Over lunch, I agreed to allow Wam to show me the house on Saturday evening. He said, "I'll be heading how Sunday evening, so I'd like to show you around your new home and answer any questions you have. Then tomorrow I can get keys made for you."
My mouthful of lunch and unsure how to respond, I simply nodded in agreement. Of course that earned me a smile and an enthusiastic, "great! I'll pick you up at six tonight." Wam had taken our empty plates on the tray and left for the afternoon.
Today was much like this morning with Kedron. I sat at his bedside reading to him. Instead of reading the news though, I started to read The Harry Potter trilogy. My brother had lived the movies, so I requested the books from the hospital library. I haven't spent much time in hospitals, but I was amazed at all the things they offered for patients and families. Of course even small things are a blessing if they help lessen tragedies within a family.
Nurse Nancy assured me that no change was good news when someone had a head injury and was in a medically endured coma. So I tried to be hopeful.
The highlight of the afternoon was when Mark the Social Worker returned. He asked, "have you reviewed the paperwork I gave you?"
"No, not yet. Sorry. I figured I'd review it tonight when I go to bed," I replied apologetically.
"That's okay," he smiled. "A new option has become available and I wanted to discuss it with you."
"Sure. Discuss away," I said and returned his smile.
Mark seemed nervous, but explained, "an anonymous donor has started a fund for expenses of family members unable to work, that must remain at the hospital. This is specifically for family members whose relative has a long recovery ahead of them."
My eyes went wide as I listened. That was exactly the kind of thing I needed. Just something to get me through until I could get back to work. "Wow Mark. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was tailor made for me." I actually managed to laugh at the idiocy of the comment.
Mark laughed nervously in return. "Yeah, it's a great opportunity we had discussed in the past, but our first donor has made a donation, so we are able to help you if needed?"
I nodded as I started to speak, "as much as I hate needing help, I'm smart enough to know that's my reality right now. I truly hope that someday I'll be in a position to return the favor."
"That wouldn't be honorable and I'm sure appreciated by others in your situation, but totally unnecessary. I'm authorized to offer you $1000 dollars a month for food, transportation, and incidentals. This will continue as long as your brother is hospitalized or in a rehab setting. If he is discharged from hospital or rehab, then there are other programs to help him and you out."
"A thousand dollars, really? That would be so helpful right now. Thank you so much Mark!"
"Okay. I figured you'd agree, so I took the liberty of filling out the paperwork for the transfer. All I need from you are some signatures and a bank deposit slip so I can enter your banking information for the transaction to go through." Mark opened the leather bound folder he held under his arm and took out the paper. As he reached for a pan, the paper slipped and flew all over the floor. As Mark and I gathered the papers, I couldn't help but wonder why he seems so subdued and almost nervous this afternoon compared to this morning.
I gathered the papers I picked up and handed them back to Mark. He smiled and thanked me, but his cheeks were red, likely from embarrassment. "I drop stuff all the time. Usually someone is kind enough to help me, so no problem."
"Yeah, it's nice when people care enough to help," Mark met my eyes briefly as he handed me the pen. "So, if you just sign and date where highlighted, I can get the ball rolling."
I did as requested, looking over the forms briefly. It did indeed say it was a grant funded by an anonymous donor. At the top of each paige was printed, "need based funds for long term trauma family members." Of course my name and address had been entered into the form. I'm not sure how Mark got my information, but I suppose I did give information to the insurance/billing secretary this morning. Mark left after stating, "it can take a few days for the money to post to your account, but you should be all set. If you qualify, you can get another dispersement in one month."
At five minutes to six, Dr.... err Wam returned to show me his house that was soon to become my new home. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but for some reason, I instinctively knew Wam was trustworthy. He would never do anything to put his position at the hospital in danger. Wam also seemed so genuine when he talked about wanting to help me and my brother. He was either an excellent actor, or he was sincere. Regardless, I did not feel he was a threat, and I allowed him to drive me to his "home away from home," as he called it.
On the drive, Wam pointed out points of interest in Rochester. I'd been to Rochester, but I'd never had a tour guide show me around.
Once through town, we turned onto a county road and then a long gravel driveway. The days we're getting shorter as summer ended and fall began, but it was still light out at six-thirty in the evening. The residence did indeed resemble a cabin with what appeared to be Cedar siding and a stone chimney running along the left side of the porch. The porch was gorgeous as it ran all along the front of the cabin. The entrance and screen door were in the middle and a window on each side. The six steps to the porch were wide and also dark wood. A small yard had been cleared of trees, but where the grass ended, the land was wooded as far as the eye could see. I could hear crickets beginning to chirp and off in the distance, what sounded like water running. The pine smell from the evergreens was quite strong, but it had a calming effect as I breathed it in and walked slowly toward the door as I looked around. Wam simply watched me. A shed sat to the left with a small off white car sitting in front of it. Was someone else here? When I finally looked his way, he smiled at me with his full lips and straight white teeth. "You ready to see the inside?" I nodded and smiled in return.
Wam walked over to me, held out his hand, and of course I took it. Once on the porch, he let go of my hand and entered a code into the key pad before opening the door and sweeping his arm out in front of him with a slight bow while saying, "after you M'lady."
I couldn't help but smile as I entered the front door. A table with six chairs sat to the left with plates and silverware set out for two. I took a breath and something smelled delicious. The scents seemed stronger here in the country. Of course maybe I'd just spent too much time at the hospital, smelling little other than disinfectants. I could see an open kitchen to the right, with a crock pot on the counter.
Noticing my line of view, Wam said, "I took the liberty of making a roast with potatoes and carrots. Nothing fancy, but I hope you're hungry?"
"Actually yes. It smells amazing!" I couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness.
"Do you want to eat first or see the house first?" Wam asked.
"Decisions, decisions... if the food is ready, can we please eat?" I asked a bit embarrassed by how hungry I suddenly felt just from the delicious aromas that tickled my senses.
Wam grabbed two pot holders after unplugging the crock pot, and set the ceramic container on a beautifully made metal piece with feet, designed to protect the beautiful oak table. Removing the cover and inserting a tongues and ladle, Wam pulled my chair out for me.
"Thank you kind sir. Who says chivalry is dead?" I joked with a smile.
Wam returned my smile, poured ice water into goblets for each of us, and took his own seat. I dished up my food and took a bite. The beef roast was tender and full of flavor. I couldn't help but moan as I chewed, "mmm Wam, this is delicious!"
Wam smiled, eyes wide, and gave a quiet laugh. "I'm glad you approve. I get sick of eating out when I'm here, so I'm a big fan of my crock pot and my insta pot. I try to eat healthily, but fast food makes that difficult."
I nodded in response as I all but inhaled my food. After my last bite, I looked up at Wam and saw he had about a third of his food left and a look of amusement on his face.
Suddenly I felt embarrassed by how quickly I'd eaten. "Please excuse me. I don't usually eat so quickly. I guess I was hungrier than I realized. Thank you so much for the delicious food. Kedron and I took turns cooking, but it was rarely homemade. It was usually something from a box or a bag. On the rare occasion we both had the day off, I'd look up a recipe online and try to make him something new. My cooking never hurt him, so I must have done okay."
Wam smiled and took a drink before responding, "I rarely have extra time, but when I do, I like to dilly dally with new recipes. It's no fun cooking for one person though, so I usually invited family or friends to try them out."
After Wam was finished, I insisted on doing the dishes since he'd done the cooking. Wam showed me the state of the art dishwasher and insisted we use it so neither of us had to scrub dishes. Wam put the leftover food in containers in the refrigerator and showed me how to load the dishwasher, add soap, and what buttons to push to start it. The dishwasher was stainless steel of course, so it matched the other appliances in the kitchen. The U shaped counters put the sink right in front of the window to allow a view of the beautiful scenery. The counter between the kitchen and dining room allowed for the open feeling, but had two bar stools pulled up on the dining room side. No doubt this would be a good place for one or two people to eat. I washed down the counters and table quickly and then hung the dishrag over the sink to dry.
"Okay, ready to see the rest of our house?"
My eyes became big as I heard the word 'our', but I simply nodded in return.