He’s Disabled!
29 Nov
This Thanksgiving we took a family vacation with David’s side of the family to San Antonio. While we were waiting for our departing flight at Love Field, we had dinner at Chili’s. We met a lovely couple who had just arrived in Dallas from San Antonio. They were going to meet their daughter’s finance’s family. If you are reading this, lovely couple, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
They convinced David to let me find an airport wheelchair to push him in so that he wouldn’t have to walk so much. Thank you, lovely couple. I think we entertained angels unaware.
Getting through airport security took far less time with David in a wheelchair. Everyone was very nice and helpful. We thought you had to register for pre-boarding when you purchased your plane tickets, but as we stood in line to board the plane, passengers kept telling us to go to the front of the line. The Southwest Airlines ticket man pushed David to the plane entrance, where a flight attendant said,
“You should have pre-boarded.”
David was standing with his cane at this point. Have you ever flown Southwest? There are no assigned seats. It’s just first come, first serve. The plane was nearly full.
“Folks,” the flight attendant yelled, “This man is disabled! I need some of you up front to move so that he and his wife can sit together!”
“Oh, it’s okay. We don’t have to sit together,” David and I said, quietly.
“No, no. It’s okay! People are moving for you!” she boomed.
I know she was being helpful, but it was kind of embarrassing. Several people moved, so David and I were able to sit together on the second row. Then, of course, everyone wanted to know what was wrong with David.
“Did you break something?”
“Were you in a car accident?”
David and I considered telling everyone that he was dying of cancer, and that he was going to San Antonio to have Thanksgiving dinner with his mother one last time before the end, but we didn’t. We just said the truth. He has arthritis.
“What are they doing for that?”
“Do you have any fillings in your teeth? The arthritis could be from lead fillings!”
No, it’s genetic. His grandfather got arthritis at a young age. They’re trying several medications, he gets massage therapy, he swims twice a week, he sees a chiropractor, he’s right handed and he eats his vegetables. I don’t know what his sign is. Sorry. I don’t do horoscopes.
It really was kind of funny. So funny in fact, that it became the family joke on our trip.
“They’d better give us a good table at this restaurant, because David’s disabled!”
“Move out of the way people! Clear the sidewalk! This man is disabled, and his wife wants to look at antiques!”
“That lady at Wal-Mart asked to see my receipt because David’s disabled!”
This picture was taken while we were waiting for our return flight. (The salsa at Las Palapas in the San Antonio airport tastes like canned tomato puree with a little cilantro thrown in. Yuck!) David is sitting in one of the airline’s wheelchairs. It has a tall red pole that sticks up in the air announcing to the world, “He’s disabled!”
More about our trip next post.
Love,
A Young Wife
Love Ya!
Well if you two aren’t just the cutest things I have ever seen in my life! I swear!
I know it was kind of embarrassing on the plane, but it’s better than suffereing in silence…(And how wierd that an airline doesn’t make seating arrangements!) I think the cancer story would have been appropriate…simply because people can get so nosy…but for people who have cancer, not so funny, which is, I’m sure, why you didn’t. You could have just pretended not to speak English!
Glad you ended up having a good time!!
Isn’t it funny how people aren’t shy to ask personal questions to strangers like that? My husband’s cousin is paralyzed from a horrible car accident, and people always want to know what happened. Good for you guys for having a sense of humor and enjoying your trip! I live in Fort Worth now and used to live in San Antonio – what a small world!
Your picture is so cute! But you’re so little. If you keep trying to push him around, YOU’LL end up disabled!
Darlene, love you too! Kerri, yes, the flight attendant really could not have said anything better. She was helping us. It was just a little awkward for us. I like the idea of not speaking English! That would have been hilarious! Jenn, yes, I think it must be like the people who put their hands all over pregnant ladies tummies or strangers who touch babies. It’s just not how I was raised. Jennifer, it really wasn’t bad except going uphill. Then I just considered it a workout!