Page 12 of The Grizzly Situation
Of course they were. Why wouldn’t they? It sounded like a great opportunity.
“What will you do, Uly?” Deb asked, as she slipped her phone back into her pocket.
What would I do? That was the question of the hour. I had no job, and I won’t deny I liked the praise he’d given me, but that wouldn’t last. My first screwup would have him regretting hiring me. With my luck, I’d be in the same position I was with Uncle Dom, and out on my ass with no safety net.
“I don’t think I’m going to do it,” I said, wheezing a bit as the realization I was making a decision like this was a weight that pressed down on my lungs, squeezing every last breath from me.
“What? Why?”
I thew my hands in the air. “I swear to God, it’s like you don’t know me. You’ve told me my whole life how clumsy I am. Hell, you and your friends used to laugh about it. So now, I’m supposed to pack up and move somewhere I won’t know anyone, and into a company that, by your words, is amazing. How long do you think it’ll be before they realize I’m nothing special, and they toss me out? Then what?”
Anger simmered down deep, but I wasn’t sure who I was madder at. Mr. Lockhart for dangling the carrot in front of me, or me for pushing it away. The only thing I could be certain of, was I was pissed off.
Jamie got up and put a hand on my bicep, digging in gently. “Uly, listen to me. When we were kids, me and the other guys were assholes, and I will never deny that. I’m sorry that we hurt you. You’re my brother, and I should have had your back. Don’t let my stupidity keep you from trying something new. Maybe all you need is to find your niche.”
“I found my niche. It’s staying in the house, and never going outside where I can do stupid things.”
“Look, I didn’t know you when you were kids, but be honest with me. Did you never once do anything to get back at Jamie?”
“No! I would never?—“
He gaped. “Excuse me? What about the glue in my socks?”
That memory bounced back. I’d heard one of Jamie’s friends talking about his brother having a stiff sock under his bed. I didn’t know what it was about, but I thought it was hilarious. I went to Dad’s workshop and grabbed a container of Gorilla Glue, then proceeded to pour it in several of the animal paw socks he’d begged Mom for. When Jamie found them, he’d screamed at me, then ran from the room crying. He told Mom, and she wasn’t at all pleased, which resulted in me being grounded for a week. I admit, after seeing his anguish, I’d never felt so guilty.
“So one thing!” I barked. “How many times did you make my life hell?”
“And how many times would you like me to apologize? Because if what I did played a part in your anxiety, I deserve you being mad at me and I am more than willing to get on my knees to beg forgiveness.”
Was I mad at him? Not really, no. Sure, he was, on occasion, a dick to me when I was a kid, but he also helped me to learn to fly a kite, let me work with him on a couple models he built, and never complained when I dropped one. Which happened more than I wanted to admit. Plus, he let me crawl into bed with himwhen thunder shook the house so hard the windows rattled, and never told Mom I was a baby about it.
“No,” I said, “I’m not mad at you. You were…are… a great brother, and I’m lucky to have you.”
“Then listen to me. Take a chance. If it doesn’t work out, you can come live with us until you’re able to get a different job.”
“What he said. We’re your family, kid, and we’re always going to have your back.”
And those words calmed a lot of the nervousness inside me.
Chapter Four
BRENT
“What the hell are you doing?”Chaim snarled, as he grabbed the one hundred fifty pound barbell that was about to take my head off, and put it back on the rack with one hand.
“You said I needed to lift more to get strong,” I reminded him, anger and pain bubbling inside me.
He closed his eyes and mumbled something, then they snapped open and he pinned me with a venomous stare. “What’s the first rule of lifting, Brent? What was theveryfirst thing I told you?” he demanded, his voice barely concealing the rage.
There had been a long list of dos and don’ts that Chaim and Benjy had given me, but the very first, and most important they’d said, stood out in my mind.
“Don’t lift alone.”
“You could have died! That waswayover your weight limit. If I hadn’t come in when I did?—“
“But—“
“Don’t interrupt him, cub,” Benjy snarled as he strode through the door, the swagger from huge leg muscles which always attracted attention anywhere he was. He went to Chaim and brushed their cheeks together. It was weird knowing that the two of them were a couple. A secret they’d shared with me, only after I promised not to tell. I didn’t realize two boys could do that, but it felt good being in the know.
