Chapter 2

The conversation continued about the job prospect an Hye Bin, Sunny’s mom, said as she prepared dinner, “Well, I’m glad you’ve got your priorities straight.”

Having said her peace, she turned and went back to preparing dinner as Sunny pulled out her phone and dialed the number on the index card.

After a short conversation with the handicapped girl’s mother, Sunny drove over to their house. It wasn’t too far from her house; maybe a five to ten-minute drive. She turned onto W. Padonia Road where the address was, she gawked at the luxurious homes set back from the street and apart from each other, each seemingly on its own lush acre+ lot. The abundance of trees along with the well landscaped lawns gave the area a serene country feel. So, this is what estate living looks like... She found the address and pulled onto the long driveway, staring in awe at the large colonial house as she climbed out of her car.

Even simply dressed for school, I feel like a pauper. I hope I can make a good impression with these people she thought to herself as she stepped up onto the porch and rang the bell. A very attractive woman about her mom’s age with medium length dark chestnut hair, wearing a casual dress answered the door. “Hi, Sweetie! Come on in.”

Sunny stepped inside the foyer to see an immaculate, elegant home. Beautiful hardwood and marble floors glistened, along with the lavish furnishings. Looking straight through the great room and out a window wall was what looked like an indoor swimming pool in the back.

Sunny stuck out her hand in greeting and bowed her head saying, “Good afternoon, my name is Sunny Park and I’m here about the caretakers position. We spoke earlier on the phone.”

“Thank you so much for coming, Sunny. I’m Mrs. Harrelson”

She shook her hand and followed her towards the great room. “Please have a seat,” Mrs. Harrelson indicated to the teenager. They both sat.

“As I stated in the ad, I need a caregiver for my daughter, Michaela. She likes to be called Miki for short.”

“Yes,” the teen interjected, “as you can see, I’m Asian: Korean actually, and my name is Park Sun Yoo, but all my friends call me Sunny.”

“Sunny. That’s really nice. The lady who was Miki’s caregiver had to resign, so I need someone who’s dependable and understanding, who can come here after school and stay with her till I get off work at nine. Miki’s medical costs are high. That’s why I’m looking for a student who is training for this to take care of my daughter. Miki’s father and I are divorced, and he has since returned to the U. K.”

“On Fridays, I usually work till midnight, so if you could sleep over if you wish. I would pay you for two days on Friday. That is, if you are agreeable and can do it. Miki is very self-sufficient, but there are some things she needs help with, such as cooking dinner, helping her in and out of the bathtub for her bath, exercising her legs when she goes to bed and anything else that might come up. Most importantly, she needs a companion, preferably one of her own age group she can identify with and has something in common with. Someone to be with and talk to when I’m not here. Are you okay with all these things? Please don’t mind me for asking, but you’re a rather slender girl. Do you think you can help Miki to get in and out of the tub?”

“Yes, Mrs. Harrelson. I’ve babysat before, and everything you’ve said sounds fine with me, but I just need to clear everything with my mom first. Also, I am currently studying to be a clinical medical assistant. Last year, I was in a work-study program where we worked at a nursing home. We were taught how to lift patients in and out of a tub, in and out of bed and I’m also familiar with some of the leg exercises you mentioned.”

“Well, it can be challenging. That’s why I posted the job at your school in the hopes of finding a girl like you who’s already in training. Miki goes to your school and is studying computer science. That’s how I knew about the program you’re in. Miki’s condition makes it difficult for her sometimes she’ll have some mood swings. She’ll have her good days and bad days. That’s when she especially needs you, and you’ll need patience and understanding of what it’s like for her.”

Sunny reassured the woman saying, “Yes, I can understand that. When I see these patients, they give me courage because I don’t know how I would ever deal with some of their conditions. It certainly makes one feel more empathetic towards those who have physical challenges and appreciate my good health.”

“Very well put, Sunny. Sometimes her condition overwhelms her and reminds her how much she can’t do. She’ll hear the other kids running around, doing things with a group and simply being a normal teen and she wants to join them so bad ... but she does the best that she can, though.”

Wiping her cheek, Mrs. Harrelson continued, “Her bad days are terrible for me because seeing her go through it simply breaks my heart.”

After several seconds, Sunny, trying to be as polite as possible, said, “Has she always been...?”

“Yes. My husband was a carrier for muscular dystrophy. Miki has Duchenne M. D. which is relatively rare for girls to get. It’s mostly prevalent in boys. That’s why she has pretty much lost the use of her legs since the age of 12, although she still has movement and feeling in them. Unfortunately, most kids that have this disease do not live beyond 25 years old.”

Knowing there was no cure for muscular dystrophy, Sunny asked hopefully, “Is there any way to improve her condition?”

“No,” Mrs. Harrelson shook her head sadly. “She’ll be this way the rest of her life. She does take prescription drugs such as Ataluren and Creatine supplements to help manage her symptoms.”

She was quiet for a few seconds, seemingly thinking to herself, before saying, “Could you possibly stay this evening for a few hours and get acquainted with Miki and what the job entails? I can make you some dinner, and that way you can see if you’ll be comfortable with things like helping her in and out of the tub and exercising her legs.”

“Sure, I can stay, but I wanted to ask you a question. Will I have time to do my homework in the evenings? I’m a senior and want to go to Hopkins next fall. Please let me call my mom and let her know I’ll be staying a few hours. Okay?”

“Oh yes, go ahead and call her. I’ll speak to her if you wish.” After Sunny called and explained everything so far to her mom, Mrs. Harrelson and Hye Bin talked for a few minutes.

After disconnecting the call, they returned to the job description. “To answer your question about homework, Miki also has homework and she’s very bright and seldom needs help. You both could work together in her room at her desk workstation area. There’s a counter, a desktop computer and she also has a laptop. Unfortunately, Math is her downfall. She’s not very good in it at all.”

“No problem! I’m a whiz at math. I have had straight “A’s:” for eleven years. Helping her would be a snap.”

Sunny smiled, nodded and said, “Sounds great! I also have my own laptop.”

Ms. Carrington stood up. “Good, okay, let’s meet Miki.”

She led Sunny down the hall. “Because of her condition, Miki’s always shy around strangers, so it may take some time for her to warm up to you.”

“I understand,’ sunny replied.

Opening the door to Miki’s room, she said in a cheerful tone, “Miki, there’s someone here who would like to meet you.” The woman stepped inside, and Sunny slowly followed.

Inside, she saw a large bedroom, like her own in some ways, only much bigger. As she looked around, she saw that the walls bore several paintings and a full-length mirror in a swivel standing in the corner. Mrs. Harrelson saw Sonny’s look and said, “The paintings you see were painted Miki at school, and those coffee mugs and vases you see on the shelf, she also made.”

There was a long, work area with a countertop that contained some books, board games and other toys, a computer on a workstation, and a frilly lace comforter set on the bed. There was also a regular, non-motorized wheelchair folded and stored next to the desk. Miki was sitting in her motorized wheelchair reading a book.

With Mrs. Harrelson being an attractive Caucasian woman, Sunny was surprised to see a light-skinned black girl.

Mrs. Harrelson noted Sonny’s surprised look and said, “Miki is of mixed race. Her father is a black man from Great Britain.”

Sunny smiled, and silently nodded. After studying her a moment longer, she said, “Hi Miki, you’re very beautiful. You remind me of that English actress Nathalie Emmanuel. She starred in one of the Fast and Furious movies. I think she was also in the TV show Game of Thrones. Your mom said that we both go to church at the First Presbyterian Church on Seminary Avenue. You look kind of familiar. I think I also remember seeing you a few times in the cafeteria or on the school grounds.”

Ignoring Sunny altogether, Miki looked up from her book towards her mother, a look of nervousness on her face. Mrs. Harrelson walked towards the bed and sat on it facing her daughter. Sunny slowly came over and stood next to the desk while Miki set down the book.

“Miki, this is Sunny. Sunny, this is Miki,” Mrs. Harrelson said.

“Uh, hi,” said Sunny, not knowing what to expect.

Instead of returning her greeting or even looking at her, Miki whispered gloomily to her mother, “I want Mrs. Stanley.”

“I know you do, but we talked about this last night. We both know that Mrs. Stanley is no longer available to care for you,” Mrs. Harrelson explained patiently before turning to Sunny. “Mrs. Stanley was the lady who stayed with Miki before. They were very close, and Miki’s having a hard time letting her go.”

Sunny nodded as Mrs. Harrelson suggested to Miki, “Why don’t you tell Sunny about your book.”

“Why can’t Mrs. Stanley come back?”

“Miki, we’ve been over this,” Mrs. Harrelson said with a bit of exasperation. “There’s someone else here who wants to meet you. What are you reading?”

Miki didn’t answer, instead raising the book so her mother could read the title, Buffy the Vampire Slayer; the Harvest. Still trying to coax her daughter out of her shell, Mrs. Harrelson tried to engage her again, “Ooh, isn’t that one of your favorites? Do you want to tell Sunny what it’s about?”

Miki quietly shook her head.

Mrs. Harrelson looked at Sunny and sighed, “I’m sorry. Like I said, sometimes it takes her a while to warm up.”

She got to her feet. “Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the house.” She left the room and Sunny followed.

As they walked, Mrs. Harrelson explained quietly, “The crux of the matter is that she’s different from everyone else. Everyone else walk, play sports and go wherever they like, but she can’t. She’s embarrassed by having to use a wheelchair when nobody else does. Also, she doesn’t have any friends except the few other students and teachers in her class. Since she only sees them during school, she gets very lonely. Now that Mrs. Stanley is gone, she feels more alone than ever.”

Mrs. Harrelson showed Sunny the first floor and kitchen, explaining things as they went along. Sunny was amazed at the sheer size of the house. Every bedroom including Miki’s bedroom had either a single bath or a buddy bath between two bedrooms. Then they stepped out onto the back enclosed patio with a sunroof where Sunny stared enviously at the below-ground indoor pool. The wooded, luxuriously landscaped lot was decorated with a koi pond and a Japanese style pagoda-type gazebo. They walked around the pool and out the rear door and looked out over the yard,

Sunny noticed that the side of the pool facing the house had a ramp leading down into it. “Does Miki, also go swimming?”

“Yes. She rolls her wheelchair down the ramp into the pool. Once the water’s deep enough, she can float out of her chair with a swim vest that she wears to keep her on the surface since she can’t use her legs.”

“What else can she do?”

“Miki has several hobbies. On the weekend, when she feels up to it, she goes to this pottery shop where she works with clay making bowls, cups and even figurines. She’s actually quite talented. She likes horseback riding. There’s a stable up in Hunt Valley we usually go to. They have a gentle roan mare she rides that is gentle and knows the trails. All Miki does is hold the reins and enjoy the ride. You would like it if the two of you went.

“You said earlier that she needs help getting in and out of the tub, and also her legs exercised?”

“Yes, she’s not strong enough to lower herself safely into the tub when she’s starting her bath and when she’s done, she can’t get out of the tub and into her wheelchair again. A person’s legs are dead weight and weigh a lot. Trying to lift yourself up is very hard unless your arms are strong. About the leg exercising ... because she can’t move her legs very much, if the joints in the hips, knees, and feet aren’t moved regularly, they can lock up permanently. Nurses in hospitals move the joints of bed-bound patients to prevent it.”

Sunny reassured, “Yes, that condition is called contracture. As I said before, I’ve done this sort of thing with nursing home patients. My father was a research scientist at Johns Hopkins and had a gym installed in our basement. He said that sitting at a lab table looking through a microscope or inputting data into a computer would make him lazy and unhealthy. He and I used to work out all the time.” Lifting her shirt, she smiled and said, “See, I even have a girly six pack. I’m only 5’3” and 103 pounds, but I can press 150 pounds and dead lift 225.”