We sit there in companionable silence for a few more minutes, and then Nick broaches the subject that I wish he’d just let die.
“So, when you gonna come over to the gym and do a session with me?”
I let out a deep sigh and focus on peeling the label on my bottle. “Look, man. I know that we’re working out how I can partner with y’all, investment-wise, and to do that it makes sense to understand how the gym works, but I’ve got to tell you, that’s just not my scene. I like my little home gym, I like not having to compare myself with other people, it’s very comfortable, and I feel very strong. If you wanted to come by my house and audit my workout, demonstrate what you do at Wrecked, I’d be happy to pay you to do that. But… I’ve stopped going to gyms. They’re not exactly what you’d call encouraging environments for me, and if I want to keep up my good habits, I can’t be working against the environment.”
Nick is silent for a few more seconds, nodding his head, if not in agreement with me, at least in understanding. Thankfully, I don’t have to say the wordsI’m too fat for the gym—he just gets it.
“You know, except in the most extreme cases, there’s no such thing as being too big to go to the gym. And the fact of the matter is if I can’t make a moderately big guy like you comfortable in my gym, that means I’m doing it wrong, and have no hope of encouraging the larger folks to join us. One of the things that Elijah put into place was Bear Night, and if you were to come in for a workout then, that might be a way to see if the gym can work for you.”
I shake my head. “I’m not a combat vet, Nick. I’d stick out like a sore thumb.”
“Well, that’s also something I wanted to talk to you about. Elijah is kicking around the idea to have times when the gym is open to everyone. We were thinking of starting with Bear Night and Moms’ Night Out and going from there. I don’t want to dilute the purpose of the gym, but I’m curious about expanding our offerings.”
I twirl my beer in my fingers, thinking through it. “That’s actually not a bad idea. You worried about the diehards feeling like you’ve abandoned the purpose of the gym?”
“A little.”
“Try involving them. Put together an advisory board of your clients.”
Nick smiles, looking relieved. “Great idea. Let’s start with next week’s Bear Night and have you join me.”
I’d forgotten what a persistent mother trucker he could be. I’m going to have to talk about the real reason, aren’t I? “Man, I know your heart is in the right place, but even if it weren’t for the usual bullshit of going to the gym, there’s your cousin.”
I wait and wonder what kind of reaction I’ll get, but he seems to be in agreement with me. “Yeah, what is the deal with my cousin? He’s soweirdaround you.”
“Weird… unintentionally homicidal… it’s all semantics.”
Nick laughs so hard that he nearly falls off his deck chair.
“I don’t know if you remember what went down all the way back in high school, but he’s trying to… make it up to me? And really, I’d just rather he give me the space. Also, Bear Night ishisdomain, so I’d prefer to not tempt the fates. I promise, I think that the concept is good, that it is worth my investment, and that I want to be a part of expanding your footprint in Austin. So, don’t worry about that.”
Nick clinks the amber bottle against the titanium of his prosthetic leg. “You know, the thing that happened in Iraq with my leg, the three days that they held him… he won’t tell me what happened to him, but he came back a changed man. He’s humble, he works hard, and he only ever dates big guys. He’s not judging you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Speaking honestly, Nick, I believe you. And I swear I’m not holding a grudge. Swear to god. But that doesn’t mean I’m obligated to be his friend now. I’ve got kids. My oldest, Lily, she’s a little on the larger side, too. And let me tell you, my wife and I make sure that her kids get plenty of exercise, and they aren’t eating junk food. That’s just her natural weight—”
“Dude, I get it. And I swear, Roly would never say anything to your girl.”
“Oh, I know it, if only because he knows I’d kill him if he did. But my point is this—she’s going through the same shit that I went through, and I can see it breaking her down, little by little every day. That confident young woman who is smart and has leadership ability that you can see even at this young age is having her confidence stripped away every day little by little by the shitty comments of shitty kids. So no, I don’t want to be his friend.”
Nick shakes his head. “Damn, I can’t imagine how that feels. I’m sorry that she’s going through that. And I get it, I mean… I love my cousin to death, but I remember what he was like before everything in Iraq went down. Funny as shit, but cutting. Arrogant.”
Seeing how conflicted Nick feels, I answer, “Look, I hate that you two went through something so violent and damaging over there, and I’m grateful that both of you came away from that experience stronger, and better. I don’t want to discount that. I mean, didn’t he save your life?”
Nick bites his lower lip, and his eyes go red. “Yeah, he did.”
“We don’t have to talk about this. I promise I’m not trying to get in digs about your cousin, I just wanna do my job and get on with my day.”
Nick nods. “I get it, and I don’t mind talking about it. I… I actually want people to know what he did, but he always stops me.”
Looking at my old friend, I get the feeling that he might need to talk about it. “I’ve read the articles, but tell me what it was like on the day.”
Tapping his bottle of beer against his prosthetic again, Nick tells me the story in a way that I’d never read about it.
* * *
Roly
I hop down to the lower deck to replenish my beer supply and see Nick and Heath over in the corner having what appears to be a Very Serious conversation. I remember Evie’s warning, so I stay out of his line of sight as I scooch closer to eavesdrop.
