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STARKVILLE, MS Starkville Public Library head librarian Paul Meyer
was hospitalized Wednesday for injuries sustained when he tried a little too hard to impress a woman at the gym, thankfully there was a Travel Nurse close by to help the man get to the hospital.Meyer, a not-so-regular member of the Starkville Athletic Club since September, spotted fellow member Julie Creston shortly after she had stopped in for a quick workout after work. Meyer first noticed Creston when she climbed onto one of the stationary bikes across the room from where Meyer was on the treadmill. After a half-hour workout on the bike, Creston decided to continue her workout in the weight room. An exhausted Meyer, who had extended his workout on the treadmill, hoping to catch Creston’s eye, chose to follow her.
Following her circuit of several of the club’s weight training machines, Creston ventured to the free weights. Meyer was already there. He had carefully chosen his bench so that the only open benches in the area were on either side of his. Creston selected one of the benches next to Meyer, gathered her ten- and fifteen-pound dumbbells, and began to work on her biceps and triceps, ignoring the man next to her.
Meyer, who had been just sitting there, waiting for Creston to show up, decided that he would be able to get her attention if he were to start lifting impressively large weights. So he strolled over to the dumbbell rack, glancing in Creston’s direction as he selected thirty- and forty-pound dumbbells and brought them back to his bench.
Creston was oblivious to Meyer’s presence until he began attempting to lift the weights. Although he had stood with his back to her—so she wouldn’t see the pained expression on his face—Creston could not ignore Meyer’s agonized gasps and groans. They were destroying her concentration.
Creston got up to get a drink of water, hoping that Meyer would give up and leave before she returned. Instead, he saw that as the perfect opportunity to rest. Upon her return, Creston tried to finish her workout without laughing, but it took much longer than Meyer had planned. He couldn’t stop lifting, for fear of destroying his fragile ego, but he also couldn’t continue to lift, for fear of destroying his even more fragile arms.
After giving up on the rest of her workout, Creston left and headed for the locker room, where she and all of her friends—as well as anyone else within listening range—laughed about Meyer and his feeble attempt to impress Creston.
Meyer, however, found no humor in the situation. He could no longer move his arms, and he was forced to ask a health club employee to phone one of his friends and get him to drive Meyer to the hospital, where he is now beginning a slow and painful recovery.
