Lexxy Baby Pt. 02

Knowingly, he said, "Like I said; Trey."

"No, not Trey! Men!" Then, remembering Alexander, she said, "There was this guy who came into my gym today. No muscle structure, no tone. Just skinny and flabby. Do you know he had the nerve to tell me that he didn't want a woman trainer? He didn't think I could give him a good workout because I don't have any Y chromosomes!"

Looking at her skeptically, Charles asked, "Did he say all that?"

"Of course not. He's not gonna say all that!"

Nodding, Charles asked, "So, what did he say? I mean, exactly."

She had to shake her head incredulously just thinking about the conversation, "He said...get this... that I was too pretty to train him."

She expected Charles to be more appalled when she dropped that truth bomb. Or, at least, concede to the fact that she was right and not crazy. Instead, all she got was, "That's it?"

Now she was getting mad. "What do you mean that's it? I'm too pretty?! What the hell is that but some misogynistic bullshit?"

"I don't know. Maybe he doesn't want to get shown up by a girl." Charles admitted with a shrug. Before she could take her victory lap, though, he added, "Or maybe he's slightly insecure about working out, and doesn't want to look like a bumbling idiot in front of his hot trainer. You don't know because you didn't ask. You just assumed, jumped on that skyscraper horse you enjoy so much, and probably went full bitch mode on the guy."

"So, he's scared of girls?" she asked cynically with a sneer on her face.

"Maybe. But, tell me this. How many women request you as a trainer because they don't feel comfortable working out in front of a guy?"

"Well...that's different."

"Why? Because he's a guy? Because he doesn't have the same right to be insecure about his body that a woman has? Maybe he should just man up."

"Men don't have to worry about being harassed or ogled!"

With a shrug of his shoulders, Charles sarcastically said, "Yeah, because those are the only reasons to be insecure. He can't just...I don't know...be insecure in front of a pretty girl who just described him as skinny and flabby with no muscle structure. No, he should be confident like the Trey's of the world. You know, guys with six packs who are 6 ft 3."

For the first time, she didn't have anything to say in return. It was humbling to peer in that mirror and see what she saw there.

The conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Ciara and Mama, who were bringing the rest of the food. Soon, after everyone was seated and grace was said, they were all eating. The vibe of the room changed with the dialogue. As they did every Sunday, the family quad discussed their lives, caught up on current events, laughed, and enjoyed each other.

However, despite the boisterous conversation around her, Monique couldn't take her mind off Alexander. Charles' words really hit paydirt with her. The mirror that she was looking at showed a reflection that she didn't want to see.

Thinking back to the altercation, she felt ashamed at how she handled it. One of the reasons she enjoyed being a personal trainer was she was able to motivate people. She loved that moment that a person looked in the mirror with pride and saw that their hard work had paid off. It was so rewarding.

She blew that chance with Alexander. Instead of turning those insecurities into inspiration, she bashed him for hurting her feelings. Now, she may have driven him away from the gym.

Why did she even take it personal in the first place? The male trainers shrug it off when a woman requests another woman. What would she have done if one of the guys she worked with reacted to a woman the way she reacted to Alexander?

Yep, reddit. She was definitely the asshole.

***

Over the following week, Monique kept her eyes out for any signs of Alexander. Her original plan was to ask Brent about his new client, but unfortunately his no call no show wasn't a one off. After two or three days, it was apparent that he just ghosted the gym.

During the second week, Monique stooped to snooping and stalking. She looked up any new memberships whose first name was Alexander (she never got his last). She found 5. So, she started dialing.

Her plan was simple. She was calling under the guise of asking them how they were enjoying the gym, and if they had any suggestions for improvement. When she got to a voice she recognized, she would reveal herself and apologize.

Easy peasy.

Well, things don't always go according to plan. He was the fourth number. She knew him as soon as she heard him say hello.

But suddenly, this plan wasn't looking so good. She got cold feet. So, instead of speaking up, she went through with the same ruse she'd already used three times.

"Hi. I'm calling on behalf of blah blah gymnasium. I was hoping you had 5 minutes to talk to us about how you're enjoying your membership."

Monique's professional phone voice is completely different from when she is in normal conversation. Toni often joked that she sounded like a white bill collector.

After a second's pause, he said, "Uh...to be honest, I think I'm going to cancel my membership."

Damn!

"May I ask why?"

"Well, my trainer kinda quit, I guess. I'm not really a big gym guy anyway, and I don't know how to use half the stuff in there. I was hoping that the trainer could guide me, ya know?"

"Was the gym unable to provide you with another trainer?"

Again, he paused before saying, "They did have another highly recommended one, but..." He stopped himself from saying what he was going to say. Instead, he kept it simple and finished, "I just had my heart set on working out with Brent."

This is going better than I thought.

She wanted more info on that, so she asked, "This other trainer, was there something wrong with her?"

She almost kicked herself for saying her. There is no way she'd know the other trainer was a woman if she was an impartial third party.

Luckily, Alexander didn't catch it.

"No, she's fine. Great actually. I hear tons of good things about her. I just think I may not be her type of client."

Because she's too pretty?!

"I don't follow."

Alexander started to say something, but then stopped. With a sigh, he admitted, "To be honest, it's not so much about her, and more about me. I'm not exactly graceful around attractive women. I turn into a complete klutz. It's something that I got teased about a lot when I was younger. At least with a guy, I wouldn't be worried about how much I'm embarrassing myself. I can concentrate on the task at hand."

Damn you, Charles! I hate when you're right!

She needed to make this right, but she had to get to him in person where he couldn't escape her. Trying to apologize over the phone would probably get her hung up on, especially after compounding her original blight with deceiving him to pump for information.

She had to get him back down to the gym before he cancelled his membership.

"Sir, I understand your concerns completely. I would like to apologize on behalf of the gym. I really would like to make this right, so what if I offered you a free workout session with another trainer? Kind of like a test drive."

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Will it be a guy?"

"If you'd like. After you speak with our representative, you will be paired with a trainer of your choosing. If you like him, you can continue working out with him. How does that sound?"

"Cool!" he said, excited about this. "How do I get started?"

She couldn't believe that worked. Thinking fast to keep up with the situation, she glanced at her calendar (it had her work schedule written on it) and said, "I can have you meet up with our representative on Wednesday at 3. Is that good for you?

"Yes! Great. Who am I meeting with?"

"You will be meeting with Mo...ria." She said, her mouth almost outrunning her brain.

"Moria? Not Maria?"

"Um...yes. That's right. Moria Sanchez."

"Okay. Sounds great." He said, shrugging it off. Maybe Moria was Hispanic. What did he know about Hispanic names?

With that, the two ended the call. Monique breathed a sigh of relief. Part one over. She got him to come to the gym. Hopefully, part two will go just as smoothly.

***

One thing about Alexander, he was punctual. At 2:55, Monique saw his Honda Civic pull into the parking lot. She was waiting for him outside of the gym.

She quickly ran through what she wanted to say inside of her head. Apologizing was one of those things that she wasn't good at. Never have been. Whenever she did it, it always came out wrong and usually made things worse.

As Alexander approached, he saw her standing there. He didn't know if he should give a quick hello or breeze past her without saying anything. He didn't want another tongue thrashing for saying the wrong thing.

He was surprised to find her watching him approach, like she was expecting him. More than that, it almost seemed like she was waiting for him.

"Hey Alex." She said, as if they were old friends.

Slightly confused, he returned the greeting.

Her eyes were looking off to the side, not meeting his. She seemed fidgety; anxious. Finally, after gathering up the courage, she said, "I...uhh...wanted to apologize for the way I acted towards you the last time we saw each other. I had no right to come at you like that. It was completely unprofessional and uncalled for."

Alexander was slightly caught off guard. With a nod, he said, "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to offend you. It wasn't my intent. Me wanting a guy had nothing to do with you."

"I know." She said. Then, realizing that she shouldn't "know" anything, she quickly added, "You don't have to explain your reasons to me. I have women who choose me all the time because they don't want to work out with a man. No one would ever do to them what I did to you. In the end, you weren't the sexist pig; I was."

For a moment, he stood there, not knowing what to say. A couple of dumbfounded blinks later, he said, "Uhhh...shit. Wow. I don't know what to say. I'm not used to women actually apologizing."

Monique didn't know how to take that. Then again, she did know. He wasn't some macho, chauvinist jerk. He was just a guy; a guy who made her laugh on a night she needed one.

Extending her hand, she asked, "Friends?"

"You bet." He said, grabbing it and giving it a shake. After a shared smile, he looked at his watch and said, "As much as I'm enjoying talking to you, I have to be going. I'm actually here for an appointment that I'm late for."

A part of her didn't want to ruin this tentative truce. She could just as well turn away and let him walk into that building. Sure, he'd find out there was no Moria Sanchez, but he'd have no way of knowing it was her who fooled him.

She could. But she really couldn't.

Ugh! Things were going so well, too.

Monique sucked in a big breath through her gritted teeth as she grimaced. "Uhhhhh, Alex...there's something I have to tell you."

"Can it wait?"

"Afraid not." She said sheepishly. When she had his undivided attention, she took a deep breath and said, "Please don't hate me, but...you don't have an appointment."

With a look of confusion, he said, "What? Yes, I do. I made one with..."

"Moria Sanchez?" she finished for him.

"Yes, but how..."

His words trailed off as his face fell. Monique could pinpoint the exact second the pieces fell together, because the look of anger that followed that moment was immense. Without another word, he once again started to stomp away from her.

"Alex, wait!"

He stopped and swung around so fast that she almost ran into him. "I don't know what game you're playing..."

"It's not a game!" she explained quickly. "I know I tricked you, but I had to get you down here to apologize. I didn't know any other way to do it."

Derisively, he spat, "You could have...I don't know...apologized last night OVER THE PHONE! You didn't have to waste my gas and my time with this bullshit!"

"I know. I know. I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm a shit person. Apologizing is hard for me, and I needed to do it face to face. Otherwise, I'd probably just fuck it up."

His face softened a bit. Her transparent honesty took the bite out of his anger. Almost jokingly, he asked, "And this way isn't fucking it up?"

"Touché."

A sigh escaped his nostrils, followed by a groan from his throat. Just above a mumble, he said, "I was really looking forward to that free session."

"Well, you can still have that." When he looked at her curiously, she added, "I'm actually pretty awesome...you know...despite my handicap of being too pretty."

She meant the last part as a joke. He nervously chuckled at it, but an apologetic look came across his face. "Hearing it aloud sounds kinda bad. I can see why you jumped down my throat."

"Yeah." She said, giving him a playful nudge. Then, getting serious, she said, "But I get it. I do. What I want you to see is that you have nothing to be embarrassed about, and nothing to prove to me. Nothing else in that gym matters. Not how you look, or if you do everything right. I don't care about any of that. The only things I care about are your goals."

His face was a mask of uncertainty. He was unsure. Unsure of himself; unsure of her. Before he could overthink, Monique curiously asked the first question she asked all her clients.

"What are your goals, Alex? Why did you come here?"

With a shrug, he said, "Get in shape."

"Yes, that's the outcome. But why do you want to get in shape?" she implored further.

"To look better, I guess."

She studied him as he spoke. A person says a lot in between the actual words they use.

"Why? Who told you that you need to look better?"

Almost against his will, he honestly answered, "Every woman I've ever dated."

There it was; the real answer. The truth.

She nodded, never taking her eyes off him. She wanted him to know that she saw him, and that he didn't repulse her.

"Alex, you are perfect the way you are. Coming here to get in shape is good, but not for the reasons you state." Pointing towards the gym, she further said, "The people on the other side of that door are just as insecure as you are. I need you to believe that you are more than how much weight you can bench press."

With a smirk that was almost condescending, he said, "It's easy for you to say. Look at you. Be honest. Would a girl like you ever give a guy like me a second look?"

He had her there. She wanted to lie to him to prove her point, but she owed him more than that. He was honest with her, even to the point of self-deprecation.

"No; I wouldn't." she admitted. His victory was a Pyric one, being what he was right about. Before he could take that as the full message, Monique added, "But that speaks to my shallowness, not your need to change. And to be honest, my measuring standards for men haven't exactly brought me the cream of the crop."

"Yeah, but still...you chose them. Not guys like me. Shallow or not, that's my reality. The world overlooks guys like me."

She almost agreed with him. She almost joined his pity party. Almost. But suddenly, the lightbulb atop her head clicked on. Out of nowhere, an epiphany hit her.

The problem that plagued Alexander was the same one that plagued her. The problem wasn't the world itself. It was perception.

Even in their differences, they shared a common foe.

"I don't trust men, Alex." She said, abruptly steering the wheel and taking a hard left.

Slightly confused, he said, "Okay..."

Though she was speaking to him, the words coming from her mouth were just as much geared towards her own ears. They were words SHE needed to hear as well.

"I don't trust men because all the men I've been looking at have been a variation of the same one. Tall, dark, handsome...arrogant, selfish, full of themselves...and LIARS. You're right in the fact that I've overlooked guys like you. Guys who are honest, even to the point of self-deprecation. Guys who see a stranger hurting and feel the need to bring a smile to her face, without a thought of picking her up. These are qualities that I have continually overlooked."

A small chuckle escaped her as she absorbed the message. It was like her brother was speaking with her voice.

Snapping from her reverie, she once again focused on him. With a challenging stare, she asked, "So, my question to you is...what have you overlooked?"

"Excuse me?"

She nodded knowingly, a smile forming on her face. "You see, our issues are the same. Perception. You've been looking at the people who reject you, and you haven't been focusing on those who do see you. Do you mean to tell me that NO ONE has ever given you the time of day? No one in your life has ever seen the beauty in you. Perhaps she wasn't wrapped in a pretty package or had tits and ass for days. But maybe...just maybe...she's out there, feeling just like you. Overlooked."

Her frankness made him pause. That's when Monique knew he saw it.

He looked at her with new appreciation in his eyes. In a strange voice, he said, "Wise you are, young Mo."

He stood there for a moment, seeing if she caught the reference. When she still looked confused, he said, "Master Yoda...Star Wars..."

"Huh?"

"Obi-Wan Kinobi...Luke Skywalker...Darth Vader...any of it ringing a bell?"

With a smirk, she said, "Sorry...I don't speak nerd."

He gasped and practically jumped out of his skin. "You're telling me you've NEVER seen a Star Wars movie? I mean, it's not even nerd culture anymore. Now, practically everything is related to Star Wars in some way!"

"Sorry." She said with a shrug.

He let out a huge, exaggerated sigh, like this was the worst thing that could have happened. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with you." he said, playfully mocking her.

Monique smiled and chuckled. "Tell you what, Lexxy Baby. You give me a shot at being your personal trainer, and I'll try to watch some of your Star Trek movies."

"Star Wars."

"Whatever."

His surrender was wordless, but significant none the same. She saw it happen in his face.

"Yeah?" she asked, with a victorious smirk.

He simply nodded.

She bit her lip, squealed, and raised her fists above her head in a Rocky pose.

"Yes!"

She then hooked her arm into his like they were walking the yellow brick road and dragged him reluctantly towards the gym.

As they approached the front door, she turned to him and playfully sang, "Everything's gonna beee alllriiiight."

"You're not funny."

"Sure I am. And don't worry. Mama Mo's gonna take good care of you."

With a groan, he asked, "Can Mama Mo stop calling me Lexxy Baby?"

"No. She cannot."

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