Arastoo was dismantling the model of the elderly person that had been made to show how the force of the blows from an aluminum cane would affect a body. He chuckled as he glanced over his shoulder at Hodgins. "So you really made this to look like your grandfather? Why?''
Hodgins began to remove the clothing from the model. "I don't know, exactly. I mean, I suppose we could pretend that we needed the sweater on him to show how it would affect the strength of the blows, but the mustache was just on there for decoration, wasn't it?" Hodgins snickered as he pulled the mustache off the model. "This doesn't look any better than the fake eyebrow I wore after mine was accidentally removed with the dog clippers." Seeing Arastoo's confusion, Hodgins shook his head. "It's a long story. I'll tell you about it later." Hodgins grimaced slightly. "I guess I just wanted to use this old fella to get over the frustrations that had built up over the years while dealing with my grandpa. Maybe I thought beating him with a cane would help me feel better."
They worked in silence for a few minutes, removing the body gel from the artificial bone and cleaning the bone so it could be reused in another model. Finally Arastoo asked the question that had been bothering him all morning. "I suppose you didn't get along well with your grandfather, did you? I mean, you said he was disagreeable."
"I don't know if I did or not, really. It's kind of hard to explain." Hodgins moved his wheelchair over to his computer station. "I wanted to get along with him. I really I think most kids love being around their grandparents, you know? However, I guess he never got along with anybody very well. Unfortunately, he was a very impatient, intolerant man. He'd grown up living a privileged life...he'd always had as much money as he needed, and he was usually successful in his business ventures, and because of that, he always had an air of entitlement about him. It was like he thought he should be able to say anything to anyone, even if it was hateful or prejudiced. He was never one to sugarcoat things, and he wasn't tolerant of anyone who questioned him. He thought his opinion mattered more than anyone else's, and once he'd made up his mind, he refused to consider that he might actually be wrong."
"I can see how that would be difficult to deal with." Arastoo put the artificial bones in one of the cabinets. "It sounds like he spent a lot of time being unhappy about things in general."
"Yeah. When I was older, after he'd passed away, I tried to ask my mother about his attitude, but she said she couldn't explain what made him act the way he did. I guess he'd always been a bitter man, even when he was young. That was just his personality. I've often wondered how my grandmother tolerated him for as long as she did."
Nodding, Arastoo accessed a file on his computer. "It was probably because she loved him. Love covers a multitude of faults."
"I know. I've rediscovered that myself recently." Hodgins paused as he saw Arastoo's confusion. "When I was first injured, I was hopeful that I'd walk again, you know? But when the doctor told me that I'd probably never regain the use of my legs, I sank into despair and bitterness. I was angry at everyone. I was so horrible to the people here at the Jeffersonian that Cam threatened to fire me, and she would've been right to do so. I was hateful and said terrible things to people...things that make me cringe with embarrassment when I remember them now."
"C'mon, Hodgins...it wasn't that bad.", Arastoo began.
"Yes, it was. I was lashing out at everyone. I suppose I was trying to chase Angela away so that she wouldn't be stuck with a cripple, thinking that would be best for her and for Michael-Vincent, but she wouldn't leave me. I offered to give her a divorce, but that wasn't what she wanted. At first I thought it was just because she pitied me…"
"But then you found out that she stayed because she loves you, right?" Arastoo smiled at his friend. "Having the love of a wonderful woman makes every man better than he was before, doesn't it?"
"Very true, my friend, although that does make me wonder what my grandfather was like before he married my grandmother if he was still so bitter later in life." Both men laughed as they considered the situation. "Anyway, Angie loves me, and she refuses to leave me, even when I act like a goddamn jackass. Fortunately, I've begun to shed some of the anger and bitterness I'd felt a few months ago, and I can accept where I am in life now. Things are so much better, and I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with her."
"I'm glad to hear that, Hodgins." Arastoo frowned a bit as Hodgins tried to maneuver his large wheelchair around the lab. "I think maybe you need a smaller wheelchair if you're going to work in this area. That one doesn't seem to work as well here as your other one."
"Well, you see...this is my extra wheelchair. This was the first one I had, and then I got one that was slightly smaller and easier to use in tight spaces. Unfortunately, one of the wheels slipped the axle of that one earlier today…" Hodgins winked at Arastoo and grinned.
"Let me guess...that also happened because Angela loves you, right?" Arastoo laughed as Hodgins nodded happily. "You're a lucky man, Dr. Hodgins…"
Smiling broadly, Hodgins agreed. "You're absolutely right, Arastoo. I'm definitely a lucky man."