“Not here. We use recuperation for those who need to do a bit of both recovery and rest, but aren’t committing to the full recovery experience. It will look a little different than your experience, but also from those who are here for rest, which is more or less those who are here for a vacation.”
“So those who are recovering don’t need a vacation?” I asked dryly, watching for the expected flinch.
Instead, he stared back at me and smiled, sitting down casually. “Sometimes people come here because they need help, and there’s no shame in that. Sometimes people come because they need a place where they can justbe, and there’s no shame in that, either. We don’t believe in forcing people to be anything more than they are.”
“Sounds like a good way to open up trouble,” I pointed out, taking the chair nearest me. “At least as long as someone doesn’t bring something not permitted, that is.”
“If you’re referring to our policy on drugs and alcohol, you’ll find no apologies here,” he said with a shrug, folding his hands before him. “We, as a practice, have no inherent issue with substances.”
“As a practice?—”
“I have a feeling that no matter what word I used, you would find an issue.”
I cocked my head. “I see.”
“No, not yet, you don’t,” he said with a laugh, easing back in his seat. “I think I might need to spare you the normal spiel.”
“Why? Do you feel theatrics would be wasted on me?” I asked sarcastically, because I was starting to feel like the place was one more con in a long line of them. One that focused on wellness, health, and holistic healing, but lathered in layers of language that equated to the same thing. Give us your money, and we’ll make you think you’re better until you leave, and by the time you learn the truth, it’s too late; your money is ours.
Reggie leaned in, squinting before spreading his hands. “Ask me your questions, Mr. Thompson. You wouldn’t be the first skeptic through these doors, and if I have my way, you won’t be the last.”
“Won’t be the last?” I asked casually. “Why? Having a hard time funding your latest step in taking money from desperate people who have plenty of it?”
“Now, why would you think we’re having money problems?” he asked curiously, and, just as before, he shifted with the flick of a switch, growing serious. “We don’t take advantage. Admittedly, we have to worry about budget, but who doesn’t? For people like you, we charge the full price for everything, and why not? You can afford it. That doesn’t mean you won’t get the same treatment and enthusiasm as anyone else. It doesn’t mean we don’t have programs for men who seek our help but don’t have the financial means to pay full price. We play a delicate balancing act, Mr. Thompson. But your suspicions of our motives, and I’m sure, with time, our methods, aren’t new to us.”
“So it is just men then?” I asked, this time just plain curious.
“Is that a legal question?” Reggie asked wearily.
“Should it be?”
He snorted. “You sound like a lawyer, then again, your file says you are an auditor for the Progenitor Corporation, so I suppose skepticism and doubt are your bread and butter.”
Ah, a shell corporation was what my sister chose for my background. Good to know.
“It’s a fair question,” I pointed out. “Anything operating outside the law should be treated with some doubt.”
“The Arete Resort is in fact specifically designed to help men and men alone, that is true,” Reggie said, watching me with a smile. “But it does not fall under discrimination laws, if that’s your concern.”
“A loophole around a law does not make a moral position.”
“And skepticism for the sake of it is just bitterness disguised as wisdom.”
It wasn’t quite a slap in the face, but it certainly drew me up mentally, and I eyed him with a newfound respect. “That is true, so maybe I should let you explain.”
“Much of the explanation will happen organically,” he said. “Normally, I would point out that you came here for help, but someone else handled what should have been your introduction to our aims, methods, and ultimate goal. So maybe you’ll allow me to be blunt.”
I considered that for a moment before gesturing toward him. “By all means, tell me.”
“You may not have told someone you need help, but you accepted that they thought you did, and that they had the answer,” he said, leaning forward. “So if you trust that person enough to bring you to our doorstep, then perhaps you should give us the chance to prove their belief in us. Whatever doubts you might have can only be proven with time. So instead of doing this back and forth that won’t do a thing for a mind such as yours?—”
“A mind such as mine?”
“Skeptical minds come in two forms; those that will never believe, and those that will only believe once they see, feel, witness, and experience something.”
“That sounds like a gamble, not a surety.”
Reggie smiled. “Life is a gamble, and trust me, if I had a foolproof way to help anyone who came through our doors, I would use it without hesitation. But the human mind isn’t something you can reach into and tweak; it’s fixed. People are people—they’re complicated, often messy, and not always easy to deal with. So we have to figure out what works and stick with it, but be willing to make adjustments.”
