A Flash of Cheek

Behind the heavy privacy curtain the voices were obscured by the sounds of movement. Then a sudden peal of laughter forced a smile onto my face. Dad had gotten another nurse and the low rumble of his laughter that drifted through the curtained doorway was confirmation. Apparently Danielle, the latest nurse on duty for CCU bed #3, had not been privy to the gossip going around about the patient in bed #3.
A few more muffled words, equally undistinguishable but loaded with laughter drifted from the partially concealed room. I knew what was being discussed in room 3 without hearing the details and it kept the smile on my face. The same conversation had been happening for the better part of two weeks because they always wanted to know about them. At least for the two weeks since Dad had been in the hospital with acute kidney failure brought on by advanced bladder cancer.
Suddenly, the curtain was whipped open and the nurse came out, dark eyes lit with laughter, huge grin on her face.
“He’s got eyes on his butt!” she exclaimed. “On both cheeks!”
Over her shoulder, I could see Dad, pale and fatigued, back in the hospital bed, grinning at the two of us in the door and still chuckling.
“Yes, indeed he does”, I responded as Dad and I shared in the hi-jinks he’d been playing on just about every nurse that strolled into his room.
She bustled over to the nurse’s station, continuing to exclaim to the other nurses, “He’s got eyes on both cheeks of his butt!!” As I moved back into the room, I heard the shared laughter from the other nurses.

“Got the new one, Dad”, I laughed as I settled back into the chair next to his hospital bed.
“Guess I did.” He stated with more chuckles, noticeably weaker. He settled a little deeper against the pillows and closed his eyes. The moving around took its toll on his strength and had wiped out his seemingly vast store of reserves.
While his strength was still up the Doctors wanted him to get out of bed for a time here and there. Danielle had come in to help him onto the commode. As she helped him move back into the bed, she was flashed by the tattoo’s high up on Dad’s flanks.
An eye, slightly faded from age but still clearly defined, graced the upper curve of each butt cheek.

Since being admitted to the hospital, Dad had amused himself with the startled reactions and subsequent laughter from the nurse’s that had had the privilege of being flashed by those eyes.The reaction was the always same, the gasp, the moment of shocked silence and then the big laugh.

The best part? The biggest laugh was always Dad’s.

I wrote this up the same night in December '06, so I would remember his amusement over the reactions . Dad passed away the following day. I prefer to remember this day.

My sister and I decided we would get similar eye tattoos as well. In honor of Dad. It felt right to make that decision but I haven't been able to follow through yet. She did and it looks great. I'm not certain what is holding me back. I went with her when it was done and it seems fine. Still having the willies about needles and ink, I suppose.