’d know where to find me because I would be a “Lifer” at Barwis. I had agreed with him with a laugh. Mike Barwis told me that on my first day. So, even though Pam didn’t know who was going to train me, I’d be there. I told her that I’d be there.
I ran into a colleague in the teacher’s lounge and she noticed something was wrong with me. She had noticed me coming in to the staff meeting in the morning as well. I told her that Mike left and I didn’t know who my trainer was going to be. Tears welled in my eyes and I kind of shook my head and defiantly told her that I will NOT cry over this! As she left the teacher’s lounge, I called out, “Dumped again!” to which she laughed. I think that laugh helped me to keep it together a bit longer. I held it together until the end of fourth hour. I called the office and told them simply that I needed to go home while I put my sunglasses on. I left directions for whomever was covering my last two classes and left to compose myself before I went to Barwis.
I pulled up to Barwis I sighed a bit. I slowly began to transfer but was a little unsure of myself because my legs felt really tight so I didn’t know if I could straighten them up enough to stand to get into my wheelchair. As I was sitting there with my legs out of my car contemplating a transfer, Nick came out to help me. I’ve known Nick a LONG time. He interned at Barwis last summer and he came back in late fall. As I got fully in my chair, I asked who was going to train me. He looked at me and smiled and said, “Me.” I let out a sigh of relief! I know him! He already is familiar with my case. He has seen me walking with my crutches and doing squats at the squat machine.
Nick stretched me out as I told him that I was pretty tight and told him how Mike worked with me. Nick stretched me out well and knew the stretches I needed to loosen my legs up. I told him that Mike and I did a little bit of PNF stretching and how Mike would quiz me on what PNF stood for. Proprioreceptive Neuromuscular and we said “Facilitation” together. I laughed and I was comfortable with Nick. He even commented on how Deeds said “four” too! Connor, Dan, Deeds, and Megan all came over to see how I was working with Nick. I told Connor that it was okay because I knew Nick “bearded and unbearded.” Nick laughed and said I was one of the few people as Barwis who know that because I have been there so long. What can I say? I’m a “Lifer.”
Nick took me outside and helped into my car. He got my legs in easily and I told him that Mike stunk at it and Adam used to say, “Bend-bend-bend-bend-bend.” Nick EVEN remembered how to stow my chair and went back inside and i started my car just as Mike’s, I mean our song came on and my heart got a tinge of sadness for a second and I thought about getting a song for Nick as I drove away… We’ll see.