Page 134 of Free Heart
“That’s not news,” I reply. “I’ve talked about that in my videos.”
“I don’t watch your videos, though,” Jory says. “I figured it out on my own.”
Huh. Interesting. That’s not something that typically happens. But maybe all those autism educational videos I’ve seen on TikTok are reaching their target audience after all.
“I’m here because I need a belayer,” I start, but before I can go any further, I’m inundated with the usual questions.
“When did you start climbing?”
“Why did you first try free soloing?”
“Did you think you were going to die when you fell?”
“What’s the timeline for the next attempt?”
“Are you really going to do it again?”
I frown, overwhelmed with the chatter, and Jory saves my bacon the way Sailor always does. “Hey now, he’s here to socialize, not be interrogated. Let’s pretend Dan’s any regular newbie, alright?”
“Do you know Alex Honnold?” a girl pipes up, almost like she can’t control herself.
“No.”
“Tommy Caldwell?”
“Also no.”
“Do you want to know them?”
“I want a good, reliable belayer,” I say, irritably. “If one of them wants to come belay for me, then sure. I’ll meet them.”
Laughter breaks over the group, and I cover my confusion with a sip of coffee. I’m being serious. I have one mission for this meeting, and so far, I’m getting nowhere with it.
“Top or bottom?” a guy at the edge of the circle asks, and a few other dudes guffaw, but when Jory barks a rebuke, everyone falls silent.
I tilt my head, examining the jerk before I reply. “With you? No, thanks. I’m monogamous.”
The jerk’s mouth gapes, and he starts to try to correct my “misunderstanding,” but his friends shut him up fast.
A smaller circle closes in around me. I decide that if I’m going to be treated like a celebrity, then I’ll act like one. “You can start interviewing for the belaying position now.” I glance my watch. “I’ve got half an hour. I’ll interview you all at once. My way. I’ll do the talking, and you’ll stay silent.”
Some of the group drift away, but a decent number stay, and I clear my throat. “Take one step back if you have less than a year’s experience belaying on a big wall.”
I lose a few with that initial question, and with each consecutive one, until only Jory remains. “I guess we could have saved time and you could have volunteered at the start.”
Jory shakes my hand with a grin. “I wanted to see you work for it.”
“Fair,” I say. “Since you’ll be working for me.”
“Can’t wait.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Sejin
March
Twenty-four weeks since free solo attempt
