Page 2 of Mending Me

When I called my buddy to see if he had any need for an ex-Army man to work at his security firm in Charleston, he told me to hurry up and get my ass home. So that’s what I did. I told my commander that I was ready to move on, filled out all the paperwork, and that was that. I finished out my active duty requirements and got on the first flight back to the Lowcountry.

My alarm didn’t even need to go off this morning before my eyes were open and I was ready to start the day. My body was still on military time and had me up promptly at 0430. Thankfully for me, I found a gym not even ten minutes from my apartment that opened at five. I got dressed, snagged a water from the fridge, and headed out the door. Since it was close enough, I jogged over from my place in order to get in some cardio before starting my workout. When I walked through the door, I was surprised by how many people were here so early in the morning. Most of the people in my life groaned when I told them about my early-morning wake up calls, but this place had at least twenty people in it already and the doors had just been unlocked.

I scoped the place out, taking in all the machines, racks, and places to workout. It wasn’t the biggest gym I had ever been to, but it wasn’t small either. There were plenty of cardio machines and free weights for people to use, and a solid amount of free standing weight racks too. Since I’d already ran and stretched before coming in, I walked towards one of the open racks to set up for my lift.

As I passed the stairmasters, I saw a girl who looked like she was my age sitting at one of the free racks near the front of the gym. Her legs were crossed in front of her and she had her head low. When I got closer, I realized she had a book in her hands and looked like she was fully entranced by whatever she was reading. My head spun to watch her all the way from the opposite side of the weight room.

Who reads when they’re at the gym?

Eventually, she lifted her head and closed her book. I tried to avert my eyes so she didn’t catch me staring at her. The last thing I wanted was to be pegged as the gym creep. As she completed her set, I started to notice more about her.

Dios mío, ella es bonita.?1

She had blonde hair that she had pulled back into a high ponytail that sat right on top of her head. Based on the length, I guessed that when it was down, it would hit her just below her shoulders. She was fit and had strong legs that I knew could probably leg press close to 300 pounds. She was wearing a black, short-sleeved cropped shirt that hit a few inches above the tight, black biker shorts she was wearing. A few inches of her stomach was exposed between the gap of her shirt and shorts. On her feet were a pair of white Nike Blazers, the black swoosh noticeable from across the gym.

Those are probably way more suitable for lifting than my bootsI thought, looking down at my dusty, worn in combat boots. I thought about changing before leaving my apartment but I had always worked out in them before and I wasn’t going to change that now. Just because I was no longer in the military didn’t mean I wasn’t an Army man.

Army men wore their boots. Always.

Realizing I had spent way too much time watching reading girl from across the gym, I finally finished setting up my rack to start my lift. I couldn’t help but cast my eyes over to her every now and then to see if she had her nose in her book. More often than not, she did.

A girl who goes to the gym at 0500 and reads in between sets.

Interesting.

1 Gosh she’s pretty.

3

HANK

“Well I’ll be damned. Don’t you look hot as fuck.” I shook Kolbi’s hand as he extended it towards me. “For a guy who lived in ratty jeans and oversized T-shirts growing up, I almost didn’t recognize you. Dear god man, how much did that suit cost you?”

“More than I would like to admit, brother,” he laughed and pulled me in for a hug. I’m not usually one for hugs but Kolbi comes from a big family where hugging was just as normal as waving hello to someone. “We missed having you here in the Lowcountry. Conrad and Malcolm are already planning their characters for our next campaign when it starts again.”

He was one of my three best friends. Malcolm and Conrad were the others and we had all grown up together here in Charleston, South Carolina. I had been the only one to get the hell out of dodge, enlisting in the Army as soon as we walked across the stage at graduation and not coming home until I landed last week. The three of them had decided to stay and start their own lives here, working and staying close to home while I was gone.

I followed my friend and new boss down a fully marbled hallway and into an elevator. He pressed a button and we talked as the elevator took us to the top floor.

“You’ve really made a name for yourself,” I commented, finally seeing what my friend had built for himself. After graduating from college, something I never did, Kolbi started a security firm for businesses and homes around the city and grew it to be the largest security firm in the area. Based on his suit, I knew he made more in a year than I did during my entire stint in the military.

“Yeah, well, all the old white bitties need to make sure their pearls and paintings are safe from all the scary colored people around town.” He rolled his eyes and attempted a laugh, trying to make light of the looks and names he was often given due to the color of his skin. It was worse when we were growing up as he was oftentimes the first one blamed when something went missing or anything remotely illegal happened. But we always had his back and stuck up for him whenever anyone said anything remotely offensive.

“Kolb, come on man…” I sighed.

“Nah, brother, it’s okay. Really, I think me being Black actually helps business. When I show up for an install or consult, people take one look at me and think, ‘Well he’s the kind of person I’m trying to stay safe from, so if he is installing it, he must know how to keep the rest of his type out.’” The elevator doors opened and we both stepped out.

“At this point, I’m up charging for it,” he said with a wink.

We walked down another long hallway and passed people sitting at desks and large tables. The office was an open concept with some people standing at their desks and other people sitting on couches. Everyone was dressed casually which I found interesting, seeing as how my best friend was in a full suit. Some people looked up at me as we walked past and waved. Once wereached the end of the hall, he pushed open a large glass door that led into what I assumed was his office.

“Holy shit, Kolb.” My mouth hung open as I took in the view. Every wall of his office was floor to ceiling windows looking out into the harbor. Downtown sat right on the Ashley River which then led out into the ocean. From his office, you could see all of downtown and miles down both ends of the coast.

“Like I said, I upcharge for it.” He handed me a soda and sat down at his desk. “So, I was thinking I could have you head up my high security division.”

Finally pulling my eyes away from the water, I sat down in one of the plush chairs that sat across his glass desk. Who the hell decorated this place? Definitely not Kolbi—the guy grew up riding skateboards and sleeping on an old couch.

“Sure, man. I’d be fine with anything really.” The military had been all I’d done with my life and now that I was out, I didn’t really know what to do with myself. Having not gone to college, I didn’t have a degree to help me get any kind of job with a retirement plan or health insurance. Sure, I had benefits from my time in the service, but I couldn’t rely on that for the rest of my life.

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