"Jenna & Luke" - Chapter 1

As usual Jenna headed to the Starbucks down the block from her office during her lunch break.  She was a creature of habit and before she could say anything the barista rang up her regular order of a club sandwich and a tall latte. A few minutes later she was seated at a table not too far from the entrance with her food and iPad in front of her. While she ate she caught up on her Twitter timeline and the news online.

After about half an hour she had to return to the office and as she walked out the door a man in a power wheelchair approached. She waited and held the door open for him; as he came closer it struck her how handsome he was. Judging from his face he was about her age, maybe a couple of years older. His hair was dark brown and short; his eyes were a dark chocolate brown and when he flashed her a smile dimples appeared on his cheeks. As well as straight, white teeth that would make any dentist proud. He was dressed in a pair of navy chinos and a light blue button down shirt; his feet were clad in a pair of brown leather loafers. Very business causal, Jenna thought. She also noticed the two wide Velcro straps across his chest and that he was wearing some sort of braces on his wrists.

“Thanks,” he said as he rolled past her into the coffee shop. His voice was a deep baritone.

Jenna just nodded and smiled as she let go of the door and walked back to her office.  The rest of the day her mind kept wandering back to the guy in the wheelchair; there was something about him that piqued her curiosity, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

Jenna kept up her routine of going to the coffee shop during her lunch hour for the next week, but there was no sign of “wheelchair-hunk” as she’d dubbed him in her head. Since she couldn’t recall seeing him there before she figured it had been a one-time thing. That he’d probably been in the area for a meeting or a doctor’s appointment or something.

The weekend came and went uneventfully, as usual. Jenna had only lived in Los Angeles for a few months and she didn’t know many people there. Her business partner, Sarah, had tried to include her in her circle of friends, but Jenna wasn’t really comfortable there. Most of them were successful and wealthy, and they lived lives Jenna could only dream of. Kenyan safari’s, romantic vacations in Paris and luxury cruises in the Caribbean were far out of reach for her; as were European luxury cars and a condo in Beverly Hills. She made enough to pay the rent on her two-bedroom apartment in Burbank and the payments on her 2012 Toyota Prius. Lunch at Starbuck’s was the only luxury she allowed herself.

Jenna was always relieved when Monday morning dawned. It meant she could go back to her weekday routine. She walked into the office with a spring in her step. Her inbox had filled up over the weekend and she eagerly dove into her work. She ended up leaving for her lunch break almost an hour later than normal.

......

“I’m sorry Jenna, we’re all out of club sandwiches,” the barista said apologetically when it was her turn to order.

“I guess I’ll have to try something new then. Umm…I’ll take an egg salad sandwich and a latte, please.”

The barista gave her the total and after she’d paid she stepped aside to wait for her order she heard a whirring sound behind her and she turned around. It was “wheelchair-hunk”. Jenna’s heart skipped a beat and she tried not to stare as he ordered a chicken salad and a tall black coffee. He paid with a debit card and she noticed he used the knuckle of his right index finger to punch in the pin code. He struggled a bit to get the card back into his wallet before he put the wallet into a pouch that hung under the armrest of his wheelchair.

“Thanks Luke,” the barista said. “I’ll bring the food over to your table.”

“Thanks Mon, I appreciate it,” he smiled as he placed his hand back on the joystick he used to control his chair. As he turned his eyes locked with Jenna’s and he smiled at her. She smiled back at him, Luke, but before she could say anything the barista, Mon, called out that her order was ready for her. She grabbed her coffee and sandwich and headed for her usual table. A small part of her hoped Luke would join her, but Mon brought his order over to a table a bit further in the back and removed a chair to make room for his wheelchair.

Luke had positioned his wheelchair so she was able watch him discreetly and Jenna took advantage of the opportunity. The chair itself was a bit imposing to her. The backrest went all the way up to his shoulders and there was a headrest attached to it, but he didn’t seem to use that. Jenna was curious about how he would manage to eat his salad; it was obvious that his hands weren’t functioning right and from the little she’d observed he appeared to have limited movement in his arms too. To her surprise he didn’t seem to have too much trouble; he somehow attached the fork to the brace on his right hand and started stabbing at his salad. Sure, eating appeared to be a bit more cumbersome than it would be with working hands and fully functioning arms, but from what she could tell he finished his salad without too much effort. Jenna tried to not stare, but Luke mesmerized her. She didn’t understand why; she’d never known someone with a disability.

.......

Over the next few weeks Jenna started to go to lunch a little later than she’d used to and she saw Luke at the Starbuck’s regularly. The exchanged smiles and other non-verbal greetings, but they continued to eat at separate tables, both too shy to approach each other.

On a Thursday in late August Mon, the manager, decided she’d had enough of them dancing around each other, figuratively speaking of course. Jenna had already taken her club sandwich and latte to her usual table and Luke was waiting for his food by a table a few feet away from the counter. She grabbed the bowl with his chicken salad and the cup with his coffee and instead of bringing it over to the table he was waiting by she brought it over to Jenna’s table. She sat it down and removed the chair across from Jenna. Luke followed her hesitantly with a stunned look on his face.

“I’ve had enough of you two exchanging smiles and looks for weeks. It’s about time you introduce yourselves and talk. Jenna, this is Luke. Luke, meet Jenna. Enjoy your lunch.”

It took Jenna a moment to pull herself together and judging from the look on Luke’s face he was a bit lost too. After a few seconds he pulled up to the table and with a bit of effort he extended his right hand toward her.

“Luke Hillbrook,” he said, appearing a bit insecure. “I don’t wanna intrude so if you want to eat alone I can sit somewhere else.”

“Jenna Garrity,” she introduced herself, as she somewhat awkwardly shook his curled up hand. “I don’t mind the company and I think Mon has a point.”

Luke chuckled. “I agree,” he said before he turned his attention to attaching his fork to the brace on his right hand. Jenna grabbed her sandwich and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

“So, you work in the area?” asked Luke.

“Yeah, my office is just around the block, so it’s easy to go here for lunch. What about you?”

“Same for me. I work for the insurance company next door, as an accountant. What do you work with?”

“I’m a graphic designer. I moved here about six months ago when a college friend of mine asked me to go into business with her.”

“Really? You have your own business?”

“Well, half a business. Sarah and I own 50% each. We specialize in custom designed concepts for occasions like weddings, big anniversaries; hopefully we’ll get a foot into the entertainment business… Sarah’s got some contacts so we’ll see how it works out.”

“I’m impressed,” Luke said with a smile.

“It’s not really impressive yet, but I hope we’ll get there one day.”

“I bet you will. You seem to be pretty driven.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jenna said as she wiped her mouth on a napkin.

“Let me know if you need any financial advice,” Luke offered.

“Thanks, I really appreciate that.”

Luke had finished his salad and removed the fork from the brace on his right hand; now he reached into the pouch Jenna had seen him stash his wallet in and a few moments later he held out his hand with a business card wedged between his thumb and fisted fingers.

“My email and cell number is on there. Don’t hesitate to get in touch.”

Jenna took the card from him and handed him her own. “Ditto,” she smiled.

“Well, I have to say this has been the best lunch break I’ve had in a long time, but I’ve got a meeting at two and I’ve got to prepare a bit. I’d better get back to the office.”

“I need to get back to work too, before Sarah sends out a search party.”

Jenna stood and Luke put his hand back on joystick on his chair. He followed her outside and on the sidewalk they bid each other goodbye and agreed to meet again at noon the following day.

.......

Luke woke up earlier than usual. He still couldn’t believe how well lunch with Jenna had gone; when Mon had taken the initiative to introduce him to the woman he’d been admiring for a few weeks he’d been mortified. They had exchanged glances and had acknowledged each other’s presence for a while, but he figured she was just being polite. It had been a real surprise to Luke when she’d expressed that she was happy Mon had taken the initiative to introduce them. And Jenna had taken the initiative to have lunch with him again. Before Luke’s mind could wander any further there was a knock on his bedroom door and Kevin, his roommate and PCA, entered the room.

“Mornin’ Luke. Sleep well?”

“Morning. I got a pretty good night’s sleep,” he replied as Kevin removed the bulky splints he wore on his hands overnight to stretch his fingers and the PRAFO braces he wore on his feet to prevent pressure sores.

“That’s good to hear. You on your regular schedule today?”

“Yep, gotta be at the office by 8:30, so we’ve got lots of time unless you’re in a rush.”

“I’m not, so we don’t have to rush.”

Kevin helped Luke take a shower and then they moved back to the bedroom where Kevin helped Luke transfer back to the bed. He started out with attaching an empty catheter bag to Luke’s calf and then he hooked it up to his suprapubic catheter. Then he pulled on a pair of protective undergarnments. Generally Luke’s bowel routine worked well and he rarely had accidents, but in the case of a worst-case scenario he’d rather soil a diaper than his clothes and chair. When that was done Kevin went trough Luke’s range of motion exercises before he moved on to dressing him.

Luke was relieved when he was finally dressed and strapped into his chair. Kevin finished by putting the splints on Luke's wrists and then excused himself to go cook them breakfast while Jake rolled over to the full-length mirror by his closet. He surveyed his appearance; he was dressed in a pair of charcoal dress slacks, a black shirt and his feet were clad in black loafers. He liked that the thick black Velcro straps across his chest were almost invisible against the dark shirt. I don’t look too shabby for a cripple, he thought as he headed to the kitchen to have breakfast with Kevin.

.......

“Do you have a big meeting or something today?” Kevin asked as they ate their breakfast.

“No, why?” Luke asked, not understanding why Kevin asked.

“You just seem nervous this morning, on edge, that’s all.”

“I have a lunch date,” Luke admitted. He put his fork down and leaned his head against the headrest on his wheelchair.

“Really? With who?”

“Jenna, she eats lunch at the same Starbuck’s as I usually eat at and I’ve had an eye on her for a while. Yesterday Mon, she’s the manager, introduced us to each other and we had lunch. Conversation was surprisingly un-awkward and we agreed to meet again at noon today.”

“Wow, that’s great Luke! It’s about time you get out there and find someone.”

“You know as well as I do that it’s not easy to find a woman that can deal with all the aspects of my disability. The wheelchair is scary enough and all the other stuff… How many women wanna be with a guy that wears diapers, pees out of a tube in his pelvis and needs help to get in and out of bed and can’t get dressed without assistance?”

“You’ve got lots of things going for you Luke; you’re good looking, smart, you have a pretty good job and make decent money, you can be pretty funny if you want to. Lots of stuff women appreciate. I know it’s not easy, but I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Luke said as he picked up his fork and started eating again. He appreciated Kevin. He’d worked for Luke since he was discharged from rehab and for the past couple of years they’d been roommates and they’d become pretty close friends as well. Luke had a few PCA’s, but Kevin was definitely his favorite. Things just flowed with him; he knew Luke and his body and didn’t need instructions on what to do.

......

Jenna smiled when she walked into Starbuck’s a couple of minutes before noon. Luke was waiting for her at her usual table and she thought he was more handsome than he’d been the previous day. He looked very stylish in his black and charcoal outfit. A smile spread across his face when he saw her. She loved his smiles.

“Hi Jenna,” he greeted her. “How are you today?”

“I’m good. How ‘bout you?”

“Very good,” he smiled. “Have a seat. I’ve already ordered for both of us and Mon said she’d bring our food and coffee over when you arrived. I’m glad you’re a creature of habit.”

Jenna smiled sheepishly. “I like my Club Sandwich and latte, what can I say?”

“Just like I like my chicken salad. You’re not the only creature of habit here.”

“Good to know,” she laughed. “I feel kinda boring sometimes. Moving here to start a business was a huge leap for me and I think it shocked my friends and family back in Chicago when I actually did it.”

“I think you’re far from boring.”

Mon arrived with their lunch; a Club Sandwich and a tall latte for Jenna and a chicken sandwich and a black coffee for Luke. When Jenna reached for her wallet Luke shook his head.

“Lunch is on me today,” he said firmly. Something told Jenna to not object, it seemed important to him.

“Thanks,” Jenna beamed. “I appreciate it.”

“My pleasure,” Luke smiled. 

The rest of their lunch was filled with easy conversation about safe subjects such as literature, movies and TV shows.  They found they had similar tastes, although Luke didn’t share Jenna’s love of chick flicks and romantic comedies. When they finished eating they made their way outside.

“Thanks again for lunch,” she said.

“As I said; it was my pleasure,” Luke smiled. “I’ll be stuck in meetings tomorrow and Friday, with catered lunches, so I won’t be coming here.”

“I’ll survive, but I’ll miss you,” Jenna said with a smile.

“Would you like to come over to my place for dinner on Saturday? I’m no Gordon Ramsay, but I can hold my own in the kitchen.”

“I’d love to,” Jenna beamed.

“I’ll email you my address and directions. Is seven o’clock okay with you?”

“Saturday at seven sounds perfect. I’m looking forward to it already.”

“Me too,” Luke grinned. He was obviously happy that she’d accepted his invitation. In a spur of the moment Jenna leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, then she turned around and headed back to her office.


To be continued...