Rachel entered the new fitness center on the ninth floor of the building that currently housed the Center for Disease and Control in Atlanta Georgia. She worked there as the executive assistant to the CDC's chief financial officer Barbara Harris and worked on the seventh floor of the building. After a long grueling day of composing financial reports, telephone conferences, and budget plans, Rachel was looking forward to walking a few laps around the indoor track, logging in a 30 minutes cardio workout on the stationary bike, and a long hot soak in one of the hot tubs.
"Hey, Rachel, girl, don't tell me you're just leaving the office," Debra, one of the data entry clerks asked her as she passed Rachel on her way into the center.
"Hey, Deb, yeah, I wanted to make sure everything was set up for the meeting with the Food and Drug Administration tomorrow morning.," Rachel replied.
"Well, girl you are a good one because I know you were here at 7am this morning. Working 12 hours and then coming here for a work out? I don't know what kind of vitamins you're taking but can you give a sister the hook up?" Debra replied with a smile.
Rachel laughed Deb was the office comedian. She always had everyone laughing. "Debra, you know you need help don't you?" Rachel said still smiling. "What are you doing hanging out in the fitness center lobby? Are you coming or going?" Rachel asked.
"Going," she answered, "I'm just waiting on Stephanie from HR, she and I are headed to J.R. Crickets to scope out and pick up a couple of hunks for the night. Why don't you skip your work out and come with us because, girl, you are looking good?" Debra said as Stephanie walked up to them.
"Yeah, Rachel I have been meaning to tell you, I like the new you, girl. What's going on, did you get your groove back?" Stephanie asked as she joined them.
Rachel just smiled and said, "You two youngsters go on, have fun, I have to work out tonight if I want to keep it up, right?" She asked.
At 5'6", Rachel was 38, weighed 185lbs, and was a perfect plus size 18. However, after six months of working out five times a week, she had lost a total of 110lbs. Although she knew she would never be runway model thin, Rachel was healthy and knew she had never felt or looked better in her life.
"Well ok, but we still think you would have more fun if you'd come with us, besides we may be in our twenties but you don't look a day over 30 and are not hardly old enough to be calling us youngsters," said Stephanie as she and Debra said their goodbyes and left the center.
"Have fun ladies, Rachel said as she waved them off and continued on into the center.
As she walked she couldn't help reflecting back on all she had been through, Rachel sometimes marveled at how she had arrived at such a great place in her life. Lord knows she had seen her share of hard times. After the death of her first love and father of her two children she was amazed at how she had barely hung on to her sanity. At the age of 27 with a seven-year-old son and a daughter barely five years old the loss of Anthony Matthews, Sr. to a senseless freak accident had devastated her little family. Rachel had thrown herself into raising her children, making them the centers of her world, to keep her going through all the pain. However, in the process she'd neglected herself and before she knew it her children were going off to college, she had gained over 100lbs, had stopped caring about her appearance, was diabetic, and all alone. The outgoing, smart, fashion diva, she used to be seemed to have died along with her husband. She poured all the love she had into her children and made it her mission to never fall in love again. Rachel never wanted to feel the loss of someone she loved and feel so alone again. Part of her had died with Anthony and been buried along with him. So she turned all her energy to raising their babies. They were all she had left of him.
Rachel had worked customer service jobs until her children were old enough to be left at home alone then entered college to pursue a degree in Health Administration. Although working, going to school, and caring for teenagers had been hard on her and the kids, they had succeeded with the help of God, and Rachel's family. Rachel graduated from college a couple of years ahead of her son Anthony Jr's graduation from high school. She then landed a job as an administrative assistant at the CDC and worked her butt off for the promotions which got her the job she currently worked today.
At 38 years old, with the children both gone off to college, Rachel was finally financially stable, making good money, with a small nest egg for her and the kids should any emergency arise. Her life was going good until about eight months ago when her doctor told her, at a routine checkup, that she was in danger of becoming a type 2 diabetic if she did not start taking care of self. Rachel's doctor asked her if she wanted to one day be dependent on daily insulin shots to keep her going, and gave her a choice of medications or eating right and exercise to stay alive for her children. This news was devastating to Rachel who had lost her father two years prior to complications from diabetes. After her checkup, Rachel had gone home and decided to rejoin the living realizing after all she had been through, she was not ready to give up on life. She followed the instructions of her doctor and started snacking on fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of water, and added more fiber to her diet. The simple changes she made resulted in the loss of almost 35 pounds.
Total Body Fitness had literally saved her life, because she worked such long hours at the CDC, by the time she made the commute home it was late evening. And Rachel did not enjoy walking at nine o'clock in the evening. This was not something she felt safe doing. She had invested in a treadmill which she set up in her basement and had only used twice. However, six months ago Total Body Fitness Center opened and all the employees of the CDC were encouraged to join as part of the CDC's new wellness program. Rachel was given a free V.I.P. membership as part of her benefits package when she accepted her promotion. She started off walking a few laps around the track two or three times a week, and was encouraged to add the cardio workout by, her fitness instructors. She never would have made it without the help of the Total Body fitness trainers, Jared, Amie, and April who had all been there for her. When Rachel felt like giving up they goaded, nagged, and bullied her to keep going. They also cheered her on as she'd struggled but soon shed the pounds. Now, an additional 75 pounds lighter Rachel was a totally different person than she was the first time she walked through the center's doors, and there was no sign of the diabetes. According to her doctor Rachel's hard work had completely reversed her condition.
Four weeks ago, with the help of her best friend Samantha and her sister Marge, Rachel dipped into her new pay raise and purchased a new wardrobe. Then splurged on something she had always wanted to do. She'd gone to one of those upscale salons in Buckhead and gotten the works, hair, nails, manicure, pedicure, body peel, facial peel, and make up. Rachel had hair plucked and waxed from places on her body she didn't even know had hair. The bikini wax had irritated her so much she'd all the hair permanently removed from that area with laser removal because of the fit of itching and extreme horniness she experienced when the hair began growing back. Yep she was now as bald as a baby down below which had taken some getting used to, but after a while Rachel now liked the feeling of freedom it gave her. Plus with her new love of thongs and sexy lingerie being totally without hair down there was practical.
Rachel welcomed her workouts as quiet time for herself. Time to wind down and let go of the stress of her work day, working out was a gift to herself. Rachel viewed her work outs as a time to relax, calm herself and reestablish balance within to prepare for the next day. Armed with her new attitude, her new healthy body, her new wardrobe, and her waterproof cell phone Rachel felt she was able to take on the next challenge life threw at her. She still was not ready to love again in fact she did not think she would ever be able to share herself like that again. However, that was okay, she was not worried because in the thirteen years since her husband's death, she had never even come close to losing her heart again. Oh, she had not been celibate for thirteen years. She had friends and lovers over the years, but Rachel never allowed anyone close enough to win her heart. However, the empty sexual encounters and empty sexual relationships became boring and for almost five years now she was celibate. Working at the CDC, seeing the statistics of those infected with HIV and AIDS and knowing more African American heterosexual women in the U.S. were dying from AIDS than those with Cancer, high blood pressure, and heart disease together helped Rachel stay celibate. Living in Atlanta, which was practically a Mecca of down low men, Rachel was not running around looking for sex partners. Despite what her friends and sisters said Rachel Matthews did not need a man.
With that last thought Rachel exited the lobby of the fitness center waving hello to April where she led the current hip hop aerobics class, and headed for the ladies locker-room to change into her workout gear. Rachel decided to wear her favorite royal blue one piece bathing suit for her soak in the hot tub later, knee length black biker shorts, white ankle socks and white Reebok running shoes. The suit was new and a favorite of Rachel's because it flattered her figure and the cut of the bodice along with the stretchy material negated the need for a sports bra when she wore it. For a woman whose bra size was 38DDD this made the suit a wonderful thing. Rachel purchased three more of the same style in her favorite colors of black, deep purple, and orange as all were colors her stylist said were great for her.
In the locker room, Rachel pulled her long duel colored micro braids into a pony tail atop her head which barely kept their loosen ends from brushing the back of her neck and back. During her makeover she decided on the partially braided mini micro braids instead of a hair weave because they were versatile and did not require a lot of maintenance. As Rachel sat down on the bench in front of her locker to tie her Reeboks she noticed Danielle exiting the showers heading in her direction. Danielle was the executive assistant to the CEO at the Center for Disease Control. She had been assigned the task of training Rachel when she started in her current position. Danielle had just turned 45 but at 5'10" and size nine she looked and dressed like a fashion model. Danielle also had a hand in helping Rachel update her drab, outdated, baggy clothes, and helped her choose form fitting skirts, slacks, sweaters, and suits which were tailored to fit Rachel's curvy but tight new body. Danielle and Rachel were good friends and Rachel thought of Danielle as the big sister she never had.
"Hi, Danielle," Rachel greeted her friend as she rose from the bench, she was sitting on to grab her cell phone to secure the case clip to the waist band of her shorts.
"Hey, Rachel, you headed for the track?" Danielle asked as she released her towel shrouded hair.
"Yeah, I'm going to unwind with a few laps around the track before I head home, you know my routine," Rachel answered.
As Danielle started applying body lotion she asked, "How are the kids doing in school? Is Asiah getting home sick yet?"
Rachel's son Tony age 19 and Asiah age 17 had both chosen colleges out of state. Tony was in his second year at Florida A & M working on a four year degree in Video Graphic Engineering. Asiah had just started her first year at North Carolina Central University in Durham North Carolina that fall and had not decided on a major yet.
Rachel replied, "They are fine Dani, Anthony is doing great, he even snagged a job tutoring to help him keep a little money in his pockets."
"Has Asiah decided on a major yet?" Danielle inquired.
"Girl, my baby girl cannot decide what she wants to be. She says she has the choices narrowed down to a vet, a pediatrician, and a hip hop dance instructor," Rachel and Danielle both laughed at the strange trio of jobs. Danielle was still chuckling when she started to dress.
Rachel said a quick goodbye and headed for the track. Grabbing a towel from the clean towel station as she left the locker room, she draped the towel around her neck. Placing the Bluetooth ear buds for her the waterproof Samsung Galaxy Note S23 cellphone in her ears Rachel walked to the track area to walk away the stress of the day. At 8pm only three other people were taking advantage of the track when she arrived. Rachel waved a greeting at the others then walked over to the warm up area located to the right of the track where a mirrored wall and exercise mats were placed for patrons to stretch and warm-up before exercising. Rachel never started her work out without at least 15 minutes of stretching. Her warm up consisted of a yoga routine designed to heat up and loosen every muscle in her body. She'd performed the movements so often they were committed to memory. Rachel put in her mini ear buds and started the warm up music file in her cell phone. As Johnny Gill's My, My, My, started up she closed her eyes and began bending, stretching, and twisting her body releasing the tension in her muscles while oxygenating herself with the combined deep breathing techniques and yoga movements. As she moved, listening to Johnny, letting his voice sing to her body while the yoga postures increased her flexibility and relaxed her body. With a sublime smile of utter bliss, eyes closed, letting every thought go, Rachel imagined herself following the instructions in the song for her dream lover. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, and her smile showed it.