The Unforgiving Minute (15 page)

to me that I was exercising each muscle until it veritably cried

out to me. After half an hour of muscle building, I was put on

the rowing machine for six minutes at standard pace and the stair

machine at standard tension. After about five minutes of

stretching exercise, we were ready to adjourn to the pool

building, where Hans turned me over to the aquatic instructor, a

plain woman with short cropped hair and a black one-piece bathing

suit. Her name was Helga and it was very difficult to discern

her as a woman. She had the muscles and mannerisms of a man but

her small breasts, along with her name, corroborated her sex.

After changing into a brief pair of black bathing trunks,

carried in my backpack, I was instructed to swim a lap of the

pool, so that Helga could critique my swimming form.

“If you continue to swim that way, Mr. Boyd, you will wear

yourself out in five minutes. I want you to watch me swim and

pay careful attention to the way I breathe, the way I kick my

feet, and the way my body turns. I will go over it again with

you when I finish.”

She dove into the pool and swam effortlessly back and

forth. She didn’t seem to make so much as a splash with either

her arms or her legs, even though her legs seemed to be kicking

as fast as could be. After working with me patiently for about

fifteen minutes, my own swimming became so much more effortless

than it had been.

“Ja, good,” she said. “Now I want you to swim back and

forth the length of the pool ten times. Pace yourself so that

you do not have to stop and rest.”

After about four times back and forth, I was so winded and

my heart was pounding so hard that I stopped to rest, panting,

with an apologetic look on my face.

“Not to worry, Mr. Boyd. The purpose here is not to kill

you. By the end of your stay you will do twenty laps and will

have better wind than you have now after four. For today I want

you to spend the rest of this session swimming until you are

tired; then rest and swim some more. Tomorrow we will work

further on your breathing. You will be fine.”

I did as she said and was really looking forward to the

next hour, which would be a lecture. Thinking beyond that, I

couldn’t believe that after all of this exhausting activity, I

was going for a mountain hike for three hours.

The lecture was a welcome respite from the constant

exercise. There wasn’t much said in it that I hadn’t heard

before. It was given entirely in English and was attended only

by the Grimsleys and myself. We learned about the evils of

cholesterol, fat, sugar, alcohol, and various other delicious

poisons. We learned that caffeine was an addictive drug that,

among other things, caused irregular heartbeats and extreme

nervous anxiety. We were given a booklet containing calorie

charts and evaluations of different foods and beverages,

outlining a healthy regimen for everyday life. I had great

difficulty staying awake through the lecture. I just couldn’t

imagine pushing my poor body any further.

I found Hans at the main house dressed in a sweat suit

with a hood and holding two box lunches and four bottles of

water, which were placed in our backpacks. Hans looked at me

with a smile that displayed his delight with my weary condition.

“Okay, follow me and step briskly. I don’t want to see

you lagging behind. We must gain the maximum benefit from this

hike.”

I followed as we walked a slight uphill incline through

the forest. So far, I was having no difficulty keeping up.

After about twenty minutes, the forest seemed to thin out as the

incline got steeper. The terrain was now mossy with rocks and

wild shrubs. Breathing was becoming more difficult, as was

keeping up with Hans. At times I had to break into an uphill

trot to catch him. It was slightly chilly when we started but I

soon became warm and the sweat soaked my clothing. It seemed

that each time I picked up the pace, Hans would move faster. The

slope became steeper and the path through the rocks, moss, and

weeds more narrow. My mind ran through daydreams of pushing Hans

off the side of a mountain. I couldn’t tell if he was just plain

sadistic or if it was planned this way just to dehumanize me and

spur me on with adrenalin. I soon realized a second wind and the

climb became easier. My hate and anger changed to sheer

determination and pride as I now kept up with Hans. Finally, we

stopped for a break. As I drank my water, I imagined that Hans

was looking at me with admiration.

“Are you sure you can go on, Mr. Boyd? We can turn

around at any time if you are tired or not feeling well. Don’t

be a hero if you can’t do it.”

“I don’t have any problem,” I said, as he continued

looking at me with that damned sardonic smile.

“Good,” he said. “So we can start to pick up the pace,

ja?”

I gave him my best macho look, complete with shrug, and

stood up, ready to go on.

Except for a slight rubbery feeling in my legs, I was

proud of keeping up with him. We hiked for what seemed an

endless time, stopping occasionally for water.

After a long downhill trek, we stopped to eat our lunch in

one of the most beautiful spots I had ever seen. A small pond

was nestled in pure rock and was fed by a thin waterfall which

seemed to come from miles on high. We were surrounded by

fragrant pines and the sky was cerulean. The light was clear and

brilliant, unsullied by any of man’s pollutants. We spread out

on flat rock and unpacked our lunch, which consisted of cucumber

and onion sandwiches on black bread, some raw vegetables and a

large orange. I was surprised that Hans was eating the same food

I was. I savored the food and ate slowly, washing it down with

great quantities of water. I hadn’t felt this good physically

for a long time. I was so mellow at this moment that I even

found myself liking Hans, although there was no conversation

between us. I was beginning to understand what two weeks in a

place like this could do for me.

The next class consisted mostly of stretching exercises,

which I suppose were badly needed after the hike. The pace was

leisurely and the exercises didn’t last as long as scheduled,

giving me plenty of time to go back to my cottage and get my

robe, enabling me to properly present myself at the massage

clinic.

I was instructed to take a hot shower, followed by ten

minutes in the steam room, followed by another shower, tapering

down to cool. Twenty minutes later I was led to a dimly lit

cubicle which contained a massage table and shelves stocked with

oils and powders. I lay naked on the table and closed my eyes,

resting in a state of absolute euphoria. In about five minutes,

a large woman with a pleasant smile walked in. I grabbed for a

towel self-consciously when she appeared.

“You may cover yourself if you wish, Mr. Boyd, but I

assure you that a naked body, male or female, is just part of my

work. My name is Inge and I am one of five masseuses here. My

job is to relax you and to take the knots from your muscles.

When I am finished with this massage, you will be totally relaxed

and your muscles will be ready for tomorrow’s exercise.”

I threw the towel off and lay on my belly feeling her

golden hands massage me. She had a marvelous touch. She seemed

to know the line between massage and pain. She used a fragrant

oil that relieved her hands of any friction as they glided over

me. When she turned me over, she discreetly lay the towel over

my genitals and repeated her magic on the front of my body. I

thought of Lee and the coming delights of the impending evening

and truly thought that I was in heaven. The exercise had left me

with a feeling of well-being and accomplishment, I wasn’t really

hungry, and I hadn’t had a drink for several days. Moreover, I

had no desire to have a drink. I was truly looking forward to

two weeks of this. I knew that I was over the hump and could

take anything that Hans dished out.

At four-thirty, I returned to my cottage and had a

marvelous nap for an hour and a half. It was the kind of sleep

that only exercise could induce. As I dressed for dinner, I was

truly exhilarated. I had a new spring in my step as I walked to

the dining room.

At nine on the dot, Lee knocked on my cottage door and our

lovemaking, although quite subdued compared to the day before,

was tender, passionate and genuinely satisfying. Afterward, we

talked for what seemed to be hours, discovering each other and

planning for the future months. We decided that we would go

together to an exotic vacation spot, possibly the Canary Islands

or the Costa Del Sol. There we would be able to be together

twenty-four hours a day without sneaking around. We fell into a

deep sleep and were again awakened at four a.m. by the alarm

clock.

The routine remained the same. Heavy exercise during the

day, wonderful lovemaking at night. With each day I felt

stronger and leaner. At the end of a week I had lost nine

pounds. I was now swimming twelve laps in the pool without

effort. The mountain hikes were truly a piece of cake. I found

myself never hungry and totally satisfied by the sparse cuisine.

My muscles never ached and after five days I replaced my walking

sessions with running. Hans pushed me further and further and I

responded to every challenge. His manner changed to one of

respect and I realized what the game was. His method was very

comparable to that of a drill instructor who dehumanizes and

pushes a young trainee to his limits. Although we were not

friends by any means, our relationship was now easy and without

tension. I couldn’t remember the last time I was out of breath

or my legs felt rubbery.

The Grimsleys had gone home and were replaced by a gay

couple from London who were in the movie business. My meals were

now filled with wonderful conversation about movies, especially

British movies. I had long been a fan of British cinema,

especially Alec Guiness and Richard Attenborough.

After one week, I finally decided to write Ann Marie. My

letter was polite and chatty without a semblance of truth. As

far as she was concerned my rehabilitation was going famously. I

was losing my addiction to women and alcohol and was close to

coming home. I then wrote a letter to each of my three children,

telling them how much I missed them and how much I loved them.

Actually, I was writing them out of guilt. I realized that I

hadn’t given much thought to them lately. There was no return

address, so I knew that no one could track me down. I thought of

writing to Julie at the same time but I couldn’t think of

anything to say.

At the beginning of week two, Hans announced to me that I

was on my own. It would no longer be necessary for a trainer to

follow me around. To my great surprise, I pushed myself harder

than Hans ever pushed me. My hikes were longer and more brisk.

My weight training accelerated. Above all, the meals were

starting to satisfy me totally. I could feel my muscles

hardening and my waist thinning down. I was elated.

Lee and I were becoming more daring. Instead of going

back to her cottage at four a.m., we would take long jogs

together in the morning chill and fog. We would return to my

cottage and shower together, after which Lee would lower herself

from my rear deck and sneak back to her cottage through the

woods.

We had firmed up our plans for a vacation. Since she had

to work another week after my departure, I would fly to the

Penina Golf Hotel on the Algarve in Portugal and play golf for a

week, after which time she would meet me in Marbella. We looked

forward to that time with great anticipation.

At the end of the second week, I reported for another

physical. The results were astounding. I had lost fifteen

pounds. My cholesterol level had gone down thirty points. I was

lean and hard and could run three miles in thirty-five minutes.

I felt like the proverbial million dollars. I was so satisfied

that when I was presented with my bill in the amount of seventeen

thousand dollars, I wrote out the check with a smile.

Lee and I made love incessantly during my final night. We

were as hungry for each other as we were the first day. I

apprised her of the arrangements I would make for her with the

airline. All she needed to do was present her passport at the

SwissAir desk in Geneva and everything would be waiting for her.

In the shower the next morning, we soaped each other,

rinsed, kissed and then did it all over again.

Our goodbye wasn’t at all tearful, for we knew that in a

week’s time we would be together again in a far better situation

than we had at Dr. Bierbauer’s spa.

As I plodded down the trail in the horse-drawn cart in the

late October chill, I turned back to look at the surroundings.

There was an air of peace and cleanliness about the place that