She unzips her coat and tugs off her boots and wonders where he is. Is it possible she got her days mixed up when she checked the online schedule? She could have sworn he told her that he works on Tuesdays and Fridays, but to be honest, last night is a bit of a blur. Mid-way through the process of cramming her coat onto an overstuffed hook, she hears a familiar voice from behind.

“So, you decided to join the fun after all.”

Glancing over her shoulder, she finds Hawthorn beaming a welcoming smile. He is dressed in grey shorts and a teal sleeved shirt. With his arms at his sides, she can see half of his memorial tattoo peaking out.

“Where were you hiding?” she asks.

“I was just signing in a student.” He motions to the desk tucked around the corner. “I knew it was a long shot, but I was hoping you’d show up today.”

“Well, I decided to take Brenda’s advice and give this whole kindness thing a shot.”

He rubs his stomach. “Much better for you than binging on a box of Jos Louis.”

With a half grin, she reaches into her hoodie and hands him a folded paper. “Here you go.”

“A real keener, eh?” he teases, taking the consent form. “We still have a few minutes before class, so I’ll go ahead and put your name into the system. Grab a spot and settle in.”

“But wait, I haven’t paid.”

“Consider it a friend’s discount. Or what my therapist would call good old-fashioned conditioning. Work and reward. Besides,” he shrugs, “I’m glad you came.”

“Me too.” A beat. “But I’m sure I’ll regret it by the end of class.”

He smirks.

“What?

“I knew it.”

“Knew what?”

“That you were funny underneath all the sad.”

She doesn’t know what to say, can’t remember the last time she brought joy to someone’s life, or vice versa.

“I promise to go easy on you,” he says as he starts walking back to the desk. “And hey, remind me to give you that book after class, okay?”

She watches him welcome another student with a hug, then looks for a spot, noting the slight cushion of the cork floor beneath the soles of her feet as she crosses the room. She unrolls her mat in the back corner, and settles into Child’s Pose, focusing on the cool dot at the centre of her forehead as she surrenders the full weight of her head to the floor.

Her back feels stiff. Her ribs, tight. She focuses on her breath. Tries to deepen it. At first, it resists.

It takes a few cycles for her breath to find more room to move inside her lungs, her belly. Soon expansion replaces resistance. After a while, she is just breathing, and it happens, naturally.