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Fall 2015
“Is Toby still sleeping?” David Ingram asked his younger brother, Brody. They were in the common area of their apartment playing video games. “Yes, he is. I feel so bad for him,” Brody replied. “What happened exactly?” “He had a pretty bad anxiety attack when we ran the 5K this morning. He didn’t finish, and now he’s beating himself up over it.” “Remember when you and I ran a 5K, and I hurt my ankle and couldn’t finish?” David asked. “Oh yes. I do remember,” Brody replied. “That was really soul-crushing for sure.” “I always find it funny when Toby has a really bad run, or something like this happens, he vows never to run again. And then a day or two later, he decides to go back into it.” “Sounds about right.”
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Summer 2022
“Literally had one of the best days of my life yesterday,” Toby Ingram said on the phone to his brother, Brody Ingram. “What happened?” Brody asked. “I got really close to Alyssa, my girlfriend.” “What do you mean?” “We cuddled while watching TV, and I heard her heartbeat for the first time. It was really soothing and relaxing,” Toby replied. “Oh my gosh, yes. That’s the best thing ever,” Brody said. “It’s the best when the fan is on, and she has her shirt pulled up so I could see her tiny little belly button.” “I can hear you blushing over the phone.” “Yasssssss.” “Julia loves to hear my heartbeat, and I’m just like, cool. Glad you love listening to it.” Spring 2017
Brody Ingram woke up slowly. He was still not in the mood to do much of anything. His throat was still a little sore from the cold that he was battling, and it was pretty hard for him to breathe. David, Brody's brother, felt pretty sorry for him, since this was all very bad timing, but he still needed to get ready for his move to San Francisco. In general, Brody was pretty excited about the move, but the cold was not doing him any favors whatsoever. While waiting for Brody to take his sweet little time getting ready for the day, David invited Julia Jaconetti, Brody's girlfriend, inside their apartment for a cup of tea. They both knew Brody would take a while, so why not wait for a bit? “How’s Brody doing?” Julia asked David. “Well, he could be doing better,” David half-joked. “Of course. I’m assuming it’s just a cold?” “That’s all it is, the man cold.” “He needs to man up, then!” Julia joked. “Of course!” David replied. “What time do we need to leave?” “I think noon. Andrew, Adam, and Toby are coming over around 10 am.” “Oh, okay.” “What kind of tea would you like?” “Oolong.” David set out his pot of water on the stove, and waited for it to boil. Julia couldn’t wait for her oolong tea fix. And, once Brody would finally wake up, he would likely make English breakfast tea for himself. Since that is always his go-to flavor. Julia noticed David’s shirt, since she has never seen him wear it before. It said, “Deutschland” on it, with the German flag showing underneath the letters. She has seen both him and Brody wear t-shirts that they got from London a while ago, but she somehow didn’t know that David studied German in high school and college. Brody also studied German in high school and some college. “When did you go to Germany?” Julia asked David. “In 2013. Brody and I both went there for a month during the summer,” David replied. “Oh awesome! Did you like it?” “Absolutely I did. Running in Germany is so much different than it is here.” “I’ll bet. I didn’t know you run,” Julia said. “Sometimes, but Brody is much better than I am,” David remarked. “What did you guys do there?” “My parents gave me and Brody a package to Germany. One of their friends had planned to go to Germany, but their plans fell through, so we took that opportunity.” “That sounds like it was a great opportunity. Where were you?” “Mostly in Munich, but we explored as much of Germany as we possibly could.” Spring 2019
“How are you feeling now, Toby?” Brody Ingram asked his younger brother, Toby, in the hotel room in Door County. They were both hanging out in the hotel playing video games, since Toby was sick with pneumonia. “My chest hurts when I breathe in,” Toby replied. “Oh yes. Pneumonia sucks. Been there, done that.” “I’m just glad that I have someone to play video games with.” “Honestly wasn’t feeling up to going out anyway, so it all worked out,” Brody said. “What were we all planning to do today? I’m completely out of the loop since I’ve been so sick,” Toby asked. “I remember we all wanted to go to a fish boil. Not sure who all will be going to that now. I think otherwise they were gonna go on a boat ride.” “F*ck me, I wanted to do that.” “Honestly I’d rather not be on a boat.” “Yeah, I could fall asleep at any moment.” June 2016
“Toby, you alright?” Brody Ingram asked his younger brother, whom he saw lying on the couch in the common area. “My head’s pounding,” Toby replied. “Sorry to hear that.” “Yeah, well, I did it to myself.” “What happened?” Brody asked. “Idiot me decided to go on a run after taking a week off from it with this damn head cold going on,” Toby replied. “How do you feel, aside from the pounding headache?” “I feel okay otherwise, a little tired. It felt really nice getting my pulse up again, but I think I started back at it a little too early.” “Maybe a little, but at least you got a workout in. Do you think it went well today?” “No.” December 2022
Toby Ingram and his girlfriend, Alyssa Riley, were hanging out at Toby’s Lincoln Park apartment. They were watching some cartoons until Alyssa noticed that Toby fell asleep. She decided to put her ear against his chest. Toby woke up and pulled his shirt up to expose his ribs and his belly button. He took a very deep breath. “Are you listening to my heart?” Toby sleepily asked his girlfriend. “Mhm,” Alyssa replied. “Is it fast?” “Yes. It’s also really steady.” “I fell asleep. Not sure how that happened,” Toby remarked. “Just relax and go back to sleep,” Alyssa said. “This is relaxing.” “I’m just relaxed listening to all that love flowing through your heart.” “Mhm.” “I also love how deep your heart sounds. It’s too precious.” Summer 2024
Toby Ingram just came back from a run, and his girlfriend, Alyssa, was waiting for him at his apartment. They were planning to spend the evening in and watch goofy cartoons. He needed a breather before taking a shower, so he lay on the common area floor with Alyssa, and he lifted his shirt up to his chest, exposing his ribs and belly button. Alyssa then put her right ear against his upper stomach. “Jesus Christ, Toby. Your heart’s thumping,” Alyssa remarked. “Yup, I can feel it in my chest,” Toby replied. “You’re so hot and sweaty, too. How did your run go?” “I think it went well. Ran up Halsted through Boystown and back and then a little past Fullerton and back.” “How crazy was it today?” Alyssa asked. “It wasn’t bad. It’s gonna be insane next weekend though,” Toby said. “Oh yeah, that’s right. Oh, can you do me one favor?” “Yea?” “Can you tell me your middle name?” “You know my middle name.” “I do, but I want to hear you say it,” Alyssa said. “Alright, my middle name is Matthew,” Toby replied. “What is it again?” “It’s Matthew.” “Again?” “Matthew.” “I just love hearing you say your middle name.” “Sure.” “You’ve got a strong and sexy heartbeat.” Spring 2022
“So how long have you been running?” Toby Ingram asked his date, Alyssa Riley. This was their first date at a coffee shop. “Since I was in middle school. I was on the cross country team in high school and college. What about you?” Alyssa asked. “Altogether since I was like 15 or so. A couple months after I had surgery on my throat, I asked my brother, Brody, to teach me how to run long distances. I wanted a better self image, I guess. But since I started, I’ve taken breaks from running like four or five times. I’m pretty consistent with it now. I try to go like three times a week and still skateboard when I get a chance.” “For me, it’s like three or four times a week. I’ve been mostly consistent with it since I’ve started. I did have to take a break a few years ago since I had hernia surgery and had to recover from that.” “How fast can you run?” Toby asked. “I can comfortably run about an 8.5-minute mile. What about you?” Alyssa asked. “Very comfortably, I can run about a 9- or 9.5-minute mile. I think I could be a little faster if I hadn’t taken as many breaks as I did.” “Were you on the cross country team in high school?” “No, I wasn’t. I did, however, play intramural soccer when I was in college. That was an interesting experience.” “How so?” “I’ve never played soccer until then. It was fun in college, but I don’t think I’d continue playing it. I’m more into long distance running and skateboarding.” Summer 2022
“Literally had one of the best days of my life yesterday,” Toby Ingram said on the phone to his brother, Brody Ingram. “What happened?” Brody asked. “I got really close to Alyssa, my girlfriend.” “What do you mean?” “We cuddled while watching TV, and I heard her heartbeat for the first time. It was really soothing and relaxing,” Toby replied. “Oh my gosh, yes. That’s the best thing ever,” Brody said. “It’s the best when the fan is on, and she has her shirt pulled up so I could see her tiny little belly button.” “I can hear you blushing over the phone.” “Yasssssss.” “Julia loves to hear my heartbeat, and I’m just like, cool. Glad you love listening to it.” |
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