i never got to finish growing
in the sixth grade i developed a condition. my left hip joint slipped out of socket (common in fat kids, they said) and only surgery could fix it.
he cut me open, put my joint back right, pinned me up.
about a year later he told me i was fixed, he could take the pin out. i didn’t know that was an option.
i had another surgery, he removed it, he let me keep it. i still have it.
shortly after that surgery the symptoms returned. after getting a second opinion, we learned that my joint had fallen out of socket again and i would need another surgery to replace the pin.
my mother suspects it never should have been removed in the first place, but that my doctor wanted to perform another surgery to get more money from the insurance company.
after my pin was replaced, my left leg stopped growing. they told me it died, and i would need a surgery to prevent my right leg from continuing to grow so that the difference wouldn’t get any bigger and cause any further problems. i have scars on my right knee, i wonder if i’m supposed to hide them.
my legs are actually about an inch apart. i say i am five foot six or five foot seven, depending on which leg i’m standing on, and i walk with a limp if you look closely enough. but few people actually ask me about it.
i’m short. my growth was forcibly stopped in the eight grade. i never got to finish growing.
