Chapter 38: Perseverance

The next morning Shaun rose bright and early for his morning session with Lila. He had even arrived fifteen minutes earlier than the agreed time. She once more greeted him with a smile, "Shaun isn't our appointment at 8?"

As the day before Lila was beautiful as ever and dressed in slim fit attire.

Shaun: "As my brother told me when I asked him to teach me how to drive, 'Get up early and make me coffee. A well-fueled instructor is a happy one'. So I thought it only appropriate that I followed his principle. Coffee and donuts?" He ended with a cheeky smile and showed two coffees and a bag in his hand.

Lisa: "You're such a darling, thank you, Shaun but I don't think this is the perfect meal before our session."

Shaun simply opened the bag allowing the aroma to entice Lila. She couldn't help but when looking in the bag. "I really shouldn't but let's call this a cheat day. It will allow me to indulge a bit", She chuckled while taking a chocolate-covered donut.

"So tell me, is your brother a lot older, handsome, and as charming as you? He seems like a nice fellow," She asked curiously about Jamie.

Shaun could just kick himself, why did he have to mention Jamie? But he was many things and crafty was one of them. So with a few words, he eliminated Jamie from the conversation, "Yes my bro is older, but is married and has three kids".

This worked perfectly as she replied, "That's nice, come inside, and let's get to it then". The door was kept open allowing Shaun inside. It was a big open space similar to the dojo next door. Seen on the floor were green mats which looked quite comfortable. Lila then instructed him to sit on the mat beside her.

Lila: "Now, Old Fox instructed me to focus on flexibility and strengthening your core. Have you ever done yoga before?" She inquired.

Shaun: "No, I have never tried it. But I have seen clips and liked what I saw. To add to all of that, you're in the presence of a quick learner", He boasted while winking.

Lila laughed: "Is that so? I'll have to see that for myself", She stated. She was no fool and knew the teen found her attractive and was doing his utmost to impress. Her challenge would be to keep him focused on yoga and not her.

Lila: "Now in order to gain the flexibility requested by Old Fox at the end of each session you will hate my guts".

Her words were by no means intimating to Shaun. What could such a woman do to yield such results? He could not fathom a reality in which that made sense "Pssh, I don't think that is even possibly Lila", He stated confidently to which Lila only offered a knowing smile. Which did cause unease for Shaun, sure it couldn't be as bad as she implied?

The two then did thirty minutes of warm-ups before getting to work. Shaun was then instructed to lay on the mat. She then held his foot at a right angle slightly moving it back and forth. He had to admit seeing her from that angle he did like where it was heading.

Lila: "Now, this will hurt and feel like I'm breaking you but you trust me". She warned pushing his leg further which in turn caused her to be closer to Shaun's face. For a few seconds, it felt like paradise but then…. Aah! He screamed, a grueling pain overwhelmed his lower abdomen as he begged Lila to stop. Something he thought he would never do.

Yet she did not stop and pushed the leg even further as he slapped the ground like a wrestler calling it quits. He could swear he heard a popping sound. This was truly painful and by no means was Lila exaggerating prior. When she was done with the right foot her attention then shifted to the left. Once more Shaun screamed in pain but Lila truly wasn't bothered. In Shaun's mind, she became a true sadist, gaining pleasure in his torment.

For three long hours, he saw his body go in positions he did not know possible. Each was more grueling than the next. It was hell on earth and Lila hell's warden. When it ended Shaun could only lay on his back exhausted. A water bottle was then thrown on his gut.

"Bet you're regretting eating all those donuts and washing it down with coffee now, huh", Laughed the sweaty Lila with a towel around her neck.

Shaun hurriedly drank the water, it did its small part by at very least quenching his thirst. Lila placed her hand out in a bid to help him to his feet. At first, he thought he could get up on his own but each time he fell back down.

She simply laughed using her tiny hands to aid him. Shaun coughed, "You might have heard me make some sounds and mistook them for screams. But they were simply breathing exercises, martial arts stuff that you wouldn't understand". He shamelessly lied while looking away.

"Ooh I see, So 'Please for the love of God you're killing me', is classified under what exactly? But then again it's martial arts stuff so I wouldn't understand" She teased.

Cough-cough! "I should be going", Shaun hurried to the exit. He had no quick-witted response. It was a losing battle.

"See you tomorrow, Shaun", Lila waved to the teen who found himself in an awkward position. Shaun could only roll his eyes saying, "Yeah tomorrow, However, I wouldn't expect any coffee and donuts if I were you".

Lila - He-he! - "Told you, you would hate my guts by the end of it".

He offered no retort as he hobbled next door to his lesson. Surely the old man would see his plight and offer some sympathy.

To his dismay, it was nothing like he had hoped. The old man had filled two five-gallon buckets with water. In the center of the dojo, there was a tiny piece of board 10ft long and only 3 inches in width.

Old Fox: "Well begin". Shaun could only sigh he had to carry the buckets, one in each hand continuously until given the signal to stop. If he were to spill from the bucket then he would once more need to start from the beginning. Yet he did not let it daunt as he firmed his resolve.

Thus his grueling training began as each day saw him surpass another hurdle. The old man had pushed him and each time he thought he had arrived at a breaking point; The next day it only served as the base.

Each day he heard the words, "Too slow, Again!"

"Too weak, Again!"

"Again!"

"We aren't stopping until you break it, again!"

"The pain is only your mind seeking to pass that ceiling you have placed, now again!"

"More focus, again!"

"Use your hand to balance the whole of your body's weight. What you can do with two hands you can with only one. Again!"

Again! Again! Echoed through his ears as the teen was unrelenting.

His yoga training with Lila had played its part in increasing his flexibility, balance and strengthening his core. After a while, his body had adjusted and he quite liked it. His growth was more than the old man could possibly have dreamed. Many would have broken but Shaun only persevered.