It had been several years since Kevin had moved to this peaceful mountain town. He had met a nice girl over the internet and decided to try and start a new life for himself with this girl Cassie. Kevin had felt that a change of scenery would be good for him and a fresh start if you will. He felt that while family is great, and in a way where you come from will always be home, sometimes you just need to get away. Kevin did not want to be stuck in that role that he had seemed destined to play with his family and his old life. He had come to the mountains in hopes of a relationship and a life that was true, and to finally have some peace and happiness.
What he found was that he had been happy for a few years. It seemed as though the two of them worked well together and that they genuinely had love for each other. However, this feeling had faded and troubles had set it and the relationship hadn't been what it once was. Kevin felt like Cassie had been pulling away and just didn't have the same feelings of love that she used to. They were going through the motions of their lives, but the excitement and the passion were not present anymore. Kevin had been feeling as though he was ready to make some changes in his life and move forward, but Cassie didn't seem to support his goals anymore. She recently had been becoming more involved in her own things and spending time outside of the house. It was obvious to the both of them that they were ready to go their separate ways. They didn't really fight much as that wasn't who they were. They just didn't communicate and were basically roommates at this point.
The ending of the relationship had been difficult for Kevin because he wasn't quite sure where he was to go from there. He started by focusing on the obvious, getting his own place to live and settling in. He found a nice, but very small house just outside of town with reasonable rent. Kevin decided to stay in the town as he felt established, and didn't think he would solve any of his problems by packing up, and heading back to where he had come from. Going home to him felt like it would be a step backwards. Kevin spent much time thinking about the change he had wanted and wondering what that was. He knew he had to focus on bettering his life, now that he was not so wrapped up in his relationship. It was time for him to do something for himself. Over the next several months he thought about how he could do this and what the steps were. He knew he needed a better job, and perhaps a career and a way to start being more financially stable. He did some research and decided that he should go back to school and perhaps get a job in the health care field. After all, people always got sick or hurt at some point, and these jobs would be around for years to come. Kevin enrolled in the local community college to start taking some courses that he hoped would gain him entrance into a program for massage therapy.
One of the first classes he took was Anatomy and Physiology as learning about the body was an important aspect of his potential new career. In that first class he sat near the front of the room and listened as the professor came in and spoke. She introduced herself as Dr. Carol, a former chiropractor, who was now teaching college as well as many types of fitness classes. It was obvious that she was into fitness and health as she had a lean and tight body that looked very well cared for. She had long wavy blonde hair that fell down around her shoulders and to her back. Kevin found her to be attractive, but he couldn't be sure how old she was. She was definitely older than his 27, but she was not an old lady by any means. Kevin had always thought that a woman who takes really good care of herself, as Carol obviously did, can be sort of ageless. He imagined that she was in her mid-40s if he had to make a guess.
Later on during the semester they had been discussing aging and health and it came out that Dr. Carol was in her early 50s. This surprised Kevin, as she looked younger than that, and to him she looked beautiful. Kevin studied hard and did well in this class and others. Soon enough that first semester was over and he had a new set of classes to start. During his time at the college Kevin had seen that on Sundays the campus was closed and very quiet. He thought this might be a good place for him to take his dogs and let them run. He had decided to rescue some dogs from the shelter when he had moved out on his own. He had always loved dogs and enjoyed the company they provided him. During one of his first times walking, his dogs started running off ahead of him and he called to them running to catch up. They were well behaved dogs, but he knew that sometimes other people didn't like dogs running up to them, or if there were other dogs, they might not like that either. As Kevin rounded the corner he noticed a woman walking with her dogs, and as he focused his attention he could see it was Dr. Carol. Kevin was a little surprised at seeing her outside of the classroom setting. He of course realized that she had her life outside of the college, and was just a woman walking her dogs.
"Oh hello Dr. Carol," he said.
"Hello Kevin, how are you?" she asked him.
"I'm doing well thanks, and these must be your dogs" He answered.
The two of them discussed their dogs for a few moments. She had two older girls and he had two younger boys. The dogs sniffed each other and became fast friends.
"Do you come walk here often?" she asked.
"I just recently discovered it was closed on Sundays and have been coming," he replied.
"Oh I haven't seen you around and I am usually here between 10:00 and 11:00," she said.
"I haven't been coming at any particular time of day, but I do enjoy letting the dogs run and am here most Sundays," he said.
Then she said she was going to keep on walking and Kevin said he was on his way back to the car. As he walked backed to the car he felt himself considering their chance encounter and what she had said. It was a simple conversation, but the way she had mentioned a certain time that she walked each Sunday was interesting to him. It sounded like an invitation to show up the next Sunday at that time. Kevin thought that he would just happen to be at the college the next week around 10:00 and see what happened. The following week he showed up and she happened to have just arrived a moment before him. They walked and talked and the dogs ran together and it was nice. After that day it just became sort of a thing they did each Sunday. It started to feel comfortable to Kevin and he rather enjoyed their walks.
He found himself intrigued by Dr. Carol and the kind of personal life she led. They hadn't talked much at all about things outside of their work and school. She made no mention of having someone in her life and Kevin thought that would have come up in conversation. He knew that when you are in a relationship, it is only natural that you would talk about that person, even if only in passing. Kevin wondered about Dr. Carol and how it was that someone like her didn't have anyone. He couldn't be sure if she just didn't have a serious relationship worth mentioning or didn't have one at all. Perhaps she wasn't able to find anyone since moving here who interested her or maybe she just wasn't interested anymore. He was sure that underneath her bubbly exterior she had feelings and desires that were locked away.
Kevin decided that there was something to be had between the two of them and he wanted to take the relationship beyond friendship. Kevin knew that with a woman such as Dr. Carol, he couldn't get by with the type of wooing he had used before. He knew that aside from being a good friend, he would have to portray himself as a gentleman, and as a genuine person. He knew he was all of those things most of the time anyway, but he needed to be seen in her eyes as a man of substance, and worth, and not just that younger friend she walked with on Sundays. Kevin wanted a chance to show Dr. Carol another side of him that she had not seen, and one day a bright idea came to him. Kevin worked at a home for adults with disabilities and he worked very hard to serve and help those people. He was one who really gave of himself, and became emotionally involved in the work he did, and the people he helped. He felt that if she could see this side of him that Dr. Carol would see he had a big heart. She would see him through the eyes of those people whose lives he touched. The people who lived in the home often times weren't at all that enthusiastic about exercise or that knowledgeable about health, but Dr. Carol was. Kevin got permission from his boss to approach Dr. Carol about doing some exercise classes and teaching these people about health. One day he sent her an e-mail to pitch the idea to her and see if she was interested in getting together to talk about it more, and he suggested having lunch.
Dr. Carol sat at her desk reading the e-mail and thinking about the idea and about Kevin in general. She liked the idea of helping these people and providing a service to those who were less fortunate. She also liked the enthusiasm that it seemed Kevin was portraying about his work. She smiled to herself and thought that this selfless behavior was just another reason to like Kevin. She agreed to the lunch and even found herself contemplating what to wear. Later that evening, she stopped herself as she was looking in her closet and thought does it really matter what I wear? After all it isn't really a date and more of a meeting right? This young man isn't interested in me, is he? Do I even want him to be?" These questions ran through her head as she looked at her clothes. She settled on an outfit that was fitting for spring time, a sleeveless top, a flowing skirt, and sandals. She thought it wasn't overly dressy, but also not as casual as her usual Sunday dog walking clothes. Even if it wasn't a date, she reasoned they would still be out on the town, and she wanted to look nice. With the chore of picking an outfit out of the way, she sat down to brainstorm some ideas to talk with him about.
It was later the next week when the both of them had time free in the middle of the day for a leisurely lunch. Kevin was already at the restaurant when Dr. Carol arrived. He watched her as she came through the door. He smiled as he saw her and how beautiful she looked. The top hugged her nicely and the skirt fell down almost dancing around as she walked. She came over to the table and he stood up to greet her. She gave him a quick hug as she did with many of her friends. Kevin pulled out the seat for her and she smiled at that. Showing her I am a gentleman begins now, he thought to himself. They talked over lunch and she could see that he truly was dedicated to his work and wanted nothing more than to enrich the lives of those people he served.
"I thought I would start off teaching them a little about healthy eating. Getting all the colors in, drinking plenty of water, and other basics," Carol said.
"Yes the basics are what they need. Some of these people seem to live on junk food and soda alone," Brian commented.
"Then I end with some Zumba dancing. What do you think?"
"Zumba is the workout dancing to Latin music?" he asked.
