Dear Jaime,
69 minutes and 14 seconds. It nearly cost me a foot, but I qualified for the World Half Marathon! I'll be going to Cardiff in 3 months! This was one of the hardest races of my life. I followed Coach's instructions and running plan to a T but at the 17km mark my plantar fasciitis kicked in and I had to run the last 4km with more pain than I've ever experienced. It changed my gait and the way I landed, affected my pace and even the rate I panted, I thought I wouldn't make it. But I knew I had sacrificed too much to call it quits. After all, I sacrificed you.
And also my left heel tendon. I tore it.
Which means a break from training and intensive physiotherapy up till Cardiff. For now I've just been cycling on the stationary bike (with the resistance cranked up to maximum) and doing aqua jogging (which is way more tiring than it looks) - anything to maintain my fitness while not stressing out my heel. The physiotherapist says my running form is not optimal and the way my left foot strikes the ground creates a lot of pressure for my heel. It's strange to learn I've been running the wrong way all my life and I have to relearn such a basic thing. But I can't wait to go back to running.
Finals are coming soon. I'm quite glad I've had the discipline to keep up with the syllabus despite my hectic training and the occasional house party. Most of the exams here are in the form of presentations and not test papers, so I suppose I'll do fine. In fact I think my grades are good enough to make the Sports Business course in the University of Oregon, which is and has been my top choice since I was 14. I know I've probably said it a million times but they conduct Olympic Track & Field trials right on campus, which is the coolest thing ever! I can't imagine meeting Justin Gatlin in person, can you? I think I better go revise to make sure I've absorbed everything so I can put my best foot forward (my right foot, for now). Wishing you the best for your exams, I know you'll definitely make the cut for medicine, smarty pants!
And I wish you every happiness.
From Tracktown,
With Love.
***
Luke had decided this would be the last letter he would write. It was about time he moved on as well. Crystal had grudgingly told him all about Jaime's new boy and he sounded wonderful. Someone who could see her for the jewel she was. Someone who wouldn't break her heart as he had. Someone who would put her before himself - something he had never managed to achieve. Luke knew the very moment he had broken the 70minute barrier, that he had made the right choice to leave. It was selfish as hell, but he couldn't resist the head-spinning, heart-pounding euphoria that came from his first love - running. Jaime was a soft gentle glow that illuminated his cold nights, but running to Luke, was the Sun itself.
As he scrolled through his application to the University of Oregon, home of the Oregon Ducks, he felt a surge of excitement course through his veins. He would be here for another 4 years living his marathon dreams if they accepted him. Another 4 years of pushing his limits, another 4 years away from home. He wondered how his family would take the news, how Raj would take the news, and perhaps out of reflex, how she would take the news.
In another universe, Luke liked to think, he would be a typical boy with typical dreams of getting an office job and settling down and they would be together. But then perhaps Jaime wouldn't have loved him the way she did, she had fallen for his dedication to the sport, the fierce look in his eyes as he blazed the ground, and the silly hope that someday he'd love her as much as he loved running.
***
"Can I kiss you?"
Jaime shifted imperceptibly, but I didn't need to see her nod to know she wanted me to. Her hands were gripping the chair so tight her knuckles went white. And her eyes, oh her eyes, so full of innocence and curiosity. It was her first kiss, as it was mine.
And shyly, very shyly, I leaned into her and felt my world implode noiselessly. It made no sense whatsoever that a momentous event like this could pass with such absolute ear-splitting silence. It could have been a giddy second or several light-headed minutes, but it had been eternity, it had been the first ray of dawn. A very delicate and chaste kiss had marked me as hers. Somehow she had managed to imprint her trembling soft lips in my dratted subconscious, for this kiss returned often in my dreams to haunt me.
The second kiss was unfortunately, not any less memorable.
"Luke, that's not how you kiss. You're kissing like a carp."
"Oh yea, if you're so good, why don't you show me."
It had been a joke, but show me she did, the fiercest kiss she'd ever given me. She wove all her fingers into my hair and bestowed her pink lips onto mine, gently at first, then as if she changed her mind, with all her burning, red-hot passion. She was the spark that ignited the bonfire. Her breath was sweet and hot - it drove me right to the brink of insanity - and I returned the favour the best I knew how.
There was that third kiss in the rain, wet and sultry; the fourth kiss on the way to the park, sensuous and endearing... Then the goodbye kiss I hated and loved, salty and with great longing. I could prattle on - Jaime made me feel every emotion there was to be felt in the dictionary of love. For every kiss we shared, she must have put a piece of her soul into me. I understand now, Jaime, though not my first love, will always be a part of me.
***
YOU ARE READING
From Tracktown, With Love
Short Story"You were fun, I had my fun, and now it's over. You were a mistake Jaime. Getting together with you was my biggest mistake." Luke Soh is an average boy trying to achieve extraordinary things. Follow him as he makes the ultimate sacrifice and relocat...
