Page 61 of In the Long Run
Yeti slaps his hands together.‘Yes!Now, where were we?’
‘About to set off on a thirty-one-kilometre run,’ Knox says.
That doesn’t dim Yeti’s enthusiasm.Probably nothing ever gets him down.I don’t think I’ve ever seen him without a smile on his face.The best bit is seeing his smile mirrored on everyone else’s faces.
‘Have you heard anything from Violet?’Knox asks me two weeks later as we pack up the cones being used to measure sprint distances.The new, extra sessions of Croissants and Kilometres have been well supported, but Violet hasn’t been to any of them or our normal Sunday runs, despite saying she would.I’ve sent her a few messages but she hasn’t responded.
‘No.It’s not like her to miss so many sessions.’
He stacks the rest of the cones together and frowns down at them like they know something we don’t.‘Celeste hasn’t seen her at Alizée’s either,’ he muses.His steps slow as we approach Eugene’s car.
‘Let’s call her,’ I suggest.
We wait until we’re back in the Getz, the heater doing its best to blast away the frigid air that followed me around the oval.The windscreen fogs as I pull up Violet’s number and put the call on speaker.Knox taps on the steering wheel as it rings.Once, twice, three times.
‘I hope everything’s okay,’ I say, assuming she’s either busy or doesn’t want to talk to us.
Just as I’m expecting her voicemail message to kick in, a man answers.‘Violet’s phone, Steven speaking.’Her husband.We met him at Get Fit, Get Strom that time.
‘Hi, it’s Gen and Knox from Croissants and Kilometres Run Club.Can we speak to Violet, please?’
Steven’s sigh is loud and heavy.‘You can try.Not sure how much luck you’ll have.Give me a second.’
Knox and I exchange a worried look as muffled noises come down the line.Doors open and close and there’s the sound of a television playing one of those kid’s songs that’s just the same words over and over.
‘Vi, honey, it’s people from your Run Club.The nice ones who are dating.You want to talk to them?’
My stomach falls to the floor when a loud sniff followed by a sob comes through the line clearly.
Knox leans forward, crowding closer to the phone, which also puts him closer to me.Heat rolls off his body.‘Violet?Are you there?’
She sniffs again.‘I’m here.’
She sounds terrible.Nothing like her usual self.The Violet we’ve gotten to know is totally different from the woman who came to our first session.Watching her timidness melt away with each passing week has been a pure joy.But there’s no trace of her cheerful disposition now.
‘It’s Knox and Gen,’ he continues.
‘Hi, Violet,’ I chime in.
‘We’ve missed you these last few weeks.We wanted to check in, make sure everything’s okay?’
‘I’m sorry,’ she whispers and her voice wobbles.
‘What for?’Knox looks at me and I shake my head, totally clueless.
‘I’ve been wasting everyone’s time,’ she whispers.We’ve only known each other for a few months, but Violet’s good people.Determined and diligent.Always kind and encouraging.A real runner’s runner, who never hesitates to cheer everyone else on.It’s why it’s so concerning that we haven’t seen her at any of our recent sessions.And then I remember – she’d mentioned a knee niggle after the last long run she came on.Injuries are every runner’s worst nightmare, because you can do everything right and still end up with them.
‘Is it your knee?’I ask.
She sniffs again.‘No.’
‘Did something happen?’Knox asks and he’s being so gentle with her.So kind.Not that I would expect anything else from him.After all, he’s never been any other way with me.
‘It’s not important.’She blows her nose.
Knox’s mouth forms a grim line.‘Respectfully, I disagree.Anything that’s upset you this much is obviously important.’
‘It’s the stupid TikToks,’ Steven calls out in the background, ignoring Violet when she tries to shush him.
