Chapter Two - Samantha

Ava Marie spins on her heels in front of the class, demonstrating her dance moves for the rest of the group. At ten, she’s the oldest and most experienced kid in class today, so I’ve dubbed her my assistant for the morning. I grin as I watch her. She’s a little wobbly on the spin, but the determination her face makes it look pretty close to perfect to me.

I don’t normally teach my own classes anymore – I have my hands full enough with keeping this place afloat. I’m teaching three sessions today, though. My regular children’s instructor, Julia, is out for the day with the flu, in which case I always substitute. Honestly, it makes for a nice break. I have an unhappy budget to reconcile sitting on my desk, an unfriendly letter from the landlord about a rent, a meeting I need to schedule, and a dozen other things I have to sort by the end of the week. I’d much rather lead classes. It’s a lot less stressful and it puts me in a much better mood.

Leading this morning session of the children’s flexibility and movement class makes me remember why I started my fitness center in the first place. The group is high-energy, with a lot of chatting between moves and making silly faces in the mirror as we go along. It’s nice to get my morning going this way. Typically, I get in my own workouts later in the day, jumping in on classes or putting music on for my own dance routines after the center has cleared out for the day.

“You can do it, Meagan!” Ava Marie says, walking through the class and encouraging the other kids.

I smile again, watching her. “Alright, one more sequence and then we’ll start cool-down, everybody!” I call out. I demonstrate the sequence slowly, counting out the beats as I do. My muscles stretch out as I move, and I wince a bit. They’re a little tighter than I’d like them to be. It’s from all the stress lately, I’m sure.

The kids follow my lead through the last sequence, their footsteps heavy on the wooden floor. I can hear several of them counting to themselves or saying moves out loud as they go. I watch them finish, then turn the music down so we can cool down.

“Ava Marie, can you get the lights?” I ask. She nods and bounds over to turn the lights down to the dim setting we use for cool-downs.

“Can we do the Mozart one, Miss Samantha?” Benjamin asks.

“We sure can. Everybody go ahead and sit down while I put it on, okay?” I switch the upbeat CD in the old player for the classical music one. Julia has track 9 highlighted and starred on the back, and I’ve heard her play it for the kids at the end of class before. I put it on and turn back around to lead cooldown breathing.

“Yeah!” Benjamin says in a whisper, beaming when the music starts.

I lead the class through several minutes of deep breathing and relaxing cool-down time, feeling like it will do me as much good as it does them. When we’re done, parents have started to line up at the door. Ava Marie turns the lights back on as the kids start to pack up. They talk amongst themselves as they pack, shouting goodbyes to me as they go. I walk over towards the door to make sure they all meet up with an appropriate adult.

“How much are you teaching today? I’ve got Zumba at 3:00. Will I be seeing you?” Meagan’s grandfather, Richard, asks me.

I shake my head. “Just Julia’s classes, so unless you’re taking school-time yoga or the kids’ dance workshop today, you won’t have me,” I say, laughing. He smiles. Meagan’s family members are some of my best clients. They only live a few blocks away, and they come down all the time for a variety of classes for various age groups.

“Ah, well. Marc’s great, but I always enjoy it when you teach,” Richard says.

“I’m sure I’ll be in there sometime soon. It is almost flu season,” I say. I’m always busiest that time of year – not because we have more classes but because my staff is out more often, putting more on my plate to cover.

“Are you doing flu shots here again this year?” Richard asks as Meagan slides up beside him, bag packed and a juice box in hand.

“I’m still trying to finalize that,” I say. It’s one of the things I need to get squared away this week. I’ve got calls out to several local clinics to try to get it arranged. “I’m really hoping to. I should have information about it soon.”

“Sounds good!” Richard says. I say goodbye to him and Meagan as well as the other students and their families before they leave. I start cleaning up the room a little, noting that it could probably stand to be swept quickly before the next session.

“Hey, Sam?” a voice says, startling me. I look up to see Marc walking into the room.

“What’s up?” I ask. Marc is new in the city. He’s only lived here for about a year, but he fits right in with the neighborhood and my staff.

“I just heard something in line for coffee this morning I thought you’d want to hear,” he says, picking up an abandoned water bottle as he talks. Something in the tone of his voice worries me.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“That new apartment complex they’re building across the street? I heard there’s one of those gyms – Invigorate, or whatever they’re called – being built on the lower level,” Marc says.

I groan. Perfect. “Oh, no. Really?” I ask, picturing the sprawling and sparkling Invigoration Club I pass on the highway sometimes.

“Apparently,” Marc says, shaking his head. I sigh.

Suddenly, my looming meeting with the landlord seems even more daunting.