I pulled up to Barwis a little bit early. It was Phil’s last day. I don’t dig change. I pulled up to my spot and began to cry. Sam Smith didn’t mind. Once I composed myself, I texted Phil and told him that I was there. I began to get my legs out of the car and to lower my chair from the chair topper. I saw Phil come out out of the corner of my eye and I had to draw in my breath and almost bite my lip so I wouldn’t cry. I had him help me get out of my car because my body felt foreign to me and this was the last time that he would do this. He wheeled me in to by the chairs and I waited. I was early. I talked to Dan and asked him about what I would do on Monday and about who my new trainer would be. This all makes me nervous.
Phil came over and pushed me to the plyo boxes. Phil grabbed my left leg and began stretching me out. I could see the clock from where I sat. 5:17. I asked Phil if he thought I was progressing. He nodded and told me that I was stronger. Then he added that I just need to put everything together then he looked at me and finished by saying, “to stand the f*** up.” I began to laugh at this statement. Oh Phil! I looked at the clock again. 5:26. I told Phil the story that my Mom has told me many times before about the day that my Dad had to report for deployment to Vietnam. She told me that they drove EXTREMELY slow, the snow crunched under the tires. She told me that her and my Dad’s song was playing on the radio. This was the first time that I understood what she felt like. I was pleased that time was going by so slowly but as Phil left gor a moment, Megan let me know that it was Eric’s last day too. What?! Eric came and sat next to Phil on the plyo boxes and we talked until my time was up.
Phil took me outside and I got into my car by myself. As I sat in my car, Phil gave me a hug and I squeezed him in return and told him that I wasn’t done hugging him [back] like three times. We talked a little and ended my time with Phil with him, “Joystick”ing me. I drove out a Barwis’ parking lot to the light on Plymouth Oaks and Sheldon and turned the radio on. Meghan Trainor came on and I thought of Phil’s little dance move and began to cry again. I’m not that strong to NOT cry.