Just as the yellow yolks within the pan began to fluff and gain consistency, Bishop felt nauseated at the sight of them. Turning the stove off in the immaculate kitchen, he opted for a fruit-and-nut bar instead.
The morning sun was peering through the window above the sink as Bishop downed a glass of water. Just as he was reaching for his phone, his mother appeared in her gown.
“You’re up early, Bish.”
“Hey, Mom.” Cheerfully, he offered his mother a hug.
“You’re going running?”
“Yep.”
“Lovely. Do you want toast with your eggs?”
“Nah. I don’t want the eggs.”
“Oh? Why not?”
“I don’t know. They sounded good but when I started cooking them but I changed my mind. You can have them.”
“I’ll pass. It’s nice seeing you up this early. It’s not healthy to run in the heat of mid-morning.”
Smiling at his mother, he finally cracked. “I’m actually going running with someone.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I’m meeting her at seven.”
“Her?” His mother gave a curious smile as she made her way to the coffee pot. “It’s not that nasty Jenna girl is it?”
“Jen…hell no.”
“Thank goodness.”
“Nah, just some random girl I met yesterday.”
“Really? Is she pretty?”
“Gorgeous. Brown hair, blue eyes…her smile. She’s beautiful.”
“And…how did you meet?”
“She was actually looking for a place to run. I guess she lives in different neighborhood in an apartment. I was running by and we just got to talking.”
“It’s good to make friends with common interests.”
“It’s good to make friends with different body parts.”
“Bishop.” His mother sported both a scowl and a smile as she chuckled.
“Just kidding. She’s just wanting a running partner for in the mornings. I figured…why not?”
“Well, I’m happy to hear your new friend is health-conscious. Are you sure you don’t want these eggs? I’m going to wash them down the disposal if you don’t.”
“Please do, they smell like ass. Love you, Mom.”
Her arms wrapped around his waist. “I love you too, sweet boy. You are so precious to me.”
“I’ll be back in a while.”
Nearly five minutes after seven and Alex was yet to arrive. Glancing over at his phone once more, Bishop entertained the idea of conjuring a sarcastic message. Just as he began entering her number, her vehicle came into view.
She appeared somewhat disheveled yet Bishop found her smile completely disarming as she parked and walked toward him hastily.
The leggings and Under Amor top she sported showcased her petite and tone figure nicely—yet Bishop only gave her body a glance—his attention was anchored to her face.
Bishop was completely uneducated on cosmetics and other womanly things; however, he could plainly tell that Alex was wearing not a stich of makeup and yet her face was strikingly beautiful even with the bedsheet impressions along the left side.
“I’m so sorry! I overslept.”
The face she made while apologizing—the way her nose slightly scrunched as she bit her bottom lip—left him speechless for nearly three seconds. “What are you talking about? This isn’t boot camp.”
“Ha. Good. I was up late.”
“It’s all good. We can stretch really quickly and take off.”
“Sounds great, coach.”
“I’m diggin’ your new kicks.”
“Huh?”
“Your shoes.”
“Oh…thanks. Yeah no scuffs yet.”
“And the left one still has a tag on the heel.”
“Holy shit…I think I need to go back to bed.”
Alex placed her hand on her forehead as she looked to the ground. Bishop found himself completely entertained by her normalcy. “Nah, you’re good.”
The small talk was just that—slightly awkward and only skin deep, and then they were off. Bishop was sure to pace himself with her, running right by her side.
Pigeons and readers spotted the benches and sat beneath large trees, but the sidewalks were clear for the most part. The park was beautiful and surprisingly still.
Bishop was sure this jog would produce at least a few rest stops for Alex, yet she never once mentioned needing a break or motioned to rest as they jogged down the winding sidewalk under tall oaks and willows.
Nearly thirty minutes later they’d completed the full circle and were back to their vehicles. Panting slightly, Bishop noticed the look of accomplishment and attentiveness in Alex’s eyes.
“Good…good job. I thought you didn’t run, Alex?”
“Oh…I’m…I’m sure I’ll be sore as shit tomorrow.”
“Lots of water.”
“That…won’t be a problem. I’m about to thirst to death.”
“O.J.?”
“Huh?”
“Orange juice? As in, want to grab breakfast?”
“Like this? Um…sure.”
***
“So I was literally like on my seventh mile, just beat, and I come around the corner and there’s this gorgeous blonde girl on one of those hover boards. So, I’m thinkin’, now’s my time to shine…strut and shit. I take off full speed—drenched in sweat—I’m sure I looked ridiculous. I guess while trying to impress this girl, my fatigued feet decide they’re going to conspire to humiliate me.”
The darks of Alex’s eyes anticipated the climax of Bishop’s story as they sat in a corner booth of a hole-in-the-wall diner near the park.
“Just as I reached top speed—as fast as I could go with what reserves I had left, my right foot clipped my left heal and sent me flying through the air, busting my ass in front of this girl and about twelve other people.”
With this, Alex grinned largely, chuckling slightly.
“So I’m like, writhing in pain—legitimately hurt, and bleeding—and I look up to see this girl’s boyfriend laughing at me. It was seriously the worst thing ever. To top it off, I left my phone at the damn house so I couldn’t even call Nathan…so I…so I couldn’t even call for a ride. I just had to hobble home all beat up.”
“Oh. That’s so sad. I won’t lie, I would have laughed at you too, but I would have helped you up and given you a ride home.”
“You’re too kind…you’ve single-handedly restored my faith in humanity. But seriously…if someone asked me to describe my most embarrassing moment or day, that would be it.”
“Ouch. So how would you describe today?”
Her smile—naturally beautiful white teeth—pulled the definition from his lips rather effortlessly. “Beelderig.”
“Huh?”
“It was beautiful. The day’s been beautiful.”
Fading from her face, her smile and whimsical expression gave way to a more serious tone as she seemed to study Bishop briefly.
“So, Mr. Bishop, your accent…it’s quite fascinating.”
“Really? Most people don’t seem to notice anymore. I’ve been here most my life.”
“It’s noticeable.”
“I was born near Cape Town. My parents moved here to practice medicine when I was little.”
“That’s amazing. I’ve never been out of the USA. Do you ever go back home…or, back to South Africa?”
Summoning the waiter for the check, Bishop nodded. “Yeah. Pretty frequently actually. My aunt and uncle live in Johannesburg—they’re both infectious disease epidemiologists. I have cousins there…we’re pretty close. My dad is there now. What about you? What’s your story?”
“Story? Um…pretty dull. I live with my baby brother, Tyson. I work as a respiratory therapist while he goes to school. Kind of robotic in our routine but we’re getting it done—living the dream and shit.”
“Do your parents live around here?”
Bishop listened intently as Alex told him of her mother’s addiction issues and of the loss of her parents. The bond portrayed in Alex’s description of her and her brother drew Bishop into her story—he was intrigued before, and now this girl had his attention captivated entirely.
As they left the corner booth, he turned to her abruptly. “So…tomorrow morning, same time?”
“I actually work tonight.”
Bishop found himself slightly disappointed, but smiled and nodded just the same. “Gotcha.”
“We could do eight. That would give me enough time to give report and get over here.”
“I can’t let you run after working all night. Do you work tomorrow night, too?”
“No sir.”
“Wanna run tomorrow evening?”
“Let’s do it.”
Sharing a smile and brief eye contact, they then turned and went separate ways.