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Having just finished her habitual Saturday morning gym session Shannon headed to the changing rooms. She was cooling down. The stretches were done with her usual diligence. She concentrated particularly on her legs because it had been her legs that had been working the hardest in the gym.
“Oh hi Shannon”– a lady got out of one of the shower cubicles and saw Shannon.
“Hi Stef, how are you doing?”
“Fine thanks. Are you keeping up your Friday night and Saturday morning gym routine then?”
“Yeah. I’ve been doing it for a few months now. I’m definitely feeling better for it. Plus a few sessions in-between as well.”
“I’ve missed the last two Saturdays. I wish I could be as disciplined as you. Losing weight would be a lot easier then.”
“You really don’t have that much to lose.”
“That’s not what my husband thinks.”
“I suppose he has the body of a Greek God does he?”
“Ha! No, far from it.”
“Well he definitely doesn’t have right to demand what you look like, then.”
“It’s a good point, although I suppose if I’m honest he’s not the reason why I want to lose wait. I want to do it for myself and maybe for a couple of those younger guys at work!” Stef laughed at her own line as if it had caught her by surprise. “I’m only kidding. It would be good to get the odd lingering look of them though.”
“Yeah that’s what you want from a young guy, a lingering look”– Shannon was doing her best to be interested in Stef’s story.
“Trust me, at my age a lingering look can be the most exciting thing that happens all week.”
“Then your husband is definitely doing something wrong.”
“Tell me about it. Hey I’m going to get something to eat from the bar here, do you want to join me?”
“Erm, no its okay. I’m going to take a shower anyway, so knowing me it’ll be twenty minutes or so at least before I’m out there.”
“I don’t mind waiting, I’ve got all day.”
“Actually I’m meeting a friend for lunch in town anyway.”
“Oh okay, no worries”– Stef had dried herself whilst talking to Shannon and quickly got changed whilst Shannon was finishing off her stretching.
“Perhaps some other time then”– Stef said as she threw her bag over her shoulder.
“Yeah sure, bye. See you next week”– Shannon said.
“Bye”– Stef replied as she walked out of the changing rooms.
Shannon only knew Stef from short conversations like that in the gym over the last few months. She felt no rapport with her at all. Yet Stef was clearly one of those people who wanted to be friends with everybody. Shannon liked her time alone and she was perfectly happy with the small number of friends she already had. So Stef was one of a few people in Shannon’s life that she politely kept at a distance. Certainly she wasn’t about to pour her heart out to Stef about the recent trauma of killing a child with her car.
On her way out of the gym Shannon bought a couple of sugar hits from a vending machine: one in liquid form and one snack bar. Just after Shannon went out through the gym doors her phone rang. The number was withheld but Shannon answered it anyway, even though she suspected it would be somebody trying to sell her something she didn’t want and certainly didn’t need. She found it more annoying getting a missed call from a withheld number and never getting to find out what the call was about than having to deal with a slightly pushy sales person. In fact sometimes when she was in a particularly combative mood, Shannon actually enjoyed getting rid of the salesperson in a flamboyant manner. She answered the phone as she walked to her car.
“Hello.”
“Hello Shannon.”
“Who is this?” The sinister tone made Shannon think it wasn’t a salesperson.
“Killed any kids yet today?”
Shannon stopped dead in her tracks and dropped her car keys.
“No? Well I suppose it’s still morning so there’s plenty of time for you yet.”
“Oh God”– Shannon couldn’t stop herself from saying. “Look I’m really sorry I killed that boy. Trust me you have no idea how much it hurts me to know I’ve killed someone so young. But it really wasn’t my fault. Everybody else who was there says so. Just ask the police”– Shannon pleaded her case as she fought back the tears.
“I’m not a big fan of the police. You’re about to meet one of my least favorite ones. And you better hope he can keep you alive.”
“What?” Shannon said now genuinely frightened by what this man might do to her.
“Well I could kill you right now right there before you get to your pretty red car, which by the way clashes terrible with that pink gym bag of yours.”
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