Lenin, Races and Swooning

 “When I am. . . Completely myself, entirely alone. . . Or during the night when I cannot sleep, it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly. Whence and how these come I know not nor can I force them. . . Nor do I hear in my imagination the parts successively, but I hear them gleich alles zusammen (at the same time all together).” ~Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Our office shuts down during the Christmas holiday. We are closed from Christmas Eve Day to New Years Day. However, during the final week of the break, I was on call. On the 30th I was called into work. I had to call Lenin to tell him I was called in. He was the lead on call.

We talked about the situation and I went in and worked it. At one point in time, I called him to explain something to him. He asked if he could call me back in ten minutes. I said sure and he did. When he phoned back, I teased him and asked him if he was at the “Arts and Crafts Store,” because once in the past he had mentioned going there. The truth of the matter was that he actually was at the Arts and Crafts Store and admitted it to me. I found this to be very entertaining.

I left work and on my walk out ot the car, I called Lenin to give him the lowdown of what the outcome was of what was going on in the office. We chatted and bit and then we ended the call. I drove home. I wasn’t home thirty minutes and Lenin calls my work cell:

Lenin: IjustcamebackfromtheArtsandCraftsstoreforasecondtimetoday.However,Ihavebeentotheautostoretwicetodayaswell,
therefore,Ithinkmymasculinityisevenedout.
Bella: Okay, I’m lost. Say it again.
Lenin: I just came back from the Arts and Crafts store for a second time today. However, I have been to the auto store twice today as well. Therefore. I think my masculinity is evened out.
Bella (laughingly): The Arts and Crafts store a second time, really?
Lenin: I had to call and tell you. If I had run into someone and they had mentioned to you that they had seen me at the Arts and Crafts store in the afternoon, you would have said that he went to the Arts and Crafts store in the morning. This clears up any confusion.
Bella: Why did you have to go back a second time?
Lenin: I found more pictures that I needed to have dry mounted. The worst part is, the same lady was working in the framing department. She must think I’m crazy or something.
Bella: You could have waited for the shift change. Then it would have been someone completely different.
Lenin: Yeah, however I tell my single male friends it is a good place to meet women. I’ve even told them they should take their kids with them for extra brownie points, “I’m just here with my daughter getting her stuff for a project.”
Bella: Wow. You know you could have hit on the lady in the framing department. I’m sure she would have swooned at the opportunity to go out to coffee with you.
Lenin: Oh no, she was older.
Bella: Cougars are the in thing now. There is no shame in dating older women.
Lenin: No, she was old old.
Bella: Oh. Well, don’t feel bad about going to the Arts and Crafts Store to meet women. I’ve been known to go to the Auto Store and ask for help, not because I need help. Though, I normally do.

The conversation continues for another ten to fifteen minutes. The topics range from plans for New Year’s Eve, to triathlons and family members. Both members are fully engaged in the conversation and laughing is very common.

 

December 31st:

11:00 am: Bella calls Lenin’s work phone.

Lenin: Hello?
Bella: I was just calling to see if you had any more trips to the Arts and Crafts store planned today. I’m thinking you could probably get three trips in and hit the shift change all in one day if you tried hard enough.
Lenin (laughingly): I haven’t been to the Arts and Crafts store today. I don’t have any plans to yet, either. Why?
Bella: I was just checking. I mean, I thought you might have been trying for a record. How many times you could get to the Arts and Crafts Store in one year. I wasn’t calling about anything work related. I just had to tease you about yesterday.
Lenin: Did you need something from the Arts and Crafts store?
Bella: Nope, just wanted to give you a hard time. I shouldn’t keep you.
Lenin: Have a good day. Be safe tonight.
Bella: You too, bye.

2:30 that afternoon, Bella is driving down the street on her way to the vet. Her work cell phone rings.

Bella: Hello?
Lenin: Bells, it’s Lenin. You know that race tomorrow isn’t until eleven.
Bella: Yeah, I told you that yesterday.
Lenin: No you said it was at 9:30.
Bella: No, you said you thought it was at 9:30 and I told you it wasn’t until eleven. You said that was good because you wanted to sleep in.
Lenin: I think you said 9:30. I just didn’t want you to show up and hour and a half before the race, only to have to stand around and wait till 11:00.
Bella (giving up): Okay, I’ll probably be their early anyways.
Lenin: Not me. I’ll probably pull in the few minutes before it starts.
Bella: Sounds like par for the course with you. Lenin style, always waiting till the last minute. Oh, I thought of you the other day. I was driving down the street and there was a PT Cruiser with a flame job on it. I thought you needed to invest in it. It reminded me of the rental you had when we were in Ysleta. I thought the flame job was a nice touch.
Lenin: That was the worst car ever. You know, I had to got to Po-Dunk Town to get that rental. All the rentals at the airport were gone because of all you guys in Ysleta.
Bella: Seriously? I didn’t know that.
Lenin: I think that is a mid-life crisis car. I asked my younger brother if he was having one when he bought his.
Bella: What’s the age difference between you and this brother?
Lenin: I’m seven years older.
Bella (teasingly): Typical older brothers, being mean to the youngest.
Lenin: That’s not true.
Bella (Teasingly): Believe what you want to believe. We know its true. The youngest always get it the toughest.
Lenin: Oh that is so not true. We have to take care of you guys, wipe your noses, let you tag along. I mean, it’s been three years and I’m still taking care of you.
Bella: Whatever, I spent all last week teaching you something and you gave up after thefirst day. You said your brain was full. It’s us younger ones that are tenacious.
Lenin: Oh yeah, you younger ones have it so hard.
Bella: I just pulled into the vet. I’ve got to go.
Lenin: Have fun with that.
Bella: I will. Be safe tonight.
Lenin: The revel race is at 5:00 tonight, so I’ll head out soon.
Bella: Are you driving?
Lenin: No, we have a designated driver.
Bella: Oh, good. Be safe and have fun.
Lenin: You too.

January 1st:

Crowded street with Bella and Lila on the sidewalk. Lenin running in the crowded street to warm up. Bella sees Lenin “Hey Lenin, run faster.”
Lenin looks over and laughs, “Are you going to stay warm?”
Bella nods her head, “Yep.”

Lila, Bella and company head to their car to pin their race numbers to their shirts. Lila and Bella join the crowd at the starting line. They are the back of the packers. No need to be in the front with all the serious runners. The gun fires and the race is on. Bella runs a bit and walks a bit. Lila gets ahead of her and by mile marker one, they walk together. It isn’t until mile marker 2.5 that Bella begins to run on her own.

As Bella gets closer and closer to nearing the end of the race, she knows that Lenin will run back to cheer on the later runners. As she nears the corner, she sees Lenin and his friends. She looks in their direction, Lenin yells across the street, “Com’on Bella, almost there.”

Bella waves at him and continues on. Inside her heart is all aflutter and it isn’t because of the running.

Bella crosses the finish line. Lila finishes five minutes later. They go stand in line for chili and water. Neither wanting chili, but really needing the water. Lila’s best friend Kimmie is there. Lenin is in the line, about fifteen people ahead of Bella. They both have seen one another, but withhold conversation.

Lenin finishes getting chili from the chili line. Bella is going down the line and grabs a banana. Lenin stands next to her in line while they chat. It’s foggy how the conversation starts, but in flows into how each spent New Year’s Eve.
Lenin: The revel run was fun.
Bella: It sounds like a good time.
Lenin: Yeah, afterwards, my friend, the designated driver, stopped at a liquor store. He hands me two beers and says they are for me. I couldn’t really drink anymore. I didn’t think chili coming up would be a fun experience. We had to stop at Wal-mart to get some things for his daughter’s New Year’s party. That’s the first time I’ve been to Wal-mart buzzed. That was an experience.
Bella: Well. . . At least you weren’t high.
Lenin: Yeah, oh those Doritos are looking good.
They both laugh.
Bella: How did you do? If that isn’t too personal.
Lenin: 22 minutes and ?? Seconds.
Bella: That’s really good.
Lenin: I could have done better, but after last night, I didn’t want to push it too hard.
 

They banter back and forth. Lenin meets Lila. They chat and the conversation turns back to Bella and Lenin. Lenin and Bella talk for about ten minutes. Lenin joins his group of friends and Bella, Lila and Kimmee find a spot to sit and wait for the awards to be handed out. Lenin gets up to get a new bowl of soup. As he passes Bella, she holler’s “Lenin, will you get me a water?”

He nods and gets in line with a friend. As he walks past her later and hands her a water he looks at her, “Starting the New Year out right.”

She has no clue what that means, but the past two days have made her swoon.