by E.A. Schmidt
holding me back”, his voice was strained and monotone. “Especially me”, he added quietly. He felt uncomfortable talking about his life choices. They were instincts to him. He trusted them because working hard just felt right. It felt weird explaining it.
“I know”, she said softly. She stroked his hand. “So, lemme ask you something else.”
“Okay.”
“Would you run even if it wasn’t paying for school?”
He pondered the question for a moment. “Yea, I would.”
“How come?”
“I don’t know. I just love it. I love the science of it. It’s exact but at the same time it’s a release…it’s thrilling. It allows you to test what you are capable of. It doesn’t lie. It only shows. It’s…perfect.” He paused and thought before choosing this last word. His voice jumped from monotone to animated as he spoke of the sport he loved. She liked seeing him get excited. There was a lull in the conversation for a moment. “You know”, he continued, “I was reading about sharks the other day.”
“Oh? What about?” She smiled, put her chin in her hand and looked at him.
“I read how certain sharks can’t breathe – can’t get water to pass over their gills correctly – unless they keep moving. They always have to move just to stay alive. I just thought that’s so interesting. Could you imagine such a thing?”
“It sounds kind of stressful.”
“I don’t know. I think it sort of makes sense. It’s like the shark is never still. It’s like it’s always moving toward something better.”
“Maybe. But I don’t think the shark thinks that way.” She laughed playfully and he couldn’t help but notice the very attractive contours of her face that were accentuated by the flickering candlelight.
“Maybe…” And his eyes drifted off toward the clock on the opposite wall.
