A59521 DDAI SteeringWheel23 - Flipbook - Page 26
Judge by ability, not disability
The Healing
Continued...
feeling about this seminar. She lay face down on the
table. She closed her eyes and loosened her clothing.
She didn’t know what brought on the tears. ‘What did
I say?’ asked Noel. He always hated mysteries.
The massage began. She gasped at his 昀椀rst touch. It
was a long time since any man had touched her. It
was all the more di昀케cult for her to believe that the
hands moving over her body belonged to Noel. Then
she became aware of his con昀椀dence. No hesitation.
He followed the instructions to a tee. She lay there
and allowed her body to relax. The massage was
over too soon. Her head reeled getting down from
the plinth. Her turn. Poor Noel. She couldn’t
perform as well as he had. She felt awkward, but she
remembered that she was to work at an even pace.
That was all very 昀椀ne to know that but she could not
pass the message on to her hands. Noel was lying
quite still but her 昀椀ngers 昀氀uttered about as if he had
suddenly become one of the Untouchables. And she
after waiting 昀椀fteen years for a moment such as this
to come about. ‘Baa boom, baa boom,’ she heard Bob
whisper in her ear. Noel directed her moves. ‘Baa
boom, baa boom,‘ she repeated in her mind. With
the mantra ringing in her ears she got started. Ellen
wasn’t sorry when Bob wound up the session.
‘Nothing to do with you,’ she replied. When he still
looked unconvinced, she added, ‘waterfalls always
make me cry.’ For the 昀椀rst time Noel looked about to
give her his shoulder to cry on. Without much more
talk they drove back to Amythest.
In the kitchen, during the preparation, cooking and
eating of the meal, they talked about super昀椀cial
things. That evening though, Noel asked Ellen if she
would come with him to Powerscourt Waterfall.
‘What’s your interest in massage?’ he asked when they
reached the waterfall. The spectacular view didn’t
seem to make an impression on his conscience. ‘Selfinterest really,’ Ellen replied. ‘I’ve Meniere’s Syndrome,’
she was glad when he didn’t press her for details.
‘What’s your interest?’ ‘I do healing massage now,’ he
said. ‘I thought I had discouraged you from doing that
years ago,’ she said. ‘Why?’ He had never asked her
that then.
‘I didn’t like the idea of you massaging fat, forty year
old ... I’m really one myself now.’ ‘You’re not fat. And
you haven’t a grey hair in your head.’
‘The hairdresser camou昀氀ages them well.’
‘I once only wanted to do massage for the money.’
‘And now?’ ‘I care about people’s health.’ They were
silent for a while. ‘Can I do shiatsu on you later?’ he
asked. Sure,’ Ellen said without thinking.
She had always said ‘sure’ to Noel. She began to cry.
26
Around the therapy room, people practised
re昀氀exology, shiatsu and various kinds of massage.
Noel sat cross-legged beside where Ellen lay on
the 昀氀oor. She felt a soreness as he pressed on her
eyebrows. Then his 昀椀ngers moved to other places.
She giggled as he pressed on a pressure point on her
buttock. Noel didn’t seem to notice her mood. As if
he was back driving the car, he concentrated on his
task.
‘I just massage to the threshold of pain, and a bit
beyond,’ he said as his 昀椀ngers began to knead her
昀氀esh. As she continued to giggle she bit her lip.
Whether he knew it or not this man was an expert in
bringing her to the threshold of pain.
When it was bedtime Ellen went to her room. It had
the bareness of a cell. She felt like a novice in a
convent. She pushed her mattress nearer the window.
As she did so, a curtain fell from its rail. There was a
chair in the room, but she was nervous of standing on
that. Just then there was a knock on the door.
‘Are you alright?’ Noel asked. Ellen pointed to the
fallen curtain.
‘I’m the right man, in the right place,’ he said.
He had used to say that often. He stood on the chair
and 昀椀xed the curtain on its rail. His body was long
and slender. She recalled how she had loved dancing
with him. She left her sleeping-bag open. He sat on
the mattress beside her.
‘Angela needs me’, he said simply. ‘She drinks and
she’s on tranquillisers.’ Ellen didn’t reply.
He continued, ‘I’ve never wanted to be unfaithful,
except with you.’
‘Did you hear what Bob said?’ asked Ellen. ‘What?’ he
snapped. He still hated surprise questions.
‘Bob says that verbiage gets in the way,’ she said.
‘That’s what Bob says.’ Giggling, she drew Noel to her.
