CHAPTER 27
The alarm clock rang, it was half past six in the morning, Leonardo got up, with great difficulty, and looked at himself in the mirror. He was still quite overweight, but his body had undergone major transformations, and he had already made peace with his own facial expression.
Leonardo's mother hadn't woken up yet, he left breakfast ready for her, it had become a habit, he was now changing his clothes and getting ready to go for a run. He got used to going out in the mornings, it was the new time he took for himself to run and exercise.
The mornings were almost always cold, and he ran in darker clothes, black and navy blue. He walked and always admired the people who were already at their places of work, and those who were on their way to their posts.
Leonardo liked to walk slowly in the mornings, breathing the morning wind, looking at the changing colors of the sky, seeing the shapes of the clouds, and imagining things.
In the morning his mind was clearer, and he could feel a lot of things, he admired people, and seemed to feel what they felt, he looked at the sky, and he seemed to be stretching above the clouds and getting ready to run.
The sea was rough, with huge waves making a loud sound as they touched the sand, and the sky was already reaching the blue tone that would continue for the rest of the day. Leonardo admired the waves for a while, and the cold wind, and breathed slowly as he prepared for another race.
He plans to go to the end of the track and back, it would total just over fourteen kilometers, he was now preparing for a half marathon, which would take place in a few months.
The stretching was slow and pleasant, he could completely feel the fibers in his body stretching and leaving. He was already warmed up and ready for the day's challenge.
He liked running without headphones, it helped him meditate and think. He always had more vivid ideas when he ran like this.
His body was already completely used to it, until he reached the eight-kilometer mark, he didn't even feel tired, but he held the pace a lot, so as not to get more tired than necessary.
He rarely remembered what it was like to run with other people, with his usual friends, and to push the limits with someone. Solitary running also had a strong point, he felt welcomed by the track, as if he and the running track were friends, and it taught Leonardo new ways of running.
Leonardo was able to concentrate on every movement the body made, the leg stretching and pulling, and how this caused inner relief. Every day he sought more peace in his thoughts and in his sentimental life, he tried to keep his emotions under control, and observe what each thing meant to him.
There were few people running at that time, but normally, they were the same people, and Leonardo got used to the faces, he even greeted some people.
He saw people of all types, old people, young people, people who looked like teenagers preparing for some competition, much older people trying to stay active. It was all a way of staying alive, and feeling special for themselves, without depending on anyone else other than their own motivations.
Leonardo now no longer feared a new beginning, or solitude, he now embraced each of these ideas. He managed to be himself more and more every day, and respect others in that way.
He had passed the ten-kilometer mark, usually at this point he remembered everything that had happened to him, and everything that had changed, and thought about the personal challenges he needed to overcome, and how determined he was to do that next half-marathon
The wind and waves kept Leonardo company on that track, now he was making his way back, and thinking about what to do next.
The body always got immensely tired in the final two kilometers, but that was exactly what Leonardo was looking for, to reach exhaustion, and spend that special moment in the morning catching his breath and admiring the sea, sometimes he spent more than an hour watching the waters of the sea.
He walked for a while along the sand, to the edge of the sea, with his sneakers in hand, he let the sea water wash his feet and he could continue, meditating and feeling the world around him.
The fresh wind and the barking of dogs running in the distance brought Leonardo back to that moment. And after feeling all the coldness of the sea, he returned home, while humming personal beauties within his own memories.
As soon as he got home, he ate breakfast and was already stretching for post-workout stretching, and getting ready to edit a new video of Jane.
Now, he had fewer commitments throughout the week, but in compensation, he started to organize his schedule better, and was determined to get back to working as video editor with more vigor.
He looked out the living room window, at the cars passing by, and people distant, tiny, and different from him, they always seemed to move, to be moving towards something more, something beyond, and being better and better.
Leonardo studied video editing, with more dedication, he bought some more modern courses, and was preparing to perhaps do a solo project, and part of the course was about video analysis.
He decided to rewatch the K-drama series that he had watched with his mother and also, with Marcelle. Now he looked more closely at the technical parts, but he also paid close attention to the content of the work.
The character continued to be reluctant, even in the last episode, she thought about perhaps not continuing her life with her romantic partner. She was now a respected person within the police station and was rising through the ranks, and he was a former criminal without any education.
While she was thinking about what to do, he was also deciding, and he knew what would be best, at least he thought he knew, and he decided to get on a plane and leave Korea and leave his loved one for good.
One could hardly think about the reasons why each one made those decisions, but both thought about what was best for the other. Even the police officer saw that a relationship would be bad for him at that point in his life, at least, she thought so.
While the plane was already passing over the ocean, the character couldn't stop thinking about his loved one, and had several flashbacks. The same happened with the main one, she saw that her lover had left, she didn't leave any note, nor did she say where she was going.
They both thought for themselves, but he made a decision. And the series continued, perhaps for a conclusion, perhaps for a more dramatic ending.
Leonardo began to identify more deeply with that character and knew everything that was going on in his mind. But he still couldn't understand the main point of the series. Everything was going well for her, but she preferred not to delve into the desires she felt.
Leonardo had not yet experienced this side of the coin. He knew the other side well, he knew every moment of the torment of not being able to make someone else happy, of being insufficient in someone else's life.
He already knew about these feelings, he knew about all of this. Before the series ended, he turned off the television and lay down quietly on the sofa in the living room and thought about the decisions he had made.
His pride was still hurt, due to several things, he was deeply affected, but he didn't show it to anyone around him. He just went on with his own life, trying to make himself more present and special in the lives of those who stayed with him, even though they were few, they were special people.
The cell phone rang, there were some messages. Jane asked how the editing was going, Leonardo said that he was finishing studying but would start editing the videos. Jane asked if he wanted to come over to her house later. He said yes.
---END---
BOOK 2 COMING SOON