#25: No Mas!

I've been going to the gym regularly for the past 4 months.

Tonight is one of those nights that the gym was packed. The usual gym rats were around, flexing their muscles, pumping irons and doing resistance trainings. The cardio machines where churning like windmills. The yoga room is worse, bodies are all over the place doing stretches and working their abs.

As I get ready to hit the free weights (today am working on my arms), I glanced around desperately looking for my work-out buddy. He promised to be here tonight.

See, it's no fun working out alone. I tend to get lazy and cannot get the results I wanted. I waited for few more minutes as I put on my headphones (I was listening to Springsteen). I waited some more until I finally gave up.

I started with two 20 pound dumbbells (but quickly switch to 30 pounds when a girl pass by and counting loud..30, 31, 32). As I was finishing my 4th set, a familiar (well maybe not, I can't remember his name) face suddenly came from nowhere. He was smiling, I smiled back and shook his hand.

He started by saying "Como esta senor!". oh! now I remember him, he's my former student's husband (but I still can't remember his name). Ok, now am in trouble, not only I forgot his name, I only know few spanish words.

But what the heck, let me try. I asked him "Donde esta Nina?" (yes I remember his wife's name). He answered back "Nina no esta aqui, Nina en la casa". Well that's simple, I actually understand what he said. I said "ohhhh!". Then I went blank. I can't find any spanish words.

So I decide to speak in english and do some gestures hoping he's going to understand what I'm saying. I asked him what he's working on. He gestured to his arm. Well I said I'm doing that too. So I said "Vamos amigo, let's work on those arms".

For the next 30 minutes, we went around w0rking on different machines. Every now and then I would count uno, dos tres... and he would do the same. "dies reps, cinco sets" I would tell him. He would nod and smile. At some point he would point to his arm and grimace...I would say "No...uno mas, one more"

We probably went through 5 different machines until he start shaking his head "No Mas, No Mas", Hey I heard that before. It was Roberto Duran saying No Mas No Mas (no more, no more) as he surrendered to Sugar Ray Leonard.

Well ok. I said it was bueno (good). I said, I need to run for 10 minutos (as a point to the treadmill). "ah ok, me no mas", he said. I shook his hand and as a parting words, I said "esta manana?". He said ok.

As he hurried out of the gym, I said to myself, so much for spanish class in college. I may be seeing him again tomorrow. Now if I can only remember his name...