A Clydesdale Carol, Part 2

(Part 1 here.)

Kevin and Terry landed with a thump in the first aisle of a small grocery store right next to the mayonnaise.  The lights flickered a bit, the way local grocery store lights do, and it had that certain smell that grocery stores use to have until they didn't anymore.  Kevin looked around.

"This is Clarence's Supermarket.  I worked here in high school and that year off between high school and college."

"Yep," said Terry. "That's you down there at the end of the aisle."

"Well, why did you bring me here?  All I'm doing is shelving the steak sauce," Kevin said.

"It's late spring of 1989," said Terry. "You'll be going off to college in the fall.  Do you remember what happened around this time?"

"Not really."

"Think."

Kevin watched his younger self stock the shelves.  Young Kevin was sitting on an old milk crate, red faced and bent over, trying to get items on the bottom shelf.

"I remember being disgusted with myself.  I had gained 40 pounds since graduating from high school.  My belly had gotten to the point where I couldn't bend over without it getting in the way.  I remember not being able to breathe when I was bent over like that," Kevin remembered. "I was 220 pounds and I hated it.  I hated myself for getting fat."

"Yes.  Now, we're going to take a short trip," said Terry.  And with the sound of 17 Julie Andrews impersonators screaming !WHEEEEE!, Kevin and Terry found themselves standing in the middle of a country lane.

"How come they didn't go '!WHOOMP!'?" Kevin asked.

"!WHOOMP! is for time travel, !WHEEEE! is for short hops within the same time frame," answered Terry.  "Try to keep up."

"Alright, so you brought me to mom and dad's lane.  Why?"

"Who do you see in the distance?"

Kevin squinted and peered down the lane to see a young man jogging.

"It's me again."

"Yes.  You started jogging when you got so fed up with your belly getting in the way."

"Oh yes,"  said Kevin.  "My first Jogging Period.  I hated every minute of it, but I went out every evening, always trying to go about a tenth of a mile longer than the last run.  I didn't know about running shoes.  My arches an ankles were in constant pain."

"So, why did you keep at it?" asked Terry.

"Because it worked.  I lost over 20 pounds that summer.  I gave up snacking, only had popcorn on Wednesdays and Sundays, limited myself to one servings of meals."

"Exactly," said Terry.

"What do you mean, 'Exactly'?  I was young then.  I had the metabolism of a furnace.  I could melt off fat like butter in a microwave.  There's no way I can do that now."

"Why not?" asked Terry.

"Because I'm too old!  And too fat! And that young me doesn't have near the stress and responsibilities I had! The fire in my furnace burnt out a long time ago.  There's no way I can do that again," exclaimed Kevin.

"Liar."

"What?"

"Look, I'm here to show you what you did in the past, the good, bad and ugly.  But there's nothing you did during that summer that you can't do now.  You can have that discipline again.  That's got nothing to do with your 'furnace'.  You can focus on your meals, on your servings.  You're already running again.  You can start pushing yourself there too." said an exasperated Terry. "But you lie to yourself.  You tell  yourself you can't do it.  You give up before you even try."

"I don't need a lecture, Terry.  I need your support."

"Tough.  This is why I'm here.  You need to wake the F up, Kevin.  That young man running down there.  That's you.  He is you. You are that young man.  You did it once before.  You have not lost any skills.  You're just afraid to try.  You are afraid to be that disciplined again."

Kevin stood stunned as Terry shouted at him.  He had a hard time taking it all in.  He turned away and watched his younger self run.

"Why?" asked Kevin.  "Why am I afraid?"

"I don't know.  You're supposed to figure that out on your own." said Terry.  "Come on, it's time to go"

And with the sound of 423 angry butlers named Jenkins shouting !WHOOMP!, Kevin and Terry departed for Part 3.