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  Theo grinned. “Yeah, that’d be great! I really appreciate this, Mr. Baskin.”

  The man replied, “No problem. You remind me of me at your age. How does eleven o’clock sound?”

  “Okay,” Theo replied. “Uh, do I need any equipment? Anything special?”

  “For tomorrow,” said Mr. Baskin, “you need a pair of sneakers, comfortable clothes to work out in, and a wristwatch.”

  “I’d like to come, too,” said Paul, “if it’s all right with Theo.”

  “Sure,” Theo said. It was hard to believe. But he was going to do it! After all, what did he have to lose? Except maybe some fat?

  3

  Dressed in shorts, a T-shirt, and sneakers and wearing an old wristwatch of his father’s, Theo walked to the park the next morning. It was a warm, sunny day, and he passed a number of runners of different ages. He thought that soon he might be one of them.

  His parents had been delighted when Theo told them of his plan. They suggested that he telephone Aunt Marj. Theo had hesitated, reluctant to disappoint her if he didn’t meet his goal. But the temptation had proved too strong.

  Marj had sounded weak on the phone, but there was no mistaking the pleasure she had felt. “That’s wonderful news, hon. It’s the best medicine I could have!”

  “I might not be able to do it,” Theo had cautioned her.

  “I’ll bet you will. And just knowing that you care enough to try is wonderful. Good luck, hon, and let me know how it’s going.”

  Theo caught sight of Paul and Mr. Baskin waiting near a path under some trees. He waved to them, and they waved back.

  “Hi, Theo,” Mr. Baskin said. “You ready?”

  “I guess,” Theo said. “So, do we just, like, start running?”

  “Not yet,” said Paul’s dad. “The first thing we begin with is stretching. You’re going to begin and end every workout by doing some stretches. They’ll protect you from injuries like pulled muscles.”

  Mr. Baskin went over to a nearby building and said, “First, I’ll do each stretch, and then you do it. This one is for your calf muscles.”

  Mr. Baskin stood a few feet from the wall and stepped forward on his right foot. He leaned forward and rested his forearms against the wall so that his left leg was straight and the heel of his left foot was off the ground.

  He looked back to Theo. “Now I’m going to push against the wall and, at the same time, press my left heel down toward the ground — not too hard, gently — to stretch the left calf muscle. Then I’ll hold that position while I count slowly to ten.”

  After this, Mr. Baskin switched legs and stretched the calf of his right leg. Then he gestured to Theo. “Let’s see you try it.”

  Theo got into position and pushed down with his left heel.

  “Careful, not too hard,” cautioned Paul’s father. “Can you feel the stretch?”

  “Yeah,” Theo said.

  “Hold it for a ten count, then switch legs,” Mr. Baskin said.

  After Theo had finished, Mr. Baskin said, “Okay. Paul, your turn.”

  Once his son had finished, Mr. Baskin said, “Now for the thigh muscles.”

  Theo learned ten stretches in all, for his legs, arms, and back. When they were finished, he said, “I don’t think I can remember all this.”

  “Don’t worry,” Mr. Baskin replied. “I have pictures and instructions for everything in the car. When we’re finished, I’ll give them to you. Once you’ve been doing this awhile, you won’t need the instructions, you’ll have it all memorized.”

  “Okay,” said Theo.

  “Once you’ve been working out for a while, you’ll be more flexible, and then you may want to repeat each stretch two or three times instead of just once.”

  Theo nodded. “So, now do we run?”

  Mr. Baskin shook his head. “Not right away. First, we’re going to walk.”

  Theo was startled. “Walk?”

  “You don’t want to try to do too much all at once,” said Paul.

  “Right,” his father agreed. “So first, we’re going to walk for ten minutes. Then, we’ll run a little. Ready?”

  Theo nodded and the three set off, fairly fast, but not fast enough to exhaust Theo. As they walked, Mr. Baskin explained the schedule he wanted Theo to use.

  “What you’re doing today is the pattern for your first week. You walk the first ten minutes. For the second ten minutes, you’ll run until you have to slow down. Then you’ll walk for a minute and start running again, and so on, until the second ten minutes is over. Finally, you’ll walk for ten minutes more, do your stretches, and that’s it.”

  “That’s all?” Theo was relieved. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

  “It isn’t too bad,” Paul said. “You see? I told you.”

  “The idea is to build yourself up, a little at a time,” explained Mr. Baskin. “During the next eight weeks, you’ll do more and more running and less walking. Also, the walking you do will be faster. The idea is to build up your endurance without exhausting you.

  “Little by little, you build up your muscles, including your heart. At the same time, you build up your oxygen intake, which will give you more energy. You’ll start to feel a difference — not right away, but pretty soon.”

  “And you think I’ll be able to run three miles in three months?” Theo asked.

  “I think so,” answered Paul’s dad. “Along with the stretching instructions, I’ll give you a timetable to use. Every week for the next eight weeks, you’ll increase your running time and cut down your walking time.”

  Mr. Baskin’s watch suddenly beeped. “Time to do a little running,” he said. “Now remember — don’t push too hard. This is only your first day.”

  Theo had to stop and walk three times during the ten minutes. He felt embarrassed, like he’d done a pathetic workout. As they started walking the last ten minutes, Theo muttered, “That was totally lame, huh?”

  “Lighten up,” Paul said. “It was your first time. You’ll get better.”

  “Paul’s right,” said his father. “I think I had even more trouble my first time. Don’t get down on yourself so quickly.”

  As they walked, Mr. Baskin began talking about running. “I love this sport. You can do it anywhere, anytime. You don’t have to have a lot of expensive equipment. You can compete in races, or you can just run for the heck of it. Every time I run, I feel great afterward — like my body is full of energy. I know I’m healthier than I would be if I didn’t run.” He grinned. “And if I ever see Charlene Kramer, boy, will she be impressed.”

  Paul said, “I’ve only been doing it for a month now, but I really like it, too. Once you’ve worked at it a little more, we can run together.”

  Theo felt a little better.

  Mr. Baskin’s watch beeped. “Let’s do those stretches.”

  After the three had stretched, Paul asked, “How do you feel? Ready to do it again tomorrow?”

  Theo thought about it for a moment. “Yeah,” he said. “I am. You were right to get me into this.”

  “Want a ride home?” Mr. Baskin asked, after he’d given Theo the stretching instructions and running schedule.

  “No, I guess I’ll walk,” Theo said.

  Mr. Baskin started the car. “Suit yourself. And call me if you have any questions. I’ll probably check with you now and then to see how it’s going.”

  “See you, Gee,” Paul said.

  Theo waved as the car moved away. He’d be back tomorrow, and he’d do the same routine.

  Except maybe just a little better.

  4

  The following day was Sunday, and Theo worked out by himself, using Mr. Baskin’s charts to help him remember the stretches. As he started out, he felt a little nervous, but soon relaxed and just got into the rhythm of moving. Without Mr. Baskin along, Theo wasn’t sure how fast he was going. But he thought he might be walking a little faster than the previous day.

  He wondered if it would be a good idea to do his walking
and running on the school track at least once a week, so that he’d know how far he was going and at what speed. That way, he’d know how much progress he was making.

  The first ten minutes went by surprisingly fast, and Theo began to run. One of the pointers Mr. Baskin had given him yesterday concerned breathing. He should keep his breathing steady and rhythmical. He focused on that. When he had to slow down to a walk, Theo was pleasantly surprised. He had run for almost three minutes! That was better than he had done the day before. He resolved to try not to walk more than one more time during the middle ten minutes today.

  And he did it! Determined not to walk, Theo did have to slow down during his last run, looking at his watch every few seconds to see when the ten minutes was over. He forgot about keeping his breathing even and steady and was happy to keep breathing at all. When the second hand of the watch finally showed that he could stop, he was panting and sweating heavily.

  But during the whole ten minutes, Theo had only walked for two. In other words, he had run for eight minutes. No doubt about it, he’d made progress!

  As he walked the last ten minutes, Theo realized he must have had a big grin on his face, because people coming his way grinned back. But he felt good. Maybe he’d reach his goal, after all. It began to seem possible to him.

  He finished the last walk and did his stretches, feeling really great. Theo wasn’t sure whether he felt great because he’d done better today or because running did that for you, like the Baskins said. But it didn’t really matter. It was nice to feel so good, whatever the reason.

  When he arrived at home, his father saw him come in. “How did it go?” he asked.

  “Okay,” Theo replied. “Actually, it was really good. I did better than yesterday.”

  “That’s great news,” said Mr. Gordimer. “Want to tell Aunt Marj? We’re going to see her, and you’re welcome to join us.”

  “Sure,” Theo said. “I’ll get cleaned up.”

  Mr. Gordimer said, “Marj just finished her last chemotherapy session, so this is sort of a congratulations visit. I don’t think we’ll stay for long — she’s never up for long visits just after finishing one of those. But she’ll be happy to hear your news.”

  “I’ll be ready in a few minutes,” Theo said as he ran up to his room.

  When the Gordimers arrived at Marj’s place, Marj’s aide, Louise, let them in. Louise had been staying with Marj during her recovery. She was a young woman who seemed to be cheerful all the time, which, Theo figured, was a good quality to have for someone who did that kind of work. He knew that Marj had a high opinion of Louise, whose services had been vital for the last several months.

  “How is she doing?” asked Theo’s mother as Louise closed the front door.

  Louise’s usual sunny look turned a little less bright. “Well, you know how it is. Right after she gets back from the therapy, she’s not real strong. But that’ll pass. And she’s looking forward to seeing you. Just let’s keep it pretty short today, all right?”

  Theo, who thought he was prepared to see his aunt looking not very well, was nevertheless shocked when they went into Marj’s room. She was lying in bed, propped up on a few pillows. She seemed even thinner than when he’d seen her last, and her skin was chalky. Her hair was almost completely gone! There were only some wisps of white left.

  Mrs. Gordimer bent over and kissed her sister. “Good to see you home,” she said softly.

  “Hi, Gordimers,” Marj whispered, managing a weak smile.

  “Nice to know that you’re through with those treatments,” Mr. Gordimer said, sitting in a chair near the bed.

  “I thought they’d never end,” Marj agreed. Her eyes fell on Theo. “Hi, hon! Give your aunt a kiss!”

  Theo came to the side of the bed and kissed Marj’s cheek. She looked at him for a moment and must have seen something in his expression.

  “It’s not as bad as all that, hon. I don’t believe you ever saw me just after I finished chemo. I always look like this for a couple of days. But it passes.”

  “Of course it does,” agreed Mr. Gordimer. “You’ll be up and about in no time.”

  Marj put a hand to her head. “It’s the hair, isn’t it? Chemo does that to a lot of people. But they tell me it’ll grow back. And if it doesn’t, well, there are always wigs. I can change my hairstyle every day if I want.”

  Theo remembered that the last few times he’d seen Marj, she’d been wearing a baseball cap. Now he understood why.

  “I’ve started running,” Theo said. “Today was my second day.”

  Marj’s smile grew a little wider. “That’s wonderful!”

  “Well, it’s only a start,” Theo said. “No big deal.”

  “Sure, it’s a big deal,” said Marj. “Taking the first step is a big deal. And it makes me very pleased to know you’re doing it.”

  Mrs. Gordimer passed along some family news to Marj, and the family chatted for a few minutes. Then, Louise came into the bedroom.

  “I hate to break this up, but Marj needs to get her rest. I think it’s time to say our good-byes now.”

  The Gordimers stood up, and each of them gave Marj a kiss and said good-bye. When Theo’s turn came, Marj squeezed his hand.

  “You keep this up. I want you to tell me all about it. I’m proud of you.”

  “You just get better,” Theo said. “I’m proud of you.”

  There was little talk in the car after the Gordimers left Marj’s place. Theo had tried to keep up a confident appearance during the visit, but he was feeling very upset. From the way Marj looked, he wondered if she would ever recover. But there was no way that he would say any such thing within his mother’s hearing.

  But Theo was pretty sure that Mrs. Gordimer shared his mood. She sat with her eyes closed, looking unhappy and on the verge of tears.

  It was Mr. Gordimer who finally broke the silence. “Look, I know that was rough on all of us. But let’s try not to get too discouraged, all right?”

  “She looks so weak and tired,” his wife said.

  Mr. Gordimer kept his eyes on the road while he spoke. “Dear, she’s looked terrible every time after the chemo. Then she slowly gets stronger. No reason to expect this time to be any different. Remember Jerry Abrams?”

  “The man in your office who had cancer?” Theo asked.

  “Right,” said Theo’s dad. “Jerry went through the same routine — radiation, chemo, the works. I visited him a couple of times and figured he would never make it. Well, guess what?

  “Jerry’s on the mend. He has been for two years now, and he’s doing fine. Cancer isn’t an automatic death sentence, not anymore — far from it.”

  “Really?” Theo asked. “He got better?”

  “He sure did,” said Mr. Gordimer. “And if anybody I know is a good candidate for complete recovery, it’s Marj. She’s one tough lady. She’s always been healthy and active, and she’s as stubborn as they come. No way will she just lie down and quit.”

  Mrs. Gordimer nodded. “You’re right, of course, but I get so worried for her.”

  “Sure you do,” her husband said. “But don’t let it get to you. The most important thing we can do — all of us, you, too, Theo — is to think positive thoughts and be there for her. We have to let her know we’re rooting for her. That can make a difference.”

  Theo sat back, feeling a little less gloomy. His father was right. The other thing he could do, personally, was to keep running.

  5

  A few days later, Theo went to his school’s track to do his workout. The first ten-minute walk went well. Theo was happy to realize that he covered well over half a mile. He was certain that this was considerably more than he’d been able to do less than a week before. The big question was: how far would he be able to run nonstop?

  Before starting, he quickly went over a few of Mr. Baskin’s tips, especially the one about keeping his breathing steady. Then he started. Before he’d finished half of his first running lap, Theo knew that he was go
ing to finish the whole lap without stopping… and then some. He was relaxed and not feeling wiped out at all. Amazing! he thought, as his legs kept pumping away.

  He finished the first lap and kept going. Shortly after he began his second lap, Theo began to feel a little winded, but resisted the temptation to slow to a walk just yet. As he ran, he thought about the kids who had teased him in gym class that day and smiled to himself. He wished they were there to see him now.

  Well, maybe they would see him, soon enough. He suddenly realized that he had gone more than halfway around the track a second time! Could he do a complete half mile? He gritted his teeth. He’d sure try. His breathing got a little faster and harder as the end of the lap came into sight, but Theo knew that he was going to do it. At the end of the half mile, he slowed to a walk and looked at his watch. It had taken him just over five and a half minutes. He walked slowly at first, then faster as he got his wind back.

  When the one-minute walking interval ended, Theo started running again. He didn’t have to stop until it was time to start walking again.

  He’d run for nine of the ten minutes and only had to walk once! He felt wonderful. He began walking again, feeling stronger and more confident with every step. He’d do it! He’d run that five-K! This was the New Theo, and there was no telling how fast he’d get!

  At the end of the final ten minutes, Theo worked out that he’d been walking at about four-and-a-half miles an hour. Hardly a world record, he knew, but better — much better — than the old Theo was ever able to do. Tomorrow was the last day of his first week, and Mr. Baskin’s schedule called for Theo to take a day off.

  Still feeling pumped, Theo phoned Paul that evening after dinner.

  “Hey, Gee, how you doing?” Paul asked.

  “Fantastic! I had a really good workout today! This is going great!”

  “No kidding? That’s really cool, Gee. My dad’s going to be glad to hear it. How far did you run?”

  “I ran a half mile without stopping!” Theo said. “Remember that day in gym? I couldn’t make half a lap!”