War-On-Flab: D-Day Minus Four

I glanced around the road as i exited my house. Time to torture my body with my weekly exercise. I started off a slow jog as i made my way towards the new underpass to East Coast.

I had just gotten up and went downstairs for breakfast. I was told that there was a package left at our doorstep. Frowning to myself, wondering who could have sent it, i went to have a look. A sneaking suspicion had entered a tiny corner in my mind.

As i jogged, i started my customary breathing pace. I tried to recall the song i used last weekend, and pace my breathing with it. But no matter how hard i tried, i couldn't recall the tune. Shaking my head to get rid of any distractions, i tried to recall some music. I finally found one and paced my breathing with it.

When i saw the handwriting, i immediately thought: Oh shit. Don't tell me its her. And it was her. I opened the package and inside was a box and an envelop. The letter inside was written in her handwriting and signed with what looked like her new signature. Her new signature looked somewhat like mine, with a big inverted-C-curve as a "J". The box contained her birthday present to me: a pair of gorilla cuff-links.

It was a relatively cloudy day. Perhaps that was the reason why there were so little people about when i emerged from the other side of the underpass. Or perhaps the school holidays has ended. Whatever it was, i jogged in relative solitude with a few passing cyclists and roller-bladers. Not that i'm complaining. Jogging by nature is usually a lonely exercise, and i had already gotten used to it.

I had stored all our memories together into a room. I had locked that room and threw away the key. In fact, i had almost forgotten about that room. The birthday present had exploded the door to that room. With the room wide open like a burst dam, the memories rushed out in a torrential flood.

As i jogged past my first mental marker, i put my arms behind my back. This pushes my body forward and increases my pace. As i jogged up the small slope, i started to breathe heavily and in faster breaths. The number of people has increased as i entered a more popular area. Needless to say, there are girls around. I keep my eyes straight, try not to look around and focus on the repetitive tune playing in mind to pace my breathing. I'm here to jog, not to pick up girls.

What should i do? How should i react? What does this mean? Conflicts of emotions raged within me. The whirlwind of feelings swept within my mind. Without my daily dose of caffeine and when i just woke up, it was quite a shock to the system. I couldn't think. I didn't know what to think. I was confused. Seriously and utterly confused.

As i push past my second mental marker, i lengthen my strides. Now i'm entering really crowded areas. There is a bicycle/roller-blade rental shop where i make my U-turn to jog home. Hordes of people exit from the shop and head for their respective destinations. As i ran comfortably past the pedestrians, i pushed myself as much as i could. No point in exercising when i don't push my body to the limit.

Back in my room, i called and text-ed Caffeine Addict. I needed her advice. I needed someone to talk to. She replied almost instantly. We talked for a bit. I'm a complete novice when it comes to two matters: affairs of the heart, and understanding girls. When i told her that i was about to go jogging, she said, "Thats good. Exercising releases happy drugs. Try and do things. Happy things."

As i emerge back from the underpass, i jog slowly to the fitness corner some distance away. My legs were tired, but the rest of my body were still fine. As i tried to get my breath back, i paced around the fitness corner. Kids ran around in the nearby playground, playing the age-old game of "catching". Bracing myself and giving myself some short breaks, i completed my routine of sit-ups and pull-ups. With those done, i walked slowly home. Just another normal Sunday.

The whirl in my emotions had subsided. I grew calmer and started looking up. Thank you, Caffeine Addict. My life is starting to get back on track. Slowly, but surely. And to her: I really DO appreciate you remembering my birthday and your birthday present of gorilla cuff-links. For now, i just need a little time for my emotions to settle down. Thank you once again.