Under Repair

It’s the second day after the "total joint replacement" of my right hip. I’m in the physical therapy rehab room on the 4th floor of the Dixie Regional Medical Center.

With one exception the six other patients in the room are one day behind me in their surgeries. All of us are still tethered to “IVs” hanging from rolling IV poles and have tubes draining fluid from our operations into round suction boxes pinned to our clothes. We ambulate using walkers with catheter bags attached.

Two patients have knee replacements. The rest, like me, have a hip replacement. Each of us is assisted by our spouse wearing an official “coach” badge. Together, we learn the exercises that will be repeated ad infimum over the six-week recovery period. With my wife’s (Blanche) help, I start the next set of exercises.

One... two... three...

Suddenly, what I see around me flashes a scene from the musical: Fiddler on the Roof.

Tevye comforts his wife Golde with the question: “Golde, do you love me?” We have reached the plot point in the story where Tevye learns the essential thing necessary to his character development in the story – what love is?

(At the stories beginning, Tevye expresses his frustration with the lot fate has given him and fantasizes in the song, If I Were A Rich Man.)

Now, his daughters are falling in love and getting married. Tevye desperately hangs on to tradition as his world changes around him. In his confusion he asked Golde, “Do you love me?”

She bushes his question aside.

He asked again.

Golde sidesteps again.

Tevye persists.

Golde finally faces his question and enumerates the things she has been doing for Tevye for 25 years and concludes with the statement: “If that’s not love, what is.”

Embarrassed by the discovery of their mutual love, they temper it with the word “suppose” and concludes with. “It hasn’t changed a thing, but after 25 years it’s nice to know.”

But, it has changed everything! Tevye and Golde will never be the same again. The center of their world has shifted from tradition to love (Tevye realizes that he is a "rich man".) and it is this shift that allows Tevye in the final scene to give her disowned daughter Chava his blessing.

Five... six... seven...

On the plent (raised exercise table) next to me a woman with a blood plasma bag added to her IV pole is laying on her back. Her husband is sitting next to her on a stool clasping her hand in both of his hands. His head close to hers. He whispers encouragement.

Across from me on plents and reconstruction bikes this scene is repeated – patient and spouse working together, physically close – all of them 18 inches or less apart – a magnetic like force between them. I hear Golde’s words, “If that’s not love, what is?”

I loose count.

“How many?” I asked.

”Two more.” My wife answers.

Nine... ten.

I feel a congratulatory caress across my back and like Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” — I’m a rich man.

From my tub to yours,
Rex Roadunner