Chapter six - Mara

Chapter Six - Mara


After Mara agreed to stay with me, I turned my gaze away from her and looked down at her hand still on my knee. Mara sat there not saying a word, it felt totally comfortable; there was no tension between us, in actual fact it felt as natural as breathing.

I must have stared at her hand for 5 minutes, before I looked up straight back into her tender cocoa eyes.

My thoughts were a plenty at the moment, and I was aware of the electric tension nipping at my once anesthetized body. The nerves inside felt like live wires competing for the ultimate surge.

I wanted to tell Mara how her presence was bringing me back to life, but I could not bring myself to tell her this, not yet;, we had only met 2 days ago. I had spent no more than an hour with her on Monday and only a few minutes with her today, yet here was this angel resuscitating my heart.

Mara spoke and broke the silence between us, " The colour is returning to your face, Are you feeling better Jon"?.
"I am. you know we don't need to cancel my session. I'm good." "Ok, but given what I have witnessed, I think it's best if we avoided any heavy weight training today. Why don't we start by taking a walk?"

A walk with an angel? Me? "Sure, lets go" Mara headed to the front door with me following close behind, I had to admit I was extremely nervous. there was something about Mara that was brightening my mood and it had nothing to do with her being my personal trainer.

Mara, was bright intelligent and dressed to perfection even in her sweats and trainers. with pink baseball cap and her hair pulled through the hole in the back hanging as a ponytail. Mara was fresh air to my stale lungs and I was enjoying breathing her in.

I caught my reflection as I passed the mirror in the hall, Ouch, was that really me? one time rock star? the awful reality was yes.
This body was being brought back to life and was going to re enter the world, it was going to be a fight, but finally I felt up to the challenge.

Mara turned to me and gave me a big smile as we reached the door, "I'm all set for whatever you have to do to me Mara, but I think I had better warn you, I haven't walked much farther than the distance of the refrigerator to my recliner. I hope your are certified in CPR". 
Mara let out a laugh, " you will be fine, and for the record yes, I am certified in CPR, so feel free to pass out as the whim hits you".

She was funny too. I let my hand sweep across her back as I led the way out of the door. Even though the moment was brief the charge that ran up my arm to my heart was fierce; I hoped that she had felt it too.

"Why don't we take our walk on the boardwalk, instead of  just around the lake? "I'll drive" I opened the passenger side of the Mustang convertible for Mara and then closed it as soon as she was in.
 It felt good to act chivalrous. Climbing into the drivers seat I started the engine and drove us the short ride to the boardwalk.

The ride was quiet, but we were both comfortable with the silence.

Arriving at the boardwalk, I let Mara take the lead. She was my trainer after all.
We started off walking at a pretty slow pace. it was embarrassing to me to think of what she really thought of my fitness level. I must be somewhere over two hundred pounds. but she never outwardly seemed to pass judgement on that.

"The lake is pretty. What made you decide to move up here?" I remember reading that you were a Red Bank man." I could tell Mara was nervous, but she was doing a great job keeping the mood light.

"After my break up with Dorothea, I could not live that close anymore, still being in Jersey means I am with my roots."
"um mm you moving to the country and becoming a farmer does not hold an alluring image", laughing she turned to me and we picked up the pace.