TIME-TO-SEE-38
I looked over at Craig and began, "I was thinking that it would be simple to use the 16 major plot turns and their associated characters for each major wall hanging. I sketched out scenes with those characters, but I didn't set the colors. If you think that these scenes will be interesting enough, then I'll work on a color scheme that will integrate and coordinate them all."
Craig laid the sketched scenes all around the edges of the bed. I'd decided that the major characters should occupy the 4 scenes at the head of the banquet tables: Alice, The Rabbit, The Mad Hatter, The Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar, and the Cheshire Cat.
"These are extraordinary," Craig said as he gazed around the bed looking at my sketches.
"Apparently, Hugo, you haven't seen any of the common commercial renditions of these characters-- like the Disney movie-- because every one of yours is a fresh and fanciful vision of these fantastic creatures," Craig said.
He went on, "I'm sure we'll have an excellent chance of getting the job with your artwork in our response to the Publishers' RFP. God, Hugo, I'm really excited about this project. You will make my trivial business grow by leaps and bounds."
"Come on, Craig." I'm just a sketcher, you know..." I said.
"Yeah! But you're damn good, and you will make the banquet decorations jump to another level of extravagance for these publisher guys..."
"Okay. Well, I'll do my best, Craig. You're saying these sketches will satisfy your needs, and now I can work up a color scheme for the whole set. Right?"
"Oh, absolutely, Hugo"
"Any suggestions? Like are there certain flowers or green foliage you want to try to work in? I mean, I need to know those colors when I think about colors for the illustrations."
"Now that you ask, yeah, I can give you some. I'll make a list of the likely available flowers and greenery, including colored pictures from the wholesale catalogs."
"Terrific. Now the hospital is going to get a taste of serious art production, because I'll be getting Kevin to set up a large 4' by 8' display board, at working height, but propped up against one wall here in the room. I need to see all of the scenes at once, to have them register with me. I need to know how the colors play off of one another... That's going to take some consideration," I said thinking out loud.
"Oh, yeah!" I said. "And by the way, Craig, something new has developed that could affect our art project."
"Oh?" Craig said suddenly looking over at me with a thoughtful expression. "What's up?"
I explained to Craig that Dr. Kavanaugh will be needing me to travel to Ireland and Europe to answer questions at some of his medical meetings. I explained, "He didn't give me any heads-up about times, but something could develop that would have me leaving the country sometime in the coming year, I guess."
"Well, this project ought to be finished in 8 months. Do you think he might want you to travel sooner than that?" Craig asked.
"I really don't know. He just didn't say. On the other hand, I guess I might not go anywhere at all if he changes his mind, or maybe not for a long time... I just don't know. I thought I'd tell you what's cooking though. I don't want you to be caught off guard," I said.
"Oh, thanks, Hugo. I like dealing with an honest and considerate guy. I'll do anything to accommodate you any way I can. Just keep me posted."
And with that Craig left to get the flower catalogues and line up the major materials.
I left the sketches on the bed and was standing there looking at them all, contemplating colors, when the door opened and Dr. Kavanaugh came in with another man in a white coat who must have also been a doctor, or somebody medically related.
"Good afternoon, Hugo," Dr. Kavanaugh said. "I'd like you to meet Dr. Stafford who is the hospital Chief of Dermatology and Professor of Laser Procedures. He said that he would come in and take a look at that tattoo removal project we discussed yesterday."
"Oh, great! Very nice to meet you, Dr. Stafford."
"Nice to meet YOU, Hugo. You've become somewhat of a celebrity here as the man with the stem-cell hearing restoration. I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks, Dr. Stafford." I said. "I really appreciate your willingness to come in and take a look at this tattoo I'd like to have removed. That is, IF it can be done without any risk to the new cells that have restored my hearing."
"Of course. How about coming over to the window where I can see your skin in natural light," Dr. Stafford said.
"Humm?" he went on... "This tattoo uses black pigment. Actually that's favorable, because these new ink colors, like yellow, are really quite difficult to shatter, even by laser..... The molecular structure of the various pigments is interrupted by laser energy, and the body collects the bits and pieces in macrophages and filters them out through the lymph nodes. Even when effective, it's a gradual process of fading."
He continued, "Yes. We should be able to intervene here with negligible energy to areas near the hearing structures. Also, the figure is smaller than I had pictured, and actually poses no risk at all from stray laser energy."
You can't imagine how relieved I felt to hear that. "When could you begin your work?" I asked. "How many sessions would you need, do you think?" "And how much would you charge?" I needed to know everything important.
"I'm paying for this from my salary, because it's kind of a special project that I want to pay for myself. So I need to know these details. I need to line up the money... Any idea, doctor?" I asked
"Well, I'm making a hasty Kirby Desai score calculation of perhaps a 5. That translates into a treatment regime of anywhere from 5 to 10 treatments, given that there isn't any unforeseen condition that alters the predictive value of this rough assessment."
"Okay. And how much would each treatment cost?" I asked.
"Well, we usually charge $200 per treatment, but I feel that it would be possible to offer you a rate of $20 per treatment, especially since your needs are rather minimal. You should see SOME of the projects we undertake," Dr. Stafford smiled as he replied.
"Oh, that sounds terrific. I'd like to begin as soon as Dr. Kavanaugh would let me, and, of course, as soon as you could work me in," I said.
"Well, I'll have my appointment secretary call you to set up a time for your first session, if you'd like," Dr. Stafford said as he pulled out a pen and little notebook ready to take my telephone number.
I gave him Kevin's cell phone number but suggested that since I didn't yet have a cell phone, he might allow me to telephone the appointment secretary from the hospital room phone.
"Of course, Hugo. We'll wait for your call."
"Oh, Doctor, you won't wait long. How about my calling this afternoon?" I said.
He laughed, "Oh, fine... We'll be there...."
And another important issue was on the way to resolution. I thought to myself: "I wonder how long things will keep going good before they turn to shit?"
But I answered myself immediately--shocked, "HUGO! What are you telling me?..."
And I said to myself, "You don't have any reason to be expecting gloom... Your life is primed for good things to happen... Just shut up and let them happen, Hugo. Let them happen."
Before they left, the doctors noticed the sketches scattered all around my bed, and they stopped to admire them... "Hugo, you are a fantastic artist. Of course, you did all of these?" Dr. Stafford asked?
"Yes, Stu. You should see the portrait Hugo sketched of me for Christmas. When you get a minute, drop down to our department. I've hung it on the wall in my office. It's unbelievable," Dr. Kavanaugh said.
"Kavanaugh, you'll have to be sure to hold on to that painting. It'll be worth some real cash one day... You wait and see if I'm not right," Dr. Stafford said with a smile and bit of chiding in his voice.
"I sure hope you're right," I said interrupting their conversation...
"I'll settle for learning how to understand and speak English!"
Dr. Kavanaugh said, "Come on, Stu. You're not in that big a hurry. Walk down to my office with me now. You can see the portrait and look at the x-rays of Hugo's hearing structures at the same time..."
"Thanks for coming by, Dr. Stafford. And, Dr. Kavanaugh, thanks for everything!" I said to them as they were leaving.
I finished the homework that Beth left for me that morning, and then I picked up my guitar to practice for an hour or so before Kevin and the kids came in for their daily visit. Guillermo had given me scales to play and memorize, and he was teaching me music theory at the same time. I was learning how to read and write music, which was fascinating to me. I might describe my own experience of learning and hearing music as an intoxicating "Wonderland" for me, but just not filled with the weird or unpleasant people that Alice encountered in her wonderland.
To help me learn to read music, Guillermo chose simple pieces for me to play directly from the sheet music. This week he gave me my first intensely satisfying piece of music, Malagueña (song), the sixth ... from Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz' famous piano composition España, Opus165.
I really think there must be something in my Latin viscera that responds to the stirring chords and galloping gait of that music, because, of course, I had been deaf and never exposed to the sensual beauty of Latin music before; so I couldn't have merely learned it... THE MUSIC WAS ME! Somehow.... When I heard it I almost cried, my heart beat and my chest grew strong with pride in the beauty I heard and created as I played.
I could hardly contain my eagerness to master Malagueña sufficiently to play it for Nicky and Jilder and Kevin. I don't think I can actually tell anyone what I experienced, listening to and playing Malagueña. Only by being human and experiencing the beauty of music one's self, can another person know what I went through each time I played that music.
Here come the Martians. Jilder and Nicky, dressed in full-blown, over-sized operating room garb, came thundering in like a swat team called to flush out the Joker!
As soon as Nicky burst through the door: "Dad! Dad! Do you remember that movie we saw when the guy was out at the lake and he was fishing and he threw his fishing line--you know, from his fishing poll--and it got caught on the back of his pants and he fell overboard???"
"Uh, well, I remember the movie, yeah..." I said.
"Look, you know, he let the line roll off his reel" (and Nicky mimed the whole process of casting a rod and reel right there in the middle of the room before anyone else had even said hello...); then he came over to me and patted me on both arms at the same time, "Dad, Dad? Do you remember that?"
"Uh? I think so," I fudged...
"Well, that was the funniest movie, and Jilder and me just saw it again on our laptops... It was sooo cool, Dad!" Nicky was totally consumed with the delight that this silly sight gag had brought to his movie.
"Yeah! Hugo. And then when he was in the water, the fish got in his pants somehow and jumped out of his belt when he climbed back in the boat!" and with that Jilder flopped down on the sofa and doubled over with laughter.
"Yeah! Dad. You remember THAT, don't chew?" Nicky implored.
Well, I didn't have the heart to spoil a happy moment for these two; so, yep, I did "fudge" a bit more: "Oh, yeah! I remember now. That was a very funny moment, wasn't it?"
"Yeeeaaaaah! It was awesome," they both agreed out loud, each infecting the other with their amusement.
Having the boys around was better for the spirit than most anything I could imagine. For the most unpretentious and simplest pleasure, I could always count on them delivering some silly, unimportant, detail of life that would keep us laughing. Why wouldn't I just love them to death...
"Hi, Babe!" Kevin said as he delivered a kiss on my nose. "The guys have been about to split a gut over that silly Vacation Movie. Thank God, you remembered what they were talking about..."
"Groan."
"What's that, Hun?" Kevin said again...
"Oh, nothing." I answered.
"What's up with all the sketches on the bed?" Kevin asked.
"Oh," I began to explain. "Craig came by earlier, and we talked about his floral decoration project for the Publisher's convention. Those are the scenes I sketched up for him. He wants to use them as focal points for his floral decorations... See... It's Alice in Wonderland... Recognize any of the characters?"
"Oh, my God, yes! Oh, Hugo, these are fantastic! I hope Craig was pleased?" Kevin said looking directly over at me from the bedside where he was inspecting the sketches.
"Yeah! He liked them a lot. He's getting me some colored pictures from his flower catalogs; so I can set up the colors." I said.
"You guys make a terrific team, Hugo. I'm really glad you found each other."
"Oh, you don't know..." I said.
"I've been wracking my brain for ways I could help out more with the cost of everything, but couldn't come up with anything. Now, with Craig's help, I think I can really help you support us and the boys. This project is worth $10,000 to me! In one chunk! God, it's unbelievable..."
"Uh? But the publishers have to accept your proposal, don't they... I mean, I hate to "rain on your parade," but what if they don't go for it all?" Kevin considered out loud.
"Yeah! I know, Kevin. But this project is such a great possibility; I don't have the guts to think bad things quite yet... We can offer them "cut-versions" of the whole design; and Craig seems like a great salesman. I think we have a really good chance."
"You're right about Craig, Babe," Kevin agreed.
"So let's just "go with the flow," and think the best thoughts possible," I said.
"Yep! You're absolutely right, Hugo. My ego gets cranked up every now and then, and I end up "pissing good things down the drain." I don't understand WHY I do such crappy things to myself-- OH! yeah! But I won't do that to you..." Kevin said.
"Okay, Kev," I said as I pulled him close to me in a hug and gave him a peck on the lips.
Coming out of my little love kiss Kevin said, "Did you see Dr. Kavanaugh today? Did he say any more about the trip to Ireland?"
"Well, I did see him, but it was about something else." I said.
"What was that," Kevin asked, as he pulled a chair over to sit down close to me.
"You know I said I wanted to get this tattoo off my neck? Well, Dr. Kavanaugh brought the hospital Chief of Dermatology to inspect my tattoo. They both agreed that it can come off without being a risk to my new hearing cells."
"Oh, Babe. THAT is fantastic!" Kevin said.
"I'm really happy for you. Did they say when they could get started?"
"Well, the dermatologist, Dr. Stafford, said I should set up an appointment to do it, but I forgot to call earlier. Could I borrow your cell phone to call right now?"
"Sure, Babe," Kevin said as he reached in his pocket for his cell phone.
A few minutes later I'd finished my call and then began to pass the information along to Kevin.
"I'll start next Monday. The doctor will come here to the hospital room for my first treatment, but we'll have maybe ten treatments, one every two days, until I've had 5 treatments. Then we'll wait for my body to continue to eliminate bits of tattoo pigment that will be shattered by the laser. If I need more, we'll continue." I said.
"And how much money is all of this going to cost, Hugo?" Kevin asked.
"Dr. Stafford said he would charge me $20 for each treatment. I really appreciated him giving me a good price. He said that he usually charges $200 a treatment."
"Oh, Babe. You got a real deal! I'm so happy for you. And best of all you get to start just next Monday, that's only four days off," Kevin said.
"Yeah! I know." I answered
"Are you feeling eager to get started?" Kevin asked.
"Oh, Yeah! Babe. Like I'd like to start today, but that wouldn't fit into Dr. Stafford's schedule."
"Say, on another subject.... Kevin, would you mind bringing in a 4ft. by 8ft. wooden panel; so I can display all of my sketches and get started on Craig's project in a serious way?" I asked.
"Do you think the hospital will let you do that?" Kevin asked.
"Hummm? You're right. I need to ask Dr. Kavanaugh. But I just have to figure out someway to get started on all of these sketches, even if I just tape the papers to the wall.
It's going to be a major job, and I need all of the hours I can find. I'm still putting my language study instruction and that homework at the head of my list of things-to-do each day. And I don't want to give up Guillermo's lessons either. I get too much enjoyment from practicing them. But I have work too.... And that means this project...."
At that point, Kevin interrupted me, "Babe! I DO understand how involved in all of this you've become, but will it all fit? I mean won't you start wearing yourself out, which could be deadly to your new cells...?"
"Uh?......" I paused for a long time and thought. Kevin was right. We'd been though this before... I had to cut something if I were going to start putting time into this art project. But what? I hated to eliminate anything! What was I going to do, I thought?
"I just don't know, Kevin. I don't want to cut ANYTHING," I said...
"Dad?" Nicky said. "Do you know when they're going to let you come home? I'm getting lonely, and I'd like you to come home to live."
Oh, my God.... I just can't take that. I can put up with all sorts of shit myself, but I just can't make my family do the same.
"Well, Nicky, Dr. Kavanaugh hasn't said exactly, but he's mentioned day 42, and by my calculations I think that would be about next Friday," I said.
"Well, would you ask him when you can come home for me?" Nicky asked.
There was just nothing in the world I could put before doing good things for my son; so I said, "Absolutely, Nicky. I was getting tired of this place myself. I miss you and Jilder and Kevin and the dogs and just being home in my own bed... Thanks for giving me a little push to get after the doctor," I replied.
"Oh, that'd be great, Dad!" Nicky said as he put his arms around me and leaned on to me with his head on my chest.
I squeezed him and rocked him back and forth and kissed him on the top of his frizzy, red mop, which I'd come to love especially just because it was part of him.
It was late, and I was long overdue for my shots. The nerve growth hormone boosters had drifted to 4 times a day by then, yet Dr. Kavanaugh was not prepared to allow them to stop completely. As I thought about it, I think the real limitation on my leaving this place might be my need for those shots.
"Ok, Hugo. Another 'bump-in-the-butt' of those hearing cells all complete for another time. You're good till tomorrow morning. See ya then," and Dr. Ross' shot team left.
Kevin spoke up, "Hugo. Do you think they'll let you get a nurse to give you those shots at home, after you leave here?"
"I don't know, Kev, but I just thought that maybe they would be the main problem with my leaving: well, and the need to keep away from loud sounds too. (I could always carry around ear plugs or earmuffs or something...)"
"Is it noisy at home, Kevin?" I asked.
"Oh, my goodness no.... Ooops! Not so fast. Well, I'm speaking a little sooner than I should. The neighborhood is totally silent, but now that we have the dogs, THEY can get really noisy when they're all together, and they want to eat, or maybe a delivery man comes to the door. Yeah! Babe. I guess I have to admit that the dogs are really too loud for you-- that is, SOMETIMES. What do you think?" Kevin asked.
"Humm? I'd have to stay away from the dog noise, I'm sure, at least for a while. I'll ask Dr. Kavanaugh what I'll have to do. Even returning to work will depend on how I have to handle the noise thing... This might require me to stay on the Project stipend for a few more months," I said.
"Maybe you could start looking into these things right away, Hugo. Then we could start making plans. I think I might get our room fitted with sound proof ceiling tiles and sound proof wall covering. Then when we are having sex, the kids won't be any the wiser... Well, until I scream-- Kevin said trying to tease me..."
"But, Kev. You can't scream when we're fucking or it will blow out my ears."
"Babe. It's NOT your ears I have in mind blowing..."
"You are really naughty, Kev. I want you to be a good model for our sons; you gotta do better than that!" I chided him...
"Oh, sure, Babe. I promise not to make a sound while I'm giving you a blow job. And I'll scream into a pillow! How's that for life changes to protect your hearing..." Kevin said with a straight face.
"You're so morally upright, Kevin, I can hardly stand it," I answered barely able to avoid laughing.
"What will blow you, Dad?" Nicky asked from across the room on the sofa.
"Uh! The loud barking from the dogs might be too much for me in the beginning, Nicky. What do you think we might do.... " I said to Nicky, then in a whisper to Kevin, "KEVIN! YOU'RE GONNA BLOW OUR COVER RIGHT ALONG WITH MY EARS AND MY DICK, if you don't talk more discreetly...."
Kevin was about to crack up laughing, "Babe! You're the up-tightest 180 pound hunk I've ever seen. But I love every up-tight-pound of you! " he said and kept on laughing at me.
"Okay! Mr. Perfect," I said. "You'll get yours, just wait..." I made a full-blown playful threat to that rascal!
"Dad, I think we ought to keep the dogs in the yard when you come into the kitchen to eat. Then maybe you can go into the living room or into yours and Kevin's room when they come in to eat."
"It's true. They're really loud, barking and all, when they come in to eat," Kevin said.
Dr. Kavanagh and his staff gave me instructions for home care of my new bio-hearing organs. He did agree that his staff would train Jake to provide the nerve growth hormone booster shots, and even pay him a stipend for his services until the Project deemed it appropriate to terminate them. The shots could be reduced to twice daily, once in the morning and then again in the evenings.
The Project provided me two kinds of sound dampening devices: one was an earplug of sorts; the other was, as I expected, full-blown, foam rubber ear muffs that covered my entire ear and a large area around them. I would be expected to use the large muffs in situations like being around the dogs or out in loud traffic and such. Clearly, I would not be able to drive, but since I didn't drive anyhow, that wasn't really a new inconvenience for the family.
Dr. Kavanagh wasn't specific about how long these extraordinary precautions would be necessary. Okay. I guessed I just had to live with that. But someday, all of the protection would be gone, and there would just be me. Whoopi!
DOCTOR'S ORDERS: I was to monitor for ANY discomfort at all and report any unusual feeling directly to Dr. Kavanagh IMMEDIATELY WHENEVER it happened: by his cell phone.
Okay... Poor guy... I wondered whether he would be as happy as I when I "graduated"... Also, I wondered when he would be going back to Ireland.
"Kev, I'll put all of these books and papers in a carton and put it on the wheelchair carrying rack."
"Okay, Babe." "But the boys are able to carry any leftovers for you," Kevin said as he turned around to find them.
Both of them were out schmoozing with the nurses in the outer room, just beyond my door.
"Now you boys help your dad to keep the house quiet for a while, until he's completely healed," one nurse said.
"Oh, sure," Jilder said. "We know how to help him. We were both in the hospital for a big operation ourselves; so we know what it's like recovering."
"You were?" the nurse replied. "What was your operation for?" she inquired.
"Well, our ribs weren't growing the way they were supposed to. They were growing "in", pushing on our heart and lungs; so we couldn't breathe... It was really bad," Jilder explained with a hint of a shudder as he recollected the reality of his experience not so very long ago.
"And what did the doctor's do?" the nurses asked, apparently seriously interested.
"Oh, they put a steel bar across our chests, inside of our ribs, to keep them from growing in anymore. In about two years, we have to go back to the hospital for another operation to take out the steel retainer bars," Jilder said.
"Well, you are two brave boys to go through all that," the nurses said. "Now we understand why you are so mature and understanding of the hospital routine."
"Yeah! We understand," Nicky said with softness in his voice that recollected his darkest hour.
"Our dad visited us everyday while we were in the hospital. He wouldn't leave us to be lonely. And he made sure the doctor gave us the operation that we needed. I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for my dads!" and Nicky's eyes began to water.
Just at that moment I came walking out of my room with the Super Big ear muffs on only to see Nicky on the verge of tears. I went over to him immediately and put my arms around him, kissed him on the head, and rocked him back and forth until I felt him shudder, as if he had shed the bad feelings.
Nicky rolled his head back and said, "I love you, Dad."
I didn't understand all that his mind was processing at that moment, but I heard and understood him when he said, 'I love you, Dad," which is ONE BIG REASON I WANTED TO HEAR: I wanted to hear for myself when my son spoke to me of his love.
I turned and hooked Jilder with my other arm and pulled him up close to me and kissed him on the forehead. Then I said, "And I love BOTH of you guys, more than my own life even..."
"Would you guys push me in the wheelchair down to the SUV? And somebody grab that box of stuff too...." I said.
Jilder jumped behind the chair and Nicky picked up the box and cleared the way, opening the doors and pressing the elevator button. Kevin spoke our good-bys to the hospital and everyone around. "We'll be seeing you every week, Dr. Kavanagh. And thanks can't begin to describe the gratitude we feel for you and your whole team and this hospital.
"Thanks, everybody. You are all miracle workers... I love you all." I said, " You're all invited to come to visit us at our home... "
And off we went.