Page 43 of Moms of Mayhem
A soft squeak sounded from behind me, and I turned to see Shannon standing behind the partition with a hand over her mouth. “That is the cutest fucking baby I’ve ever seen.”
Stevie laughed, and I turned back to her. “So, that’s Shannon. She’s in school to be a speech pathologist and great with kids, if Harper doesn’t have stranger danger.”
“It’s fine,” Shannon said with a sniff that didn’t cancel out her previous reaction at all. “I’m patient. She doesn’t have to like me.”
As if Harper carried a little bullshit detector, she wiggled out of her mom’s arms and toddled over to Shannon, looking straight up. Her hat slipped off her head and fell on the floor behind her. Shannon let out a giggle that did not fit with the Goth vibe she wore like a suit of armor. I bit the insides of my cheeks as Shannon squatted down in front of Harper with a wave.
“Hi Harper, my name is Shannon.” She pulled the little dragon toy out from behind her back, shaking it gently until Harper looked at the toy. “Would you like to see what other toys I have?”
Harper looked over her shoulder at her mom, then followed Shannon into the studio toward the playpen in the back.
“Holy shit,” Stevie said, peeking around the corner of the partition wall into the dimly lit studio. Shannon held the gate open to the playpen, and Harper sat down on her bottom, trying to pull off her little boots.
“What a smart girl.” Shannon squatted down to help Harper take off her shoes, then took off her own. “We take off our shoes when we go inside, don’t we?”
Harper said nothing, but Shannon kept talking as if Harper was responding, never babying her, but also speaking in short enough words to show me she’d be absolutely fabulous as a speech pathologist when she finished her degree.
“She just—” Stevie looked back at me with wide eyes. “Harper hates everyone.”
“Yes, well, kindred spirits, I guess. So does Shannon.”
Stevie chuckled, then let out a sigh a sigh. “Maybe Ishould be slightly more alarmed that my toddler was so willing to leave me for a complete stranger, but also, she hasn’t let go of me in days. So, thank you for this. I’m already happier than I’ve been all week.”
I shrugged my shoulders, trying to tamp down the excitement bubbling up in me. “Well, welcome to Elevation Pilates.” I nudged her shoulder, then clapped my hands in quick succession, unable to contain my excitement. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Stevie nodded, then returned my smile. “Me too. Although, I have to warn you, I haven’t exercised regularly since I had my second kid. Who is five.”
“That’s okay.” I led her back into the studio, gesturing to the reformer closest to Harper, then the one farthest away. “You tell me where works best for you.”
Stevie glanced over at her child happily clapping along to a song Shannon sang, then pointed at the reformer farthest away. “Out of sight, out of mind, maybe.”
I bent down to adjust it for her, pointing out the basics of the machine. Stevie took off her jacket, listening intently, casting glances up at her daughter every few minutes. “You ready to try it?”
Stevie opened her mouth to answer, and the cutest belly laugh sounded from the back of the room. Shannon laughed in return, and Stevie grinned at me. I swear some unhealed part of my own motherhood journey stitched itself closed at the sight, my chest squeezing. I was so happy to offer even this tiny slice of peace to a mom in need.
“Let’s do it.”
I smiled, then helped Stevie get in position lying flat on her back on the reformer, feet on the bar. “Close your eyes and focus on your breathing for a minute, and I’ll go grab myphone. I wrote out a list of exercises that are great for post-partum moms, no matter how long you’ve been post-partum.”
She yawned and gave me a thumbs up, so I headed for the front desk.
My phone still sat face-up, and I grabbed it, glancing down at several excited texts from Jace. Seemed like we were both having a good day.
“Alright.” I tapped the little heart emoji on Jace’s text, then went back toward Stevie’s reformer. “First, we’ll start with some warmups. Put your heels together, toes about three inches apart, and slowly push away from the bar until your legs are straight.”
When no movement came from my peripheral vision, I looked up at Stevie only to find her passed out asleep, mouth slightly ajar and a soft snore filtering through the room.
I bit the insides of my cheeks to contain my laugh, then glanced back at Shannon and Harper playing contentedly at the back of the room.
When I’d imagined this class, I wanted to create a “take what you need” vibe, and apparently what Stevie needed was a nap.
Tip-toeing away from her reformer, I left Stevie to sleep and went back to the front desk to retrieve my laptop. She was still asleep when I came back into the studio, so I sat on the reformer next to her and began answering emails I was behind on.
Most were bills I quickly paid, only slightly sweating over the balance in my business checking account. Things were going well, but I still had about $16,000 in start-up costs to pay off in addition to my regular operating costs, and the last thing I wanted to do was ask Ty for another loan.
Avoiding the rest of the bills for today, an email from my former boss caught my attention, and I clicked on it.
Subject:PT Check-Ins – Linwood Athlete
