either side of the bike and pedaled faster, her knees high as she pumped her feet. “I seem to have gotten knocked up, is all. Can you believe it? In my old age?” She smiled ruefully but Alexis could tell she was somehow … happy.
What the hell?
“But I thought you hated kids,” Alexis stammered, remembering a conversation they’d had years ago about not walking past the gym’s day-care center for fear of germs. She jabbed at the bike’s control screen, not making eye contact.
Sarah laughed. “I do! I can’t stand them. They cry and whine and poop their pants. My body is going to get so big, and it will take twice as long at my age to get it back to where it was. Trust me, this was not planned. I’ve been training for the Ironman for the past six months!”
“Is Aldo excited?” Alexis asked slowly. She was so surprised, her voice was almost a whisper. In the years she’d been working out with Sarah, this was something she’d never considered. That she would be left high and dry by her trainer, whom she paid exorbitant amounts of money to, money she barely had.
Sarah turned to her, taking one of her hands in her own, which surprised Alexis yet again. Neither woman was very touchy-feely. “He is so fucking thrilled it’s not even funny.” Her face broke out into a smile. She had dimples on both cheeks. “He keeps running around the apartment shouting that he can’t believe he knocked me up at forty. You know Latin men. So proud of their dicks.”
Alexis swallowed. “Well, if you’re happy, then I’m happy for you, Sarah.” She mustered up a small smile. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you, Alexis. And don’t worry. I’m not going to work out alongside you as much, but we can continue our appointments. I’ll be more like a traditional trainer; a coach. I’m only three months along, and I plan on working up until I deliver, you know me.”
“Yeah, you’re tough,” Alexis told her lightly, but inside she felt utter panic. Her life was going to change. Sarah was her mentor—she didn’t want to work out with anyone else. She wasn’t a particularly social person, and couldn’t see meeting with another trainer, male or female. Oh, why did people have to grow up and get married and have fucking babies? All this did was ruin things. Babies were financial burdens, they caused friction between husband and wife, and they were bottomless money pits.
Alexis thrived on routine. From the time her alarm sounded while the sky was still dark to when she closed her laptop at five o’clock in the evening, every day was exactly the same. That’s how she liked it. She was disciplined and a hard worker. She had no patience for anyone who didn’t have the same values. How could Sarah, who had worked so hard for so many years to build her business, gathering a clientele and reputation as a kick-ass trainer, give it all up for a baby? How could someone so much like herself be looking at Alexis now with starry eyes, a red flush of excitement across her cheeks? How could she have gotten herself pregnant ? Surely by forty a woman had control over her reproduction! A baby would ruin everything.
After their two-hour workout ended, Alexis again congratulated Sarah, and confirmed their Wednesday appointment.
“I have a doctor’s appointment that morning, but I could do ten?” Sarah asked casually.
Alexis’s hand flew to her cheek. She felt like the sailor Billy had smacked. She’d seen Sarah three times a week for three years straight, always Monday, Wednesday, Friday, always at five-thirty in the morning. Neither woman had missed a day, and now this thing, this parasite, was screwing up her entire world. Once, Alexis had all four wisdom teeth pulled on a Tuesday afternoon, and was working out the following morning, high as a kite on Percocet.
Seeing her client clearly distressed, Sarah quickly said, “You can write the blog later in the day, right?”
“No, not really,” Alexis said. She stopped
What the hell?
“But I thought you hated kids,” Alexis stammered, remembering a conversation they’d had years ago about not walking past the gym’s day-care center for fear of germs. She jabbed at the bike’s control screen, not making eye contact.
Sarah laughed. “I do! I can’t stand them. They cry and whine and poop their pants. My body is going to get so big, and it will take twice as long at my age to get it back to where it was. Trust me, this was not planned. I’ve been training for the Ironman for the past six months!”
“Is Aldo excited?” Alexis asked slowly. She was so surprised, her voice was almost a whisper. In the years she’d been working out with Sarah, this was something she’d never considered. That she would be left high and dry by her trainer, whom she paid exorbitant amounts of money to, money she barely had.
Sarah turned to her, taking one of her hands in her own, which surprised Alexis yet again. Neither woman was very touchy-feely. “He is so fucking thrilled it’s not even funny.” Her face broke out into a smile. She had dimples on both cheeks. “He keeps running around the apartment shouting that he can’t believe he knocked me up at forty. You know Latin men. So proud of their dicks.”
Alexis swallowed. “Well, if you’re happy, then I’m happy for you, Sarah.” She mustered up a small smile. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you, Alexis. And don’t worry. I’m not going to work out alongside you as much, but we can continue our appointments. I’ll be more like a traditional trainer; a coach. I’m only three months along, and I plan on working up until I deliver, you know me.”
“Yeah, you’re tough,” Alexis told her lightly, but inside she felt utter panic. Her life was going to change. Sarah was her mentor—she didn’t want to work out with anyone else. She wasn’t a particularly social person, and couldn’t see meeting with another trainer, male or female. Oh, why did people have to grow up and get married and have fucking babies? All this did was ruin things. Babies were financial burdens, they caused friction between husband and wife, and they were bottomless money pits.
Alexis thrived on routine. From the time her alarm sounded while the sky was still dark to when she closed her laptop at five o’clock in the evening, every day was exactly the same. That’s how she liked it. She was disciplined and a hard worker. She had no patience for anyone who didn’t have the same values. How could Sarah, who had worked so hard for so many years to build her business, gathering a clientele and reputation as a kick-ass trainer, give it all up for a baby? How could someone so much like herself be looking at Alexis now with starry eyes, a red flush of excitement across her cheeks? How could she have gotten herself pregnant ? Surely by forty a woman had control over her reproduction! A baby would ruin everything.
After their two-hour workout ended, Alexis again congratulated Sarah, and confirmed their Wednesday appointment.
“I have a doctor’s appointment that morning, but I could do ten?” Sarah asked casually.
Alexis’s hand flew to her cheek. She felt like the sailor Billy had smacked. She’d seen Sarah three times a week for three years straight, always Monday, Wednesday, Friday, always at five-thirty in the morning. Neither woman had missed a day, and now this thing, this parasite, was screwing up her entire world. Once, Alexis had all four wisdom teeth pulled on a Tuesday afternoon, and was working out the following morning, high as a kite on Percocet.
Seeing her client clearly distressed, Sarah quickly said, “You can write the blog later in the day, right?”
“No, not really,” Alexis said. She stopped
Similar Books
