Pampered

She sat there, depleted

Chores, chores and more chores

No rest until everyone had

gone to bed.  Too exhausted to

sleep, she collapsed on the sofa

eyes closed, ears alerted to the

stillness.  When had her life

become so joyless and tiring?

 

It began when she had to care

of her mother who was suffering

from Parkinson’s until she had

no choice but to place her in a

nursing home.

 

Guilt plagued her, especially

when she saw her mother,

looking so frail in the wheel-

chair and her face brighten

whenever she visited.  She spent

hours with her, talking to her,

reminiscing about the good old

times and reading to her.  She

brought flowers to brighten her

room and did her laundry.

 

Her life consisted work,

church and the nursing

home.  It was at the nursing

home where she met David, the

man she would fall in love with

and marry.

 

David’s father, a widower had been

in the nursing home for a couple of

years.  He too was confined to a

wheel chair but that didn’t dampen

his spirits.  He was a very upbeat man.

He would sing hymns and read His

Bible every day.  When he met her

mother, they became very good friends.

 

Two years later, David and she got

married in the chapel at the nursing

home so that their parents could be

there.  The honeymoon was a two week

Mediterranean cruise.  When they

came back, they bought a house

in the country.

 

A couple of months later, they had

twins. And that was when life as she

once knew it changed.  She had a

family to take care of now and

they took precedence over

everything else.  She had no

time for herself and was always

on the go.

 

By the time David got home, she

was frazzled and totally exhausted.

The twins had finally settled down

and she barely managed to wash her

face and fix herself before

she sat down to have dinner

with her husband, thankful

to have adult conversation.

 

Things had become a bit

strained between them

because she was too tired

to make love and most

nights he went to bed

before she did.

 

Now, she lay on the couch

trying to figure out how

she could change things

so that everyone got what

they wanted.  She wanted a

break.  She wanted to be

able to have some me time

and pamper herself with-

out feeling guilty about it.

 

Just then, David came into

the living -room, clad only

in his pajama pants.  He looked

really good because he had been

working out.  She felt desire stir

in her and she got up from the

sofa.

 

Not saying a word, she put

her arms around his neck

and buried her face in his

chest.  She felt him hold her

tightly and she closed her

eyes.

 

They stood like that

for a long time and then,

he drew back to gaze down

at her.  “I’m going to stay home

with the twins tomorrow while

you go and treat yourself to a

day at the spa.”

 

She stared at him, hardly

believing what she was hearing.

“A day at the spa?” she repeated.

 

He nodded.  “Yes, Honey.  I know

how challenging it has been for

you taking care of the kids, the

house and me.  This is just my

way of saying thank you and

how much you are appreciated.”

 

Tears sprang to her eyes.  And she

hugged him tightly.  “Oh, David.

Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

She drew back and taking his

hand, she said, “Let me thank

you properly,” she murmured

huskily before she led him

to the bedroom.

 

For once in her life she was

going to be pampered so

she planned to enjoy every

second of it.  And the best

part, was she wouldn’t

feel guilty about it.