Page 80 of Fighting With Light
“Okay, I’m good,” she says.
I look down, checking that her feet are in the right place, and start the engine. It purrs to life and satisfaction rolls through me. It’s been too long. I thumb the throttle and it purrs like a jungle cat. This style of bike doesn’t sound like a Harley or a speed bike like mine at home. It’s quiet but strong.
I kick the kickstand and push us off. Aelia’s arms tense on my waist and I pat them before turning out of the resort. She tucks her head on my shoulder as I take us to a place to climb. I’ve been here before and have climbed this formation. It could be a little more challenging than Aelia is ready for, but there is no doubt in my mind she’s up for it.
We ride for about thirty minutes and the warm air blows in our faces. Aelia’s thumb has been rubbing circles over my shirt, and it’s distracting, but I don’t want her to stop. I pull off the road and into one of the beautiful parks. This one is on the side of a volcano that has quite a few different places to climb and hike, and there are a few waterfalls. The gravel kicks up, likely nicking the chrome as we pull into a shaded corner. I twist around, helping Aelia and make sure she’s balanced on her feet before I get off.
She starts to unbuckle the backpack and I help it off her shoulders before slinging it onto my back. “So how far do we have to hike?” she asks. I take another look at her in her cute hiking boots and pants that hug her figure.
“It’s about three miles or so up,” I say and point my hand in the direction we’re going to go.
“Oh, okay, I can do that,” she says and fits her baseball hat over her head.
I stand there in shock for a moment. This Aelia doesn’t look like my Prada, Louis Vuitton, Billabong, swimsuit-wearingtemporarygirlfriend.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks.
Those three words resurface as I stare at her a little longer. I like this other side of her. Sure, they are just clothes, but there aren’t many girls out there who are princesses and also don’t mind getting dirty.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” I tell her. Despite the heat, her cheeks turn pink, and she fidgets with her hat. I grab mine from the side pocket of the backpack and put it on my head.
“Why do you say that?” she asks.
“Because it’s true, you are. I’ve never met anyone like you.”
She smiles and I start leading the way to the path. “I am pretty special,” she says with a sarcastic smile on her face.
I reach for her hand and kiss her knuckles. “More than you know, princess.”
Aelia bites her lower lip before her lips split into a wide smile, like she can’t hold it back.
After about a mile in, sweat is pouring down my back, but Aelia is scaling the hills, dips, and rocks like she does this all the time. I had expected her to ask for a break, but I don’t know why. Aelia doesn’t back down from anything or anyone. So climbing up the side of a volcano is hardly something she would hesitate with.
I pause my steps on the path, grab my water from my side holder, take a few long swigs, and hand it to Aelia. She drinks, and then I put it back, and continue walking. I help her sometimes by holding her hand as she goes over the rock or a wide step her short legs struggle to take. We eventually make it to the spot that has been traversed by many other climbers.
Aelia looks up at the large climb, and I drop my bag to unload everything we need. She glances back at me and then at the wall. I pull out our ropes, harnesses, chalk, and carabiners. We don’t have fall pads, so I will have to be extra careful spotting and belaying her.
“What do you think?” I ask her.
She puffs out her cheeks and smiles. “Let’s do this.”
My heart thuds. “Just so you know, this is really meant for a more intermediate climber, so it’s going to push you. Do you remember some of the holds and safety things I taught you in Bali?”
She nods.
“Okay then, show me,” I encourage her.
She moves her hands and fingers into different holds like a crimp. We talk about balancing her weight and using her legs as much as she can as opposed to her arms. When climbing something this tall, it’s important to distribute the use of your body as much as you can. If you only pull yourself up with your arms, you’ll tire quickly and either fall or won’t finish the climb. Balancing between leg and footwork with arms will help her to reach the end of the climb. Obviously, hands and fingers are always involved, but if you have a good foothold, it’s a great chance to give the overworked fingers a rest.
“It’s easy to jump into climbs head first and figure it out as you go. But that’s usually a really bad idea. So take a step back here and study the rock. You can see where others have been with the chalk in certain places. That may seem like it’s easy, and some of those might work, but keep in mind that another person might have a longer reach than you, or a different technique. So focus on your own path and still note those.”
Aelia nods and looks up at the rock to plot her course.
I don’t bother looking because I’m too busy watching her. This is part of the reason I love rock climbing. You don’t have to worry about anything else. The result of the next step is on you. The consequences are on you. Even with surfing, the waves are given to me and I have to choose to take them. There is no in-between. With rock climbing, I can choose to take one hold or another. Of course, I’m not naïve enough to think that the rock couldn’t just crumble from my hands. It has, and I’ve fallen many times.
The point here is the majority of my life has been changes and decisions made for me, whether they were good for me or not. When Mom encouraged us to try things like sports, I finally had the chance to choose something for myself. Mom wanted us to be trained by the best military specialists out there. I didn’tget to choose that. Our mom knew what we were up against and she wanted to prepare us. The older I got, the more it made sense.
The people associated with my family, and Aelia’s, are not just gang bangers. Some have been trained just like I have. Others have taught themselves and for some reason that’s always a little more nerve-wracking because they aren’t going off of a veritable rule book. They make their own, and so did I because I was forced to. I didn’t get a choice.
