the two-zy

so, yesterday, the nurse & i helped an elderly black man take a two-zy. he was in a wheel chair and couldn’t support himself. we had to lift him up and pull down his diaper to go, and up when he was done. he wiped in front of us. at first, i felt sorry for him because i wondered if he was embarrassed that he had to do that in front of other people.
but then, i thought again. the guy was in his mid-80s. which meant that he was in his teens to twenties during the civil rights movement. (i wonder if he marched). so, the guy grew up and lived in an age foreign to me. he lived the better part of 30 years being segregated from white people and being told that he was less of a person. he had to sit in the back of buses and was kicked out of white only diners and clubs and bathrooms. so.. it made me wonder if, while he was wiping his ass in front of me, he was actually gratified that there was a white boy smelling his crap and pulling up his diaper.

honestly, i hope he was.