First Date By ParaGirl

Sarah was excited- she was going on her first date since the accident

that paralyzed her four years before. His name was John and he was a

computer programmer at the firm where she worked as a secretary,

which is where they met. It had started very quietly, he had asked her a

few weeks ago if he could sit with her in the cafeteria one day. Soon

one day became a week, and he asked for her phone number, which

surprised Sarah both because she was disabled and because he seemed

so

shy. He did seem very nice though, so she agreed and they exchanged

phone numbers.

John had called her that night and they talked for over an hour, and

were really hitting it off, when John said he had something to tell her.

Sarah was afraid, because she had really started to like John, and she

had heard ‘I’ve got something to tell you’ too many times since her

accident. It seemed to be slang for ‘You’re nice, for a cripple, but I

want to date a normal girl’. Sarah held her breath in preparation for the

‘I understand’ speech she had rehearsed so many times when John came

out with something she hadn’t hear before. He had said ‘I’m a

devotee’.

Sarah had heard about devotees from doctors, friends from rehab, it

was a well-known but little talked about aspect of being disabled,

especially a disabled female. Devotees were people, usually men, who

liked disabled women, or found them sexually more attractive than able-

bodied women.. The idea at once frightened Sarah and peaked her

curiosity. John was shy, clean, professional, and he seemed very nice-

not one of the perverted ogres that usually portrayed Devotees. Sarah

was quiet for a minute, and John asked her if she was OK. She said yes,

she thought so, but she asked if he could give her a day to think about

it, it needed time to sink in. John said fine, and he hoped to talk to her

again soon, but if she didn’t call, he would be OK with that.

Sarah thought about John long into the night. On the one hand, he

was what most people she knew considered a pervert, a deviant. On the

other, however, John was kind to her, he was attractive, he was stable,

he had a great job, she knew he didn’t drink or do drugs from her

conversations with him, and above all, he found her attractive,

something she hadn’t experienced since waking up not being able to feel

the lower half of her body. She was 24 years old, attractive, and really

wanted to go out with John, even if he was a devotee. As Sarah went

to sleep that night, she knew she would call John the next day.

John was thrilled to hear from her and suggested a date that

weekend, to which Sarah agreed, suggesting a movie she wanted to see,

more for the fact of being around alot of people than anything else. No

matter how nice John seemed, he could still turn out to be something

less charming if he had her alone. She hoped her distrust would go

away after she really got to know him, but for now she was playing it

safe.

-Getting Ready-

And the weekend had come already. Sarah looked at the clock,

knowing John would be there in just under three hours to pick her up,

plenty of time to get ready to go out. She wheeled herself into her

bedroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She had shoulder-length

blonde hair, and her skin was light. She had big blue eyes and long

eyelashes, and her cheekbones were high and defined- she had always

thought of herself as very pretty- at least until the accident. She was

wearing a T-shirt now, and a pair of shorts. Her legs were thinner than

they had been before the accident, the muscle tone in her legs had all but

disappeared in the four years she’s been confined to her wheelchair.

Her bare feet sat limply in the footrest of her wheelchair , as the always

did, her toes curled in slightly. She looked at her paralyzed legs,

thinking they were still attractive, that John’s interest in them wasn’t so

strange. Using her hands, she lifted her left leg and crossed it over the

right. She watched her foot just drop there, hanging. It still amazed

her, her new body. She watched her foot, even rolled back and forth a

little, and the foot hung there, moved a little, but she couldn’t feel

anything, like it wasn’t even hers. She still hadn’t gotten used to that

yet, not completely.

Sarah went to her closet and pulled down a nice spring blouse and a

knee-length skirt she liked to wear. She laid them on the bed and

wheeled to her dresser. She pulled out a pretty bra and panties, and a

pair of pantyhose to match the skirt. She put it all on the bed and

wheeled herself into the bathroom. She pulled two thick towels out of

the linen closet and put them on a low table by the shower. She locked

her wheelchair and lifted her crossed left leg, putting her foot on the

floor. She then lifted her right leg and put her right foot on the floor as

well. She then grabbed onto a bar on the wall and hoisted herself up

out of her wheelchair several inches. She used her other hand to slide

the elastic-waist shorts she was wearing down to her ankles along with

her panties. She sat back in the chair and lifted her legs one at a time to

pull the shorts and panties off of her feet. She stripped out of her T-

shirt and bra, so she was totally naked, and threw the laundry in the

nearby hamper. She then grabbed onto the grab bar again and slid

herself out of her wheelchair and into a white plastic chair with small

wheels on all four legs. She positioned her legs properly and grabbed

the two grab-bars in her shower, pulling herself into her accessible

shower stall. Her feet dragged along the floor into the stall. She closed

the door and turned on the water, making it hot enough to steam up the

stall. Sarah then took the shower head, which was removable, and

began to rinse herself off. She soaked her hair, her arms, her breasts,

then her legs, spraying them thoroughly. She replaced the

showerhead into it’s bracket and grabbed her body wash, lathering up

her lufa and scrubbing herself all over. She put the lufa in her lap and

used her hands to lift her right leg over her left, then she scrubbed it all

over, even under her foot. She lowered it back to the floor and did the

same for her left leg, scrubbing it and washing it fully. She finished and

placed it back on the floor as well, then took up the showerhead again,

spraying herself and rinsing off the soap. She lathered her blonde hair

with shampoo and rinsed it out, then did the same with conditioner. She

rinsed herself off fully and turned off the water. She opened the shower

stall door and pushed herself, in her rolling shower chair, back out into

the bathroom and grabbed a towel. She dried her upper body and

vigorously toweled her hair dry, wrapping the towel around her head,

then took the other towel. The grabbed the towel by opposite corners

and used it to ‘lasso’ her right foot, lifting it into her lap. She toweled

her leg off from toes to crotch, then lowered it back down. She lifted

her left leg and dried it off, too. She finally folded the towel into a small

square and out it on her wheelchair seat cushion. She transferred back

into her wheelchair naked and wheeled over to the toilet. She had a

feeling she needed to go, and parked the chair right by the toilet. She

grabbed the grab-bars and transferred herself onto the seat. She didn’t

even bother fixing her legs, so they just lay there crooked and crossed.

She didn’t really care- they didn’t hurt, after all. She finished up and

transferred back into her wheelchair, wheeling into her bedroom to

finish getting ready.

Sarah wheeled up to her bed and again locked the wheelchair. There

was nothing worse than not locking your wheelchair and watching it roll

across the room as you transfer out of it. She grabbed the hanging

grab-bar over her bed and lifted herself out of her wheelchair and over

to the bed. Her legs flopped over the edge of the bed and she had to lift

them, one at a time, and lay them out straight in front of her. She first

took her panties and pulled her legs up closer to her by lifting her knees.

She fit the panties on over her feet and pulled them up past her knees.

She let her legs drop back down and laid all the way back, pulling the

panties up to her waist. The next thing she had to do was the one she

hated most; she took a liner- actually an adult diaper- and slid it into her

panties. She was pretty good about going to the bathroom, but she

didn’t have very good control , and she would really hate the

embarrassment of having an ‘accident’ on her date. She sat back up and

took her panty hose. She scrunched up the left leg of her panty hose

and pulled her left foot up to her lap, fitting the tight nylon over her

paralyzed foot. Her toes scrunched up more in panty hose, but that’s

what shoes were for. She laid her foot out but still near her lap, and

scrunched up the right leg of her panty hose, pulled her right foot up to

her lap, and pulled the nylon over her right foot. She placed her legs

out straight again and started pulling the nylons up her lifeless legs. She

got them up past her knees and straightened them out up to there, then

pulled them up to her thighs and straightened them more. She again

laid back and pulled the panty hose up to her waist, pulling the

waistband up to just above where she still had feeling. She sat up again

and straightened the panty hose all the way up from her toes, so they

looked allright. Sarah still liked how her legs looked in nylons, and she

hoped John would too. Next she put on her blouse and tucked it’s tails

into the waistband of her panty hose. It helped her keep the shirt tucked

in right, as well as keeping the panty hose up during transfers and

things. Lastly she took her skirt and spread it out on the bed beside her.

She grabbed onto the hanging grab-bar and lifted her bottom up and

swung it over onto the skirt. She laid back and pulled the skirt up

around her waist. She clipped the waistband and zipped the side up,

completing the project.

Sarah sat back up and slid herself to the edge of the bed. She

grabbed her wheelchair with one arm and her hanging grab-bar with the

other and slid back into her wheelchair. She lifted her left leg off the bed

and placed it into it’s rest, then lifted her right leg and crossed it over

her left. She unlocked her wheelchair and headed back into the

bathroom. She had a little under an hour left before John arrived.

In the bathroom Sarah pulled her wheelchair up under the lowered

counter and grabbed her brush and blow dryer. She did her hair, then

put on a little makeup, nothing too much, just enough to make her

sparkle as her mom used to say. She sprayed herself with a bit of

Obsession perfume, her favorite. She put a small gold bracelet on,

along with matching earrings and necklace, then she lifted her right

leg pulling her foot into her lap and placed a nice gold anklet on her

ankle. She was finished with a half hour to spare. She crossed her leg

back over it’s twin and after one final look-over wheeled out of the

bathroom.

-The Date-

John arrived about ten minutes early, knocking on the door just as

Sarah was getting her shoes. She wheeled up to the door and opened it,

her black shoes sitting in her lap. By the look on his face, John was

impressed with something, and Sarah wanted to think it was the total

package, not just her wheelchair.

“Please, come in John. Make yourself comfortable, I’m almost

ready.” Sarah said, wheeling back from the door to allow John in. He

entered and closed the door behind him.

“Thanks Sarah. You look really nice, really wonderful tonight.”

John replied. He couldn’t keep hi eyes off of Sarah, but to her pleasant

surprise, he was looking at HER, not her wheelchair or her legs. Oh, he

stole more than the casual glance at her nylon-clad feet, turned in and

curled as they were, but she could tell he was looking at her mostly.

She felt more at ease already.

“I can’t wait for this movie,” Sarah chatted as John sat on the couch.

“It looks really good.”

“Yes, it does- I figured we could go to the Rialto theater, the screens

are much bigger than at the cineplex.”

“Oh, well John, I really don’t like the Rialto- the only wheelchair

slots in the theater are way in the back, and the sound isn’t so great

back there. The cineplex is better for me.”

“Well, that’s OK, but if you wanted to go to the Cineplex, I could.. I

could help you.” John was almost frozen with anticipation and fear,

wondering if he had just ended the date before it started.

“Um,” Sarah said with much hesitation, “No, not this time, thanks

John. I’d just like to see how this date goes before- well before

anything else.”

“Oh, that’s OK Sarah, it was probably a bit too forward of me, I’m

sorry. The Cineplex it is, whenever you’re ready.” Sarah could tell john

was relived but a little disappointed by her decision, a reaction she could

certainly live with. Part of her was still afraid he might get too

‘friendly’, but the old Sarah was really starting to like John.

“Hey, all I have left to do is get my shoes on and we can go.” Sarah

commented, lifting the small black shoes for emphasis. “If you don’t

mind, you could help me put them on.”

Sarah watched the range of emotions flare through John, from

amazement and excitement to trepidation and fear, all in a second or so.

“Are you sure?” he asked, and Sarah nodded yes with as much

nonchalance as she could muster, as if this were just some minor thing.

The truth was, noone had EVER put Sarah’s shoes on for her, not even

in the hospital. She wheeled right up to where John was sitting and

watched. John lifted her right foot gently, more gently than even she

ever did. He placed it in the cradle between his two clenched knees and

she handed him her right shoe. He gently lifted her paralyzed foot and

slid the toes of it into the leather shoe. Sarah noticed he was very

careful not to squeeze her foot in or twist it, and he slid her heel into the

shoe and rested it again on his knees while he strapped the thin strap

over the top of her foot. He got it just right, she saw, pulling the strap

just tight enough and placing the fastener through the same hole she

would have. It was so hard for her to get a good fit on shoes, not being

able to feel her feet at all. John placed her foot gently back into it’s

footrest- he placed it slightly turned in, not straight, and Sarah

wondered if he liked feet to look that way more. It was one of so many

questions she would ask him, if she ever got the courage. He had lifted

her other foot and she handed him her other shoe. He again placed her

paralyzed foot gently into her shoe and strapped it in, so the shoe

wouldn’t fall off accidentally. John placed her foot back into it’s

footrest, again placing the foot pointed inwards, so she looked slightly

pigeon-toed. She figured she’d leave them that way, at least for now,

he seemed to like it.

Sarah wheeled out into the parking lot and realized she had no idea

who’s car they would be taking to the movie. She didn’t even know

what john drove.

“If you like, I could drive Sarah.” John offered. “I’m sure you won’t

have any trouble getting in and out of my car. Or we can take yours, if

you’d like.”

“Well, what do you drive?” Sarah asked, wheeling across the lot.

“That’s it right there, the Buick.” John pointed to a large dark blue

sedan, a very nice looking car indeed. The doors looked plenty big

enough for her, so she agreed.

John opened the passenger door for her and she wheeled up to it.

She grabbed the doorframe and her chair and slid herself quite easily

into

the plush seat- this was a really nice car! She pulled one leg into the

car, then her other- John was watching intently as she did it. She then

reached out and pulled the tab on the back of her wheelchair, collapsing

it. She pulled the back wheels off and John put them and the chair itself

into the back seat for her. She fastened her seatbelt and straightened her

legs a little more as John got into the car.

“This is a nice car, John. It looks new.”

“I’ve had it for about a month, really. It was just time to get a new

car, and I like this alot. I don’t need flashy, just give me comfy.”

Sarah got a shiver, realizing that she had said those same words a

number of times. John was really turning out to be something else.

They drove to the theater chatting about work and other small talk.

Sarah rode with her hands on her lap, and John asked about it.

“Whenever I ride in a car, I’ll usually just keep my hands on my lap,

partly for comfort and partly to make sure my legs are still there.” Sarah

replied with a smile. She saw John grab a quick glance at her legs and

continue with small talk. Sarah started thinking he was alot more

nervous about this than she was.

John pulled into the theater parking lot and parked in an area without

many other cars, not as close to the front as he could. Sarah was

confused until she realized- he couldn’t use a handicapped spot like she

could, so he was parking in an area open enough so she could transfer

into her chair. He was very good at this. Sarah decided to broach the

subject with him.

“John, I know you’re a devotee, and please don’t take this the wrong

way, but how many disabled women have you dated? I only ask

because you’re really very thoughtful, realizing things I might need, that

most able-bodied people wouldn’t think of. Parking out here so I can

transfer into my chair, for example.”

John sat there for a minute. “OK,” he said. “Confession time. I’ve

never dated a disabled woman before. I know about these things

because my mother was paralyzed, when she was a little girl. She was

actually paralyzed from about her chest down, and she needed alot of

help to do anything, because the world wasn’t nearly so adaptive for

disabled people back in the 50’s. My dad was actually her family’s

milkman, she fell out the door one day trying to get the milk and

couldn’t get back up. He helped her, and took pity on her at first.

Then, as they got to know each other, he fell in love with her, and she

with him. They were married, which in itself was a scandal, because she

was a ‘cripple’ in the vernacular of the times, but then she got pregnant,

which was totally taboo! Both their families thought that she would

have a crippled baby- like spinal cord injury was genetic- or that she

would be an unfit mother. Well, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl,

my sister Sue, and then three more kids after her, another girl and two

boys. My parents had the best relationship I’ve ever known, which is

why I think I’m a devotee, why I’m looking for a woman with a

disability. To me, that is what a healthy, loving relationship is. I’m

sorry, I was going to save all this, but it seemed a good time.”

It took all Sarah could muster to hold back a tear- John was not a

monster or pervert, he was a very sweet guy who genuinely liked her,

and even though alot of his attraction was to her disability, her

wheelchair, there were some truly sweet motives behind it all.

“OK,” Sarah choked out. “Let’s go see a movie- John, my chair

please!” she said as if she were ordering her butler around. John caught

on immediately and laughed out loud, getting Sarah’s chair and putting

it

together for her. He wheeled it into the proper position and locked it

for her, then watched as she lifted herself out of the car and transferred

into it. She again lifted her legs over and placed them into the

wheelchair, then fixed her skirt and smoothed her nylons some. She

lifted her left leg, as John watched, and crossed it over her left,

straightening her legs a little more before unlocking the wheelchair and

wheeling up to the theater.

John bought the tickets while Sarah went for popcorn. She picked

up a large popcorn and two soft drinks, then had to ask the high-school

dropout at the counter for a tray to carry it on her lap. She met John at

the door to the theater and they went in. Sarah wheeled right for her

usual spot- a nice area up front, not too close to the screen, that was

flanked by regular seats. She parked her chair in the open spot, locking

it, and John took the seat beside her.

“You know, before my accident, I never knew what these spaces

were for.” Sarah giggled.

“What happened to you, your accident? You don’t have to tell me if

you don’t want to, it’s OK.”

“No, actually that’s something that I don’t mind talking about at all.

It happened four years ago, I was mountain biking with a friend when I

fell off the trail. It was a fifteen foot drop, and I landed on my back. I

remember getting the wind knocked out of me and blacking out, just for

a second. I opened my eyes and saw my leg was broken, it had

slammed against a rock and it just bent the wrong way. I remember

thinking how much that should hurt, my leg broken that bad, and the

real facts just started creeping into my thoughts, then I blacked out. I

woke up a few hours later in the hospital, in a body cast and full leg

cast, but I knew right away. I couldn’t feel anything, nothing at all from

my waist down, and I knew I’d never walk again. I cried alot for the

first few weeks- I loved mountain biking you see, I had always been

very active, and I knew no matter how ‘independent’ I became, I’d

never ride a bike again. They gave me all the uplifting speeches and

stuff throughout my recovery, but it wasn’t until I got out on my own

that I really decided to put it behind me and start living again. I got the

job, got my apartment, and started over, really. When something like

this happens,” Sarah indicated her paralyzed legs, her wheelchair. “A

person really has to start over again from scratch, learn it all over

again.”

John looked at Sarah, and he was looking at her, not at her

wheelchair. “I never really realized that, I guess. I mean, my mom got

hurt when she was only five, and back then there wasn’t many options

for a girl who couldn’t walk. She was just always in a wheelchair, for

just about all of her life.”

“There’s alot more too it than a pretty set of legs in a wheelchair,

John. Alot more.”

“I guess so.” Said John, then he went quiet, but Sarah knew he

understood.

The movie started shortly after that, and during the film Sarah kept

shooting glances over to John. A few times, he was looking at her, too,

in a good way. About half way through the movie, Sarah had the urge

to hold John’s hand. She reached over and took hold of it- he almost

jumped! She held it on the armrest of his chair for a little while, then

moved the hand holding to her own lap. John wasn’t sure what to do,

so he sat there, and Sarah saw he was smiling. The movie ended and

they sat there for a few more minutes, just sitting and not talking. Sarah

knew there was something there between them, she could feel it, but she

didn’t want to rush into anything.

“OK, let’s hit the road, John.” Sarah unlocked her chair and started

wheeling out before he was even out of his seat. he caught up in a few

strides and walked beside her, not behind like when they entered the

theater.

“So, where to now?” John asked.

“First, the ladies room for me.” Sarah replied, wheeling in the

direction of the restrooms.

“And after that?” John asked from behind her.

“I’ll let you know when I’m done here- Oh, and, this could take a

while.” Sarah added, suddenly embarrassed.

“That’s fine- it’s worth the wait.” John replied with a giggle.

Sarah wheeled into the women’s room and- of course- the

handicapped stall was occupied. She waited a minute or two and the

stall door opened- a teen-aged girl walked out and looked

embarrassingly at Sarah, then turned away. Sarah just gave her a look

and wheeled into the stall. She backed her wheelchair in beside the

toilet and locked it, then lifted herself on the grab-bars, sliding over

onto he seat. She lifted herself a little, pulled her skirt up, and wriggled

her panty hose and panties down. She checked her shield- it was

thankfully dry- then finished her business and pulled her panties back up,

then her panty hose. She finished by tucking her blouse back in, then

transferred back into her wheelchair. She lifted her legs and put them

back into the chair, then for effect, she bent over and adjusted her feet,

so they pointed in even more extremely than John had positioned them

earlier. They looked strange that way- she always made sure that her

legs were positioned as naturally as possible, so positioning them so

unnaturally made them look much more handicapped to her. She

figured that’s what John liked, that’s why he put them that way earlier.

She looked down at them again and wheeled out of the stall and to the

mirror. She saw an older woman look at her and quickly look away-

she was used to it. People didn’t like to be reminded of how fragile they

really were, Sarah guessed. She had to admit, before her accident, she

was the same way.

Sarah wheeled out of the ladies room to see John waiting for her.

He smiled as he saw her and he walked over to her. She saw him glance

down at her feet once, then a double take.

“So, where to now?” John asked, falling in beside her and heading

out.

“What did you have in mind?” She asked. She wheeled herself

through the large doors with John close behind.

“I thought going out for coffee would be nice, actually.” He said.

“Sounds nice. You drive.” She giggled. John was noticeably more

relaxed, and Sarah realized that was because she was more relaxed with

him. They got to the car and realized someone had parked right next to

John’s car, and too close to open the door fully.

“Um, John, they are parked a little too close.” Sarah sighed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just pull the car out some, then you can transfer

easier. Just give me a sec.”

“Actually John, you don’t have to do that. Could you just help me

in, like give me a lift.” Sarah watched his expression. He had no idea

what to say or do until he blurted out ‘Um, sure”.

He opened the passenger side door and Sarah pulled her chair up to

the back of the car- the other car was so close she couldn’t wheel in

between them. John walked up nervously to her.

“So, how should we do this? Any preference?” John asked.

Sarah looked up at him. “Well, are you familiar with the cradle

method? You cradle me-”

“Yes, I’ll cradle you under your knees and shoulders to lift you into

the car. Should be a breeze.” Sarah raised her arms and John cradled

her, lifting her legs from under her knees. He marveled at how soft her

legs were, how limp they were just hanging there in her arms. He lifted

her gently and carried her the short distance to the car door, then gently

lowered her into the seat.

“Perfect- you’re good at this John.” Sarah said, straightening her

legs.

“Coming from you, Sarah, that means alot, it really does, thanks.”

“No, thank you- for a wonderful evening. Now lets go get that

coffee, OK?”

John broke down her wheelchair and put it in the back seat, then

drove to the coffee shop. Sarah transferred into her wheelchair and they

went into the coffee shop. John moved a chair away from a small round

table and Sarah pulled her chair up to it. They ordered Latte and just

looked at each other for a minute before John spoke.

“Sarah, I just want to say I really like you alot. It’s true, I like the

chair, but over tonight I’ve found I really like you, as a person. I just

wanted to get that out in the open. You know what I am, and what I

like, so I figured just put it all on the table and see what happens. I

hope that’s not a problem for you.”

“I don’t think so John. I mean, when you first told me, yes, I had a

problem, but you are so nice, and the fact that you find me attractive

because of my paralysis seems so minor, there’s so much more we can

talk about and have in common. I’d like to give it a try, I guess.”

John sighed a little, a happy sigh. They continued to chat for a little

while, about little things, until Sarah asked John about his mother.

“Well, she was five when it happened, she fell off a roof, broke her

back. Medical treatment was minimal then, and she was paralyzed. She

grew up getting help from her family, and they figured she would always

be a burden. Oh, she might get some small job, but even that was kind

of rare in the 50’s. The Doctors actually suggested they put her in an

institution, so she could be with ‘her own kind’. Her family refused, so

I guess I’m thankful for that. Then one day, she fell out of her chair

getting the milk from the front porch- she was seventeen and had barely

even left the house yet. The milkman, my father, helped her back into

her wheelchair and the rest is history.”

Sarah stared. She hadn’t even thought what her life would have

been like a mere twenty or thirty years before. “So, she couldn’t even

get back into her own wheelchair?” She asked curiously. It was one of

the first things she was taught in rehab.

“Well, remember, lightweight little wheelchairs like yours are a very

modern invention. Mom always used these huge institutional chairs,

with the big footrests and armrests and such- very difficult to manage,

and my mom was always small, not all that strong. She never got much

exercise as a kid, of course.”

“Of course.” Sarah replied. “I never think about that, really. So,

your dad helped her alot?”

“Oh yes, there wasn’t anything my father wouldn’t do for her. It

took him a little while to get over the pity phase, even he admits that,

but he would help her in and out of her wheelchair, help her in the

bathroom, help bathe her. It was never a chore for him, he loved doing

it. I guess maybe he was a devotee, too, at least after the fact. Now,

ever since I was a little kid, I like to look at disabled women. Crutches,

braces, even blind or deaf women catch my eye, but nothing quite so

much as a wheelchair with a pretty set of legs in it. And your legs are

very nice, I hope you don’t mind me saying that.”

“No, I don’t mind.” Sarah said, but she could feel herself blushing,

but John didn’t say anything. There was alot more to this devotee than

she had even expected.

“So, tell me a little more about yourself, Sarah. I’ve been gabbing all

night, it seems.”

“Well, there’s not much more to tell. You already know I’m going

to night school to get my degree, and after that, I’d like a job working

with people, helping people. Not just disabled people, mind you, but

people in general.”

“Well, that’s really nice.” John said. Sarah looked at her watch.

“Wow, it’s really late, John, I’d better get home before my wheelchair

turns into a pumpkin!” They both laughed loudly at that. John paid for

he Lattes and Sarah wheeled out of the shop in front of him, out to his

car. He opened the door for her and she transferred smoothly from her

wheelchair into the seat. John watched her lift her legs, one at a time,

and put them in the car. She straightened her skirt as he put her

wheelchair back into the back seat.

The drive to Sarah’s house was uneventful, they chatted a little bit

about current events, both avoiding the topic of a second date. John

pulled up in front of Sarah’s apartment complex and parked.

“John, could you help me back into my wheelchair?” Sarah asked

sweetly.

“Uh, sure, of course.” John hadn’t been prepared for this. Sarah

knew for him this was even better than a good-night kiss. He assembled

her wheelchair expertly, placing it by her open car door, and he bent

down to cradle her. Again he placed his right arm under her shoulders

and his left arm under her knees, lifting her carefully. When he stood

up, Sarah kissed him on the cheek. He almost stumbled he was so

surprised!

“Who, don’t drop me John, this night has gone great until now!”

Sarah giggled.

“What was that for, Sarah?” John asked, still stunned.

“Did you like it?”

“Of course!” He replied. “I just wasn’t expecting it. I wasn’t

expecting any of this-” He indicated the fact that he was still holing her

in his arms.

“Well, I just thought- wait, could you put me down first?” Sarah

giggled.