by Kate Bell
I hadn't seen Alec since he had bragged about being in the first corral. I had also lost track of the scared-looking girl from the ladies room. For someone that looked terrified of what we were about to do, she could really move. I wondered if the scared look was all an act designed to make her opponents underestimate her so she could easily leave them in the dust.
As I trudged along, my eyes darted to the sidelines. There were volunteers holding out paper cups of Gatorade and water. I put my hand out and miraculously a cup of orange Gatorade appeared. I still hadn't figured out how that worked, but by my estimation, I had had at least thirty cups of the orange miracle fluid today.
I glanced at my watch and realized I had been at this for over four hours. I would not qualify for the US Olympic team at this rate, and with a time like that I would be stuck in the fourth corral forever.
Running a marathon was nothing like I had imagined. I thought I would run with a smile on my face and energy to spare. Sure, I knew I'd be tired when I got to the end, but at mile thirteen I had broken down in tears. I had run too fast at the beginning and when I realized I was only halfway done, I fell apart. Fortunately, a kind-hearted runner took hold of my hand and talked me through it. I never got her name, but she was an angel in green spandex.
At mile fifteen my cheeks and lips had chapped from the tears and the blowing breeze. I desperately wished I had thought to stow Chapstick somewhere on my person.
Thankfully the weather was good with the forecast saying seventy-six degrees. It was early yet, so it was still nice and cool. In spite of that my hair piled atop my head made me feel like my scalp was on fire. I had a lot of hair and it acted as an incubator for my scalp. By mile eighteen, I wished I had thought to shave my head before the race.
My feet pounded the pavement, and I swallowed. I had a serious case of cottonmouth in spite of the Gatorade and I hoped Alec didn't want to kiss me when I crossed the finish line. Was Alec already through? Probably. His long legs had most likely eaten up the miles in record time.
I breathed in deep and my lungs screamed in pain. Was that supposed to happen? I didn't know, but I hoped it wasn't anything permanent. Maybe forty-something was too old to run a first marathon. What had I been thinking?
A woman with pink hair was standing with a sign at the mile twenty-two marker. She held a yellow fluorescent sign that said, Go Allie, Go! You can do it!
Aw, I thought. Allie's so lucky to have someone to cheer her on. Then I realized my name was Allie and that woman with the sign was Lucy. I would have cried except I was pretty sure I didn't have any fluid left in my body. I forced my mouth into a smile and felt my lips crack. I waved at her as I passed. At least, I think I did. I'm pretty sure it looked more like a flail, though.
***
The finish line was up ahead and I could make it if I could forget my legs were still attached to my body. They were a weird mixture of numb and throbbing pain. I pushed myself and smiled at the remaining people lined up along the finish line, waving and cheering. I flailed my hands again and tried to remember what Alec looked like. My brain was as exhausted as my body. Was he there waiting for me?
I pushed myself across the finish line and someone slammed into me, causing my forward motion to cease. I closed my eyes and felt my head spin. Why didn't people watch where they were going?
"Allie, Allie," I heard someone say. I wanted to open my eyes, but it didn't seem like it was worth the effort, so I let them stay shut. "Allie, are you okay?"
I smiled again. At least, I think that's what I was doing. I felt water being poured on my neck and head and my eyes flew open. "Hey! What are you doing?" I slurred and felt myself being turned over to lie on my back.
"Are you okay, Allie?" someone said. I squinted at the person holding my shoulders up off the ground. Alec. So that's what he looked like. I smiled. He held a plastic cup of water and was poised to pour it on my face.
"Hey. Did I make it?" I croaked.
He grinned. "You did. You made it across the finish line and then you fell. It kind of looked like your legs wobbled and gave out."
"I did?" I asked. I couldn't remember any of that, but I would take his word for it. "Time?"
He glanced up at the clock behind me. "Just under five hours."
I frowned. "I can't get into Boston with that time."
"No, you can't. But you did great. You finished your first marathon and a lot of people don't make it that far. I'm proud of you."
I nodded and closed my eyes.
"Let's get you up on your feet and get fluids in you. Did you hydrate along the course?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Allie, are you okay?" I heard a voice say.
I opened one eye and saw a pink-haired lady. The same one that was holding the sign. Lucy. I nodded. "I'm fine. How about you?"
Alec hoisted me to my feet, and he put my arm around his neck. "Let's get her something to drink."
"I'm fine, Allie, but I'm not sure about you," Lucy answered.
"I'm good. I finished," I assured her. I gripped Alec's neck as we walked.
Alec walked me across the fairgrounds and over to our booth. My feet screamed with each step and I wondered if I had worn all the skin off the bottom of them.
"I'm hungry," I said. As soon as it was out of my mouth, I felt a wave of nausea wash over me and I grimaced. "Never mind."
"Let's get some water and Gatorade into you," Alec said. Ed pulled out one of the folding chairs and Alec sat me down on it. "Lean against the chair back and try not to fall off."
"Got it," I said. My skin felt like it was on fire, but I felt cold at the same time. I needed sleep.
Alec was back quickly with a bottle of Gatorade, and twisted the lid off. He put the bottle to my cracked lips, and it was the most divine tasting liquid I had ever tasted. I drank and drank, forgetting to come up for air.
"You need to drink more often when you run," Alec said, kneeling beside my chair. "It's dangerous letting yourself go so long without fluids."
I nodded, taking the bottle from him, and drained it. "I love this stuff."
"I'll get her some more," Lucy volunteered and went in search of more of the delightful orange elixir.
"How do you feel?" Alec asked with a grin on his face.
"Like I've been run over by a steamroller. I'm pretty sure being steamrolled feels like this."
He nodded. "You get used to it."
"I don't want to get used to it. I want a cupcake. And not one of those tiny ones, either."
Alec nodded and chuckled. This wasn't funny. Why hadn't he told me I would feel like death after the race? My head felt enormous and my muscles quivered.
Ed handed me a cupcake, and I shoved it in my mouth whole. My mama would be disappointed, but I didn't care. The sweet delicious strawberry flavor was better than anything I had ever tasted. Who made this thing? Then I remembered I made it. Apparently, I knew a thing or two about how to make cupcakes.
"Here you go," Lucy said, handing me another bottle of Gatorade. She held two more in reserve and waited while I finished my cupcake.
"Why did we do this?" I asked Alec. "It makes no sense. We paid good money to torture ourselves."
He sat there and grinned at me and shook his head. "You did a great job. You should be proud."
I didn't feel like I did a great job. I felt like I had survived an ordeal. I would think twice, or maybe three times before attempting another marathon.
Chapter Three
I sat on the chair for at least forty-five minutes letting Alec tell me how awesome I was for finishing the marathon. I appreciated it, but I didn't feel awesome and I didn't feel like ever running again. Becoming a couch potato sounded attractive. It was much safer and less painful.
"It might be a good idea for you to take a walk," Alec suggested.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I thought you loved me?"
He looked confused. "I do. What do you mean?"
"If you loved me, you'd let me sit here. For eternity, if n
eed be."
"You need to walk around and get your muscles moving. You've already sat too long," he said.
I sighed and gave him my hand. "Help me up."
He put his arm around me and helped me get to my feet. That was when I bit my lower lip to keep from screaming. I hurt. Everywhere. What had I done to myself?
"Come on, you can do it," he encouraged.
"Fine. I want some strawberries. I'm starving," I said. And I was. My stomach felt like it had a hole in it.
"All right, let's go." He kept one arm around me and we meandered along the rows of booths. Across from ours was a strawberry salsa booth, and I wanted to take a look. Jars of strawberry salsa sat on the table, along with a bowl of tortilla chips to sample the salsas. Each jar had a fancy label on it boasting of being locally made. There were other flavors besides strawberry, and I thought I would try them all.
"Is the strawberry salsa good?" I asked the girl behind the booth.
"The best," she said, and pushed a bowl of tortilla chips along with a little plastic sample cup of salsa toward me. "We have mild, medium and spicy."
I took a chip and dipped it into the medium salsa and brought it to my mouth. "Oh, my gosh, that is so good!" I scooped up more salsa on another chip and shoved it in before I had swallowed the first.
Alec scooped salsa onto a chip, and ate it, nodding. "That is really good."
I thought the chilies in the salsa would overwhelm the strawberries but it somehow complemented them. I scooped up more salsa on a chip and popped the whole thing into my mouth. "So good," I said around the food in my mouth.
"We better buy a jar," Alec said, reaching for his wallet as I scooped another chip full of salsa into my mouth.
"Wow," I said and grabbed another plastic cup of salsa and scooped it up with a chip. I probably looked greedy, but I was starving and the salsa was a beautiful thing.
Alec smirked. "She seems to like it," he said to the girl and handed her the cash. "We'll take two jars. Medium and spicy."
"Great," she said and put two jars into a plastic bag for him.
I scooped up another chip full of salsa and Alec guided me away from the booth. "Save some for the other people," he whispered.
"No," I said around the chip and salsa in my mouth. My mother taught me not to talk with food in my mouth, but I was making an exception to the rule today. "You should get five jars. Maybe six. This stuff is great."
"We can come back for more if we really need it," he said. He put the plastic bag with the salsa over his arm and wrapped his other arm around me to keep me walking. "Let's see what we've got here."
The next booth had soaps and candles on the table. Along the back of the booth were strawberry plants and fancy labeled bottles of vitamins and supplements.
"What's all that?" I asked, pointing to the bottles in the back.
The man stepped up to the front of the booth and looked back over his shoulder to where I was pointing. "That's botanical heaven. I'm a botanist and I grow my own healing herbs. Western medicine is harmful to the human body, you know. Nature has given us all we need to stay healthy and smart people take advantage of those resources."
"Oh," I said, nodding. The guy was a little intense.
He stuck his hand out. "I'm Barnabas Smithfield. I own a little greenhouse and organic garden just outside of town. There's a shop on the property and I sell vitamins, herbs, and natural medicines." Barnabas had shoulder-length black hair, a black goatee and wore gold wire-framed glasses. He had an engaging smile and blue eyes that twinkled. I liked him immediately.
"Alec Blanchard," Alec said, shaking Barnabas's hand. "And this is Allie McSwain."
I stuck my hand out and shook Barnabas's hand. It surprised me that it was cold and clammy. It took all the control I could muster to keep from wiping my hand on my shirt.
"So what kind of herbs do you grow?" I asked, making conversation.
"I've got over three hundred types of plants. It's not only my hobby but also my livelihood. Your complexion could use some witch hazel. It will clear up those abrasions," he said, eyeing my red, dried-out face.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I just ran a marathon. My complexion might not be quite as clear as it normally is." I was beginning to change my initial assessment of him. His mama obviously hadn't told him that a gentleman doesn't mention when a lady doesn't look her best.
"Oh, of course," Barnabas said. "But if you'd like to hasten the healing process, you can't go wrong with witch hazel."
I could sense Alec snickering silently beside me and I had to keep myself from looking at him or I would slug him in the arm.
"And you make soap?" Alec asked, looking at the array of bars on the table in front of us.
Barnabas nodded. "Goat's milk soap. In honor of the festival, I added strawberries, and then I added coconut oil for its medicinal properties. Coconut oil is very good for the complexion and the seeds in the strawberries act as exfoliates."
I nodded. It sounded good. "May I see a bar?"
He reached over and picked up a pink bar and handed it to me. "Go ahead. Smell it."
I put it up to my nose and inhaled. "Wow. That smells good. What else is in it?" The bar had a light pink and white swirl pattern. The strawberry seeds were easily seen on small chunks of strawberries throughout the bar.
"Almonds and honey. You could almost eat it," he said and chuckled. "Oh, but don't. It doesn't taste as good as it smells."
I smiled at him. "I'm loving the festival so far," I said. "Everyone's so creative with the items they're selling. I never knew there were so many things you could do with strawberries."
"Yes, it's delightful, isn't it? Of course, you have to watch out for the less scrupulous sellers," he said, looking down the row of booths.
"Oh?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yes. Some people think it's perfectly fine to steal ideas from others and make a profit from them."
I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but I wanted to see more of the festival. It was time to move on.
"I'd like some soap," I said to Alec. "And what about that?" I asked, pointing to a box of lip balm tubes on the side shelf of the booth.
"Lip balm. Honey and strawberries. All natural ingredients, just like the soap."
"I need two of those, too, please. My lips are chapped after that run," I said, licking my lips.
"Ring us up for a couple bars of soap and two lip balms," Alec said, taking his wallet out again.
"And something for the lady's skin?" Barnabas suggested. "I also have vitamin E oil with aloe for your skin. It helps with windburn."
I narrowed my eyes at him again. "I don't need anything for my skin besides the soap. Thanks."
"Very well," Barnabas said with a shrug. "Too bad you weren't here earlier. I made smoothies for the runners with all natural ingredients to help with recovery. They went like hotcakes though, and I'm sold out."
"That's a shame," I said. "I love smoothies."
“Remember, be careful of the other sellers. Especially the ones selling soaps and botanicals. They don’t use all natural ingredients. Some have stolen my ideas, but they cut corners,” he said, nodding his head.
“We sure will,” I said with a tired smile. I didn’t know what he had against the other sellers and I was too tired to care.
Alec paid for my loot and we walked on. My legs protested every step of the way, but I had to admit they were feeling looser from walking. Alec was right about me sitting for so long after the race. I needed to keep moving to loosen my muscles and joints.
We stopped in front of a booth with strawberry cookies on display and I was about to pick out a strawberry white chocolate chip cookie as big as my head when we heard a scream.
"She fainted! Someone call 911!" a voice screamed.
"Come on," Alec said. We headed toward a booth selling strawberry jam and fresh strawberries. A small crowd was gathering and Alec left me to see what was happening. I hobbled after him as best I could.
; Alec jumped the front of the booth and kneeled down behind it. My legs protested as I forced myself to move faster. The front of the booth was already lined with people, but I nudged my way to the front and peered over the side.
A young woman with dark brown hair lay on her back on the ground. There was foam and pink stuff coming out of her mouth and her body jerked now and then. Alec was on the phone talking to the 911 operator while people stood around silently watching. When Alec had an ambulance on the way, he hit END and turned back to the girl.
"Aren't you going to give her CPR?" someone in the crowd asked.
"She's still breathing," Alec said without looking away from the girl. He placed his hand on the girl's neck, checking for a pulse.
He was silent a moment and without a word, he began CPR.
"Oh, no," someone said.
I bit my lower lip. The twitching made me wonder if she was having a seizure.
"Do you need me to do anything, Alec?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Not right now."
"Oh, poor thing," someone said.
"Is she going to be okay?" someone else asked.
"Allie, can you get us some privacy?" Alec asked, without stopping CPR.
"Let's give her some privacy, everyone," I said, waving my hands. People along the front of the booth glanced at me and took a step back. "Please everyone, if that was someone you loved, you'd want her to have privacy."
I kept waving them away and wished Lucy and Ed were there to help, but they were too far away. "Come on, everyone. Please move back."
A middle-aged man at the back stepped up and helped me back up the crowd. Some people wandered off, but most only backed up a little. It was the best we could do. I prayed the ambulance got here soon.
Chapter Four
Alec sat on the folding chair with his head in his hands. I stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders. "You did all you could do."
"I know," he said without looking up.
I felt terrible for Alec. We both knew he had done all he could for the girl, but we both also knew he would blame himself for not being able to resuscitate her.