Page 98 of A Lot Like Adiós
He couldn’t do it alone.
And he had to admit part of him wanted the excuse to visit New York more frequently. And while it was mostly to explore whatever he had going with Michelle, it was also so he could see his family. His parents, his sister and her kids, even his aunts and uncles. He’d missed them all. The party last night had shown him he had a lot of lost time to make up for.
But selling the gym hadn’t been on his radar. It washis, the closest thing he had to a baby. To sell it all off in one fell swoop seemed wrong. It felt like giving up.
Fabian had his family, a home, and now, his children. His life was full without Agility.
But it wasn’t Fabian’s name on the gym, it was Gabe’s—the proof that he’d made something big of himself, that he’d done what his father couldn’t.
That leaving New York—leavingMichelle—had been worth it.
“I gotta think,” Gabe finally said. “Go be with your family. We’ll talk later.”
“Let me know. And Gabe—I’m sorry, man. I know this isn’t an easy choice.”
It is for you, Gabe thought. But he just wished his friend well and hung up.
It was easy for Fabian because he had something more important in his life than the gym. But for Gabe, the gym was part of his identity. Without it?
He’d have nothing. He’dbenothing.
But shit, it was a lot of fucking money on the table.
What else could he do? He couldn’t buy out Fabian’s share of the company himself. And the thought of running the business with Powell made him cringe.
Already, he could feel it slipping away from him. Fabian would sell. It was the right choice for him, and Gabe couldn’t fault him for that. With Fabian’s education and experience, he’d be able to book a consulting gig or pick up a teaching contract no problem, something with fewer hours and less responsibility.
Gabe, on the other hand...
He thought about Michelle’s presentation, and the truth he hadn’t wanted to see. Her observations had highlighted the glaring disconnect between what he’d envisioned for the business and what it had become.
A calendar alert beeped on his phone. He was supposed to visit his parents this morning, to “talk.” He’d come all this way to prove to his father that he was a success. And in the end, he was going to have to go over there and admit he was a failure. Because what else could he do but sell?
Sell, and be left with nothing to call his own. Or keep the gym and partner with Powell, who would steamroll him at every turn, or use him as the face of the company and nothing more. A poster boy. A diversity prop.
Fabian deserved an answer soon, so he could focus on his family. It wasn’t fair for Gabe to drag this out, to leave it hanging over Fabian’s head while he labored over the decision, pushing it off until he tied things up here with his parents and Michelle.
If only he could go to his parents for advice. His father had been in this position before, had made the hard decision to close his business. But what if he’d regretted it? He’d hated the retail manager job he’d been forced to take after closing the store. Maybe he’d advise Gabe to tough it out, to hold on no matter what. Or maybe he’d tell him to take the money and move on.
It didn’t matter, because asking for advice was out of the question. Too much time had passed, and Gabe had worked too hard to get his father’s voice out of his head. He had to sort this out on his own. He’d gotten into this mess, and he was the only one who could clean it up.
He didn’t have time to dig into the past with them like he suspected they wanted, but the least he could do was say goodbye in person.
And Michelle. What was he supposed to say?Sorry for dragging you into this, but I’m either selling the gym or partnering with the investor, and even though I think your idea is perfect, he isn’t going to go for it.Fuck, what a mess. And it told him all he needed to know about how much his own business had already gotten away from him.
The whole thing was fucking embarrassing. After all they’d gone through on this trip for the sake of the gym, he had to admit that it was a failure. He’d make sure Michelle got paid for the work she’d done, and after that... he didn’t know what they were going to do. He had nothing to offer but old memories and a big dick. She was smart and funny and beautiful, and she deserved more.
For now, he had to get out of here. This wasn’t his life anymore.His life was back in Los Angeles, and he’d already been gone too long.
Before he could change his mind, Gabe pulled up the airline app. There was a flight in a few hours. He bought a ticket and started packing.
Fourteen years ago
Windows Messenger Chat Transcript
Celestial Destiny: Episode 11 Planning Session
Gabe:
