The Leave Behind
February 21, 2024 – Boca Raton, Florida, USA
Hayden strolled up to the admission desk at Total Fitness Gym. He had barely finished cleaning the pool and had a towel draped around his neck. He gave Rob, who was working behind the counter, a little head nod.
“You sell any memberships today?” Hayden asked casually.
“It’s February. People sign up for gyms in January, not February,” Rob answered.
“Yeah, I know. I just wondered if anyone was a month late.”
Hayden made more small talk about gym members as he kept one eye on the door. He grabbed both ends of the towel to keep his biceps flexed. He considered it a good look for him. He was not standing on that particular spot by coincidence. The clock behind him read almost 2 pm.
The glass doors slid open and Hayden forgot about his conversation with Rob. He smiled so hard that his whitened teeth practically jumped out of his mouth. In walked Becca.
Every time Hayden saw her, he felt the thrill of surprise and a new reminder of how beautiful she was. She wore her usual outfit of yoga pants and a stretchy top. Her hair was pulled back in an exercise ponytail. She looked tan, healthy, and perfect.
“Smoothie time, huh?” Hayden said, gesturing to the labeled cup in Becca’s hand.
“Keeps me going,” Becca replied with a smile.
“I thought you’d already be with one of your clients,” Hayden replied, as if the thought had barely come to him and he did not have her schedule memorized.
“I’m supposed to be starting right now,” Becca said, as she gave Hayden a little goodbye smile and walked toward the weight room.
“If you need any help, let me know,” Hayden called.
Becca waved to show she could handle everything on her own.
“If someone’s using a machine you need, I can kick them off!”
Becca did not acknowledge Hayden’s offer. He watched her until she disappeared around a corner and then sighed and whispered, “Come back.”
“She kind of blew you off,” Rob said from behind Hayden.
“No she didn’t. She was just in a hurry.”
“I don’t think that’s it.”
“I know the difference between someone who’s in a hurry and someone who’s blowing me off.”
“I don’t think you do. She’s been doing personal training here for three months and no matter how many times you’ve planned to accidently run into her, she’s never acted interested.”
“If she was blowing me off, she wouldn’t be so friendly.”
“Some people are always friendly.”
Hayden shook his head like he was trying to shake Rob’s words out of his ears. “I just need to catch her when she has more time to talk. Then we can say more than hello.”
Rob made a snarky expression and said, “I don’t think so.”
“Is that some kind of challenge?”
“Not really. I don’t care enough to issue a challenge.”
“Well, I’ll show you anyway. You’ll see when she agrees to go out with me.”
“Yeah, let me know,” Rob replied in a disinterested voice.
Hayden had floors to mop so he left Rob behind his counter and silently schemed over how he might have a real conversation with Becca. She was always in such a hurry to get in and out of the gym and had a habit of arriving late. How could he stop her long enough to exchange more than small talk, and do it without looking desperate or creepy? He needed something out of the ordinary. Something a little daring.
As Hayden emptied garbage sacks into the parking lot dumpster, he stared at Becca’s Ford Bronco. She had only been driving it for a week and he had not gotten the chance to ask her about it. As he imagined how that conversation might go, a brilliant idea floated into his head. He ran to his own car, a Mazda sedan, and moved it into the parking spot next to the Bronco. Then he popped the Mazda’s hood.
Hayden did not know a lot about cars, but he knew they needed a good battery connection to start. He ran to the gym’s maintenance room to find a wrench and then returned and loosened up the clamp connecting his battery to the power cable. When he tried starting the car, it whined and sputtered. Hayden smiled deviously.
After Becca finished training her clients, she walked quickly to the parking lot. Next to the Bronco she found Hayden leaning over a Mazda with its hood up.
“Having car trouble?” Becca asked in a friendly voice.
“Yeah, it won’t start. Here, listen.” Hayden slid into the driver’s seat and turned his key in the ignition. The engine made a weak grinding noise.
“Sounds like you need a new battery. Or maybe a jumpstart,” Becca said.
Hayden was not a natural actor, but the distress on his face was convincing. “I’m afraid it’s something more serious.”
“Car problems are the worst. I’m sorry,” Becca replied sympathetically.
“I hate to ask, but if you’re leaving, could you give me a ride to my place? It’s not very far and my dog’s waiting for me.”
Becca hesitated before smiling good-naturedly and saying, “Yeah, okay. I’m happy to help. If it’s not too far.”
“Thank you so much. You’re saving me and my dog. I’ll come back and deal with my car later.”
Hayden lowered the hood on the Mazda and climbed into the Bronco’s passenger seat. His heartrate doubled as he realized he was sitting next to Becca in an enclosed space. He struggled to think of something funny to say but his mind was too distracted.
“Yeah, I live close. That’s one big reason I like the job. Plus, the people are nice,” Hayden said, wearing a deer-in-the-headlights look. He pointed in the direction of his apartment.
“I like this gym too,” Becca replied.
“You’ve probably worked at a lot of them.”
Becca began a long explanation about other places where she had worked and gym managers she liked and disliked. Hayden was too nervous to interrupt and simply pointed out directions she should turn to reach his house. The ride was over before he knew it.
Hayden did not want to get out of the Bronco. The perfect opportunity felt wasted. He had not gotten to compliment Becca on the way she looked or gotten anywhere close to asking her out. But he could not keep sitting there. He grabbed the handle to open his door and then had another extraordinary idea.
“Thank you,” Hayden repeated. “You’re pretty much the greatest person I know at the gym.” As he spoke the words, he eased his phone out of his pocket and slipped it in between his seat and the door. Then he got out and called, “See you soon!”
As Becca drove away, Hayden anxiously thought about his next move. He wanted to immediately lurch into action but knew he should wait. Two hours later, he borrowed a friend’s phone and sent Becca the following text:
“This is Hayden from the gym. I got your number from the directory. I’m using my friend’s phone because I think I dropped mine in your car. Can I come get it?”
Hayden’s palms sweat as he waited for a reply. Becca’s text finally came: “I thought your car was broken. How would you get anywhere?”
Hayden was ready with an explanation. “I fixed it. You were right. It was a bad battery.”
Becca replied with an address and Hayden pumped his fist with excitement. This was going to work! He and Becca would look for his phone and have plenty of time to talk. He had already showered and changed clothes. He hurried out to his Mazda, but instead of driving straight to Becca’s address, he made a detour to her favorite smoothie shop and bought two of her favorite drinks. They would be a nice thank you gesture.
Hayden held both smoothies when he rang the doorbell at the target address. He cleared his throat, smiled, and waited for Becca to appear. When the door opened, his smile fell. A guy covered in thick muscles stared back at him with a suspicious smirk. Hayden was always cleaning up after these kinds of guys at the gym.
“Hi . . . um . . . Is Becca here?”
“No. She’s my girlfriend, but she doesn’t live here. She told me you lost this.” The muscle guy held up Hayden’s phone.
Hayden’s mouth drooped open.
“She’s been driving my car this week. I’m sure you were trying to get some alone time with her. Leaving your phone behind is the oldest trick in the book. I’ve used it myself.”
Hayden did his best to look and sound innocent. “No, I wasn’t . . . I didn’t . . .”
“Sure you didn’t. I don’t blame you for trying, but don’t get any ideas. She’s spoken for.”
Hayden gave up defending himself and instead slumped his shoulders, looking humiliated and defeated. He was so pitiful the muscle guy unexpectedly felt some compassion. He held out Hayden’s phone and said, “You seem like a decent guy. Tell you what. You give me one of those smoothies and I’ll ask Becca to set you up with one of her friends.”
Hayden’s smile returned as he imagined all the other personal trainers Becca must know. He held out one of the smoothie cups and said, “Ah, the setup. The second oldest trick in the book. It’s a deal.”
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