O. K. folks, by this time Friday I will be either uncomfortably waking up, or comfortably medicated to get rest after my surgery. Since tomorrow is to be filled with travel, pre-opp appointments, consultations, lab work, I thought I would take some time to examine, in a different way the life of someone I hope will go away after the surgery.
In an earlier post I examined the relationship between the cancer patient and the superhero. I explored the 'reluctant' nature of the relationship, and the futility, at times in trying to ignore or accept our destiny, as seen by others. So, for this post I want to go back to the superhero / cancer patient relationship, but to look at the dynamic in a different way.
'The Flush' - who is he? 'The Flush' - how did he get his abilities? 'The Flush' - who is the man-behind that all too familiar bathroom noise? 'The Flush' - a force for evil or good... You decide.
One evening, a man, sharply dressed, walks into a restaurant with an equally stunning woman on his arm. "Table for two, please." he whispers to the maitre' de.
The maitre' de looks at the man, recognizing him imediately, "Why yes, sir, your table is ready. Right this way."
The man, walks cooly, like James Bond, his date ahead of him. He watches her walk, expecting a wonderful evening of dinner, dancing and more, the maitre' de turns to seat them. "Here is your ta..."
The puzzled look on the maitre' des face makes the woman turn. The man is gone.
"Damn it! Where does he GO?" the woman whispers under her breath. The maitre' de stands as if waiting for instructions...or an explanation from the woman.
A bit louder, but not to draw attention to her self, she thanks the maitre' de who seats her professionally and she sits, hands folded neatly waiting at the table, again, for the man to return.
She waits.
She sips some water.
She waits some more.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye she notices the man has returned, seemingly out of no where and is standing at her side. "Sorry for the delay, dear. I had to attend to a business matter. I'm starved. Shall we start with wine and a salad?"
In those few moments, what the woman and the maitre' de did NOT see was the near instantaneous emergence of The Flush. Unlike other superheros, there is no sudden rending away of the clothing to reveal a neon colored spandex outfit, there is no spinning in circles, or twisting of a ring, or flash of light to make his presence known to everyone. That is not the way The Flush makes his appearance. No, it is not that flashy. When 'the change' comes over the man, it turns him nearly insane with the real, physical and emotional need to find the nearest restroom - public or private.
In the brief moments when they weren't looking the man turned, possessed, scanning in a split second, the architecture of the restaurant. The Flush has the ability to instantaneously locate in space and time the nearest route to the bathroom, and to plot the most direct course to get there -- without being noticed.
If there were hi-speed cameras present, they MAY have been able to see The Flush deftly moving between the tables, spinning around waiters carrying trays of food, dodging other customers who stood or moved unexpectedly. He moves with the speed and grace of a humming bird, finally reaching his destination. Flinging open the door, he makes the final dash to the stall.
Now he spins, carefully removing and hanging his jacket on the back of the door. He takes his position, just in time. Once again, The Flush has reached his destination without 'incident'. When the relief passes, so does The Flush. Suddenly, the man finds himself again, in an all too familiar place, not quite sure how he got there, again. Hypnotically he reaches down, grabs the handle.... FLUSHHHHHH!
He tucks his clothes, dons his dinner jacket, washes up and heads back to the table. Since this has happened many times before, he knows just how to avoid the searching eyes of the maitre' de and his date. With an air of practiced repetition he slides up behind her at the table...."Sorry for the delay, dear. I had to attend to a business matter. I'm starved. Shall we start with wine and a salad?"
As he sits down to eat, he knows that it is only a matter of time before he will be confronted with the emergence of The Flush. He just hopes it can wait until much later in the evening.
He hopes. But, he knows he has little control over the time or place at which his alter ego will transform him, once more into 'The Flush'.
STAY TUNED>>>>
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