Jogger Round the Block

It had been two years since I moved to the depths of the New York metropolitan area. As somebody that grew up on the southernmost tip of Florida, I had a dynamic adjustment period to this environment - don’t even get me started on the weather.

I will credit myself, though - despite the stress of a brand new territory, I took my time and focused on my studies. That was the motive for my move, after all - the north naturally has a comparably rigorous education system in comparison to my hometown, and I had the benefit of family living up here for the sake of avoiding dormitory costs.

With the backstory mess out of the way, let’s now bring things to the present.

My city is very simple. Populated and decently diverse, yes - but unmistakably traditional and small. And when I say small, I mean it. We’re talking small enough to have your dirty laundry spread around the town within days, because everyone knows each other.

Who I didn’t know, though, was a face opposing me on one of my daily morning walks.

At the crack of dawn, I always go for a leisurely, yet lengthy, walk with my Pitbull Roc around the streets bordering my house. At the end of it is a small park, which we’ll stroll through for the sake of a longer outing - I had to keep the guy in shape, after all. He may be a senior in dog years, but no need to treat him like one.

On this particular day, however, I noticed said man jogging down the park trail with a dog of his own. A German Shepherd, it seemed. Roc didn’t like those. Ever since he got into an altercation with one in his youth, their presence gets him riled up - there’s some conditioning that no amount of training can undo.

And naturally, to my luck, Roc began spazzing on the dog. Barks loud enough to wake people up in the next city over filled the air, and the typical unapologetic pulling of the leash for a situation beyond his control ensued. The man, who seemed tranquil prior to the antics, quickly pulled away from our direction to avoid conflict. He was easy on the eyes, too…leave it to Roc of all people to spoil such a visual gift.

The day continued as normal - college class, home errands, yelling at my sports teams on the TV, sleep, repeat. The next morning, I continued my walking route, being pleasantly met with the sight of the jogging man again. However, there was no German Shepherd within my vision…a welcome change for Roc, at least.

As I walked parallel to the new face around the block, I bathed in the sight of what was a rather attractive man. Definitely on the thicker side, but a good thick - muscular, even. He sported earthly, tan skin, as well as a black beard thick enough to hide in. His curly, slightly grown out hair was damp with the sweat of his cardiovascular outing, which seemed easily manageable to the jock. He was clearly at a later stage in life…even if he looked young for his age, he had to have a good decade of experience on me at least.

I may have been staring to an embarrassing degree - can you blame me with arms as beefy as those? That was perhaps for the worst as my newfound eye candy was now moving at a significantly slower pace, seemingly scanning me and Roc for signs of trouble. I was so lost in my own gazing that I almost forgot my first interaction with this man didn’t go so well.

Forgive and forget must have been the day’s motto, as the hunk crossed the grass of the park to approach me and my pooch anyways. Roc seemed entirely unfazed by his increasing presence, implying his concerns involved other furry foes, as opposed to their owners.

With just enough distance between us to ensure I couldn’t withdraw from an interaction, the man yelled “Hey!” within earshot. As he approached me, it became increasingly apparent that I had a borderline bodybuilder in my presence. I knew he was thick to the exterior with muscle, but he looked MASSIVE up close. The only attribute I had on him was height by a trivial margin.

“Hey, you were that dude with the Pitbull! Seems like the big guy woke up on the right side of the bed today!”, the man said cheerily as he reached his hand out for Roc to investigate. Given my skeptical partner’s warm response, it seemed I at least had the right energy in front of me.

“Uh, yeah, sorry about that…Roc doesn’t do well with German Shepherds. Trauma from years ago, didn’t mean to interrupt your jog.”, I replied awkwardly.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all man. I get it…animal instinct is animal instinct. Although maybe I should get big Roc a playdate with AJ, heal some open wounds!”, he joked amidst his pet name reveal. That laugh was going to get addictive quickly.

“Maybe down the line, although a guy at Roc’s…age probably wouldn’t be so open to change. At least if humans have taught me anything.”, I replied in an attempt to match the humorous energy.

“I guess we’ll have to find out…Jerome, by the way. I’m new to the neighborhood.”, the hunk said in introduction as he reached out to shake my hand. I naturally complied, met with a severely sweaty palm.

“Zay. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jerome.”

As the conversation crossed silent territory, the dense air was broken by my new crush-turned-acquaintance. “Well, I should probably crash through the gates and ask immediately…want to trade contacts? I’m sure we both have some busy schedules to some degree, but I’d love to get to know somebody in the area. It would go a long way.”, Jerome asked bluntly. If only getting phone numbers was always this easy!

“Of course, man! Here, I’ll put mine in your phone now if you’d like.”, I offered as he handed me his mobile device. An iPhone 14. He must be decently well off.

“Just text me when you get a chance and let me know it’s you. I might be in class, but I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”, I explained.

“Sounds good, brother. It’s been a nice talk, but I really should get back to my routine.”, Jerome clarified. It was probably for the best, as Roc could only handle watching so much awkwardness from his owner. “I’ll text you when I get home!”, he shouted following a conclusive fist bump and sprint in the opposite direction.

“For sure!”, I shouted back, hoping this would blossom into a possible friendship instead of a classic interaction that goes nowhere. For the time being, I better have gotten to finish my walk and begin my commute to class - it was Calculus today, unfortunately.

Following the boredom and sluggishness of my courses, I began to take the train back towards my stomping grounds. Amidst the peace of my thoughts and music, a notification broke my trance. At the top of the screen, what would be a life-changing message read as clear as day.

“Hey, it’s jerome…u out of class yet? would love to hang out, if u want to stop by.”

No grammar, I thought. I guess he couldn't have been too far apart from me in age. Either that, or I had a man well-versed on the times waiting for my reply.

His anticipation was remarkably short, considering I responded in record speed.

"Of course! where am i headed?"

Upon the quick trade of addresses and meeting times, it seemed set in stone. Jerome's oddly comforting "see u soon" solidified my plans, leaving me with only one goal in mind.

I wasn't sure how I'd do it, but it was time to welcome Jerome to the neighborhood.