After a cycling accident left my husband, Ralph, a quadriplegic, I had a furtive fear that, given the opportunity, I might bolt. I might up and leave him and all his problems. Like a deer avoiding an oncoming vehicle, I’d dash away and disappear forever into the safety of a thick, impenetrable forest.
It’s been nine years since Ralph’s accident. I haven’t had too many opportunities to run. Except for occasional help from Ralph’s twin brother, Richard, I’ve been Ralph’s primary caretaker. When Richard comes at Christmas, I go to New Jersey to visit my relatives. At Easter I journey by bus to Mexico and hang out with old friends. On Thanksgiving I pitch a tent with my brother at Sunnyside Campground in Yosemite Valley.
