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“Well, you’re wrong about all kids dealing with discipline like that. I sure as fuck didn’t deal with my mother’s wrath in that manner.”
“I assume you wouldn’t,” I said, remembering he told me he was the baby in his family. “Let me guess, you never really got in trouble, and the older siblings took the blame for you?”
“Bingo,” he chuckled. “But it was all in good humor.”
“I think everything with you is all in good humor,” I laughed. “Either way, I love my family. We’re simple, unlike you,” I laughed. “Dad’s a football coach, and Mom’s the grumpy school principal that even the teachers are afraid of.”
“What made you try out for the Olympics?”
“I loved swimming, and I was the best at it. It was the next logical step, you know?” I said, recalling how much I truly loved competing in swim. “Nothing compared to being in the swim lane and gliding through the water with flawless strides, moving through so fast that nothing mattered but beating every person who dared to race me.”
“How you talk about it, I have no doubt you would’ve won the gold medal.”
“That was the plan,” I said. “Let’s get off the subject of swimming. I don’t like talking about those days. Feeling like your passion got snatched away from you has a way of leaving a sore spot. It honestly gets depressing.”
I knew my issues were unhealthy, but they were mine to work through. I hated that I couldn’t get back in the water and turn up the heat. It was incredibly defeating to know that I was cut short, and anything that put me in a shitty mood was something I wanted to avoid.
“She dodges the subject of what seems to be her greatest love,” he said while the silence filled the tent.
“She just doesn’t like to talk about things that upset her, and since I’m starting to have a great time on our little camping trip, I’m not about to ruin it over rotten things that ruin my mood,” I said with a smile. “So, what about you? Did you play any sports?”
“Not really,” he shrugged it off. “I liked doing outdoor sports if that counts. I mean, I played ball, but nothing amazing enough to get my ass onto an Olympic team or anything,” he chuckled.
“Hilarious,” I said.
“If I could say I loved anything, it would have been downhill skiing. My parents vacationed in Aspen often, and sometimes Tahoe, but mostly in the Swiss Alps.”
“Swiss Alps? Damn!” I said. “You guys didn’t mess around.”
“No,” he chuckled. “My old man is one of the most boring men you’d ever meet, but something changed when he clicked into a pair of skis and raced me and my brothers down the mountain. Some good times came out of those vacations.”
“Do they still go on ski trips?”
“They do,” he answered. “Mostly with my brothers. I’m usually stacked with work during ski season, so I have no play time.”
“And your brothers, are they like lawyers or stockbrokers?”
“No,” he said, amused. “Why would you assume that?”
“I don’t know. After you told me about your family, I would expect your parents to want their children doing some big-shot jobs?”
“Quite the contrary,” he said. “As I said, my parents are waiting for me to tire of this job, so I will move back and focus on our family businesses.”
“That’s strange.”
“Not really,” I answered. “It’s how we were raised, to keep our wealth expanding for future generations. So, I’m the black sheep in my family for abandoning my post.”
“Wait,” I said. “So, you’re really telling me that your parents are not proud of you? I just can’t believe that.”
“They’re proud I work for a hospital they’ve chosen to donate vast sums of money to,” he said.
“That makes me so sad for you,” I answered truthfully.
“Why? You have no idea how happy I am to be free of all that. It’s just a way to control us with money. I’m not here to keep some legacy alive that my ancestors began hundreds of years ago. I’m here to keep people healthy and happy. To hell with being disgustingly rich. It’s not what happiness is about.”
“Do you believe that?” I asked.
“Believe what?”
