Paperwork left along the way

 Eleanor sits on edge of a raft as two men slept, one is a patient of hers and another someone who has attached himself to Zach - for some unknown reason - since Zach escape.  Eleanor decides to pull her case notes out of her handbag and begins to write in her case files by the moon's light.  

"Subject (Patient) Self!

It was just over a week ago that I had a comfortable position with the retirement home as social worker.  I enjoyed the patients whom I worked with at the nursing home and was convinced that they were all in the place where they would be the safest.  Everybody but our Down Syndrome patient, Zack, agreed with us that they had reached maximum capacity for 'normal' living and needed the structure.  I was good  at my job.  Having made straight A's at Smith College in the social work field.  I was one of their best employees. By that I mean, I followed rules.

Unfortunately, Zach made up his own mind that by living in this 'cage' he would never discover the gifts and talents he believed he had.  I humored him by letting him watch The Salt Water Redneck's wrestling matches. Zach was a precious man who didn't understand that his deformities would make him unable to be the "hero" he wanted to be so badly. Salt Water Redneck was his idea of a hero! What a laugh.

So Zach escape the asylum one night in his underwear and my boss told me that I was in charge of finding him rather than calling the state, which was my preference.  I finally found him drunk on a  beach.  I threatened his new side-kick with kidnapping Zach.  Until Tyler asked me, "What do you want for his life."  I was silent.  Should I have expected goals for a down-syndrome patient?  We had never spoke of goals for any of our patients.  Our care was all they needed, or so I thought.  

But it was apparent that Zach was breaking through the circumference prescribed by people who didn't think he was capable for living a living on his own. But I have to admit, I could tell by the passion Tyler (the side-kick) had for him and the way he spoke with him, that he saw Zach as he would  anybody else.   Over time,  Zach discovered his noble self, his "good heart" by protecting us -his family-until we all felt in fine company and hoped our best selves would see us through this experience. Could my confidence equal their's?  

I've never been on a raft before.  Zach threw my company car keys in the ocean.  What would a Smith girl do?  Call the officials!   But, in truth, I am enjoying being in the middle of the ocean with two characters.  I need to be free as much as Zach does, and I suspect Tyler does too.  I haven't been used to having any independent thought.  It was trained out me.

However, living among these two "gentlemen" I feel so free.  So we are on our way to a boxing school for Zach. I only hope Salt Water will find the courage to work with our down-syndrome hero.

We are all, at present, pushing past what we and others have thought was best for us and, I must say, it's all very exciting!