Bending for the Dog

 

He bends down slowly. The only way he can bend now. The sciatica screams at him. The pain descends into his right thigh and calf.

But this is a good doggy. And he deserves a pat. And the man is determined to give it.

He pats the little dog, ignoring the pain. The joy of his little companion makes the pain drift away, at least for a few seconds.

He leashes the dog, and they go for a walk. Sometimes the walks help subside the pain,  Sometimes it does not.

Today is a winner. The pain no longer dominates his every thought.

The man sits in his reading chair, the dog on his lap. He loves to read. He can go anywhere when he reads. He can become anyone. Today's story is a mystery from Ellery Queen's magazine. He becomes a gumshoe solving a case in 1930s San Fransico. He has no sciatica and can run, twist, and deck a bad guy with one punch.

He gets up and does some sciatica relief exercises with the help of a YouTube video. It's the same video done by the same lady. She is friendly and calm, like an NPR host. The sight of her has become a comfort to him. One time, he thought he heard her use his name, but that couldn't be. He made a vow to never tell anybody. He didn't want his grown children to put him away.

He has lunch; salad, and some mixed fruit. He drinks a Coke Zero, his great daily indulgence. The salad has some chicken, but he doesn't eat it all. Some of it winds up in his little dog.

He takes out an old coin collection and, using an app on his phone, tries to identify its value. If he finds enough valuable coins, he might be able to afford a cross-country trip to see his family. It's a long shot, though. Most coins aren't worth much more than their face value, and the coin market is not that good.

He takes another walk with his dog. The sciatica continues to fade. This really is a blessed day, he thinks.

Later, with supper, he watches an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He likes watching older TV shows, especially mysteries and cop shows. The episode he watches tonight came out when he was three years old.

He reads for a while and then finally goes to bed, the little dog with him.

He lays awake, haunted by the past, worried about the future.

But the little dog is there, sleeping quietly. The dog calms him. He pets the dog.

He falls asleep.