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He released me with one arm and held it out to gather Leanna in with us. In our group hug, he said, “He’d be so proud of both of you. Our little girls. Our big, strong women.Soproud.”
We hugged as if to save up weeks and months of hugs until the next time we saw each other. Then, reluctantly, they let me go, and just as reluctantly, I stepped away and wiped my face one last time.
“Go get ‘em, Sis!” Leanna said, drying her eyes and smiling an encouraging smile. “Call me, email me, text me when you get there, whatever. Let me know how it’s going.”
I promised her I would. And then, it was time.
They watched me get into my car, waving at me as I pulled away from our house and drove off down the street, bound for Cincinnati and headed for the future.
_______________
It was a long drive from one corner of Ohio, up by Pennsylvania, down to another one, near Kentucky. Before leaving, I promised Dad that I wouldn’t try making the whole drive in one go, but I’d take rest stops every hour or so and get a cup of coffee or some water and not let myself get fatigued on the road. I was as good as my word. I actually wanted to live to see my new life. I put my phone on Do Not Disturb While Driving and set alarms for every hour, and I pulled over into the first rest stop that I could find when it went off, if only to use the restroom.
And just as the sky was taking on the hazy golden hue that meant sundown was on its way, I started to see signs for Cincinnati. When dusk tinged the sky and turned the clouds purple, I was at the city limits of where my new life would be waiting for me.
I had to smile and laugh a little because as sad as I had been leaving Daddy and Leanna, I was feeling good now. I actually started getting a picture of myself from outside the car, looking in through the windshield, driving along and seeing the buildings get bigger and the traffic get denser as I went. I harked back in my mind to classic TV channels that I was used to watching, and I saw myself as Mary Tyler Moore.
The opening of Mary Tyler Moore’s show had her driving into Minneapolis with quick shots of the highway and the city buildings, and Mary rolling into town in her Mustang, smiling as she went, knowing that new people and new adventures were ahead of her. She was happy being on her own and feeling good about the way her life was changing.
I should have bought myself a beret while I was still in Youngstown, so that when I got to downtown Cincinnati, I could spin around and throw my beret in the air with a great big smile. There might even be some older woman looking on, wondering if I was all right, like there was in the background of that shot from the TV show. That would be perfect. I’d be Corinne Gordon, the new Mary Richards.
I pulled into the private parking lot of the little apartment building I’d be calling home. It wasn’t a quaint Victorian house subdivided into apartments. It was just an attractive three-story brick building. I’d arranged the rental online; the landlord had even given me a virtual video walk-through, so I wouldn’t be moving in sight-unseen.
The one-bedroom apartment was already furnished, so I didn’t have to worry about that. All I had to do was get my stuff out of my car and arrange it the way I wanted, and I’d be good. I felt so modern doing it online. I was going to be working for an IT company, after all, so it seemed appropriate. This was the height of the Information Age, and I was going to be a part of it, assuming my internship went well.
My new landlord was waiting for me with the keys and was there for my first in-person look at my new home. Everything was just as I’d been expecting it to be. I thanked the landlord, and he let himself out. I did a little happy dance in my new living room.
After bringing everything up from my car, the first order of business was to fill the refrigerator. I’d already looked up stores and supermarkets in my new neighborhood, so I knew where I was going. With another leap of excitement inside, I headed out to start to explore my surroundings.
As I tossed my steak into my cart at the store, feeling and slightly woeful at the price of how much it cost, I looked up at one of the other shoppers inspecting the meats. He was a different kind of beef altogether.
He was a tall, dark-haired, somewhat scruffy-looking guy, piercingly handsome and built like a superhero. He was wearing a snug T-shirt , dark sweatpants, and a pair of sneakers. Whoever he was, this guy was jacked.
He was someone you’d see on fitness magazine covers — not those weightlifter magazines with the guys so pumped-up that they probably didn’t look good with their clothes on, but the exercise magazines about guys who worked out to keep a healthy physique. This wasthatkind of guy.
The next thing I knew, my walking fitness-magazine cover was looking right at me. Somewhere at the edges of my thoughts, I noticed the logo on his T-shirt. It said “Diamond’s Gym.”
Being friendly, as if he knew I was new in Cincinnati and wanted to welcome me, he simply said, “Hi.”
“Hi,” I said back to him, since it’s always nice to meet a friendly guy who looks like that. I don’t really know why, but I added, “I can see you always get plenty of protein.”
The guy laughed. “I make sure I get plenty of everything I need. Just make sure it’s lean. Eating right is important. Sorry to sound like I’m lecturing. I probably sound like I’m at work right now. I don’t always know when to turn it off.”
“Work?” Gesturing to his shirt, I asked “You mean, Diamond’s Gym?”
“I own the place,” he replied. “Name’s Ben.”
Fascinated, I said, “Your own gym. Your own business, which you’re obviously good at. That must be so nice.”
“It’s great,” he said. “I love it. Do you work out?”
He was looking me up and down, inspecting the shape that I was in. It must have been another of his work habits. “Walking, mostly. Sometimes some light calisthenics at home.”
Ben reached into a pocket of his sweatpants and pulled out a business card. “I offer a free introductory session, just to check out my place and see what I’ve got to offer. I’ve got everything but an indoor swimming pool. Maybe one day, I’ll get a chance to expand and put one in. But for now, I’ve got everything else.”
I took the card from him. “Thanks. I’m actually new in town; just got here this evening.”
“Where from?”