Adventures of Sinbad and Layla

Growing Older

Layla tossed and turned in bed. She had been having difficulty sleeping all night and she didn't know why. She cuddled up to Sinbad, who was fast asleep, but then she got too hot. He was always incredibly warm and she couldn't handle the heat. She even had to take the blanket off. She was so tired but she couldn't fall asleep.

After a couple of hours went by, she sat up. Getting out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water. Once she had freshened up, she returned to the bedroom before making her way out onto the balcony. She didn't want to disturb Sinbad and she hoped that the fresh air would help her sleep. She sat down on his hammock and began swaying slowly.

"Layla?"

She looked over to the doors to see Sinbad standing there and rubbing his eyes. At least he put his pants on.

"Go back to sleep, Sin. I'm fine."
Instead of going to bed, he made his way to the hammock. "Why are you sitting out here?" he asked tiredly.
"I couldn't sleep..." She held his hand and kissed it. "Please go to bed."

Again, instead of listening to her, he sat down beside her on the hammock. He was shattered but he didn't want to leave her alone. And he hated sleeping in bed without her. She smiled softly as he held onto her hand and rested his head on her shoulder.

"I'm not leaving you," he mumbled as he closed his eyes.

She lay her head on top of his but still couldn't sleep. Sinbad had fallen asleep again but for some reason, she still felt restless.

***

The next day, Layla had joined Sinbad and the generals in one of their meetings about the country's current affairs. However, in the middle of the meeting, she suddenly began to feel hot. She began fanning her face but it wasn't helping.

Sinbad noticed that her face had become slightly red, as if she was blushing. She even began fanning the top of her blouse because her neck was feeling hot. Even the generals noticed how distracted she had become.

"Layla, are you okay?" Sinbad asked.
"Yeah. Is no one else feeling hot?"

They all shook the heads. Sinbad grew increasingly concerned. First it was the restless sleep and now the random heat flush. He knew it wasn't normal.

He stood up. "This meeting is over. Jafar, call the in-house physician please."

Jafar nodded and left right away.

Layla sighed. "I'm fine. Please don't cancel the meeting for me."
Hinahoho shook is head. "I think we can all agree that your well-being is more important. The meeting can continue another time."
"Exactly," Sinbad said before going to her. "Let's go."

He held her hand and left to head back to their room. On the way there, he tried to find out what other problems she was going through. She admitted that her lower region had been feeling itchy over the past couple of days and that she felt as though she was gaining weight. Sinbad hadn't even noticed but he was upset that she never told him.

"I didn't think it was a big deal," she said as she sat down on the bed.
"It is to me." He sat beside her and held her hand. "If anything is troubling you, you know you can tell me."
She smiled softly. "I know. I'm sorry."
He lifted her hand and kissed it. "It's alright. You're probably just coming down with a virus. You'll be fine in no time."

The physician soon arrived and asked Layla a bunch of questions. Sinbad remained close, listening very carefully to make sure nothing was wrong. After the necessary checks were made, the physician gave the diagnosis.

"This is very normal for women of your age, Your Highness," the doctor said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You are going through menopause."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Menopause?" Sinbad questioned.
"It's completely natural for women between the ages of 45 and 55, give or take. A woman goes through it either just before or after she stops menstruating, marking the end of her reproductive period," the doctor explained. "A woman is born with a finite number of eggs, which are stored in the ovaries. The ovaries also create the female hormones. Menopause happens when the ovaries no longer release an egg every month and menstruation stops."

Layla didn't know how to react to the news. First of all she wasn't able to have children at all but by miracle, she was gifted with Esra. Despite having trouble with children, she still got her periods. But even still, she didn't know how to feel. Sinbad grew even more concerned upon looking at her face. She seemed almost lost and confused.

The doctor continued. "Symptoms include things you're already going through, such as sleepless nights, hot flushes, cold sweats, irritation. Others include mood wings, loss of libido, weight gain, thinning of hair or hair loss and even loss of breast fullness."
"I see..." Layla said quietly. "And how long can I expect these symptoms to last?"
"Well, it varies from woman to woman. Some have it for months, others go through it for years."
"Are there any treatments for it?" Sinbad asked. "Anything to make the process easier for her?"
The doctor sighed. "Unfortunately, at the moment there is nothing I can prescribe. The body will have to go through it naturally. It is nothing to be scared of, I promise. Many women feel much better at the end of it as well."
Sinbad nodded. "Very well. Thank you, doctor."

With that, he walked the doctor out of the room. He returned and sat on bed beside Layla as she fumbled around with her fingers. He watched her in silence, her own gaze lowered to her lap. Reaching over, he cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb across her warm cheek.

"Are you okay?"
She shrugged. "I guess so... I honestly don't know how to feel..." With a small shake of her head, she sighed deeply. "I mean it was bound to happen. All women go through it. I'm just not looking forward to even more restless nights. And I'm sorry in advance if I snap at you."
"Hey, don't be. You're going through all these changes right now so you don't need to apologise for anything."

She sat up and lay her head on his shoulder, burying her face into the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her her as he heard her begin to cry quietly. She didn't know why she was so upset but all she wanted to do was to cry. Sinbad pulled her onto his lap and held onto her.

It took her a few minutes but she soon quietened down. He never let go of her though and continued to hold her as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Do you know what?" he spoke quietly.
"What?"
"You're still the hottest and the most beautiful women in the world."

She laughed and blushed deeply as she hit him playfully. He laughed too and began tickling her, making her laughter fill the room. That was all he wanted to see and hear. He would do everything he could to make her happy. And she knew that with Sinbad at her side, she could get through menopause as well.