"Why are you constipated?" asked the old man.
"Sorry," I said, "I don't like vegetables, fiber, oatmeal, salads, or anything green."
I could not believe I was telling Gilbert my deepest darkest secrets. Still, Gilbert had always been there for me. Sure, he was so much older than me, but the old man listened to me and never criticized me.
The old man shrugged his shoulders. He laughed. I tried to move my arm, but it was in a sling. The night shift was much more dangerous than I had ever imagined.
"My doctor says I need to eat more fiber," said Gilbert.
I looked at Gilbert. Even though he had no hair and he had a lot of sun spots, Gilbert was not overweight or decrepit. In fact, Gilbert seemed to move along quite well for a retired person.
"Do you?" I asked.
Once more, the old man shrugged his shoulders. Then, he patted his flat stomach.
"I eat so much fiber," said Gilbert, "I'm always in the bathroom."
I nodded my head. Ever since I had known him, Gilbert was always going to the bathroom. Since I didn't have a whole lot of friends, I often found myself chauffeuring the old man to his appointments whenever I was not at work. Since I worked the night shift, it was hard to have a decent social life like most other young guys.
"It keeps the weight off me," said Gilbert.
Gilbert smiled and I wondered if that was the reason the old man seemed to be in such great shape. It was then that I remembered what my own doctor had recommended to me. Sheepishly, I pulled out the prescription bag from my jeans pocket. It was crumped beyond recognition, but the old man was not easily fooled.
"Medicine?" asked Gilbert.
I nodded.
"What's wrong?" asked Gilbert.
That was when I pulled out the suppositories. The doctor had recommended some laxatives, but the doctor knew how much I hated to swallow pills. Quickly, I gave Gilbert a quick explanation of how it boiled down to using a suppository.
"Do use these?" I asked.
"No," said Gilbert, "But how are you going to use those with your arm in a cast?"
I shrugged my shoulders. I guess I had to go back home and have my mother help me.
"I don't know," I said.
"Do you need help?" asked Gilbert.
I grimaced.
"I can't ask you to do that," I said.
"Don't be silly," said Gilbert, "You would do the same thing for me."
I looked at Gilbert with amazement. Truth be told, there was no way I would do that for him. Still, the old man was ushering me to his bathroom. Within minutes, my pants were down and I groaned as the old man slid one of the suppositories into my tight anus.
"Done," said Gilbert triumphantly.
At that, Gilbert washed his hands. I pulled up my pants. I was not sure whether my wounded pride was hurt more than my newly violated sphincter.
"Sorry," said Gilbert, "Haven't you done this before?"
"No," I said.
"Well, I'll grease it up next time," said Gilbert, "You should have said something."
The next day, I came to see Gilbert once again. We talked about stuff before the old man popped the question.
"Did you bring the suppository?" asked Gilbert.
I blushed. I was trying find an easy way to bring up the subject, but it was hard to fool Gilbert.
"How did you guess?" I asked.
The old man got up and ushered me into this tiny bathroom.
"Do you want me to grease you up first?" asked Gilbert.
"With what?" I asked.
"Petroleum jelly," asked Gilbert.
"My mom uses that on her lips," I said.
"It's really good for hemorrhoids, too," said Gilbert, "Sometimes you can use it on engines in a pinch."
"How do you know all of this stuff?" I asked.
The old man shrugged.
"When you get as old as I am," said Gilbert, "You find ways to get by with less."
"If this is retirement," I said, "I'm not sure I want to retire."
"Well you won't meet many people working the night shift," said Gilbert, "I know I never did."
" What did you do?" I asked.
"I saved enough money and went back to school," said Gilbert.
I nodded. The old man was right.
Gilbert pointed to his bedroom.
"I'm going to find the petroleum jelly," said Gilbert, "This would be easier if you were lying down."
"Are you sure this is necessary?" I asked.
"I can't stand up too long," said Gilbert, "If you want this to go in without any pain, I might have to take my time."
At first, I hesitated. I wasn't sure I wanted to be naked on any man's bed. Still, the memory of the pain in my buttocks was still fresh on my mind. In the end, I stripped down and lay face down on Gilbert's bed. Within fifteen minutes, it was all over. Still, the suppository went in with a great deal of pain. Gilbert did his best to slather a great deal of petroleum jelly across my sphincter.
"Is this going to get any easier?" I asked.
"Relax," said Gilbert, "It will get easier. Trust me on this."
Gilbert patted me on the back as he left the room. I heard the water running int the bathroom sink as the old man washed his hands. I put my clothes back on in peace, but I was not looking forward to the next session. After I got dressed, I waved goodbye to Gilbert as he showed me to the door. He must have seen the distress on my face.
"I'll be glad to get rid of this cast," I said.
"Did it really hurt that much?" asked Gilbert, "I tried to be as gentle as possible."
"It's not you," I said, "I'm just not used to doing this."