Klooka

Lorii returned to her own apartment early Saturday morning after spending most of the week at Gerry's place. She really loved him, and she really loved making love with him. Now her cousin, Renata, was in the picture. Lorii simply didn't think her bookish cousin was any match for her. It wasn't the first time Lorii underestimated Renata; it wouldn't be the last.

When she arrived home, the first thing she did was open the windows in every room. Lorii loved fresh, ocean air, even while it was foggy. She lived a few blocks west of YogaWorks, on 14th Street, a block north of Montana Street.

She was one of the lucky ones who had a rent-controlled apartment. She only paid $400 per month for a two-bedroom apartment that would cost three times that amount anywhere else on the westside. Lorii was lucky to have found it. One of her yoga students was getting married and needed to sublet her apartment. Lorii leaped at the chance. Her father hired a cleaning crew and painters to spruce up the place. Then he sent in an interior decorator to help Lorii furnish it. Within a few weeks, Lorii's new apartment looked great.

Her father also hired the cleaning crew to come by Lorri's place on Saturday mornings at nine o'clock for three hours. They cleaned everything and even washed her clothes. Lorii's father had given her a vertical washer-dryer combo when she moved in. There was a space for it in a small nook just off the kitchen.

Lorii made a pitcher of iced tea, sat down in an easy chair on her screened-in back porch, and went through her mail. There were a couple of bills, which Lorii would give to her father. His accountant took care of these things for Lorii. She browsed through her new yoga magazines.

Then she opened a letter from a video company. Summa Video wanted to feature Lorii in a new series of yoga videos. They were offering her $25,000 for the series of three tapes. It would take about a month of her time. The tapes would be shot at the Summa Video studios in Los Angeles and on location near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Lorii phoned her father. "Hi, Daddy! How are you?" He told her that he saw Renata yesterday and had dinner with her at Nate-N-Al’s.

“She’s falling for Gerry, Lorii,” he said. “I had always hoped Gerry and you would get together.”

“Well, Daddy, as a matter of fact, I’ve been with Gerry most of this week,” Lorii told her father. “I know he’s going to see Renata this afternoon. But I’m really not worried about her taking Gerry away from me.”

“You know I wish you only the best, Lorii,” her father said.

Lorii told her father about the letter from Summa Video. “Fax it to me,” he said. “I’ll have my guys check them out on Monday. The money sounds low to me. My guess is that’s their opening offer. But we’ll know more after we check them out.”

“OK, Daddy,” Lorii said. “I’ll fax it to your right now. I love you, Daddy. Bye.”

She went to her small office area in her second bedroom and faxed the letter from Summa Video to her father.

Lorii noticed the red message light was blinking on her answering machine. She listened to several messages. A couple of her students were inquiring about private lessons. Lorri was very careful about accepting students for private lessons. Usually, they were men in their 30s or 40s who wanted to sleep with her. For a couple of years, Lorri made an exception. She gave a man lessons in his home every morning at five o’clock. He was an executive at Paramount. He finally moved to New York City. Lorri preferred teaching classes; they were safer and often paid better.

Then Lorii listened to Gerry’s message:

“Hi, Lorii! It’s Gerry. I just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed spending time with you this week, especially the last couple of days. I’m really torn now between Renata and you. In fact, it’s tearing me apart. I don’t want to hurt either of you. I’ll let you know later how things go with Renata today.”

Lorii thought back to the first time she met Gerry three years ago. He was a new student at YogaWorks. He enrolled in Lorii’s beginning class, which she then taught at seven o’clock on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings. It was a 13-week class that YogaWorks offered at a special price to attract new students.

Not only did she know how to teach yoga, always making her students, men and women, feel comfortable and confident, but Lorii also became their friend. She genuinely liked people, and her students genuinely liked her.

Gerry was very awkward at first. He was about 50, while most of the students were in their 20s and early 30s. Gerry was physically rigid and not in the best shape.

After his first class, Gerry thanked Lorii for the lesson. “I’m not sure I’ll be back,” he said. “This is all so new to me. But I like how you teach, Lorii.”

“Oh, don’t give up!” she said. “You did fine tonight. Just remember that everyone in this class moves at their own pace. There are no bars you have to reach. Just stay with it.”

Gerry listened to Lorii’s advice and followed it. He was one of the first to arrive for her next class.

“I’m really glad you came back,” Lorii told him when she saw him waiting outside the classroom.

“I’m glad I came back, too,” Gerry said. “You talked me into it!”

“Just remember, Gerry,” Lorii said, “to go along at your own pace. When you have questions or need my help, I’ll always be here for you.” Then Lorii gave Gerry a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. "You'll be fine, Gerry. I promise."

Stardreams
by Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra

Next Chapter:   Gallimaufry