Although he was going against protocol, Brock was kind enough to make a pit stop at The Fitness Hut before taking us back to the hospital.
Unlocking the front door, Shaniqua was the first to enter. "Viola, can you lock up? I'll grab the lights."
"Don't worry, I'm on it," I replied, closing the door.
It was a surreal feeling, being the only ones in the gym. On a normal day you could hear the humming of treadmills and the continuous clanging of dumbbells hitting the floor.
The first stop we made was to The Protein Hut, where my eleven-year employment had officially come to an end.
Shaniqua looked at me. "You know what I'm not going to miss about working here?"
I wheeled over to her. "Watching me eat fallen fruit off the floor?"
"No, cleaning those nasty-ass bathrooms. Hey, did you lock the door?"
"Of course. Shan, you need to have faith in me."
"Really, Viola? Do I have to remind you of the time you thought you locked the apartment door, and we returned to find Mormons in our living room?"
"Hey, I became really good Facebook friends with two of them. Trust me, it's locked and nobody is getting in."
After reminiscing about all the good and bad times behind that counter, we eventually made our way to where our fitness journey began—the training room.
Remy entered the dark room. "Hey, where are the lights?"
"Right here," said Vik, and the training room lit up with memories.
I rolled over to a corner of the room. "Aww, this is where I first projectile vomited."
Suddenly a man holding a briefcase walked into the training room. "Hello?" He was a clean-cut, middle-aged man dressed in a suit, complemented by black square-framed glasses.
Shaniqua looked at the man. "How the hell did you get in here?"
"I let myself in, the door was unlocked."
She turned around and gave me a dirty look. "You said you locked the door."
"The door must be broken. Shan, I'm tired of not being trusted. I promise you that I locked it. It really hurts that you don't belie—"
"Actually, the keys were left in the door," the man said. He pulled them out of his pocket and handed them over to Shaniqua.
Quickly changing the subject, I wheeled over to the man. "The gym is closed, sir, but we can let you out."
"Actually, I've been trying to get a hold of you guys," he said. "I left several messages with Shaniqua."
"What are you talking about?" said Vik.
Shaniqua pushed Vik aside. "Oh, you're that lawyer that's been calling me. Listen, we've had a long day. Whatever records you need can wait until tomorrow. A'ight?"
He shook his head nervously. "I think there has been a misunderstanding. That's not why I'm here."
"I don't have time for this," Shaniqua barked. "Remy, carry this foo out to the curb." Remy walked up behind the man, lifting him up.
"Wait!" the man shouted. "You guys are in Barbara-Anne's will!"
"Stop!" I shouted. "What did he just say?"
"Did anyone know anything about a will?" said Vik. "I didn't see anything when we cleaned out her house."
"Remy, put him down," said Shaniqua. She crossed her arms. "Okay, you have two minutes to explain why you're here."
He quickly kneeled, unlocked his briefcase, and pulled out a stapled document. "Before Barbara-Anne died, she amended her last will and testament to add you five individuals."
"Oh my galoshes... Us?" said Vik.
"Are you sure there isn't some sort of mistake?" I said.
Remy raised his hand. "My parents told me I was a mistake."
Shaniqua shook her head. "Viola's right. Barbara-Anne only had the house, and the bank took that. As far as I know there is nothing else in her name."
The man flipped through the will. "Actually, she and her late husband owned a few businesses, but after his death she sold the majority of them and kept only one, The Fitness Hut. And according to her will, you five are now the owners."
The four of us quietly glanced at each other before Vik spoke up. "So you're telling me that the four of us own this gym?"
"No, that's incorrect," he said. "Five of you own this business."
Confused, I asked, "Who's the fifth member?"
He flipped through the pages. "Let's see, the five listed are Viola, Shaniqua, Remy, Vik, and Christos." He slipped the will back into the briefcase, locking it tightly. "I have to get going, but I'll be in touch for the full turnover. Oh, and I will need all five of you available for signing. He took a quick glance at the gym. "I have to be honest, it might be in your best interest to sell this business as soon as possible. It's been performing at a loss for a while now." With those final words, he opened the training room door and slipped out, leaving us with a thousand unanswered questions.
Shaniqua looked me. "What just happened?"
I smiled. "I think our next challenge just happened."
"Should we sell?" asked Vik. "We know nothing about running a business."
Feeling nervous and anxious, I grabbed my hair. "Okay, let's deal with the elephant in the room. Who knows when I will be discharged from the hospital, plus Shan's moving to Chicago and Vik is travelling abroad for a year."
Shaniqua grabbed onto the back of my chair. "Girl, I have told you a dozen times. I got you, always. I ain't going anywhere now. Are you forgetting we didn't know a thing about weight loss and fitness? Now look at us."
"Shan is right," added Vik. "We can do this. And I can use my trust fund for start-up expenses."
I nudged him. "Are you sure? What about your travel plans?"
"I'm sure. Besides, somebody needs to make sure you look like an owner, and not a troll doll."
Remy whispered to Vik, "I still don't see this elephant."
Taking a deep breath, I looked out the window, "We still have one loose end to tie up."
"What's that?" Shaniqua asked.
"I don't know where he went, or why, but all I know is that we have to find Christos."
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