Page 64 of Two Chances With You

“Well, how about that! This one in particular?”

“It just so happens, yes. It’s handy, and since I work around here myself—”

“I was picked fairly for that role, and it had nothing to do with you.”

“Who said anything different?”

“I know what you were implying.”

“You’re sick in the head.”

“And you’re an asshole!”

“Hold on now, you two. Calm down. You’re not going to start a fight right here in the gym, are you?” the trainer intervenes. “Plus, excuse me, Ginevra, this is your first trial lesson here, isn’t it? You’re not a member here at Gymnastic. So how could he have known? There was no way for him to be sure he’d find you here. It was just pure chance.”

I look at her and smile. “That’s right. It was just pure chance. Life is made up of coincidences. And it seems absurd to go looking for reasons behind what are clearly random events. Right?”

Gin heaves a sigh, hands on her hips, still imprisoned in her boxing gloves. “Whatpure chanceare you talking about?”

“Now be nice, Ginevra,” says the trainer, redoubling his efforts. “There’s too much hostility between you two. It seems as if you hate each other.”

“No, it doesn’tseem. It’s the simple truth!”

“Then you need to be careful. You must recently have finished school, and you should remember ‘Odi et amo. Quare id faciam, nescio.’”

Gin rolls her eyes. “Yes, yes, thanks. I read that poem by Catullus in Latin class, so I’m familiar with it. But we have a whole different set of problems here.”

“Then you’re going to need to solve them outside of the gym.”

I look at her with a smile. “True, well put. That’s a very good idea. Shall we go?”

“You should be careful. Don’t underestimate her. Ginevra is strong, you know?”

“Believe me, I know that. She’s even third dan.”

“Not really?” The trainer’s curiosity is aroused. “I didn’t know that. Seriously?”

“Yes, strangely, he’s telling the truth for once.”

The trainer walks away, shaking his head. “There’s hostility, there’s hostility. This won’t do.” Then he comes back, smiling, as if he’d just come up with the solution to world peace. Or at least, peace between me and Gin. “Why don’t you have a little match? I mean, it’s ideal, a healthy venting of tensions.”

Gin raises her hand in the boxing glove in my direction, pointing at me. “Don’t be silly. I can bet you this guy hasn’t brought a change of clothes.”

“No, actually,this guyhas everything he needs.” I grin at her in delight and reach around behind the column and get out my gym bag. “And now, in accordance with your trainer’s advice, I’m going to go get changed, right away.”

***

“Nothing could be better. After all, it seems to me that he’s a nice young man, so now you can put into practice some of the punches I explained to you today. In any case, it seems to me that you grasped them perfectly.”

“Sure, but do you know who that guy is?” I ask.

The trainer looks at me, perplexed. “No, who is he?”

“He’s Step.”

He stands there for a moment, lost in thought, with his eyes half-shut. “Step, Step, Step. No, never heard of him.”

I look at him while he smiles pleasantly at me. “No, seriously, never heard of him. But don’t worry, you’ll be able to handle him!”

---