Life on Wheels

Chapter 6: Going Home

I eagerly inch towards the curb and call Samara’s name. She stops. I cross between driveways.

“Samara I didn’t know you were coming home this early!” I exclaim.

“Neither did I to be quite honest,” Samara admits, rolling towards me.

“Matthew, this is Samara, Samara, this is my brother Matthew.” I say, wide eyed.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, confused to see her in my neighbourhood.

“When we were at Crown my parents moved in. My brothers are unpacking right now. Anyway can I come over? I want to meet your family!”

I proudly lead Samara and Matthew home. Samara meets my grandparents but my dad stays upstairs so neither of us can talk to him.

“So this is Samara Jacobs, we were in the same room at the rehab. Her family is moving across the street as we speak. She has a brother named Matthew too.” I say.

My grandparents smile. I can tell it’s still hard for them to deal with the fact that their only granddaughter is in a wheelchair.

“How many people are in your family?” Grandpa asks, politely making conversation.

“I have 4 brothers and a sister, Matthew, is the youngest, he’s 6. Then Taden is 9, and I have 11-year-old twin brothers Devon and Lyndon. My sister Tamryn is 15.” Samara says.

I’m surprised I didn’t learn this before. I guess we just stopped because we both had a brother named Matthew.

10 minutes later, Samara goes back across the street to see how she can help unpack. My dad goes upstairs.

Over the next couple of weeks, Matthew and I become closer than ever. I spend a lot of time with Samara’s family because they are more accepting of me. One day, Samara says she’s meeting some friends from the rehab and suggests I should tag along. I get the OK from my grandparents. We board public transit after a brief discussion with the driver.

At the other end, it takes us a while to get the chairs around the tight corners. The dogs are great through the whole thing. We thank the driver for helping us off safely and roll towards the corner. We wait for the light to turn green and the walk sign to turn on. Otis helps me to cross safely and Samara follows closely behind with Daisy.

We stop at the small café at the corner, Quick Bite. This is where we are meeting a few people from the rehab. As soon as we enter, I see that some of the tables have been rearranged. I scan the crowd for people I recognise, but don’t see anyone. I follow Samara to the far corner of the café. Taylor is sitting facing the wall.

I am shocked to see him and I’m pretty sure I know how this is going to turn out. We get situated anyway. We order drinks.

“So, last time I saw you girls you were just about to head home. How have you been?” He asks.

We talk for a long time. Taylor apologizes to Samara for hurting her, but she won’t have any of it. I change the subject to our situation.

“What has been the easiest part for you guys coming out of rehab?” I ask, sipping my caramel macchiato.

“I think the biggest thing is like just the freedom. I hated being cooped up and told what to do. I hate it in there. I told them when my program ended that I wouldn’t be going back as a mentor. The way they treat people is horrific.’” Taylor explains.

I am shocked at what I am hearing. Despite our differences, Taylor and I worked really well together. I saw the way he interacted with the other patients. I thought he was really enjoying himself. It’s surprising because I actually quite enjoyed being at the rehab. I liked the environment.