July Raine

Do You Like to Run?

He nodded his head. " I left here at five, so that should be right."

" I can't even sleep in when July is not here."

"What time Rainey normally wake up?"

"Oh probably ten or so."

All I could do was laugh. I bet Rainey was going to get a rude awakening. July was a bundle of sunshine in the morning. The moment her eyes open in the morning she is ready to go and she is not shy to let you know what she wants. She is probably in full on question mode at this point. When she is around people she doesn't know very well, she asks probably ten thousand questions.

July has always been a early riser. That was one that I had to really learn to adjust to when I had July. I was a teenager who liked to sleep till noon some days. Getting up at all hours of the night was rough. It got easier, but once July started sleeping through the night, she would wake up at five a.m., which she continues to do. I think it is a treat when she sleeps till six.

July really changed my whole world. I sometimes wonder how good a mom I was to her at seventeen. Can seventeen year old really be good mom? I know I did my best for her, but was my best good enough? I try to keep my doubts to myself, even though I've struggled, I never want to come off as if I don't know what I'm doing.

I came out of my thoughts with a random question? " Do you run?"

I just looked at him. I had no idea where this was coming from, I was by no means a runner. I don't have those classic runner legs. I just don't have runner written all over my face. I have a tendency to be a little out of shape. I am just very average looking. I am not skinny but I'm not what I would consider overweight. Maybe by the height to weight ratio, maybe I'm considered overweight, who knows.

I was thinking to much into this simple question of, 'Do you run?'

I shook my head and responded, " Not really much of a runner. Why do you even ask, that was such a random question. Are we still playing the random game?"

He rolled his eyes very dramatically, which made me giggle a little bit. I was beginning to notice that Maddy was a funny character. " I was just curious, I run every morning about this time."

I nodded my head, " After eating a dozen donuts?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I didn't eat a dozen, you ate some too."

"I ate three, that means you ate nine." I held up my fingers to show him nine. I stressed again. "Nine donuts."

He shrugged his shoulders again. "Still not a dozen, plus I'm a growing boy!" He seemed like a little kid when he said that, and the look on his face was priceless.

I laughed so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants, literally. But thank goodness I didn't, that would have been embarrassing.

"Come on, go running with me."

At this point I just wanted to whine." Why?"

"Because it is good for you, plus it will be fun."

Seriously it was not going to be fun. He doesn't even realize how out of shape that I am. " How is running fun to someone, who never runs?"

"Hey come on, I'll take it easy on you." At this point he was almost begging. It was really quiet comical.

"l'll make you a deal. We can just jog over to the Rainey's cabin so you can see July."

The deal did sound appealing because I really did miss July like crazy. But the more I thought about it the more I realized I didn't have to run to see July.