Hubby Hiatus

My husband was born a hard worker. His working career started with a  job as a paper carrier then as a babysitter. His first full time job started at age 14 at the Icy Root Beer Stand.  And he has seldom stopped since then. He has been a pizza maker, print operator,a factory rat; working up the ladder to a position that is designed for a college degreed person.  He does not have that paper.  His desire to be a State Trooper stopped his college adventure due to a matter of height.  A giant to me, he was sadly a fraction of an inch too short for Illinois State Trooper qualifications at that time.  Without any other direction, he left college and entered the workforce with his father's recommendation, as a Machinist with Allis Chalmers.  Operating every machine he could train on, he became particularly adept at the up and coming NC machines, computer technology, just starting in the machining industry. Self taught on these machines, he was able to obtain a job with the government at a time when farm machinery production had started to decline and layoffs abounded.  Seamlessly, he continued on, working hard to provide for our one income family.  Relocation due to downsizing in the government facility that he worked for nearly 17 years, brought us to our present home on the cusp of 9/11.  His working world has not been the same since the crisis.  My Man, a most patriotic sort, has always felt that he had a call  to serve his country.  He missed Vietnam by mere months, so the work that he has done for his nation through artillery production, is  considered his mission for these past nine years.  .  I have understood from the start of the war, that he would work the overtime and do the long commute if he considered it his 'military service'.  And so it has been.  I let him go and let him do what he needs to do. But as our bodies age, the hard physical labor of the machinist and the stress of a supervisor, started taking its toll on his body. A myriad of symptoms and pains brought on tentative diagnosis.  One visit to an orthopedic surgeon brought the question, 'Mr. Cory, when did you break your back?'  Could he answer that?  No.  Somehow, in all the years of dangerous work,he had managed to break his back,.   So when Hubby is down, it is not only rare but it is downright scary.  He does not allow things like pain to get in the way of a goal or a plan.  Except last week.  The pinched nerve and bulging disc in his back had obviously done some pretty funky things to his extremities, specifically, his left foot.  Severe pain was keeping him from being able to walk well.  When Hubby calls in to work, saying that he does not know when he will be back, I take notice.  Every year, for decades, the amount of sick leave he's accumulated has been astounding.  And here he was, finally stating to his boss, 'I'll have to let you know when I'll be back, after I see my orthopedic doctor.'.....    We have enjoyed being able to keep in close contact on a 24 hour basis, something that rarely happens around here.  I enjoy knowing he is in the next room while I work,  Despite his pain and frustration at his inactivity, we have had a good time, just catching up each other with our lives that get separated by long hours.  Lots of thoughts on both our parts are going on too, those unspoken things about aging and the future; lots to dwell on......But in the meantime, we shall just enjoy each other's company on Hubby's Hiatus.....