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Wonders in the Deep

By Columba Booth

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Dodging traffic and crossing Plaza de Cesar Chavez to Legally Fit Gym took two minutes and thirty-eight seconds—twenty seconds if Audrey jogged. She jogged, gym bag swinging, eyes fixed on the gym doors. She had to get her bench presses in before one o’clock.
Yesterday was legs day. Today was upper body—which, if omitted, would mess everything up. She had upheld her fitness goals all year. She was not deviating in September. Today’s short workout would allow time for a quick shower and a protein shake. Back at her desk, she would prepare for her two o’clock expert witness meeting.
San Jose’s residential towers gleamed in the afternoon sun, shadowing the downtown’s historic buildings. Audrey glanced at her phone as she closed the last feet to the gym. There was no margin. She slammed through the doors and rushed to the locker room. Soon, a buddy serving as spotter gripped the barbell she held above her head.
“Ready?” CJ had paused his workout to assist her with a milestone bench press. Sweat spiked his hair.
She nodded, the padded bench secure under her back. Please don’t drip sweat on my face.
CJ released the bar, stepping back from her sightline. Audrey began the descent, her muscles holding the weight like ocean waters supporting a ship.
Think through the move. She stopped the bar just above her chest, then pushed up, exhaling. The weight ascended. It’s on a pulley. I’ve got this. She flattened her lower back into the bench, curled her toes, and kept pressing. Her arms straightened. One rep.
Keep it moving. Again, she lowered the bar to her chest. Down, slow, steady—until she stopped at chest level and pressed up again. Two reps.
Three.
Four—slower, but still in control.
Ending her fifth rep, she locked her elbows.
“Take!” she gasped.
CJ grabbed the bar and helped her reload it onto the rack.
Audrey whooped and sprang up, standing tall to match CJ’s compact height. Success, in what she privately called the gym’s Club of Brothers, thrilled her.
CJ slapped her on the back. “A hundred pounds!”
She steadied herself—CJ had almost knocked her off-balance—and turned, swiping her short hair with a small towel. Other gym members chimed in.
“Great job!” Steve was general counsel at a big tech firm.
“Congrats, Audrey!” That was Kevin, a tax attorney.
Roger Pine, estate planner, nodded approval.
She high-fived CJ. “Leg day tomorrow, guys!” Her dad would have been proud—if he’d stayed around.
Legally Fit Gym attracted legal professionals from around the Bay Area. It was perfect for networking. The predominantly male clientele minimized female drama, and Audrey had even met Frank Spade of Spade, Lau, & Coleman, LLP, California’s biggest personal injury firm. She kept Spade’s card in her desk. Maybe someday she’d apply.
Quickly, she finished her workout, showered, and dressed. Her phone rang.
“Hey, Patrick.” She slung her gym bag onto the counter and stuffed her sweaty clothes inside. Patrick was the sole non-equity partner at Tate Personal Injury. Suzanne, the receptionist, was at lunch.
“Your expert witness is here. Name’s McKenzie.”
“He’s an hour early!”
“Well, you better get back here.” Patrick laughed.
“I’ll be right there. Thanks.” Heart pounding, she hoisted her bag over her shoulder, lurched through the front door, and hurried back to the office tower. “Who shows up an hour early?” she muttered, punching the elevator button. “Rude!”

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