"Think fast!"
I turned to look, and the ball hit me in the face. The impact was painful, but that was not the worst of it. Instead, it was the humiliation of falling backwards to end up sprawled on the concrete that hurt the most. I lay there for a moment, winded, listening to the laughter of my attackers. "Bastards," I muttered.
"What did you say?"
I opened my eyes and looked up. I couldn't make out the face of the person above me, but I recognised the voice.
"What did you say?" This time, the threat was unmistakeable. I lowered my gaze and shook my head.
"Thought as much," my tormentor said. Then he walked away, satisfied that he had made his point.
"Here," another, more friendly voice said, and pressed my glasses into my hands. I put them on, and the interior of the gym came into sharp focus.
"Thanks," I said to Maria, then took her hand to lever myself into a standing position.
"I saw what happened," she said to me. "You could report them. I'd back you up."
"No." I shook my head. "That wouldn't do anything, except get them angry. Besides, apart from you, who would back me up?" I swept my hand, taking in the scope of the gym. There were only a handful of people amongst the forest of resistance machines, treadmills and weight tables. Most of them were focussed on the screens in front of them or plugged into their personal stereos. It would have been a miracle if they had seen or heard anything that had happened - let alone paid attention. It didn't help that I wasn't one of the beautiful people, with sculpted bodies in expensive gym clothes. I was one of the blobs: paunchy with middle age and hiding my body under grey, stained t-shirt and yoga pants. I was beneath their notice, except when they saw it as their duty to fat-shame me.
"Somebody would!" Maria pleaded. "I mean, it's the right thing to do."
"This isn't some after-school special." I sat down on a nearby bench and picked up my water bottle. "People just don't have a sudden change of heart and see sense. Hell - you're almost my age. You should know that."
"Cynic," Maria said, and sat down next to me. "But you can't just let them get away with it."
I smiled at her. "Don't worry. I won't. I've had a lifetime dealing with people like that. I know how to get my revenge. It's just a matter of being patient."
