had my youngest son Liam, I got back into exercising, and now Rita and Lee have gotten me hooked on circuit training workouts that kick my butt. It is one hour a day that I don’t think about my crumbling marriage, and I’ve become addicted.
Both woman are stretching in front of their treadmill before class begins, looking more like twenty-somethings than thirty-somethings. All of us are moms, all of us are in good shape, yet I seem to be the only one who doesn’t dare to wear slinky exercise tops and running shorts to the gym. “Put some clothes on,” I say playfully, wishing I had their confidence, and hop on my treadmill ready to get warmed up rather than stretch.
“Shut it, Alexa. It’s a thousand degrees outside today.” Lee hops up on the treadmill next to me. “So I hear you’re making Rita babysit your kids tonight rather than let her get drinks with us.” She winks good-humoredly, always loving to rile me up.
“I did…” I begin defensively.
“Come on, Lee. You’re going to give Alexa a heart attack from guilt. I offered to watch the boys. I miss them since they’re both in a different school than Hunter now. Girlfriend needs some time out having fun, instead of staying home with the boys every night in the giant house while Mike is out doing who knows what.”
“He’s working, Rita, you know that,” I say once again, defensively.
They both look past me at each other and before I can call them out, Lee stops her treadmill and gives me her motherly stare. “We love you, Alexa. We are so proud of you for trying to make things work. But, girlfriend, we are having a serious heart-to-heart tonight.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes and sigh. Luckily, just then Ashlee, our instructor, booms over her microphone, “Okay, everyone, it’s time to get up to base pace runners.”
“Can’t wait,” I say, exasperated that my two best friends can’t support my determination to trust Mike and try to make our marriage work.
As I try to keep pace, following Ashlee’s instructions during my run, I keep wondering whether Lee and Rita’s plan all along was to get me alone so they can try to convince me to leave Mike again. Christ, Lee has known Mike as long as she’s known me, and Rita’s husband is one of Mike’s best friends; you’d think they’d want us to stay together too. No infidelity has ever actually been proved, and it’s times like these that I regret telling them all of my worries. For all we know, Mike could have been faithful this whole time, and has never done anything wrong. And even if he has made a mistake in the past, if he still wants to make our marriage work and be with the family we made together, then I’ll do everything I can to try to make it work too. I’m no quitter.
After only a few minutes into my run, I begin to breathe heavy and notice my heart rate has sky-rocketed. I’m mad at myself for letting my worries overtake me in the one place that I can usually find solace. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to steady my heart rate and let the music fill my thoughts, pushing away all the negativity, when suddenly my foot catches on the rubber of the treadmill and the unthinkable happens.
Slam!
Oh God .
Slam! Bam!
Oh no.
A slow, screeching slide echoes through the room.
Thump!
Here I am, lying on the floor behind my treadmill, in pseudo plank position as Rita and Lee switch off between frantically stopping my treadmill and laughing their asses off at my embarrassment. I close my eyes, try to ignore the pain in my ankle, and pop up to my feet, praying that everyone else is too focused on their workout to notice my treadmill fail.
“Jesus, Lex. Are you alright?”
That accent.
His hands are on my elbow, and I feel it everywhere.
Let. Me. Die.
Why is he here?
Ashlee is at my side now too. “Alexa, are you okay?”
I look back at her, still trying to pretend Jamie isn’t at my side and didn’t just witness me tumble to the ground like an
Both woman are stretching in front of their treadmill before class begins, looking more like twenty-somethings than thirty-somethings. All of us are moms, all of us are in good shape, yet I seem to be the only one who doesn’t dare to wear slinky exercise tops and running shorts to the gym. “Put some clothes on,” I say playfully, wishing I had their confidence, and hop on my treadmill ready to get warmed up rather than stretch.
“Shut it, Alexa. It’s a thousand degrees outside today.” Lee hops up on the treadmill next to me. “So I hear you’re making Rita babysit your kids tonight rather than let her get drinks with us.” She winks good-humoredly, always loving to rile me up.
“I did…” I begin defensively.
“Come on, Lee. You’re going to give Alexa a heart attack from guilt. I offered to watch the boys. I miss them since they’re both in a different school than Hunter now. Girlfriend needs some time out having fun, instead of staying home with the boys every night in the giant house while Mike is out doing who knows what.”
“He’s working, Rita, you know that,” I say once again, defensively.
They both look past me at each other and before I can call them out, Lee stops her treadmill and gives me her motherly stare. “We love you, Alexa. We are so proud of you for trying to make things work. But, girlfriend, we are having a serious heart-to-heart tonight.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes and sigh. Luckily, just then Ashlee, our instructor, booms over her microphone, “Okay, everyone, it’s time to get up to base pace runners.”
“Can’t wait,” I say, exasperated that my two best friends can’t support my determination to trust Mike and try to make our marriage work.
As I try to keep pace, following Ashlee’s instructions during my run, I keep wondering whether Lee and Rita’s plan all along was to get me alone so they can try to convince me to leave Mike again. Christ, Lee has known Mike as long as she’s known me, and Rita’s husband is one of Mike’s best friends; you’d think they’d want us to stay together too. No infidelity has ever actually been proved, and it’s times like these that I regret telling them all of my worries. For all we know, Mike could have been faithful this whole time, and has never done anything wrong. And even if he has made a mistake in the past, if he still wants to make our marriage work and be with the family we made together, then I’ll do everything I can to try to make it work too. I’m no quitter.
After only a few minutes into my run, I begin to breathe heavy and notice my heart rate has sky-rocketed. I’m mad at myself for letting my worries overtake me in the one place that I can usually find solace. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to steady my heart rate and let the music fill my thoughts, pushing away all the negativity, when suddenly my foot catches on the rubber of the treadmill and the unthinkable happens.
Slam!
Oh God .
Slam! Bam!
Oh no.
A slow, screeching slide echoes through the room.
Thump!
Here I am, lying on the floor behind my treadmill, in pseudo plank position as Rita and Lee switch off between frantically stopping my treadmill and laughing their asses off at my embarrassment. I close my eyes, try to ignore the pain in my ankle, and pop up to my feet, praying that everyone else is too focused on their workout to notice my treadmill fail.
“Jesus, Lex. Are you alright?”
That accent.
His hands are on my elbow, and I feel it everywhere.
Let. Me. Die.
Why is he here?
Ashlee is at my side now too. “Alexa, are you okay?”
I look back at her, still trying to pretend Jamie isn’t at my side and didn’t just witness me tumble to the ground like an
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