Kory Mantra: Saved by the Bella (short story) - Part 1

GENRE: Adventure/Suspense. LENGTH: 6,136 words. SYNOPSIS: Kory Mantra is a 32-year old computer programmer who, after losing his job and his girlfriend, went on a diet and took up yoga. And to help him stick with it, he made weekly videos of his progress and posted them online.

By the time he reached his goal of losing 90 pounds, over a million people were watching his videos, cheering him on. Then a publishing company offered him a contract for a series of yoga books and DVDs.

So, now he’s a celebrity. But will he ever find true love? And why are people being murdered everywhere he goes?
Download Kory Mantra: Saved by the Bella (complete)

Kory couldn’t help but notice the attractive young woman sitting a few feet away, at the table in the corner. He didn’t see a wedding ring. She was dressed as though she was meeting for a first date, he thought. Maybe a blind date. Kory dipped another tortilla chip in the salsa and put the whole thing in his mouth. He tried not to stare, but his eyes kept wandering back to her.

A stout young guy in jeans walked to the woman’s table. He was average height, but double-wide, with bulging muscles. The man’s swagger seemed to be based on the belief that every woman in the room was salivating at the sight of his rock-hard biceps and pecs. His skin-tight T-shirt was the correct size for a five-year-old boy. Kory imagined it ripping apart at any moment, flying across the restaurant, and landing on somebody’s plate of refried beans.

Kory figured this was the boyfriend. Not what he had expected.

“Looks like I’m just in time for dinner,” said the man, as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

“I want you to leave—right now,” she said sternly, without raising her voice.

“Oh, come on, Baby, you know you don’t really mean that.”

“I told you I didn’t want to see you again, and I meant it. So, either you leave, or I’m leaving.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Honey, and neither are you.”

The woman tried to get up, but he grabbed her arm and held it down against the table.

“Let go, Evan!”

“No. You’re gonna have dinner with me.” He continued to hold her arm.

“Let go of her,” said Kory.

He looked up to see the slim, but buff, six-foot-four stranger towering over him.

Evan’s eyes were cold and mean. Kory nearly flinched. For a second, he thought the hulk was going to jump up and rip his head off.

Evan released the woman’s arm, and slowly stood up. “I’ll call you later, Bella.”

She looked as though she would have spit in his face if he had been any closer. “Don’t bother.”

He walked off, winking at a sexy blonde on the way out.

Bella’s demeanor abruptly changed. She looked up at Kory with warm eyes. They were exactly the same dark brown shade as her thick and lustrous, shoulder-length hair. “Thank you so much.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Okay. Good.” He smiled. “Have a nice evening.” He started to walk away.

“Wait. Why don’t you join me for dinner?”

“Well, I—”

“—oh, how stupid of me. You’re here with a date.” She scanned the room, looking for a woman who was sitting by herself, watching them.

“No, it’s not that. I’m here alone. I just don’t want to intrude.”

“You’re not.”

“I mean, I didn’t run that guy off just so I could—“

“—do you have a girlfriend?”

“No.”

“A wife?”

“No, but—“

“—just sit down.” She reached out and took his hand. “Please.”

Her grip was firm. Her skin was warm and soft. “Thanks. I hate dining alone.” He sat down across from her.

“Me too.”

“So, your name is Bella?”

“That’s right. Bella Cudry.” She extended her hand. “And you are?”

He shook her hand. “Kory. Kory Mantra.”

“Wait. The Kory Mantra? The guy who lost a ton of weight by doing yoga, and put all those videos on YouTube about it?”

“Yep. That’s me.” He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “But don’t talk too loud. If people realize I’m here they might come over and start bugging me for autographs.”

“Wow, that’s cool. I watched a few of those videos. How much weight did you finally lose?”

“Ninety pounds. I started at 275, and lost down to 185.”

“Just by doing yoga?”

“No. I also rode a stationary bike, and cut my calories, of course. But without the yoga, I would have ended up with a lot of flab hanging off my bones.”

“Yeah, and you sure don’t have any flab. Your body looks lean and sculpted.”

Kory looked down at his clothes, as though he wondered if they had just become invisible.

“I mean, you looked great in the later videos,” she said.

A waitress came to take their order. They decided on the Chicken Fajitas for Two. Just as she was leaving, a young man delivered a fresh basket of warm tortilla chips and two small bowls of salsa.

“So, now you’re a yoga guru,” said Bella.

“No, I’m not a guru. I’m just a guy who was desperate to get into shape, who went out and bought a bunch of yoga books and got serious. And now I have my own book.”

“And I’ll bet it’s selling like crazy.”

“Yeah, it’s doing pretty well. But I only wrote about twenty percent of what’s in there. The publisher hired other people to write the rest of it.”

“Well, that doesn’t seem very honest—to put your name on the book, when you really only wrote a small part of it.”

“I know. I have mixed feelings about it. But haven’t you ever heard of ghost writers? Publishers do this all the time with celebrities. And they told me that my name would sell millions of books, which would lead to millions of people getting healthier and happier.”

“They conned you.”

“Yeah, sort of. But I knew there was some truth to what they were saying. And, hey, I was out of work. I needed the money.”

“What kind of work did you do?”

“Computer programming. But the small company I was working for in The Woodlands went out of business about a year ago. My girlfriend worked there too. So, we both lost our jobs at the same time.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have a girlfriend.”

“I don’t anymore. She took a job in Austin and moved out of the house while I was on an interview. I came home and she was gone, along with all her stuff. The only thing she left was a very short goodbye note.”

“That’s cold.”

“Yeah. We had been together for almost a year. So, it was tough for a while. But I’m over her now.”

Bella seriously doubted Kory was over his ex, but nodded in agreement anyway. Why do men always think they can get over a relationship so fast? Women know better, she thought.

“So, I’ve met a few women online. And some of them sound nice.”

“Do they know who you are? I mean, do they know you’re rich and famous?”

“Oh, I’m not rich. I’m comfortable. But no, I don’t talk much about money. I’m hoping they don’t know about the yoga guy from YouTube.”

“Yeah, ‘cause they might just be interested because of your money.”

“I know.”

“Or your good looks.” She smiled broadly.

His face reddened. He wasn’t so sure about his looks. But she was amazing—especially when she smiled like that.

“Sorry—I didn’t mean to embarrass you. But it’s nice to see you haven’t let the fame go to your head,” she said. “I’ve thought about trying online dating, but I’m just not ready. I’ve spent the past two years caring for my grandmother full-time. I lived at home with my mom and grandmother while I was in college. But during my senior year, Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Shortly after graduation, she died.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, she hadn’t had a mammogram for a couple of years. She stayed so busy taking care of Grandma that she didn’t take good care of herself. I felt guilty that I hadn’t made sure she was getting regular checkups.”

“How’s your grandmother doing?”

“She died about a month ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Well, at least she lived a long, good life,” said Bella.

“You must have really loved her. Most women would have put their grandmother in a nursing home. They wouldn’t have given up two years of their life the way you did.”

“Well, she had been suffering with heart disease for years. And I really didn’t think she’d hang on for more than another six months. But then she started feeling a lot better. And we were having fun together. We developed little rituals, like certain TV shows we’d always watch, certain meals we’d eat on particular days. And every Saturday night we’d get all dressed up and come here for dinner. This was her favorite restaurant.”

“So, that’s why you’re here on Saturday night by yourself.”

“Yeah. This is the first time I’ve ever come here without her. I thought it would bring back good memories. But it’s just making me sad.”

“So, what are you going to do with your life, now that she’s gone?”

“Get a job. My degree is in criminal justice because I thought I wanted to be a cop. My brother was killed in a convenience store robbery when I was sixteen. It made me so mad—I just wanted to hunt down all the creeps and—“

“—blow them away?”

“Yeah. But I was a kid. I thought I could fix anything that was wrong with the world. Now I know it’s not that easy. My mom and grandmother left me the house and some money, so I’m doing okay. But I can’t just sit around every day doing nothing. Now that Grandma’s gone, my life is empty.”

“Well, you’ve got Evan.” Kory grinned, hoping she knew he was joking.

“Yeah. I wish I’d never met him. I had a leaky pipe in the kitchen. But I didn’t know any plumbers. So I just randomly picked one out of the yellow pages. I wish now I had fixed it myself. He kept flirting with me. And he was quite charming when he asked me for a date. I told him I wasn’t ready to start dating again. But he begged me to have just one dinner with him.”

“How did that go?”

“Fine, actually—until he took me home. He asked to come in for a while, and when I told him ‘No,’ he forced his way in.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No. But a hard kick in the shin and a few screams made him change his mind. He called the next day and apologized. But then he asked me to go to a movie, and I said, ‘No, thanks.’ And ever since, he’s been following me around and showing up at my door several times a week. He’s driving me nuts.”

“Sounds like you need a restraining order.”

“I’m trying not to do that. But I might not have any choice.”

When they finished dinner, Kory paid the tab, and walked Bella to her car.

“Hey, we parked right next to each other,” said Kory.

“So, this is yours?” said Bella, pointing to the shiny black car.

“Yeah, I know—it’s old.”

“No. It’s a classic. It’s a ‘66 GTO, right?”

“I’m impressed.”

“I know cars—especially the cool-looking classics.”

Then, go for a ride with me, thought Kory. No—that sounds like a date. “Here’s my number.” He handed her a business card. “Call me anytime. And please let me know if you need any help with Evan.”

Bella smiled and held out her hand. “Thanks, Kory. And thanks for dinner. I really enjoyed it.”

I guess this means she wants a handshake, he thought, rather than the kiss he was dying to give her. “Me too.”

She got into her car and drove away. (continued…)

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