Chapter 8: Ella Visits the Shop

After Valerie’s departure, Lewis and Mike had had their usual hectic afternoon in the shop. As closing time approached the shop bell pinged. Lewis looked up to see Ella coming in. Spotting him she gave him a beaming smile. He went out from behind the counter to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Leading her through to the back room, he said, ‘I’ll be finished in a few minutes, can you make the two of us a coffee. Mike will come in and say hello but he’s not stopping.’

Returning to the shop, he served the last customer. Then as Mike locked the shop and put the closed sign up, he went through to Ella. There were two cups of coffee ready on the table, so he sat on the opposite side to her.

Mike came in a moment later, Ella stood up and shook hands. ‘Hi Ella,’ Mike said, ‘I’m just getting my things then I’m off home. Just let me tell you that I know you have a problem otherwise you wouldn’t be here. When I see Lewis next week, he will I’m sure tell me he has solved it for you but let me assure you he won’t tell me anything else.’

‘You should also know that I’ve lost count of the number of people who have come in here with what they feel is a mammoth problem weighting them down. They all go home with a spring in their step, light-hearted and happy. Good luck.’ he said giving her a big smile.

‘I’ll just go and lock the door behind him,’ Lewis said. They had a quick hug and kiss before Mike left. ‘Say hi to Valerie for me,’ Lewis told him.

‘See you next week,’ Mike said as he left. Lewis locked the door, leaving his keys in the lock.

Returning he sat at the table with Ella. ‘It’s nice to see you,’ he said giving her a smile. ‘The shop door is locked, and my keys are in the lock, so no one, not even Mike can come in and disturb us. We’ll have a chat as we have our coffee then you can decide if you want me to try to sort your problem out or if you just want me to walk you home.’

‘Now, if you decide to stay, I will ask you to lie on your front on the settee. I will massage your back from head to toe and back again whilst I get to know all about you. I will not ask you anything about your problem until you are much more relaxed with me.’

‘You heard what Mike said, but it’s not just Mike who I don’t tell. No one will ever know anything you say or do in this room unless you yourself tell them. Nothing you tell me will offend or embarrass me and I’m not here to judge you, just to try and help. No matter what stage we’re at, if you want to stop at any time you can do. If you leave before we’ve solved your problem, you will always be welcome to return and try again.’

‘Nothing we do will come as a surprise, I will tell you before I do anything and wait for your approval. Finally, I don’t yet know what your problem is. So, when I’m asking about you, I might inadvertently ask you something that connects with it. If you don’t feel ready to answer that question just yet, say pass. We can come back to it later.’

‘What have you been doing today?’ he asked as they sipped their coffee. ‘I did some shopping for my mum this morning,’ she told him, ‘Then after lunch I went for a long walk.’ ‘Walking is good for thinking, isn’t it?’ he said with a grin. ‘Things like should I go or not?’ She blushed wondering how he had guessed. She had spent most of her walk telling herself she needed to do something. She had liked Lewis from the start but equally she was convinced she couldn’t tell anyone. In the end giving it a try had won. Especially as she would get to walk home with him.

‘Clearly it was a good walk,’ he said, ‘For you are here. That’s always the hardest part, making a start.’

They had finished their coffees by now, so Lewis said, ‘If you want to start, go over, take your shoes off and lie on your back on the settee. I will come and sit on the edge and tell you all about the first stage. Then you can decide if you want to try it or not. If you want to leave it for today, just get up and go through to the shop and I’ll walk you home. Take your time, there’s no rush, everything is at your speed not mine.’

She sat still for almost a minute. Lewis sat patiently not looking directly at her. Then she got up, went over to the settee and sat down. Taking her shoes off, she lay down.

Lewis let her settle for a moment or two, then he went over and sat on the edge of the settee in his usual place. He smiled down at her. ‘Well done. Now in a moment I’ll ask you to turn over. When you do, I’ll put my hands on the back of your head and massage it. Then I’ll move down to your feet and back up again, massaging all the way.’

‘As I do, I will ask you all about your home, your friends, your family and lots of other things. Any you don’t feel able to answer just yet, say pass and I’ll move on. But remember that until I know all about you and have you completely relaxed with me, we can’t look at, let alone solve, your problem.’

‘Now, when you’re ready, make your decision.’ He turned away slightly so she didn’t feel pressured. A few moments later he felt movement on the settee. He waited until it has stopped then turned back. Ella was lying on her front.

‘Well done,’ he said. ‘Now I’m going to massage the back of your head. I won’t move down or ask any questions until you say go.’ He placed his hands on her head and massaged gently. She lay for a moment enjoying the sensation, then said, ‘Go.’ Lewis stayed on her head for a moment whilst he asked, ‘Tell me about your home and who lives there.’ Before she could reply, he moved down onto her shoulders and then massaged her back.

‘I live in a small, terraced house with my mum and my younger sister Gemma who is twelve. It’s a two bedroomed house so my mum has the small back bedroom. My sister and I share the front larger one. Mum works full time for a local DIY shop. She deals with all the paperwork and ordering. We have lived there for ten years.’

By now Lewis had gone down her back, over her cheeks and was going down her legs. ‘Tell me about your friends at your previous school,’ he asked as he carried on down. ‘There are two,’ she told him, ‘Joanne and Lucy. They are both the same age as me and as quiet and shy too. We got on well.’

‘Have you seen them since you changed schools?’ he asked as he started back up her legs. ‘Not yet,’ she told him, ‘It’s only been a week, but I expect to do so very soon. Although the next holidays are the most likely.’ Lewis was passing over her cheeks as she finished speaking. Then as he went up her back, he asked, ‘How far away from you do they live.’

‘They both live about three miles away, but in opposite directions.’ she told him. ‘Do they know why you changed schools?’ he asked as he returned to her head. ‘No.’ she replied as he massaged her head.

‘Ok, turn over.’ Lewis told her. Once she was settled, he said, ‘You’re doing well. Now I have just massaged every inch of your back. If you continue, I’m going to do the same on your front. And of course, I’ll be asking you more questions. By the time we deal with your problem, I’ll know just about everything about you there is to know.’

‘As before, I’ll massage your head but won’t move until you say go. He rested his hand on her head and started massaging, including a massage of her temples. She lay there enjoying feeling so relaxed for a few moments, then she said, ‘Go.’

‘As he massaged gently over her face,’ Lewis asked, ‘Who was your first boyfriend.’ As he came down onto her shoulders she said, ‘I haven’t had one yet.’ ‘Plenty of time yet,’ Lewis said, ‘I haven’t got a girlfriend yet either.’ As he spoke, he massaged over her breasts and onto her stomach.

He felt her tense up as he passed over her breasts, but she relaxed as soon as he had passed. ‘How did you get on with the other pupils at school apart from Joanne and Lucy?’ he asked as he moved down her stomach and over her abdomen.

‘Fine,’ she said, ‘I wasn’t what I would call friends with any of the others, but everyone was ok with me, and I never had any problems with any of them.’ As she finished speaking, Lewis was massaging over her lower abdomen. She tensed up again as he went over the area of her hairs, then relaxed as he moved onto her thighs.