Part 1: Too Slow, Too Steady
When Dale was 9, his parents took him to the biggest ice cream parlor this side of the Ohio River. Complete with “Over 100 toppings!” You never had to have the same twice. He picked vanilla in a bowl. That is Dale, and twenty years later, the vanilla streak continued to go strong.
Charismatic and lively he was not. Predictable and a man of habit he was. Dale’s life was so calculated, that you could predict what he would be doing this time and day in 2040. It was a small world, but he knew it inside and out.
Of all his orchestrations, his “most adventurous” habit was his run.
Dale would be up at 5 a.m., have two quick cups of coffee and a Cliff bar by 5:15, have clothes and briefcase laid out for the day by 5:20, and out the door at 5:30 to start his light jog. His circuit included winding in and around Brady Estates, towards Krogers grocery store, around the back to a side entrance of Union Cemetery Hill, and finally circling down Sunset Blvd back to home. He’d arrive back at his front door at 6:15 for his third cup of coffee.
He didn’t push himself too hard- not hard enough to break a sweat. Jogging helped him stay in decent enough shape. It was the controlled routine he mostly appreciated. Also the quiet.
The town was still waking up at 5:30 and he had the road to himself with only three exceptions.
There was the pitbull he nicknamed Baskerville. He lived at old man Henry’s house near Krogers right along the route. Henry had a reputation for his crazy conspiracies and seemed a little off to many people. His dog adopted some of the craziness as well. Baskerville waited for Dale every morning to tighten his chain and wake up the neighborhood.
Then there was Jim, the security guard at Krogers who was usually arriving late while Dale jogged by. A quick wave and a, “Hey, what’s up?” was the extent of their relationship.
And then there was he, the mysterious girl.
In fact, she wasn’t too mysterious, but she remained a mystery to Dale. Every day, she would be out there jogging the same circuit, but about 100 yards ahead of him. She was faster though, and by the time Dale would be hitting his homestretch, she was long gone.
For months he never saw her face but she kept her pace and distance like clockwork. He sometimes imagined what she looked like, where she worked if he’d seen her before in passing.
For a few days, she didn’t run. On those days Dale would miss her- his “orange scrunchie anonymous jogging partner”. He ran slightly slower those days.
Dale’s fascination kept growing though. One time he even imagined trying to catch up to her, but quickly thought better of it. It would break his routine number one. Secondly, she was too fast. Thirdly she might be freaked out. And fourthly, what if through all that he built up in his mind, he ends up disappointed? She’s better left to his imagination.
And so the weeks continued and into months. Dale continued his morning jog as dutifully and comfortably as ever.
Then everything changed the day Dale’s normal routine went haywire; crazy as Old Henry.
Part 2: Destiny This Way
Every Saturday Dale would predictably walk a mile from his house to a meatball shop. It was his favorite part of the week. Across the street was a hill with trees and at the top a neighborhood. The odd thing about his hill was a concrete stairwell that went halfway up the hill but stopped. Dale always thought it was a weird place for stairs and made it his weekly picnic spot before heading back home.
It was spring and the white dogwoods were now green as all the trees were waking up. Dale sat on the stairs admiring the bright green world around him and the warmish air. Finishing his sandwich he stood to leave but did a double take as he looked at the top. The stairs seemed longer.
A shiver went over him as a breeze picked up.
He took a step up and as he did the stairwell seemed to extend further. Again he stepped up the hill and again it grew longer.
Dale turned around, taking a step down and the same thing happened. A mild panic welled within and he shuffled down the stairs. On and on he went but neither reached the end nor came any closer to the bottom of the hill. They were endless!
“What is this!” Dale called out loud with no answer.
Just then, as he looked down the stairs his eyes seemed to peer further and far away to the end. The stairwell itself seemed normal, easy, and wide enough. Towards the end, it started to crumble. At the bottom, he saw what looked like himself, Dale! Except that he was an old man. He looked worn out, almost defeated, as he sighed sorrowfully in his chair. He was in a room all alone except for a nurse. Dread washed over Dale and a tear fell down his face.
Quickly turning away, Dale started to make his way up the stairs, but the same thing happened. This time, instead of easy and wide, this stairwell looked difficult, narrow, and even dangerous. He heard a dog barking far away. At the top, he was once again him as an old man, except he was smiling. Instead of fear and dread, he was joyful and also not alone. A woman was with him though facing the other way. Only her ponytail and orange scrunchie were visible.
Orange scrunchie?! Immediately his mind reeled to where he had seen an orange scrunchie before. The jogger girl on his morning circuit! He had seen it a hundred times with her. “Is that…?”
But before Dale could think any further he heard a dog barking and getting closer. He tried to run down the stairs but it was too late, a giant wolf lept on him full force. Dale screamed and shut his eyes waiting to be eaten up. But there was nothing.
He opened his eyes and the wolf was gone. Dale once again found himself sitting on the normal steps across from the sandwich shop.
Sweat beaded down his face (the most he’d sweat in 2 years).
Coming to his senses, he started walking back home, trying to brush off whatever that was that happened. It must have been a dream or pollen in the air or food poisoning.
“Last time I’m eating a meatball sandwich!” he muttered to himself, though knowing it was a lie right when he said it. They were too good!
Part 3: Kicking It Into Gear
The vision stayed vivid throughout the week as a weird mix of fear, dread, and joy swirled within him. It probably meant nothing. Absolutely nothing.
And then there was the image, as clear as day. He didn’t wish for it but it was there and it stayed there the rest of that week.
The jogger girl with the orange scrunchie.
For some odd reason, the strangest conviction came over him. He may have felt drops of it before, but this was a tidal wave.
“I need to meet her!” he thought, and a new determination was born.
Out the door he went, not even tying his shoe. Immediately Dale scanned the neighborhood to see if she was there.
Sure enough she was, 100 yards away already in stride.
Dale hopped on the street and picked up his pace faster than normal as he ran past each house towards Krogers. Baskerville was barking ahead which told Dale she must have just passed him. Turning a corner he saw her behind Krogers and picked it up even more. He started to get winded.
Pushing himself harder than he ever had, Dale soon passed the barking dog. He gave a quick wave to Jim and made his way toward Union Cemetery Hill. His legs started to ache and he felt his lungs burning but he was gaining ground!
And then came the cramp. Halfway up the hill pain shot through his leg and he collapsed onto a tombstone for support. Gasping for breath, he looked up as he tried to straighten his leg. He saw the girl cross the top of the hill and well beyond his reach.
Defeated. Feeling discouraged and foolish, Dale didn’t even finish his circuit. He hobbled back home the way he came. Baskerville yelled at him a second time as if mocking his failure.
Dale arrived home with hurt pride. His resolve, though, was not. His mission to meet the jogger girl had become his top priority.
And so the next day he tried again but didn’t get very far because he was so sore. In fact the whole week he didn’t gain much ground but pushed himself anyway. By the next week, Dale noticed himself getting a little closer. The orange scrunch girl was still keeping a strong pace at about 70 yards ahead.
The following week Dale got a little smarter. He decided to break his routine and start earlier to get ahead. That didn’t work either, as she also seemed to start earlier and was even further away. Several times Dale tried this but never got an inch closer.
One day he went so early he found himself 100 yards ahead of her!
“Great, I’ll just wait up for her to reach me then introduce myself!” he thought.
It didn’t work either. As Dale stood there waiting near Krogers, she may have seen him but turned down another road. He was left standing alone again near the cemetery.
Timing wasn’t going to be the answer. And so Dale decided he’d just have to catch up.
Day after day he pushed himself through soreness, burning lungs, and well beyond his well-managed comfort zone. Every day he returned to his house sweaty, defeated, and sore, but somehow still felt like a win. He was getting faster and stronger as his run was now around 23min!
Then catastrophe struck when the thought came, “What if she’s getting faster also? What if she notices me getting closer and is speeding up herself to stay away? She probably thinks I’m a crazy person!”
He wrestled with this thought throughout the day but shrugged it off. “A crazy person would not be leisurely jogging day in and day out. And I know I’m not crazy,” he thought as a picture of him being roommates with old Henry popped into his mind. “No way she thinks that. I only have one option- I have to finish this race!”
Weeks went by as Dale hammered out his new routine. He would bolt out the door and push himself to gain three, four, five yards on the mysterious jogger.
Time flew by, one month, two months, and finally, his goal was within reach. Only about thirty yards behind and he was feeling as confident, strong, and in shape as ever!
Part 4: Game Time
It was a hot summer morning as Dale hopped out of bed ready for the run. He had no way of knowing that today would be the last day he would run in a long long time.
A faint glow of a sunrise lightened the fading night sky on the horizon. Stars were still shining overhead as Dale sped out the door and soon down the street.
His pace started strong and he felt like a lion. As Dale began to turn the corner of the neighborhood, he heard Baskerville start to bark.
“She must be passing him,” he thought and picked up the pace.
But then Dale heard something different. As Baskerville barked, Dale heard a snapping sound, louder barking, and a short scream.
Dale paused, then rushed around the corner to see the scene. Baskerville broke his chain and was tailing the girl. She bolted away towards the Krogers parking lot trying to get away.
Kicking it into gear, Dale shot off in a sprint after the two as he raced across the street.
He was gaining on them as he ran faster than he had ever run before. His legs felt strong and he was not even out of breath,
Another scream! The girl fell in the parking lot not 40 yards ahead and was holding her ankle. The hound was barreling down and would be there in seconds.
Dale slammed it into a gear he didn’t even know he had. He shot off like a bullet towards the dog, yelling to get its attention. “Over here! Over here!”
As Baskerville was about to pounce on the girl, it heard the yelling. Turning its head, he saw Dale spearing towards him.
Closing in, Dale taunted it, “This way you hellhound!” and Dale sped past the dog, slapping it on the back to draw it away.
Immediately Baskerville changed directions. He tore after Dale, who was now running for dear life towards the cemetery. Into the woods they went. Dale sprinted up the hill, in and around gravestones while the hound gained on his heels. He hurdled one headstone then another, trying to shake the beast as he climbed the slope.
Dale’s legs were now burning along with his lungs. He couldn’t do too much more of this. Meanwhile, Baskerville seemed only to gain steam.
Dale tried hopping over another stone but this time his foot caught and down he went. He slammed against the ground. A split second later Baskerville was latched onto his leg, shaking it like a toy.
Pain jolted through Dale’s body and the thought, “He’s going to eat me!” flashed in his mind and he closed his eyes.
Suddenly, Dale heard a loud screech, pounding footsteps, and an electric buzzing sound.
Baskerville released his grip and fell motionless to the ground. Standing above him was Jim the security guard holding a smoking taser. Dale gave a half smile, looked down at his bloody leg, then passed out.
Dale woke up in a hospital bed. Groggily he looked up and saw his leg bandaged up and down. There was no one around him but he heard people walking and talking back and forth on the other side of the curtain.
His leg was numb from pain meds. He couldn’t think straight. “What happened,” he mumbled to himself.
Looking around he muttered, “I can remember. I can’t think. I need…I need. Coffee! My third cup of coffee!”
Not seeing a nurse, Dale squinted through the crack in the curtain. Doctors and nurses rushed by. But then he saw it- a coffee machine across the room.
Pain meds still working, Dale decided to risk it and hobbled out of bed. Seeing that the coast was clear, he emerged from the curtain and limped towards the coffee maker. It was almost empty! Not only that, but someone else was beating Dale to it- a lady with a limp.
Dale picked up the pace but she was too fast. She was pouring the last drop into her cup right as he shuffled up.
At first he groaned, but then as he looked at the lady he gasped. The ponytail and the orange scrunchie! The lady heard the gasp and turned around.
Dale’s jaw dropped, realizing his imagination did her no justice!
“I’m so sorry!” she said. “I think I just topped it off. Here, let me split it.”
She reached for another mug and poured in half her coffee.
“My name’s Jan. What brought you here?”
Dale recovered from his shock, smiled, and took a sip.
Epilogue: 1 Month Later
Dale woke up at 5 am sharp. Got his coffee, wolfed down his Cliff bar then limped out the door. His leg was getting better but still had some ways to go. Much much slower, Dale started walking down the street. The sunrise warmed up the summer air and everything felt new. He turned down a side street and reached a nearby condo complex and rang the doorbell.
Minutes later, Jan opened the door and smiled at her “running” companion. Dale reached out his hand, which she took. A moment later, the two of them were off to the races as they slowly limped down the sidewalk together.
