weird scene at the winn dixie (part 1)

there is an old homeless lady in my neighborhood, maybe a few years younger than me, she has cancer in her uterous and a social worker who occasionally finds her a group home. is it terrible that i don't remember her name?

she doesn't remember my name either, but sometimes i give her a ride to the social worker's.

i have been out of the hospital for about a week, and i look a little homeless myself. i've been told not to shave because i'm taking intravenous antibiotics and heperin to keep my blood from clotting. i guess one slip of a razor and the bathroom could be a real mess.

last sunday i was picking up litter on our street, about the most exercise that i can handle, when the old homeless lady asked me for a ride to the convenience store. she wanted something to eat for breakfast.

i had to go inside to get my wallet and keys. i saw 2 $20s sitting on top of my wallet, probably all the cash i had. when i dropped the old lady off at the store i handed her one of the $20s and wished her "happy thanksgiving." "bless you, " she replied as she closed the car door and slipped into the convenience store.

i spent the week doing the medical chores necessary to keep me out of the hospital. three intravenous antibiotics a day, 2 hours in the hyperbaric chamber, dressing the wound where my toe used to be, and taking hands full of pills several times a day.

meanwhile my wife could not decide what to do about thanksgiving. going out is not an option because of all the medical equipment i would have to drag to my brother's house, and he has enough of his own problems. having people in did not seem likely either.

we talked enough to know that cooking a turkey, even a small one, would be too much for just the 2 of us. i suggested a couple of cornish hens with stovetop stuffing, but she was not excited about that.

finally, wednesday, yesterday, she wanted a ride to the grocery........