While walking on the treadmill, I noticed Dez cycling on one of the stationary bikes in the corner. He seemed focused as he listened to music through his iPod Nano. After completing my mile walk, I hopped off and approached him. As I walked past him, I intentionally dropped my towel and then bent down to pick it up. When I stood back up, I flashed a smile and he returned it.

 

"Hi, I'm Shannon," I said. Of course, he couldn't hear me with his headphones in. He removed them and asked me to repeat myself. "I'm Shannon," I said again.

 

"Hello, I'm Dez," he replied.

 

"It's nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand.

 

"Ditto," he replied.

 

"So how long have you been coming here?" I asked.

 

"A little over six months."

 

"How do you like it?"

 

"Not bad, as you can see it's paying off. I used to weigh 238 pounds and now I'm down to 200," he said proudly.

 

"Well done! Did you come alone or with someone else?" I inquired.

 

"Actually, I'm here with my friend Cole," Dez replied.

 

My smile faltered and I was about to walk away when he clarified, "He's just around here lifting weights."

 

"Oh, I thought you were going to say your wife or girlfriend was here too. I was about to leave," I chuckled nervously.

Dez laughed as well. "Believe it or not, I am single. That's why I started coming here regularly after a bad breakup. My friend Cole convinced me to try working out and we come here every Tuesday and Thursday."

 

"Well, thank goodness for Cole then. It's a good thing I decided to come tonight. Usually, I come every Monday, Wednesday, and some Thursdays. So where is Cole now?"

 

"I think he's over there, through those double doors," Dez pointed.

I couldn't help but laugh at Mia. She was absolutely crazy. We met through a mutual friend and quickly became inseparable. It's been a while since I was 21, and about four years ago, Harper and I finally called it quits for good. Looking back, it's hard to decipher why we ended things. Maybe he didn't see a future with us, but we were both still in college when we first started dating. I only had one year left for my Associate's degree, and he had two years remaining. My mother gave me an ultimatum - either get a job or complete two years at a community college in the Valley. She wasn't messing around.

 

My current job pays me about $40k annually, and with overtime, it can reach up to $50k. If Harper and I had gotten married, our household income would have been around $120k. It's funny how I still find myself thinking about him.

 

He was my first love, and if given the chance, I know I would take him back without hesitation. But here I am, still single. At least I've sought therapy, which has been helpful in my healing process. Writing has also been a form of therapy for me, and it has led me to where I am today.

 

My cell phone buzzed with a text notification.

 

Who could be texting me this early in the morning? It was only 9am.

 

I jumped off the bed and grabbed my phone from the dresser. As soon as I opened my messages app, I saw it was from my cousin Atlas.

 

"Hey fam, just got off work. Kyotie isn't home and I left my key there. Can I come crash at your place for a few hours?"

Well damn, I haven't heard from her in months and now she needs a place to crash? What's going on with her? And her girlfriend just up and left her? This is insane. I always told her to find a real man, because these women nowadays are just playing games.

The loud knocking on my door startled me awake. I quickly got up and grabbed a pair of camouflage Capri pants from my closet, slipping them on as I headed towards the door. It was the cable company, sending a nerdy looking guy to install both lines. He had light hair, green eyes, and was short and skinny, wearing pants that were too short for his height. I couldn't help but think how can someone be short and still have pants that don't fit?

 

"Hello, please come in."

 

"Hi Ma'am, I'm Parker and I'm here to set up the main line, 480-808...and the business line, 480-888..."

 

"Yes, that's correct."

 

"Where would you like the second line installed?"

 

"In the den. Come on, let me show you the way." Once we got there, he immediately got to work. "I'll be right back."

 

"Sure thing, I'll keep working while you're gone."

 

I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face before returning to the family room to wait for any questions or assistance he needed. Still feeling sleepy from staying up too late last night, I wondered what time it was. I realized I had taken off my watch before taking a bath last night, so I had to go to the bedroom to get it. Looking at the time, I saw it was already almost six-thirty in the morning. Wow, this company works early, I thought to myself.

 

I remained seated for what seemed like hours, my eyelids drooping with exhaustion. To keep myself occupied, I switched on the television and tuned in to the morning news. By the time he was done, another hour had passed. I quickly signed the necessary paperwork, received my copy, and sent him on his way. But not long after, Alliance & Surveillance arrived to complete their tasks. It took the technician nearly three hours to finish his job, leaving me so tired that I dozed off on the couch while waiting. Suddenly, there were loud knocks at the door, and I jolted awake, thinking it was the police.

 

Why do people have to play games like that? I thought to myself as the conversation with my installer ended. I headed down to the basement to check the security cameras, which were also accessible through the home theater system he had installed. The quality of everything was impressive; it was a whole new level of personal security for me. He even placed two monitors in my bedroom, and I could view the cameras over the internet on any of my devices. As an extra precaution, he also installed card readers at each entrance - one for the garage door and another for the back French doors. With these measures in place, I felt confident in my safety.

 

However, I wanted to add one more layer of protection by installing a security/screen door on the front entrance. I called up Chandler's Screening & More and placed an order for it to be installed a week from tomorrow. With all the work completed, I quickly got dressed and was ready to leave. But before I did, I called the store where I worked to check in.

 

"Beverly, what are you doing there at this time of day?"

 

"Don't tell me you forgot about inventory day? All the shipments came in today."

 

"Oh, right." I chuckled. "I'll be there in about an hour."

 

"Okay."

 

I changed into some maroon dress slacks, black pumps, and a long sleeve black shirt before heading out.

 

As soon as I arrived at 'Ms. Deborah's Tees', chaos greeted me. Devall was running around frantically, Beverly was tapping away on her calculator, and Jordan had a look of confusion on her face.

 

"What's happening?" I asked, trying to make sense of the chaos.

 

"Thank goodness you're here, Ms. Deborah," Beverly exclaimed. "Could you please tell Devall to stop running around and sit down? He's been causing more trouble than help."

 

"I'll handle it," I called out to Devall. He stopped in his tracks and came over to me. "What's going on?" I asked him.

 

"I hate inventory day," he grumbled.

 

"Is that why you're running around like a chicken with its head cut off?" I raised an eyebrow at his behavior.

 

"Well, yes and no," Devall admitted sheepishly.

 

"Let's just leave it at that," I said firmly, not wanting to hear any excuses. "Just finish up your tasks, it's what you're paid for. And if you have a problem with it, maybe you and Beverly can switch positions and salaries." Devall quickly backtracked and assured me he could handle it.