It had started gently. My thumbs found the arch of her right foot and pressed in slow circles, feeling the tension melt under my toes. Mom let out a low, almost embarrassed moan, but I didn't stop.
With each movement, I looked for the points where she was tired: the heel, often forgotten; the base of the toes, where the shoe squeezes mercilessly; the instep, so delicate. Sometimes I used only my fingertips, other times my whole hand, wrapping them as if I wanted to protect her from the world.
When I finished with her right foot for a moment, I took her left foot and repeated. I massaged her left foot while letting her right foot rest on my thighs.
"umm~ honey... where did you learn to do this?"
"There are massage books in the medical academy that teach how to make movements in the muscles to circulate blood and relax tension"
