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Pat Pend.
While the creator had
these thoughts about money and survival in his mind, the family car with
his mother driving had pulled out of the drive way and had gone for a
ride. The creator's father was all covered to keep him nice and warm.
The creator was noticing the way his mother was driving the family car. There was no way the family van could
ever handle the
slippery streets compared his father's feet trying to grab hold of the
side walk before placed into the family car. The creator was
thinking in the background about how can thing get any worse if the
family car had collided into another vehicle on the street in the cold.
During the trip, the creator's mother had driven the father, her
husband by his favorite hardware stores. The creator's father
always had interest of looking at the most innovative tools out there
from hardware store to hardware store. The creator's mother then, had driven
her husband past his old high school. The ride had lasted for a few
hours. The creator's father was fast asleep before time they all had
gone home.
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The creator had said
hello to some of his friends while picking out the items on the store
list. Some of his friends or the associates who worked in the grocery
store had understood the creator's situation regarding his father's
condition. What was going to happen to the creator if his father does
make it through the treatment. It was still unexplained what the
creator's father's blood condition was at this point. The creator had allot on his
mind. There was no siblings around to help out. His mother needed to be
helped and taken care of. How was there time for the creator himself.
The store was closing. The creator made it to the front with the
groceries, purchased them and had gone out as the very last shopper for
the day. The both south-side doors were being locked when at the same
time, the creator had noticed something not right with his bike. |
As the more days had gone into, December and then some, the
creator had quit a bit on his mind. He didn't have the time to enjoy the
upcoming holidays since his father's condition was on his mind. At
the age of 19 years old, the responsibly of his mother, the family pets,
the house was on his mind. Once again, there was no one else for the
creator to count on. What direction was the creator and his mother
heading to? There were times which the creator had sat down to relax but, there
was always those scary, uncomfortable, threaten issues on his mind.
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The upgrade was a
success with out any help. The only
issue the creator had was, always to remember to take the key with
before going out any where each time. The creator had too much on
his mind as it is regarding his father's medical condition along with helping
out his mother with her issues. He didn't have time to worry about
who was tampering with the previous power switch each time he would
be out. There was nothing more which he
could do in order to repair the face plate on the amp meter do to
lack of resources. |
The next morning, back
in the workshop, the creator had to remove the main switch
panel. It was the only way to begin the conversion. There was too much frustration
when dealing with tampering of the power switch. The creator had a
thought. Regardless that, the battery was rechargeable, it was the
time used and wasted to charge the battery more then required. He have
heard of electrical round-key lock switches used on car alarms,
vending machines, cash registers and more. Instead of the creator
saving up money for another set of bicycle tubes, bicycle tires or
other, he decided to purchase an electric round-key lock switch for
the, "Thombogo Sunset Model 1996
Country Style Class" bike. |
Even though, the creator's father had a few more days to go, the
creator, his son wanted to visit him at the hospital and he needed to know from him on
how to help his mother with her winter cold. The creator decided to ride
forward on his bike instead of crossing the street to lock up his bike.
The creator had pulled his bike into the hospital's east side garage and
locked up
his bike and gone in. From traveling from his favorite park, the creator
was cold and bushed. As he was thinking, he like the way the, "Thombogo Sunset Model 1996
Country Style Class" bike had performed while ridding in
the cold all that way from the park in the, snowing, cloudy weather. He also knew that, if there was a public
bus service in the area, he couldn't just wait for the time when the bus
would simply feel like stopping at the stop before picking him up to go
to the hospital. What if visiting hours were already over before the
public bus would make the trip as he thought.
He knew that people, who had cars and auto insurance would had that type
of luxury not worry about taking the public bus to go anywhere. For now,
the were
many and many of hallways which the creator had traveled through out the
hospital. |
On, Thanksgiving day, the creator and his
mother were helping the father to be placed into the family car
after they all had, Thanksgiving dinner. The father wanted to go for
a ride hoping it would make him feel at least better instead of
being depressed. It was
some what a struggle but, the creator helped his father walk down
the cold slippery sidewalk and place him into the car seat. The
creator's fathers was able to perform some walking but, needed help
from his son, the creator. Way in the back of the creators head, he
was thinking of how lucky he is to have most but, not all
engine taken apart in order to have a mechanic fix it that day back
in the summer time. The
creator couldn't count on the family van to get them any where since
now, it had a hole in the tire due to age and rubber dry rot. This
was new problem and expense added to the family van. In the long
run, it was better to take the family car and let the, creator's
father sit or lay on the soft car seat.
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From the trauma of bringing
his father in that evening to the hospital, he didn't want anything drastically
start happening to his mother. The creator began on his, "Thombogo Sunset Model 1996
Country Style Class" bike. He road over the snow on his
bike several yards from the swing set until he got out into the busy
street in front of the apartment buildings. He headed east-bound for a
couple of blocks until he came across a busy intersection. The light had
turn green and the creator proceeded straight on through the busy
intersection before heading one mile east-bound to the next busy
intersection. The creator then, made a left hand turn at the busy
intersection and head north-bound on his bike for one mile. The busy
street was considered to be a known heavy trucking route but, the
creator was not going worry of semi-trucks zooming past him in the cold
weather. After completing the full mile, the creator came across another
busy intersection. The creator made a right-hand turn and proceeded
east-bound about a-half-a mile until he made a left-hand turn next to
the hospital. The creator knew that, he had taken the correct route when
he noticed a children's
hospital being constructed next to the north-side of the
main hospital. He couldn't wait to see his father. |
The paramedics found the creator's
father laying under the couch. No buddy knew how he got under there.
The boxes of wood located under the couch's feet were used to support
the couch higher off the floor giving the creator's father an easier
way to stand up from the couch if or when he needed to walk. With the
couch sitting on boxes of wood, the creator's father somehow had navigated
him self under the couch for unknown reasons. Both paramedics had
pulled the creator's father from under the couch and hooked a machine
of theirs to him to get the needed medical readings before taking him
to the hospital. The one paramedic had stated about knowing and
dealing with those type of medical situations in the past regarding
people
hiding like that when they know that, they are dieing. The reading
from the machine indicated that, his heart rate was normal but his
breathing was increasing with his blood pressure dropping at the same
time. He was taken the hospital.
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As the creator was looking at the working family
car, the creator was thinking about the expense it was to repair the
rings on the cylinder a few months back in the summer time plus, the
installation cost and cost of their new furnace last month. The
creator had a question of why should people live in the mid-west
when the cost of living due the cold weather is so risky and so high.
The family car's engine broke down due to cold weather. The furnace in
the house broke down last month due its age besides overworking it
self because of the extreme cold weather. With the both expenses dumped already,
the creator decided not to ask his both parents for a car or think
about having a car of his own. The creator has no idea at this point
if the both expenses on the family car's engine and the new furnace
were ever paid off or not. Was the creator giving up on the interest of
a car? There was no other direction for the creator to take in life
unless if he had gone into the armed service which, his both parents
had refused him to do that since there was no one else needed to take care of
his both
of them. For now, his mother and her son, the creator just wanted to
quietly take the father for a nice ride and get some fresh air. |
Once the creator's father was there in
ER,
he was assigned a room to rest in. He was coherent later that
night. He was given three meals a
day with other services to go with it. The creator's mother and
himself had stayed until visiting hours were over. Once again, The
creator had remembered of himself being in the same hospital for a week
due to having double pneumonia. Before going home that night, the
creator's father had asked his son to come closer to the hospital bed. He
had asked his son, the creator to help out at home with stuff for
the mother. For a month? Where was the creator's siblings at as he
stood there while looking upon his father?
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Later into the second week of, December of 1996, there was
another store list which the creator's mother had given the
creator to take to store. With the budget, there was enough
gasoline left in the family car to pick the creator's father
from the hospital sometime during the next following week.
For that night, the creator had done exactly what his father had
asked him to do for his mother. The creator had gone out to the
grocery store, in the snow and cold to get groceries. The, "Thombogo Sunset Model 1996
Country Style Class" bike had great gripping wheels for the
snow in the street. |
The
creator had managed to find the room his father was in according
to the patient list. This was not one of those common type
semi-private rooms. There was another room connected before
entering that single patient room with a glass observation
wall and a storage supply cabinet used to wear protective equipment against
airborne viruses. The creator had no idea in the world why his
father was in that room. After the creator has stepped into
the room, the creator's father had asked the nurse to let his
son enter the room anyway. The creator's father sensed that something
not right at home. The creator had explained
about his mother's medical condition regarding about her
winter cold. |
At this point, with no job, the creator didn't know where to
turn to. With his father being sent to the hospital in few
days, all the responsibilities regarding the house, the
family pets will be poured into the creator's lap to deal
with. There was no one else for the creator to count on. The
creator's mother was to much in disgust, stress, over whelmed
as it was. This is not how the creator's mother wanted to
spend the remaining golden years with her husband. |
More and more days had gone by which had proceeded into
the second day of, December. That late evening, the
creator and his mother had noticed the father sleeping
more often than usual. He wasn't eating as much and he
wasn't being as responsive if woken up. At one point, the
creator's mother made an attempt to say something quietly
to his face while he laid there on the couch. Instead of
him calling to his wife's name, he had called her,
"Mom". Was the creator's father losing the touch
of what was going on around him? In the recent past, the
creator and his mother had already experienced times when
the father had passed out in front of them with out any
prediction. Their family doctor was contacted the next
morning, regarding
the issue. The family doctor had explained that, due to
the mini-strokes which the creator's father had been experiencing,
a syndrome of dementia was forming in the creator's,
father's mind do to mental breakdown leading into,
Alzheimer disease. The paramedics were called that
afternoon. |
Later that same day, the creator wanted to visit his
father at the rehab center. He missed his father and he
wanted to visit him. The creator's mother on the other
hand, was in no condition to go. The creator's mother
had came down with a mild winter cold and needed to rest. As
the temperature had plummet during that time of the year
of, December of 1996, the creator was hoping that, the
new furnace would hold together during the remaining cold weather.
The creator didn't know that much about repairing
furnaces unlike his father would know. The creator needed to have a
man to man talk with his
father alone regarding the upkeep and maintenance of the
house hold. The creator remembered the route to take in
order to visit his father. After spending time at his
favorite park, he decided to cut his time very short and
had gone to visit his father. |
The creator's had placed his grocery
bags on the ground next to the bicycle stand. He couldn't believe of
what his eyes have seen. The amp meter cover was damaged. The cover appeared
to be shattered in pieces all over the power box.. The creator noticed
the main power switch set to the on position. This has to stop, the
creator thought. He knew that, people who drive vehicles didn't have to
worry about that type of issue since their dash board switches are inside a vehicle when locked preventing from any outside tampering.
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Time was running out. The creator had to pedal
faster and faster to make the "Thombogo Sunset Model 1996
Country Style Class" bike go faster. The both wheels were
able to grip the street. The creator needed to get to the grocery
store before they close for the night. The creator had to dodge away
from moving cars or cars that couldn't grip the street and try to not ride off to the side of the road
either. Once at the grocery store, the creator had about ten (10)
minutes to spear.
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