“I don’t want to,” I said.

He smiled a little, like someone who was sure he’d misunderstood. “Don’t want to…?” he asked.

“Date anyone.”

“Whoa, Lily! A fine woman like you doesn’t want a man to take her out?”

“As of now, right.” I stepped up, took the hundred pounds on my shoulders, and did another set of twenty. The last five were something of a challenge.

“How come? You like women instead?” Darcy was sneering, as though he felt obliged to look contemptuous when lesbianism was mentioned.

“No. I’m going to finish here now.”

Darcy smiled again, even more uncertainly, though I’d been as civil as I was able. He couldn’t seem to believe that any woman wouldn’t want to date; specifically, date him. But after a moment of waiting for me to take back my dismissal, he stalked over to the Roman chair, his narrow lips pressed together firmly in anger.

As I moved the pin to one hundred twenty pounds, once again I wondered whom Del might have asked to spot for him. Del would have trusted anyone in the room. Even Janet and I were just about strong enough to help him with some of the lower (but still formidable) weights that Del used for his bodybuilding. Janet was nearly as strong as I in the chest and arms, and had an edge on me in the legs since she taught two aerobics classes a day in addition to working at the Kids’ Club, which provided community-sponsored after-school care for kids.

After I finished my calf workout, I drifted over to Janet, who was doing abdominal crunches. Sweat had darkened her short brown hair to a black fringe around her square little face.

“One hundred ten,” she gasped, as I stood over her. I nodded, and waited.

“One twenty-five,” she said after a moment, relaxing in a heap. Her eyes shut.

“Janet,” I said, after a respectful moment of silence.

“Umm?”

“Del ever ask you to spot for him?”