The Taste of Freedom

A couple of weeks ago I ended up tagging along with Daddy when he had a meeting at Tysons Galleria.  I convinced him to go straight there from lunch (he took me to Rehab in the morning) and I said I’d be good and mind my own beeswax.  I was VERY good, I promise.  My improved swallowing health and I exercised our freedom my going to Maggiano’s for dessert.  I would have been very happy at Starbucks or the Corner Bakery but didn’t want to bother with recruiting someone to carry my things to a table for me so I went all out and chose a full-service restaurant.  I haven’t been to Maggiano’s since I got sick, and I’ve never eaten in public alone before.  It wasn’t that I was craving dessert (although I knew beforehand that I’d get the toasted pound cake with caramelized bananas) – it was the experience of going to a restaurant, ordering, not choking, and paying the bill that was important to me.  PS.  Remember when I was pretending to be vegan?  Yeah. I kinda fell off the wagon lil’ bit.

I allotted myself 20 minutes, packed up the leftovers, and then rested on a soft chair near the bakery where Tanpo was.  I was conscious of the time since I didn’t want him to worry and come looking for me.  I knew I was already pushing the envelope by wanting to go wandering around by myself.  Good thing I was nearby, since the fire alarm went off and I met Tanpo and the L’s coming down the hallway to get me.

All said, my outing was a success.  Yes, I was tired afterwards, but the brief return to what my life used to be like was a happy moment.

Another happy moment came on Friday when Tanpo took me to E&R’s so I could look at a wheelchair I’d seen on Craigslist in West Chester.  The kids met us at the door and I was taken aback because Peter was standing.  He can walk, too, now – and is mobile enough to “engage” with his big brother.  It’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time.  I took this picture when he went digging in my purse and found a banana.

Ed Goes to DC – video and book on Amazon