Mum’s been on a baking frenzy again. Scones this time. Don’t feel you have to.’
Danniella smiled. Lorraine seemed to have made it her mission to feed her, regularly bringing round home-baked goodies. She’d been wary of Lorraine’s visits at first but she had a gift for making small-talk, never asking Danniella about her past, and she no longer dreaded her calling.
‘It’s my landlord,’ she called to Alison. ‘You can let him in.’
‘Come up,’ Alison said. ‘I’ll leave the door open.’
Moments later, there was a knock and Aidan called out, ‘Hello?’
‘In the kitchen,’ Danniella called back.
Aidan appeared holding a bag for life. ‘Sorry for disturbing your weekend. I’ll just leave…’ His eyes widened. ‘Alison?’
‘Oh my God! Aidan?’ They hugged each other briefly. ‘Wow! It’s been…’
‘Nine years. How are you?’
Danniella looked from Aidan to Alison and back again. Sparkling eyes. Shy smiles. If she was a betting woman, she’d have put money on a story of love lost. Perhaps first love.
‘I’m good, thanks,’ Alison said, her hand clasped across her mouth, a look of astonishment on her face. ‘You?’
‘Really good. I can’t believe it. The last time I—’ Aidan’s phone rang and he grimaced. ‘Sorry. I’m running really late and I’ve got to go. It was great to see you, Ali. Hopefully see you again if you’re a friend of Danniella’s.’
Alison nodded. ‘Hopefully.’
‘Enjoy the scones. Bye.’
‘Would you like a drink?’ Danniella asked after Aiden closed the flat door. She wanted to ask about Aidan, but that would inevitably lead to questions in return. Alison seemed chatty. Maybe she’d volunteer the information.
‘Some water would be great, thanks,’ Alison said. ‘But let me do it.’
Danniella pointed out where the glasses lived. ‘I could do with putting my feet up,’ she said. ‘Do you want to come through to the lounge?’
After easing her legs up onto the sofa, Danniella twisted them from left to right so she could see the extent of the damage. Both knees were covered in grazes, with several more down her right leg.
‘I hope I’ll be okay to exercise again by Tuesday,’ she said. ‘I’m supposed to be starting bootcamp.’
‘Bootcamp?’ Alison shrugged. ‘I’m going to show my ignorance now…’
‘Instead of going to the gym where you’d probably exercise on your own, you work out as a group and you do it outside. There’s one that runs on the seafront.’ Danniella nodded towards the window. ‘I’ve been watching it and was tempted but the group was a bit big for my liking. I spoke to the owner, Karen, and she’s starting a new mid-morning one from Tuesday which she reckons will be low numbers so, injuries permitting, I start then.’
Alison stood up and wandered towards the window. ‘Is everyone who goes to these bootcamp thingies really fit?’
‘Mixed ability from what I’ve seen. Karen says a competitor runs one aimed at the super fit. I’ve seen them running up the cliff holding weighted backpacks above their heads.’
Alison turned from the window, mouth open. ‘Seriously? People do that for fun? That sounds like some sort of mediaeval torture.’
Danniella laughed. ‘It probably is but each to their own. Karen says she’ll push people if she thinks they’re not pushing themselves, but she welcomes all levels.’
Alison returned to the armchair and gulped down the last of her water. ‘She wouldn’t be able to do anything with someone like me, though, would she?’
‘What do you mean, someone like you?’
‘Twice my ideal body weight, not exercised since college, can barely make it up a flight of stairs without oxygen, likely to create craters on the beach.’
Although Alison laughed as she spoke, Danniella didn’t miss the wobble in her voice and the glint of tears in her eyes. ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. Are you interested? I’m not very confident around new people so it wouldn’t be so nerve-wracking if there’s a friendly face there.’
Alison sighed. ‘I need to do something.’ She ran her fingers through her dark, curly hair. ‘I’m not sure, though. A bootcamp?’
‘What’s stopping you?’
‘I don’t own a pair of trainers, for a start.’
‘Then buy a pair.’
‘And I don’t have a sports bra.’
Danniella raised an eyebrow and Alison laughed again. ‘I know, I know, I can buy one. But I can’t run. I can barely walk at pace.’
‘Everyone has to start somewhere,’ Danniella said. ‘When you started work, did you know how to do your job?’
‘No, but—’
‘But you learned how to do it. Someone showed you. You might have taken a while to learn, a step at a time, until one day you realised you could do it easily. This is no different. Honestly, it isn’t.’
‘Yeah, but I didn’t have to wear lycra and a sports bra for work.’
‘And you don’t have to wear lycra and a sports… actually, you probably do need the sports bra. But wear what’s comfortable. Go for leggings and a baggy T-shirt.’
‘A polar bear onesie?’ Alison suggested. ‘That’s comfortable.’
‘I’d love to see that, but it might be a little hot and sweaty.’ She smiled. ‘What do you think? Will you hold my hand on Tuesday?’
Alison paused for a moment. ‘I don’t start work till two so I’m free that morning. I could get some trainers tomorrow. I… No. I can’t do it. This body is not built for running.’
‘Then don’t run. Focus on the other stuff. Tell you what, why don’t I give you Karen’s number so you can talk to her? I’m sure she has a plan for those who are new to exercise.’
‘I’m not sure…’ Alison held her head in her hands and released a little squeal. ‘Okay. You’re on. But if I’m going to do this, I need to do it now or I’ll have chickened out before I get down the first flight of stairs.’
‘Are you sure? I don’t want to push you into something you don’t want to do.’ She knew exactly how it felt to be in Alison’s situation, out of breath and uncomfortable, experiencing a daily battle with willpower. She also knew that finding the strength, determination and courage to do something about it was like panning for gold; what you were looking for was in there somewhere, but it was almost impossible to find amongst the dirt. She’d never actually won her battle; the move from food as a friend to food as
