Lunchtime Crush

Chapter 2

In a quiet corner of the change room, I sat on the bench across from Penny's locker, all decked out in my workout gear. As Penny rummaged around through the contents of her messy locker, I couldn't help but notice the photos pasted onto the door. It reminded me of high school...cute boys...bad boys (which were often synonymous with the cute ones)...and body-image obsession. All this nostalgia overcame me, despite the fact that Penny's photos were of mountaintops and nature trails.

"I thought lockers were for day-use only," I said.

She turned and tossed a towel right in my face. "I'm here all the time so I rented one," she said. "Besides, seeing that every day?" She gestured to the photo of the snowy mountain summit. "It reminds me that at some point in life...I will be climbing to the top of Mountain Everest."

A lot of people would've laughed at that statement, but I knew better; she would find a way to pull it off.

I examined the giant towel she'd tossed in my direction. "Isn't this a bit excessive for wiping off sweat?"

She smirked and pulled two rolled up yoga mats out of her locker, handing the first one to me. "This one's my brand new back-up, which I'm now bestowing onto you."
I smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

"And the giant towels?" she said, looking serious like a scientist now. "They are a crucial layer of absorption."

I didn't like the sound of that. "Layer for what?"

"The layer between the yoga mat, and the sweat pouring off of your body."

My eyes went wide. "I don't know if I'm ready for this; my heart rate's spiking just hearing about it."

Penny wasn't the least bit concerned. "You've got a clean bill of health and it's beginner hot yoga; relax."

She slammed her locker shut and there was nowhere left to hide; class would begin in five minutes...

***

The moments before class were unassuming to say the least. People were chatting, the temperature was only slightly above normal, and no one was drowning in a pool of their own sweat.

Penny dragged me along to the middle of the room. She set down her mat, and put her towel and bottle of water to the side. "Those'll come in handy in a bit."

I copied her set-up, but not before taking a swig of pre-emptive water. As I glanced all around the room, I was pleased to find people of all shapes and ages. Ironically enough, the woman approaching eighty seemed to be in better shape than us all.

"Isn't it cute that the granny is trying out yoga?" I said.

Penny shook her head. "Not a beginner; she was an instructor for forty years before retiring. This class is her casual midday warm-up."

I gave everyone in the room a second look, realizing that I was likely in the midst of undercover human pretzels; and how would I measure up?

"What if I can't do one of the moves?" I said. "Or all of them?"

Penny stretched her arms out over her head. "There will definitely be positions you won't be able to complete; just try your best."

I scrunched my nose. "Why are you predicting my failure in beginner yoga?"

She smiled. "It's not failure, it's just the fact that your body will get there over time. So worry less about looking like a swan, and more about giving it a try."

Just as I started to think about which awkward animal I'd resemble, the yoga instructor silently padded into the room. She didn't have a nametag or anything, but her airy demeanour and kind, shining eyes gave her away.