Hazel and Dan in the Hazy Days of Fall Bk. 03

Young love finds a way a rough tool works as well as a finely crafted one. Winning with love at first site and making our way in the world.

Hazel and Dan in the Hazy days of Fall. Book 03

I was rolling Hazy to the Car, she says. “I did not even ask you; sorry, it was less cool, but I go to church because I feel good when I do, but the thought of almost two hours holding your hand makes me happy indeed.”

I say. “Your folks, you see why I can’t break my word, Baby?”

“Can’t fault a girl for trying, but if you leave, I will find you in a wheelchair. If I have to, I craw after you on broken glass I will, you hear me mister?”

Hazel was looking at me as she says it. “You’re doing our portraits after Dinner; you got film, baby?”

“I got film, Hazel. I like to pay my way, thank you. You’re going to make me cry.” I say as I kiss you till your folks come out.

Bob chuckles. “Pay up, dear I told you they are kissing.”

We drove to the church and waited in the Car until John arrived with his wife. She is in a wheelchair herself; she smiles and says. “Sisters.” As I helped Hazel into her chair.

John says. “I pay you to build the same ramp for my wife. I need help getting her out of the bath; it’s killing my back. I can’t stand straight.”

I say, smiling. “Have a custom shower built for her, Sir, with a bench seat and a flex hose to help hand washing. I can get the plans done in a few weeks, I need to measure the space first, and I know a good contractor who uses me to help build it. Maybe I can make a few bucks.”

John says. “He pick up some Sunday Bird at Frenchy’s, and we can eat at our place. Ellen, this is Hazel’s Dan.”

Wow, it hit me with a feeling of fitting in Hazel’s; yes, it felt damn good. Although, of course, the church was less than that feeling, I held her hand anyway as the church all blessed her or shook my hand and welcomed me. Although, oddly, I felt genuinely welcome by John and Ellen more than the church folks, they looked down on my jeans and worn boots, left a bad taste in my mouth.

We got to Ellen’s and John’s house, a one-story ranch with a kitchen opened to the living room. I brought Hazel in, and John had an issue getting his wife’s chair up the four-deck stairs with her in it. Bob and John are both having a go at it, but I come over, pick the chair up with her on it and take her inside. The chair gets in the backdoor, not an inch to spare. I almost lost some skin off my knuckles.

Ellen says. “Hazy is lucky your sexy and strong.”

A lisp, I heard this before from strokes; she is not slow; one side of her face is not moving when she talks. I make a mental note to see if doors come in stock sizes or if I can make my own.

I stop inside the house and say. “John, you make your life harder than it needs to be, keeping this as it is, Sir; let me show you how easy this can be.”

Jean says. “Let’s eat first, but yes, John, listen to this young man. He set up Hazel’s room on days she can care for herself.”

Hazel says. “Dan is a fine photographer, too, and we are doing family photos after dinner.”

We ate Sunday Bird and talked about changes to the house, and an idea popped into my mind. Of course, Hazel will be mad as a wet hen, but I promised not to do it in the house; this is another house.

I spoke up, my voice got steady for a change, and say. “Meaning no disrespect, Sir keeping the house normal in hopes of normal coming back is harder than it needs to be. I saw your love for her, Sir, but it’s even harder when you’re always tired. So Sir, for room and board and a place to work with my tools, I convert your house to make both your lives easier, and it would help out my problem in a big way.”

Hazel raised her voice and says. “Mom, he can’t leave me, but I would slap him when he’s wrong, but he’s not, right? Mom, he is making perfect sense; damn you, you dear man. Take me outside, please, Baby. I need some air.”

Once outside, you say. “Damn, you hold me and tell me you brought a joint.”

I say. “No baby, it’s a one-hitter, and check this out. I pull out a toilet paper cardboard tube with a sock stuffed inside. It has been cut in half and flattened to fit in a pocket, but you light it using a new product, a butane lighter; it’s disposable. Hitting the one-hitter and blowing it into the tube, there is a slight smell on us afterward. We smoked the tiny pipe reloading it twice each and twice baked. We were a new product on the market; Clear Eyes Eye Drops took our red eyes away.

As I put our things away, you watch me doing it, and you say. “Oh baby, what did you think of my acting?” Hazel asked.

I say. “That was acting, honey. I know how much I will miss having you down the hall, but I did not say I keep my hands off you; just not the same house, right?

Hazel answered. “Yes, I caught that you the man Man!”

Well, I kissed you and asked. “What’s that over the garage?”

“It’s an old mother-in-law-sweet Dude. You feel like carrying me up all those steps?” Hazel looked hopeful at me.

I say, holding you close. “Oh hell yes, but not this second I saw you come. It was the greatest day of my life. You changed me; you know that, right?”

Hazel says. “Dear man, you should be hard as steel in your heart, but you gave me yours and showed my family and me nothing but love.”

I brought my camera bag and tripod with Hazels urging us on, and we set up a nice group shot of the family. Hazel asked me to be in one with the family.

I would have felt odd, but I was now in every setup with Hazel’s hand in mine. Bob and Jean took a few of just Hazel and me. We had black and white Polaroids of the first of each shot with a pro camera called an 180 Polaroid Land camera. It took instant photos in just sixty seconds, I used it to tell the shadows, and the exposure was suitable for the scene it gave me an edge in making my photos looks better.

Bob and Jean said something about moving me later and what we needed to get in the way of clothes for me. I was waiting on a do not touch order, but she asked Hazel if they could go to the Doctor to take care of things on Tuesday. Hazel mouthed. “The Pill.” Then her grin hit her face, and she kissed my fingers.

I was making a spinach and tuna casserole with cheese to start dinner, and I stuck it in the oven to cook as I cleaned the kitchen. Hazel watched me as everyone changed out of their Sunday clothes for shorts.

Jean came into the kitchen and says. “John and Ellen floated. They were happy and shocked when we said it was your turn to cook tonight. Oh, Hazel, you have not had his cooking yet, Dear. He has skills, and you two take your time. Hazel, if he says No, please listen and ask him why before you do what you want to anyway. I would say he’s got a big plan, dear, but he’s scared to tell you; give him time, my love, and trust him. You know your Dad, and I do trust both of you two. I can’t tell you two to wait because we did not. But please take it slow. Let it grow. Shit, I know that looks Dear, Sorry Dan. Just love her and hang on. We love you both.” Jean kissed us both and left.

I say. “Hazel, how would you like to do the first few cheers at the team season opener? Ask the girls to practice here, and I will show you what I mean. Bob and Jean were outside catching some sun, and he was smoking a cigar with a cocktail. I wheel Hazy out to the center of the backyard. I had her cassette tape player with the songs they picked to have the band play for their cheers.

I got her to stretch with me, and we warmed up. I pulled and stretched your good leg. “Here is the deal, dear this moving about has to be short, and you need to be stable. I’m only doing this for a few minutes tops. My Cousin needed to learn to dance for her wedding, and I strapped her to my legs as her Mom taught us to dance her name was Prissy. After just a few dances, she started to hurt ten minutes today tops, but we can do a chair workout to keep you sexy and fit.”

“Mommy, my man called me sexy.” Can I keep him?”

Jean and Bob cracked up. I, for once, did not feel like they were laughing at me but with us. It was a new first, and I saw no reason not to hope for more.

We were warmed up. “Baby, show me your moves to the music still sitting; it’s two songs. That’s close enough to ten minutes to work now. Show me the cues on the first song, and then we will run through it.”

I picked you up and held you off the ground with just enough weight and balance for this to work. After a few minutes, I saw Hazel wince, and I say. “OK, it’s a wrap; good job Sexy. Now, let’s cool down and push against me.” Cooling off, we moved as one. Starting isometrics pushing against each other to get all your mussel gropes a chair tune-up as we spent twenty minutes touching and working out stretching.

Jean says. “The man is slick, I give you that much, but I approve. I like the fact he has the guts. To do it in front of us, what do you think, Bob?”

Bob answers you. “It’s like watching a couple learning each other’s worth. But Dan, you say. Was Prissy?” Bob says with a note of concern on his face.

I say. “That Son of a bitch husband did not believe her when she said she was having trouble breathing. I got there to mow the yard the next day, and she was unresponsive. I called ‘O’ for an ambulance. They had her in an iron lung hooked to machines, but her husband went and played fucking golf with his Dad at his Dad’s country club. Two days later, I was still in the Hospital when they unhooked her. She never spoke once, only looked up into my eyes with fear, unable to answer as she stopped breathing….”

I know I looked mad Hazel says. “You went after the Son of a Bitch husband, didn’t you?” Hazel asked, concern in her voice.

“Catch the bloody bastard?” Bob asked.

I say. “Yes, Sir, Still at the fucking golf club, excuse me. It took a couple of caddies and two or three of the local finest boys in blue to cool me off enough to pull me off or stop hitting him. He was in the Hospital for more than a few days. The police had to use something called a slap-jack they used on me, and boy, it hurt. I was in jail for two days, but my head hurt less than my heart. The Judge heard my reason for taking the bastard down. The Judge had the Doctor come in and give his option about if she had gone to the Doctor when she said she would still be alive. The Doctor spoke. I am sure enough to tell you it will be the coroner’s findings.”