It was the last day of the month and what a month it had been.
Sally had been tortured at the gym with her new routine that left her aching in places she didn’t know existed. Her body felt welded to the bed. If there was an app for everything, she needed an energy boost pronto. Unfortunately her phone came up short on this one.
Lolly, her instructor, looked like she wouldn’t break a sweat climbing Kilimanjaro. Sally didn’t want buns of steel or a six pack she just wanted to feel fit and healthy. Her torturer didn’t seem to speak her language.
Ok she signed up to the classes with only slight coercion. It was her response to looking at herself in a changing room mirror that did it. She wondered how the body she knew had taken on such alien attributes.
Her husband Scott had done all the platitudes and reassurances that told her he thought it didn’t matter and he loved her whatever but it didn’t help. She wasn’t a yummy mummy and the days of wolf whistles were long gone she knew that but Sally wanted to feel like herself again and was exploring ways of doing that.
She was debating texting Lolly to say she wanted to cancel when Scott appeared. He handed her a tray. An envelope laid next to her usual healthy breakfast.
‘What’s this?’
‘Can’t I bring you breakfast in bed?’
‘It’s not my birthday, but it’s a lovely surprise thank you.’
‘What’s in the envelope?’
‘Open it and see.’
Sally did as she was instructed, pulling out two bits of card.
One was a block booking for Yoga and Pilates classes. The other was a set of monthly full body massages.
‘Thank you.’
She pulled him as close as the tray would allow and kissed him.
‘I spoke to Lolly; told her you were finding this circuit stuff too much and asked her if you could use your credits for something less exhausting. She suggested this.’ Scott ran his hands through his hair. ‘You can swap it for something else if you want, they do dancing, swimming, aerobics … all sorts, she said you can book one session at a time if you want so you can do whatever you feel like doing, even this blasted circuit training, I hope you don’t mind me interfering…’
Sally ate a spoonful of fruit.
‘Not at all. I’m very lucky to have such a caring husband.’
‘I thought the massages might help. I can get a refund or you can get your nails done or something if you’d rather do that …’
‘No refunds. A monthly massage sounds wonderful. You can join me if you like…’
Scott rolled his eyes.
‘Let’s not get carried away. Eat your breakfast and I’ll see what movies I can find to watch when you finally get up.’
She threw a pillow in his direction, but he was already at the other side of the closed door.