Joe's Physical Exam

The day had finally arrived. My uncle handed me the keys to his gym, kissed me on the cheek, wished me the best of luck and got into the taxi bound for the airport. While I had prepared myself for these events it still felt surreal as they all played out. My uncle, the owner of "Muscles and More", had retired and turned the business over to me. He smiled at me through the open window of the cab and said: "You're going to do great, Kevin. I'll text you when I land in Madrid."

For the past twenty years Uncle Jack had built his gym business by being personable, keeping costs down, and running a spotless workout facility that folks liked to come to. It was also undeniable that men comprised the majority of the gym members. This was mainly true because of the focus on free weights but there was also a small group of faithful women who also enjoyed working out in a friendly but no nonsense atmosphere.

As he thought about his future and his retirement from the business, Uncle Jack had approached me a year and a half earlier to gauge my interest in taking over the business. At first I said no but then I began to take stock of my life. I was now 26 years old and had no permanent job or career for that matter. It was true that I had dabbled, even studied numerous subjects especially related to health, anatomy and well being.

My main problem was that I rarely finished what I had started. For example, I had completed all of the course work towards being a certified massage therapist and aced every exam. However, I never finished my hours of actual practice or took the certification exam. I also started my training as a medic but never finished the final courses or practicum.

Looking back I probably had enough course work in human physiology and basic medical procedures to send me on my way to medical school. But, it only swirled in my head with no other purpose for its use.

Now, with "Muscles and More" I had the opportunity to work at something daily and maybe even build upon it. I enjoyed exercise and had taken numerous courses on exercise as well as physical training and its effects on the body.

It felt nice to be muscular and in good shape and perhaps I could inspire others to do the same. Yes, Uncle Jack, this indeed might be the opportunity I have been looking for and absolutely need right now at this time of my life.

I dove right into the workings of the business, meeting with Uncle Jack's long time accountant to get a sense of the financial picture. He assured me that everything was in good order mainly because Jack only needed one other part time employee. That fact that we were not a 24 hour big gym helped to make it an more manageable place with only one other part time helper.

Chad was my part time employee. He was an eternal college student and liked the part time work in what he called "my perfect environment." I imagine he felt this way because Chad was a bodybuilder and enjoyed working out with some of the more serious lifters. Plus, I liked having a good looking muscleman welcoming in our patrons as well as answering the questions of potential clients.

About two weeks after I had assumed ownership of the gym I was working at the welcome desk, typing away on my computer when I realized that someone was standing at the counter. I looked up and was most pleasantly surprised to see Joe Clayton standing there.

Joe had worked in different capacities for my uncle several years back. He tended to be a reserved sort of man and, given his physical stature, I always found that somewhat engaging and even a bit sexy.

Joe was probably in his early to mid fifties. He was a handsome man with a chiseled face that always seemed like he was a day late for a shave. Standing at about six feet tall and definitely weighing in at more than two hundred pounds he had a large yet muscular frame.

He wasn't a bodybuilder like Chad but he was definitely solidly built. And for me, the thing I found most endearing was the few extra pounds that he carried around his middle. It was as if he was always trying to get rid of that little "bulge" but his taste for beer or ice cream or some other wicked delight just made the task seemingly impossible.

I stood up smiling and gave Joe a warm handshake. His brown eyes sparkled and he said: "Hello Kevin. I just heard that you are now the owner here and I wanted to come by and congratulate you."

I heard his words but my mind seemed to be more focused on the black hair springing from the opened top of his shirt which covered his muscular chest. "Has your uncle already left for Spain?" he asked.

"Yes" I replied. "He is finally getting the chance to make his retirement dream a true one by sitting on a beach in the south of Spain and soaking up the sun."

Joe smiled and began to look around the facility. "Do you think your are going to enjoy being the boss?" he inquired.

I laughed at that word 'boss' and responded that I thought that I had finally found my calling. Joe looked puzzled and asked what I meant. "Well," I continued "I've had a number of different projects and years invested in various college programs. Now I feel like I have more of a focus and, perhaps, I will even be able to make use of what I have studied in the past."

The look on his handsome face told me that Joe was a bit perplexed. "I knew that you had taken university classes but did you ever graduate?" he wondered.

"No" I responded. "But believe me I have a lot of knowledge swirling around in my head. For example, I studied anatomy and massage therapy but never took the exams for my certification. In addition, I took a number of medical courses and considered working in the health industry. But, it seems that I always wandered off course. Now, I find that I am very grateful that Uncle Jack had enough faith in me to do this job."

"Perhaps" added Joe "your uncle felt that, because of your knowledge and background, you would be the perfect person for a job like this. I mean, here we are at a place where we use our bodies. I think Jack was a smart guy to turn his business over to you."

I blushed a bit and thanked Joe for his vote of confidence. We were about to continue our conversation when Joe's cell phone rang. He excused himself to take the call.

As he walked away I was treated to the sight of his beautiful, firm butt encased in his rather worn jeans. I began to drift into my fantasy of what it might be like to see that magnificent ass without the protection of pants. But I was interrupted by the ringing of the office phone.

A few moments later, Joe returned to the desk. "Listen, Kevin" he said "I would like to ask you a question. I recently had my hours cut at my current janitorial job and that, of course, has impacted my cash flow. So, I was wondering if you just might have any part-time work for me that might fit into my schedule. You know me, Kevin. I'm a good worker and I would never let you down."

I thought about it for a moment. It was true that Joe was reliable and dedicated to whatever task he took on. In addition, I also knew that Uncle Jack would do what he could to help out his buddy.

So I said to Joe: "You know, I think I might just have the perfect position for you. I could really use someone to do the nightly cleaning. Right now I do it all. Do you think you could help me out there? Perhaps you could work two hours a night Monday-Thursday to start. What do you think?"

If Joe had any reservations he didn't raise them because he accepted the position immediately telling me that it would fit into his schedule nicely and the extra cash would go a long way in helping make up his current deficit.

We agreed on an hourly rate and decided that he should begin on the following Monday night. With a smile that almost made me melt, Joe shook my hand and headed toward the exit door. Once again I watched as his sturdy, round ass disappeared out the door. Would I ever be able to get him to take those pants off so that I might gaze on his perfect buttocks? I clearly needed a strategy.

After a week or so, Joe had settled into a smooth routine. He arrived just as the last guest was leaving, locked the door and began with the task of cleaning and straightening up. I had to admit that the place always looked great the following morning after a thorough and complete cleaning. His presence allowed me time to finish paper work or even do my own workout.

One evening, I completed a rather intense workout on my arms and chest. I was a sweaty mess as I headed to the locker room to shower. I could hear the vacuum going in another part of the building so I figured Joe was cleaning there.

Once inside the locker room I took off my sweaty clothes and walked naked to the gang shower room. As I did so, the door opened and in walked Joe. He stood just a few feet from me. I smiled, greeted him but he looked flustered.

"Sorry, Kevin," he mumbled as he diverted his eyes from my naked body. "I didn't realize that you were in here."

I laughed at his obvious awkwardness and said: "It's OK, Joe. I mean, it' a locker room after all. Are you here to clean?"

"Yes," he replied "but I can wait until you have finished if you like."

"Don't be silly" I said. "I just need to take a shower so go ahead and start with the sinks. I'll be done in a couple of minutes and you can do the shower room."

I turned the water on and let it cascade over my worked out body. It felt wonderful. When I had finished, I turned the water off and realized that I did not bring a towel from the table at the other end of the locker room. Not wanting to drip water everywhere while Joe cleaned I called to him and asked him to grab me a towel.

He brought one to me and I told him that I hoped that I did not overdo it in my workout. Now, for some reason, he appeared a bit more comfortable with my nakedness because he inquired about my workout. I continued drying myself as I gave him the details of my methodical "road to bigger arms" workout. He looked at my arms and said that it appeared I was having some success.

I wrapped the towel around my waist, walked to my locker and grabbed my comb. As I combed my hair I asked Joe about his workout routine. I told him it looked as if he too had some interest in maintaining an athletic looking body. He told me that for cardio he liked to run in the early morning and that he had a set of weights in his basement that made a gym membership unnecessary.

I reminded him that he was welcome to work out here as well. He told me that he sometimes lifted a bit before locking up for the night but most nights he just wanted to get home and into bed. When he finished speaking I undid my towel and hung it on the door of the locker. "Now, let's see if Mr. Scale can be kind to me," I joked.

Unashamed and with an air of confidence I walked over to the scale. Joe followed nearby me and said: "No cheating, now."

I laughed and said: "OK, mister. How about if you set the weights. That way there will be no fudging on my part."

Joe laughed and followed behind me as I walked to the balance beam scale reminiscent of what you might see in any doctor's office. I wondered what might be going through his mind as he watched me walk naked to the scale.

As we arrived Joe placed each of the small weights to zero and said: "OK, Kevin. Hop on."

I stepped onto the scale and Joe moved the weights. Finally they came into balance. "178" he said.

"No," I protested. I looked at Joe. But all he did was point at the number and shrugged. "Last week, at my doctor's office it was 176 and that was with clothes on." I whined.

"Well, perhaps the gain is from muscle and not fat." said Joe. As he spoke he gabbed my bicep and gave it a playful squeeze. "Remember, Kevin that muscle weighs more than fat." I continued to say that the scale was mistaken but Joe just chuckled at my vanity.

I got off the scale and asked: "What do you weigh, Joe?"

"Hmm," he replied. "Probably 210-215, I guess."

"You guess?" I said a bit incredulously. "Well, what did you weigh at your last doctor's visit?"

"Doctor?" inquired Joe as if I had just spoken in a foreign language. I haven't been in a doctor's office in probably twenty years. I don't need them."

"Really?" I asked. "You haven't seen a doctor or had a physical check-up in twenty years."

"Nope." replied Joe.

I was about to ask why in the world he hadn't visited a doctor but I think he sensed the question coming because he grabbed his whisk broom and playfully smacked it against my bare butt saying: "Now go get dressed and go home. I have work to finish."

Joe disappeared into the shower room with his mop and bucket. Once again I watched as his beautiful buttocks disappeared into the room. "Someday" I whispered softly to myself. And then the smallest seed of a plan began to germinate in the back of my mind. I finished dressing, said good night to Joe and then headed home.

About a week later I decided that my plan was both solid as well as believable and I decided it was time to roll it out. Joe had just finished locking up and was headed to grab all of his cleaning supplies. I was sitting behind the reception desk and, as he passed by, I asked him if I might talk to him about something. He came around the front counter and I motioned at a chair and told him to have a seat.

"Oh-oh," he quipped. "Am I in trouble?" he asked with a bit of a grin.

"Of course not." I laughed. "In fact, I've had a number of comments from some members that the place never looked or smelled so clean. You are doing an amazing job."

Joe blushed. At that moment I just wanted to lean over and kiss him full on the lips. But, that act was not part of the plan. So I maintained my professional tone and continued. "Joe" I said "I have been concerned about something that you shared with me last week."

"What are you referring to?" Joe inquired, clearly perplexed.

"You told me that you have not seen a doctor in twenty years. That concerns me Joe. It really does." I gazed at him searching his face for a sign of how he was going to react.

"Well..." began Joe but nothing else came from his mouth. It was as if he were searching for an answer and just could not find the words. He looked at me blankly and then looked down at the floor.

So I decided to take the lead. "Let me ask" I started. "Are you afraid of the doctor or what goes on in a doctor's office? Have you had bad experiences with doctors?"

Joe looked at me and then looked away. "To be honest," he said "I am not a fan of the doctor's office. I really hate needles for one thing. But the bigger reality is that I have absolutely no form of health insurance." Again, he looked down at the floor. I could tell that he was embarrassed because of his age and his lack of such an important necessity.

"I understand" I said. "So you don't really know your numbers do you?"

"Numbers?" asked Joe.

"Yes." I continued "I am referring to your weight, your BMI, your blood pressure, and your pulse. And I'm not even touching on other numbers like cholesterol and things like that." Looking directly at him I reminded him that he had admitted that he didn't even know his weight and this is a number most folks have at their fingertips.

Joe insisted that he was healthy but I countered that argument by asking how he could be certain. He had no response. The groundwork was complete so I decided to move on to the next part of my plan.

"As you know," I started "I have a fairly good background in anatomy, the human body, and even medicine. I was a pre-med student for three years, volunteered in a clinic and also studied massage therapy. While I am no MD I might be able to help you out and give you some information about the general state of your health."

Joe looked completely mystified. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean" I said smiling "that I could do an evaluation of your overall health. I can take your blood pressure, check your pulse and even have you step up onto that dreaded scale in the men's locker room."

"I can't draw any blood or even have a needle around as I do not have the training for that but I can certainly check your vitals, reflexes and overall well being. But, obviously, only if you wanted to do this." Then I waited.

Once again he gazed down at the floor clearly just not knowing what to say. So I went a step further.

"If you like," I began "we could select an evening when you are here. We could skip some of the cleaning and make time to do a health screening. I have all of the necessary equipment including a detailed form where I could write all of the numbers and then give it to you for your reference."

Once again, I waited and this time it seemed like an interminable wait. However, the invitation was now on the proverbial table.

He looked at me sheepishly and asked "I know that you are a smart guy Kevin. Maybe it would be a good thing for me to at least know some of the things that you talked about. OK, Dr. Kevin," he joked "let's do this. What would be a good night?"

"I don't think we should wait so why don't we plan on doing your health screening tomorrow night. I'll make sure I have everything here that I need. All you need to do is show up."

Joe stood up and offered his hand to me. We shook and he thanked me. Then he headed back to work. I watched him depart feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Soon, I thought, all will be revealed and perhaps I might even learn a bit about Joe. Soon.

The following night Joe called and said he was running late due to some problems at his other job. He apologized and told me he would arrive as soon as humanly possible.

I closed up after the last client left and then headed into the locker room to set up my mini "clinic". I took out the large padded training table that was folded up in the back closet and set it up on one side of the locker room.

Looking at it I realized that it would serve well as a good staging area for doing some of Joe's vitals. On the nearby counter I laid out my other medical tools as well as a measuring tape.

As I was clipping the intake form to my clipboard my cell phone rang. It was Joe calling to inform me that he had forgotten his key. While I walked down the corridor to let him in, I thought that it was a bit unusual for Joe to forget his key. He is generally a well organized man. Nervousness, perhaps?

I let Joe in the door and locked it behind him. He looked a bit frazzled and told me that he had a miserable day at his other job but was able to resolve things before his departure. I instructed him to sit down in the small lobby area by the greeting desk and just catch his breath.

He did as I told him and we just sat and chatted a bit. He described his day a bit and I listened. The entire time I was captivated by this sudden need to "decompress" from the normally calm and somewhat aloof Joe.

After a few minutes Joe seemed much calmer so I suggested that we take a walk into the locker room so that he could see that I was indeed ready for his evaluation. We walked in and he looked first at the padded training table and then at the array of medical equipment including the stethoscope and blood pressure cuff.

He stood silent for a moment as he looked around. It was almost as if he were evaluating the situation and thinking about a way out.

Sensing his uneasiness I asked: "Are you nervous about all of this, Joe? If so, I am hoping I can help get you past that tonight."

Joe turned and looked at me. With a sheepish grin he admitted that he was nervous but he didn't really know why. He had always avoided doctors.

I reminded him that I was not a doctor but I was well versed in measuring and charting his physical stats.

"Are we doing this now?" Joe inquired.

"I think it best." I replied. "We can gather the necessary statistics and then, since you've had a tumultuous day, you can head home." I also reminded him that, even though I was 25 years younger than him, I had knowledge and training that he did not. So I asked in a rather serious tone: "Are you prepared to do as I ask so we can accurately get a true sense of your health?"