Desperate Measures(62)
“I’ll make sure your uniform is comfy, don’t worry. But I cannot tolerate frump. Besides … you’re a beautiful girl. You need to show it off more.”
“You’re silly. I’m at least fifteen pounds overweight and too lazy to do anything about it.”
“You and me are joining the gym later. I’m not dancing anymore, so if I don’t go, I’m gonna get wide.”
“I need to get into the gym, too,” lamented Elizabeth. “I’ve always worked too many hours to fit it in.”
“Well, we’re going to end up working more hours than we ever have in our lives, but I’m not going to let that stop any of us from doing what we need to do to take care of our bodies. Why don’t you join us, Elizabeth? Come to the same gym.”
“Yeah!” agreed Aimee. “We can sweat and oogle cute guys together.”
“Which one are you thinking?” asked Elizabeth.
“Club 30. They’re all over. They even have them downtown and in the shopping district I was thinking about, so we can transfer our memberships to be near work, if you want.”
“Excellent idea. I’ll do it with you. Just tell me where to sign.”
“Let’s go now!” suggested Aimee. “After lunch. We’ll do it all together.”
“We’ve got time,” agreed Kiki.
“Good. Let’s do it. I’ll follow you over.” Elizabeth grabbed her purse and took some cash out of her wallet, leaving it on the table with the check. “Thirds everyone?” she asked.
“Thirds,” confirmed Kiki, putting her part down.
Aimee added to the pile and handed it to Elizabeth to count.
Once she was sure it was all there, Elizabeth put it back on the table and stood, the others joining her.
They left the restaurant and hugged out in the parking lot. “I’m so excited that we decided to do this,” said Elizabeth. She felt like singing and dancing right there in public, but she restrained herself. Just barely.
“Me too,” said Aimee. “This is going to be the funnest, most exciting thing I’ve ever done.”
“Ditto,” said Kiki, kissing Elizabeth breezily on the cheek. “Follow us to Orange Ave. I know a shortcut.”
“Good. See you soon,” said Elizabeth, getting into her Buick. She smiled at herself in the rearview mirror. Desperate times called for Desperate Measures. No truer adage was ever penned.
Chapter 19
AIMEE WAS PSYCHED. SHE COULDN’T stop humming all the way to the gym. She paused in her wordless rendition of Walking on Sunshine to mention, “I haven’t belonged to a gym in ages.”
“Me neither. I’m terrible about exercising. I need a partner to keep me going. That’s going to be your job.”
“Ha! That’s going to be your job for me. I hate exercising. But I’ll do it, I promise. I know I need to.”
“Consider it a gift to yourself. You deserve to feel and look good. Not that you don’t look good now, because you do.”
“I could stand to lose a few. I know that. But you’re right. I’m tired a lot and I know it’s because I’m out of shape.”
“And you’ve been stressed, too. That doesn’t help. But don’t worry. We’re going to get both our butts in shape and never look back.”
Aimee looked askance at her. “You don’t have an ounce of fat on you anywhere. You’re already in shape. Promise you won’t laugh at me in aerobics class or whatever. I’m not very coordinated.”
“I’m not going to laugh. Dancing kept me in shape, but that’s obviously no longer an option. So if I don’t start exercising now, I’m gonna start spreading, and that is unacceptable. Asses run big in my family. Like axe-handle-wide big.”
Aimee laughed. “Asses run big on me, forget my family.”
Kiki smiled, negotiating the traffic, glancing in her mirror as she did.
Aimee turned around, making sure they hadn’t lost Elizabeth. “She’s still there. Do you think she’s excited?”
“Elizabeth? Yeah. I think she is. She had a shit job, too, like me. You had a shit husband. We were all in the shits.”
“You’re telling me. I’m so glad she’s doing this with us. She’s so organized, and it seems like she really knows about businesses.”
“Yes, I agree. She’s smart as hell.” Kiki turned into a parking lot and negotiated the Camaro into a tight spot. The place was packed.