Month 4B

Twenty-Six

Time marched on. I dated Eve and Danielle, trained for the 10K, practiced the basics of Kung Fu, and at the last minute, faced the fact that I needed to buy gifts for Christmas, now only two days away. Shopping was imperative. Argh!

I bought Danielle a Van Cliburn CD I knew she didn't have and wanted. Eve would receive a 3-step skin care system from Clinique she'd looked at longingly when we were together at the mall one afternoon after we'd made love. The frequency of our assignations had increased to two or three times a week when studying no longer concerned her so much after school let out for the Christmas break. Just the opposite happened with Danielle. I saw less of her and suspected one or more ex-boyfriends had resurfaced, home from college for the holidays, because she cancelled or reshuffled our date nights a few times, which didn't upset me all that much. I wasn't in love with her, with Eve either. My dating plan was working. I was getting all the companionship and loving from the opposite sex I needed or wanted without the excruciating pain that gut-wrenching love entailed.

I purchased clothes for Carrie and my mother. They were easy. I knew what they liked and wanted as well as their sizes. When I asked Dad what he wanted for Christmas, he told me he needed a new belt and provided elaborate specifications. I took his request seriously.

But, an idea for a gift for Jenny girl remained elusive. Thinking about what to give her made me realize how important she'd become to me. I treasured her friendship, not to mention her expert guidance during the sometimes-grueling training sessions for the 10K during the wee hours of the mornings and her lively companionship during practice sessions for Kung Fu each evening.

She needed new clothes. The garments she wore hung on her like tents, but I didn't know her sizes, which could be remedied. I called her mother.

"Mrs. Hall, it's Paul. I want to get Jenny a snazzy running outfit for Christmas, but I don't know her size."

She laughed. "I don't know her sizes anymore either. She has refused to try on or buy new clothes until she reaches her fighting weight, as she calls it."

"Argh!" I groaned. "I'm at a loss, Mrs. Hall. Any suggestions?"

"Earrings would be nice. She has pierced ears."

Zale's had a sale on emerald earrings that would match Jenny's expressive green eyes. As usual, I came in just under the wire buying the earrings on Christmas Eve. Carrie helped me wrap my gifts, except hers, of course. Mom wrapped that one.

On Christmas day, Danielle took me to her room. We listened to the Van Cliburn CD I'd given her while she went down on me. Besides the blow job, she gave me a new dress shirt, a soft yellow button-down. I returned Danielle's gesture and licked her through two orgasms before I rushed away to meet Eve.

Eve squealed with pleasure over my gift, which I augmented with flowers. You guessed it — red roses. She gave me a shirt jacket, black with a zipper — very classy. We demonstrated our appreciation for the gifts by doing the deed in the back seat of my mother's car in a park near Eve's home.

Jenny girl opened the tiny box nestling the earrings and looked up at me with adoration. "Perfect," she breathed, her eyes looking a little weepy. "How did you know?"

"I didn't, just hoped."

The box she handed me wasn't any larger than the one I gave her. When I opened it, I wasn't sure what it was and looked at her quizzically.

"It's your very own ChampionChip, Paul. It's an automatic timing device, and it's required for the Desert Classic 10K, but it can be used in many other races all over the world. It provides accurate net and split times for every runner in the race who wears one."

"Cool. How does it work?"

"From what I understand, it's a miniature transponder in a specially designed housing marked with a unique identification number. It contains no batteries, and it's inactive until moved into a magnetic field generated by a send antenna in a mat. Your chip will then transmit your unique identification number to the receive antenna in the mat in less than 60 milliseconds."

I laughed. "You just gave me more information than I needed to know. What you're saying is if I clip on my ChampionChip before I run a race, it will tell me and you and anyone else, especially race officials, how fast I ran the race. Right?"

"Yeah."

The hug we gave each other surprised me. I didn't feel a lot of extra girl-flesh, and although her breasts were soft, they didn't feel like large pillows.

"Have you taken off another layer, Jenny girl?"

She beamed and nodded. "Only ten pounds to go. I'm hoping for New Year's Day, maybe the day before."

I hugged her again. Nope no extra flesh anywhere that I could feel. "You're something else, Jenny. I'm proud of you."

Twenty-Seven

Race day was bright and clear, but brisk. Besides worrying how I'd fare in the 10K that was about to start, I had a couple of other problems. At different times, Eve and Danielle had asked to go with me so they could watch me race. When I made excuses and refused, they both showed up independently.

Be sure your sins will find you out.

Jenny girl considered the situation hilarious. "The time to worry is after the race, buddy boy, when they both want to hug and kiss you at the same time."

"You enjoy seeing me in pain, don't you? You're a durned sadist, that's what you are."

"Forget them. They'll either forgive you or slap you silly, but not before the race. Are you warmed up?"

"Enough."

"Run your race, Paul. Don't let anyone push you beyond the pace you want to run. If you run a 33 minute 10K, you could win this race."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. The winning time last year was 35 minutes 49 seconds. The year before, it was 33 minutes 58 seconds."

I jumped up and down to limber up a little, also to burn off some adrenalin. The winning times excited me. I actually had a chance to cross the finish line first. Amazing!

"You'll be runnin' in a crowd of over 160 registered runners, so you'll probably be jostled around a little. I've got some poster board. I'll try to give ya your spit times at 3K, 5K and 8K. I'll write the times on the poster board and wave it at you, so look for me. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Make me proud, buddy boy."

As usual, I started too fast. The hoard of runners around me threw me off my pace. Some of them sprinted away like they were doing a 100-yard dash, not 6.2 miles. Some of them loped along as if they didn't have a care in the world and all day to do it in. A few of them even stepped out with a brisk walk. Did they plan to walk the distance?

When the crowd strung out, I settled down and did what Jenny told me to do. I ran my race. I missed Jenny for the 3K split, but noticed her for the 5K. She'd jotted 14:56 on the poster board. Too fast, but my pace felt right, dammit. I was running easy with the stride I preferred. I felt loose with lots of reserve, which of course started to change about the 8K mark. Would I hit my lactate threshold too soon?

I watched one runner ahead of me stagger and fall to the side. Some spectators helped him off the course, and my body was strongly suggesting I do the same. Uh-uh, I muttered. You can do it, buddy boy. Keep on keepin' on.

I passed another runner, but two others ahead of me still slapped their feet to the ground. Was I in third place? If so, would third place make Jenny girl proud? Naw! She was a greedy gut. All or nothing. That's how she was handling her weight loss. All out! Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, which isn't appropriate for a distance runner. All right for the fartlek, though.

Argh! The fartlek hurt! So did the 10-mile run. Both were more painful than the 10K. Go for it, you lazy, no-account slug. Step out. You can keep goin'. I edged up to another runner who glanced at me as if I'd come out of nowhere.

Well, you're right, fella. I have come out of nowhere. This is my first official 10K, and I'm a gonna beat ya, run ya into the ground; that's what I'm a gonna do. Ya hear me!

I saw a crowd in front of me, a blurry bunch. My eyes weren't working right. Not much about me was working right, but everything was still working.

A finish tape! Yes! It was still fluttering across the finish line ready to be broken! Can I catch that gazelle in front of me? Yeah, I can. Bet your last dollar I can. Here I come, everybody. Everybody loves somebody... what were the rest of the lyrics? Doesn't matter. Run, you fool. Run your heart out!

Slap, slap, slap...

The other runner heard me coming at him, heard my feet hitting the ground, heard my gasping breath sucking in oxygen, probably heard the loud thumping, pounding of my overworked heart.

Slap, slap, slap...

I caught him! Good golly Miss Molly, I caught him! Now, can I pass him up?

The finish tape loomed larger. A few more strides would do it, and then I could rest.

The other runner didn't rest; he did what I didn't do. He reached way down deep inside him and pulled up a little extra something and hit the finish tape a half-stride ahead of me.

I staggered and slowed, and then spied some bright green winter grass — just what I needed. The grass cuddled me. I rolled and looked up at a vivid blue sky and one small, lonely cloud, pure white in a field of blue.

Jenny girl landed next to me, imposing flashes of green - her wonderful, happy eyes and the facets of emeralds glittering in the sunlight. She kissed me, I mean really kissed me, would've curled my toes if they'd had enough strength to curl.

"You did good, buddy boy! Real good! 32 minutes 42 seconds!"

"Second place," I managed to gasp.

"Yes! Amazing! This isn't high school, buddy boy. You took on all comers and ran them all into the ground except one. You came in first place in your age group. You'll get a medal. You made me proud, Paul!"

She kissed me again, but the kiss wasn't serious, not like the first one. I think she finally realized I needed all the breathing room I could muster, and kissing curtailed the effort. She rolled off me and moved gracefully to her feet.

"Upsey-daisy, big guy," she said, pulling at my arm. "You've a fan club to face."

"Argh! Let me lie here and die."

She laughed gaily. "Ah, they'll forgive you, buddy boy. They'll huff and puff, but in the end, they'll forgive you, unless you told one of 'em she was your one and only. You didn't, did you?"

"No. Okay, help me up. I'll face the music."

Be sure your sins will find you out.

Twenty-Eight

Danielle ran toward me and leapt into my arms. Eve had also started toward me but stumbled to a stop as Danielle flashed by her. While Danielle kissed me enthusiastically, Eve looked utterly stunned. I heard Jenny girl giggling behind me. I silently cursed her almost svelte hide.

When Danielle let me come up for air, I nibbled on her earlobe and whispered, "Eve wants to congratulate me, too."

Danielle's eyes widened and she stepped back.

I turned to Eve and held out my arms. With an audible whimper, she rushed to me, throwing her arms around my neck, plastering her elegant body against me while burrowing her face into my shoulder. When I lifted her chin with my fingers, she mashed her mouth to mine.

I'm ashamed to say I watched Danielle's reaction out of the corner of my eye. Like Eve moments ago, she looked shocked, but before the kiss with Eve ended, I saw a small smile creep onto her lips. Danielle would be all right, I reasoned, but I worried about Eve. She seemed more emotional about the turn of events than I expected.

When I glanced at Jenny girl, she wasn't smiling. A serious frown wrinkled her brow, and another question surfaced. Just what was that serious kiss Jenny planted on me all about?

Girls! Yet again I'd been foolhardy enough to believe I'd figured them out. Hah! My dad had the right idea. He readily admitted he didn't understand the opposite sex and had quit trying to get a handle on how they thought or how they'd react in any given situation.

I did what any red-blooded boy would do in a similar situation. I made a hasty retreat. The Desert Classic took place at Scottsdale Community College, and they provided locker rooms and showers for the participants.

When I emerged dressed after a shower, Jenny was waiting for me. She didn't look any happier than she did before my calculated withdrawal.

"Danielle left," Jenny announced. "She told me to tell you to give her a call." She huffed a laugh. "I think she was amused by the situation." After an exasperated sigh, Jenny added, "Eve, on the other hand, is devastated. You screwed up, buddy boy. Your dating experiment to have some uncomplicated fun backfired big time. Eve is in love with you."

Her statement dumbfounded me briefly. With a shake of my head, I said, "You're wrong. Neither of us has expressed any love or even deep feelings for the other. We're just..."

"Durned fool," Jenny muttered, interrupting me.

"What makes you think she's in love with me? Did she say something?" I asked.

"Criminy, Paul! It's as obvious as the nose on your face! Argh! Come on. You've an award or two comin' to ya. Your love life is a horrible mess, but you did good on the 10K."

Twenty-Nine

It didn't take me long to realize Jenny girl was right yet again. Eve refused to leave my side except during the award ceremonies. Her clinging irritated me, but I tried to tamp down my negative reactions.

I didn't want Eve to love me. I didn't love her. I admired her, respected her, appreciated her company and thoroughly enjoyed the sex we shared, but I didn't love her and never would.

When she asked if she could drive me home instead of Jenny, I accepted, electing to face her and her feelings in private as soon as possible.

When I informed Jenny that I planned to ride home with Eve, Jenny said, "Thought so. Don't lead her on, buddy boy. Don't be your normal, wishy-washy self. Tell her like it is. Be brutal if you have to. Anything less would do the girl a disservice. Call me later."

Once alone with Eve, I asked her if she was in love with me. Her pretty face scrunched up and tears welled in her eyes. She slapped the steering wheel with the palm of her hand, exhaled a curse and pulled to the side of the road.

"You drive," she ordered as she scrambled out of the car to move around to the passenger seat. I squirmed over to the driver's seat and was adjusting it to fit my long legs when she moved back into the car and slammed the door.

I turned to her. "You didn't answer my question."

She refused to look at me; her damp eyes focused somewhere in the distance. Finally, she said, "Yes, I'm in love with you. I fell hard for you before our first date ended. You were so different than all the other boys that I'd dated. Men, too. I couldn't help it. You were kind and polite and listened, really listened, and you cared about me. Me! You treated me with respect. Your compliments were honest, not just words thrown out so you could get into my pants. You let me be me, Paul. You applauded my desire to hit the books, my desire to backup my modeling with a good education."