The outburst shook the house.

You fucking twat! You think that’s funny, do you? I’ll show you what’s fucking funny, you useless piece of shit!

He slammed his clenched fist down decisively onto the shocked pot of yoghurt. A fatal blow, the pot exploded, splattering remnants, lifeless, against every wall in the kitchen.

Even five years on from his stroke, Reg still found unpacking the shopping a challenge.

---

This is kind-of based on a true events.

After a stroke, there are all sorts of skills we need to remaster. Until we get to that point, life can be super-frustrating.

For example, because I was down to one hand, I struggled to put socks on. Try it, only using your weaker hand. (I’ll let you off the paralysed foot, too 🤣)

Never before been a problem. But just getting that coordination back, holding the sock open and getting it over the foot at the same time. So I would really lay into them. Really, no holding back. If you don’t like expletives, I’m sorry, I don’t either. But that’s how it is. I found myself screaming obscenities I hadn’t uttered since childhood. It sounds totally crazy, doesn’t it? All over bit of material? But I had all this pent-up frustration and would need to release it somehow.

Another example, I have taken scissors to perfectly good clothing before, just to “pay it back” for messing me around (another exercise, try fastening a zip one-handed!). Then calmed down, only to realise that I had destroyed that lovely designer hoodie, for example.

The practical point here was that I had to learn to keep scissors away from clothing. They live at the other end of the house, now, just in the hope I can calm down before I get to them. Because that urge can still happen.

And it’s only with the passage of time that I’m able to rationalise/verbalise this sense of frustration.

I never got as far as pummelling yoghurt, although I absolutely obliterated a bowl of porridge, once. Can’t remember why, even, it was so long ago. But it had committed some trivial infraction. Not only was cleanup a nightmare, but I then had to make breakfast all over again!