The Shoe and The Car

Above is a picture of 'The Shoe'. The shoe was not dug from a long forgotten pile of old stuff in the corner of an unused room. No. It was in the kitchen at Imelda's house. It was probably, at some point in history, one of his shoes, although maybe it was more of a sandal. He has no idea when he last wore it. It's in a bit of a state - OK it's in a lot of a state, peeling and in bits, It has no sole. It's covered in sticky dust and of no apparent use to anyone or anything. 

 It was just sitting there, on top of a pile of stuff, not under the stairs, in a box, in the shed or garage or at the back of a wardrobe, no this shoe was sitting on the top of a pile of boxes in front of the worktop in the KITCHEN. The same kitchen where he eats his food and spends a lot of his time. I picked it up and shrivelled my nose. 'What's this?' I said, holding it at arms length. 

'Its an old shoe,' he said. like I'm uber stupid. 'It should really be in the bin!' So, did he put it in the bin while he had it in his hand? No. He put it back on the pile where it had come from on the kitchen worktop, where it, no doubt, will remain until the day he dies. At which point I will put it in the bin. It just makes me so full of despair. If he'd LET me help him now, I would. It would be so lovely to give him space to move around his house and have a room or two clear for a hospital bed when he needs it. I know it's not going to happen. It's beyond frustrating. 

He also has a car. It's an old green Ford Focus 52 plate -it's officially silver but it's not been cleaned in many years and is covered in moss. It has a huge gauge down the side which he has no clue how it got there as the bump he had was only small when he hit a parked car (which was the parked car's fault by the way as it was parked in the dark...) It also stinks really really bad, it's scruffy and unloved and it covers about 500 miles a year. Its tax is due on 1st December. His licence expired in early September this year and so the car is SORNed (or shorned as he calls it). 

His licence expiring was the best thing for British roads, trust me. His driving terrified me every time I had the misfortune of having to be in a car with him. If anyone knows the mountain road from Caerphilly to Cardiff, he used to switch his engine off at the top of the road and coast down it, bump starting the car again on the way up the other side. Modern cars don't allow this without catastrophic loss of the steering. 

Back then in a 1965 Ford Cortina. things were different. I have suggested (following a visit to we buy any car, who valued the car at £175 - before I mentioned the rust, moss, dents, scratches or smell), that he donate the car to my son, his grandson who can clean the car and fix whatever needs doing to get it through a MOT and perhaps make himself a profit. He has other ideas. Call him optimistic... maybe. I can think of more accurate words. He wants to get the car MOT's himself because despite him having diabetes, cancer an implanted blood pressure/heart monitor device, almost total deafness and he's NINETY FIVE. 

He also has various other illnesses he has cataracts for which he goes to the hospital for injections every 4-6 weeks. He can't see properly through one eye but hopes they will be able to operate and remove his cataract so he can re-apply for a new licence as he hopes his eyesight will have improved. He will also have to get new insurance as his will run out in December. I suspect (and sincerely hope) he will never drive again. He could harm himself or someone else. If there's a chance then I will have to do the decent thing and have a word with the DVLA, much as I know if I did, and he found out, he would never speak to me again. 

I have pointed out a taxi would be cheaper for the mileage he does but he doesn't trust taxi drivers. I don't know a local taxi driver I can introduce him to. So tomorrow the car goes off for an MOT - taken by a friend of his.