Bradley
“Yeah. No. No you’re totally right, mom. I should have asked for money.” Brad rolled his eyes as he listened to his mother go on and on about how he should have renegotiated the contract that was already too late to be negotiated.
“All I’m saying is that you could have gotten more,” She pushed. “You undersold yourself!” Margaret Rivhorn was a wife, mother of two, and the COO of Inteltech, a fortune five hundred company that she had helped to build almost thirty years from the ground up right after she finished her Master’s degree. To say she was a hard working woman was a huge understatement. One that she just loved pointing out to her male peers.
While they focused on their careers, she had focused on her own, her husband’s, and the lives of her two children, Bradley and Valarie. She had brought them both up to be smart, hardworking, and also kind. Bradley knew he couldn’t have asked for a better mother, and he was thankful for her every day. However, when she talked to him like this, he always had the urge to hurry off the phone.
“You’re right mom,” he repeated, zipping up his charcoal gray hoodie. “Listen, it was great to talk with you but I have to go, I’m on my way to yoga.”
“All right then,” Margaret sighed, not missing her son’s slightly agitated tone. “Go on.” Then, in a much softer voice she added. “Congratulations, darling. Your father would have been proud. See you for dinner next Sunday?”
Brad’s heart constricted as he thanked his mother and promised her that yes; he would indeed be at dinner. He hung up the phone, slid it into his gym bag, and went on his way. In the car he thought fondly of the memory of his father, and concluded that yes, he would have been proud of him for his promotion.
At the yoga studio he greeted June as usual, signed in, and headed towards studio C. He was a little early, but then again he always was. He liked to pick his spot out in the empty room, lay out his mat, and do his stretches before the rest of class, mostly women, all filtered in.
“Hey there Brad!”
Brad looked up from his stretching to see Summer. A pretty, mid thirties woman with long, straight, straw blonde and a tiny waist.
“Hi Summer, how did your week go?”
The stay at home mom filled him on her week with the four kids and the everlasting tale of a husband that was a traveling salesman. By the time she was finished, the majority of the class had filed in and had taken their places.
“He’s in China?” Brad asked, surprised.
Summer shrugged, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Yeah. Well, what do you do, right?” She paused, her lower lip disappearing between her teeth in a nervous action as her blue eyes looked imploringly up at him. “Listen, um, I was wondering if maybe after class you’d”-
A loud crash cut Summer off and the entire class looked up to see a cute brunette sprawled on the floor with the shelf of yoga blocks scattered all around her. Brad recognized her immediately and, completely forgetting the conversation he was having with Summer, went over to help her up.
“Rachel? What are you doing here?”
Rachel scrambled up to her feet, her long brown curls falling loose from her half thrown up ponytail, and she looked at Brad wide-eyed. That adorable blush filled her cheeks again, and he had to bite back a smile.
“Brad! Hey. I um, this is yoga, right?” She stammered, trying to right the heavy shelf.
A chuckle slipped from Brad’s lips as he nodded his head and helped her right the stand and put the blocks back on it. “Yes. Yes it is. Since when did you start doing yoga here?”
Rachel put the last block back down on the shelf and let Brad lead her to an open spot near his mat. She looked good in yoga pants, he decided, catching a few peeks. Unlike the rest of the women wearing tight exercise shirts or just sports bras, she was wearing an oversized black t-shirt with a rip down the front that stopped just above her breasts. Her pants, however, were hugging the curves of her legs and backside scrumptiously.
“Today, actually,” she answered, rolling out her mat. She looked nervous as she stepped onto the studio- supplied mat, and lowered her voice. “If I’m being totally honest, this is my first day ever doing yoga.” She was looking around, and when Brad followed her line of sight he saw that there were several women, including Summer, that had no intention of hiding their snickers.
Without thinking about it, Brad reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. Even through the t-shirt he could feel her trembling with nerves. “Hey, that’s okay,” he assured with a smile. “Yoga is all about relaxation. We all have to start somewhere right? Plus you came on a good day. This is a basic to medium level class. Nothing too fancy.”
The instructor shouted welcome and the class began. Brad gave Rachel one more assuring smile and returned to his own mat. He had been practicing for years, but still liked to visit a beginner’s class once a month or so to make sure he was doing the basics properly. As his arms reached up high in sun salutation, he was glad that he had decided go to one that day.
~
“How do you feel?” Brad asked, rolling up his mat. The class, as always, had gone by quickly. Every now and then he’d take a quick look over to Rachel to see how she was doing and just as he had predicted, she was learning quite well.
“Great actually!” Rachel replied enthusiastically. “Do you feel this way after every class?”
Brad chuckled, and picked up her mat to roll it for her. “Most days.” They started walking together out the door when Summer approached him, putting her body directly between his and Rachel’s.
“Hey you! You walked away before I could finish talking to you!” She said, almost too sweetly.
“Sorry Summer,” he apologized. “What were saying earlier?”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and batted her eyelashes. “I was wondering if you’d want to go get a smoothie with me?” Her eyes shot over towards Rachel, then right back to his. “Like, right now maybe?”
“Tempting,” he said, stepping around her. “But no thanks. I need some coffee.” He stepped up to Rachel, smiling. “What do you say? Could you go for a cup? You won’t even have to steal this one.”