Jogging? Nora pulled a face. Not withherboobs and backside. To even consider jogging, she’d have to lose weight first, which was somewhat of a catch-22 situation.
Aerobic classes? Hmm, that was a possibility, but she couldn’t exactly rush off to the leisure centre every time she felt tempted by a slice of hot toast slathered in butter. She needed something she could do at eight in the morning, at ten at night, and any time in between, which didn’t involve specialist equipment or membership of a gym.
The only thing she could think of was good old-fashioned walking and Picklewick was perfect for that. Surrounded by rolling farmland and not-too high mountains, the village was set in stunning countryside. But once again, she had her doubts: she was under no illusion that after a long and busy day at work she would be extremely reluctant to unwedge her behind from the sofa to go for a brisk walk.
What she needed was a walking buddy. Someone to bully her into going when she didn’t feel like it, someone to hold her accountable. Someone who wouldn’t take no for an answer and made sure she put her trainers on and went out there.
A lightbulb flashed in her head, and in its wake it left a very distinct image in her mind’s eye.
What she needed wasa dog.
‘Aw, Dad, that’s a crappy thing to happen,’ was Cameron’s response when Elijah plucked up the courage to tell him thattheir dream of running the Marathon de Sable together had gone up in smoke. ‘Are they sure? I mean, could they have made a mistake?’
Elijah shook his head. ‘I asked for a second opinion.’
‘Man, that sucks,’ his son declared.
Elijah heartily agreed with him.
‘But you’ll still be able to go running, right?’
‘I don’t think I will.’ Elijah had given it a lot of thought – it was all he’d been able to think about – and he knew he would be risking permanent disability if he went against medical advice.
No more marathons for him. No more running. A gentle jog was the best he could hope for, and even then he’d have to make sure the surface he was on wasn’t too hard. Which basically meant a lap or two of the park on the grass. It wouldn’t be worth the bother of putting his trainers on for that.
Cameron was looking concerned. ‘What will you do? I’ve never known you not to run. Mum used to say—’ He broke off, twin spots of colour appearing in his cheeks.
‘It’s okay. I know what your mother used to say.’ She’d said it to his face enough times, so Elijah didn’t need to hear it second hand. His addiction to keeping fit (okay, torunning) hadn’t been the cause of their breakup, but it hadn’t helped that he’d used to spend inordinate amounts of time pounding the streets, lanes, and hillsides in his quest to run a route in his best time ever. Elijah didn’t so much race against other people when he took part in a marathon, because there would always be someone faster than him (that was a fact of life) – he raced againsthimself. It also hadn’t helped that whenever an argument loomed, Elijah used to don his trainers and disappear out thedoor. He’d been a gold medallist in avoiding confrontation. ‘Emotionally absent,’ his ex-wife used to say. And maybe she’d had a point. ‘Selfish’ was something else she’d called him. And maybe she’d had a point there, as well.
It was all water under the bridge now, of course. They’d split over a decade ago, when Cameron was only twelve. It had been hard on the boy, but Elijah had tried his damnedest to be a good father and a good role model – as much as he could, at least. He worked hard, didn’t drink to excess, and didn’t have any vices apart from an addiction to running marathons. And he’d spent as much time with his son as possible, only moving from Thornbury to Picklewick after Cameron had passed his driving test and had become more mobile. The stars had all aligned at that point, because the bakery had come on the market at roughly the same time and Elijah had leapt at the chance to buy it. Not because he loved what he did (by then he’d become rather indifferent), but because it had given him the opportunity to be his own boss, which in turn allowed him more flexibility when it came to the hours he worked, so he could go for longer runs whenever he wanted. See, he said to himself, his life had revolved around running. What the hell was it going to revolve around now that he’d had the one thing he lived for, taken away from him?
‘I don’t know what I’m going to do,’ he admitted, in answer to Cameron’s question. ‘Take up golf maybe, or lawn bowls.’
‘You, take upgolf?’ Cameron scoffed. ‘You’d hate it. And I can’t see you playing bowls, neither.’
‘Why not?’ Elijah hadn’t been serious about bowls; however, he was curious as to why his son couldn’t envisage him playing the game.
‘You’re too much of a loner.’
‘Is that what you think?’
‘It’s what I know. I’m like you in that respect. I’ve always hated team sports. Don’t mind watching them, but don’t want to take part in them.’
‘What do you suggest?’
Cameron became sombre as he asked, ‘You will be able to walk properly, won’t you?’
‘I hope so!’ Elijah replied. ‘I mean, the bone has mended, so there shouldn’t be any reason why I won’t be able to. I’ve got a bit of a limp now, but that’s only because I had to wear that boot. I’ve been doing stretches and stuff to strengthen it.’
‘Why not take up hiking?’
‘What, like stroll around on my own?’
Cameron shook his head. ‘No, notstroll. A fast walk.’
‘Where would I walk to? All my local routes will just remind me that I should be running them.’
‘Find some new ones.’
