Age Against Time

22

"Why don't we age after turning 22"? asks Cathy.

"I am still figuring it out", replied the stranger.

Are you wondering how they get into this conversation? Let's rewind a day. Cathy lives in New Jersey. Her daily routine involves a morning stroll to the nearest park and returning with breakfast packed for herself. She doesn't eat it sometimes though. She doesn't live alone she lives with her father. She is a fitness freak, she works as a gym instructor.

So it was Tuesday and Cathy just finished her routine and was preparing to go to the gym. She goes to the gym on a bicycle. As she approached the bicycle she observed something strange, a man was standing around the corner, nothing suspicious but he had been there since she got back from the park.

It felt odd, and so she started to just stroll with the bicycle to see if she was being followed. To her surprise, she wasn't being followed. She goes to a gym named B-FIT. She has daily sessions with gym clients and unlike other trainers, she had fewer clients but she wasn't bothered by that.

While training with a new client Cathy was inquired about her age, and once she mentioned her age the client was surprised, the Client went "28"? You look like you are barely 22. For Cathy, this was a normal compliment, but interestingly every time a new client responds to her age she gets the same answer " You look like you are barely 22".

After training with a new client Cathy was on her way home, she got back around 6:00 PM at home. Cathy was back home, while she was parking her bicycle she saw the same man again on the street at the same place in the same position, she freaked out. She rushed quickly into her house. She was anxious and wondering if she was being followed after all, or if that man being at that same place there again was just a coincidence.

Her dad saw her rush into her room, he inquired if she was okay to which she responded " Yeah sure, just had a tough day", to which her dad responded, "You freshen up I will cook us some dinner". Cathy said that will be lovely Dad, thanks!

After she went inside the room her dad seemed worried but he wasn't sure how to ask Cathy about it so he went to the kitchen and started cooking supper.

Cathy was just sitting in her room and wondering if that stranger was still there or not. After she freshened up she went to have dinner with her dad.

They were having dinner and Cathy's dad told her- " You look distracted today, what's on your mind, Cathy?"

Cathy: " Nothing dad, had an intense day at work "

Dad: "But you seem distracted and something doesn't feel right"

Cathy (sighs): Well, I had a new client at the gym today

Dad: "Did the client bother you in any way?"

Cathy: No, geez dad, why do you always do that?

Dad: Do what?

Cathy: Assume the negative.

Dad: (Smiles) Well I haven't got an answer for that.

Cathy: (laughs) I guess I'll have to wait for ages.

Dad: I won't be too sure.

Cathy: Why?

Dad: Because you haven't aged at all.

Cathy freaks out, she immediately stops eating and gets more anxious, seeing Cathy's reaction, her dad also panics,

Dad:(worryingly) Cathy, what happened?

Cathy: It's just, every time someone mentions I haven't aged at all it gets me, like at first, it feels good like a supreme compliment, but then, (stutter...) when I think about it and look myself in the mirror I feel that I haven't aged since a long time, and receiving same insights from strangers about the age makes it more frightening dad.