One Too Many--a Tale of An Aging Chick

Not Yet

(A Tale of an Aging Chick)

"Lornda!  You've got to hold her up a little better. Her foot is dragging along the floor." Joy grunted as they hoisted Pat up a little higher and made their way to the dressing room.

"I told you, dear. That high kick at the end of the routine is getting to be a little too much for you." 

"Okay." Joy grunted as they reached the chair in front of Pat's dressing table. "Put her down gently.  That's it." Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Are you okay, hon? Can I get something for you?" 

Pat assured Joy she would be fine after a little rest. "I'm not going to let a little thing like a sprained hip stop me. You know me better than that."

"What I know is that you cannot possibly go back out on that stage anytime soon. Three weeks bed rest, minimum." 

"Joy, just when did you get a medical degree?"

"Since the last trip to the emergency room, when the doctor told you to slow down. He encouraged you to stay active but said the dance moves might not be so good for your joints." 

"Why don't both of you just say what you're thinking?  I'm getting too old for this." Her feathers were ruffled, and angry tears flowed down her face. Her body reminded her that she had pushed herself as a young chick, wanting to prove her talent to the world. A pulled muscle here, a torn ligament there, a couple of broken wings. Once you had a few years under your belt, they all came back—everyone of them—to remind you of your youthful foolishness. 

"Look, girls, I promise to let you know when it's time to replace me."

"Replace? Don't talk like that, silly girly!"   

"Yeah, Pat, you know no one could replace you," Lornda echoed.

"You girls might as well face facts. I can be replaced, and you darn well know that, but I'm doggone sure I've got another kick or two in me. I just need a couple of days to nurse this nuisance of a hip. Then I'll be out there, good as new."

"What about tomorrow night's show?" 

"Well, girls, I've been thinking about that. There is a young rookie that could use some practice while I'm mending.  That is, if you girls are willing to help a young chick get some experience."

Lornda and Joy knew exactly who Pat had in mind, and she was right. Missy was good. She had the agility and tenacity, but that wasn't enough in this business. You had to grow an extra layer of feathers if you wanted to survive. Stage life was a tough life. She would have to build the stamina to work long hours and deal with wise-cracks from leering roosters. Yeah, Pat was right about that one. She had the markings of a winner. 

Lornda broke the silence. "Well, hon, we better get you home so you can rest that hip. The sooner you get better, the sooner we Three Chickadees will be back out there in the bright lights and the whistling throng of fans." 

                             

~A.J. Lyle~ Lornda~ House of Martell ~

Pat ~ Rejoice always!

The prompt was "One Too Many." We had one day to write an entry. This was my second attempt at writing a story in one day. This was for a blogging contest that Kiya ran during WDC's 11th Birthday Celebration. I had panicked the first day that I had to come up with a story in one day. The Chickadees served me well the first time around, and I thought they had one more good story left. By the way, Team Chickadees won the GRAND prize for the contest! If you would like to read the first entry, please click on the link below:

A Forgotten Birthday--A Chick Flick  [E] #1807421 A blog entry for Kiya's WdC's 11th Birthday Bash Blog Contest by Pat ~ Rejoice always!

  The Prompt for that day was "A Forgotten Birthday."