Jack
“Didyou make your move on that girl yet?” I ask my nephew as he laces up his shoes and claps chalk on his hands.
“No way. She wasn’t interested in me. She heard I was your nephew and thought she would be able to get a selfie with you if we hung out. I heard her talking to one of her friends.”
“I’m sorry, man.” If I could keep a bubble around this kid to hide hurt from his world, I’d do it in an instant, but I know that’s not how it works.
“Nah, it’s all good. I ended up meeting this cute little thing during one of my shifts last week. She’s a little older, just started at the University last fall. We’ve been texting, so I’ll see where it goes.” He smiles at me proudly.
“Nice. You’re being smart?” That comment gets me a look. The kind that is followed up with either embarrassment or a bark to shut up. I throw up my hands in surrender. “Just asking. Don’t get defensive. I hope I get to meet her.”
We start working our way up the massive wall, and I notice as I’m making my way about twenty feet off the mats that my belayer on the ground has changed. Normally, that doesn’t happen; the belayer is the person giving me the proper slack and rope so I can move up the wall easily and safely.
“Ah, fuck,” I say to myself as soon as I see who’s taken over.
Benny looks at me and then down to the ground and yells out, “Hey, Michael!”
When Benny asked to burn off some energy tonight after school, I told him sure before realizing where we were headed. He pulled into the Riggs Rock Wall facility and assumed I wouldn’t run into any of the Riggs men. They run the big business, not work in the rock wall or mixed martial arts facility. I’m positive I’m their least favorite person right now, even after delivering their rebranding package and photography. I knew they were happy with it, but after reviewing it with their marketing teams and the board of directors, I didn’t stick around to shoot the shit or grab a bite. I’m not an idiot. They liked my work. What they very clearly don’t like is me right now. And I get it, I messed up with their sister. Big time.
“Hey, you know Michael asked if I’d like to work the kids camp here this summer,” Benny says as we both make our way upward.
“Is that right? And what do you think? Want to stick around this summer and make some extra money before school in the fall?”
“I’ve been thinking, Uncle Jack…”
I look over at him, already knowing what he’s going to say, but I let him get it out before saying anything to shoot it down.
Benny grabs the next grip and he’s moving toward the horizontal edge, which needs some solid strength to handle. He’s coasting through it and talking to me like this is easy stuff. It’s definitely not. “I’ve been thinking I want to defer school for a semester. Start up in the spring instead so I can do some climbing around here until it gets too cold, and then maybe head south for a bit. Do some exploring on my own for a while. Maybe see if Dad wants to come for a bit, too. I don’t know. I’m just not ready to start being an adult yet.”
That wasn’t what I thought he was going to say. Benny has been through a lot. Way more than I initially thought. Between his parent's divorce, which had been edging toward a demise for the last five years, playing referee between the two of them, his mother heading into rehab, not to mention all the pieces that led her there, the kid could use some time on his own. Figure out who he might be. He’s had to step into a roster of grown-up roles he never should have been in to begin with. I don’t blame him for wanting some time to breathe on his own.
“I think it’s a good idea. You’re going to have to clear it with your mom when she’s back, but I’m sure she’d support whatever you feel you need, kiddo,” I say as I smile at my very grown-up, sweetheart of a nephew.
“You’re getting really good at…”
The rest of what Benny says falls away, as does my body as I plunge off the wall. My ropes don’t stop me with too much slack I’ve been pulling. My harness jerks my body quickly, and with a grunt, I abruptly stop. Dangling only about five or so feet from the ground, I see Michael to my left, smiling at me.
“What the fu–” With another grunt, my ass hits the matted floor.
“Try to be more careful in my facility, Jack.” Michael passes the ropes off to his colleague, then he stalks away.
“Uncle Jack, you alright?” Benny yells from his spot just below the top of the wall.
I stand up, ass sore and pride a bit wounded as people stare. This is going to hit the rumor mill nice and fast. “All good!”
I walk over to the locker room and shake off what just happened. I wasn’t planning to see any of the Riggs brothers. I hadn’t thought about what I’d tell them when I did.Rookie move.I feel like I owe them an explanation, but I’m not about to walk into their lair without a plan or explanation.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I say it, but I’m not expecting any sort of response from the brick house of a man that stands in front of me on the other side of the men's room. Henry Riggs, not one of the most welcoming men to begin with, but we bonded over some beer and mutual athlete friends. Right now, though, he looks like he's ‘roided out and ready to rumble. I’m not a man to back away from a fight, so I know what’s coming. This asshole is going to knock me in the face and I’m going to let him.
“You’re not even going to fight back, are you, you piece of shit?” he barks out at me.
“What do you want me to say, huh? I fucked up? Yeah, I fucked up royally, but I’m trying to make it right. For everyone.” He doesn’t let me say much else. In three behemoth-sized strides, his full fist connects first to my stomach, and as soon as I wretch over in response, he drives an elbow into my lower back, right into a kidney. I’ll likely piss blood for the next few days.Great.
I’m lucky his ham-hands didn’t pop me in the nose, a far more visible assault that wouldn’t go unnoticed in this town. Serving up coffee and books with a broken nose wouldn’t be too ideal. I should thank him for keeping it to the body, only the wind’s been knocked out of me, and I can’t take a full breath yet.
“That’s enough now.” The soothing voice hovering from the doorway is from none other than Asher Riggs. It bellows through the empty locker room. What did they send out a group text that I was here?
I watch as his shined-up loafers come into view and he crouches down, grabbing my elbow to help me stand. “Thank you, sir.”