Chapter 11: Running, running, running
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I felt I would be fighting the effects of my late night conversation with Sue Anne all morning. Since meeting Jimmy, it was the first time I slept alone and it actually felt strange to wake up without him touching me somewhere.
I put on a pair of shorts, sports-bra, a T-shirt, thick socks and my new running shoes. Walking toward the elevator I joined several more people all heading downstairs. Caught up by the crowd I headed down the stairs with them.
At least I'm not running upstairs back to the 18th floor! How many people work here, anyway? I need to find that out as soon as possible... this 'vacation' isn't going to last more than a day or so more and I need to learn what I need to do.
I don't need him to think I'm a total fool... think, girl, he doesn't or he would have never talked to you in the first place. Damn, eighteen flights of stairs is taking forever.
Jogging out of the building I joined hundreds of people all running in place. In the morning coolness at precisely 6 AM the National Anthem played joined by hundreds of voices around the buildings.
The starting whistle blew and the runners headed uphill on several well-worn paths. By chance I took the one that rose up through the small canyon to the south. Next to the path a small bubbly stream had steeply slashed its way down from the mountains.
At this early hour the sunlight was beginning to filter through the trees. The air still smelled of sweet menthol from the eucalyptus. The trail crossed the stream over footbridges several times as the water meandered back and forth heading toward the ocean.
After about fifteen minutes my deep breathing became even heavier and my feet began to hurt. I refused to give up in front of everyone and knew that I needed to gain his or her respect even at this if I was to do whatever Jimmy wanted.
My thoughts of him pushed the pain out of my mind. I fell headlong into an almost mindless euphoria and one foot before the other was able to keep up with the slower runners at the back of the pack.
Jimmy... my Jimmy... if my dreams are true...
At the halfway point of the morning's run everyone stopped for a five-minute break at the large picnic area. Years earlier someone had built a dam creating a waterfall and a large pond.
Buzzing of insects flew through the still air. Emerald-colored dragonflies hunted their less wary cousins just above the calm waters.
The whistle blew sooner than I had hoped but it was downhill from there. Although my feet continued to burn with each new step I continued back toward the compound although starting to straggle behind the rest.
Damn Friday the 13th... my feet are burning...
Sue Anne slowed down to run next to me.
"Hey, girlfriend! How are you doing? Don't worry, the first few days are the hardest and then your body gets used to it and soon you'll actually like running. I'm not kidding. My first week I thought I was going to die, I threw up in the bushes twice I felt so horrible. I thought of quitting at the moment but then I thought about what I would be leaving behind so I stayed and I'm grateful for everything the colonel has made possible.
Look at all these people. They're all in great shape because of this. We're probably going to live an extra ten to fifteen years. Besides, you've seen the food here. Imagine what we'd look like if we didn't run it off!"
"Do we do this every morning? I thought I was exercising back home but nothing like this."
"Yes, although sometimes we run at the beach. That's fun because it's on the wet sand and the water is cool. When we're at the beach it's always in the late afternoon and we take the children and have a big bonfire and picnic in the evening.
Some days we stay inside and do push-ups and things like that. This is still more fun than a treadmill. If you'd like we can run together each day."
"Thanks, I'd like that very much. Ahhhh, we're back. My feet are killing me. What do you suggest?"
"Well, first off, we're going to the clinic and have Dr. Riner take a look in case you've serious blisters or something.
"Well Alessa, it looks like you have a couple of nice blisters here. We'll just put some of this salve on here and wrap it up. I don't want them to get infected. This will fix it up by tonight. It's something we've been working on here and it really works.
In a couple of months we expect to put it on the market and the colonel has given us a 60 percent share in the profits.
What we've been able to accomplish here would have been almost impossible without the funding. We've been using it to heal burns and it will be a great help in emergency rooms.
Now, tomorrow, I want you to run a little slower even if it means you're staying at the end of the pack. By next week you'll be running circles around them. You're in pretty good shape, your legs and feet are strong, good lung capacity.
Alessa, if you're still hurting tomorrow morning come and see me right away."
We walked over to the gym and the trainer, Carla Lindley, showed me the various exercise machines, the weights and the ropes and rock wall. There were several stations where people could pull on large rubber bands building up the shoulder muscles and improving their posture.
Before we left she gave me the doctor's approved diet guide for women my age and height. I promised to try to follow it.
"Usually what we do is go back upstairs, wash up and change into the day's clothes and then we have breakfast. I will see you later, Miss Alessa. This place doesn't stay together by itself."
I took the elevator back up to the 18th floor, swiped my room card hanging from my neck and went in.
My shower took a little longer than it should have because the need I had been pushing to the back of my mind had surfaced with a rush. I sat down on the shower's molded support and soon had all the fingers of one hand inside my pussy moving in and out.
I will admit now that my curiosity at last got the better of me and looking at the middle finger of my left hand I decided to do it. Leaving the shower, dripping on the floor towel, I took the KY from the nightstand and hurried back into the steamy bathroom.
Getting back in, I put a lot of the lubrication onto my finger and rubbed it around my anus trying to push it in. Just when I was going to stop, it slid in by itself and sunk all the way to the palm.
Oh, my God! It was so much different from anything we had done since we met. I moved it around a little getting used to the strange feeling, savoring the experience.
I pulled my finger out slowly and for some reason felt quite empty. I put more KY on my fingers and now put two inside stretching it open just a bit more.
My other hand had moved to my pussy and was moving once again in and out as my thumb rubbed my clit. My pelvis began to shiver and I moved my hands faster, finally inserting three fingers up into my ass.
