Here's a knots drabble:

He tied the last rope holding the tarp over the load in the back of the pickup. "I'll call you as soon as I get there," he said, and kissed her goodbye. He had taught her how to tie her shoes so that they wouldn't come untied. She could still feel his small, clever hands, trained by years on the ocean, guiding her hands to loop the ties a second time. There were calls: daily, then weekly, then not at all. She was not sad, but felt a small stab of regret when she saw ropes or shoelaces or boats.

Knots:

"Here?"
"Yes." She tried not to arch into the pressure.
"And what about here?"
"Oh, yes. Very much there. Very much." It took all her resolve not to flinch away, to grab something, to take control.
"Am I going too hard? Am I hurting you?"
"No," she lied. "Just like that. Right there."
His hands were firmer than they were gentle, and that's how she wanted it. How she was sure she needed it.
"You know, you really have to stop doing this to yourself."
"Whatever. I break myself, and then pay you to put it back together. Keep massaging."

Ginger, I really like that.

It actually gives me flashbacks of The Shipping News, which I hated, but it's an obvious flashback to have, given the theme. I like your drabble better than The Shipping News.

(nodding furiously at ita's therapy drabble, because it's exactly where I am when I do massage PT)

Ginger's didn't make me think of the Shipping News; I did, however, immediately hear a beautiful old Randy Newman song about a sailor too long from the sea, and thought of my own father.

I thought about writing a therapy one. But I couldn't resist the fake-out. Cause I'm evil like that. And that was a very stupid thing that's happened to me a couple different times.

I did, however, immediately hear a beautiful old Randy Newman song about a sailor too long from the sea

"Texas Girl at the Funeral of Her Father." God, I love Randy Newman.

Sing a sad song
For a good man
Sing a sad song for me
A sad song
For the sailor
A thousand miles from the sea.

Dana, yup. That, of course, is the one - IIRC, it's from the same album as "Short People" and "Rednecks". And I share your Newman Love.

Yeah, the album's called something like "Sail Away." It's in my car CD player right now, AIFG.

I didn't mean to bolt from the conversation, there was a minor power outage here for about an hour. But I like Randy Newman, too. I'm more familiar with his movie music now.

My ex had the kind of devotion for Randy Newman that he generally reserved for the likes of Chopin. When they did get to jam, he was essentially blissed beyond coherence for days after.