by Carol Clark
With a year-round uniform of leggings and a tunic top, I’d never thought about what I’d wear if my leg were in a cast. A helpful nurse in the Brunswick, Maine Emergency Room answered that question by cutting off one legging above the knee. The loss of my favorite blue leggings was the least of my worries.
Yet I was lucky. The dislocated and broken ankle I caused by falling on our sailboat was “fixable.” But before the fix, I had to be taken off the boat (not really a rescue at sea; we were at a dock), spend a few hours in the ER, and then be driven three-hours home to Boston. I credit my husband, Bill, who without sleep managed everything. (His uniform, by the way, is a white shirt and jeans.)
Only after the successful surgery did I think about what I’d wear in the coming weeks of recovery. Leggings were out unless I wanted to cut the right leg off each pair. Reviewing my closet in my mind’s eye, I found not a single (now fashionable) pair of wide-leg trousers. But I did picture two candidates: an old black Babette crinkle pleated dress that slipped over the head and a zip-up-the-front Porto that was a tad short but possible. I wondered how these two dresses would hold up as I learned to dress myself while sitting down, to walk on crutches, to keep up with PT, and to go up and down stairs on my bum without advertising the color of my underwear.
Aside from these fashion concerns, could I learn to depend on my beloved husband as he became my sherpa, chef, chauffer, and coach, cheering me on as I hopping up and down the driveway as if training for the Boston Marathon: Crutch Division?
One dear friend, with a notable wardrobe, made a generous contribution: a perfect Beau Jours zip-front dress in the ideal length and a pair of fashionable wide length trousers. I now am well prepared for the long wait to weightbearing. And perhaps, in time, to consider a future change in uniform.