Sunday

Sunday morning around 10, I took my massage supplies (in this instance, the fleece liner for the table and face cradle, sheets and my massage lotion) and headed over to Norm and Paulette’s. It was gloomy and grey and cold outside, which seems to be normal June weather this year in the morning, so I layered a tankini top with a silk blouse and my leather jacket and wore jeans. Norm was napping in the new trailer, so Madison woke him up for me and we went into the house, where Paulette was cleaning in preparation for going away. So, while Norm had a shower, I helped Paulette move the loveseat back against the wall, and set up Norm’s massage table with my stuff. Madison decided to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so I had Johnny Depp as background to Norm’s massage.

Gave him a full body treatment and scandalized Madison a little when I pulled his undies down to expose his butt cheeks. Madison is only 14 and easily scandalized. She’s a real Mama’s girl, too, and she’s a nice kid. She’s a swimmer and Paulette is looking into getting massage for Madison. I’ll be happy to do housecalls, bill Blue Cross and everyone will be happy. Norm loved his massage. He has a nice scar from a spinal fusion in his low back after his accident some years ago, and is often in pain, gets headaches–all that good stuff. I hit some tender spots, but he loved it and felt great afterwards. So he’s ready for the trip. Paulette said she’s okay and will have one when they get back, and PG wasn’t there, and will probably also have one when he gets back. I kind of gave him a backrub Saturday night standing at the bar in his basement, anyway, so he’s probably good to go.

When the massage was over, I took the table down, and sat down to watch the movie with everybody. Norm made me coffee, and I sat with Madison and Milo the cat, who snuggled in by my leg and let me pet him, purring quietly the whole time. The sun kept trying to make an appearance and was slowly succeeding. The movie was almost over when PG arrived on his bike, and another fella arrived to pick up his little Bobcat excavator that Norm had used to level out the back yard. They’re going to put a nice big deck on the house for barbecues and parties and stuff. I sat with Madison until the movie was over and then went outside. It was still chilly enough to warrant the leather jacket, and we were all sick of it being so cold out.

After the Bobcat was gone, PG wanted to put some decals on his bike. He had these. They wouldn’t conform to the curve of the gas tank, so he and Norm put them on the bike below the seat. The "Lethal Threat" went on the windshield just above "If you don’t stand behind our troops, feel free to stand in front of them" decal, and he gave me the little jester decals for my car. They’re now on the little windows in the back. Somewhere during this process, when Norm had gone inside for a minute, PG apologized to me.

"I’m sorry about last night. I was just…"

"Never apologize to me for how you feel or what you need. The only time you need to apologize to me is if you hurt my feelings."

"I would never try to do that."

"I know." Hug. "And when a massage therapist with 20 years experience offers you free therapy, don’t turn it down."

"I’m not turning it down." (aside: can’t get him to agree to a time and place)

"Yeah, well, keep in mind if I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t offer, and besides, how many years in the military?"

"Twenty-five."

"Yeah, well, if the average citizen can’t say ‘thank you’ somehow, there’s something wrong."

"The average citizen doesn’t know we exist."

"Well, then, maybe I’m not average."

"No. You’re not." Big hug.

And his twenty-five years were hard years. I had that idea from him, and Norm said as much. I told Norm I’ll let PG tell me what he wants to when he’s ready, but anything that Norm feels he can share, I’ll take. The more I understand PG, the better friend I can be to him.

Norm asked if I would stay for barbecue, and mouth pain or not, I’m not about to turn down an invitation to hang with these people. PG decided to run home on his bike, and come back with his dog in the truck. So he left to do that, Norm and I went grocery shopping for yummy goodness. Paulette told me to pick out dessert. 

On our way to the grocery store, Norm told me that PG is having a time getting rid of Y because she’s trying her damnedest to hold on. I said it’s up to PG to decide who’s in charge of his life–himself or Y–and I guess Norm has told him the same thing. I suspect he’ll be successful, since the people he likes to spend most of his time with can’t stand her and they love me. That’s all good. We came home laden with chops and hamburger and salad fixins, and buns and yummy goodness. I did pick out dessert–a bumbleberry crumble, which we never got to because everyone was stuffed, and in my case, the mouth acted up after eating, and I wasn’t about to aggravate it more. 

When we got home, Norm and I headed to the kitchen. He worked on the burgers, got me a cutting board and a sharp knife when I asked what I could do to help. I suspect this is something Y would never do. So I assembled the salad, with mixed greens, green pepper, grape tomatoes (the little itty bitty ones), baby cut carrots, cheddar cheese, celery. It looked yummy when I was done. Then I helped him carry everything out to the yard where PG was now playing "frisbee" with Angel, using a lid from a 5 gallon bucket. I threw it for her, Madison played with her. Angel is about 5 years old, and PG got her when he decided to go sober, and she was 2 1/2. He found her on Kijiji. Her people had to give her away because she wasn’t getting along with their yappy little dogs and 14 cats. He loves her to pieces and she helps keep him sober. It’s all good. He has her well trained. He can take a dog biscuit and tell her to taste it and she gives it a little lick. Then he can put it on the floor, tell her that one is his, and she just sits and looks at it longingly until he tells her "okay". And here she was at Norm and Paulette’s, not tied up and only going as far as the "frisbee" was tossed. He did tie her up when Paulette’s sister dropped by to pick up a cake so she wouldn’t chase the car, and he tied her up later when we went into the trailer to eat, but apart from that, she ran loose. She’s a good dog.

When we sat down to eat, Madison scooched in first. The seats are a horseshoe around the table. Madison was in the middle of the horseshoe, with Paulette to one side, me to the other. I had Norm beside me and Paulette had PG beside her. The burgers were yummy, I had a bite of a chop, which was also yummy. The salad was pronounced good, and we ate and talked and enjoyed the company. Madison leaned over and put her head on her mommy’s shoulder/chest, and Paulette put her arm around Madison’s shoulder, kissed the top of her head. Next thing, PG has his head down on Paulette’s ample bosom on the other side and she put her arm around his shoulder and kissed the top of his head. It was too cute. She said that PG is her and Norm’s son. It’s all good. I suspect, too, that PG was testing my reaction to his doing this. I have a feeling Y would have been very different. Across the table, Norm and I were having our own little cuddle. Such comfortable people to be with.

Somewhere along the way, PG  and Norm traded seats, and the boys were fading fast. Looked like they could both use a nap. Norm tried to get PG to go lie down in the spare room of the trailer, but he wouldn’t go. PG had accidentally taken two doses of his PTSD meds yesterday. He had gotten up at 5 or 6, took his meds, went back to bed, got up again at 9 and couldn’t remember if he had taken them or not. So he was very low-key all day, and by 5 pm was really fading. He and Norm stepped outside for a smoke, and Paulette and I talked a bit. I think Madison had crawled into the big bed in the trailer by this time and was just chillin’. I told her I hadn’t had a fun bunch to hang out with in years. And the last people I used to spend any time with was when I used to go to the Wednesday night dances and hung out there with people I knew from church. She laughed and asked, "How’d that work out for you?" Well, not so bad, but they weren’t people that I’d go to their house and hang, you know? In fact, the last time I had someone I loved to hang out with was when I was going to massage school, staying with my friends Bruce and Elda, and hanging out all the time with Ainekate. That’s 20 years ago now. Fuck. I told Paulette I really appreciated them all and we both wished I could go with them to Laconia. They’re going to look for biker boots for me, too. Yay! 

PG headed home with Angel, I toddled off home my own self, and started working on a sketch for a tattoo I thought PG would like. I described it to Norm, who said he thought PG would love it, and when I described it to PG, he thought it would be great. It’s an alpha male wolf, alert but relaxed, with Canadian military dogtags around his neck. When I had the wolf sketched out, I thought it needed a little something more, so I added the maple leaf from the Canadian flag to the background. It’s in my Facebook photo album "artsy fartsy stuff". I think he’ll like it. It’s not quite finished yet. I’ll have to show it to him before they leave on Thursday for Laconia.

Tuesday after work, I have to take a bunch of #2 Daughter’s stuff to her. PG offered me the loan of his truck, which I might accept. It’s bigger than my car, and I’m not sure how comfortable I’ll be driving it in the city. He and the others have enough to do still to get ready to go on their holiday that I don’t think he’d have the time to come to the city with me. Which is too bad. I have the feeling that my daughter and my new BFF’s are going to love each other to death. I’ll decide on Tuesday.

Today, I don’t have to be at work until 2 pm, will get off at 8 and head over there. When PG left yesterday, he said to me, "I’ll see you tomorrow sometime, right?"

"Well, if you’re here after 8 pm, yes. I don’t dare come here before work, because I won’t make it TO work." He laughed. So if he’s still there, I’ll see him. I’ll take my sketch book in my purse to show him the wolf and get his and Norm’s reaction. After all, Norm has to do the actual tattooing. I want it on his left pectoral region. He’s got a flaming skull on the right side of his chest, a snarling wolf on his right forearm, another wolf on his left shoulder blade, and I think there’s one on his left arm, but I can’t remember. 

In any case, still lovin’ my new boys and girl(s) (counting Madison and Angel), and hoping for years with them. Norm has scary surgery coming up in November, and we’re all hoping for the best possible outcome. Please send your good vibes his way. He has a tumor in his colon and the surgeon is going to be taking out as much as he needs to, to make sure there’s no spreading of evil through Norm’s person. So all prayers, invocations, love, good vibes, candle lighting, whatever your personal communication is with the Universe, God, the FSM, Allah, Jehovah, Goddess, Whomever, gratefully accepted.