Help!

Fine movements have been becoming more problematic of late. You would notice this if you observed me putting a jacket on or taking it off or trying to do up buttons or a zip. You would also notice this when I try to take my shoes on and off or attempt to tie my shoe laces. The little movements that are necessary to do each of these tasks are simply no longer available to me. My brain knows what I need to do, my body simply will not respond. The result is that these tasks have become at best, challenging, slow and awkward to do and at worst, impossible.

However, the excitement of a shopping day in London, saw me in the changing rooms, trying on an array of potential new clothes. It had been a long time since I have been let loose in the shops and I was in a determined frame of mind. It was a noticeably slower process than ever before but with few time constraints, I was enjoying myself and so I persevered.

All was going well, until, in a very small fitting room cubicle, I tried on a lovely dress. Looking in the mirror, I decided it wasn’t for me and tried to take it off. With my arms in the air, the dress over my head, I suddenly realised that I couldn’t wriggle it up or wriggle it down. The fine adjustments and movements necessary to get the dress back over my head were not there. I was well and truly stuck. By this point, I was feeling a little uncomfortable and a touch claustrophobic, not to mention exposed. By anybody’s standards this had to be ranked as one of the least attractive looks imaginable and not a sight I wanted to inflict on anyone else. I tried a little longer to no avail, so had little option but to summon the fitting room assistant for help.

The very young shop assistant could not possibly ever be paid enough to compensate for having to rescue me from my predicament. When I opened the fitting room door and summoned her, I swear I heard her gasp in horror. Even with help, it required a fair amount of contortion, considerable manhandling and the help of one of her colleagues to get the dress off. When I was finally extracted from the dress, I couldn’t shut the fitting room door quickly enough in an attempt to hide my embarrassment. Putting my own clothes back on, I tried to regain some composure, before taking a deep breath and summoning the courage to venture out of the fitting room despite my sense of shame.

The fitting room assistant looked flustered and was quite possibly experiencing some post traumatic stress. She didn’t look me in the eye. I was trying my best to exit the fitting room as quickly as I could when her colleague shouted, ‘Will you be taking the dress?’ I thought you looked great in it!’ I could do nothing in response except look her in the eye and join in her laughter.

Now that I’m fully dressed, comfortable and relaxing at home, it’s easy to see the funny side but I somehow suspect that online shopping may be the way forward from now on……

Image Sources: ClipArt Library