Recently, I was jogging in my neighborhood in Atlanta when I was flagged down by a fellow resident standing in her driveway. I knew her on a casual basis only. It was mostly chance encounters during afternoon walks with my dog or seeing her at the grocery store check-out. "Hi, how are you?" was about as far into a conversation as we had ever gotten.
"It's Clay, right?" she asked. "I'm Lisa."
"How are you?" I said, right on cue.
Lisa looked particularly good on this day, wearing yoga pants and a small, tight t-shirt with a Nike logo on it. She had rolled the waist band of her yoga pants down below her hip bones, which exposed several inches of tanned abs. She was tall, about 5'9", and had the toned, athletic physique of a pro tennis player. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail and she was wearing aviator sunglasses, flip-flops, and a very nice smile. As Lisa began moving towards me, I noticed that she was walking a bit gingerly.
"Are you running in the Peachtree this year?" she asked.
She was referring to the annual July 4th Peachtree Road Race, which is a hilly and challenging 10k that has been held for 40+ years in Atlanta. It attracts 50,000 runners and can be an amusing collision of fitness nuts and lesser mortals who very likely run only once or twice per year.
"No, I'm going to a friend's lake house for the day, but I will be back that evening," I answered.
"I'm looking for an entry number for a friend of mine who's coming in from out of town and wants to run the race," she explained. "Do you know anybody that has an extra number?"
"I've got one. You're welcome to it. I was planning on running but decided not to at the last minute," I said. "I can bring it by later."
"No, no. Please don't go to any trouble. I'll come by your place and pick it up. Don't you live in the blue and white house on the corner?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied. "I'm leaving tomorrow night, so I will just stick it in my mailbox for you."
"Fantastic," Lisa said. "Thank you."
The next day, when I was packed and ready to go, I placed the packet for the Peachtree in my mailbox. I also left Lisa a quick note on the back of my business card, wishing her luck in the race. I hoped to use this ice-breaker as a way to get to know her better.
When I returned home late in the afternoon on the 4th, I found a bag on my front porch containing a Peachtree Road Race t-shirt and a note from Lisa asking me to call her when I got back in town.
Before I even had a chance to call her, I received a text message from Lisa saying that she and Roger, her house guest, were watching the World Cup on TV and that I should drop by if I didn't have plans already.
I changed clothes and got ready to head over there, but first I stopped by a wine shop because I didn't want to arrive empty handed.
When I rang Lisa's doorbell, I was greeted by Roger. He was dressed head-to-toe in orange soccer gear. I introduced myself and learned that he was from The Netherlands. He guided me through the house to Lisa's back porch, where a TV was set-up to view the World Cup. The Netherlands were not playing in this game, but Roger was decked out in his team's regalia nevertheless.
Lisa joined us shortly, having been upstairs when I arrived. She was wearing a short, floral dress that barely made it down to her thighs. It wasn't a loose sun dress; it was tighter and more figure-flattering than that. She greeted me warmly and thanked me for the wine.
In her other hand, Lisa was holding an ice-pack. When she sat down across from me, she pulled the hem of her dress up a bit and tucked the ice pack underneath. Reflexively, I tried to catch a glimpse up her dress. It was an awkward moment, but impulsive reactions like that happen so fast that sometimes you don't even realize you are doing it. Lisa may have caught me, but she didn't let on.
"How was the race?" I asked.
"Really good. It wasn't too hot today. I finished in 44 minutes," she replied.
"That's a good time for the Peachtree," I offered, knowing how crowded the field can be.
Lisa may have noticed that I trying to look up her dress again . . .
"Please excuse the ice pack," she explained. "I've been nursing a hip pointer lately."
The three of us watched the game and chatted away. None of us were particularly passionate about it since we had no rooting interest in the outcome. At half-time, Roger suggested that we go swimming. Lisa had a very nice pool in her backyard that I had admired when I first walked in.
"I didn't bring anything to swim in, but I can run back home quickly," I said.
"No, don't do that. You and Roger are about the same size. Roger, do you have an extra pair of trunks that Clay can borrow?" Lisa asked.
Roger was smaller than me, but close enough, and he went inside to change. When he came back, Roger handed me what looked like black bike shorts. Roger himself had put on speedo-type trunks and stood before us, rather unselfconsciously, watching half-time soccer highlights on the TV. After a few minutes, Roger waded into the pool and began swimming laps.
While he was doing laps, I asked Lisa how she and Roger met. "Roger and I worked together up until last year. He was my manager, but then he took a job at a European investment fund and transferred to Switzerland. We used to run together after work with a group of co-workers. He wanted to come back to Atlanta and run the Peachtree again, so I offered to let him stay at my place."