Legs pounding on the pavement, the very swinging of hand and leg synchronized. All he can hear is the sound of his controlled breathing and the slapping sound that each steps create when striking the pavement. Shadows from the surrounding street light dances all around him. Each mimicking his action. The very action that gave life to it in the first place.
He was never a good runner. In fact, he sucks at it. Always trailing behind in school during primary school. “Runners are stupid. Why run when you can walk? Humans are not built for running. Cheetahs are built for running. Duh!~” He used to think that way.
Even to the extent of extolling the benefits of walking to all who would listen.
It happened one day. Some say that it’s inevitable. Unless you’re not of the male gender.
It all started during the poly days. 2.5 years of slacking has taken the toil on the body. You know the saying about the mind is willing but the body’s weak? It doesn’t apply here. (Both the mind and the body are weak.) Fear does. Fear of excessive suffering during NS. Fear for early book-in and late book-out due to RT. Oh bother! Those are a thing in the past now.
He remembered the first few sessions. They were hell. Those aching joints! Those torn muscles! Not to mention the feeling of exhaustion that lasts to the end of the day. How he used to dread it in the beginning!
Slowly but surely, he began a somewhat normal running schedule. First by increasing the distance then the frequency of the run. At the end of each session, he always felt the same. Aching joints, torn muscles and all… Can one ever get use to all this? Strangely enough, after a while he took it as an avoidable tradeoff. The price to pay for an easier time in future… Yup. That’s what it is.
He was a pretty average guy, having lived an average life on average means with average ambitions and average looks. Sure he had dreams. Who doesn’t? A dream is after all a dream. A failed relationship has traumatized him so much that he dare not even dream a sunset that he could walk into with her.
Picking up running got to be the most challenging thing that he had done in eons.
Yet running no longer holds the same meaning for him anymore.
Running is now a outlet for escaping from his problems.
Since the general consensus outside is that NS marks the change of boy to man, then the end of NS will inevitably mean the start of adulthood isn't it?
To him, the cusp of adulthood was pretty bad. Starting your adulthood with financial burden and responsibilities can be frightening. Those bills are just like a monstrous serpent, forever siphoning the little munnee that he earns. And all those appliances, they are just taking turns to be replaced…. First the TV, then the heater…
He turned into the Tampines Ave 1 and ran even faster. The long stretch of road where Temasek Poly stands. No traffic junction in between to jumble up the pace, no pedestrian walking along the pavements leisurely. Then again, nobody walks the stretch of road at 2100 hrs at night.
He could feel his breathing quicken. The heart that had been pumping steadily suddenly jumped a notch higher. He could feel it. The adrenaline. Running faster and faster, he traversed the road all the way to the condominium beside TP before slowing down to his normal pace.
He would look left. He always looked left when he near the junction where the condominium is. He would feel a twinge of sadness. The place where the ex missus stays. How many times has he ran past this place? 10, 20 or maybe hundreds? So many time. But never once did he ran in and faced the ex missus. That very mistake. That failure mindset. He gave a loud snort of displeasure.
Panting heavily, he gave a loud grunt before slowing to his usual speed. Now at Ave 8, he slowed and examined the surrounding, the secondary school on his right, the endless corridor straight ahead….
A pink Dri-fit top caught his attention, running just over 50 meters ahead. A female runner, running with the unsightly gait that is only unique to all eves…. That hopping, bouncing action with arms flaying in all direction. What an energy inefficient way to run!
Still tailing behind after 5 mins. *Add feelings of stupidity and psychotic to that.* He decided to run that little faster to place some distance between this eve. As he managed to made the overtake. He couldn’t help but feel that little urge to look at the runner that he is overtaking. The backview wasn’t bad. (a friend of his would have remarked that the back is "Beethoven!")
and peeped he did…
And he saw a sight he would never forget....
( To be Continued..….)
