20
He: Darling, you're drenched in sweat! Are you feeling unwell? (he nudges her in bed) You seem very warm!
She (slowly opens her eyes): It's these intense hot flushes. They come out of the blue and make me sweat as if I were standing in a scorching desert. But I don't think I'm ill.
He: (Grabs his keys and walks out) Okay, I've a few appointments in town over the next few days. I'll be back at the weekend for your fiftieth birthday party. She looks at the door slamming behind him, then looks up at the ceiling and thinks about her life. She's in her fifties, married to a successful man, and they have two wonderful teenage children in their beautiful suburban home. On the surface, everything seems perfect, but deep inside she senses a growing unease. Days once filled with laughter and warmth had turned into a battlefield of inexplicable outbursts and tearful withdrawals. The weight of sadness and anger made it difficult for her to breathe as she cried and thought of how her relationship with him, once a fortress of love, was now strained and fractured due to countless arguments over trivial things that had never affected their bond. She whispered to herself that she was crying again for no reason and realised that she could no longer bear this suffocation. She decided to leave and take a breath, even if only for a while, because she had to take care of herself for once. With a heavy heart, she left the bed and went to take a shower. Her mind raced as she packed a bag, then she called him on the phone.
She: "I'm cancelling my birthday party and going travelling for a while.
He: What do you mean? Where are you going to go? Alone?
She: I still don't know! I've been feeling so drained lately, and you're always busy, the kids are always busy. It's not about you or the kids, it's about finding myself again. I hope that being alone for a while will bring clarity and healing for both of us. Before he could respond, she hung up with a mixture of fear and determination. With her bags packed and emotions churning, she walked out the door and headed for a rehabilitation centre she saw once on TV. During her stay, she went through a journey of self-discovery and learned that she was going through menopause, which struck her with both relief and sadness for not having realised it sooner. She found solace and support in the company of like-minded women who were going through similar experiences. With each passing day, she discovered her long-lost strength and resilience and a new sense of self-empowerment within herself, but most importantly, she found out how to deal with menopause. After a few months, she returned home with a new sense of self-acceptance. She sat down with him and told him about the menopause and how it had affected her and caused severe damage to their relationship. He was surprised and regretful when he realised how much she was struggling alone while he was busy with his professional demands. That evening they went out to dinner together and watched a nice movie, sitting close together with their hands intertwined. It was the beginning of a new relationship, one of empathy and connection, but most of all understanding. She felt young again with him, like in the first years of their marriage. That evening she realised that her fifties were her new twenties.