BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Edward, tall, is neither fat nor thin, muscular or flabby, young or old.I don’t know if he is rich or poor, clever or blah. He is not every man’s man, either. Edward is a man for all seasons, all reasons. Here he comes now! The swinging door opens far enough to let him enter comfortably, not so far as to make it look like he is somebody special. The door doesn’t creak or hit anyone going out. He doesn’t know my name but I love him in my own simple way. When we are in the same room, I feel warm, at peace.

Jerry is standing near the window, looking out at the long green lawn just as the setting sun turns the falling leaves to gold. All is quiet for a change. Mike and Harry are playing Chinese Checkers on a folding table. It shakes a little when moves are made. Soon the dinner bell will ring. Hands in his pockets, Edward crosses the room to see the end of the checkers game. He notices Harry moves one blue marble forward when he could have moved it two spaces. Softly he whispers Harry’s mistake in his ear.

At that very moment the dinner bell sounds. Most likely the two things happening together set off the shebang. Mike calls Harry dumb and pushes him off his chair. Harry starts to sulk, goes over to the corner of the room, faces it and pees on the wall. Jerry laughs and waves everybody towards dinner, ‘Let’s all go get the crappy meal before the rats get it,’ and he skips away.

There he is, my Edward who doesn’t know my name, walks over towards Harry. I take his left hand. Edward puts his right one ever so softly on Harry’s head. Harry calms down just as if Christ touched him. ‘I’m sorry, Guys. I’ll get a mop and clean up. Somebody save me a big slice of meat loaf. I’m hungry.’

Edward can fix everything without doing anything. He’s a special person. My thoughts are not always good but when I think about him, the bad ones go away. I’ve asked the Director, my doctor, but nobody gives me any clue, any reason Edward is here. I have decided that maybe tomorrow or the next day or the next, I’m going to tell Edward my name is Joseph and I like him. I’m going to ask him, too, if he would like to share my shower with me.

When you come next visiting day, you aren’t going to see my Edward any more. His friend Bruce came and took him away. I saw them as they walked hand in hand to Bruce’s car. Edward turned around and waved goodbye to me.