Taxicab

(John fishing with one of his three daughters)

Aunt Eleanor had very little patience with physical ailments.  She believed she could simply deny and dismiss them and get on with her busy schedule.  She had learned that it helped to lie down for a couple of hours if she felt a flu coming on, but if it was simply a painful back or aching headache, the best approach was to ignore it.  We all felt a little intmidated by her strength of character and certainly reluctant to admit any ailment ourselves, least of all fatigue. 
    In the summertime, it was my aunt's practice to go to New York once a week to attend to her appointments and errands and to stop in her city apartment.  She could get a taxicab in the city--in fact many of the cab drivers recognized her and had taken her across the city as a fare--but in balmy weather she preferred to walk.  Sometimes walking took less time than a cab would take to go the same distance, and she knew and taught me which streets were pleasant to walk on and which ones to avoid. 
    Dressed in her light tweed coat and skirt to match, wearing a stylish hat and gloves, always in good lookig walking shoes and carrying a handbag, she felt at home on the sidewalks of New York.  So familiar was her route that she could plan other events as she strode along.
    One day she took a shortcut in the middle of a block, stepping into the street from between two parked cars.  A taxi driver, sho had just delivered a fare, backed out into the street, hit Aunt Eleanor, and knocked her down.  She got right up again, but the taxi driver was instantly out of his cab and beside her.  He apologized profusely, asking to take her to the octor at least home, but Aunt Eleanor was more concerned about him.
    "You must leave right now!" she directed him.  "You might be fired for this!  Just go, get in your cab and go right now!"
    A small crowd was already gathering.  Aunt Eleanor picked up her bag and walked steadily down the block in order to put an end to the scene.  Unfortunately, she found that walking was painful, but she wasn't going to let that cab driver endanger his job.  She told me she fet relieved when he drove off, and she was sure that no one would notice, she allowed her self to limp to her apartment.
    For once, she felt that her ankle was so painful it was only sensible to go to her doctor, who discovered that it was badly sprained.  He told her to keep her leg elevated and to put no weight on it for several days at least. 
    When she returned to Val-Kill Cottage in two day's time, I arranged a comfortable chair and footstool and low table for her in Tommy's living room where she could work.  She dictated her daily column to Tommy and worked at her mail.  She even allowed herself to take an occasional nap sitting upright, but she would not admit to anything more than inconvenience.  She tried to cheat, but the ankle really was painful when she tried to walk on it.
    When her son John came over from the Stone Cottage to see her, he laughed, then said, "Sorry Mummy, but it seems that sometimes you're just like the rest of us after all."
    Aunt Eleanor looked up at his considerable height.  "But, Johnny, I don't want to be just like the rest of you!"