The Gestation Factor

Old Ben tossed and tumbled in his bed kicking the blanket onto the carpeted floor at least twice before the telephone rang. He grunted, cursed the noise that dared to disturb his already irregular sleep and finally managed to toss the cover back and placed his feet on the floor. His legs trembled as he struggled to get to his feet. At eighty-two years, he found mobility to be an asset that he appreciated more each day that he lived. It was dark in the room as he usually slept with the lights off (mostly to save electricity but he found that he could sleep better in the dark anyway) and struggled even more to adjust his sleepy eyes to the darkened room. Grabbing the iron bedstead, he managed to somehow steady himself and to stand erect. His granddaughter, Elizabeth had been prompting, no encouraging him to get a cane but he had only argued that he was still able to get around without one and left it at that. To walk with a cane would be just another way of admitting that he was getting old and he would never admit to that.

Every bone (and just about everything else) in his body hurt him and he wondered if those few parts of him that didn't hurt right at the moment, were still asleep? It didn't matter because by the time he got to the still ringing telephone, they would all be awake. He cursed again as he stumbled his toe against the leg of the bed but just clinched his teeth together and kept going. He stopped long enough at the table in the corner to turn the lamp on and then picked up the telephone.

"Ben," he said, "who's callin'?"

There wasn't an answer so he inquired again about who was calling and what they wanted. Ben hung the telephone up and started back to bed yawning as he did so but decided to watch a little television before finally retiring. He glanced at the big grandfather clock and realized that it was almost two o' clock in the morning. It didn't matter though; he could sleep as late as he wished because there wasn't any pressing business that he needed to attend to the next morning. There rarely was anything important that he had to do these days other than go to the numerous doctors that took most of his money.

There were few things in his life that brought him as much pleasure as the company of his granddaughter did. Even the picture on the lamp table next to the wide screen HDTV television set gave him many hours of pleasure because the picture reminded him of the walks in the park on a sunny spring day, the hours they spent in the library together and the many times the had lunch or dinner together. Not only was Elizabeth a beautiful young woman with long silky brown hair, blue eyes and light complexion but she had a good personality that made him want to spend all his time with her. She reminded him so much of his wife that had passed on many years ago. Maybe Elizabeth brought back some of the pleasantries that he had experienced with his wife? Somehow, he had always suspected that she was the only reason he held on to life for so long.

Old Ben had stood there at her graduation from Indiana University with tears in his eyes because he was so happy for her.