The New Job:
Part One:

Julius Vern got out of his five year old Honda and walked up to the apartment complex. He was a CNA with no experience in caretaking. He had worked as a nurses aid for two years in the pediatric unit at a hospital. He had hired on with a private caretaking company. He was paid a small salary to be expanded on commission. He was being sent out for this interview. All he knew was that she was 25, and had muscular dystrophy.

Julius was buzzed in and after knocking entered Condo 111. An alto female voice which sounded like it wanted to talk softly called "Come in it's unlocked!" He walked in, it smelled slightly of very slightly of dirty diapers and cinnamon, sugar, with fresh cut apples. He passed though the foyer with a closet and washer dryer setup on the left and the door to a bedroom on the right. Then he walked into the living area. There was an open living room/kitchen divided only by an island. He could see a private terrace out the sliding door. However he paid no attention to these details because he was looking at the client.

Julius had the assumption built into his head that she would be twisted, deformed and almost anorexic in appearance. Instead he found her propped up in her wheelchair on several pillows. Her head lolled to the left but was stopped by the wraparound headrest. She had brown hair and piercing green eyes. Her mouth was closed although it looked like it was being held up by the trach tube which was almost buried under her double chin. She was wearing a white tee shirt with the handicapped logo on it and "Free Rides" written on it. It had barely perceptible yellow stains in the armpits and across the chest. Underneath the shirt a black bra was rising and falling with the ventilator. She was wearing nothing below the waist but a diaper. Her legs hung lifelessly with fat bulging out as they pressed against the chair. They had no muscle tone at all.She said "I hope you don't mind but I am a casual dresser. Please sit. Do you want anything to drink? Because you'll have to get it yourself.""No thank you. Do you want my resume?""No. I want to find out if we'll live well together. I need 24 hour care so you can live in the bedroom just off the hall. First things first. What did they tell you?""Ma'am?Her face hardened slightly. "Please don't say that ever again. My name is Emma. Call me Emma. Now what did your boss, Steven Calliwell say about me.""Nothing special. He said that he had a potential employer for me and that...""Word for word!"Julius sighed. "He said 'Juls I've got a cripple for you to work for but don't get too attached because she''ll be dead in five years."Emma laughed. "That's really what he said all right!" She started coughing and gasped for a couple breaths until the ventilator caught up with her. She glanced at him but he was registering nothing but concern. "Where did you work prior to this?""The Pediatric Wing at St. Judes.""Alright. I'm going to be serious now. I can't breath, feed, bathe or clothe myself. I can't control my bowels or bladder. I need someone who can manhandle me around this apartment, cook for me, and help me with anything I ask. I watch football occasionally. So now is the time for the resume.""Okay. I can do everything you said. I don't know if you have a g-tube or not but I can care for those too. I can sort of cook, enjoy football and don't mind living in."Emma thought. There was silence in the room except for the ventilator humming. Finally Emma said "When can you start?""Whenever you need me too.""Tonight too soon?""No.""Great. We'll have Pizza for dinner. However before you go can you help me change out of these clothes. They were just to see if you got disgusted by me before we started talking. I can be hard to handle and anyone grossed out by pit stains won't last long when it comes to diapers and my, well, fat folds."Julius thought for a moment as he followed her toward the master bedroom which was located to the left of the entrance and bathroom. Then he said "Am I officially hired or do I need to do probation and training?""My other caretaker walked out on me today the bitch. So I got my brother to come and help me put these clothes on. I'll tell you what to do as we go along."Julius grinned. This could be interesting.