Dead Fit - 7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

When I got to Sports Courts on Monday morning, Xavier was back at work. Everyone except for Ana and Gary was crowded around him wanting to hear stories of his big debut on Hollywood. As usual, Xavier was eating up the attention, reenacting the trials and tribulations of landing a soap opera walk-on role. No doubt he was embellishing the details. Typical.

Similar to me, Ana found Xavier to be too narcissistic for her tastes. Long before I started working at the gym, Xavier wanted to date Ana. She flatly refused him several times. To protect his over-inflated ego, he told everyone that he was the one who turned down Ana. She didn't bother setting the record straight, but needless to say, there was bad blood between the two.

When his adoring fans had heard enough of Xavier's touch with fame, he moseyed his way over to my desk.

“So, what did you think of Brian,” Xavier asked.

I tried to be nonchalant. "He seems like a good client. Definitely knowledgeable about fitness and real easy to get along with.”

“Yea, he's got a lot of money, too.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yea, mad cash. He owns a ton of properties in Long Beach. He’s one of those bastards who can get a trophy wife, one that sits at home all day, watching soap operas and shopping on the internet.”

Trophy wife? How about a trophy husband?

Xavier went back to his desk to work. I kept a watchful eye on the entrance to the gym, knowing that at any moment, Brian would waltz in for his workout session with Xavier. Brian came into the gym at precisely 8:30. When I saw him, my heart raced. I was pretty sure he wasn't going to say anything about our date on Saturday night, but I was a little concerned that he may act differently around me and Xavier would notice.

Brian walked over to Xavier's desk and the two exchanged greetings. He looked over at me and waved. “Good morning, Jaysen.” Then he turned to Xavier and said, “He took good care of me while you were gone.”

Xavier didn't seem to notice anything unusual, or if he did, he didn't let on as much. Then the two went about their training session.

A little after 9:00 am, Sarah, one of my regular clients, came for her weekly session. We rotated through a few different machines in the weight room. Several times, Sarah and I found ourselves in the same vicinity as Brian and Xavier. But Brian was too focused on his workout to even notice us. When I was done with Sarah, I looked around to see if Brian was still at the gym. Xavier was with a new client and Brian was no where to be found. He must have slipped out when I wasn't paying attention. Bummer. He didn't even say goodbye.

The rest of my Monday was routine – a bunch of appointments with clients who were trying to burn off the fat they accumulated from their gluttonous weekend.

Shortly after 6:00 pm, I saw Ana packing her belongings, getting ready to head home for the day. I was finally ready to tell Ana about my date with Brian and get her take on the situation.

“Any interest in grabbing a bite to eat with me, Ana? My treat.”

“No can do. I'm volunteering tonight.”

“You volunteer,” I asked, sounding incredulous. As soon as the question came out of my mouth, I felt bad that I sounded so surprised.

“I'm not just a pretty face, Jaysen,” Ana teased me. “I have a heart, too.”

“I didn't mean it that way.”

“I know. I'm just playing with you. I've been volunteering for a few years with a women’s' shelter in downtown Los Angeles. I help out with different events. Our next big one is to collect used cell phones.”

“Cell phones? Really?”

“Yup, women who are victims of domestic violence can use old phones to get emergency help if needed. You can still call 9-1-1 on a cell phone, even if you don't have service on the phone. If the phone doesn't work, we can still use it to sell the parts back to the phone manufacturer. Often, they can find a way to reuse some of the components. The money all goes back to the shelter. So if you have a used cell phone, give it to me. Not only are you saving the environment, you may be saving a life, too.”

“I'm impressed, Ana,” I said and in my most sincere tone added, “You're absolutely right, you are so much more than a pretty face.”

Ana smiled. “I'll take you up on the offer for dinner later in the week. I'm not a cheap date, though.”

With my dinner date standing me up and no back-up plan, I decided to stay at the gym and get a workout in. It probably wasn’t the best idea, since it was right after work on a Monday, a peak-time at the gym. But it was better than going home and loafing around.

It was tough exercising at the same place where I worked. Most members blurred the lines between my personal and professional life, asking me questions during my off time just as they would during work time. That's probably why most of the other staff had memberships at the other local gyms. I, on the other hand, was too cheap to pony up any extra money.

The one hidden benefit of exercising at Sports Courts during my off hours was being able to casually network with members, with the intent of finding prospective personal training clients. I was never good at high pressure sales, but I have always had a natural talent for building relationships. This was how I found a majority of my clients and I hoped my luck would continue this evening.

Sure enough, at the end of my two-hour workout, I managed to leave the gym with phone numbers of three potential new clients. Not bad.

When I got out to my car, I found a business card under my windshield, with a handwritten message on the back.

The business card belonged to Brian Davenport, owner of Davenport Properties. A PO Box was listed as the business address, along with a cell number for the telephone contact. I flipped the card over and read the message.

Jaysen: I had a nice time on Saturday night. I hope we can see each other again. Call if you're interested.

Of course I was interested. I tucked the card in my wallet and zipped on home. Later that night in the safety of my own bedroom, with my parents sound asleep, I built up the nerve to call Brian.

“Hullo,” he answered on the second ring.

“Is this Brian?” Duh, as though someone else would be answering his cell phone.

“Hi, Jaysen. I see you got my message. How was helping your mom clean out the garage yesterday?”

“It was fine. We worked almost the whole day, but we got a lot done.”

“So you really did have to get up early to help your mom,” Brian asked.

“You thought I made that up?”

“Yea, actually, I thought it was just a line you were giving me to get away from me.”

I laughed, “No, it was a true story. She collects used items for a few different charities in Long Beach and this coming weekend is her big distribution event.”

“Oh, I’m glad to hear that. I thought we were having a good time together the other night, so I couldn't figure out what went wrong. Anyway, I'd love to see you again,” Brian said.

“I'd like that, too, Brian.”

“How about on Wednesday? You work until six, right? You can come over to my place after work and then we can decide what to do.”

“Sounds good. I'll see you then.”

“See you then.”