by Teneka Woods
He wished he could put his arms around her, but he had to remind himself he was just a friend. Much like Kevin and Jamal and Chauncey were his friends, and he didn’t greet them with a hug whenever he saw them.
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” she said. “I’m supposed to be turning over in bed right about now.”
“It’s the perfect time to start an exercise routine,” he smiled at her. “And I’ll train you for free.”
“I am here to walk. And that’s it.”
“Okay. Walking is a good way to ease into it. It’s not too strenuous and will get your heart rate up.”
They crossed the street for the track and started down the asphalt path.
It wasn’t until they reached the half-mile marker when he said, “Should we pick up the pace a little bit?”
“You can go right ahead if you need to. I’m already getting winded.”
“You gotta be kidding me,” he said laughing. “We haven’t been walking a good ten minutes yet.”
“I’m sure it’s because my body’s not well-rested, considering someone felt the need to call and wake me up at eight o’clock this morning.”
Her directness wasn’t surprising, but she gave him a look and a smile that let him know she didn’t mind that early-morning phone call. “Were you hanging out late last night with your girlfriends?”
“There you go being nosy again,” she said.
“Well… we’re friends now, so we should be able to share everything with each other, right?”
“Umm… our friendship is just… what? A week old?”
He chuckled. “So we have a lot of catching up to do.”
They continued to walk along the path as joggers and other brisk-paced walkers whizzed past them. He looked over at her to see beads of sweat dotted her nose, and her mouth was slightly parted as she breathed. He was reminded of his first training session with Jordyn and how she thought she could just hop on the treadmill and walk at 5.5 mph for thirty minutes straight because ‘walking was easy.’ She quickly realized how difficult it was when the heart’s not conditioned for prolonged activity.
“How you feeling?” he asked.
“Good,” she said, and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “How much further do we have to go?”
“Not too far, but we can take a break if you want to.”
“Yeah, because I need one.” She exited the trail and cut across the grass to a bench.
Nate chuckled as she plopped down on the seat. “I definitely need to whip you into shape,” he told her.
She raised her eyebrows but said nothing, as if she was too tired to offer a comeback. He continued to stand while she sat for several minutes until her body calmed.
She completely threw him for a loop when out of the blue she asked, “Why are you single?”
“Well… it’s been a while since I’ve come across someone I’m interested in.”
“What happened with the last one?” she asked.
He shrugged his shoulders and kicked lightly at a rock near his shoe. “Just grew apart I guess.”
She looked skeptical.
“Different viewpoints about things. Really… she didn’t like that I gave up being a lawyer to become a fitness trainer. She was an attorney herself.”
“Wow. So you’re just surrounded by lawyers everywhere in your life, huh?”
“We were in the same circle.”
“I see,” she nodded.
He wanted to ask her a relevant question—why she was being so vague with him—but it would be redundant at this point.
She finally stood and brushed at her backside with her hands. “I’m ready.”
They walked the remainder of the track to reach the lot where they parked their vehicles. Nate tried his luck and asked if she wanted to join him for breakfast.
He didn’t expect her to agree so readily.
Or to do so with a smile that warmed him all over.
TWENTY-FOUR
Tora pushed her food around the plate with her fork. She didn’t know why she ordered such a big platter because she rarely ate breakfast, and the times she did it was usually something light.
And she didn’t know why she agreed to have breakfast with Nate, either. It was like the more she saw of him the more she was reminded of her unfortunate luck.
“I still can’t believe you’re from Pittsburgh,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.
“Why is that so surprising?”
“I guess I just assumed you would be from here. You fit right in with us Texans.”
“Oh no… I’m far from it,” she laughed. “But it’s been cool. I can honestly say I see myself staying for a while. The money stretches a little bit further down here that’s for sure.”
“What was it like in Pittsburgh? I haven’t visited too many states up north.”
“Well… I grew up in a place called The Hill District.” She shrugged. “It was like being in any other inner city hood, I guess. Far, far different than your River Oaks neighborhood.”
He chuckled.
“Your bedroom at your mom’s house is bigger than our old living and dining rooms combined.”
“Wow.”
“We didn’t move from there until my last year in middle school… when my mom remarried.”
“So… what made you settle in Texas of all places? Especially with no family here?”
“I first moved to Florida. I had this dream of living an idyllic life there in Miami… near the beach and shopping and having a cute little photography studio somewhere. But I couldn’t deal with the hurricanes. I had to go. Then I moved to Atlanta because, as they say, it’s a good place for us. From there I went to Tennessee. And finally… here I am in Texas.”
“Wow. You moved around quite a bit.”
“I wanted to be somewhere with mild weather, but California is too expensive. Besides, it was interesting to be someplace different every few years.”
“So Houston is it, huh?”
“Well… the flooding creeps me out,” she laughed. “It’s why I moved to a third-floor apartment. I get nervous every time it rains.”
Nate waved his hand. “It’s nothing to worry about. You’ll be fine.”
“Nothing to worry about?! I saw the freeways flooded!”
He laughed. “It’s survival of the fittest.”
“It’s crazy! Something definitely needs to be done about these drainage systems. The people at my job already know to not expect me if it rains too much. I can’t handle it.”
“Are you an only child? You have no brothers and sisters?”
“Yep,” she nodded, “an only child.”
“So you just up and left your parents?”
Tora swirled the straw around in her orange juice. “Of course I miss them. I call every single night before bed. And I go home around the holidays… if I can get the time off approved. They’ve been here a few times to visit, too.”
“I can’t imagine not being near my family,” Nate said.
“And I’ve always wondered what it would’ve been like if I had a sister or brother. What about you? What’s it like having a twin? Is it true what they say? That you feel each other’s energy and whatnot? And can complete each other’s sentences?”
“Well… I don’t know about all that,” he grinned, “but me and Sunny are really close. Closer than I am with my brothers. We used to do everything together.”
“I think that’s so sweet. I saw how helpful you were the day of the engagement party.”
“Well… that comes natural. She’s my sister.”
Tora smiled and took another bite of food.
Silence settled between them as they returned to their meals and listened to the low chatter amongst the other diners. She kept her eyes on her plate for the most part, or glanced out of the window watching other patrons enter the restaurant, but as soon as Nate looked away, she couldn’t help staring at his chest and arms in the long sleeve trainer shirt. His b
ody was so tight, but so damn huggable.
And she imagined what it would be like to do just that. To lay her head on his chest while she wrapped her arms around his waist.
If only….
* * *
“I was out having breakfast with a friend. Yes, I got ‘em. Yes, I got those too.”
Tora was scurrying through the apartment trying to dress for work. She and Nate had gotten so relaxed in their conversation at IHOP they didn’t realize how much time had passed. Calls and text messages from Eric buzzed her phone throughout their meal, but she was determined to not let his persistent rings dampen her mood. He’d sent her a text message Friday night after she’d gone to bed, apologizing for attempting to kiss her. She hadn’t responded by the next morning so he called, leaving a voicemail the second time to find out if she’d received his text message the night before. A note on her door from the Leasing Office as she left for work that morning notified her of a package she’d received. He’d sent two dozen roses with a note attached: ‘Because you liked them so much’.
This morning it was a teddy bear and a chocolate-covered fruit arrangement.
“You don’t seem to be too happy about them,” Eric said.
“It’s a nice gesture, but you don’t have to call or text me every ten minutes.”
“Well, if you would answer me I wouldn’t have to.”
Tora rolled her eyes and pulled on a pair of slacks from the dryer. “Honestly, Eric, what you did just rub me the wrong way. I didn’t appreciate that at all.”
“I said I was sorry.”
“Your hand was on my neck and my leg, forcing me to kiss you!”
“I thought you had a good time.”
“I did have a good time, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to go that far yet.”
He chuckled. “C’mon, dear. We’re both adults. This is not junior high school. Don’t you find me attractive?’
“You’re old enough to know there’s more to relationships than physical attraction,” she said, grabbing a shirt and her vest from the closet.
“And you’re old enough to know that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with two adults sharing a kiss after a special night out.”
“Exactly. But it has to be what both parties want.”
His laughter annoyed her.
“I’m running late for work, Eric. I have to go.”
“What time do you get off? Let’s go out for dinner.”
“No thanks,” she said.
“Tora, seriously? Are you seriously making a big deal over a stupid little kiss? Like… seriously? I didn’t even kiss you!”
“Talk to you later, Eric,” she said, and ended the call.
* * *
Driskell & Co. at The Woodlands Mall was their biggest store location with greater inventory selections. Tora kept to herself, working diligently in a corner setting up a table display for their Summer Tee Clearance Sale. She was still pissed about the conversation with Eric. No one had ever treated her that way before. He may have considered what he had done no big deal, but for her it was a total turn-off.
And no amount of flowers or candy was going to change that.
Instead of going to the food court during her lunch break, she went to Macy’s and bought two new lipsticks from the MAC Cosmetics counter: Ruby Woo and Flat Out Fabulous.
She smiled as she thought about Nate over breakfast. He’d told her he was looking forward to seeing her blue lipstick again, that he had never seen anything like it on a woman, and she wore it well. Tora was completely bare-faced for their workout and he also commented that she looked much younger without makeup.
—With these under-eye circles?
—Well… they don’t look too bad. They don’t make you look old, I mean.
—I think you’re just saying that.
—I’m serious. Why would I lie?
—Trying to make me feel good.
—You don’t feel good already?
She left Macy’s and stopped by a cart vendor to buy a new cell phone case, and then Great American Cookie for a brownie.
For the remainder of her work shift she tried dismissing Eric from her thoughts, but she worried about what she might find once she made it back to her apartment.
TWENTY-FIVE
Nate ended the call after leaving a voicemail on Jordyn’s phone. He’d already called her sister she listed as an emergency contact just to make sure Jordyn was alive and well. She’d missed an entire month of workouts now and he needed to know nothing tragic had occurred, preventing her from showing up to their scheduled meetings. Although hopeful, he had a feeling she had given up. He’d seen it happen so many times before with other clients. They set super high expectations for themselves only to be disappointed when they didn’t achieve the results they wanted in the timeframe they wanted. In Jordyn’s case she couldn’t see beyond the numbers on the scale even though she’d lost a considerable amount of inches off her body overall.
He sat at his desk jotting down ideas for his next podcast episode while he waited for Leticia and Vaughn. Not even five minutes into his brainstorming and he was already itching to talk to Tora. His finger was pressing the button to dial her before he could stop himself.
“Ready for today’s workout?” he said by way of greeting.
“What? I don’t remember agreeing to another workout with you.”
“Sure you did. I told you I would train you for free, remember? You didn’t decline the offer.”
“Nate, I am in my bed.”
“Still? It’s eleven o’clock. We gotta get our workout in, and eat a good breakfast so we can tackle the rest of the day energized.”
“My day will start once my alarm goes off in another thirty minutes and not a minute before.”
Nate chuckled. “I’m just playing around with you. I’m at the gym right now waiting for my next training session. How are you feeling after yesterday? You wanna go for a walk again, don’t you?”
“No,” she laughed quietly. “My ankles hurt.”
“I don’t doubt it, but that’s just your body’s response to the shock since you don’t exercise regularly. So now you need to do it again and develop a routine and make it a habit.”
She exhaled sharply. “Don’t count on it.”
Nate smiled and shook his head. “I was hoping we could meet again today, but I see you’re working late.”
“Yep, I am closing again tonight, but I’m off tomorrow. Wednesdays are my weekday off.”
“You serious? I’m usually off on Wednesdays, too.”
“Yeah right,” she laughed.
“I’m serious,” he said. “So I think… since we’re friends we should make it our day to hang out. You know… like I’m sure you and your friends do… get together for your knitting club—”
“Knitting club?” she laughed.
“—or Happy Hour. But instead, we’ll work out and then have breakfast or lunch.”
“You’re really trying it.”
“It worried me how winded you were from the walk. You’re too young for that—”
“Excuse you?”
“I want to help you. We’ll start off slow. Just once a week for a full month. Then we’ll take it from there.” Nate knew he was pushing it, but it didn’t hurt to put the offer on the table.
“Nate, I’ll be just fine,” she said.
“C’mon… tell me you didn’t feel good afterwards.”
“Okay, I’ll admit I had a slight boost of energy. Only slightly.”
“See. So imagine if you exercised more often.”
“Ask me again tomorrow. Today I’m not making any promises.”
He chuckled. “I most definitely will.”
Nate ended their call when he saw Leticia walk through the door. “Where is Vaughn today?” he asked as he approached her. She was always so generous with hugs whenever she saw him, something he was still trying to get used to. He didn’t mind them—loved them, actually—but just wondered what prompted the
m.
“At home. He claimed he wasn’t feeling well, so… I left him behind.”
“Oh man,” Nate said, “today was his weigh-in. I was looking forward to seeing the results with him.”
“That’s probably why he didn’t want to show up,” Leticia chuckled. “Now that I think about it.”
“Has he fallen off the plan?”
“I do my best to make sure the kitchen is stocked with healthy snacks, and I’ve started cooking lighter meals for dinner, but there are times when he’s there by himself, so I’m not able to monitor him twenty-four-seven, y’know?”
Nate nodded his head. It was during the first week of working out with Vaughn that he covered the basics of nutrition with him as he did with all of his clients. He also told Leticia it would make her journey to getting healthier a lot easier and less stressful if she and Vaughn were on the same meal plan. He was surprised to find out she had been cooking two different meals every day—healthy fair for herself and hearty meals for her son.
“So how are you doing today?” he asked her.
“Doing good. Ready to get this session over with to tell you the truth.”
Nate smiled. “What about your numbers? Blood pressure down?” It was the reason why Leticia had come to him in the first place. Her doctor recommended she take her health seriously and finally do something about her pressure, or she would be placed on medication. Leticia wasn’t a large woman, but she confided in Nate that she had trouble controlling stress: stress at work, stress from family, worrying about Deon. And now Vaughn.
“I don’t see the doctor for another couple weeks, but I’ve been following his orders as closely as I can.” She shrugged. “We’ll see.”
Nate looked at her. “Well, you look good that’s for sure. And I would brag and tell him how you’re able to run a quarter-mile now without stopping.”
She squeezed his arm as she laughed. “Isn’t that the truth? Even if my numbers don’t turn out great, that alone should be rewarded.”
He led her to a private room. “I figured we could switch things up a little bit today. We’re gonna do a circuit drill workout.”
Leticia stood with her hands on her hips as she gazed around the room, looking at all the equipment laid out on the floor: miniature cones, a rope ladder, fitness ball, dumbbells, a set of three steps, and a thick twisted black rope that looked like something fit for a game of tug-of-war for pro wrestlers. “Nate, I’m much older than I look,” she shook her head pitiably.
