“In the medical field?”
Ben shook his head. “Not just in the medical field, though we do give priority to those. We’re looking for passionate people with viable ideas who lack the funding to bring those ideas to fruition. Sometimes all a person needs is a chance, you know. Preference is given to people who have ideas that will benefit communities.”
“So you’re not giving loans to people with magic hair bows or stuff like that?”
Ben gave a huff of laughter. “Nope.”
“What types of businesses have you given money to?”
He thought back over some of the people they’d partnered with through their program.
“We’ve worked with people who are focused on environmental issues like pollution and clean water. Onecompany was working to bring a new type of water pump to places where clean water is difficult to come by.”
“That’s a good investment, I would assume.”
“It has proven to be,” Ben agreed. “But not financially.”
“Why would you invest in things that aren’t financially profitable?”
“Dad believes in giving back to the community. We don’t really need more money for ourselves. We try to find a balance. Some profitable ventures offset the help we give to companies like the one I mentioned, which aren’t necessarily about making money.”
Ben was glad that she was showing some interest in what he did and in his family’s business. Maybe it would make her more willing to share about herself.
They continued to talk about what he did as they ate, finishing off their meal with the extra large chewy chocolate chip cookies the diner was known for.
“My doctor thinks I probably have an auto-immune disease.”
Ben lowered his cookie. “Probably? You don’t know for sure?”
“Unfortunately, reaching a diagnosis can be a lengthy process with many tests.”
“There’s not a definitive test for it?”
“For some. For others, it’s more a matter of being tested for other things in order to rule them out.”
“What are your symptoms?” Ben asked. “If you don’t mind my asking.”
Amelia hesitated, taking the time to gather up the trash left from her meal. Her silence dragged on so long that Ben wasn’t sure she was going to answer.
"It varies from day to day," she finally said. "But the main ones are fatigue and pain in my joints.”
“So are you in a lot of pain all the time?”
"It varies," she said softly as she curled her fingers into fists, then relaxed them. "Sometimes the pain is manageable. Just a dull ache. Other times it's… overwhelming. My joints ache a lot. Sometimes they swell. Mornings can be rough."
Ben's brow furrowed with concern. "That must be a hard way to live your life."
She shrugged. "Some days are better than others."
"I'm sorry you’re suffering like that," Ben said.
Amelia's gaze dropped. "It is what it is. I've had no choice but to try to adapt."
Ben thought about what she'd just shared. The fatigue explained why she seemed to pace herself so carefully, why she'd mentioned needing a day to recover after social events. The pain explained the careful way she sometimes moved, as if testing each step.
"How long have you been dealing with this?" he asked.
"The symptoms started showing up about two and a half years ago," she said. "Suddenly I was feeling exhausted after training. And not the good exhausted that comes from giving my muscles a hard workout. I was feeling completely worn out even on my lightest training days.” She paused, then cleared her throat. “After that, I lost my jumps. I just couldn’t do them anymore.”
