Chapter 7: Mick

Chapter Seven

MICK

“ H ow serious is Pedro about the no babes, no booze rule?” I ask Dee. I saw on social media that he, Simba, and a few others were at the Luxor to see some dancers. The strip isn’t too far from where I’m staying, so I was able to drive over there before they had moved on to a new club.

Dee looks at my Coke. “You thinking about breaking some rules, Straight?”

Not the rules you’re thinking of. Who would waste their career on beer? “Just weighing my options.”

Dee shrugs. “It all depends on if you get caught.”

“None of your crew get training from Pedro,” I point out.

“He’s not the only trainer in the industry,” Simba grunts from his corner.

“The best one though.” I don’t add that they are all still at his gym and that even though some of them have been working out months or even years at Pedro’s, I can beat them all in under a minute.

“It’s all about balance, my friend.” Dee gestures toward the stage where the dancers are gyrating to a song about a girl’s favorite positions. “If you don’t let out some steam, you won’t be able to concentrate. Isn’t that why you got pounded in the ribs by O.P. the other day?”

The gym gossips like the clients at my sister’s hair salon. Josie did distract me—not because she’s around, but because she isn’t. Once she lands, once she’s with me, I won’t be worrying about her.

“Look, we”—Dee gestures around the table—“aren’t going to rat you out, and as long as you don’t skip a practice or show up late, Pedro will never know.”

“So how’d you guys get found out?”

Simba lets out a sharp bark of a laugh. “Cuz Dee here was seeing a showgirl, and he didn’t like how a customer was getting handsy with her. He caused a little ruckus, and we couldn’t let him fight on his own, so we all ended up getting dragged down to the jail. Pedro paid out bail but told us he wouldn’t train us anymore.”

“When was this?”

“About six months ago. We’re softening him up. He’ll let us back into the inner circle.” Dee sounds confident. Maybe it’s bravado. I pay for the next round, drink my Coke, and then leave because Josie is landing soon.

I park in the hundred dollar a minute short-term lot—yes, an exaggeration but not by much—and hustle down to the arrivals gates. There are a bunch of black-suited guys with little placards. I should have done one for Josie. She would’ve died of embarrassment, but there’s no place at the arrivals to buy supplies, so I settle for writing her name with my finger in my notes app and holding it up. My lame efforts are rewarded when she spots me and turns red. She gives me the finger but has a big smile on her face when she reaches me.

“You’re such a loser,” she jabs.

“The loser you’re visiting, so what does that make you?”

“Desperate.”

Well, that puts me in my place. “I guess that’s why I’m your only friend.” I reach for her bag. It’s very light. Like one change of clothing light. “You have more luggage?”

“No, only this.” She starts toward the door. It’s the wrong exit.

I take her by the shoulders and turn her to the correct one. “Why so light?”

“I don’t plan on staying long.”

I have a lot of responses like “the hell you will” and “not if I cancel your return flight” and “I’m tying you to my bed until you agree to stay forever,” but I know better than to say any of them out loud. I guess that’s why, during the ride to my place, we just listen to sports radio. I couldn’t recite a single topic from the twenty-minute drive, and I don’t think Josie would be able to either.

“This is even more dreary in person.” Josie takes in my sad apartment in one glance. “I guess I see your trainer’s point of view. Who wants to spend a minute longer here than you have to?”

“It’s not that bad.” I drop her light bag next to the sofa. “The sofa doesn’t have a pull-out, but I’ve ordered one.”

She makes a face. “I wish you hadn’t. I don’t know how long I’ll be staying. These internet trolls fixate and then move on. You know how it is.”

“Sure, and until then, you can sleep on the new sleeper sofa that’s coming tomorrow. Besides, me spending a little of Griff’s money will make both Lauren and Griff feel like they’re helping me, so everyone is happy. See how great I am at that?”

“You’re clapping for yourself on an empty stage is what I see.”

“Ouch, but hit me harder because I like it.”

She rolls her eyes but laughs a little, and it breaks the awkward tension that had been between us on the drive from the airport.

“Here’s the real sacrifice I’ve made for you. I was going to sleep on the sofa and put you in the bed, but I knew you would argue with me until I was exhausted and gave in, so I saved us both that torture.”

“Thank God you’ve learned some things in the time we’ve been apart.” She pulls open the refrigerator. “You have three gallons of milk in here and two dozen eggs and nothing else?”

“I have chicken breasts in the freezer.”

“Your apartment is beige. Your food is beige. No wonder you are bored and begging for me to come.”

“Sure, that’s the reason why.” I tap the computer on the kitchen table. “You want to log in and do some sleuthing? I’ll order us some real food. Kung pao chicken extra spicy?”

“Yum, okay.” Josie takes a seat at the table while I order the food. As I watch her fingers fly over the keyboard and the blue light of the monitor flicker against her face, I can almost imagine we’re back in her apartment in New York, best friends spending every spare minute with each other. Sure, I used a lot of time fantasizing about sweeping the computer onto the floor and bending her over her desk, but the other times, we joked about our shit lives and dreamed about how we’d make it big and then buy apartments next to each other and order all the food, buy all the clothes, do all the things. All together. I tried to let go of that dream, but I can’t. Its claws are dug deep under my skin, and there’s just nothing that can dig it out.