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He'd seen her many times before. It seemed their workout schedules aligned at least a couple days each week. She always started on the elliptical, moving very fast and not holding the handgrips. He guessed she was in her very early fifties and kept herself in very good shape. The ring on her left hand told him she was married, unfortunately.
Today she arrived with a man, who he assumed was her husband. He, however, looked much older than she - easily late seventies. Although not overweight he clearly was not in the sort of condition she was. When she got onto the elliptical he walked over to the weight machine. He couldn't help but notice that the man put very light weights on the bar.
Pushing these irrelevant thoughts from his mind, he moved through his usual circuit. He'd finished the reclining bike, rowing machine, and elliptical and was about to finish on the arm bike. From there he hit the treadmill which was his least favorite, but necessary to earn all his zone minutes. He detested cardio as it was about as exciting as watching dead grass grow. But since his run in with coronary artery disease and the acquisition of two stents two years ago, he understood the importance.
Finishing the cardio he moved to the 360 area in the back. Two sets of goblet squats with curls and two of calf raises with shrugs were followed by two sets each of four different TRX exercises. Then he grabbed an elastic band, sat on the floor, put the band around his legs and did bridges - twenty-five each one-legged and the same number two legged. Windmill and hamstring stretches done he finished up with a ten-count while balancing on one foot then the other. As was his habit, he hit the locker room for a pee and to wash his hands then shut off his music player and removed his headphones as he walked out to his car.
"Excuse me, I know we've not met but I see you here all the time. You've been coming for quite a while, haven't you?" the woman had stepped in front of him just as he reached the lobby. "I'm Becky, by the way."
"Um, hi Becky. I'm Tim. Yes, it will be two years in October. I know I've seen you here as well. Your performance on the elliptical is impressive. Intimidating, but impressive," he said.
Becky laughed and said, "I suppose it might be. I really enjoy it and like to hit it hard."
"Well," Tim said, "it's nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll see each other again."
"Please wait. You may have noticed that my husband is with me today. He rarely comes but we wanted to meet you and get to know you a bit. Could we buy you a coffee up at the cafe," she asked as her husband joined them.
"Well, I suppose," he replied, a confused look on his face.
"Great! We'll meet you at Yonah. Thanks!" she said.
Five minutes later they both pulled into the small strip center that housed the cafe. He'd noticed that the husband had some difficulty walking out to their car at the gym, so bypassed the empty slot near the front door and parked further out. They were waiting at the door as he walked up.
Once inside the couple chose a table in the back and Becky introduced Tim to Bill. Taking his order, she went to the counter and returned shortly carrying the three cups.
"Tim, I'm sure this seems strange to you. I hope you'll give us the benefit of the doubt - we'll explain everything soon. I'm guessing you're about sixty or sixty-five, right?" Becky said.
"I'm actually seventy," he said.
"Wow! You do not look it!" Becky exclaimed and the look on Bill's face indicated he was just as surprised. "Well, I'm sixty-five and Bill is eighty. When we were younger the age gap never bothered me but we're at much different stages of life now. Bill has arthritis and diabetes and is having a hard time exercising."
"You certainly don't look sixty-five. I'd have guessed ten years younger than that. I'm sorry to hear that, Bill. Were you active when you were younger?"
"I was a carpenter for fifty years, so I did manual labor. I always figured that was more than enough and never set foot into a gym until just recently. Turns out all that carpentry gave me strong biceps and thigh muscles but also tore up most of my joints and didn't give me the range of motion I now wish I had," Bill explained.
"Tim, may I ask some personal questions," Becky asked.
"Sure, though I won't commit to answering until I hear them," he told her.
"Are you married, or in a relationship? I've never seen you with anyone at the gym."
"Divorced twenty-five years ago and not currently in a relationship, although I want to be. Tough at our age and living up here," he said.
"I'm just going to jump in with both feet. Tim, Bill is completely impotent. We haven't had marital relations for five years. Bill has been telling me the whole time that I should take a lover, but I've not been comfortable with that idea as we're married."
"I can understand that. Fidelity is important - I know, I've been cheated on in the past," Tim said.
"Well, Bill's finally convinced me that it wouldn't be unfaithful since it's his idea and he would know all about it," Becky said.
"So are you looking for advice about how to find a partner? I am on a few dating sites but it's still difficult because we live out here in the sticks," Tim told her.
"Actually," Bill said, "we want to know if you'd be interested in becoming Becky's lover, Tim. She thinks you're very attractive and you seem to be in very good shape."
Tim had been about to grab his coffee cup when Bill spoke. Now he was glad he'd stopped or he would likely have dropped the cup and made a huge mess. Now he looked from Bill to Becky, who smiled and nodded. "I'm not sure what to say to that!" he managed to get out.
"Tim, I'm sure this is a bit shocking, but we're completely serious. I do need to ask if you have any ED issues, since most men over fifty do," Becky said.
"I'm happy to say I'm among the fortunate minority."
"So the little blue pills work for you?" Bill said.
"No idea. I don't need them. The presence and attention of an attractive woman is all it takes to raise the flagpole," Tim declared. "So what exactly are we talking about?"
"We only know the broad brush aspects, since all the details will have to be worked out between you and I if you agree," Becky said. "Our assignations will have to be at your home. Bill will know about them but doesn't want to be there when they do."
"That wouldn't be a problem, as I live alone with just my dog," Tim said.
"There is not to be any kissing on the mouth," Becky added. "This is sex, not love." Tim nodded.
"We're also hoping that the three of us will become good friends. Get together for dinner, and so on. What church do you attend?" Bill asked.
"I'm not religious so I don't attend any. I believe in trying to live my life according to the golden rule, but find the trappings of organized religion not to my liking. Is that an issue?" Tim said.
"No, not at all. Becky and I go to different churches, and respect everyone's perspective."
"So, Tim, what do you think?" Becky asked.
"Well, I'd like some time to think it over. Becky, you're certainly an attractive woman and, if you were single, I'd probably already be tearing off your clothes." This brought a grin to both their faces.
"I'm dead set against cheating and that means I steer clear of married or involved women. I have to get my head around Bill being not only supportive but apparently responsible for this. Does that make it all right?"
"I understand. As I said earlier, it's taken him four years to make me comfortable with the idea. And I'm still not one hundred percent. More like ninety-nine."
"May I ask what changed your mind?" Tim said.
"I suppose if we're possibly going to do this we're going to have to get into details. For the first year or eighteen months we held out hopes that medicine would find a solution for Bill's issue. Once we knew it wouldn't I acquired a couple of, shall we say marital aids. I learned to give myself an orgasm but it really isn't the same. Bill has never been comfortable going down on me and while he gave it a good try I could tell it bothered him.
"And the doctors aren't optimistic about Bill's future. He, and I, are worried that if I'm still basically celibate when he passes I'll never venture out to perhaps meet someone to spend the rest of my life with," Becky concluded.
"That's pretty heavy," Tim said.
"Not really, Tim. You'll find that when you know for certain that your days are numbered, even if you don't know the exact numeral, many things you were reluctant to consider or discuss become very easy. In the next few years I will be gone. There is nothing anyone can do about that, so no sense railing against it. Best to accept it and implement whatever plans are best for you and your loved one," Bill explained. "I for one have made my desires clear to Becky. I want her to find someone else to spend the rest of her life with, although that doesn't imply that you are, or might be, that person."
"Okay, if I can have a couple days to think things over, I'll be able to give you an answer later this week. At this point I can say that I would much enjoy building a friendship, if that option is open if I decline the other. I admire your attitudes toward life, friendship, and more and I know there is much I can learn from the two of you, and that if I do it will make me a better person," Tim declared.
"That's perfectly fine. What's your gym schedule?" Becky asked.
"I go Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. I work out with a personal trainer in Clarkesville Monday and Friday and come here after. Tuesday I come first thing then go do my grocery shopping. Since that's tomorrow let's plan on Friday for my final answer, ok?"
