Page 22 of Sweet Dreams
Bailey picked me up at quarter to five and we made our way over to Strike Ready. It was a cute little brick building with several shops in a row. The parking gods were with us, meaning we found a spot within one block of the school. We both were in work clothes, which I'm sure wasn't ideal. But hey, if my stalker attacked, I couldn't very well ask him to wait till I put workout clothes on, so I figured at least we'd be keepin' it real. I decided not to share the conversation I had with Jack with Bailey quite yet. I needed some time to process it first, then I'd hash it out withher.
As soon as we opened the door, a gorgeous brunette greeted us by walking over and introducing herself as Brinley. She was super tall and had muscles all over, highlighted by her tight Lululemon gear. Her hair was long and looked like it was highlighted by the sun, rather than a fancy salon. She was literally so stunning, I just stared at her atfirst.
"So, ladies, how about a joke to break the ice?" Her voice was high-pitched and too damn cute. She seemed happy to see us, but also a little anxious and awkward. Which was weird because she was the gorgeous, fit girl of the trio, not us. Before we could answer her bizarre question, she launched into it. "What's the difference between Judo andKarate?"
Bailey and I looked at each other at a total loss for words. This chick was either hilarious or wacko, I wasn't willing to decide on which yet. We looked back to Brinley and shrugged to indicate our lack of ananswer.
"Well, karate is an ancient form of self-defense, and Judo is what they make bagels out of!" Brinley finished her joke with a shy, expectant look on her face. She bit her lip and shifted uneasily on herfeet.
There was a beat or two of awkwardsilence.
Then Bailey let out a loud cackle, doubling over as she laughed. "Holy shit, I almost didn't get it! Girl, you are straight up crazy. I likeyou."
I chuckled and watched Brinley's smile turn from awkward towarm.
She kept talking, telling us what we'd be doing in class that day, and soon enough I snapped out of my short-lived jealousy. This girl was clearly a nice human being, who happened to be gorgeous. You know those people that you instantly know you want to be friends with because they have a good, happy energy? That was how I felt about Brinley. There was definitely more to her than met theeye.
We were instructed to take off our shoes, so we placed those and our bags on the chairs lined up on the wall when you come through the front door. We joined Brinley on the mat in the middle of the room and warmed up with some quick drills. Then she showed us two moves: how to get out of a wrist grab and how to escape an attacker grabbing you by theneck.
Brinley explained how most attackers would be male, and therefore always bigger and stronger than us. So, we needed to think smart, using leverage and pain points to get away. We practiced each of the moves over and over. Bailey and I were so into it, we didn't realize our two hours was up until Brinley called us over to the chairs to chat. She said she was happy with our progress but stressed that repetition was imperative to reinforce what we learned. In a real situation, we'd be panicked and would need these moves to come automatically. We agreed to come to the group class once a week to continue ourlessons.
We also exchanged cell numbers with Brinley, making promises to meet up at the beach some afternoon soon for some girl time. Brinley looked surprised at first that we wanted to see her on a social level, which made me wonder how many friends she had. Hmm...I could sense there was story to this girl, but I'd take my time to get to know her before I starteddigging.
Ivan may have his lifeguard buddies, but I decided right then and there to build a Beach Squad. It was time to surround myself with a whole group of kickass women. And I couldn't think of anyone who would fit the group better than Bailey andBrinley.
Bailey and I left the school, happy and sweaty. Having a stalker, come to find out, left you feeling out of control and wondering when the next attack would be. Taking self-defense lessons was a way to give me back a feeling of control over my life. I know it was just one lesson, but I'd take any control I could get right aboutnow.
13
Ivan hadto pull some overtime the next few days so we spent at least an hour or two each day together whenever we could squeeze in the time, but we each slept at our own houses. Bailey was home in the evenings so I always had someone with me. She and I thoroughly went through the possibility of Ivan being my stalker and tossed that idea out the window ratherquickly.
First of all, when my car got smashed, Ivan was here with me all night. It was highly doubtful that he snuck out of my bed, did his evil deed, and then climbed back into bed with me and I didn't wake for any of that. Secondly, I just could not wrap my brain around him being a bad guy. All the red flags I'd ignored when dating other guys in the past were nonexistent with Ivan. He was giving, caring, open, and sweet. Ultimately, I just decided that I was way smarter now and I could trust myself. There was no way I was misreading this thing withIvan.
Bottom line: I trusted Ivan. Caseclosed.
Damn, it felt so good to trust myself. To trust my judgement about a man. I realized that the last six years since my parents died was about more than working toward my dreams, but also a way to get in touch with myself. To recalibrate and trust myself again. To know I'd come out the other end of an emotional roller-coaster stronger and wiser made me crazy happy and made me feel calm, even with a psycho afterme.
Thankfully, no other stalker incidences had occurred this last week, which ironically, also irritated me. I almost hoped he'd try something so he would be identified and caught. Then I'd know the whole thing was over. Just waiting for him to attack was making me a little cranky. And quite frankly, it was putting a crimp in my plans withIvan.
Bailey was meeting me at Chocolate Dreams this afternoon once she got off work. It was one of those early spring days that tricks you into thinking summer was here. No clouds, the sky was bright blue, the ocean was sparkling, and virtually no wind made for a postcard perfect Surf City day. Which means, the Beach Squad was hitting the beach! We were slammed at the shop all day, but I'd been working six days straight and there was no way Bailey was taking no for an answer when it came to getting out on the beach and soaking up somesun.
Earlier, I texted Brinley inviting her for a leisurely afternoon run with us which she was totally down for. I made sure she knew our fitness level, so she wasn't disappointed with our snail's pace. She laughed and said she'd treat it as some light activity to add to her day's workout routine. I'd have to question her about how she got that fit body. I was predicting it required giving up my daily hot chocolates which was an immediate no-go for me. I'd just take a little extra cushion on my curves, thank you verymuch.
Bailey flew into the shop, pulled me away from the cash register, Jaz gave me a thumbs-up that she had everything handled, and we crossed PCH, then walked down the strand toward the pier. We found Brinley at one of the volleyball nets chatting it up with a bunch of other players. She saw us, broke away from the group to trot toward us, and jumped to high five us. That was more enthusiasm than we'd ever showed for our beach runs before, but hey, I liked her energy. We left our flip-flops in a pile by the volleyball nets, went down by the water's edge, and began to jog heading south, away from thepier.
Right as we started our jog, I noticed a fully dressed man standing higher up on the sand, away from the water. He was dressed in all black, jeans, shirt, and baseball hat, which was odd for a day at the beach. I said between labored breaths, "Hey ladies...don't look now...but see that guy...in all black? Let's keep...an eye on him...okay?"
They both glanced around inconspicuously and spottedhim.
"I'm proud of you, Esa. Being aware of your surroundings is the most important aspect of self-defense. Knowing who and what's going on around you is the best way to keep shit from happening. And he does look a little shady. We'll keep an eye out, don't worry," Brinley responded. I heard her, but was distracted thinking about how she was able to say all that without even pausing to catch her breath. I wasn't that out of shape, was I? I gotta say though, comparisons aside, I was feeling better and better about our developing friendship. This girl could kick some serious ass, and I for one, wanted to be around to watch thathappen.
Bailey and I were both clearly trying to impress Brinley or maybe her athleticism was rubbing off on us already. We made it almost a whole mile before we had to slow to a walk and catch our breaths. We talked as our heart rates slowed down, finding out more about Brinley and what we all like to do around HB. We turned around after we passed Beach Blvd, heading back toward the pier. I looked to my right and saw that man in black at the same time Brinley spottedhim.
"Okay, girls, that's officially a little odd. Let's pick up the pace and head back to the pier where it's more populated. I'll keep watching behind us to see if he follows. Got it?" Brinleyordered.
We nodded our understanding and brought our pace back up to a fast jog. We'd only gone about ten feet when Brinley said, "Shit, he's followingus."
"What...the hell...do we do?" Igasped.
