The Girl in the Gym

Destination Goa

He woke up earlier than usual the next day and got ready. He had already said goodbye to Bud the previous day, but his heart still ached at the thought of not seeing the yippy pup for two weeks. Still, nothing could deter his anticipation, whooping with joy, he practically danced all the way to the gate. This time he did not have trouble hauling himself and his suitcase, mostly because he had lesser luggage and no Bud. Even so, he marvelled at the strength and stamina he had developed, as he reached the taxi without breaking into a sweat.

He waited by the car for Inaya, chatting with Prakash, who seemed appreciative of the transformation Jack had undergone. "Told you na, you will be fit and fine in no time thanks to Inaya madam," he said.

"You were absolutely right, my friend," Jack replied and continued to chat about his experience at Zero Bulge so far. Pretty soon, Inaya appeared, wearing a white shirt and tiny denim shorts and sunglasses, lugging a rucksack.

"Ready to roll," she announced and climbed into the car after Jack. Five minutes later, she was napping in the car, careful to lean as far away from Jack as possible, not wanting to fall on his while she was asleep. Jack contented himself by watching her sleep, ignoring Prakash's sly grin.

The boarded the flight with no fuss. Jack craned his neck to look out the window. He looked at Mumbai city from up in the air with amazement. He had never seen so may house cramped together, almost dangerously so, he thought. Since they were in business class, he didn't get a chance to talk to Inaya much. Soon enough, he caught a glimpse of deep blue water as the plane headed out to sea and circled back to land. It was quite hot, but not unbearable. He took his luggage from the belt as well as Inaya's. And as he made to walk toward the exit with both their bags, Inaya snatched her rucksack. "I can carry it, no problem," said Jack, gallantly.

"No, thanks. I don't need a man to carry my bags," she huffed.

Jack was taken aback, slightly hurt. Inaya must have seen it because she then added, "I have always taken care of myself with no help from anyone. It's a habit," she smiled and walked ahead. She hadn't told him, but it was not strictly necessary for the trainer to accompany her or his trainee to the Goa retreat. She had made an exception for Jack though, and even she didn't know why but didn't care to examine her motivation. Inaya couldn't deny that their relationship was not strictly professional. Something about his tugged at her and his infatuation with her was an open secret. Still, she didn't move away or forward, almost like she was waiting for a sign. In the meantime she neither encouraged nor discouraged him, and taking the cue from her, he didn't do or say anything.

There was another car waiting to take them to the retreat, which was on a private beach in Cavelossim. Jack fell in love with Goa at first sight. The old buildings, quaint houses, coconut palm groves and snatches of the sea made his feel at peace. The retreat itself was fashioned after a Portuguese villa, with arching verandas and bougainvillaea tracing its way all across the front wall. There were splashes of colour all around, but there were no guests around. They all had gone to the beach or elsewhere.

"Wow!" exclaimed Jack, inordinately charmed by the whole set up. "This is beyond gorgeous. Speaking of gorgeous, when are you taking me out sightseeing?" he asked, jokingly.

Inaya frowned but chalked it up to harmless flirting. "You need to start your treatment and therapies first, but we'll try and go to the beach in the evening," she said.

Jack was to attend naturopathy sessions, which included acupuncture, herbalism, ozone therapy, hair analysis, massage, reflexology, kinesiology, hydrotherapy, meditation and more. They began with Panchkarma, which is the application of five treatments, delivered in cohesion to rejuvenate and purify the body. It was administered in combination to produce the best result. The massages were so soothing that Jack fell asleep on the table right there. As part of the treatment, he was also made to drink ghee, clarified butter, to purify his insides. It was a big departure from his usual day at Zero Bulge in Mumbai. Here, his day began with a Surya Namaskar and pranayama, and further yoga exercises. He also tried speech therapy yoga, which involved emitting sounds while doing yoga. Jack became quite adept at it in a short while.