The Aspiring Journalist Chapter 3
Another month had passed in the Fall Semester. Ezra was still trying not to feel attracted to Aria. Aria had been still waiting for inquiries from the dating sites. But Halloween was approaching and she was focusing on that. She managed to get ahead of her classes and some of her research work with Ezra. She was also helping librarians at the local library plan a Halloween party for the children and youth literacy program. Emily was helping her out with the planning too.
Aria was in Ezra's office one afternoon. She was close to finishing up her work for the day, when her phone buzzed. She looked at it, there was a text from Emily that read, "Aria, I can't go shopping with you for the party. Some stuff with the swim team came up. I'm sorry"
She was disappointed. She and Emily had planned to go Rosewood's party store Party Land to buy the various supplies for the party.
Ezra who was nearby noticed the disappointed look on Aria's face.
"Are you ok, Aria?" Ezra asked.
"Umm, yeah. Well I'm planning this Halloween party for the literacy program and Emily was supposed to go shopping with me. She usually helps me with these things because shopping in stores can be difficult for me. She can't go with me today like we planned. But I shouldn't be mad, Emily already does a lot for me and I know she has her own job and life. I guess I can wait until she is able to go with me." Aria said.
Ezra decided to jump on the opportunity to spend more time with Aria, "Maybe, I can go with you. I have time this afternoon. I take it that Emily helps you out a lot. Is there is a reason for that?"
Aria was a bit surprised by his offer and said, "That is a nice offer. Yes, Emily helps me a lot. She has since the accident. She was in the car too. She was the one with the shoulder injury. Emily was a top notch swimmer and she had been hoping for a swimming scholarship. We leaned on each for support when it came to dealing with the aftermath of the accident.
She then remembered the time Emily came into her hospital room.
The doctors had told her a few hours earlier about the spinal cord injury. Her parents were with her when that news was broken to her. They comforted her. There was a knock at the door. Her mother Ella went to the door and she opened it. Aria from her hospital bed saw that it was Emily. She had been told that Emily suffered two broken ribs and a shoulder injury. She saw that Emiy's face had bruises, cuts, and then she saw Emily's right arm in a grey padded sling.
Ella put her hand on Emily's cheek, "It's good that you are here. Are you feeling better?"
Emily said, "It hurts to breathe and my shoulder is a pain. I heard Aria woke up."
Aria said, "Hey Em."
She walked over to Aria's bedside. She gently hugged her friend with one arm. The two cried for several minutes.
In the present time, Aria looked back at Ezra and said, "Are you sure you want to help me?"
"Yes. One of the reason, I would like to help you is because I admire the work you do at the library and I would like to help you because of that."
"I'll take you up on the offer. We can go in my van." Aria said.
Ezra responded, "Ok. Let me close down my desktop and put some books away and then we can go."
Aria said, "I'll head out to the parking lot now. I need to stop to pick a book from one of the other journalism professors on my way out."
"That will work."
He watched as she put her messenger bag on her lap and wheeled out of his office.
Fifteen minutes later, he headed out to the parking lot and saw Aria's van in one of the handicapped parking spaces. She was in the driver's seat. He opened the passenger door and got in.
"You ready to head out?" Aria asked.
"Yes."
Ezra then watched as Aria used a hand control on her left side to control the accelerator and she used the gearshift to back out of the parking lot. They pulled out of the college campus and then headed several miles away to the party store. Aria pulled into a handicapped parking space.
Ezra noticed her wheelchair on the floor of the van. It was folded up. Aria unbuckled herself and leaned down and pulled her wheelchair up and unfolded it. She transferred herself from the driver's seat into the wheelchair.
She looked at Ezra and said, "Go ahead and get out. I'll activate the ramp. She pressed a button on the door of the van. The door opened and then the automatic ramp came out. She wheeled down the ramp and the automatic ramp went back into van. She locked the van with the remote. Ezra got by her side and then went into the store. Ezra held the door open for her as she wheeled in.
Aria pulled out her iPhone and tapped on a note app and she showed Ezra the list of things they needed to get. He got a shopping cart and then made their way through the store. Any items that were in Aria's reach, she would get and put into the cart. Ezra would get the items that Aria couldn't reach. They went to checkout area and Aria paid for the items. Ezra pushed the cart out to the van and he loaded up the items as Aria told him to.
Aria got into the van and back into the driver's seat.
She said to Ezra, "I hope you don't mind if we go to my house and start working on some of the decorations and favor boxes."
"I don't mind. But you are probably going to have instruct me on making those things." Ezra teased.
Ten minutes later, they approached the two story home where Aria and Emily lived.. Ezra immediately wondered about Aria's room. He saw the ramp leading up to the porch. Aria got out and wheeled up the front door and unlocked it. Ezra grabbed a couple of bags. He walked into the house and was directed to put the bags on the kitchen table. He went back out and got the remaining bags.
When he into the house, Aria asked, "Would you like tea or coffee?"
"Coffee would be nice." Ezra said.
"I'll put a pot on and we have some leftover apple pie." Aria said.
"Do you need any help?"
"No, I got it."
He went over to the kitchen table and was looking over the items.
"Aria, this might be a dumb question? But is your room on the first floor?" Ezra asked.
"Yeah. Years ago, Emily's parents converted their den into a bedroom for Emily's grandmother. When I moved in here with Em, I took over that room. We also made the first floor bathroom accessible for me." Aria said.
Aria felt comfortable answering Ezra's questions regarding her disability. She knew that he was curious. She was also curious about him. At times, she want to know more about his amputation. She wanted to know how he started walking again on a prosthetic. But she decided she would wait to ask those questions or wait for Ezra to talk about those things on his own. She didn't want to upset Ezra.
Aria said, "The coffee is ready."
Ezra got up and said, "I'll pour the mugs."
Aria opened the refrigerator, she pulled out a bottle of French vanilla coffee creamer and the leftover pie. She put those items on the kitchen island, before getting two small pie plates from the dish rack, along with forks and spoons.
Ezra handed her a cup of coffee, she added her creamer. He did the same.
They went over to the kitchen table. Aria mentioned that their first task would be making ghost centerpieces. She showed Ezra pictures of what they would look like. He started carefully working on a centerpiece. He watched as Aria smiled while working on the centerpieces. He took occasional drinks of his coffee and bites of the pie.
He later asked, "So do you have any other plans for Halloween besides the library party?"
"I''m not sure. I might go to a night party with Emily and other friends. But I sometimes feel out of place but around other couples. Well, Emily isn't dating anyone now. But she said might ask out a girl for the party. I guess I could go the parties and hang out." Aria said.
"Maybe I could go with you to the party. We could just go as friends." Ezra said.
Aria was a bit surprised by what she heard. She did Ezra. She found him to be smart, funny, and good looking. But she was his T.A., and it would feel weird and a bit unprofessional if they went out on a date. But she felt Ezra's offer seemed platonic rather than romantic.
She looked at him and said, "I do feel comfortable going out on Halloween with you. We will be with some of my friends. So it will be ok. Would you feel comfortable being out with me and my wheelchair?"
"Of course, I would. You are an amazing woman and that chair doesn't matter. Besides, I'm not completely normal either."
Aria said, "Ezra, I don't want to make you upset. But how come you aren't open with a lot of people about your leg?
He paused for a bit and took in what she asked. He wasn't upset with her. She meant well.
"I have a friend, a guy I knew in Iraq. His name is Rick. He was blinded by the same bomb that took my leg. I guess because we were there together in that awful incident, I feel comfortable talking with him about certain things. Rick and his fiancee are coming to visit me in December. Kyle has always been a mentor to me since I met him and I've found it easy to talk to him at times." Ezra said.
"What about your family?" Aria asked out of curiosity.
"My family is complicated. They are wealthy because of businesses and companies. My mother was upset when I chose journalism over business. When I got hurt in Iraq, she visited me when I came back here to the U.S. She wasn't mean to me or anything. But we barely keep in touch and it is the same with my younger brother Wesley. I have to admit that I envy you Aria."
Aria had a puzzled look on her face and she said, "You envy me?"
"I do. You seem so well adjusted to your disability. Your family and friends seem so supportive of you. I wish I could a bit bolder and be very open about my leg. I know I'm not at point yet. I think I may need more time"
Emotions came over Aria. She knew that Ezra was partially right. She had supportive loved ones and she had accepted the fact that she was likely never going to walk again. But she knew wasn't adjusted in the sense of not having love life. She felt her disability was hindrance to having a good love life. She longed for marriage and a family.
Tears streamed down her face.
Ezra noticed them and said, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry."
Aria wiped the tears away and said, "I'm not as well adjusted as you think I am. Yes, I'm used to being paralyzed and I'm grateful for my loved ones. But I hate that my disability keeps men away from me. I'm lonely in that way. I wonder if a man will ever want me."
The words "want me" echoed in a way in Ezra's head. He was sensing her pain and he hated to think of the word desperation in regards to Aria, but he knew that she really wanted romantic love in her life.
Ezra put his hand on her cheek and said, "Don't put yourself down. Yes, some men might be turned off the wheelchair and I know that there are some women out there that would be turned off by my leg. But that doesn't mean that we aren't' worthy of love."
He then pulled Aria towards him and kissed her. She pulled back immediately.
