Chapter 4
Part One: Disability Etiquette
The van had parked several minutes ago already, but so far, it didn't look like anyone was getting out. Kay blew out some air. If she hadn’t known who was in there, it would have felt like a scene in some gangster movie.
Still, she wondered what was going on. The windows were tinted, so she couldn't see inside – they probably could see her, though. Was Seth having second thoughts or something?
But then the automatic door on the side suddenly started to open, bringing him into view. And an unexpected wave of nausea swept over Kay.
She knew it was stupid, but seeing Seth in that big wheelchair he now steered onto a platform lift was almost as much of a blow as it had been the first time. Back in his parents' living room, it had all seemed surreal. But here he was, in the parking lot of Lakeside Park, still just as paralyzed as he had been a few days ago. And his disability suddenly appeared more blatant to Kay, magnified – it felt… real. She swallowed as she uncrossed her feet, straightening in her posture.
In the meantime, a blond guy with a beard and a man-bun had jumped out of the van. He was about their age and looked like one of those super laid back hipsters and not at all what Kay had imagined Seth's care assistant to be like – which, if she thought about it, was pretty ridiculous on her end, because she didn't actually know what else she had expected.
During the process of the lift descending, Seth tried to look anywhere but at her, repeatedly rolling his neck. He's nervous. Kay knew his body language inside out – well, that of his former body. He would have scratched the back of his neck right now, or run a hand through his hair. But those days were over, so rolling his neck it was.
Once he was on the ground and propelling the chair forward, Kay slowly started to walk toward him. It felt like an impossible distance. But then Seth finally met her gaze, and the eye contact immediately made her feel calmer. Like it always had. She smiled.
"Hey", he said, and his shoulders twitched as if they failed to respond to an instinctive brain command.
"Hi." Bending down, Kay gave him a peck on the cheek, her hand on his shoulder. That he wasn't able to touch her back still felt strange.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting", he said. "Sometimes it takes a while to get out." He turned his head to look behind him. "This is Brian, my PCA."
"Hi Brian", Kay extended her hand to the guy. "I‘m Kay."
He shook it, a curiously bemused smirk playing his lips. "Nice to meet you, Kay." He flashed his employer a look, and Seth stifled a chuckle.
Kay looked back and forth between the two men, raising a curious eyebrow. "What."
Seth gave her one of those disarming smiles of his, dimples showing. "Brian just lost a bet", he explained. "We have this game where we speculate how people are going to react to us."
"Not to us as a pair." Brian interjected to clarify. "But to him as a quad and to me as his carer."
"Right", Kay drawled. "And I did what?"
"You shook his hand and introduced yourself." Seth stated with a content smile. "Which I told him you would.“
Boys. With a lopsided smirk, Kay crossed her arms. "As opposed to what?"
"Barely saying hello", Brian replied with a shrug. "Some people think they're supposed to pretend I'm not there. Like a butler."
Now Kay couldn't help but laugh. "That's what you predicted I would do?"
Sheepishly, Brian scratched his beard. "Well, no."
"He said you would say Hi with a wave", Seth smirked.
Kay tsk-ed in mock disapproval, then she gave Seth a fond smile. "I'm glad you knew better."
He smiled back, then shifted his shoulders and pointed his chin towards the park. "Shall we?"
"Let's."