As I cleaned I thought about everything. I thought about Ron and the life we had been living, I thought about the padlock and what it could mean. Every once and a while my mind would try to sneak my horrible fears to the front but I continued to push them back. Even with them at the back of my mind, I couldn’t shake them completely though.
I finished my cleaning by neatly folding and placing my new clothes behind the seats and then took one of the old shirts I had found over to the spigot. As I wet it in the water I could feel the other drivers staring at me with intense curiosity. I figured it was only a matter of time before they would realize what was happening. That thought scared me but there wasn’t much I could do. And besides, I had more pressing matters.
I walked back to my car and began scrubbing every interior surface I could get to. By the time I was done I was exhausted. Between the heat and the stress, I needed a nap. I got inside and fashioned the emergency blanket I always kept into a curtain. The last thing I wanted was to wake up surrounded by nosy drivers.
I fell asleep listening to the sound of rickshaw bells and rumbling tires. My sleep was uneasy due to the heat. I wished now more than ever that the air conditioning worked in my car. It didn’t take more than a few hours to give up on the idea of sleeping. I sat up and checked the time. It was currently at 6 o’clock. Even though I’d be more than early I decided I’d set off for the gym. I grabbed what clothes I needed and stored them in one of the cloth bags the shop keeper had given us. I so admired the bags here, nothing like the plastic bags we got from stores back home. I remember reading that Bangladesh was actually one of the first countries to ban plastic bags back in the early 2000s. I left my makeshift curtain up hoping it would keep away prying eyes while I was gone and set off towards the gym.
I did my best to walk extra slowly, taking in everything around me. I had never walked alone in Bangladesh. When I had come here before with Ron he had always insisted I be accompanied by at least a maid. He was afraid if I was left alone I’d be kidnapped or attacked. While I always thought he was overprotective I was aware that the dangers he feared were oh too real. I did my best to keep my head up and be aware of my surroundings. Anytime I felt like maybe I was being watched a little too closely I ducked into a store to look around. I figured this way I was killing two birds with one stone, as the saying goes. I was keeping myself safe while also getting to know the area and where I could get different things that I needed.
By the time I managed to get to the gym I was actually running a little late. I walked to the front desk unsure of how I would ask for a tour. By the time I got halfway there, it became clear I wouldn’t have to worry about that. The women behind the counter looked up and smiled before saying, “You must be our new American member. I was told you would be needing the full tour.”
I nodded saying, “Yes please that would be wonderful. Sorry that I’m late but you know how the traffic is.” Even though I knew that wasn’t why I was late it seemed better than telling her I walked here. Most people here avoided walking anywhere at all costs.
She shook her head, “No, no it’s no problem at all. Let’s start with the locker room so you can put your things away.” She grabbed a key on a circular key chain and handed it to me before walking towards a door that said women on it. “This will be your locker key,” she said handing it to me. “You can keep whatever you like in it just be sure to leave it empty and unlocked on Saturday mornings for cleaning. If you’ll come this way here are the showers and changing areas. We keep slippers over there,” she said gesturing to a dresser on the far wall. “Once you’re done with them you can put them in the basket over here and they will be cleaned. No need to reuse. We also keep soaps in this cabinet over here and towels here.”
As we went through the rest of the tour I couldn’t believe how much they could fit in such a small area. There were exercise bikes, treadmills, free weights, track, and even a sauna in the locker room. At the end of the tour, she asked if I had any questions to which I said I didn’t and we went our separate ways. I decided I’d go for a run on the track. In the future, I had lost my ability to run freely due to an injury to my Achilles tendon but now I could run all I wanted and that’s exactly what I did. I ran as if I would never run again. I reveled in the feeling of my feet pounding the track. I felt all the stress of the past day and a half pouring out of my with the sweat. Running like this it didn’t take long before I was absolutely exhausted.
I headed back to the locker room trying to steady my breathing. I was relieved to see I was the only one in there and decided to sit for a bit and catch my breath. Even though the showers and changing areas were all private it felt good to be alone for a bit. Once I had collected myself I hit the shower.
I don’t think anything has ever felt as good as scrubbing away the sweat and dust off my body. I never want to leave, I thought to myself. Once I finally felt I had wasted enough water I got out and dried myself. The towel felt unbelievably soft. I then looked at my pile of dirty clothes. I knew I wasn’t going to have access to a washing machine. In fact, now one I knew had a washing machine in Bangladesh. Usually, I would have just asked the servants to wash them but I knew that wouldn’t be an option this time. I decided I would have to do my best to wash them here in the shower and then hand them to dry in my locker.
I knew washing clothes by hand was hard work but I don’t think I realized just how much time it would take. I was glad I hadn’t decided to lift weights today because this would be an arm work out in itself. I scrubbed until the water ran through clear and then did my best to ring any extra water out. I hung my clothes in the locker and locked up before making the trek home.
By the time I got outside, it was dark and the streets had grown fairly quiet. I enjoyed the atmosphere of people all making their way home to their families as I walked steadily on. My legs felt incredibly tired but in a good way. I was sure I would sleep soundly tonight and was looking forward to whatever dinner Ron had managed to bring to my car.