the picture - The Bathrobe

Jim stood in front of his bedroom mirror
he had on his blue bathrobe
the one his mom had given him for his 12th birthday

it was made of cashmere
and was soft and cuddly to the young boy's skin

it clothed him fully
and buttoned up to his chin
with just a breath of a space around his neck

jim looked in the mirror
and soft brown eyes peered back at him

the bathrobe came down to his ankles
and a wide blue belt went through a loop on
each side of his waist and tied in a big knot
five inches above his belly button

the flaps of the belt hung down his middle
and reached down to his knees

jim's hands smoothed the material where the
pockets met on the bathrobe
one on each side.

and Jim thought
a funny thought
these pockets had been sewn on this bathrobe with loving care
and the thought lay there for a moment familiar and unfamiliar
and then the thought scampered away

jim's gaze fell downward and
his eyes fell upon his ankles and he saw how skinny
they were

looking closer he saw that his right ankle was more like
a stickbone and not a human bone at all.


his left ankle looked familiar to him
but not the right one
no, not the right one
the right one seemed foreign and alien

jim scratched his forehead

"maybe it wasn't his" jim's 12 year old mind thought

"it could be somebody else's",
a voice in his head said.

"no" said jim
"it's part of me, I just am not used to it."

"how can anyone get used to a stickbone ankle,"
said the voice

jim shook his head
"ridiculous
you are not real, go away"

again jim blinked his eyes and looked in the mirror
there it was again that same strange familiar feeling
right ankle
left ankle
right ankle, left ankle
familiar unfamiliar

there was a knock at the bedroom door
and a soft voice, said,
"supper is ready,
may I come in?"

jim nodded and as the young girl entered the room
the reflection in the mirror nodded to her
and the girl's soft brown eyes smiled back at Jim

the young woman smelled of wind and air
and jim breathed her in deeply
she smelled like that fresh smell when you
took in dried clothes off the clothesline on a brisk fall day

jane said, "why, Jim, you have that old bathrobe on.
don't you want to put your new clothes on."

jim shook his head from side to side

jane looked at the reflection in the mirror.
and brown eyes met brown eyes
same smiling eyes
you could tell they were related

"jim, sit a moment."

the old man sat
and his 90 year old frame hugged the rocker

"rest a moment", said jane
"then we'll eat."

"jane,"
surprise registered on the girl's young face
as jim had not spoken in 20 years
diagnosed with alzheimer's
he lived here for the last 10 years

"the bathrobe,
the bathrobe."

"yes," said Jane.

"my mother was a seamstress."

and then the old man passed away.