I was married with kids for 15 years starting in my early 20s. Now in my mid thirties I am living in a shitty apartment waiting for the house sale to close. It is an apartment in one of those dilapidated complexes with college kids, immigrant families and losers. I feel like maybe I fit in with the latter, but even though divorce is a relief, it feels like failure.
The apartment complex has two nice features and two alone. It is cheap and it has a gym. Aside from those I would not be disappointed if I came home one day to find it burned.
My middle age spread had started to become more of an imperial expansion possibly at a blitzkrieg pace during my divorce. Now that it was all but final I found the need to get my shit together. This is to say that now that no one had taken care of my needs for some time, I felt like I was going to explode unless I found a new recruit.
I had found a personal trainer and went to him three times per week but once in a while timing didn't work out or he was on vacation so I'd use the gym at the apartment complex. It was standard fare, a bench press, some dumbbells, kettlebells, a bike and one of those overly complicated machines they used to sell on commercials during the news playing on airport monitors along with the shakeweights. There was rarely anyone in there and as is customary in modern American culture, you don't talk and avoid even looking at each other.
One day while my trainer was on vacation I was in the gym and another man joined me. I recognized that he was two doors down from me as I'd seen him coming and going. However we'd never spoken or made eye contact. He was maybe a little younger than me but it's sometimes harder to tell with black guys. With each year white skin just tans like leather in the sun and as they say black don't crack. He was over 6', dwarfing my 5'9 and absolutely jacked but more football player than bodybuilder with a little extra meat on his bones. He had a hairdo that I'm too culturally ignorant to describe. It wasn't an afro having more lengths and style but was on the scale of one.
I was doing my usual routine that I do with my trainer. It alternates but today included floor exercises, curls and chest presses among other exercises. I'd looked over at him deadlifting the barbell. He was pushing a lot of weight. I was in awe so much that I realized I'd been staring a bit long and quickly returned to my routine. After a while I heard a deep voice tell me "you're doing that wrong." I looked over at him.
I was actually a little pissed. How arrogant. I've been doing weights since high school. Sure I took a break but after a year of training I was pretty sure my form was correct. However I calmed as he clearly had spent more time in the gym. He did a curl. "It's like this. Look in the mirror. You'll see."
I did and realized he was right. I'd lost my form. "Oh thanks, you're right."
"I can help you with your kettle bell form too if you like," he said sizing me up a bit.
"Thanks. I'd appreciate that."
We walked over to the kettle bells. He asked me to show him my stance for the goblin squat. I did.
"Pull your feet apart a bit and show me," he said confidently.
I did as he asked but he looked disapproving. "You're going to hurt your back that way. Let me help," he stated as he got behind me. I could smell his musk. It was strong but not acrid or unpleasant. I was afraid I smelled like a locker room. Then I realized we're both in the gym. Besides, what do I care?
"Pay attention," he ordered with an arrogance that I found both trying and...well something else that made me want to comply. He put his hand on my back and my chest, "Straighten up and go down with your legs and up with your legs. Don't use your back."
I complied, "better," he said with more approval in his voice. "Now synchronize your breath," he demonstrated as I went down again.
He reached down and grabbed my leg a bit and pulled me back. "More on your haunches." As I went down this time my ass rubbed against his groin. I could feel it in his gym shorts. I was going to apologize but he kind of pushed me down at the shoulders again and I rubbed against him again. Was he doing this on purpose? Was I imagining things?