A younger model

🌹Thorny Thursday🌹

Jean had been having knee problems ever since she fell during a ride. The horse had bolted and thrown her off. “Idiots with their fireworks,” she had thought as she tried to get up. A friend had come to pick her up, and a groom from the stables had gone after the horse. She had been all right, Jean’s knee was not. 

She had had manual therapy, more therapy, hot packs, cold packs but nothing helped. Her GP had suggested a knee operation, “a new knee,” he had said. The thought of more therapy made her shudder, she couldn’t stay away from work for weeks. 

When a friend suggested a well-known osteopath, she had been reluctant at first, but then decided to give it a try. ‘Nothing to lose,’ she had thought.  

Dr Edward Miller, the osteopath, didn’t seem very sympathetic at first. “You’ve waited far too long, and now I can try and get you back on your feet,” he had told her. But he did what he could and after some time she started to feel better, and it wasn’t long before she could walk again without pain. She no longer needed Dr Miller’s help, but somehow she wasn’t as pleased as she had expected. 

When he had asked her out to dinner, Jean was surprised but also felt strangely happy. One dinner led to another, Edward took her out to the theatre, to concerts, and she often stayed at his place. 

As the months went by, she felt that the atmosphere had changed. He didn’t call as often as he used to do, seemed distracted and if they went for dinner, he wanted to get back early. 

Until the day that he came to pick her up to go to a concert, or so she thought. While they were on the Motorway, somewhere in between her town and his, he said that his feelings had changed. And that perhaps it would be better if they didn’t see each other for a while. 

Jean had wanted to get out there and then, but she couldn’t. She screamed, cried, yelled till they arrived at his house. She stormed upstairs to get the clothes and personal items she had kept there in the wardrobe, put them in a large bag, called a taxi to the station and left. 

Once she was home, she called her best friend and told her what had happened. She cried all night, couldn’t understand it. Felt heartbroken. She worked harder than ever, hoping to forget. One evening there had been an office party and when she left the restaurant she saw him…Edward. With a blond girl, half his age. They were hugging and kissing and didn’t see Jean, who hastily walked to her car. She had been exchanged for a younger model! It suddenly made her feel old. 

Months later, it was the office Christmas party, and Jean was about to leave when her phone rang. It was Edward. Could he please come round and talk? 

Jean hesitated one moment, then told him, “No, I don’t think so, there is nothing left to say.” She smiled as she touched the red button on her phone to end the call. There was a party waiting.