They assumed the positions.“One, two, three, go!”
They surged forward, Misty in the position she’d learned all those weeks ago.Unlike at the gym and on the ice, the weight of the sled and the angle of the track partially carried them.Misty leaped up as they’d been learning in the rink, and the others climbed in around her.
“Oh, my God!”Similar screams went up all around her, and quite rightly.This was faster and scarier than any roller coaster Misty had ever been on, and she immediately understood how her unfortunate competitor could have been startled into losing bladder control.
For one horrible moment as they rounded a corner, Misty was sure she was going to go flying out and land with a broken body in the barren wilderness.But they stayed on track, and she stayed in both the sled and the moment.There was only the speed of the sled on the tracks and the warmth of a teammate on either side.They rattled around each other, and the wind roared past their faces.
All too soon, they were back at the starting line, and the girl behind her was pulling the brakes.“We’re done?”
“You’re done.Now move along so we can get the rest of you in.”
Even the coach’s brusque words couldn’t burst Misty’s buzz.She could barely sit still or feel her feet touching the ground.She’d ended the past several days so exhausted she’d been passing out as soon as she hit the bed, but didn't imagine that being a problem tonight.She was too eager to go again and to tell everyone she knew, and even some she didn’t, about her first day bobsledding.More importantly, she wanted to tell Spencer all about it.
****
At 5:30, Spencer didn’tgo home or to his next session.Instead, he joined his colleagues in a crowded conference room in the offices off the fitness areas.Barry had called a mandatory meeting that had resulted in some of the evening’s group classes being canceled.
“You know what this is about?”he asked the trainer next to him.
Her ponytail bounced as she shook her head.“I haven’t heard.”
“Attention, please.”Barry’s rasp cut through the conversations all over the room.“In light of recent events, I thought it wise to remind everyone of our policy about relationships with clients.The short version is, keep it professional.”
A buzz went up around the room, and Kurt’s name broke through a few times.Spencer tried not to squirm.This didn’t bode well for his friend’s return at the end of the probationary period, if that was even going to happen anymore.How much had his reputation with his clients overshadowed his prowess as a gold-tier trainer?
“I can see how that’s not always easy,” Barry continued.“We meet these people at pivotal times in their lives.They’re getting ready for a major event, or making a fundamental life change, and they’re trusting you with something important.To help them get ready, you have to learn all sorts of things about them from their vital statistics to their athletic abilities to their food allergies.”
The same questions Spencer had asked Misty when she was getting ready for her own major event.The tiny pit in his stomach from the unexpected meeting grew a little bigger.Was he about to get busted?Had Barry or someone else heard Kurt’s locker room outburst?
“Between learning all these personal things about them and being together so often in such a short period of time, it can be easy to get the impression that a deep connection is being formed.But I need to emphasize that it’s not.You’re doing your jobs, nothing less, and especially nothing more.”
Was that what had happened with him and Misty?Had he gotten so sucked into preparations for her tryout that he’d tricked himself into thinking something bigger was happening?Well, ithadbeen several days since they’d last talked...He should feel better about being sure he’d keep his job but somehow didn’t.
His seat in the middle of the room let him slip his phone out of his pocket unnoticed.His texts with Misty had started out professionally enough with reminders of sessions or letting each other know if they were running late.But as time passed, they’d devolved into something that couldn’t be justified under the rule of the gym.He surreptitiously deleted the thread, lest Barry ask to see people’s phones.
His supervisor was still talking.“It’s your responsibility to maintain that boundary if a client tries to push it, say, by asking to meet outside of gym hours or for extra hands-on help stretching, especially parts that were not part of the program.If they don’t listen, or if you feel this is crossing lines into sexual harassment, come to me so we can sort it out.Any questions?”
Hector raised his hand from the front row.“What if we get asked out in the middle of a session?”
“You decline and remind them that this is a working relationship.If they’re not okay with that, we’ll assign them to someone else.”
“What if someone specifically asks for us?”Emily asked.
“That’s allowed but not guaranteed, depending on their trainer of choice’s schedule.We also reserve the right to ask why they want this specific trainer.If it’s because that person seems like the best fit for their goals, that’s better than fine.But if it’s because they’re hoping for more, they’re out of luck.”Barry took a breath.“Anything else?”
No one raised their hands.
“Dismissed.”You could take the man out of the military but clearly couldn’t take the military out of the man.Spencer might have laughed at the thought if the meeting hadn’t been so serious.
Emily stretched as she got up from her seat.“I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink after that.”
“Me too,” the guy next to her said.“Spencer, you coming?”
“Nah, I think I’m gonna call it an early night.”These days, Spencer felt like one of those sharks that died when they stopped swimming.He was fine as long as he was going about his days at the gym but crashed as soon as he got home, slipping into earlier and earlier bedtimes.The earlier sunsets didn’t help...or so he told himself.
