Eye-to-eye

—“I don’t know if you noticed,” I’d text my aquacise instructor; which I won’t to avoid being bothersome.
“But I looked right into your eyes. I couldna done that years ago. A lot has changed since my wife died.
And you’re not the only one,” I’d add. “It’s too bad she’s no longer around.
I been doing that hospital PT at least a month, plus your aquacise class about three years. Yet I feel like I’m getting worse.”
“I think you’re much better than when you were first here,” she said. “You don’t see it, but I do.”
“But I hafta hold a railing just to go down steps. If I don’t I start falling. No-hands requires setup and maximum concentration.
Standing on one foot is near impossible; even both feet is challenging.
I walk like a little old man. Normal walking requires balancing on one foot. I almost shuffle.
I wouldn’t bother you, but a friend told me I should.
I noticed I was looking you right in the eye.
‘NO PRETTY LADY WILL BE INTERESTED IN YOU!’ That left me unable to talk face-to-face with ladies all my life.
I couldn’t do it with my wife either.
Last week a pretty girl came to talk to me at a celebration-of-life. Eye-to-eye again. I even told her it was pleasant meeting.
Ten years ago I woulda left the table.”

• I did aquatic balance training in the Canandaigua YMCA’s swimming-pool 2-3 years or more. I dropped out for the moment so I could try dry-land balance-training at a hospital Physical-Therapy. I continue to use the pool on-my-own.
• “NO PRETTY LADY WILL BE INTERESTED IN YOU!” is Hilda Q. Walton, my immediate neighbor and Sunday-School Superintendent when I was a child. Like my parents she was hyper-religious. She convinced me all males, including me at age-5, were disgusting. My parents heartily agreed.