91. Operation get better!

She told me that my dad got admitted again while they were visiting my aunt in Seychelles, but this time it looked worse than before, I should prepare to say goodbye. "We are just waiting for him to be stable enough to be transferred back home, and the doctor said it would take between three to four weeks", she said with a trembling voice and my heart sank, she was about to lose the love of her life, the person she's loved for more than 3 decades. 

Hearing the discomfort and the pain in my mom's voice, I believed her when she said the worst was coming, it was then that I decided to get off my butt and be better, my mother was going to need me and I needed to be in a better shape, I would have to be her rock. I couldn't even imagine her pain, if I felt so horrible for losing someone I knew for almost 2 years, what was her level of pain? She would never see or talk to him ever again. I might be losing a parent but she was losing her companion, her friend, her partner, and her love.

I instantly sat up, thinking of all the things I needed to do to reach my new goal, my mother needed me and I was going to show up, "Let me know when you are close to traveling, and I will make sure to be there when you arrive...".

Now I had no choice but to get in good health and it was the exact motivation I needed. I couldn't go home looking the way I did, my mom would know in an instant that something was wrong and she already had enough to deal with. I must at least look half healthy when I met her, I knew it would take at least a month to look like a functioning, healthy human being, so I had my work cut out for me. 

I instantly booked more therapy sessions, I was going to be in therapy every single day, and I would not miss a single session. I then dialed a number I haven't in a while... Ntando. The phone didn't even have to ring twice, it was like he had been waiting for my call, "Thandie! Thank goodness...", a huge sigh of relief followed shortly after that.

He must have been worried and I instantly felt bad; I had all these people worried, the least I could have done was to reply to their texts, and put them at ease.

I sighed, "Hey Ntando, I am sorry for being MIA, I-"

He cut me off, "No no, don't do that, don't explain. I truly understand and I am not holding it against you. I am just glad you are alright..."

I simply smiled in appreciation, I was really blessed to have such people in my corner, "Thank you Ntando. I actually need a favor, I-. ", he instantly said yes, before even hearing my request," Whatever it is... I'm in! ",

I chuckled," Okay... I need a meal plan that can help me gain healthy weight and also, I was wondering if you could be my personal trainer... ". I wanted to get healthy, but since I didn't feel comfortable with going outside yet, having Ntando come to me seemed like a great plan. He asked for my address so we could talk more in person, and within 3 hours of ending the call, he was standing at my front door accompanied by a woman, the dietician from his gym.

She drew a 30-day meal plan for me, and she left immediately leaving Ntando and me to create our workout schedule and the exercises I needed to be prepared for. Once all of that was done, he offered to help me buy the few things I didn't have and I welcomed his help. Thanks to Walter's shopping I had almost everything I needed for my meal plan.

By the end of the day, I had the blueprint to get my life in order, and I was ready to get to work. The following day, operation-get-better was initiated and I never missed a session. After two weeks, I could see the difference, and my mental health improved a lot to a point where I could go to a supermarket alone. Although I was still antsy about wearing skin-revealing clothes, at least I could interact without feeling judged or overwhelmed. All thanks to the exposure therapy I was subjected to.

I can honestly say having Ntando over was truly a great idea, he was really professional when he had to be except he never liked wearing a T-shirt during workouts. At first, it was uncomfortable, but I grew used to it, and I took it as another form of exposure therapy. Besides, his lean abs were really motivational and it was nice talking to a human being for a change and Ntando always had something to talk about, stories for days, I was always laughing.

Everything was going according to plan, well, that was until Walter suddenly showed up unannounced one Friday evening and was met with a very bare-chested man whose face he recognized which shocked him even more, "Ntando... What are you doing here?".

Before Ntando could reply, Walter abruptly pushed his way to the apartment to find me sitting on my yoga mat in my workout clothes, sweating like hell, and his tense face relaxed a bit. I don't know what he expected, but whatever it was, it was not good, because it really put him in panic mode for a few seconds.

Ntando shut the door, and he looked at me with a puzzled face, "Walt-", his eyes widened in an instant, "Walter! That Walter??? Your Walter? He's the Walter???". I almost burst out laughing, I can't believe it took him that long to connect the dots.

I shook my head in a nod and his Jaws dropped, "Oh my word! This whole time, he's been under my nose. King Jerk himself..." and my eyes popped out, I did not see that comment coming and it seemed Walter was just as taken back and I loved it. 

"Excuse me??", he flared.