Page 6 of Walking the Bird

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“You’re going to kill yourself if you continue down this path.”

Eleni’s cardiologist’s warning echoed in her head as she drove home from his office. She’d prepared herself for bad results; however, never in her wildest dreams did she think her triglycerides would have reached the level they had. She was a walking time bomb, another heart attack on the horizon, and sadly, this one would kill her.

Pulling into her favorite pharmacy, she held her head high as she walked down the aisle containing pregnancy tests and condoms, handing the new script to the pharmacist. With the lateness of the hour, he asked her to give him ten minutes and he would have it ready for her. As Eleni sat in the chair, a seventies song playing overhead, her eyes drifted to the baby section a few aisles over. Her dreams of being a mother were placed on hold indefinitely, leaving her with an overwhelming sense of defeat.

How did she let this happen? Why did she allow the sins of another consume her mind, forcing the extreme care she once took of herself onto the sidelines? She’d accomplished so much on her own, battling impossible odds to be sitting here today.

Adjusting in her chair, she moved to cross her legs but stopped short when the action was halted by the thickness of her thighs. Slamming her eyes shut, she took a deep breath, slowing letting it, and the building frustration, out through her nose. She’d conquered the battle with obesity once, knew its pitfalls and evil tricks, and she’d be damned if she would let it play the underdog and triumph over her now.

“Mrs. Nakos?” The young man behind the register called her name., holding up the white bag with her destiny inside. “You’re all set.”

Rising from her seat, she smiled at the cashier, handed him her copayment and bid him goodnight. Stepping into the humid Tampa night, Eleni reached for the handle of her car door when her cellphone began ringing. A small part of her hoped it would be Alex, so she could talk to him about what her doctor said, while an even bigger part didn’t. Alex had been a constant source of support when it came to her health and wellbeing. Despite their issues, he still encouraged her to eat right and start exercising again.

Retrieving the phone from her purse, she’s slightly relieved to see it was Simon, an old friend of her father’s, who was in the process of moving to the area after the death of his wife a few years ago. He’d showed up at her office looking for her father a little over a month ago after jumping into his car to clear his mind. It broke her heart to tell him her father was out of the country, a long-overdue vacation with her mother to the Greek islands. She’d hugged him, given him directions to her and Alex’s house where he’d spent the night and most of the next day sleeping in their guest room.

“Hey, Simon. Everything okay?”

“Everything is great. I just made dinner in the new place and wondered if you’d like to join an old man in celebration.”

Simon was the same age as her father but looked thirty years younger, thanks in part to plastic surgery. He was a talent scout for one of the major league ball teams, so keeping his appearance up was part of his job.

“Dang it, Simon, I wish you would have called sooner. I already have plans for tonight.”

“Think nothing of it, Eleni. Gives me an excuse to invite the lady who sold me this condo.”

“How about once my parents return?”

“Sounds good, tell them I said hello next time you see them.”

Eleni ended the call, tossing her purse and the dreaded white sack into the passenger seat. If she was serious about taking back her life, it had to start now. Pulling into traffic, she proceeded through the traffic light instead of turning left to go home. Project ‘get her life back’ was about to commence.

The shrill sound of her alarm jerked her from a deep sleep, the aching muscles in her body protesting any movement. A week ago, she’d stepped into Ripped, the gym she’d once considered a second home, until Alex invited her to use his, and renewed her membership. Her first stop had been the scales, not shielding her eyes as she had at the doctor's office, discovering the forty pounds she knew about had increased by seven. Knowing she couldn’t do it alone, she’d purchased several sessions with a personal trainer, much like she had when she began her initial journey. Courtney, a petite blonde with a bubbly personality, morphed into a demonic monster the moment she’d stepped into the gym the following afternoon. She’d worked Eleni hard enough to make her vomit the first day, then gave her strict instructions on what she expected from Eleni every session. Her drill instructor approach worked, and Eleni celebrated with a new pair of tennis shoes when the scales showed a decrease of five pounds.

Rising from her bed, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and headed for the ensuite, splashing water on her face. She wondered if she would ever get used to the early mornings as she had in college.

Lacing her new shoes, Eleni took time to stretch her sore muscles before stepping into the early Florida morning. She had an interview scheduled with a woman fresh out of college by the name of Autumn Rowley, who’d come highly recommended by a head hunter friend of hers from college. Eleni prayed for the words to come to her when describing some of her clients, while not scaring off the girl.

Beads of sweat trickled down her neck as she glanced at her watch, pressing the button to begin her jog. Courtney made her shorten the time she walked by a minute each morning, her idea of slowly returning her to the marathon-ready individual she was a few years ago. Eleni recalled the first morning she came out here after she’d returned from DC and how thick the air felt when she breathed it in. As she rounded the half-way mark, she smiled as she thought of the first time she and Alex ran together, how having him there made her feel safe and gave her a needed boost to increase her run time.

Standing inside her office, Eleni opened her pill-pack, something her mother started for her when she was allowed to come home from the hospital after her heart attack. Vitamins, supplements, and various pills in different shapes and sizes all designed to keep her heart pumping and her arteries free of plaque. She’d held off on the new medication, sending her cardiologist a message of how she wanted to try the exercise again instead of the liver-damaging pill. He’d agreed, with the same stipulations as last time: bad cholesterol down by several points in three months or else.

“She’s here, Eleni.” Mrs. Pappas spoke from the doorway. The elderly woman was a retired math teacher, who’d come to work for her parents part-time answering the phones for something to do.

Tossing back the handful of pills, Eleni adjusted her skirt and fluffed her hair before signaling her to bring the young lady back.

Two nervous hours and more laughs than she’d had in a long time later, Eleni stood and offered her hand in congratulations to her newest employee. Eleni was pleasantly surprised when Autumn didn’t bat an eyelash when she told her of the more interesting clients. Autumn had shrugged then said something along the lines of at least they were smarter than Al Capone.

Autumn would begin under her father’s guidance on the following Monday once he returned to the States. Eleni introduced her to her mother-in-law, Helen, who agreed to rent her one of the apartments over the restaurant, much to Nick, her brother-in-law's obvious disdain. As Eleni bid the family farewell, her phone chirped with a text message from Alex.

I love you, Kookla

* * *

Six hours later,Eleni stared at the words on her screen as she waited for the skies over Tampa to clear enough for her flight to the Turks and Caicos to take off. She’d been unable to respond to Alex’s text, too shocked at their impetuousness. She and Alex had barely communicated over the last six months, their conversations usually centering around his announcement of another mission or the extension of the one he was on.

Turning off her phone, Eleni tossed it into her carry on beside the yellow envelope containing the divorce papers. After speaking with her father a few weeks ago, she booked a flight several days in advance of the arrival of the rest of her friends. She wanted to use the time to focus on the decision she needed to make as to whether or not to proceed with the divorce.

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