The next day it was Monday again. My day started precisely at five in the morning. Nowadays I don't even need an alarm. I woke up immediately, tied my running laces tight, and got completely ready for the morning workout.
The standard five mile run has gotten significantly easier for me now that it has been over six solid weeks since I first started hitting the pavement.
I usually start with that long five mile run, and I manage to complete it at a remarkably good pace nowadays without losing my breath. Right after returning, I added a strength training routine to the morning schedule.
I mostly do variations of standard push ups and incredibly slow, controlled pull ups on a sturdy tree branch out in the backyard.
I also incorporate various calisthenics exercises that I vividly remember from watching random fitness videos in my previous life. I make sure to rotate everything methodically.
I target entirely different muscle groups on different days of the week to ensure my body recovers properly and builds real strength.
Nowadays, I have also started to easily recognize the regular people moving around our quiet neighborhood. We politely greet each other with a quick good morning as we cross paths.
Through these early morning routines, I also unexpectedly made a friend that I sometimes talk to, mostly since I honestly do not have much of a choice when he spots me.
"Hey Charlie! Come over here for a second," he calls out loudly. His name is Kevin, and he is a genuinely good guy. His father is a local farmer, and Kevin helps him load up the heavy equipment every single morning, which is why he wakes up so early.
He also goes to my high school and is in the same freshman classes, but Kevin is noticeably older.
He is almost seventeen years old. Because of some complicated family issues, he had to miss going to school for a few entire years.
He certainly did not fail his classes or anything like that. I originally met him during the first week of school when I saw a group of snobby senior girls being overtly racist towards him in the main hallway.
It was still 1989 in East Texas, and casual racism was unfortunately very apparent and entirely tolerated by the staff. Being a man of 21st century I immediately stepped in to support him and verbally dismantle those girls.
After I helped him out that day, Kevin always makes a point to greet me warmly. I honestly could not ignore him like I do the others. He is actually a bright ray of sunshine once you get past his defensive, tough exterior.
He hopped down gracefully from the massive green tractor parked near his gravel driveway. He must have just finished cleaning it or loading up the daily agricultural supplies for his hardworking father.
He quickly wiped his greasy hands on an old shop rag before stepping forward and giving my hand a firm, calloused shake.
"Good morning, man. So what is good today?" I asked him, pausing my cool down walk since I was already making my way back home to eat my breakfast.
"Just surviving," Kevin laughed, leaning against the massive tractor tire.
He joked around for a bit and told me the school gossip. We both had a dark laugh once I got to know that one of the girls who had been so mean to him in the past ended up getting pregnant. Karma truly works in mysterious ways.
Kevin chuckled before letting out a heavy sigh, his tough exterior dropping just a fraction. "Man, I am honestly just feeling really jittery about the school homecoming dance coming up. I have absolutely no one to take. What about you?"
His question suddenly made me remember that the official homecoming week was literally approaching next week. I also did not have a date lined up yet. I did not even have any platonic female friends who could help me.
I threw my hands up in the air, making a completely helpless gesture. "I have got absolutely nothing, man. It is a total ghost town on my end. I might just have to take my real analysis math textbook to the dance and buy it a nice floral corsage."
"Well, I will see you at school later," I said to him after a bit more casual talk and exchanging polite morning greetings with his father. His dad was understandably wary of me initially, but after seeing me talk to Kevin almost daily, they warmed up.
Kevin must have told his family that I defended him. They were quite happy with me after that incident. Kevin must be a bit of a loner too, considering he was much older than others.
Anyway, I finally reached home, completely stressing out about the impending homecoming disaster. I quickly bathed to wash off the heavy morning sweat and then deliberately wore my best clothe.
I firmly planned to ask literally any decent looking girl that might say yes to me today. I absolutely did not want to feel the bitter sting of missing out on a high school homecoming experience. In my previous life I missed them thinking I was too cool for them but I felt lonely afterwards.
I made my way straight into the kitchen to grab my morning breakfast. I quickly threw together a thick slice of bread slathered with crunchy peanut butter and a side of scrambled eggs to replenish my calories before the long day ahead.
I was eating my food in silence when Georgie dragged his feet into the kitchen to grab his own breakfast. I decided to test the waters and casually asked him about his homecoming date situation.
"I literally had to ask twelve different girls," Georgie complained, pouring himself a massive bowl of sugary cereal. "Most of them already had someone taking them, or they just laughed at me. But finally, Rebecca said yes yesterday afternoon."
"I bet you do not have absolutely anything lined up, you giant nerd. Do you want me to ask Rebecca to find you a pity date?" Georgie mocked me lightly, flashing a highly irritating, smug grin across the kitchen table.
Before I could even formulate a proper comeback, Missy walked into the kitchen clutching her school backpack. "Do not even bother trying to help him, Georgie," she announced loudly.
"Charlie is probably going to take his books and read them in some corner”
"Thank you so much for the unwavering family support, Missy. Remind me to conveniently forget to play doctor with you this afternoon," I shot back playfully.
"You cannot do that! You are my favorite patient. I am sorry, big brother," she folded, instantly deploying her best puppy dog eyes. I could not help but smile a little at her ridiculous antics.
I turned my attention back to Georgie, completely ignoring his smug expression. "I will come to you tomorrow if I cannot find anybody today," I told him, projecting a bit of genuine pride. I was not too bad looking, and quite a few girls had been giving me the eye lately. I just had to hope at least one of them was not taken already.
"Let us go, Charlie. I need to be at the school early today," Dad announced, poking his head into the kitchen. He was completely lying about needing to be at work early. He really did not have any morning coaching duties this early, but for the last few days, we had deliberately left the house a bit earlier than usual for a very specific reason.
"I am fully ready, Dad. Let us go," I replied, standing up and grabbing my backpack from the floor. We walked out the front door together and made our way to his truck. He drove us a few blocks away from the house until we were out of sight of Mom.
He then pulled over to the side of the road and got out of the vehicle so we could switch seats.
I had successfully managed to convince my father to teach me how to drive. He was actually pretty chill about the entire prospect and did not require a whole lot of convincing on my end.
I assume he thought that I was the most responsible kid in the family, making me a much safer bet behind the wheel than Georgie ever was.
Fortunately, I had kept my mouth entirely shut regarding the hospital incident. Dad still had absolutely no idea that I had already successfully driven Meemaw and my siblings through the dark streets of Medford during his medical emergency. I let him believe this was all completely new to me.
I sat comfortably in the driver's seat, placing both of my hands firmly on the steering wheel. I gently pressed my foot down on the accelerator, making sure to drive incredibly carefully. For the last few days, Dad had restricted my practice sessions to a wide open dirt field
Today was the very first time I was actually going to drive on proper roads with real traffic. I felt completely confident that I already had the mechanical hang of the vehicle, but I was still understandably a tiny bit nervous. Navigating actual intersections with other cars was a totally different beast than driving in empty grass.
"Charlie, just do exactly like we practiced in the field, and do not worry about the other cars," Dad said to me, instinctively using his booming football coach voice to project authority and calm. I took a deep breath, checked my rearview mirrors, and smoothly pulled back onto the street.
I successfully managed to drive us through the quiet suburban neighborhoods for a solid half hour, carefully obeying every single stop sign and speed limit along the way until we finally made it to the high school parking lot.
I shifted the truck into park and turned off the ignition, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Dad clapped his heavy hand on my shoulder, looking genuinely impressed. "You did an outstanding job today, son. You kept your eyes on the road and handled the turns perfectly," Dad praised warmly.
"Thank you, Dad. I had a good teacher.," I replied, feeling a genuine swell of pride at his words.
"Keep this up, and we will get you a learners license the very second you turn fifteen," he promised with a proud nod. "Now let's go see the principal."
"Sounds like a deal" I said, grabbing my backpack and finally making my way inside the school building, first I had to stop by principals office.