Eric Walker stepped outside of his apartment building and onto the stone pavement outside. Inhaling the fresh morning air, he began to run. Most mornings Eric would run three miles around the park opposite his apartment before beginning his day of studying in college. His broad build betrayed his passion for exercise and love of the weight room within his apartment building, but he insisted on maintaining a strong cardio base since he his family had a history of heart problems. Eric often waved at other runners on the path, but none drew his eye like the beautiful woman who lived in one of the lake-side homes nearby. She never ran outside however he often caught her using the Stairmaster or treadmill through her tinted windows. He caught a glimpse of her in a Nike cap and loose shirt one morning when she was getting the mail and her captivating brown eyes and pouty lips stunned him. He hoped he'd see her on the Stairmaster this morning, her ponytail swishing behind her was a wonderful sight.
As he ran, he fell into a steady pace and slowly took his first lap around the lake. As he neared her property, he heard loud noises from inside her home, the shouts of a man and woman. A glance through her window showed the beautiful woman arguing with a taller, heavily bearded man. They paused their argument as they saw him slowing down to inquisitively stare at them. With smiles upon their faces, they moved outside of his view. He waited a moment to see if they would continue before he began to run again. It was largely uneventful, despite the early hour there were few runners on the path. He checked the house on his second lap and heard nothing. Shrugging he continued for his third lap. This time, Eric saw a woman crying on the bench near the beautiful womans' home. He slowed, breathing heavily he came to a halt in front of her.
"I'm sorry, is everything alright?" He asked her politely.
The woman froze for a second, then looked up. Her beautiful brown eyes sparkled with tears and she responded, "My husband just left me." Her voice was throaty and accented, betraying a noticeably non-American background.
Eric blinked, "I'm so sorry to hear that." He said softly, "Do you need any help?"
She looked up at him and shook her head, "I just need some time to myself, excuse me please."
Nodding, Eric replied "I run by every morning and walk past before and after class. If you need something just wave." Without waiting for a reply, he continued his third lap.
*****
Eric finished his run and stumbled back into his apartment. The small space had a kitchen facing into a sitting room with an elevated view of the lake. He walked to the fridge and withdrew a small protein shaker full of cold water. He slowly drank as he walked to enjoy the view of the lake. From his position he could see down to the beautiful womans' home. He saw a flurry of cars driving past and into the driveway and around the lake. As he drank his water he watched a dozen people trundle out of their vehicles and into the home. He turned to his room and began to prepare for class.
He stepped out of his apartment wearing fitted jeans, black boots, and a white T-shirt. He began to hum along to the music in his headphones, Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones. He felt his mind begin to stir with preparation for classes. An undergraduate psychology degree was almost within his grasp. He had been selected to shadow one of his professors who also worked as a mental health support worker six months earlier and wondered if he had picked up enough to help the woman should she need it. As he walked past, he heard a loud flurry of voices coming from her home which he couldn't quite understand.
Eric reached his lecture room after a fifteen-minute walk. Within his class, the number of women dwarfed the men, something ubiquitous across psychology courses worldwide and something he greatly enjoyed. He saw his friend Josh standing at the door reading on his phone, his blond hair swept back. In contrast to Erics's broader build, Josh had the build of a marathon runner. The story of their friendship was simple, Eric had sidled up to Josh at the start of their freshman year and said "Psychology?" Upon Josh's affirmative, they were instant friends. They often spent time hanging out after class and another guy, a small, skinny guy from Syria named Mo had gravitated to them, but rarely spoke unless spoken to.
Eric nodded to Josh, who responded with a nod and they began to talk about their mornings, Eric's was eventful, but Josh had just rolled out of bed and walked to class. His grey sweats and beat-up brown t-shirt told Eric that it was no exaggeration and he likely had just walked to class. More students began congregate outside the lecture room before the lecture began. Out of the corner of his eye, Eric saw Mo walking toward him, next to him a breathtaking bombshell wearing a burka and tight clothing which showed off a truly curvy body. Her luminescent green eyes were fixed on Mo with a warmth that showed deep affection for him. She was rubbing his shoulder caringly while Mo looked sourly at his friends. She said something that Eric didn't understand, kissed Mo's cheek and walked back outside with a bouncy walk.
Eric and Josh exchanged surprised looks, "He's punching above his weight, isn't he?" Josh muttered.
Eric nodded, "She's gorgeous." They stopped talking as Mo shuffled toward them, head down.
Josh greeted Mo, who grunted a hello in response, "I didn't know you had a girlfriend." Eric said conversationally.
Mo's head snapped up, "That was my mom."
Eric took the hint and moved on to discuss their exam. They had to study hard since this would be one of their hurdle passing classes and failing this late into their degree could doom their postgraduate plans.
Their teacher, an overweight old man strolled past them, "Good morning gentlemen, it's time for a good lesson! Exams soon so you should be paying attention in class today!" Professor Waingrove was a legend in the psychology community, he was renowned for his work with children with Autism and had dedicated his life to making their lives better. "Come on in everyone!" He called with his booming voice. He was notorious within their college for his rigid adherence to timings. If his class began at 11:30AM then whoever might have been going overtime was going to be bulldozed over.
An hour class with Professor Waingrove might involve taking seven pages of notes, this class was no exception. The trio left the room with their heads spinning from Waingrove's tales of helping children and how to safely engage with a child in crisis. They moved on to their campus coffee shop, a cramped, dark brick building which always felt twenty degrees hotter than outside no matter what time of year. They ordered their coffees and started to discuss what they thought would be on the exam while they sat in a large booth. An hour passed; they were so enrapt in their conversation nobody noticed Mo's mom bouncing into the coffee shop.
"Habibi! I told you to text me when you were out of class! I wanted to pick you up so you could tell me about class with it fresh in your mind!" She scolded with a wide smile. Looking at Eric and Josh, she said, "You must be Josh and Eric! Mo has told me so much about you! It's a shame you haven't been invited to dinner yet."
Eric blinked, his shock at her voice sounding like a lilting choir apparent before he recovered, "I'm Eric, that's Josh." He felt struck dumb by her voice as the perfect accentuation to her beautiful face and heart stopping body.
"You're both invited to dinner on Friday night, I would love nothing more than to hear your thoughts on Professor Waingrove's words!" She sidled into their booth, "I'm a teacher and we have a child with Autism. I want to help him better and I'm sure his notes can give many insights."
Josh took over, "Thank you so much ma'am, it would be our pleasure."
Mo's mom giggled, "I'm not a ma'am, I'm Farida, it's lovely to meet you both. I expect to see you both then! Come on Mo." She bounced out of the booth and Mo followed, sourly shuffling after her.
Josh and Eric shared a look, "She's unbelievable." Josh breathed, "You'd have to shoot me to get me to not stop by on Friday."
Eric laughed, "Hands off his mom buddy, it's not worth the trouble." He looked at his watch, an old digital Casio, "I need to get going, I want to go get some extra study in."
They said goodbye and Eric walked home. As he approached the beautiful woman's home, he saw her sitting outside, crying. The woman looked up at him and sighed in relief, "We spoke this morning, you said if I needed something I could come to you for help. I need help."
"Of course, what do you need?"
"Do you live nearby, I need a shower and to be away from my family."
