As some of my readers know, I have employed home health aides as a means of avoiding institutional care. I require help during the evening and midnight hours. Among other things, my ability to stand up or get up during the night time is limited. During the course of an evening, I may stand up as many as three or four times. In addition, I sometimes need Kleenex or cold water. This is not the way I wanted it, but given the circumstances I think it is better than nothing.
The aide that we have employed for several months is a fellow named Peter A. Peter comes from Accra, Ghana. As you may recall, during WWII I spent some 15 or 18 months in Accra, Ghana when Ghana was called The Gold Coast. The name in that title of Gold Coast referred particularly to the gold found in Ghana and to the slave trade. The British would catch the slaves and bring them to a port called Takoradi. From there, they would ship them off to Arab countries. Eventually the British shipped the slaves to our southern states as well.
For a number of months, we had Peter who looked after me during the midnight hours. His hours actually were from 9 PM until 7 AM. There came a time, a short while ago, when Peter announced that he had made a deal with Virgin Atlantic airlines to go home to Ghana with his daughter. My recollection is that he offered the airline a total of $1800 each. Quickly they accepted that offer. So here we were without an aide during the midnight hours.
I should point out that Peter was visiting the land of his birth in Ghana. He actually lives these days in Union, New Jersey. The call of home still resides in his breast.
When we were left with no coverage in the midnight hours, we called a woman named Gifty A, who had worked for us before and who was willing to take on the midnight shift. Gifty is a 46-year-old woman who does not seem to mind working the midnight shift. Actually, she puts her five-year-old son to bed at 8 PM and then drives to work arriving here before 9 PM.
This arrangement went on for a bit more than six weeks while Peter was gone. On a Saturday morning after her last shift was completed, and we knew that Peter would return on the following Monday, Gifty made her surprise announcement. As Gifty said goodbye to me in the morning, she said, “You are a good man.” Later, as Gifty was preparing to leave the house, Judy, my wife, thanked her for her efforts during the hospital stay that I had been forced to endure. This is a self-laudatory essay and so Gifty replied, “Of course, I would always take care of my grandpa.” Now, you should bear in mind that I have always been a white person and Gifty is, of course, an African. And so I was amused and greatly pleased by the fact that Gifty said that she “would always take care of her grandpa.” That should have been the end of the story but there is a bit more.
When the time came for Gifty to say goodbye, she turned to Judy and said, “You have treated me well. You are a good woman.” I thought that that was an enormous compliment coming from Gifty. She had served us well during Peter’s absence.
Now we proceed to a few other incidents that occurred here during the same week. As always happens from a stay in Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey, there is a question at the end about whether or not I need a physical therapist to help me regain my strength. I did not really need a physical therapist but the matter was presented in such a fashion that I just agreed.
The physical therapist arrived. It turns out that he is a Filipino. He is a fairly nice fellow. We went downstairs where my exercise equipment is located. I told him that I would be doing at least 30 minutes on the stationary bicycle. Shortly after I began to peddle, Raymond said “You are better than most patients when I release them.” In spite of that remark, I continued until I finished 30 minutes on the stationary bicycle.
Raymond, the physical therapist, originally agreed that our next session would be on Friday. This was on a Monday. Whereupon, Raymond cancelled the Friday appointment and said, “There is no need for me to come back because you have passed the physical for physical therapy.” So that was one development that set me off to a happy start, in spite of the fact that I am still disabled.
Another instance happened during that same week involving Andrew Beamer, the cardiologist with whom I have worked for probably 20 years or more. At the conclusion of my visit with Dr. Beamer, he said, “You still have all your marbles. You have more than some people are born with.” I took this remark as a compliment. Coming from Dr. Beamer, I thought it was significant.
I told you that this was a self-laudatory essay but in essence the remarks made by Gifty and Dr. Beamer and the physical therapist Raymond tended to make my week. I am at the end of life, as everybody knows. I greatly appreciated the remarks of Gifty the aide, and Raymond the physical therapist and most of all Dr. Andrew Beamer. I know that I never intended to use these essays as a means for self-laudatory remarks but I thought that these events all happening in the same week were worthy of a small essay. And a small essay it is when an old-timer has a good run of remarks about his mental health and his physical health; perhaps it should be recorded. So there.
Finally, I have recovered my equilibrium and as life falls out, Peter will be back from Ghana and we will take up where we left off before his departure. I should thank, among other people, Gifty for her tribute with the grandfather remark. I did not tell you that when Judy and Gifty said goodbye early on Saturday morning, they hugged each other. That means a great deal to me. You may be sure that if the occasion arises, we will ask the agency to assign Gifty to us once more.
E. E. CARR
September 16, 2013
Essay 766
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Kevin’s commentary: I think my favorite line here is definitely that Pop has more marbles than post people start with. The man is smart as hell and kind to everybody he meets, so if he wants to write an essay in praise of that occasionally then I feel like it is well-deserved.
I’ve had some birthday pie with the Peter in question, incidentally. He’s polite to a fault. I hope he is having a great time in Ghana.
(Published 9/24/13)