I should have bought a treadmill.
“I should have bought a treadmill,” Sierra thought to herself while running in the rain. She had run down her gravel driveway, down the street and all the way past Roasters, but she had been soaked before she passed the shed. In San Francisco, she used to go to the gym near her law firm at lunch every day. The exercise helped clear her mind and gave her some alone time. She hadn’t run since they moved to Merriton and she had gained ten pounds: ten pounds in only a few months. The thought of it was killing her.
She didn’t know what to do about Mary, the goat Elvis had given them when Randy fixed his old computer. She had gained a substantial amount of weight as well. Her bloated belly looked strange on her tiny frame. Sierra didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know any veterinarians in Merriton. She wanted to ask Elvis what to do, but the old cowboy scared her a bit.
She pressed the middle button on her iPod and the voice in her earbuds told her, “Distance: 3.3 miles Time: 30 minutes 24 seconds Average Pace: 9 minutes 09 seconds.” She was dragging today. She thought about the savory smells of Roasters and turned around. Her running quickened as she headed to the cafe. She paused her workout when she approached the door and pulled the earbuds out of her ears.
“You’re soaked! I saw you run by and I thought to myself, ‘That girl’s soaked through!’” Angie handed her a white bar towel. “Wanna glass a water?” Sierra smiled. “Angie, you’re always here. Don’t you have anyone else to work here?” Angie smiled at her. “During the winter, I hire on a crew to take care of things, but in the summer, me and Curly watch over things. Not hardly worth staying open over the summer, but people gotta have coffee, you know?” Sierra ran the rough, white towel over her face and hair. “Yeah, I know.”
Her breathing was still heavy and the run felt exhausting to her. “Hey, Angie. Is there a vet somewhere in Merriton?” Angie shook her head. “No, but Emigration’s got a lady vet. She only works on farm animals, though, so if you got a bird, you got to take it Up North.” Sierra sat on a wooden chair at the table nearest the counter and Angie continued talking, “I had a parakeet once. She got eggbound. Died before I could get to the city… Don’t have birds no more.” Sierra looked at Angie, but she had turned around and started cleaning. Sierra returned the bar towel. “Thanks, Angie.”
She walked out the door, put in her earbuds and finished the run home.