{Karlton Bontrager}

Tuesday night, around 11:30, I received text messages from Karlton telling me that he was unable to fall asleep, despite feeling so tired. Around the same time, I later heard that there was an aurora australis, though unfortunately, neither of us saw it.

On Wednesday, I arrived at ISIS quite late after having to run a number of errands. The evening before when I told Karlton that I wouldn’t be in until late, he was annoyed. It was a pleasant surprise, then, to find him playing backgammon quite contentedly with another patient.

By the time he finished that game, it was time for his acupuncture appointment. After his session, he wanted to go out for pizza. We were both curious to try the “New Delhi” pizza (containing yogurt, bananas, coconut, and curry sauce) at a restaurant in town. Karlton was intent on not having to wait for his food once he arrived, so he called in our order ahead of time. We both enjoyed the pizza, which didn’t taste nearly as strange as it sounded.

Then, we headed to the Arc Cafe, to try to track down Nina and Sam. Soon after we arrived, they showed up. They suggested that we check out a music show next door. Karlton called ISIS to clear things with them. The nurse he spoke to hadn’t even known that he was out of the ward and said that they’d been looking for him. But it was fine to stay out later. It turned out that the show was full, though.

So instead, we headed out to see a show called Fire and Ice. This show had performers that Karlton knew from Queenstown and was directed by Karlton’s friend Holly. It was an impressive performance that we all enjoyed, involving the twirling of various objects that were aflame. After the show, Karlton happily chatted away with his Queenstown friends, some of whom he hadn’t seen in several months.

When we returned to ISIS, he was concerned that he would be reprimanded for being out later than expected. Not so, however. Rather than head to bed, though, Karlton wanted to eat dinner and then check his email. He also informed me that he had a set of shoulder exercises to do in physiotherapy. This was good to hear, as it seemed that his arm hadn’t been getting as much attention as it might need. By the time I had helped him to bed, it was almost midnight. It was a long and eventful day for him, during which he did not at any time wear his sling. He looked quite tired when I left him. I hope that he slept better than he had the night before; I’m sure he needed the rest.