Highway caravan park living was rather interesting during our honeymoon. On booking a caravan park it never crossed my mind that we would have separate toilet and showers for men and women. This was the case at the caravan park we were staying at. As we prepared to get ready for our showers we had to gather all our clothes and towels and take the long walk to the shower block. If you read my previous blog posts you will know that our camp site was outside of the boom gates so part of our trip was ducking under the gates and trying to do this with timing when to tell my blind husband to duck low, and give him instructions on just how low was a little tricky as he was loaded to the hilt carrying my belongings as well as his own. Such is the gentleman! I must admit I am not really good at giving directions and even after 24years the words still fail me at times and poor Deano has suffered some shocking injuries in the past due to me..just recently I asked him to place some rubbish in the bin, however I had moved the bin out of its regular place and Deano went to pick up something he had left on the ground where the bin was now standing and he nearly knocked himself out on the edge of the green wheelie as he reached down smacking his mouth. He ended up with a badly split lip and a trip to the emergency room to see if it needed stitching and to update his tetanus shot. Poor guy!
As we walked past tents and tent ropes with me giving Deano instructions on where to step we made it in one piece to the bathroom. I lead Dean to the mens area and it was up to him from there, now days there are plenty of disabled toilet areas that we can use so that he does not have to feel around to find the toilet seat. I can gave him verbal instructions of where the porcelane bowl is and where the sink is to wash his hand. I bet you never thought that this would be a problem...nobody ever thinks about the nitty gritty of what challenges lie ahead of the visually impaired but this has been a bug bear to us for many years. I do have a classic occasion that once happened to Dean in a bathroom but it deserves a blog all on it's own as it has probably been one of the funniest occasions that we have ever dealt with.
As I walked into the women's bath room area I set up myself in a shower stall and turned on the shower. All was quite in the bathroom for a short while and then I heard a strange noise. The noise came from the stall just next to me. It sounded like moaning. Then in the corner of my eye I saw a hand stretched up above my stall and more (now even louder) moaning sounds...I started to freak out, thinking my newly wed thoughts, I threw my clothes on and ran out of the bathroom and stuck my head into the men's bathroom and called out to my new hubby. "Dean , Deano are you in there?" The showers were all pumping out steamy water and I heard that a few male voices mutter and laugh. Dean walks out with a towel covering him and asks me what was up. At this stage my heart was racing with concern when I responded..."Honey I am scared to go back into the bathroom" "Why" was his response..."Because there are people doing the wild thing in the cubical next to me, they are making noises that only one to should hear in private and they are doing it in a very public place" My goodly husbands response with a grin on his face said "Man up and go back in there" The other men in the bathroom had overheard my conversation and were all laughing and cheering on the happy couple in the women's latrine and shower area and with that Deano gave me an encouraging smile and sent me back into shower and ignore the commotion.
Turning around with due concern I hung my head low and felt like I was making the walk of shame back into this steamy (in more than one way) shower area. Not wanting to see or hear anything more to do with sex for at least another day, given that our own air bed had gone flat with a puncture...not sure how that happened...I was a little over it. Surprisingly enough the door next to my cubical was open. "That was quick I" was my first thought . I should be right to take my shower in peace now. Just as I stepped near the door to my shower an elderly hand held the side of the door to my adjoining cubical, the one that I thought the episode was happening in! The lady in there was trying to dress herself but could not get her underwear on both legs and had her top half on but could not coordinated herself to dress the other half of her body. I noticed that she was limp down one side of her entire body and could not tell me in words what she needed. My sisterly instincts cut in and immediately offering my assistance and I helped to dress this dear old lady.
After she was dressed I assisted her to pack her bathroom belongings and she walked with a dragging limp out of the bathroom.
Feeling like my job was done I had my shower. Whilst washing my hair it suddenly dawned on me that this lovely old sole must have had a stroke in the shower stall next to me. I felt sick with concern. I got out of the shower as soon as I could and ran to the office to alert them to what had happened. To this day I don't know what came of this unfortunate elderly woman but I do know that I did what I could to help her and that is all is expected of me to me and all of my life has been touched by being able to give service to complete strangers and loved ones alike.
Talk about reading the situation completely wrong...and the moral to this story for Dean is...and what I have reminded him from time to time...It's not always about doing it!
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