A Shot in the Dark

There is a craze now to reveal the deepest of secrets, of abuses,  done in the past. The Me Too movement has spread to other areas besides sexual abuse. I am sure a Mel Too movement just might focus on the ills of nursing and assistant living homes.
   Mel has not had his shots in about two years now. His right eye is dead due to Glaucoma and the left his leaky. Two years ago he could see no more than the third line of the eye chart. Today he can't see a shadow only if he lifts up his eye lid.
   The last thing I wished to do this Thursday was to take him to the VMR Institute on Center Avenue in Huntington Beach. But is was my brother Mel and as the son of my Dad Harry, I had to make a last try to regain sight in his only living eye, his left one. Also, I wondered if the eye's focus had not been compromised since the ear cancer had probably moved to his brain. He has had headaches now for over two years.
  The Bella Terra shopping Center is to the west of Beach Street and just off the 405 freeway. Costco, the Century Theater, Whole Foods and a host of other stores live inside this lovely area. I covet the breakfasts at Whole Foods and try to take in a movie once a month on a $5 Tuesday.
  His appointment was for eleven and the shuttle picked us up at the Sea Cliff Health Center at about ten thirty. Lifted to the back on his wheel chair, the shuttle drove us for his appointment. The shuttle made a right on Center and then a left across from Costco to 7677 Center Avenue and the four story medical building.
  We did not need to wait long in the lobby and were escorted coached first room. A Swedish and Vietnamese couple sat and gazed at Mel. My circuits were a bit short but felt that now we could get a line on his left eye.
   Mel wheel-chaired to three rooms in a space of two hours. In the first he revealed that he could only see the first letter on the chart. Inside the next room,  machine took a picture of his eye while a technician held up his eye led and told him to "Open both eyes and look down." It took some doing but Mel finally obliged.
   The third room was for a dye to detail where the clots were located. It took the artistic hands of the doctor to find the vein while he returned to another room The doctor handles up to five patients at the same time. We than went to the final room.
    "George, I am hungry. Go down and buy a club sandwich."
     "Is that all you can think about is food?"
    Downstairs I went and bought two sandwiches for six and change each. Stressed out now, I ate mine on the first floor to cool off my wiring. It worked to some degree and then I took the elevator back. Brother Mel sat on his wheel chair and seemed upset.
    "What took you so long?"
    "Here is your sandwich."
    "I can see now George. Call for a shuttle"
    I left a bit early and felt proud to have taken brother Mel. But I needed something to relax with so I bought a nine dollar ticket for a Clint Eastwood movie.