Fight Night(37)

11.

I woke up in San Francisco. Grandma was saying honey, honey in a quiet voice. We’re here, honey.

In Fresno? I said. I was confused.

In San Fran! said Grandma. She called it San Fran or S.F. or Cisco or Frisco. We’re gonna have to hoof it if we want to make our connection. Everybody was standing, waiting to get off the plane. They were all peering down at me in my seat like I was a brand new species they’d just discovered. The flight attendant was calling out numbers and gates. We had to run! The flight attendant made her way through all the people in the aisle and came to talk with us. She said Grandma’s wheelchair was waiting for her at the top of the ramp. Could she walk that far? I shook my head. Grandma said, For heaven’s sake of course I can. She was pushing through the people in the aisle. She was making jokes. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza coming through! The flight attendant had already taken our little suitcases from the overhead bin and had brought them to the front. People patted us on our backs and said good luck. Say hi to Lou and Ken! Enjoy the raisins! Grandma had been talking to everyone on the plane while I was sleeping. She raised her hand. Keep on truckin’, fellow travellers! she said. Bye, Swiv! said two ladies I’d never seen in my life. Take good care of Grandma! I was afraid they’d say, Good luck with the bowel movement!

Finally we got to the door of the plane. The flight attendant pulled our little suitcases up the ramp and I got behind Grandma and pushed. I thought she was going to fall over backwards on top of me. I really had to lean into it the way Mom takes up the whole sidewalk pushing against buildings for exercise when we’re on our walks. Grandma said, Swiv, do you have my red purse? I didn’t have her fucking red purse! A man was running behind me waving Grandma’s red purse. I’ve got it! he said. I was still pushing Grandma. He put it around my arm. I said thank you. Grandma was laughing. The man said he’d e-mail Grandma. Yes, do! She was trying to tell him her e-mail address. I’ve got it, I’ve got it, he said. She was huffing and puffing. Let’s hope we meet in the playoffs, said the man. Well, we’ll just see what happens, said Grandma. Trade deadline should be interesting. Playoffs are around the corner, said the man. I’ve got tickets for game seven against the Nets! said Grandma. You do? I asked. Surprise! said Grandma. Good seats, too. Not the nosebleeders. The man hugged Grandma while I was pushing her. He told me to have fun in Cali. Life is too short for old people to say the full names of places. Grandma was waving over her shoulder, gasping for air. Who is that? I said. No idea, said Grandma. We reached the wheelchair finally and Grandma sat down and I piled our little suitcases on top of her and the flight attendant pointed in the direction of the gate we were supposed to run to. Do you want your spray? I said. No, no, said Grandma. Let’s just go! Shake a leg!

I pushed her down a ramp. She sped up and I had to run to hang on. Her red purse strap fell off my shoulder and I took one hand off the wheelchair for a second to put it back onto my shoulder. Then I lost control of the wheelchair and Grandma went shooting off down the ramp. Wow! she was shouting. She said things in her secret language. Na oba heat ex sigh! She was picking up speed. I ran to catch up with her but that stupid red purse strap got tangled around my waist and then Grandma hit a fucking Body Shop stand with her wheelchair. The stand fell over and creams and soap bombs flew everywhere. A man tried to grab the handles on her wheelchair but he missed and she went flying past him. It looked like she might tip over onto two wheels. I was running. I heard Mom calling my cellphone. I knew it was Mom from the ring tone. It was a song called “Fever.” Finally Grandma stopped beside a water fountain that was just the right height for a person in a wheelchair to have a drink. Grandma leaned over and had a long drink of water, then she sat there smiling calmly as if this had been her final destination all along.

The Body Shop lady came out of her store and said, What’s going on here? I ran over to her and told her my Grandma had hit her stand. I helped her pick up some creams and tubes and shoved them back on the stand. When I finally reached Grandma she looked so happy. She was very proud of herself. What took you so long? she said. I was huffing and puffing. Maybe you should use some of my nitro spray! she said. Here, have a drink! She pointed at the water fountain.

I threw her red purse into her lap. Why can’t we just do things normally! I said. I didn’t know what I meant. Grandma made her face small and I knew she didn’t know what I meant either. I sat down on top of Grandma and her purse and cracked the knuckles on both of my hands. I heard “Fever” ringing on my cellphone again. Grandma rubbed my back.

An airport person came up to us and asked us if we needed help. No! I said. Well, said Grandma, we do need to get to our gate quickly. The woman put her pinkies in her mouth and whistled, and a cart that was zooming along slammed on its brakes and stopped right beside us. So far in my life that whistle was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. We piled the suitcases and my backpack and Grandma and her red purse and me onto the cart and took off for our gate. Grandma was still talking. “Fever” was still playing on my cell. I switched it off. Stop talking, Grandma! Just catch your breath! She pretended to obey me. She clamped her mouth shut and opened her eyes wide. She reached out her hand into mid-air and grabbed some pretend breath. Okay, I caught it! she said. She held it in her hand. I got it right here! I didn’t laugh. I thought about how I could learn to whistle like that woman, with her pinkies in the corners of her mouth. I thought if I could just learn to do that I would survive life.