Holly

Chapter One

WANTED- Earn $3000.00 in six weeks + bonus. Reputable medical testing company needs short term subjects for R&D testing. Call: (xxx)xxx-xxxx

I took another sip of coffee and read it for the third time. Hmmmm, three thousand dollars sure could solve a lot of my problems, I thought. My name is Holly Bronson, and the day I read that ad was the start of quite an adventure for me. I had just moved to Los Angeles from Dayton Ohio in hopes of fulfilling my lifelong desire of becoming an actress, but so far, in the month I had been here luck was just not on my side. Not that I was giving up, no, not at all, I was positive that I had the talent. What I was giving up was the money! I hadn’t expected things to be as expensive as they are here and I HAD to find a way to give my dreams enough time to give it a good try.

Soooo, I called the number and made an appointment, 2:00 this afternoon would be fine, the lady said. All kinds of things were running through my mind. I had already decided that I wouldn’t do it if it involved any experimental drugs or shots, that scared me. But the lady said it didn’t and that the testing is perfectly safe. She sounded nice, and very professional on the phone so what could I lose by keeping the appointment, just to find out?

The sign on the door read Martin-Olgelvie Orthopedics, R&D. The receptionist gave me a clipboard with a questioner to fill out. Well, OK I thought, after all I guess it is a job application, so I sat down and started answering the questions. The waiting room was very professional looking and as I glanced around I noticed some framed photos on the wall of the products that the company makes. There was a picture of a man with some kind of back brace, another was a woman wearing a leg brace, and seven or eight others. On the bottom of each was “Martin-Olgelvie Orthopedics Inc.” Each brace had a name, the man’s back brace was called “The Malibu” All the others had the same sort of cutsy names, like you would feel like you were at the beach at Malibu if you were wearing that back brace, uh-ha! Right!

“Miss Bronson, you can come in now” I recognized the lady’s voice as the one I spoke to on the phone that morning. She introduced herself as Valerie Bennett as we walked down the hall, she impressed me as being very friendly but business-like at the same time. We entered a very comfortable looking office and she offered me a seat as she went behind the desk. “Would you like a cup of coffee or a soft drink? I’m going to have one.” My first thought was to say no because I was a little nervous and just wanted to get down to what I had to do to get the money but she seemed so friendly, and her smile really seemed to make me relax a little. So we had coffee.

Miss Bronson sounds so formal, do you mind if I call you Holly? I said it sure would make me feel better, nobody ever calls me Miss Bronson. OK, she said, then you have to call me Val, deal?

She was making me feel more comfortable by the minute. We talked about me for a while, about why I was in California, what my dreams are, even my financial situation. I found that I was really starting to like Val, she seemed to be very interested in me and my ambitions of becoming an actress.

OK Holly, I know you are dying to know what this is all about so let’s start with the company. Martin-Olgelvie Orthopedics is one of the oldest manufacturer of orthopedic supports and braces in the country, and one of the largest. We sell to doctors and hospitals all over the world. We have a complete design department and we are always trying to improve our products. When we develop a new design, it’s imperative that before it goes on the market, it must be fully tested for things like comfort, wearability, how it holds up to daily use, does it cause any chafing to the skin, and a whole lot of other considerations before we feel we can offer it as a new product. We have just developed a new brace, it’s called a C.T.L.S.O. Another name for it is Cervicothoracic Lumboscral Orthosis, Don’t worry Holly, you won’t be tested on remembering the name! What we need, is a person who will wear this new brace for a period of six weeks. If selected, it will be custom fitted for your own body, you will have to agree to wear it all day, every day and all night, every night. You will come into our lab every morning, seven days a week at 10:00 am. At that time it will be removed, cleaned and checked for any wear or tear. You will be checked also for any redness or undue discomfort, then you will be guided through a thirty minute exercise program by one of our physical therapists to make sure that your muscles stay in good condition. You will also have the opportunity to shower. This should take about an hour of your time each day. when you are finished the brace will be put back on and you can be on your way. There will be small seals put on the fasteners to insure that the brace hasn’t been removed between checks. We have to do this to insure the integrity of our testing. Now I want you to know that you may quit at any time, and you will be paid up until that time at the rate of $500 per week, you will get a check each Friday. You also should know that we would rather not start all over with someone else, so we will include a bonus payment of two thousand dollars if you complete all six weeks. Holly, I have interviewed several other applicants but I think you are a perfect subject for the testing, I want you to go home and think about it, don’t make a hasty decision, it won’t be the most pleasing experience of your life but perhaps if you decide to accept, the money will help you in your desire to become an actress.

I’ll call you in the morning.

Chapter Two

So many unasked questions were swimming through my mind as I drove home, like just what is a S.T.O……T.O.L….I didn’t even remember what she said the brace was called. I didn’t even ask what kind of brace it is! All I was thinking was that the money I could make if I could go the whole six weeks would be the answer I was looking for. Lets see, hmmmm, my living expenses are $250.00 a week, if I can do all six weeks that’s five thousand dollars. Six weeks times 250 is fifteen hundred dollars, that’s thirty five hundred left over. That buys me uhh, ten weeks more! But what kind of brace is it? How uncomfortable will it be that they would pay someone five thou to wear it for six weeks? It was driving me crazy all night. The next morning as I was having coffee I decided that since six weeks is just a short time in my life and although I hadn’t really definitely made up my mind, I did decide that I really wanted to know more, after all it’s a big company, they seem very professional and I really liked Val. I guess you could say I was talking myself into it!
The phone rang at 9:15, it was Val. “Good morning Holly,” I could hear the smile in her voice. “I bet you did a lot of thinking since we talked yesterday, and that you have a thousand questions.” Well…..I said, you must be a mind reader, yes I would like to ask exactly what kind of brace this is and what it looks like and… Val interrupted me with a laugh. “Holly, it sounds to me like you have decided that you would like to give it a try, right?” Well, yes, I think so but I guess I just need to know a little more before I say yes. I will tell you this Val, I’m a very determined person when I decide to do something, so If I agree to this it’s for the whole six weeks. “Why don’t you come back to my office later this morning, say about noon? I’ll try to answer all your questions, and even let you try a prototype of the brace on, that will give you a good idea what you’re getting yourself into, then you can decide, ok?”
I was a little early but the receptionist said I could go right in. Val was waiting at the door to her office with that same friendly smile. “Come on in Holly, nice to see you again.” I sat down on the couch and she sat across from me. “Ok, from talking to you on the phone this morning, it’s apparent that you have pretty much decided to do this but you just need to know exactly what a C.T.L.S.O. brace is, right?” Well Val, there you go again! Were you a mind reader in a former life? We both laughed. “Holly, a C.T.L.S.O. brace is used by orthopedic specialists when there has been an injury to the spine, involving the lower or middle part of the spine and also the neck. This type of brace is used when the doctor deems it necessary to immobilize the entire spinal column. In the past, this kind of brace has been bulky, hot, heavy and very uncomfortable. We have just developed a new version of this brace, it’s made out of a very thin inner layer of titanium, with an outer layer of graphite, it is lined with a hypo-allergenic layer of very soft material which keeps perspiration away from the skin as much as possible. The titanium, combined with the graphite makes the brace very strong and rigid, which is necessary to keep the spine immobile, at the same time it is much lighter than anything on the market today. The best part is that it is very form fitting and not bulky at all. this means that most clothing can be worn over the brace. In the past, a person wearing a C.T.L.S.O. had to go out and buy clothing two sizes larger, but not anymore. Now don’t get me wrong Holly, it’s not a picnic wearing a brace like this but believe me, it’s much better than in the past. The brace will begin at your hips and go all the way up to your chin in the front and up your spine in the back, all the way to the back of your head. Your head will be held erect, and immobile, at first it will seem like your head is tilted too high but that will pass as you become more used to it.
Now, just to give you an idea what it’s like to wear the brace, we have a prototype here that I think will fit you. If you decide to accept our offer one will be made to the exact specifications of your own body. Would you like to try it on?” Well, sure, I said, I guess I need to find out before I make my final decision huh Val? Val laughed. “Don’t worry Holly, you really will get used to wearing it and when it’s over you will be glad you made the decision, I’ll go get it, you take off your top and skirt, don’t worry your privacy will be respected at all times, I’ll be right back.”
Well, I’ll try it on, I thought, but I had already pretty much made mind up. It didn’t matter how uncomfortable it was, I figured it was worth it if it financed me here in California a while longer. Val opened the door and walked in with the brace, it didn’t look like much, some flesh colored, plastic-looking pieces with straps. “Here it is Holly” Val said, “I’ll show you how it goes on. There’s a front and a back, turn around, ok the back part goes here on your hips and against the back of your head, then the front goes on, like this.” The front piece wasn’t as bad as I thought, uh, until Val picked up the chin piece, that I hadn’t noticed. “Ok Holly, now move your head back until it rests against the head piece.” Val deftly attached the chin piece to the front of the brace and slid it up under my chin until it was snug, but not really tight. “Ok, that looks about right, how does it feel?” I moved a little, tried to turn my head, nothing! I felt like Robby the robot. I walked around the room. “Wow! This thing sure does the job!” I said.
“Well Holly, the most important quality about this new design is that it must be made to your own exact dimensions, of course this one isn’t so the one we make for you will fit better, that way there will be no room for any movement, reducing the chance of chafing and irritating your skin almost completely. The only difference will be that the one we make for you will have a head band as well, we want to test it with all the optional attachments.” I sat down on the couch, and when I leaned back, I was looking at the ceiling! Val laughed. “Hey! What’s so funny?” I laughed back. “Well Holly, as you can see, there will be a few adjustments you will have to make. Cushey couches and chairs will have to be avoided, here, try this chair.” She pulled over a rather straight backed chair. I tried to get up to try it out but that was easier said than done. “Whew! I see what you mean Val.” With a struggle, I got myself off the couch and sat in the chair, it was much better.
“Here Holly, put your skirt and top back on and take a look at yourself in the mirror.” Another chore! I couldn’t look down to see what I was doing but I finally got my skirt on and pulled the top over my head, I walked over to the mirror to take a look. The only part that I could see was the chin piece, it was flesh colored but still very apparent, it came up to about an inch below my lower lip and wrapped around my jaw, but was pretty much form-fitting. I tried again to move my head up, down, side to side….nothing. I tried bending, twisting….nothing.
“Holly, before you make your final decision, I want you to know that people will stare at you and treat you differently, it’s just human nature I guess, so just to give you an idea of this we are going out to lunch, my treat, ok?” “Well…sure, I never turn down a free lunch” I laughed. “Great, I know a wonderful little pub with great burgers, come on, I’ll drive of course.” So, down the elevator we went and out into the main lobby. I was feeling a little strange with all the people around, and Val was right, I could see people looking but they would look away as soon as our eyes met. I imagined that the people off to my side or behind me were looking too but I couldn’t see them. We went out the door into the parking garage and when we got to Val’s car she unlocked my door and told me to be very careful getting in because I would have to do it a little differently so that I don’t bump my head and I’m glad she warned me!
The restaurant was just a few blocks away and it was just a nice little bar & grill. We went to a booth and I slid in, not unaware, out of the corner of my eyes, of the stares. “Hi girls!” the waitress said, “Heavens! what happened to you honey?” She said it with a certain amount of sympathy. I had to think quick. “Well, I was white water rafting in Colorado and we sort of crashed, so I’ll be playing Darth Vader for a while.” I laughed, she laughed and I felt a little better because I think everyone else in the place heard it too. We ordered burgers and iced tea and I relaxed a little. “Holly, that was a great performance! You’re going to make a good actress, and that’s exactly what you need to do to put yourself at ease when these situations arise.” “Val, do you mind if I smoke?” I said as I reached for my purse. “Of course not Holly, I’m a smoker too.” I had to feel through my purse for my cigarettes, but couldn’t find them in all the clutter and couldn’t look down to see what I was doing so I had to put my purse! on the table in front of me and kind of bend forward at my hips and look down along my nose to see what I was doing. “Well Val, I can see what you were talking about already, when you said I would be doing things a little differently” Val laughed as she reached over with her lighter, I guess she didn’t want to see me have to search for my lighter now. “Holly, I think you will be perfect for this, and I don’t want to get a hasty answer but I have a feeling that you are thinking of saying yes to our proposal.” “Well Val,” I said. “I didn’t want to say yes until you’ve paid the check.” We both laughed. “Seriously though, I think I will be able to do this, and I sure could use the money so…if you promise to pay the check, I’ll give you my yes now, deal?” Val extended her hand and said “Deal!” We ate our burgers and talked some more, I had to learn to bend at the hips to see anything I was eating, and, I found that I had to squish my burger flat so that I could take a bite since it occurred to me that I couldn’t get my mouth open very wide, but I did ok, considering.
After we got back to Val’s office she helped me out of the brace, and what a relief that was! I rolled my head around and bent and twisted and it felt good! Val picked up the phone and said “Jim, do you have time now to run the scanner on Holly? Great! We will be right there.” I looked at Val, wondering what she was talking about. “Holly, it used to be that you would have to be casted with plaster so that a brace could be made from the form, but we have the latest technology here, all we have to do is scan your body with a harmless laser beam to get all the information we need to make the brace. Come on, let’s introduce you to Jim.” We went down one floor to a room full of computers, and workbenches, and all sorts of high tech looking equipment. To make a long story short, Jim just had me stand between some high paralell bars, told me to put my arms up in a certain position and his little laser beam passed across me several times. “Ok” Jim said, “that’s all there is to it, I’ll have your brace ready the day after tomorrow,” Val said “Thank’s Jim, and thank you too Holly, now you go home and do your last couple of days of bending and twisting for a while and we will see you at….how about 10am, the day after tomorrow?

Chapter Three

I couldn’t believe how fast the day after tomorrow came, but here it was, the first day on my new job. I had set my alarm for 8am, got up, ate some cereal, and got ready. I had to leave forty minutes early because the bus stop was two blocks away and I wanted to catch the 9:35, and I didn’t want to be late. Val had told me that although there’s no law against driving with a brace like this, I should be very careful if I was going to try it, and to be sure to have my mirrors adjusted. I decided that I would try later, but that I would take the bus today.
I arrived about ten to ten and went straight to the fourth floor. The receptionist said “Hi Holly, Val’s waiting, you know the way.” The door to Val’s office was open but I gave a little knock anyway. “Holly! Come on in.” She said with that friendly smile of hers. “We’re all set for you, I’ll get Jim up here with your brace.” She pushed her intercom button and said “Jim, Holly’s here, will you come up please?” A scratchy voice said “Ok Val.” Val poured me a cup of coffee and asked if I had any second thoughts since we last talked, I said no but told her I’m glad today is here, all the sooner I’ll be done. Jim walked in and handed my brace to Val, “Thank you Jim. I’ll call you if I need you, Ok?” Jim smiled at me, said hi and left, back down to his dungeon, I guess. “Ok Holly, lets get your top off, I think we can do this if you just pull your skirt down a little. I did so while Val fiddled with the straps. “Ok, here goes, you ready?” She said with a smile. She put the back part against my back and attached the front at the waist, then the straps all the way up to my armpits and over my shoulders, firmly but not too tight. “Head back.” I leaned my head back until it rested against the headpiece and Val attached the chin piece and brought it up and fastened it. This one did fit better, and it seemed that I had even less movement, if that’s possible. “Now, as I mentioned before, this one has a headband, the other one didn’t.” Val attached the headband to one side of the part at the back of my head and brought it around my forehead and fastened it on the other side. The tiny bit of movement I had was gone, completely! “Ok Holly, I had told you before that in order to assure that the testing is completely controlled, we are going to put these little seals on all the fasteners, don’t take it personally, but it’s the only way we can be totally assured of compliance.” She worked as she talked. “These are just little plastic ties that I will show you how to cut off if you really decide to end this test before the six weeks are up, as I promised, you will be paid up to that point but no bonus. There, all done, now look in the mirror, see the little beige plastic ties? If you have to, just take a pair of scissors and cut them and you can take the brace off.” I wasn’t really looking at the little plastic ties, I was looking at me in the mirror, It was a little different with the headband, for sure! Oh well, I figured, it’ll give people more to stare at and I’ve gone this far and damn it, I’m going to get ALL the money if it kills me! I pulled my skirt up and put my top back on and looked again. Then I walked around the office a couple of times. “Well Val,” I said. “I guess I’m ready to go out into the world on my own huh?” Val hugged me and said “Good luck Holly, this may be difficult at times, but that’s why we pay so well, here’s my home number and my beeper number, I want you to call me day or night if any problems arise, Ok?” Val gave me her biggest smile and said “See you at 10 tomorrow morning.”
I walked out in to the busy street, put my sunglasses on and headed for the bus stop. I wanted to get back to my apartment as soon as I could. I just needed some time alone to try to get used to this brace. Luckily, I only had to wait a few minutes for the bus to come. I stepped up into the bus and walked down the aisle, there were 15 or 20 people on the bus, all of them seemed to be staring at me, and I really felt conspicuous! At last my stop was here, I got off and walked, very self-consciously to my apartment. I had a private side entrance so I hoped no one would see me, I didn’t really know anyone here anyway except the (kinda cute) guy who lives on the second floor. Made it! I went in and straight to my full-length mirror, I took a long look. Well, the headband does give it a certain…..flair, yeah, right! I had an itch under my chin but I couldn’t even get my finger in there to itch, I tried moving my jaw a little but that didn’t help. I thought it sure is amazing what some people will do for money, and I laughed! I sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and pretended to drive, I think I can move my eyeballs enough to see the side mirrors but I guess I’ll have to find out in the car later.
What time is it? The clock is behind me on the wall, normally I would just turn my head and look, but I had to stand up and turn my whole body to see, this is gonna be a real pain, I just know it! 11:45, an hour and a half down, six weeks to go. I decided to turn the TV on, I sat on the couch but ended up looking at the ceiling, I did find though that if I sit way back and cross my legs, Indian style, and lean forward a little I could sit fairly comfortably. I went into the bedroom to try lying down, well I can see the pillow is going to have to go, I slid it out from under my head, a little better. I tried to lie on my side but that wasn’t gonna work. I got up and put the pillow lengthwise where my back would be and tried it again, a little better still. I went into the kitchen and made a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, the peanut butter was down on the bottom shelf, I tried bending at my hips but once I was bent, I was looking straight down at the floor so I had to get down on my knees to get the jar. So many little things that I never would have thought of that I would be doing differently. I poured a glass of milk and sat down at the kitchen table to think. Well, it was sure that I would have to put off my job hunt for the six weeks, but what was I going to do to keep myself from going stir crazy? Movies? Books? I like to read. I decided that I had to find out if I was going to be able to drive. I finished my sandwich, chewing made my jaw sore. My car was parked in the back so I decided to just sit in it and see if I could see the side mirrors. I fixed up my makeup a little and did what I could with my hair; at least the front and sides, since the back of my brace covered the back. I found that I could comb the sides over the headband, hiding it a little. I went out the side door and to my car and got in. The first thing I had to do was tilt the seat up as straight as it would go. I adjusted the rearview mirror, that’s ok, but since I adjusted the seat the side mirrors were all wrong. Damn! Why didn’t I get a car with remote mirrors! I got out, went around and moved the mirror back a little, still not right, I went around again and while I was moving the mirror I heard “Holly! What happened to you!” I turned, it was the guy from upstairs!

Chapter Four

I don’t know why I thought I had to lie about why I was wearing the brace but I stammered out something about curvature of the spine when I was a kid and that this was just a follow-up treatment to keep my spine straight. After I said it I was amazed that it sounded so good. “Oh gee, that’s a bummer, I bet it’s uncomfortable, how long will you have to wear it?” “Well, I don’t really know, and to answer your other question yes, it is uncomfortable. Could you help me adjust my mirrors? I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.” I tried to smile through my nervousness. “Bill, but everyone calls me Billy, sure, get in and I’ll do the adjusting.” Well, we got the mirrors perfect and I told him that I was a little nervous about trying to drive this way, but I had to try because I just had to be independent. “Well, I’m not doing anything right now.” Billy said, “Why don’t you let me drive to a less congested area then we can switch places and you can try it. Ok?” That was really nice of him, and it was a relief that I could try it away from the busy streets around here. “Well sure!” I said. “That’s really sweet of you Billy” And I got in the passenger side.

Billy turned out to be a really nice guy, we talked as he drove. I felt a little unusual because my style is to look at a person as we talked but of course I could only look straight ahead. After about ten miles we were into a fairly rural area and it was my turn to drive, Billy turned into the parking lot of a little diner. “Hey Holly, how about a sandwich in here first, I’m starving.” How could I say no, after all, Billy was being so nice. “Well, ok, sure but I still really feel self conscious wearing this damned brace, but if it doesn’t bother you, I won’t let it bother me.” “Great, come on, I’ll make you relax.” Billy said with a big smile that I could only imagine by the tone of his voice. Billy came around and helped me out like a gentleman and we entered the diner. Once again I felt a flush of embarrassment as we walked to a table at the back of the place. At least now I could look him in the eyes as we talked. I told Billy how conspicuous I felt and he just laughed and said “Look at it this way Holly, They can look at you all they want, you don’t have to pay any attention to it, besides, if you saw someone wearing a brace like yours, what thoughts would go through your mind?” “Well I don’t know, I guess I would feel compassion and maybe even a little curiosity as to what it would be like to have to wear a brace like that, and I would hope I never would have to.” Billy just smiled at me and said “So what’s the big deal?” He was right, and from that moment on, I lost all my nervousness about being in public with my brace. Billy really did make me relax about it. I was starting to really feel an affection for him. We spent about an hour there, most of it just talking.

I almost forgot why we were there, ah, that’s it, I was going to try driving. “Ok Billy, I’ll drive us home, if you’re brave enough.” We adjusted the driver’s seat so that the back was straight up and I got in and checked the mirrors one more time, Billy got in and I started the engine. My first problem was backing out of the parking space, but I backed real slow and used the mirrors. All in all, driving back to our apartment building wasn’t too bad, I was glad to have Billy with me though, and I was glad that I started out where there wasn’t a lot of traffic and congestion. By the time we got into the city I was feeling more confident about driving. “You did fine Holly, just be real careful, and I don’t think you’ll have a problem.”

“Well, thanks Billy, that was a big help, I think I’ll go up to my place and get some rest, I feel really tired. It’s a bummer trying to get used to this…..situation.” Billy looked at me with a little sympathy and said, “I bet it is! Well I hope we won’t be strangers any longer, maybe we can do something together sometime, ok?” I smiled and with a devilish look I said, “As long as it’s not attending a tennis match!” Billy laughed and said goodbye and I went to my place.

I went in and looked at the clock, only 4:30! I was really starting to tire of this already. Not being able to move from the hips up was more irritating than I had thought it would be. The headband was bothering me, and I still had that itch under the chin part that I couldn’t get to. I just have to keep thinking about the money, keep focused, I told myself. I just wanted to bend and twist, oh how luxurious that would feel. Oh well, I can wait ’till tomorrow morning. I decided to try to take a nap. It was kinda warm, so I took my top off and in the bedroom, stopped by the full length mirror. I took a long look at myself, I got the hand mirror so I could get a side and back view. “Hmmmm, quite a contraption” I said to myself. I actually felt kind of proud that I was putting myself through this. I put the pillow longwise on the bed and lay down so that the pillow supported my back. This caused my head to sort of be lower and that relieved some of the pressure on my chin. It took awhile, but I finally fell sound asleep, I didn’t wake up until 7:45. You know how nice it is to stretch when you wake up? Well, needless to say, I couldn’t, another bummer I thought.

It seemed at the beginning, I had a lot of ups and downs about this crazy thing, several times I came close to cutting those little beige tie straps and just ending the torture. That first night, I actually caught myself standing in front of the mirror with a pair of scissors at 2:30 in the morning but I thought how disappointed in myself I would be if I screwed up this chance. I did make it through that first night, I don’t know how, just sheer willpower I guess. The next morning I was at Val’s office at ten o’clock sharp, I couldn’t wait to get this thing off and move my body! Val congratulated me on my first full day and showed me to the physical therapy room on the second floor. I met Annette there and she said “I bet you’re ready to get that brace off huh?” I just looked at her with an expression that must have said “Are you kidding?” Let me tell you, it felt soooo good to stretch and twist and move my head up and down and side to side! We went through some exercises and I got to take a nice hot shower, it felt great. I had brought my makeup and brushes and a change of clothes, and I was feeling so much better….until it came time to put the brace back on for another twenty three hours. But I just told myself “Be brave Holly.” It seemed like my hour out of the brace lasted only five minutes. Before I knew it, I was all trussed up again and on my way out to my car.

Well, to make a long story short, I made it the entire six weeks, and collected my bonus! I was so proud! I can’t say it was easy though, especially at first. But as the days went by it got easier, and after a couple of weeks there were times when it seemed the brace was just a natural part of me. It’s funny how you can adapt to almost anything. Billy and I have been dating too! We actually went on a three day getaway to his folks cabin, with Val’s apporval of coarse, she said as long as it wasn’t over three days and I didn’t mind not having my brace off for that long, it would be ok with her.

Now that it’s all over, I am back to trying to be an actress again. No luck so far, but I keep trying. You know, sometimes I miss wearing that brace. I sort of liked the extra attention I was getting. Now I’m just one in the crowd again. Val said something about calling me sometime again. They are working on a new design for some kind of leg braces and they will need someone to test them.