Lizzie Wells Really Smells

by Patsy Collins
^{(creative writers at www.morewriting.co.uk)}
"Lizzie Wells really smells, Lizzie Wells really smells," the girls chant as Lizzie queues up for her school lunch. "Whiffy Lizzie makes me dizzy," follows her down the corridor and into the canteen.

She pretends she hasn't heard them. Her mum had told her to do that.

"Don't give them the satisfaction of knowing they're getting to you. They'll get fed up in the end."

They hadn't though and to make matters worse Lizzie's best friend Cheryl had moved away. With no one else to talk to during break times it was getting harder for Lizzie to ignore the taunts.

Lizzie piled curry and chips onto her plate, picked up a slice of treacle tart and a can of coke and looked around for an empty table. She'd learnt not to try and sit near her class mates. If she did, they would pretend to be sick, or complain her BO would curdle their custard. There were very few spaces, so Lizzie sat on a table with some older boys, they didn't know her, so might leave her alone.

Soon the boys began to sniff and ask each other, "Was that you?"

Now the boys were doing it too. Lizzie had no friends and it didn't seem likely she'd ever get a boyfriend either. No one liked her, they wouldn't talk to her, or even let her sit next to them if they had a choice.

Lizzie began to sweat. She couldn't help it, whenever she got upset she'd begin to sweat, her face and armpits felt as though water was running off them, her feet and hands were damp too. It was so bad she thought she might lose her grip on her fork. Lizzie concentrated on eating her food as quickly as possible. It didn't seem to help.

Back outside the chants started up again.

With "Lizzie Wells really smells, Lizzie Wells really smells," ringing in her ears she went early to her next lesson. At least in the classroom she is free from the nasty comments around her. Lizzie had only been in the room for a few minutes when her teacher arrived.

"Hello Lizzie, you're early."

"Yes Miss."

"It's warm today, isn't it? I think I'll just open a window at let some fresh air in."

Surely Miss Evans wasn't siding with the bullies, it just wasn't fair. Lizzie started to cry.

"Hey, Lizzie, what's the matter?" Miss Evans asked.

Lizzie could tell her teacher was concerned.

"Some of the girls have been calling me names, they say I smell."

"Oh dear, well that's not very nice is it?"

"No, Miss. My Mum says I should just ignore them, but I can't."

"Does your mum know what they say?"

"Not really."

"I think perhaps you should tell her."

When Lizzie got home, she did as Miss Evans had suggested.

"Why do they say it, Mum?"

"Because they're nasty bullies, that's why. It's not fair to tease someone for something they can't help."

"Do you mean my sweating? I remember you told me it's a medical condition, focal hypo something."

"That's right, focal Hyperhidrosis the name is. I know about it because your Aunty Cynthia told me, she's got it, and her son and your granddad."

"It won't make me ill or anything will it? You said it wouldn't."

"No, Lizzie love. There's nothing to worry about with the sort you've got. Some people get the sweating all over, that can be more serious and they'd need to go to their doctor to get checked out."

At start of half term, Lizzie's Mum rang and told Aunty Cynthia that Lizzie was being teased and her Aunty came to talk to her about it.

"Lizzie, you know I love you right?"

"Yes Aunty Cynthia."

"Then you'll know I'm not being unkind when I ask you to have a shower."

"You think I smell too?"

"Yes, Lizzie, I'm afraid so. Now go and have that shower and I'll tell you how to get this sorted."

"It won't help much, nothing does."

"What soap and antiperspirant do you use Lizzie?"

"I don't, my skin's too sore."

"I thought as much, here use this emollient to wash with."

"What's that then?"

"It's a special cream that will soothe your skin, wash with that, dry yourself then borrow your mum's antiperspirant."

Lizzie took her shower and used the emollient cream her Aunt had given her to wash with. She sprayed herself with Mum's body spray afterwards. She took the spray downstairs, "Will this really help?"

"No, that one won't. What you need is antiperspirant, that helps stop the sweating, all this stuff will do is mask the smell."

"Well that's good isn't it?"

"No, Lizzie. You need to stop the smell from happening in the first place."

"How?"

"Well, by using the antiperspirant, we'll get you some from the chemist, but if it's not strong enough you can get Aluminium chloride, but try the regular stuff first; the strong one can irritate your skin. It's not the sweat that smells though Lizzie, it's when it gets on your clothes. You'll need to have a clean blouse and socks every morning, then change when you come in from school."

"And will that stop me getting teased?"

"It will help. You might want to get some new clothes, you've grown a bit recently and things are tight. Loose clothes would be better and read the label; get cotton, not nylon."

"Anything else?"

"Try wearing different shoes on alternate days, so they dry out. Try to avoid spicy foods, that can make it worse."

"It's all a lot of fuss isn't it?"

"A bit, but it's nothing too serious and you really don't want to smell do you?"

"No, you're right. Will I grow out of it? Or will I just get worse."

"Neither, it's likely to stay the same. You're lucky, some people have it all over, or they get it much worse than you."

"What do they do?

"There are treatments, one involves an electrical current. Your granddad had to have that done on his hands because they were so bad he'd get sweat on whatever he was working on."

"Poor granddad, I wouldn't want to get an electric shock."

"He said it just felt like pins and needles. I don't know how it works, but it certainly helped him. Some people have injections or medicine, even operations. The doctor told me about them, but I didn't fancy it as there are side effects sometimes. Luckily I'm all right with that Aluminium chloride. Most people who get this find that antiperspirant makes a big difference."

Lizzie and her mum went shopping; they bought some mild soap and antiperspirant. They asked the chemist for advice and where told that the Aluminium chloride could be bought without prescription if it was needed. Lizzie bought some new cotton blouses for school and some loose tops to change into. They bought dark colours that wouldn't show sweat marks, just in case Lizzie sweated more than usual.

When Lizzie went back to school she hadn't even got inside the gates before she heard the chants,
"Lizzie Wells really smells, Lizzie Wells really smells."

Lizzie walked up to the group. She had showered less than an hour ago, applied the antiperspirant and put on a brand new blouse. For the first time in months, she felt confident.

"No, actually I don't. I used to, but I don't anymore."

No one mentioned that she smelt until the end of term prom. One of the sixth form boys asked her to dance. He led her onto the floor and put his arm around her waist. As he drew her close he said, "You smell really nice, Lizzie."