Stride, part 1
by Kathy Neise

I almost didn't notice her; she was just another walker at the park. Sure, she wasn't as slim and trim as the other girls I often passed by in my bike. But, I could see the determination in her...well, in her face--her eyes are always covered by sunglasses. Like I was saying, I almost didn't notice her except for the fact that one time as I was passing her, she tripped on a rock or something and her stumbling caught my eye. It was then that I noticed her: light brown hair, legs that told everyone she hadn't seen the sun in some time, headphones, and that...determination.

Every time I would see her making her laps I would watch her. She was determined to walk away from whatever it was haunting her. That intrigued me. See, I know a thing or two about being determined. I've had a lot to overcome and so I have admiration for others who are in the throes of the fight for survival and have the attitude that they will make it to the other side.

So, maybe it was curiosity about what she was walking from or to or maybe it was the cute way she would mouth the words to the songs playing from her Walkman or just wanting to see the eyes behind the sunglasses that prompted me to try and talk to her. I was really nervous--I mean, to her, I'm just a stranger, a nobody. I didn't want to freak her out by riding up to her and immediately asking her out, so I thought the subtle and slow approach would work best.

I saw her first on a Monday and then I saw her again on Wednesday, so one time when I passed by her, I waved. She smiled back, but kept on walking. The smile was a good sign, though. It meant she wasn't snobby or unwilling to make contact. I continued to smile as I passed her a few more times that day and she always returned the smile.

It made me want to go faster just so I could pass by her again. I've been coming to the park to exercise for over a year now. The walking trail is five miles long, winding around the lake and through both clear and wooded areas. The trail is paved with a right and left side for people to walk, bike, roller blade, or run on. Looking out onto the lake, you might see the row team or windsurfers; nearby soccer fields house local school and college talent; and fishers of all ages can be seen on the docks and shoreline. The weather has just started turning warm, signaling that spring has finally begun it's approach. I love this time of year and heading down to the park to bike, taking in the freshness of the air and the earth. But it had always just been for exercise until she "stumbled" into my life.

Anyway, Friday was quickly coming and I needed to figure out how I was going to talk to her. I raced to the park after work and got my bike out and ready and just casually rode along the path near the parking lot. Within a half-hour, I saw her pull up in a black Nissan Sentra--the same kind of car my brother has. She got out and began stretching on the grass near the path. As causally as possible, I rode over to her.

"Sure is a great day, isn't it?" Weather is always a safe topic.

She lifted her arms above her head. "Yeah. I couldn't wait to get out here and get walking. Being stuck in that office was torture."

"Oh, where do you work?"

"I'm a secretary at the Fitzsimmon's Group." She pulled her leg behind her in a quad stretch.

"Yeah, my sister works in their Boston office. How long have you been there?"

She pulled the other leg behind her. "Not quite a year. I'm enjoying it so far, so I guess I'll stick around for awhile."

I chuckled slightly. "My name's Grant, by the way."

"Hi, Grant. I'm Mindy."

"Mindy...well it's nice to meet you. I'll see you around, I'm sure."

"Nice to meet you too. See you later!" She smiled and then leaned over to stretch out her abs.

I considered it a success. She had enough language skills to carry on a conversation and she had a job at a prominent financial institution, so she was obviously half-way intelligent. I made sure to smile and say "Hi" or wave each time we passed and she did the same. I almost ran over two people that day because I spent too much time looking at her as I rode by. There was just something about her that I had to figure out. She must have stopped walking early that day, because I didn't get to see her when she left.

The next Monday it rained; let me rephrase--it poured. Tornado warnings were issued all across the state and there was no way any of us were going to the park that day. That night, the wind howled and moaned outside while the rain rapped upon the windows like nails. The electricity flickered once or twice, but none of that really bothered me. The thing that bothered me most was that I wouldn't get to see her tonight. That's all I kept thinking about that weekend and at work. My buddy Kevin from the apartment above mine came down to make sure everything was ok and I told him about Mindy.

"So let me get this straight," he said after I finished telling him. "You've only seen her walking around the park for a week now and had a total of one conversation."

"That's it."

Kevin's face broke into a huge smile. "Good job, buddy! About time you start getting back into the dating scene."

"Hold on now," I cautioned as I brought over some beers from the fridge. "Nobody's said anything about any dates. It just looks promising, that's all."

"Grant, any girl would be lucky to have you. Christine's always saying that and it's true." Kevin popped the top off of his bottle and took a drink.

"Yeah, but Christine's a little biased, being your girlfriend and all."

"Don't tell me you're scared. After everything you've been through, you're going to let a little possible rejection stop you?"

"I'm just trying to be a realist. Look at me, man. I'm not exactly the pick of the litter."

"What are you talking about? I know guys that would kill to be in half the shape you are. You're running your own business, you don't live at home with your parents...what does she have to not like?"

I look down at my feet and then take a drink of my beer.

"Look," Kevin continued somberly, "she didn't appear uncomfortable when you talked to her, did she?"

"No, she didn't."

"Well, see, there you go." He took another swig. "So, where are you going to take her?"

My laughter was muffled by the crash of thunder that ripped through the apartment shaking everything like an earthquake.

"Man, that was crazy," Kevin remarked. "I'd better get back upstairs and make sure Bandit's ok. You going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine, man. Thanks."

"Anytime, my friend, anytime." He finished the beer and tossed the bottle in the recycle bin. "Let me know how it goes."

I went to open the door for him. "I will, don't worry. I'm going to need all the advice I can get. Denise and I have been divorced for almost three years now and I haven't been in the dating scene in quite a while."

"It's just like riding a bike...I mean..."

I shook him off. "Don't worry about it. I know what you mean." I opened the door and immediately a gust of wind forced its way in nearly blowing me onto my back.

"Auntie Em, Uncle Henry...it's a twister!" Kevin teased in a falsetto voice as he ran upstairs to his apartment and his dog.

We were fortunate enough not to have gotten a tornado that night, but there were still tree limbs and debris strewn everywhere. The morning sun belied the violence of the weather from the night before. By Wednesday, everything had returned back to normal and I headed once again to the park. I thought I would try to get in a lap before she got there and try to figure out the correct thing to say for our next conversation. I was almost at mile three when I saw someone that looked exactly like her up ahead. The strange thing was that this woman was pushing a stroller. I got closer and decided that it had to be Mindy or her twin sister. I slowed down slightly.

"Mindy?"

"Oh...hi, Grant."

"How are you?"

"I'm good; how are you?"

"Fine, thanks. That was some storm we had Monday night, huh?"

"Yeah. Our electricity was out for most of the night."

I looked into the stroller to see a young boy. "Who's this little guy?" I asked.

"This is my son, Tyler."

"Hello, Tyler," I greeted, wiggling my fingers near my face.

"He can't hear you--he's deaf. We really need to get going. See you later." And with that, she and the stroller took off again. I was in shock and surprise. I mean, obviously, we had never had any deep, in-depth conversations, so the fact that she had a child was surprising enough, but the fact that the cute, little guy was deaf just seemed so unfair. For me, at least, it may not have been fair, but I learned to deal with it and I had memories to go on, but this little guy--he would never know the sound of birds singing outside his window in the morning, or crickets chirping on a hot summer night, or the sound of his mother's voice reading a bedtime story.

Suddenly, I couldn't just sit there anymore. I had to find her again. I turned my bike around and chased back after her. From behind, I could see her determination forcing each step with steely resolve as she literally pounded the pavement.

"Mindy? Hey, Mindy--wait up."

She began to slow down slightly and then walked over to a rest area off of the path.

I rolled up next to her. "Are you ok? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I just need to get Tyler home. His sitter was sick today, so I had to take with me to the work daycare and I don't think he had a very good day. We need to get home and get some dinner."

"Speaking of which, I was wondering if you would like to have some with me Saturday night?" I don't know where the words came from, but once they were out, I was powerless to deny them.

"Dinner? You want to have dinner with me?"

"Well, Tyler can come too, if he wants. I'm afraid I don't know much sign language, so you'll have to ask him for me."

She laughed. "No, I'm sure I can find a sitter for him. What time?"

"Why don't we say seven-thirty at Angelo's? We could just meet there?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice. Saturday at seven-thirty." At that point, Tyler started to get fussy. "I really need to get going. See you later."

"See you, Mindy." I bent down to look at Tyler. "Bye, Tyler," I said and waved. His red-rimmed, wet eyes looked slightly confused, but he opened and closed his hand in a wave back to me before starting to cry again.

She smiled at me and then began to walk away. I watched her for a moment. The seriousness of her gait had been replaced with a lighter pace and I took that to be a good sign. I quickly finished up my laps and then went home to call Kevin to get all the tips I would need for Saturday.

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