Unplugged (A Portrait of a Rock Star) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Not yet.  I barely knew her; we had only met two days ago.  I had spent maybe an hour with her on Monday and barely a few minutes today, yet here she was, resuscitating my heart. 
    “Your welcome, Tagg.  The color is returning to your face.  Are you feeling better?” 
    “I am.  You know, I don’t need to cancel my session.  I’m good.”  I didn’t want her to leave and if she wasn't training me, what reason could I give to ask her to stay? 
    “Well, considering what I just witnessed, I think it’d be best if we avoided any heavy weight-training today.  Why don’t we start by taking a walk?”
    A walk with an angel?  Me?  “Sure.  Let me just get dressed.”  Since I still was in my boxer’s and nothing else, it was a good idea to dress before going outside.
    “Great.  I’ll wait for you in the living room.”
    I couldn’t deny it, I was extremely nervous.  I knew she was just my personal trainer, but there was something about Mara that brightened my mood. 
    I swiftly yanked on a pair of gray sweats, a white t-shirt and my ruddy, old sneakers.  I made a mental note to buy a new pair.  The last time I bought anything other than beer or junk food must have been over a year or two ago; I couldn’t remember.  Brushing my teeth, I took a look in the mirror and paused.  Ready or not, my soul was resurfacing and I was going to have to re-enter the world.
    “Are you all set, Tagg?”  Mara had put on a pink baseball cap while I was getting dressed.  She looked adorable with her ponytail pulled through the hole in the back of the hat.
    “I’m all set.  I have to warn you, I haven’t walked much farther than the distance from the refrigerator to my recliner.  I hope you’re certified in CPR.”  After the scene in my bedroom, I thought Mara deserved an untroubled companion to walk with around the lake. 
    Mara gave a big smile as she let out a slight laugh.  “Don’t worry about it, Tagg, you’ll be fine.  And, yes, I am certified in CPR, so feel free to pass out when the whim hits.”
    She was funny, too.  I let my hand sweep across her back as I led the way out the door.  Even though the moment was short, the charge that ran up my arm to my heart was fierce; I briefly hoped she had felt it too.   “Why don’t we take a walk on the boardwalk, instead of around the lake?  I’ll drive.”  I opened the passenger side door of my Honduras Maroon ’62 Corvette Convertible for Mara and then closed it for her once she was in.  It felt good to act chivalrous. I drove the few minutes to the boardwalk and parked.  The ride was quiet, but I wasn’t too worried.  Mara seemed comfortable with silence.   Once we reached the boardwalk, I let Mara take the lead.  She was the trainer, after all.   We started off walking at a pretty slow pace.  It was embarrassing to think what she might have thought of my fitness level; I was somewhere over two-hundred pounds.  But, she never outwardly seemed to pass judgment on that. 
    “Lake Mohawk is pretty, Tagg.  What made you decide to move up here?  I remember reading that you were a Jersey shore man.”  I could tell Mara was a little nervous, but she was doing a good job at keeping the mood light.
    “My heart wasn’t in it anymore.  I had read about Lake Mohawk online.  Moving up to the country seemed alluring, yet I wasn’t quite ready for farmland.  I thought this place was a good compromise.  It has a boardwalk, after all.”  I joked.
    Mara gave her big smile with that slight laugh again.  “Somehow, you don’t seem the farmer type.”
    “No?  You can’t see me in a pair of overalls?”  My goodness, what was I thinking?  Why would I want her to picture me in a pair of overalls, with my huge gut sticking out?  I was flirting as if I were that lithe, rock and roll guy, still.
    Mara was polite;  I hadn’t doubted she would be.  “I think you can be anything you want to be, Tagg.”
    “Yeah, well, I don’t