ALICE
Runyon canyon is always beautiful. I never fully appreciated it until I started coming here with you. I loved to watch you run. I loved the concentration on your face as your feet pounded against the ground. Even more I loved the way your eyes would light up as you looked up and saw me sitting and waiting for you with a bottle of water in my hand. I look down at the water in my hand now and swallow my sorrow. I open the water and take a long drink from it, still trying to catch my breath. I started jogging the other day on a whim. It was either jog or drive over to the place that I am trying like hell to avoid. I am starting to see why you loved it so much. It‘s quiet out here. There’s nothing, but the sound of my feet thumping against the ground. Nobody looking at me with sympathy in their eyes. No one asking me how I’m doing. No expectations, just me and the dirt underneath my feet. Of course until now I had forgotten how completely out of shape I am. I’m leaning my hands on my knees now trying hard to catch my breath…

“Come on, Al, you can do it!” With all of the effort that I can manage I lift my head and glare at my girlfriend. She’s bouncing up and down in front of me, jogging in place, trying to urge me to the end of the trail. I have a sudden urge to choke her and if I wasn’t so exhausted I am sure that I would have killed her by now. I catch her bouncing back toward me before I drop my head again and try to catch my breath.

“You…owe me…so…big.” I say between gasps wondering how I let you coax me out of bed this early to exercise in a way that doesn’t involve the two of us naked.

“Exercise is good for you.” She says and I swear I can feel the ground bouncing as she gets closer. “Come on let’s go.” She bends over, still bouncing and grabs my hand to drag me back into a jogging motion.

“Daa-na.” I whine as she pulls me along for a moment. “I’m having a heart attack here. Thanks so much for your concern.” And then I let my tired body drop dramatically to the ground dragging Dana down with me.