Petey

Over the course of Petey’s life at Warm Springs and then at Bozeman Nursing Home, Petey is never alone, but he is frequently lonely and isolated. On the men’s ward, he is constantly surrounded by other people in a crowded, loud, and chaotic environment. Patients and staff alike contribute to the busyness of the atmosphere, but Petey has no attachments to any of them. Unable to move independently and hindered in his ability to communicate with others by both his physical disability and the lack of patience with and interest, Petey is trapped in place in his own mind. Even the proximal intimacy of his relationships with those caregivers who assist him with every task and see to all of his physical needs does not serve to breach any emotional barriers. The majority of the people on staff perceive Petey as an entity and not a person with thoughts and feelings. It is the quality of the genuine connections and friendships Petey makes over the course of his life that make a significant impact upon him. Until Calvin makes the effort to engage with him, only Esteban had considered there might be more to Petey than everyone presumed.