Once upon a time there
were two ladies who had been friends for most of their lives. They
met at primary school, went through the giggles and general insanity
of the Teenage Hormone years together, kept the other one sane
at their respective weddings and were godmothers to each others'
various offspring.
Their friendship was uncomplicated. Sometimes months would go
by without one phoning the other; sometimes meetings for lunch
were few and far between. But they were always there for each other.
Their respective lives were busy and sometimes complicated, as
these things are, but when they met, there were never any reproaches
for months of silence. Just giggles and a lot of "Do You Remember…?"
- When you fell down the quarry?
- When we set that hedge on fire trying to make toast like the
Famous Five?
- When your Mum chased me with an umbrella?
- When I fell off Jane's pony and it trod on my bum?
- When you convinced me there was a witch behind
the dustbin and scared me half to death?
Although they were the
same age, they couldn't have been more
physically different…in fact they were like Tweedledum
and Tweedledee. One was short and square, the other tall,
lean and
willowy. Both were active in their youth, roaming for miles
together on foot or bikes, staying out from dawn till dusk,
if allowed;
only inside in bad weather. No computer games, no mobile
phones, telly only allowed in the evenings. They didn't
text each other,
they went round to call. They didn't play SuperNintendo
but Star Trek and Spiderman, running and jumping all day,
never
tired and
rarely ill. As they got older and had kids, the short one got wider but the
lean one stayed willowy. The short onebegan to exercise again as
the kids went their own ways, determined not to put any more weight
on.The lean one didn't bother. After all, she had no problem with
her weight.
The lean one was a good cook and a vegetarian. Her speciality
was homebaked cakes and cookies, which she loved. She never gained
an ounce.
The short one disliked cooking and couldn't bake. But she wouldn't
eat junk food because of the rubbish in it, so she developed a
short repertoire of easy, healthy recipes and ate fruit for pudding
with the occasional chocolate bar.
The short one persuaded the lean one to come to an exercise class.
The lean one got very out of breath and her legs ached for three
days afterwards. She didn't like the feeling, so she pretended
to be too busy to go again.
The short one booked them a riding lesson at a local stables;
they'd both been crazy about ponies and had ridden whenever they
could as kids. She loved the lesson and immediately booked another,
even though she was breathless and sweating.
The lean one said it made her back ache too much…
As more years passed, the short one stayed active. It became a
habit. She was still square and slightly wider round the middle,
but she could walk for hours with her big dog and not get tired,
dig in the garden and not feel weak, climb over a fence and not
feel unsteady. Her joints got a bit stiff, so she took up Pilates.
She felt better; going to class regularly stretched her muscles,
strengthened her spine and mobilised her joints. Her chronological
age meant nothing to her; she felt years and years younger than
she actually was. She didn't even mention the class to the lean
one.
The lean one got leaner and began to stoop. She had a little dog.
She walked it conscientiously because she was a good owner, but
it pulled very badly, and one day hurt her arm. The muscles took
ages to heal and were weak (she didn't like doing her physio exercises)
so, from then on, the short one walked both dogs. She put a harness
on the little dog and he soon realised that she was stronger and
more determined than he was. So he stopped pulling. But only for
her.
And the years passed….
The short one gained weight, but only slowly. She ate well and
healthily and loved her food. She kept up her active lifestyle
and went to Pilates religiously; the younger members of the class
were amazed at how strong and supple she was.
The lean one lost weight. Her joints ached and she had to give
up baking due to the stiffness in her hands. She wasn't really
bothered; she didn't have much appetite these days. She'd sit by
the window and wave to the short one as she marched briskly by
with her latest big dog. The little dog was gone now, and she'd
convinced herself she wasn't fit enough to have another.
In the autumn of their years, things came full circle. Both were
widowed, children long gone with families of their own. Grandchildren
visited and went on their way, intent on their own lives. The two
friends had time for one another once again. The short one came
round to call nearly every day, just as she'd done when they were
young. They spent from dawn till dusk together, roamed up hill
and down dale, visited all their old haunts, giggled and gossiped
and remembered.
The short one pushed the wheelchair…. |
