u10como - Tumblr blog

u10como · 18 days

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Some time ago, i released this picture on my DA with a caption, later suppplemented by a short story expanding on the theme, followed by personal afterword regarding my background and themes of the story, which i now decided to present here on tumblr, all joined into one text. Once again, english isn't my first language, it was one of the first longer pieces i wrote and i'm by no means a writer, but i hope some of you might enjoy it nonetheless.

Hope you don't mind

You met her on an online forum about your favourite band and you've been messaging for a month now. She was just perfect: Funny, smart and as far as you were aware she was really interested in you, but everytime you suggested meeting somewhere, she said she's either busy or just changed the subject. Not wanting to push her, you gave her some time to think about it.

One morning a message from her, accompanied by a photo landed in your inbox:

"So...this isn't easy for me, but you seem like genuinely good person and i'd hate myself if i passed that opportunity because i was insecure. Anyway, this is me. I had an accident with high voltage power lines six months ago and i'm still insecure about meeting new people or going in public in general.

If you feel weird about it i completely understand and won't bother you any more, but if you still want to meet, i know a nice little pizzeria just around corner from where i live. The owner is an old family friend and could arrange a small room in the back for us so people won't stare."

Why should i mind?

As you read the message over and over, your mind is racing, filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, you're relieved – she really wants to meet you after all. On the other hand you can't help but feel sad – such a beautiful, smart girl, full of life, suffering from such horrible injury. Of course, you never for a second consider saying no to her proposition – she is still the great girl you messaged with the past month. You immediately write your reply:

„Hey! Of course i still want to meet you - i've been asking to meet you for some time now and nothing changed about that! Today, 4 in the afternoon works for you? Just tell me where the pizzeria is and i'll wait for you there.“

In few minutes she replied:

„Oh, you can't believe how relieved i am – thank you for not being weird about it! Yes, 4 will be perfect time. The pizzeria is Giovanni's on the corner of Oak and Harbor st – just tell the owner you're Jana's friend, he'll seat you in the back.“

„Well… I have a date!“ you think to yourself. Rummaging through your wardrobe you struggle to find anything you'll be satisfied with – going all dressed up like to prom seems like overkill, but you don't want to come all casual either – after all, you really care for her and you want to show it. In the end you settle for your least worn cargo pants with a T-shirt of your favorite band – you know she likes them too, so you hope this might outweigh your otherwise way too casual look. You set off early, intending to buy flowers for her. After careful consideration, you buy a nice bouquet of seven pink carnations and set off to Giovanni's.

As you step inside ten minutes before 4, the owner – a rather short, somewhat overweight yet muscular man with large hands and a bushy mustache above his friendly smile greets you. „Welcome to Giovanni's, what can i do for you?“ „Uhm, hello, i am Friend of Jana…“ „Oh, Wonderful, wonderful!“ the owner interrupts you with a big warm smile, A friend of our little Jana is my friend too! Right this way, have a seat, i'll bring you a vase for these beautiful flowers. Care for a drink in the mean time?“ „Yes, i saw you serve a homemade lemonade, please.“ you answer. „A wonderful choice! Comming right up!“ says the owner with a wide smile.

With that, the owner runs back front, returning in half a minute with your lemonade served in beautiful tall glass with pieces of lemon, lime and mint leaves, toped with a bright red straw. „Here you go! When Jana arrives i'll send her right away. Now, if i may ask, when did you two met? Pardon me for asking what might be a personal question, but you see, being friends with her parents ever since i moved here, Jana is like niece to me.“ "Oh, don't apologise, i understand.“, you reply, “To be frank, we haven't met in person yet, we were just chatting over internet and i really liked her – and the feeling was mutual, dare i presume.“ „I see“, says the owner, „So you know about…?“, He struggles to put his thoughts to words, instead just shrugs his shoulders one by one.

„Oh? Oh! Yes, i do. In fact, she told me just this morning.“ „I was just asking.“, nods the owner, „You see, our poor little Jana suffered enough. I just don't want her to leave today with a broken heart, so i wanted to make sure you won't freak out or something.“ „Oh no, don't worry, sir. I was asking her for a meetup for two weeks before i knew about it. I liked her before i knew about it and i don't see why it should change anything.“ The owner nods his head „I see. You're good in my books then, kid. I'm glad Jana found someone so understanding.“ He pats your shoulder as he says that.

There is a ring from the little bell above entrance and a young woman's voice calls:

„Uncle Tigran, are you there?“ „That's her.“ Says the owner and rushes off to the front. „My little Jana, it's so nice to see you again! Your friend is in the back, go, have some fun, and when you're ready, call me and i'll be right back to take your order.“

You stand up to greet her. In few seconds, she peeks inside the room with a shy, almost affraid look on her face. As your eyes meet, she smiles at you and you smile back. Despite the smile, her green eyes show a hint of timid apprehension. As she steps in, you notice her motionless hands, convincing at first glance, but knowing her condition, obviously artificial.

"Hi, nice to finally meet you", you say, holding the bouquet of carnations forward. "Oh, these are beautiful, thank you, she says, leaning in to smell them. Looking into her beautiful green eyes, your heart flutters with happiness.

„I'm really so glad to finally meet you in person“ you say. „You're even more beautiful than on the photo .“

„Oh, thank you. Nobody said such thing to me since…“ she pauses, looking into distance. After few seconds she breaks off, shyly attempting to smile on you. „Anyway, would you mind helping me with my coat?“ „Of course, right away“, you say as you move in to unbutton it. As you remove her coat, the prosthetic arms slip off her shoulders, staying firmly inside the coat's sleeves, letting her little arm stumps show. „Oh, sorry, i didn't mean to, let me…“ you stammer an apology.

„No, that's allright. They were meant to come off. I should have told you. I wear them on the street to avoid the stares, but they are so uncomfortable, so since here i am among people who know about me, i just hooked them to the coat so i don't have to wear them all the time.“

As you sit on the opposite sides of the table, you suddenly don't know what to say. You see she is uncomfortable, so you try to steer the conversation a different way.

„So… This pizzeria – It's named Giovanni's, but i heard you call the owner a different name?“

„Oh yes, uncle Tigran gave this establishment italian sounding name as marketing trick. He is great, though, one of the best pizza chefs around. He says he spent five years in Naples learning about local cuisine, actually. I understand you already talked with him?“

„Oh yes, he seems like really nice, but no-nonsense kind of guy. Told me you're like a niece to him and warned me not to break your heart. Not that i intended to, anyway.“, you add with a smile.

„Yeah, uncle Tigran was always nice to me. He visited me in the hospital almost daily when i…“ once again, Jana's gaze slides into distance.

„You don't have to talk about it, i'm sorry if i reminded you in any way.“ You say hastily.

„Oh? No, don't apologize, you did nothing wrong, it's just… Everything reminds me, you know? Wherever i go, whatever i do, every single thing reminds me i no longer…“ she pauses and sighs, lifting her stumps to illustrate her point before continuing „…have arms. Waking up in the morning, i try to lift my blanket and these useless things just flap about helplessly. Reaching for things, trying to do any simple task, even steadying myself when i trip – everything i do i must remind myself i can't do it the normal way anymore. If it was just one i could deal with it, but like this? I feel so helpless sometimes. The first few weeks in the hospital i had to bother the nurses everytime my nose got itchy, not to mention i had to be showered by them, just standing there, leting them clean me off. Tt felt so dehumanising... I'm sorry i spilled all this on you, it's my problem and i should deal with it myself, you don't have to think about it.“ She averts her eyes, looking down into the table.

„Jana,“, you say, „If i wanted not to think about it i wouldn't be here with you – and that would make me quite a bad person, don't you think? I came because i liked you from the moment we started chatting, long before i ever saw you. If there is anything i can do to help you – even if it would be just to stand by your side to always be able to remind you how great person you are whenever should you doubt yourself – i want to be there and help you.“

With tears welling in her eyes, Jana lifts her head „Really? You would do that for me?“

„Of course i would. You are smart, funny and stunningly beautiful. If i can help it, i wish for you never to be sad again“, you reach over the table with a tissue to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

„Thank you,“ she says, suppressing tears, visibly moved. „I never thought i would hear anybody say that to me. Come on - let's order some food, i'm starving.“

As if waiting for his cue, the owner comes in with a big smile „So, what would you want, my dears? We have excellent Margherita Napoletana, but if you're not into traditional pizza, i might do a regular New York style. Most people prefer that, anyway – beats me why, though, there's nothing better than proper traditional italian pie.“

„I think i could go for your Napoletana, Jana told me you're one of the best pizza chefs around, mister… uhh…“ „Tigran Manukyan, at your service.“, he replies with maybe a little too deep bow, „I presume our little Jana here told you about my little trick already, so why should i hide it anymore? Anyway, what can i offer you, my darling?“ says mister Manukyan turning to Jana. „I'll take the Napoletana too, uncle Tigran. And might i ask you for a glass of that lemonade too? It looks so refreshing.“ „Comming right up, my dears“, says mister Manukyan and rushes off.

„So… Where were we?“ asks Jana. „Well,“ you say, „I just told you you're beautiful and i wish to be always there for you.“

„Oh…“ she pauses, but smiles, finally seeming to be at ease, „I mean… Thank you. I'm sorry, I've became quite bad at taking compliments lately – not that i ever was any good to begin with, but now… i mean, you know, with my…“ she says, wiggling her arm stumps.

„You don't have to explain yourself, i understand“, you calm her, „Jusk know you are beautiful to me and nothing can ever change that. In fact, you were beautiful to me long before i knew how you even look, when we were still just chatting.“

Mister Manukyan comes with Jana's glass of lemonade and a pitcher „I brought you two some more for refills – on the house of course. The pizzas will be done in few minutes.“ Almost unisono, you and Jana reply „Thank you, mister Manukyan /Thank you, uncle Tigran“ and with a smile, he leaves.

„Anyway,“ says Jana, „I know you're telling me that just to make me feel better. Why would somebody as cute as you consider someone ‚beautiful‘ just from an online chat?“ she says, leaning forward for the straw and taking a sip from her drink.

„Maybe because i found a great person to talk to and spend time with.“ You reply, looking directly into Jana's eyes. „Maybe i don't care about looks that much. Maybe i think beauty is not only based on somebody's looks. And maybe, or not as much maybe as quite undeniably surely, you are actually beautiful even if i would step so low as to judge you just by your looks. You have pretty face, beautiful hair and the most captivating emerald eyes i've ever seen. But even without that, you are above all the brave, smart girl i came to know and love – and nothing can change that.“

„Brave? How am i brave? I spent half a year hiding from world, almost never leaving my room unless i had to.“ Replied Jana.

„Yet you came here and invited me.“, you say, “You overcame your anxiety and reached out. That alone was braver than most people would ever hope to be. All i ask of you is to believe in yourself as i believe in you. You are the bravest girl in know and i love you for that.“

„I love you too“, she says, hint of tears in her eyes once again as she shifts closer to you with her arm stumps outstretched. Understanding the hint, you hug her, gently stroking her hair with your hand.

„Oh, young love, what a beautiful sight!“ says mister Manukyan as he comes in with your pizzas in each hand „Here is your food, my dears, Bari Akhorzhak to you both!“

„Uncle Tigran,“ says Jana, lifting her head from your shoulders, „this was the first time ever i heard you speaking Armenian in your pizzeria.“

„Well, i figured i might as well drop the act, my dear.“ said mister Manukyan with a smile. „Pizza is my passion and my living, but i'm no Italian and never will be. Maybe it's time for me to fly my true colors with pride. People come here for good food, not for fake Italian. Of course, a name change would be required, then, but i hope people would come nonetheless. After all ‚Uncle Tigran's‘ has a nice ring to it, no? And i might as well put some of my old family recipes on the menu. Next time you come, i'll make you the best Lahmajoun you ever had, i promise!“

„That would be really great, mister Manukyan“, you say with enthusiasm, „I'm looking forward to it.“

As mister Manukyan leaves with a big, warm smile, you and Jana sit to your pizzas. "Do you need any help?" you ask. "No." says Jana almost too quickly. "Well yes, probably, but i shouldn't. I need to do this on my own - i mean, there won't always be somebody around to help me, but i will be always armless, you know?" You notice her suddenly easing up, as if adressing her condition out loud, without euphemisms or hesitating helped her finally come to terms with it. "Would you mind helping me taking off my shoes, though?"

"Of course", you say as you kneel and gently lift her right foot in your hand, taking off her shoe and sock, then doing the same with her left foot. "Thank you. You're a real sweetheart" she says, lifting her feet up to the tabletop, awkwardly picking the fork with her left foot and knife with the right. As you sit on the opposite side of table, you can't take your eyes off her while she cuts a small piece of her pizza and using the fork in her left food brings it to her mouth with a great effort.

"Oooh!" she smiles with pleasure as she savors the food in her mouth, "I almost forgot how great uncle Tigran's pizzas are! You should eat too while it's hot." Taking a bite from your own pizza, you must agree - this is certainly the best pizza you ever had. As you both eat, you notice Jana's movements becoming ever so slightly more fluent and relaxed with each bite. you can't help but stop and look at her, smiling.

"What? Is something on my face?" she asks as she starts rubbing her nose with her right stump. "No, it's just... When you came you were all tense and apprehensive, but now you seem to ease up." "I just know i'm in a good company", she says, shrugging her shoulders, "I mean, yeah, i knew you are funny and kind from the first time we started chatting, but now, you made me feel... appreciated, normal. Like i matter. I... probably just needed to hear that, you know? Like... from somebody outside of my family." "I see," you say, "But how come you weren't so shy when we were chatting on the forum?"

"I don't know, i guess the anonymity played a part, you know?" she ponders, "Like - on the internet, nobody sees me. Nobody knows. There's no way to tell whether the person on the other side is beautiful, ugly, thin, fat or uses toes to write. That probably helped me there."

"Tell me about it," you say. "Sometimes i feel anxious even making a phonecall, let alone talking to strange people in person!" "You?" she smiles "No way! You seem so cool and confident. After all, you asked me out first, i would have never had the guts to do it myself without you."

"The same magic of the anonymous internet as in your case" you reply, "And if i somehow seem confident now, it's only because i feel like we known each other for ages. It's hard to describe, but i feel like we were meant to be together, you know?"

setting down the knife, she extends her right foor over the table towards you, gently stroking your face with her big toe. Smiling, you take her foot in your hands, planting a soft kiss on her ankle. She giggles "That tickles! But... it feels nice." Kising her foot once again, you let go of it, looking deep into her green eyes with a warm smile. "So, are you up for a little stroll after we finish our pizzas?", you ask her. "Gladly!", she replies as she puts another piece i her mouth. "Do you have any specific place in mind?" "Well," you say, "I was thinking of just going for a walk, but if you want, we might go to the gazebo on the cliff above the city and watch the sunset together?" "Oh, romantic!" she exclaims with excitement. "I like that."

When you finish your pizzas, mister Manukyan comes in to clean up, almost as if he was waiting for his cue. "Enjoyed your food, my dears?" he asks, "Everything was up to your liking? "Of yourse, uncle Tigran," responds Jana with a smile, "I always loved your cooking."

As you leave Jana in the back to pay for the food, mister Manukyan says:

"Thank you for everything, kid. Jana really needed someone to just be there for her. She used to visit me every week, but since her accident she just moved back to her parent's house and stoped going out. I knew what she was going through, but i had no idea how to help. Turns out, all she really needed was for someone outside of her family to just treat her with love and respect and you did just that. I won't lie to you - i doubt if stuff would be just *poof* and everything is okay now, people just don't work like that and i am sure there is still a lot ahead of Jana before she's back to the cheerful self i remember from before her accident, but i feel like you really helped her make a big progress today. Once again, thank you for that."

"It was my pleasure, mister Manukyan." you replied, "She is great girl and i fell for her ever since we started chatting." "I'm glad to hear that. And please, you can call me Tigran", he says with a smile, "Or Uncle Tigran, whole town will know me like that anyway soon, at least i hope."

After shaking hands with mister Manukyan, you return to Jana, who is almost prepared to leave. As you help her tie her shoes loose enough so she can slip them on and off at will, you go fetch her coat.

"No, you can leave that here,", she says, "i'll talk with uncle Tigran and ask him to hide it somewhere so i can pick it up later."

"Are you sure? Your arms are in there, don't you want to put them on?"

"Not really. As i said, they are heavy and uncomfortable. Also, they are purely cosmetic, so aside from keeping people from staring, they are pretty much useless.", she said. "And if that means people will stare, then so be it. I need to get used to showing in public and i thought why not now, when i have you by my side?" "As you wish," you reply. "Shall we go, then?"

"Okay. I hope you don't mind being seen in public with a disabled girl"

"Being seen with beautiful smart girl i love? Why shuld i mind?"

A little afterword is due.

This story, while obviously coming from place of my attraction to women with, let's say, non-standard physique, in this particular case bilateral arm amputees, is a departure from my usual style. My usual character background snippets revolve around happier circumstances - my characters usualy lose their limbs voluntarily, non-permanently or in some obscure magic way, which, while it can't be assured to be temporary, has the peculiar side effect of making them weirdly okay with the changes.

This is not the case. In reality, a limb loss is a powerful traumatic experience to vast majority of people. Overcoming such trauma might take weeks, months, years even, and some people may never recover mentally. I felt like this point was worth mentioning and keeping in mind.

As for overall themes of this story, the main themes are hope, acceptance and dealing with adversity. In that sense, Jana's condition is a stand-in for number of problems which might cause a person to lose their sense of self-worth and shut themselves off from the world. If you are suffering from any condition causing you to feel that way, remember this: You Matter. You are loved. And while in real life, recovery will certainly not come as quickly as for Jana in my story, the point illustrated still stands: Some battles are not meant to be fought alone. Sometimes all you need is to find someone who will help you carrying your burden. Remember, that leaning on your friends in hard times isn't weakness. On the contrary, knowing when to ask for help is major strength. And if you do not suffer from any such problems, then please, be mindful of those who do. Be kind, accepting and unconditionally loving as our unnamed protagonist. After all, the protagonist is reffered as You, because they are supposed to represent the best in every single one of us. Man, woman, trans or non-binary, if you're reading this, i hope you will always be as unconditionally accepting as the protagonist is to Jana.

Some elements of the setting sort of come from my own experience. The overall setting of my stories is this usual culturally neutral americano-european mishmash, made for easier accesibility for wider audience, but certain characters or places might carry something from my personal experience. As some of you might know, i am Czech, so i decided to write Jana as one too - even though this might not be really apparent from anything beside her name, that is her intended nationality. Whether you imagine her as local, thinking of this story's setting as somewhere in Czechia or as immigrant to a foreign country of your choice is up to you. Also, the character of Tigran Manukyan is losely based on my own experience: Where i'm from, a lot of pizzerias are actually owned by people from Armenia, Georgia or Turkey and a lot of their owners are very similar to "uncle Tigran" both in their appearance and in their cheerful, friendly way of greeting their customers. Uncle Tigran's character arc is also about acceptance: Accepting own cultural heritage, because every culture is worth preserving.

So, this is the end of my little PSA. Respect each other, be tolerant to one another and try to help those whose life dealt them the worse hand.

#armless #no arms #double amputee #amputee #arm amputee #dae #dae amputee #Respect each other #be tolerant to one another and try to help those whose life dealt them the worse hand #i really had to put the last sentence as hashtag #don't ask me why #story #fiction #short story

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u10como · 20 days

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First time posting my writing on Tumblr along the usual DeviantArt. I'm no writer and english isn't my first language, so please, be mindful of that. Anyway, i hope you might enjoy it anyway.

This story is a sort of prequel/explanation to this picture: https://www.tumblr.com/u10como/739614288736632832?source=share

Jane and Roxy

Sam and Jane stoped in front of a rehab clinic. Mere month after the septic shock which took both of her arms and her left leg, Jane's residual limbs were still sore and swollen,unable to be fitted with prostheses yet, but she was recomended to commence with her rehabilitation as soon as possible to gain dexterity in her remaining limb. She was dressed in a shorts and plain, light blue T-shirt, it's left sleeve limp against her body and just a tip of her sole arm stump peeking out of the right one. Her single foot was bare, holding between her toes a joystick which operated her electric wheelchair. Sam was standing next to her, dressed in jeans and white polo shirt. Turning from the clinic's door to Jane, he asked:

"Are you sure you want to go alone?"

"No. But i feel like it's for the better, you know?" replied Jane, looking up at him from her wheelchair. "Don't worry, the people there are professionals."

"As you wish. But if you changed your mind be sure to ask them to call me and i'll be here as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, i'll be fine. After all, i'm here to learn to handle myself, so i feel like calling you in the first time i encountered struggle would be cheating."

"Okay then. I'll be here to pick you up in four hours?"

"You're the best. I love you!"

As they kiss goodbye, Jane pushed the joystick of her wheelchair to the side, turned around and entered the building. inside, a young receptionist looked up from her screen to greet Jane. "Welcome. Miss Walsh i believe? 8:30 appointment for post-traumatic amputation rehab?"

"Hello, yes, that's me."

"Okay, down this hall, third door to the right. The door's automatic, so just roll close enough and it should open, if not, feel free to call me."

As the door opened before Jane, she saw a room which looked like a cross between gym and medical facility, with a large mat in the middle, parallel bars in far right corner and racks full of excercising equipment along the wall to the left. To the right she saw a woman roughly her age, missing both legs above her knees and right arm just below elbow sitting in old hospital issue wheelchair. Jane turned towards her and as her wheelchair slowly drove closer, it's motor gently whirring, the other woman looked up and smiled.

"Oh, Hi! I was starting to worry i'm going to be alone here today. I'm Roxy!" she said, cheerfully offering her left hand for a handshake "Yeah, i know it's awkward to shake a left hand, but what can i do about it?"

"I'm Jane, but...ahem..." said Jane, shrugging her shoulders to emphasise her missing arms, "I'm not sure what to do now..."

"Give me a foot, silly! At least yours is a right one, you know? Come on!" said Roxy cheerfully.

"Well, *sigh* okay then..." replied Jane shyly as she slowly extended her foot for Roxy to shake. Roxy immediately grabed the offered foot with her left hand and shook it.

"Now, that's more like it! Wow, are you moisturizing? You foot feels so soft!"

"Thank you... My boyfriend does that for me actually, i can't do much myself, you know..."

"Wow, he's a keeper. And don't worry, few weeks here and you'll forget you ever needed more than one limb to do things. I almost did already. But in my case, i kinda had to, living alone and all..."

"Oh, that must have been rough."

"Well, coping wasn't the bad part, you know? Being ditched by my bitch of an ex for not being perfect enough anymore? That really hurt."

"Oh, i'm so sorry to hear that, i didn't mean to remind you..."

"Nah, that's okay, screw her, i'm badass and i don't need her sorry ass, you know?"

"Good morning ladies", greeted them the rehab nurse, "I see we have a new face here today - miss Walsh i presume?" Jane noded. "Allright then, since you're new here i'll be focusing on you today to introduce you to the routines. Mis Jensen, you can move up to the parallel lines

and put on your training legs, you know the drill already."

Jane's excercises focused mostly on gaining dexterity in her remaining leg and foot. From time to time she took a peek at Roxy, waddling in her short, kneeless prosthetics with large circular pads instead of feet. She hoped she'll be fitted with her own prostetic leg soon, but her leg stump was still way too sensitive. Roxy caught her look and winked at her with a big cheerful smile. Jane wondered how the girl can be so cheerful all the time - losing three limbs was hard enough for Jane, so she couldn't even imagine being this optimistic if she also suffered through a break-up like Roxy did.

After finishing their respective routines, the nurse asked them whether they need help showering or feel like they can handle themselves. "I'm fine, thank you!" said Roxy, taking off the training legs before she rapidly scooted off towards the showers, using her single arm and her butt to move forward. "I... think i'll handle myself, thank you." said Jane, determined to become independent as soon as possible. "As you wish, but should you need a help, feel free to use the bell to call me up."

Hopping on her single foot, Jane made her way to the showers where Roxy was already taking her clothes off. At that moment, Jane realized her mistake.

"Oh, damn it... I better call the nurse..."

"What's the matter? Oh..." asked Roxy and immediately figured the answer. "That's allright, come over here, i'll help you."

"You sure? i mean... i don't want to bother you..."

"Don't worry, you don't. I wouldn't offer you my help if i feelt bothered by it." said Roxy with a smile and patted the seat next to herself. Jane hopped closer and shakily crouched with her butt over the bench next to Roxy, dropping the last eight inches to a sit.

"There you go. So, will you try to do it yourself first and leave the tricky parts to me, or should i start?"

"I'm barely a week home from hospital, so i guess the 'tricky parts' cover pretty much everything i guess. *sigh* Allright, then, go ahead."

Grabbing Jane's shirt by the collar, Roxy slipped it over her head easily without any arms in the way. She then pulled down Jane's shorts low enough for Jane to kick them off. As Roxy unhooked her bra, Jenny felt vulnerable and helpless, unable to cover herself. Setting the bra carefully on the shirt, Roxy noticed Jane's nipple piercings and smiled.

"Wow, didn't take you for a kinky one! I like those!"

"Yeah... I had them done before... you know... Now they just look dumb on a pathetic cripple like me..."

"Hey, whoah, don't say that! You are beautiful and don't you ever think otherwise!"

"Thanks... You sound a little like Sam now..."

"Which just shows i'm right. And as i said before - he's a keeper. Now, let's get those panties off and get to the showers, shall we?"

After Roxy set off Jane's panties on the pile of her other clothes, they each entered one of the neighboring shower stalls and sat on the stools inside. Jane reached with her foot for the lever tap and set the water temperature before she grabbed the soap bar and soaped herself everywhere she could reach with her sole foot.

"Uhh... Roxy? Could i ask you one more favor?"

"Sure, Jane, What is it?"

Could you come over and soap up my back?"

"Only if you do the same for me. I might have an arm, but believe it or not, i used to be right handed just three months ago."

Jane heard the water in Roxy's stall stop and a soft thud as Roxy dropped down from her stool. "Gotta bring the seat along, i don't think we would both fit on one, would we?" Said Roxy and by small increments, pulled the stool and herself one after another into Jane's stall. Setting the stool right next to Jane's she climbed atop it and smiled.

"That's more like it. I guess i wouldn't reach you from down there and i wasn't sure you would be able to stand up if i asked you to sit on the floor. Now, pass me the soap and turn around."

As Roxy took the soap from Jane's foot, she started soaping up her back and massaging it using both her hand and stump. "Oooh, that's great," exclaimed Jane, stretching her shoulder blades and twirling her sole short arm stump in delight. "Where did you learn this?"

"It used to be my trade back when i still had both arms. It's still all up there in my head, but who would pay for one armed masseuse anyway..."

"Well, i certainly would! Okay, my turn now. I don't think i can remotely match that experience, but let me soap you up real nice." said Jane, grabbed the soap bar with her foot and started rubbing Roxy's back with it.

"We make a pretty good team, don't we?" asked Roxy

"I can't take much credit for it. I'm such a mess. I mean, if it wasn't for you i would still stand outside unable to undress myself..."

"That's gonna improve, trust me. You should have seen me the first few weeks after losing my dominant arm. Give it a little time and you'll get much better."

"Except i lost both arms, remember?"

"You still got your leg. You know what i would give for one of those? And with a little training you'll soon handle it just like an arm, i mean, my back can already testify you're pretty gentle with it even now, so i'm sure you'll get even better over time. Hell, you might even eventually have better handwriting that i can ever hope for if you were right handed before."

"...Handwriting?"

"Oops, sorry... Footwriting? Is that a word?"

"It better be, i'm gonna need to have it after all", said Jane with a hearty laugh, a rare occasion in the last month of her life.

"Hey," grinned Roxy, turning to face Jane, "You know you're way prettier when you smile like that?"

"Are you hitting on me?" asked Jane.

"Well, normally i totally would, you're pretty much my type, but seeing you're taken and into guys, i'll pass. I'm no home wrecker you know?"

"Who said i'm only into guys?, asked Jane.

"Fair enough. Still, the last thing i would want to do would be wrecking such a strong, genuine relationship as yours. I kinda envy you, you know?"

"Don't worry, you still can find somebody. I saw you being fitted for prosthetics, i bet a badass sexy cyborg like you can't have much trouble scoring a girlfriend."

"You never dated a girl now, did you?"

"Well, there was this one time in college... Yeah, i guess a week long rebound doesn't really count. Allright, i didn't actually. Not that i never had options, but guys were usually easier to deal with."

"See? That's exactly what i'm talking about."

"You seemed to me pretty extroverted earlier when we met, why can't you just play that confident, outgoing, cheerful card in a bar somewhere?"

"Eh, i'd wish. Truth is, i felt confident only because you're first person since that car wreck who was pretty much on par with me physically. I wouldn't be nowhere near as confident otherwise, trust me. Also, being trained for a pair of legs and being able to afford some really nice pair are two things, you know?"

"So you won't get any?"

"I already ordered a pair of basic ones, spent my last dough on them, actually. I have money for a week long stay in a motel downtown where i moved after my ex dumped me. After that? I'll probably board a coach bus to live with my parents. But that's not important right now." said Roxy, her worries surfacing through her confident faccade. "Come on, let's dry ourselves and i'll help you get dressed, i'm sure your boyfriend is already waiting for you."

As Roxy dressed both of them, Jane suddenly got an idea

"Hey, i was thinking... How do you even get home from here?"

"I have this old wheelchair borrowed from here. It's far from easy operating it with one hand, but better than scooting all the way on my behind you know?"

"Why don't you borrow mine, then? Just snap off the clamp holding the joystick to the footrest and put it wherever you're comfortable."

"Wow, for real? But how about you?"

"I have a leg, i can hop along, it's not that far. Sam is waiting just outside, he'll drive us home."

"Us?"

"Sure, aren't you coming along?"

"If you insist. Beats taking the bus any day, thanks a lot!"

"Don't mention it. Come on, let's not keep Sam waiting."

As they said goodbye to the nurse and receptionist, they approached the door where Sam was already waiting for Jane.

"Wow, your boyfriend is hot." said Roxy.

"I thought you're into girls?" asked Jane

"Well... Mostly, but not exclusively. Damn, sorry, now i must sound like i'm coming after your boyfriend."

"A little. But you were hitting on me first, so i guess it's okay. We'll have to share you, that's all..."

"Ha ha ha... Wait a minute a what now?"

"I'm joking, don't worry. But you told me you'll have nowhere to live in a week. If you want, i can negotiate with Sam and you'll be staying with us."

"Even after i kinda... you know, shown interest in both of you?"

"Well, that might actually be a plus, you know?" said Jane, still slowly hopping along next to Roxy. "You're the only person besides Sam who seemed to be genuinely interested in me after all this happened to me. That seems to me well worth having you around. And i have a hunch Sam won't be against it - More than just a hunch, actually."

"Okay then... I'm not getting myself caught in a sex cult now, am i?" Asked Roxy with an awkward smile.

"Nah. No cult here. And sex only when all involved parties consciously agree. And even then - let's give Sam a little time to get used to the idea before we overwhelm him, shall we?"

"You're serious then? We just met like four hours ago and you want me to move in with you?"

"I'm not pressuring you into anything, we can drop you off at your motel if you want, just know there's an option..."

"Where do i sign?"

#armless #no arms #legless #no legs #one leg #one arm #amputee #arm amputee #leg amputee #triple amputee #amputation #amputiert

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