The joyful crowd on the wall

The past few days had felt as if they were leading up to Christmas morning. In a few minutes, I'd be allowed to run to the tree. Her office had phoned to confirm that my hearing aids were waiting for me, just beyond her consulting room door. The joyful crowd on the wall joined me in willing that door to open again.

The young woman with the walking stick wore her hair in a ponytail, exposing splashes of bright colour at her ears. Red on her left, and green on her right. It was a little early for festive season decorations, so I continued: "Port and starboard?"

She beamed. "Are you here to see Maxie too?"

"Yes."

"She's awesome." She gestured to her starboard ear. "These protective sleeves were her idea. My boyfriend's one of the instructors at the Sailing Academy. They all got the joke and nobody's said anything about my stick either."