Renee sits in the desk next to mine. I am enchanted with the fact she has just one leg. She walks using wooden crutches and never seems to mind being 'crippled' as most people call her.
"Erika," the third grade teacher says harshly and I again face forward rather than ogling Renee.
Thankfully, the bell rings for lunch and I grab my brown lunch bag.
"Want to have lunch with me?" the voice says.
I look around and Renee is standing beside me, her lone leg exposed beneath the hem of her knee-length dress. "Yeah." The word escapes my mouth without thought as I stand.
-
Just before my junior year of college, I transfer to a school in another state. The morning I arrive in town, I push my tall lanky body towards the front of the crowd at the bulletin board of places offering rooms for students. Everyone is grabbing at tabs with phone numbers as I begin reading the listings near the top of the board.
'Peaceful wooded setting. Our daughter's room is now empty and waiting for you.'
I rip at a tab and the rest of the ad comes with it. Someone yells at me to put it back and I make a small effort that almost fails then at last, the tack goes deep into the cork.
The drive out of town is pleasant and soon the rows of houses and business vanish in the car mirrors, replaced by fields and large stands of trees. The woman had mentioned milepost 183 as a landmark and 172 just passes. The music from the radio fills the car as I count 173, 174....
I turn onto a rutted dirt road at the mailbox with 'Jones' painted in large black letters along one side. Dust forms small clouds around my already dirty car. Two older black pickup trucks in front of the old farmhouse show signs of wear and need of new paint.
The car door closes and as I walk along the gravel walkway, a woman wearing a faded blue dress steps through the screen door onto the large porch. I take in her appearance for the next few steps. She is probably in her forties, slim, medium height, with brown hair hanging to her shoulders. I finally notice she is missing a leg with crutches holding her up.
"I called about the room," I say, as I stop near the bottom of the porch steps.
She takes the two steps in a single motion and stands in front of me. "Erika, right?" She wipes her hands on the side of her dress then holds a hand out and I shake it. "I'm Rachel." She smiles as she lets my hand go. "You made good time."
"Yes, your directions were excellent. It's lovely out here." I tear my eyes away from her for just a moment as I look around.
"Two hundred acres ... mostly wooded. Our nearest neighbor is about two miles away. Sam, my husband, is out back. Come in and let me show you the room."
I follow the woman watching the graceful way she walks using the crutches. The dress hangs just below the knee and it is hard to know how much of the left leg is missing. A white sock extends just above the black running shoe, leaving the tanned leg bare above the sock.
The living room is large and sparsely furnished. The oak wood flooring is in serviceable condition. Carpets and area rugs seem to be nowhere. A few logs lay in the large fireplace, ready for the first cold evening.
"We bought this place when we got married twenty-five years ago ... land was cheap back then," she says as we move into the hallway. "Our room is on the other side of the house so you will have all the peace and quiet you want."
The bedroom is large with a double bed, maybe a queen, near two windows. A desk and dresser sit against other walls.
"Tara moved last month ... some computer company hired her. What are you studying at college?"
"Writing and communications. I've already had my first book published. Nothing great, but a start."
She leans against the opened door letting the crutches rest lightly against her. "Fantastic." She surveys me as if making some judgment. "There's a bathroom across the hall that's all yours. I like to cook and you can eat with us, if you want. What do you think?"
"How much? The ad mentioned it was negotiable."
A man, also missing a leg, appears in the doorway. He appears to be a few years older than she is, and a little taller. He wears a gray t-shirt and jeans with the right pants leg wrapped around what appears to be a very short stump and stuffed over the waistband in the back.
"Hey, you must be Erika. I'm Sam. I just put that ad up this morning." He laughs.
I continue to let my eyes dart between them as I take in the fact they are each missing a leg.
"Glad you up put it up high. All the lower ones were being pawed at in a big way." I giggle. "Rachel was just showing me the room. I like it. I guess all I need to know is how much rent you want."
"Just the two of us these days ... maybe seventy-five a month. If that's too much, we could go lower. Did she show you the pool out back? There still a month or two of swimming weather to go."
"No-o, she didn't. I don't know how I could turn this down. You've got a deal."
"Can I help you bring anything in? Not as crippled as I look." He chuckles.
"There's not much. I can get it. Thanks, but if either of you want to tag along."
"I'm almost finished doing the dishes," she says. "You help, dear."
He walks along side me taking firm steps with his crutches. I pull a duffle bag from the backseat and face him.
"Do you mind if I ask about your leg?"
"It happened several years ago. We're content being this way. Sure doesn't get in the way ... of anything." He snickers as he mentally undresses me. "What's a lovely lady like you doing out here rather than carousing in bars and finding a young buck?"
"Well...." I let my eyes wander over his form. "Got some of that out of my system in the past. I still have my needs, but there're ways to deal with them." My hand drags along my side then over my stomach. I notice what appears to be a bulge forming in his jeans.
"Have you ever known any amputees?" He adjusts himself in his jeans without being too obvious about it.
"Kind of," I say causally. "It's sweet both of you are that way. I'm looking forward to getting to know both of you."
I load a small box of school supplies under one arm and let the duffle bag dangle from the other hand. We walk towards the house.