Rico Starr couldn’t quite believe his luck when he landed a job at one of Dubai’s premiere gyms; neither could Pamela, Alison, Cindy, Scheherazade and Marie, his regular clients. Why have Keith from South Africa who was going to drill you at every session, going puce in the face while shouting ‘Push iiiiit!’ when you could gossip with Rico? Besides, everyone in the gym loves Rico – from the giggling girls on reception to the bear-like weight lifters in tiny vests, Rico draws bashful grins from them all as he wanders around the room punching fists, giving high fives and pinching arms.
One to take pride in his appearance, Rico loves the fact that the gym is wall-to-wall mirrors, allowing him to pick, preen, stroke and tweak his immaculately coifed hair whenever he pleases. He takes advantage of a moment when Alison is groaning with the effort of maintaining ‘the plank’ for another 5 seconds to flick his collar up and smooth down a stray eyebrow hair. It’s an effort not to wink at his reflection.
But Rico’s talents don’t lie solely in the world of health and fitness; he is confident that he is also a gifted singer. His impression of Beyonce is second to none and his favourite karaoke ‘performance’ of ‘Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)’ regularly stuns audiences in obliging bars. On a night out, Rico is careful not to get out of control though; rather than lean on the bar where he could be tempted by evils that would ruin his chiselled physique, he rules the dancefloor with the hip-shake, wind-down and pump walk. As he’s not working now, there’s nothing to stop him looking up to the glitter ball to see a thousand winking Ricos.
