Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
He gestured at his computer and continued, “I looked up the shelter where you work, and it wasn’t nice like your place. This was just a bunch of cots set up in a drafty old building behind a church. Sometimes, our shoes would get stolen while we were asleep, or a fight would break out, or something else would go wrong. We never felt safe there.”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
Ever straightened his posture and tried to play it off. “It’s fine. I mean, it wasn’t at the time, but we got through it. We both found jobs, and after about a year, she moved us into an apartment. Once I finished high school and joined the Marines, I was able to send a good amount home every month.”
“Where is she now?”
“A year into my four-year commitment, she met someone. She ended up getting remarried and moving back east. Her new husband had two young kids, so she got a second chance at a family. She’s doing great now. We both landed on our feet.”
“How often do you get to see her?”
“Not that much, but I get it. She’s busy with her grandkids, and she and her husband travel a lot.” He tried to say that lightly, but I knew there was a lot of pain beneath those words.
After a pause, he told me, “Anyway, the example my dad set is why I’m like this—the constant hustle, the social media thing, my drive to make the new business a success—this is where it comes from. It’s not about fame, or popularity, or whatever it must look like. I’m trying my best to build something solid, something that’ll endure for years to come. But that building has turned out to be a money pit, and sometimes I wonder if I made a huge mistake by taking on this project.”
“You didn’t.”
“What makes you say that?”
“You’re obviously smart and capable, and you’re already a success. People are going to join your new fitness center in droves, based on the reputation you’ve built. I bet you’re going to have more members than you know what to do with, and the money’s going to start pouring in.”
He grinned a little and fidgeted with his wine glass. “It’s funny. I didn’t expect you to be such an optimist.”
“I wasn’t always, but working with the young adults at the transition shelter changed my outlook. Most of them are surprisingly positive and optimistic, despite what they’ve been through, and I’ve learned to follow their example.”
I took a sip of beer and added, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m also a realist. I know nothing gets handed to you in life. But a lot can be achieved by setting goals and working hard to reach them, which is what you’re doing with your new business. That’s why I really believe you’re going to succeed.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
“Thank you, too, for confiding in me.”
Ever tried to shrug it off like it was no big deal, even though it was. “I’ve talked about some of that publicly, like the fact that I was homeless for a while. My message to people in similar situations is always to hold on to hope.”
After a moment, he admitted, “I hadn’t told anyone about my financial concerns with my new fitness center, though. My followers on social media need to see me as competent and confident. If they think I don’t know what I’m doing, everything could fall apart. But it feels good to talk about this. It was a lot to keep bottled up.”
“I’m always happy to listen.” I cautiously tasted a clump of granola and muttered, “Wow, that’s actually really good.”
His handsome face lit up when he smiled. “I’m so glad you like it.”
Just then, Phil jumped onto my lap. As I shifted a bit to accommodate the cat, the beer, and the bowl of snacks, Ever turned the subject to me with, “Roger mentioned you’re ex-military. How long were you in the Army?”
“Eleven years, from age eighteen to twenty-nine.”
“Damn, that’s a long time.”
“Very.”
“What made you decide to enlist?”
“It was an expectation, more than a decision. My dad’s career military. He’s been in the Army for thirty-eight years and has no interest in retiring. He made it clear from the time I was born that I was going to follow in his footsteps. I went along with it because when I was fresh out of high school, there was nothing else I could point to and say, ‘this is what I want to do with my life.’ But it was never the right fit.”
“You stuck with it for years, though.”
“It was all I knew,” I said quietly. “More to the point, I didn’t know who I was or where I belonged, so I just kept playing the part of the good soldier, the dutiful son, doing what was expected of me—until I literally couldn’t anymore.”