Pilates is SO good for you

So yeah, we did Xmas with everyone, and then people left by ones and twos, and at last on last Friday it was just me and Miss T, looking forward to a quiet week at home. No one around. Even Mr. D left, along with the boys, on Friday night. He was off to Barcelona for a week of meetings for work.

T and I had a relaxing weekend. And then rolled around Monday morning.

So pleased, I was, to get back into my normal routine. Monday, Pilates, at Riverclub. I took off for the studio in my new Mini Cooper convertible, listening to my new favorite Afrikaans music cd in my car. (Still working on the language here, just for fun, or for my future -- who knows?)

Arrived at the studio, singing away in my car. I wanted to finish the song. So I did, I sang until the end. Sat there in the car park, singing away. Love to sing. It’s my therapy, or it was. I might need something stronger now though. After Monday. Yesterday.

Cilla pulled up in her car, beside me, and went in. I sat in my car, singing. I finallly turned it off and got ready to go in, myself. As I sat there, a guy came out of the building with a blue toolbox. Huh. Must be doing some repairs on the building.

I walked up the walk. The security gate was open. Like usual. Kind of a casual operation really. You have a security gate, but it’s not usually locked. Oh well, so many people going in and out all the time, whatever. Came into the reception area. A very handsome black guy in a beautiful navy blue suit greeted me. A new receptionist? Hey, cool! New staff, new year. 2006. Nice en lekker.

“Good morning!” He smiled a gorgeous, brilliant smile.

I said ‘Good morning’! back at him, and stood there, in another world, still thinking about music, Afrikaans, my confused life, deciding whether to go upstairs now, or wait until other people showed up, should I sit down for a moment? No, go upstairs now. Finally, I turned to go toward the studio upstairs.

The receptionist guy said, “No, no, everyone’s over this way today” and gestured to a hallway I’d never ventured down.

I said, “No. I don’t go over there, to the physio area. I’m doing the Pilates class upstairs today.”

He said, again, ‘No, everyone is this way today. Come. Over here.”

I said, “No, no. I’m going to the class” and turned to go upstairs, but then he suddenly was next to me, close by, gently holding my arm now, gently. And moving his gun up out of his suit jacket to show it to me. Close to me. Close. From his breast pocket, to my chest, twenty centimetres. This gun is close to me. It’s dark, black, heavy, heavy. I wonder if there are bullets in it. Are there? Wow. It’s like a tv show. Is this for real? Uh uh. Can’t be. No.

No. I am astonished and stand completely still. I’m just thinking about it all.

“Come, come. Come now.”

Ah, I see. I think.

Well, man, ja, I guess I will come now. Sure. Ja.