2019-09-09 - Paying Customer

Erin wasn't technically here to work tonight but here she was anyway. Dressed simply in a pair of fitness pants and tank top and matching hoodie from some swanky, expensive store, she doesn't look the part so much. But she's trying to fit in! Her dark hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail and she moves slow when she moves, like she's so much older than she is. There's a few other patrons here and there making use of the ring and another at the bags.

Okay. So, working out in the mall wasn't terrible or anything. The membership was affordable, the equipment was well-maintained and people were, for the most part, pretty accommodating. But, it's in a strip mall. With people walking by all the time. Which means people noticing the guy in the wheelchair hitting the weights or hitting the machines or using the handcycle. Which means gawking and people telling him how good it is that he's 'out there' and 'doing it.' Which is the LAST fucking thing Tyrone wants to be told by people who have no idea what he's 'doing' 'out there.'
Which is what leads him to the front desk of Kelly's Gym. Having opened the door all by himself- only a little trouble with the threshhold- Tyrone blinks as his eyes adjust to the inside and he takes in the gym as a whole. Well ... obviously, it's a different /kind/ of gym than the one in the mall. But, there are free weights. And he could hit the bags for cardio .... Yes, sure, this could work. Now ... is there like, a bell or something? How to flag down a worker: The Eternal Conundrum.

Erin hears the door and looks over, watching as someone enters. It's a brief glance and there's no offers to help or anything. He was a grown up, she supposes it was something he was used to doing. Walking over, she picks up a few discarded towels very gingerly and takes them to the basket where everyone else tosses them to be washed. By the time she was finished, the man was at the desk. She approaches, stepping behind it, "Good evening. Welcome to Kelly's Gym. How can I help you?"

Because he's a guy and Erin's pretty attractive, Tyrone's first instinct is, of course, to flirt. "You must be Kelly. Nice gym you've got here," he says, offering her a pleasant enough smile as he rests his forearms on the desk, clasping his hands in front of him. Even though he's disabled, it's evident through his t-shirt that he's not in bad shape. He's not super buff or anything, but there's definitely enough definition through his shoulders and biceps to betray some form of regular exercise. ... probably beyond just pushing his chair. "You got anybody around that could help a cripple find a workout routine?"

It's not something Erin is used to of late, but when he does, she looks bemused. "Me? Oh no, I'm Erin." She absolutely doesn't add her last name, not wanting all the things that goes with it currently. "The gym is the best around, I'll have to agree with you there. Joey Kelly owns it. I just man the desk mostly during the day. I was just going a little stir crazy at home and had to get out." A single brow arches but she doesn't correct him in anything else. "I can set you up an appointment with Joey. He'll be more than happy to hook you up with a routine." She reaches for a sheet of paper. "Just fill this out." It has a place for name, address, phone, what you're looking to accomplish here and what sort of routine you prefer and how the trainers can help you accomplish your goals in your opinion. The costs are posted on a sign, clearly legible. Monthly or Yearly.

Tyrone honestly looks surprised when Erin declines being the proprietor. She looked like she COULD own the gym. Huh. Oh well! Shaking that off, he shrugs and slides the paper closer so he can look it over. "Okay. Well, that's cool. You got a ...," he trails off, looking up and seeing one of the pens that ostensibly gets left for customers on a more routine basis. "Cool." And then he starts filling stuff out. "Just man the desk? You ain't a trainer or nothing? I thought fa sho you was in charge, way you swaggin' out. Or if not, you could be."

"Swagging out. I don't know about that. I feel like I'm about eighty right now but it'll get better. I train here, but I'm not a trainer." Erin slides the pen closer about the time he finds it and takes it. "Thank you though. I'll take that as a compliment. I'm actually pretty new to the place but it's one of the best moves I've made in years." A glance down to the paper to read the man's name.

Tyrone's full name is on the paper, but he nods as he listens and writes. "Like you're eighty? Just starting to work out again or something? Cuz you definitely don't /look/ eighty," he says, smiling up at her. As he finishes the pwperwork and turns it around, she'll see that his goal is 'to stay in shape now that I'm not in the service.' He also offers her his hand, too, for shaking purposes. "Well, my name's Tyrone. Do y'all offer like, a trial period or something? I've already got a membership to the gym in the stripmall, but ... I'm tired of folks gawking at me."

"Just a little sore from a particularly vicious workout." Erin offers and that's about her limit to her personal stuff that she gives. Her hand is given over and she accepts his, shaking it. "A pleasure meeting you, Tyrone." Glancing down at the paperwork. "Thank you for your service. A trial period we can absolutely offer you, I hope you are comfortable here. I just bought the year membership. I was looking for a place to fit in and this was it. I'm sure you'll feel the same."

Tyrone chuckles a little and winks at Erin again. "Well, you're a pretty strong argument for joining, by yourself," he says. He smiles, but then it falters and he grimaces. Shaking his head, he sighs. "Hey, I'm sorry. You didn't come here to get hit on. I'm being a lunkhead. I apologize," he says, sitting back in his chair and wheeling back and forth a little.

"It's.. ah.. not something that I'm entirely used to, I admit. We would like if you joined the gym though, just so you can become part of the club here. It's helped me a lot. As well as my confidence." Erin gives him a tentative smile. "Thank you. I appreciate that. You can feel free to take a look around." The floor is cleared from debris and there's plenty of space for his chair to fit between places. "There's a locker room, you can store a bag here if you'd like."

Tyrone chuckles a little and shrugs. "I just come dressed to work out, so no real need to get changed. It's not like i have to come from work or anything," he says with a smirk. And then he cants his head to the side a little. "But ... what do you mean you're not used to it? You sayin' dudes /aren't/ lining up around the block to try and holla at you?" he asks, popping a wheelie and rocking himself very slightly.

Erin motions towards the door. "Do you see the masses out there all lined up?" There's a rueful smile given over. "I've never been the type someone takes home to introduce to their family. I think lately I've changed." Erin doesn't know this man, he didn't judge her. Yet. So he was easy to talk to in a way. "I just bought a house after living in an apartment since I graduated high school. I'm going to school for a degree. I'm actually thinking of a future that may one day include a child. None of this is me. Not the old me. It's the new me though."

Tyrone checks, double checks, leans sideways and checks, then looks back at Erin and shakes his head. "Guess I get to be first in line?" he offers, eyebrows lifting as he smiles, then chuckles at his joke. But he listens to her story earnestly, and nods when she's finished. "Well, buying a house is a huge deal. Especially when you young, and forgive me if I'm wrong, but I wouldn't put you even close to thirty, so .... Yeah. Buying a house? Good for you. That's awesome," he congratulates. "And going to school is definitely a positive thing, so it sounds like you're doing this whole 'adulting' thing pretty well, if you ask me. Way better handle on things than /I've/ got, anyway, that's for sure."

"This is all recent and new. I was going to get the house anyway but the rest of the decisions just came like an epiphany. It was like if you almost die or something, and you see your life flashing by and every wrong decision you have made is glaring back at you." Erin laces her fingers together and rests then on the counter. "I'm not quite sure about lines, but it is nice of you to say so. Really though, you are more than welcome to take a look around."

"Really? See, I almost died and didn't have any life-flashing moments, so ... maybe I'm doing something wrong," Tyrone says, shrugging. "But, if it helped you figure stuff out? I say awesome. Long as your not almost dying, still." He smiles again and then sets his front wheels back down. "But I can pretty much see everything from here, can't I? Do you guys have like, a separate room for other stuff or anything?" he asks, rolling around the desk. He then points as he offers, "There's free weights, there's punching bags, there's mats, and there's a boxing ring. Am I missing anything?"

"I would think it safe to assume that we both want different things if that's the case." Erin offers, still a little bemused. "Yes, you can basically see things all from here. I wasn't sure if you wanted to see how easy or difficult it would be to maneuver through the different areas." The offer made and declined she leaves it as is. Then her phone chirps at her. Once she's checked it she holds it for a moment. "Joey is mostly here in the mornings, if you'd like to come back then?" She taps out a quick response on her phone.

"I dunno about wanting different things. I mean, I love kids, so I'm more than up for having some in the future. I just ... I mean, I've only been out the hospital a couple months. I just barely stopped calling everybody sir and ma'am. You know how you were saying this is a new you? Well, this is also a new me and I'm still figuring me out." When she pulls out her phone and tells him about Joey again, Tyrone nods. "Okay. So, do you guys take Visa?" He then begins fishing in a small bag that is hanging just under his seat.

Her phone is placed aside for the moment to listen to him and she wears a sympathetic expression. Nothing anywhere near pity, but sympathy is there. And it has nothing to do with being in a chair. "It's hard to lose track of who you are. What's harder is when I realized I was never that person I thought I was at all. This was the me all along." Giving a shake of her head, she dispels the thoughts and offers a smile. "We do take Visa, Tyrone. And we'd be happy to have you."

Pulling his wallet out of the bag, Tyrone fishes out his debit card and hands it to her. "I'm only gonna commit to one month, to start. But, I'll try and catch Joey sometime and see if he has any ideas for a workout regimen for me, and we'll go from there," he says. To the rest, he shrugs a little. "Well, I don't know who you thought you were, but I think you're gorgeous and I'm honestly really shocked that you're not used to getting hit on. But, if you're married or already seeing somebody or something, again, I'm sorry. But you seem really cool, and I hope I see you around, sometimes, too, not just Joey. I'd like to get to know the real you," he says, offering Erin another big smile.

Coming in through the front door, ducking under the door frame, tall-dark-and-thugish steps inside. With the thumb of his left hand tucked into his pants pocket, the right hand is used to brush long black hair back over his shoulder while he takes a step. Just the one inside.
And freezes like a deer caught in Nope headlights.

She's looking at her phone, she's running debit cards. She's even distracted by the guy with game in the wheelchair. Everett glances to the left, the right, and takes three steps out. Two more than needed to leave the building, his normal broodish expression wide-eyed and pensive.

Erin accepts the card and slides it through the machine, charging it the exact rate for one month, not prorated or anything. She offers the card back and turns the paper towards him for the signature. "One month it is and I'm sure you won't regret it. Joey makes himself very accessible to everyone and I will leave a note for him that you're wanting to speak with him." The rest, she smiles a little sadly. "I'm not married or engaged or anything. I have had a recent break up." Nothing else, no way to define anything. "So no need to apologize. I'll be around here at work every day so if you ever need anything, even clean towels, water, coffee, anything, I'm the person to see for that."

Hearing the door, Erin looks up in time to see.. her eyes widen and she steps from behind the counter. "Did you see that?.. Him?" But he wasn't here any longer. Was she seeing things? Her safety was her concern and she steps behind the counter and picks up her phone. After recent happenings, she definitely needed to get out of here for the night.

Tyrone nods and smiles, taking his card back and sticking it back into his wallet, which is then returned to the bag under his seat. "Well, I hope you're right. And I hope it wasn't a bad break up. But, like I said, /I/ would like to get to know you bett-," he starts to say, when he's cut off by the sudden intrusion. "See ... hrm?" he asks, looking. Nope, he was definitely staring at Erin. Although, a door opening and closing WOULD be something that he would have heard, since they're still right by the front desk. Noticing Erin's sudden apprehension, Tyrone frowns distinctly and rolls back around the desk. "Is everything okay? Do you want me to go check on something?" he asks, concerned.

"Define bad breakup?" Erin says rhetorically. Not seeing anything outside, she shakes her head. "We're just about to close up here for the night. Yes, everything is just fine. I'll be around tomorrow though, and you can come anytime during business hours."

Tyrone frowns again at Erin's non-answer. Definitely a bad breakup, then. And he's not buying the whole 'everything is fine' line, either. When she announces it's about time to close up shop, it gives him a crack to stick his proverbial foot into in getting the door open. "Perfect. Can I walk you to your car? ... or, escort you, anyway," he asks, a smirk on his face as the turn of phrase is obviously humorous to him, given the situation, rather than causing angst.

"That would be really good. Thank you." Erin walks around turning off the lights and checking that the coffee maker is off, even though she'd cleaned it and the cups earlier. Security was on. Or would be as soon as they left. "Thank you for walking me out." She gathers her phone and her small clutch style purse and pushes open the door, holding it for him. "I'm just over here," she motions towards the Maserati.

Tyrone will definitely walk her out. And then double take, looking back between the woman and the car several times before making she she gets there safely. As it obviously has remote locks, if she unlocks the door early enough, he'll open her door for her. But most of the rest of the time is spent just gawking. ".... DAYUM, shawty. I didn't know you were balling out like that. ... why /don't/ you own the gym?" he asks, shook.

Erin does hit the remote unlock and she looks surprised when he gets the door for her. Something else no one ever does for her. "Thank you. Are you needing a ride anywhere?" There's a glance to the gym and she smiles wryly. "Because the man who owns it, it has been in his family for many years. I'd rather work there than own it. I'm happy with status quo."

"Hah! Right! And what are you gonna do with my chair? You know you don't have any trunk space," Tyrone says, chuckling and shaking his head as he holds her door for her. He's had good home training, plus he's a Marine! He knows how to treat a lady! "Thanks for offering, though. Bus got me here just fine, it'll get me back home, too. Plus, I get in a car like that? I may just never get out again." He grins as he takes a little peek at the interior of the car, too.

Odd enough the interior has been redone recently, it all smells brand new. It's also a 2019 car that was 150k at purchase. It's her baby. She loves it. "Just be safe out there. This town is insane at the best of times. Messed up at the worst. Thank you and I'll be seeing you tomorrow if you come in." Erin smiles, closing the door and rolling down the window. "Have a good night, Tyrone."

Tyrone carefully helps Erin close her door once she's situated safely inside. "I was a United States Marine, ma'am. Even without a gun, I should be scarier than anything this town cares to dish out," he says. Oh, so ignorant. Even if he does Glimmer a little. He'll pat Erin's door when she rolls the window down, resting is hand there for a moment. "But I appreciate the sentiment, and I hope you have a very good night, too. /You/ be safe. I'll see you around." And with that, he'll wheel backwards from the car, apparently intent on watching it in motion. It IS a Maserati, after all. Not something he's seen every day. Or any day, for that matter.

Surprised at the car in which he takes with her, Erin watches him a moment. "I really like your outlook." Maybe he's breaking the ice a little with her. Maybe she's thawing. "I will be safe, thank you Marine." A smile at that before she does drive off. The car hugs the road and corners like it's on rails. She heads for the rich neighborhood, of course.