Member-only story
Random Word Double Drabble
Mourning for a Life Not Realized
RWDouble Drabble 2.0.134 — leaf, grief
Leslie was mournful as she walked to her condo that bright fall day. A beautiful orange/red leaf caught her eye. She couldn’t even bend down to pick it up.
Thirty-five years ago, when 28, she suffered from a bilateral herniated disc that fragmented. Little did she know at that time she would be disabled for life.
In addition to severe back pain, she had severe sciatica that ran from her thighs to toes. It felt like she had an axe embedded in her thighs.
She underwent surgery, and it was unsuccessful. One surgeon told her he never would have touched her.
Unable to do things most people her age took for granted depressed her.
She told her mother, “I went out with John, and it bothered me a couple in front of us was sitting on a blanket cross-legged. Even little things upset me.”
Her mother was speechless. She knew Leslie’s life would never be the way she imagined, and her heart ached for her.
Leslie desperately wanted children but knew she couldn’t birth a baby. She could barely take care of herself, let alone a baby.
Leslie tried not to dwell on it; otherwise, she’d crack-up.
