Delphine
It definitely wasn't anything she planned, befriending Cosima. Delphine leaves the clinic happily, having shown out her last patient who always seemed to have some new ache or pain. He was a strange man, even though she knows his arthritis and sciatica are both real concerns. It seems so frequent. But as he was always respectful she didn't see the point in trying to cut the sessions short.
Cosima, on the other hand, was clearly better off as a friend than a patient. The last month had been pleasant. They'd escalated from the occasional lunch or coffee to a weekly dinner. Cosima, it seemed, worked mostly remotely and could rearrange her schedule at will.
She meets Cosima at a restaurant a fifteen minute walk from the clinic. It was just far enough, Delphine though. And it was a pleasant way to pass a Thursday evening.
"Hey Delphine." Cosima greets her brightly from a table inside the restaurant. Her red winter coat hung over the back of her chair.
"I've never been inside here before. It's nice." Delphine looks around, finding the ambience pleasing enough. The tables, of course, are still distanced but she can imagine what it would have looked like at capacity. Not that it mattered. She'd arrived in Canada during the damned pandemic, and didn't really understand how bad it was until it stretched out from six weeks to six months.
"I was on the patio once. Weird pandemic date. I lived alone and patios were open at the time… it was a thing." Cosima shrugs it off.
"Thank you for taking me."
"So how's work?"
Delphine laughs. "The usual. Research is going well. Two of my fertility patients got pregnant, one spontaneously. The other… through the fertility centre. Both are happy but I won't work on them until they're well into the second trimester. Right in time to ease the aches and pains."
"You won't?" Cosima perks up surprised.
"I do not want to mess with a pregnancy." Delphine shrugs. "I will not work on a woman until her pregnancy is well established. I do not want to accidentally cause problems. Or make a woman worried that I have. Visceral therapy and first trimester do not mix."
"But does what you do even help?"
"A 2015 study suggests so." Delphine points out. "I am participating in another study now, and we shall see. I am not the only osteopath involved in it. We will see what this study shows."
"Do they have endometriosis?" Cosima asks quietly, and Delphine waits a moment trying to decide how she should answer.
"One has confirmed endometriosis. One… has signs of adhesions I have felt but no official diagnosis. So... probably endometriosis. She's had terrible pain for years."
"Why… Why doesn't she go see a gyno? Get a lap?" Cosima shakes her head in disbelief.
Delphine softens a little at Cosima's empathy. "Was that easy for you to achieve?"
"No. It took years of me pushing back at my doctors saying my pain wasn't normal." Cosima admits. "And apparently laparoscopic removal of adhesions creates more scar tissue… and then you get more adhesions and you're sitting where I am now."
"Similar story. Plus, she wants a baby and is terrified of ending up with her reproductive organs removed if she goes under." Delphine thinks that is clear enough. And hopefully that patient will birth a healthy child, and reassess when her cycles return.
"Hmmm." Cosima hums thoughtfully, and Delphine thinks she's pushed too far.
"I saw an arthritis patient last." Delphine shrugs. "I saw him through most of the pandemic too. A lot of pain."
"Was that what was wrong with your… what did you call her? Your Mémé?"
Delphine shakes her head. "No. Mémé had sciatica, among other issues. A lot of pain." Too many issues at the end Delphine thinks. Cancer. Sciatica. Mémé's mind however, had been perfect, leaving her horribly aware of her decay.
"When did she die?"
"About three years into my osteopathy training."
"I'm sorry." Cosima states simply. "I know you were close."
"Me too."
"What was her name?"
"Cécile." Delphine states simply. It's been a long time since anyone has asked that. She supposes it sounds very French to Cosima's ears. Probably too French. But it doesn't matter.
The server arrives, masked, to take their order and they both order quickly. Delphine finds herself watching Cosima. She has to admit, Cosima is endearing. Her animated, intellectual nature. Her humour. She's happy to have a friend.
"So how goes the divorce?" Cosima asks after their drinks, glasses of red wine, have arrived.
"It goes." Delphine sighs. "The house is finally settled, he paid me out. The forms are in. Now we just wait for the paperwork to be processed."
"How long does that take?" Cosima winces.
"Well typically it's simple if it's by mutual consent. We… Simon and I couldn't settle so everything took a lot longer. But it should be over soon enough. I hope." Delphine winces and takes a long sip of wine.
"Wow… Yup. I'm happy I never married."
"Did you ever get close?" Delphine wonders. In a perfect world, she thinks, Cosima would have a wife or girlfriend. One who adored her. Cosima being single doesn't make much sense to her brain.
"Yeah. My girlfriend during my Master's degree. We talked about it a few times. We lived together. But thankfully we didn't go through with the whole wedding business. She is a lawyer so… would have gotten pretty screwed over in the aftermath I think."
"Why's that?"
"Well.. we just… weren't as compatible as I hoped as time went on. Wasn't working for either of us. Plus… sex became an issue with the endo thing." Cosima sighs. "What she liked doing wasn't working so great for me. And she was resistant to… reversing roles. Among other problems."
"Reversing roles?" Delphine repeats cluelessly. Surely with two women it cannot be that complicated. The parts are the same, Delphine figures. So where was the complication?
"Yeah we best not get into that." Cosima laughs at her.
Their appetizer arrives and the young male server raises his eyebrows at them, before scurrying away from their conversation.
"What… Do you mean like… who penetrates?" Delphine hisses at her. Why should that matter? And with two women wouldn't it be less bad anyway?
"Well… basically, yes. But it's a little more complicated than that." Cosima shrugs. She clearly doesn't want to elaborate and Delphine has zero intentions of prying. Unlike Cosima, who Delphine knows, can get a lot out of her. Especially if they imbibe.
Delphine laughs uncertainly. Unsure of what else to say or do. She's overstepped the bounds of their new friendship. She has screwed up and now must think of how to apologize.
"It's fine. My endo has fucked over my sex life." Cosima shrugs.
"I am so sorry." Delphine is quick to apologize. "I shouldn't have laughed."
"Delphine… I have to laugh. Or I will cry." Cosima states very plainly, brown eyes looking at her intently across the table. "Do you want some of these? They're vegan…" Cosima holds out the plate of spring rolls.
"I just… I know… I know how bad your pain is. And I shouldn't comment on it." Delphine tries to make her face as sincere and apologetic as possible. She grabs a spring roll and eats it, without comment that wheat is against the endometriosis diet.
"See the spring rolls are delicious." Cosima points out.
"They are. And the company is excellent." Delphine needs to give her that much.
"Mmmm…." Cosima hums. "Do you ski?"
"Euh.. downhill or cross-country?"
"Either." Cosima shrugs.
"Downhill a little. I'm not very good."
"Great. It's getting colder. Maybe a ski date? I mean I snowboard a little. I'm not great either."
"We should." Delphine agrees. She can picture it.
"Great. I'll take a Friday off or a Monday and we'll go."
"You have a car?"
"We'll rent one." Cosima shrugs. "There are a few hills around, nothing spectacular, but it's just for fun."
"Just for fun." Delphine repeats. She can manage that much. Hopefully she doesn't hopelessly embarrass herself. She expects Cosima is better at this than she says.
"Great. So… we'll go next week." Cosima smiles as if it's settled.
"So soon?" Delphine tilts her head towards the window.
Cosima teases her happily. "Hmm well it's nearly March, and if we don't go soon, we'll run out of snow.."
"Alright."
"No pain from snowboarding?" Delphine asks, unable to contain her curiosity.
"Well occasionally… but not like… the same kind of pain." Cosima reaches across the table and gently prods her hand. "Can't get out of osteopath mode?"
"I'm sorry. I've never befriended a former patient before. I can try to forget?" Delphine offers. She can likely forget with more time, especially if she saw less of Cosima. But it seemed they were going to see each other most weeks. And forgetting what she'd felt would take time.
"Please forget some of it." Cosima nods with a wry smile.
"Ah you are unforgettable, Cosima." Delphine quips, trying to put the awkwardness behind then. Cosima had said it was unintentional.
"I wish!" Cosima looks back at her, seeming very serious for the moment.
"No. You are." Delphine assures her.
Cosima smiles wryly at her, she leans in for a moment and for a minute Delphine forgets. Forgets about everything but the expression on Cosima's face. How much fun she is.
"Yeah. Maybe a little." Cosima agrees.