Inheritance

Chapter 5

Beep. Beep. Beep. 

My alarm rang aloud for the fifth time, preventing me from garnering any additional rest. I lazily swung an arm over the velvet-patterned bed until my hand made contact with the brusque nightstand and plummeted towards the digital clock. 

After reluctantly opening my eyes, I powered off the alarm. The time now read 5:40am. Gosh, I had overslept by forty minutes. Safe to say, I was not an early bird. To my defense, Mondays were dreadful. Incredulously long for no reason. 

There was nothing to look forward to on a Monday. Too far from Friday to enjoy and too close to Sunday to recover from, it was objectively my least favorite day of the week. However, I had been particularly excited to wake up this morning because today marked my renewed commitment to the fitness goals I'd set at the beginning of the year. 

Marco and I planned to meet at a new gym facility conveniently located a few blocks from where I lived. According to him, it was where "everyone who was anyone" went these days. Though, I took his words with a fine grain of salt, since he was no fitness guru. 

As a novice to consistent exercise, I had experienced an epiphany over the weekend. 

Turning twenty-six meant that I was now only a few measly years away from thirty and could no longer rely on a fast metabolism or favorable genes. If I wanted to maintain my shape, I had to develop a consistent gym routine. In other words, it was time I prioritized being responsible with my body. 

After making my bed, I sluggishly headed for the connecting bathroom. Once I finished refreshing myself, I changed into a simple black gym set, consisting of a matching sports bra and leggings. The set fit a bit more snugly than I recalled from the last time I wore it, but it wasn't tight enough to prompt me to change into something more comfortable.

Once satisfied with the state of my appearance, I lightly jogged down the stairs, pausing shortly at the hallway mirror for a brief selfie. After I had taken more than a few pictures, I finally found one I considered presentable enough to send to Marco for the sake of informing him that I was on my way.

After sending the photo, I prepared a quick mug of coffee then left my place. Based on the address I had searched on Google Maps, I could stick to a steady fast-walk pace and arrive at the gym in just under fifteen minutes. 

Despite living in the city, I wasn't much of a stroller. I would much rather get around by transportation, public or private. It was safer, easier, and required the least amount of energy. However, today I was forced to assume the role of a pedestrian, which I wasn't too mad about. The weather was nice and I could at least use the candid opportunity to soak in the busying and thronged social scenery that regularly characterized upper east side Manhattan. 

Even at 6:30 am, the sidewalks were brimming with chatter and limited personal space. I walked with my headphones in for what felt like only a few minutes, but was actually thirteen. Before long, I realized I had reached the facility sooner than expected. After rounding a short corner and crossing the street, I quickly entered inside. 

The building could, at best, be described as modest from the outer surface, but quite panache on the interior. It held a tenuous, yet cosmopolitan design that marred it with a modern beauty. At first glance, the equipment and utilities appeared well-maintained and costly, which was always a telltale sign. 

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been the least bit apprehensive to resume working out at a new gym. Marco's positive reviews about the business owner helped relieve some of my nerves. But, as I searched around the population dense structure, I struggled to pinpoint my friend's distinct frame.