The Trainer

Looking in the full-length mirror, Julie was unhappy with what she saw. She stood 5’7” and was 185 pounds of fat. Julie needed to do something now to get her health under control. She’d tried so many diets and health fads, but none worked. Oh, they probably would work if Julie had stuck to them. She’d never been able to stick to a healthy diet when there were so many good things out there to eat instead. She always caved in and had that extra slice of chicken or pie after dinner. She couldn’t seem to help herself when it came to food.

It didn’t help that for Julie, putting on her socks was the most exercise she got most days. She never walked further than she had to, nor did she even consider taking the stairs. She always claimed she didn’t have more time than she already did.

Well, no more, Julie thought. Starting today, she was going to go to the new gym on Sycamore Street. The gift certificate Julie had ordered from ShopLocal came in the mail today, and its valued worth was half off of the three-month personal training fee. She would go right now and take advantage of this offer before it was too late, or she would back out of her decision.

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Arriving at the gym with her bag on her shoulder, Julie went inside the reception desk to sign herself up for membership.

“Well, you’re in luck, Ms. Jordan. Our best personal trainer has an opening in his schedule. You’ll love him. He inspires one to get in shape. If you sign right here, we can print out your membership card. I’ll call Enrique to let him know you’re here if you sit down and wait.” The receptionist prattled on while she printed out the card and picked up an in-house phone.

Julie was sitting in a fluffy chair, waiting, when a giant of a man stepped into the reception area. He was at least 6’5”, built like a brick shithouse, and quite possibly the most gorgeous man Julie had ever seen. And he was walking to her!

“Hola, my name is Enrique. Are you Ms. Jordan? Oh, si, you are. Well, I will be your personal trainer; please follow me.”

She and Enrique spent the next hour going over how to exercise and lift weights, and he even covered a diet he wanted her to follow strictly.

They set up a three-day-a-week appointment schedule afterward. Enrique told Julia that he expected to keep these appointments as much as she was able because he was now booked full and could not ever reschedule. Then, telling Julie goodbye, he turned and walked away.

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Things continued this way for a good month. Then Julie missed a day. When she returned to the next appointment, Enrique first ignored her. He then started griping at her as he led her back to the workout area. He lost it when he weighed Julie and saw she had put on two pounds.

“We do all this work, and you want to blow it the first chance you get? You were doing so well. You had dropped twenty pounds of unwanted water and started putting on muscle! Now, you jeopardize it for what? A candy bar? A Frappe? No, don’t answer, Ms. Jordan. No excuses! We will have to work harder to get you to your goal!” Enrique was suddenly yelling in her face.

The rest of the appointment was agitating and upsetting for Julie. She couldn’t wait for the session to be over. Enrique had not been working her as hard as she thought he could. She couldn’t wait to get home and get ready for bed.

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Then it got worse for Julie from there, and Enrique’s anger started bleeding over into her personal and work life. She never knew when Enrique would contact her and yell at her. What was she thinking when she gave him her phone number? She decided to change her phone and get a different number.

Changing her number didn’t work, though. Enrique continued to call Julie. If she ordered the chicken at work, she got a phone call from him reminding her to ensure she requested the grilled chicken, but fish would be a better option for her. If she tried to eat a sweet treat before bed, the phone would start ringing, and Enrique would call her to tell her she better not. Chips? A phone call.

By the middle of the third month, Enrique showed up wherever she was, constantly condemning her food purchases. So she wasn’t just seeing him at the gym; she was unwillingly seeing him in everyday life. It drove her insane, so insane she decided to quit the gym and cancel her membership.

No sooner had she decided to quit than her cell phone started ringing. Instead of answering, Julie threw the phone against the wall, destroying the phone.

Suddenly, the house phone rang. The caller ID shows Enrique’s number.

“No, no, no!” Julie hollered, ripping the phone out of the wall as she did so.

What was she going to do? It’s like he knew what she would do before she did it.

She decided to leave town. Indeed, Enrique wouldn’t find Julie at her parents' house. Running upstairs, she went to pack a weekend bag. Finished packing, Julie rushed downstairs and to the garage.

Starting the car, Julie pushed the button to raise the garage doors. Julie looked into her review mirror as she put the car into reverse. Standing in the way, blocking her path out, was Enrique. Hitting the gas, she tried to run him over. He just stepped out of the way. As she passed him, he reached out and ripped her door off its hinges. Freaking out, she stalled her car when she gave it too much gas. Before she could get it started back up, Enrique grabbed the back of her head and hit her head on the steering wheel. The last thing she remembered before the world went dark was Enrique picking her up and carrying her to his car. Then she passed out to wake no more.