Running to Love

"A Ferrari?" I said as I slowed down even more.

"Yeah. I don't think you could hit two hundred, but probably one-eighty or so."

Driving a Ferrari one hundred eighty miles an hour. I probably needed to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. A Ferrari?

"Want me to set it up?" He sounded very serious.

I was down to a comfortable forty-five miles an hour now, and I could think a little better.

"I don't know, Kurt. Maybe I'd better think on that one a little." Ever since my fall at the end of the race, things had been moving very fast, and I thought it might be smart to slow down just a bit.

"Sure thing. I'm so glad you got to drive the Porsche today. Makes me feel good that you seemed to enjoy it so much."

"Oh, I enjoyed it, for sure."

"Go ahead and turn around, and we'll head back to the parking lot."

There was a little turn-off that led into a cornfield, so I pulled in there and got to search for reverse. I finally figured it out while Kurt chuckled at me.

"If you figure it out for yourself, you won't forget how to do it."

It sounded like he was expecting me to be driving the Porsche again. I was sure I would enjoy that, but was unsure of whether I should do it. I needed time to think.

I backed out onto the road and started back.

"Straight road, you could do it again," he teased.

"I'll stick to fifty-five," I assured him, even as I would have loved to get to sixth gear.

Back at the parking lot, where only my Civic still remained, I stopped and shut off the engine.

"Kurt, I can't thank you enough for letting me do this. It was exciting and fun."

"That makes me happy, then, Heather. I knew you'd enjoy it. And think about the Ferrari, okay?"

"I'll do that, for sure."

"And good luck at the trials."

The trials. A red Porsche had caused me to nearly forget about my running. Kurt took hold of my hand and squeezed.

"Good to see you again, Heather. Take care." He chuckled. "And don't forget about that Ferrari."

I wasn't likely to forget it. As Kurt pulled away, I climbed into my car and checked my phone. Two missed calls from Jarvis. Shit!

"Heather. I was starting to get worried."

"Sorry, Jarvis, I... um, had my phone silenced for the race, and I forgot to reset it."

"No problem. How'd it go?"

"Well, pretty good. I hit my times pretty close, but at the finish, some guy stumbled and knocked me down."

"Are you okay?" The tone of his voice had changed instantaneously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll probably have a bruise on my hip, and my arm was scrapped up pretty well, but... um, there was a doctor there who took care of the arm."

A complete change of pace from Jarvis.

"I know I've said it many times, but I miss you."

"I miss you too, Jarvis." I had been missing him since he left, and I still was. This afternoon was just a distraction. At least, I hoped that was true.

"How's your mom doing?"

"She's doing pretty well. The chemo sets her back pretty hard, but she's tough. She had to be to put up with me," he added and laughed. "And she asks me about you all the time."

"Aw, that's sweet."

"I've found out something, too. Mom is sick but not poor. She's insisting that, when you can, you fly out here so she can meet you, and she'll pay for your ticket."

"I can't let her do that, Jarvis."

"It's well worth it to her. And there's plenty of money." He paused for a moment. "Plus, you can run on the Pre's Trail."

"Oh my gosh, you're tempting me." The second time today, I'd been tempted. What would be my response this time?

"I'm serious, and so is she. Wait a second."

I heard some shuffling.

"Heather, this is Jo Ross."

"Oh, hello. I'd heard so much about you. It's good to hear your voice."

"The same, for sure."

"I heard J.R. inviting you to visit. I'm seconding that invitation. And don't think about the money." She laughed. "I'm going to leave it to him, so you might as well use some of it now. How about it?"

The hopeful sound in her voice left me little choice.

"Sure, I can do that, and now you have me looking forward to it. Ask Jarvis if the run on Pre's Trail is a promise."

"You're on speaker."

"You bet it's a promise, Heather. You'll love it, and it's something you can share with other runners, and they'll be envious."

"Perfect. I need to head home and shower, but I'll call you later and tell you more about the race. And Mrs. Ross, so good to talk with you."

"You too, Heather. I hope we can talk more in the future."

"For sure. Talk to you later, J.R.," I said with a giggle.

He laughed. "Talk later."

It was the beginning of October, and the trials were mid-November. I had some work to do if I had any hope of meeting my newest goal, one I hadn't considered just months ago. I wanted to qualify for the Olympics. I swallowed hard when that thought filled my mind. I seemed to have the genes for it, the way I'd been able to improve and surpass the goal that seemed unreachable when I'd started. There was that old saying that running was 10% physical and 90% mental. I still needed to work on the mental part, for sure.

After school on Monday, as I pulled into my parking spot, my phone rang. When I glanced at the screen, I saw "Kurt." Just seeing that made me nervous.

"Hello, Kurt."

"Good news, Heather. The Ferrari is headed to the track this weekend, and Dr. Augie Church would love to have you take it out for a few laps. You'll like it, too. It's not a street car but is prepared strictly for racing."

"Kurt, I can't do that. I'd be terrified of doing something to it."

"All you'll be doing to it is driving it. Augie doesn't seem to be worried. He said he'd watch the trials with friends and tell them, 'That one drove my Ferrari.'"

Of course, that last comment got my heart beating a little faster as my mind pictured me driving the probably red Ferrari around the track and, at some point, going one-hundred-eighty miles an hour. At the same time, my heart was telling me to say no to the Ferrari and concentrate on my trip to Oregon. I hated having to make this kind of decision.

"I'll pick you up at about eight on Saturday morning." Kurt's suggestion certainly was nudging my decision in the high-speed direction. The pictures my brain was creating were tantalizing and nearly impossible to erase. I knew I probably shouldn't.

"Okay."

I changed clothes and began my training run, but it was difficult to concentrate on the running. Thoughts of Kurt picking me up on Saturday morning were banging against thoughts of my pending trip to Oregon. Other than telling me first off that he'd made a mistake, he'd done nothing to indicate he was coming on to me. Maybe I should just cancel next Saturday.

I needed to concentrate, and my stopwatch helped. I checked it regularly and was calculating what my time should be at particular spots on my route. Being a math teacher was a big help with my training. I managed to finish what I'd planned and was back home, anxious to talk with Jarvis.

"Hey babe, good to hear from you."

"Babe?" I giggled.

"I'm trying to be more aggressive with how I feel about you."

Oh my gosh, that sounded like just what I needed to hear."

"Go on, J.R."

"Well, I know we've only had a couple of dates, but from the minute I met you, I knew you were the one."

"Jarvis, you've never talked like this before."

"I've never missed you like this before, Heather. When can you come out here?"

"I don't have any school vacation until Thanksgiving, and that's after the trials."

He was quiet for a moment.

"You know, this is tough for me to say, but if you came out here, I'd do everything I could to distract you... everything. So, stay there and train, and we'll talk every evening, and I can spill my soul to you."

"You're making me want to jump on a plane tomorrow, J.R."

"Tell me why, Heather."

I knew he wanted to hear words that I hadn't even thought about saying. What could I say?

"Because I want to be with you, to touch you."

"Good enough for me," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I guess I'd said the right thing.

"Let's Skype. I have a question I need to ask you." Jarvis didn't have an iPhone, so we couldn't FaceTime. I ran to my computer, and soon I saw... Jo Ross.

"Hi, honey. I talked J.R. into letting me say hello. I can't wait to meet you in person. He did say I'd get to see you on TV."

"I'm excited about it, Mrs. Ross. I think your watching will bring me luck."

"According to him, the work you're putting in and the talent you have should carry you through."

"That's what I told her," Jarvis said, his face appearing on my computer screen.

Bye-bye," Jo said and disappeared.

"That face," he said, a dreamy look crossing his face.

"It's just me," I stammered, blushing, I was sure.

"I know," he said, smiling broadly.

"Jarvis, you're distracting me. I have a serious question, and I need an answer."

"Sorry. Go on."

"You remember my telling you about the doctor I had a couple of dates with?"

"I do."

I told him about driving the Porsche and the opportunity to drive the Ferrari that Kurt had arranged, and how he was involved. I went into extra detail so he'd understand everything. I decided to say something, particularly after what he'd said.

"Driving the Porsche was fun and exciting, and the thought of driving the Ferrari is more of the same. And to answer a question you may have, I discovered when I was around Kurt that you're my man, Jarvis. I realized that I'm falling in love with you... have fallen."

"I wish I'd recorded that, but I think I'll remember."

"Do you think I should drive the Ferrari?"

"Heather, I'm not sure I've ever seen a Ferrari in person. And you have a chance to drive one?"

"On a sports car track at up to one-hundred-eighty miles an hour."

"Heather, I'm picturing you driving on residential streets." Jarvis' voice carried a hint of worry, as did his face.

"No, it's a race-equipped Ferrari, and I went one-O-five in the Porsche... on a country road."

"This is a side of you I didn't know before."

"I think we have lots to learn about each other, J.R.," I chuckled. "And I didn't know that part about myself, either."

"You like to run fast, so I guess it's not totally surprising."

"Before I forget it, is there anything you'd like to change about my training?"

"I don't think so. As long as you work hard and stick to the schedule. Short of a couple of testosterone shots, that's about the best we can do."

"Jarvis, wash your mouth out with lye soap," I said, and we laughed together.

We talked for another thirty minutes before I had to beg off since I had a test to grade.

I saw him take a deep breath.

"Heather, keep those beautiful blue eyes looking straight at mine and listen carefully, okay?"

"Why would I do anything else?"

"I love you."

Three words, and I could barely breathe. "Jarvis, I miss you so, so much that it tells me I love you too."

He smiled. "Good. Just six more weeks."

"I'll mark each day off on my calendar."

We signed off, and I did get the test graded, although my mind often wandered away from math to thoughts of love. Jarvis and I had spent so much time together working on my running schedule, discussing strategies, reviewing times and comparing them to expectations, as well as just talking and sharing. You don't have to have to have formal dates to know that you care for someone and want to be with them as much as you can. And that often leads to falling in love.

My life seemed to get brighter with those few words from Jarvis. Everything seemed to have more meaning, and life was suddenly much more vivid. My training, which had been semi-dominating my life, was now more important, as I was intent on qualifying for the Olympic marathon to make J.R. proud of me and to make him proud of himself for devising the plan that got me there.

I didn't run further, just faster and harder with less rest time when rest time was a part of the workout. I was still helping coach the cross-country team with great results. The girls were saying, "If she can improve, so can I," and the boys were working hard to stay up with me, a couple of the very talented ones able to do it.

Suddenly, it was only a week away. I had my hotel reservations, the plane reservations had been taken care of, and I hoped I was ready. I was going three days early for the meetings and dinners and would be doing a couple of easy runs with some of the other qualifiers. Jarvis would be joining me the night before. Trembling, I had invited him to share my room... once I was sure the room had two beds.

The school gave me the time off, had a send-off assembly, and were having a pizza party in the gym to watch my run on the two huge TVs they were setting up. All the warm and very sincere well-wishes I received from everyone had my cheeks streaked with tears, but it was wonderful.

The runs with the other ladies were fun and relaxing. Like me, they were just people doing something they love to do and hoping to do well at it. We talked and laughed, realizing that in a couple of days, things would be much more serious and intense. We met again for lunch and learned a lot about each other. They assured me that I was the tallest trials runner at five foot ten. I hoped that would somehow be an advantage in the long run. I chuckled to myself at the tiny pun I'd made.

We did lots of sharing and laughing, and I wished more of the runners had joined us, but I think some of them considered the rest of us as enemies. I know some of the coaches coached that way. I discovered that I was indeed the tallest of the group, and I hoped my longer stride would prove to be an advantage. Time would tell.

I had splurged for a rental car, and my drive to the airport to pick up Jarvis had me tingling with excitement. Not only was I here to fulfill the dream of a lifetime, but I was going to be with J.R. for a couple of days. I saw that his plane was on time and stood at the arrival aisle exit, trying not to appear nervous.

When I saw him, he was walking so fast I was afraid he'd stumble and fall. All pretense of a casual relationship was gone as I leaped into his arms, and my feet left the ground as, bad leg and all, he swung me around. The kiss was different from any we'd shared before, and when it ended, and my head was on his shoulder, I heard his whisper.

"I love you, Miss Olympic marathoner."

"I love you, too, Jarvis. And I hope with all my heart it's true."

"We'll know tomorrow."

We finally found the car in the parking lot. I'd been too excited to be observant and wasn't even sure what level I'd used. His hand was touching me during the entire drive to the hotel. I was thrilled when he told me his mom was responding well to treatments, and the doctors were cautiously optimistic about her recovery. The same couldn't be said about the grandparents, though, as they seemed to be failing rapidly.

"Some time ago, Mom had them change their will to bypass her and leave things directly to me. So, in the near future, I'll have a very nice house and property in Oregon." He looked at me, smiled, and winked. "Lots of good runners live and train in Oregon," he added.

It wasn't exactly a proposal, but was headed in that direction.

I parked in the hotel garage, and as we went through the lobby, I froze.

"If I hadn't fixed your ankle so well, you wouldn't be here today, so I had to be here too so I could see the final results of my work."

"Kurt, I don't know what to say."

"Just introduce me to this fortunate guy."

"I'm Jarvis Ross," J.R. said before I could open my mouth."

"Kurt Clark."

They shook hands.

"Kurt, I never dreamed you'd be here."

"I needed some time away from, well, all the damaged people I deal with all the time. Tomorrow, I'll get to see some super-healthy people do their thing. How's she going to do, Jarvis?"

J.R. looked at me and smiled.

"Well, the qualifying time was thirty-seven, and some will run thirty-seven and over. Heather came in at thirty-one and had loads of space for improvement. Her work times tell me she's improving. But this is sports. One day you set a world record, and a week later, you don't qualify for the finals. Performance can be fickle like that."

"What do you think, Heather?" Kurt had a serious look as he asked the question.

"I've never felt fitter or more ready for a race."

"Great!" the two men said in unison.

We had dinner together, with Kurt telling J.R. that if he ever wanted to toss me aside, he'd catch me and carry me away in his Porsche. He laughed hard when he said it, but I knew he was serious.

J.R. and I kissed again before we went to bed, but he was careful to steer clear of anything sexually suggestive, not wanting to distract me in any way. We used the bathroom separately and were totally covered from ankle to chin at bedtime. We talked in the darkness for a while, and I realized how much more relaxed I was with him here with me rather than being by myself. Shelly had offered to come with me but backed out when I told her that Jarvis would be there.

It was race time, and I was warmed up and ready. Kurt wished me luck, and J.R. squeezed my hand and mouthed, "I love you."

I didn't count, but I guessed there were more than one-hundred-fifty runners, and all of us wanted to run a PB (personal best). When the gun sounded, we took off, and I noticed once again that I seemed to be taller than the others. I recognized lots of them from our casual runs, but there was no chatter nor laughing now.

I'd practiced drinking water while I ran, even taking the time to set out cups of water along my training route. It was awkward but possible.

At five miles, I was part of a group of probably thirty runners. By ten miles, it had thinned to perhaps twenty, and at fifteen, it was still about twenty runners, all who wanted to run in the Olympics. I was still feeling comfortable and wasn't having to strain to stay with the pack.

In another mile, two girls, both of whom I recognized as serious runners having been to the last Olympics, decided to stretch things out a little. I wasn't on their shoulder, but was with them. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see that the pack was thinning a bit, and by the twenty-mile mark, we were a pack of five.

My brain was talking to me, telling me that, at this moment, I was one of the five best female marathoners in the USA. That seemed foreign to me, but I loved the thought.

All along the route, I would suddenly spot J.R. or hear his voice yelling encouragement in my direction. A couple of times, I spotted Kurt, as well. I have to admit that each time it happened, I felt newly energized.

As I mentioned before, I'd heard that distance running was mostly mental, and I needed to apply that now. My body was feeling empty, my legs were aching, and it was time for my mind to take over.

In the next mile, our little group dwindled to four, but I had no idea how far number five may have dropped behind. The two who had pulled away from the pack before were doing it again, but this time, no one went with them. There were two groups of two at twenty-four miles, about eighty yards between us, now.

I was running with one of the ladies from our casual group, checking her stride, her breathing, and the expression on her face. I noticed that her stride was shorter than mine, and that boosted my confidence. But we were side by side and stride by stride past the twenty-five-mile and then the twenty-six-mile marks.

I could see the finish line far in the distance, and I was three-hundred and eighty-five yards from a spot on the Olympic team. Unfortunately, Miss Shorter-stride was now two yards ahead, having found a little energy somewhere. Near the finish line, I could see someone on the course -- it was Jarvis, and they were pulling him to the side.