Long-time readers know this person. Some may have read the title and known right away who this post would be about. (If you did, let me know in the comments. Now I’m curious.)
I was doing a free gym trial, figuring it would be a good way to rebuild leg muscle, when I ran into an old friend.
I hadn’t seen the Chex Mix Guy in more than a year. He was smaller than I remembered, in every way.
Gone was the cheerful, funny man who brought us twelve posts-worth of entertainment. Heartbreak had made him cynical, filled with career ambition and little else.
One thing I’ll note for my future self: When I told him about falling to the bottom in my martial arts classes, he said, “That gives you a goal to aim for. Work your way back to the top.” That was thoughtful of him.
When we were through catching up, he grabbed his phone to choose the next song for his air buds. I took two steps and turned back around.
“This is weird,” I said.
“What is?”
“This is the last time I will ever see or speak to you.”
Motherhood and Martial Arts 