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“Go home, do some laundry, switch out my bag so I can bring new clothes over here, work out, then chill with some TV or something.” He stopped talking and took a sip from his mug.
I stared at him.
I did this so long, he asked, “What?”
“That seems very normal.”
His gray-blue eyes twinkled and crinkled, and he said, “That’s because I’m a normal guy.”
“I regret to inform you, you are not normal, Cap.”
“What did you think I’d do today?”
“I don’t know. Gather all your superhero friends to battle the evil alien being who wants to eradicate humanity, and in so doing, reduce half of Phoenix to rubble, then take a shower and come help me with the sangria. Just to say, if your plans change and that goes down, gratitude in advance for not taking down the Oasis in your rumble with the evil alien.”
More twinkling and crinkling and then, “I like to run, if I have time, doing it hitting trails. It keeps me fit, but it also clears my head. I work out for my job. Working out is about goals and focus, and builds strength, and all of that is necessary for what I do. I’m not crazy into sports, but I follow baseball and basketball, and I won’t say no to going to a bar and having a beer and watching any kind of game. I think you get I’m really into cooking, that’s about focus too, and results, and it’s a creative outlet. So I also like to go to restaurants to get ideas and dissect recipes. If I have a day or two, I go somewhere in the mountains, because it’s quieter there than in the city and reminds me of home. I like going to movies. And if I need to chill, I do it reading or watching TV.”
“That is, indeed, all surprisingly normal,” I remarked.
“As I said,” he replied, taking another sip from his coffee.
“Okay, now we need to get into your job,” I noted carefully.
He cradled his mug again and replied, “Right. Let’s get into that. We provide security for businesses in the form of keeping an eye on them, as well as for people who come to town who need it.”
“You mean celebrities.”
“I mean celebrities,” he confirmed.
“What celebrities have you met?”
“A lot of them.”
He then rattled off a dozen super famous people, from actors to sports stars to ridiculously rich folk.
“Wow,” I said when he was done.
“For the most part, they’re normal people too. They can be reserved, because so many people want a piece of them, they need to put up that wall. There have been some arrogant assholes, but Mace and Darius don’t put up with that shit for very long. The money is good, but life is too short.”
“Darius?”
“He’s one of the partners. He’s been with us since back in Denver, but he runs the LA crew now. He’s also Liam’s dad.”
Definitely a family affair.
I nodded and refrained from asking who the arrogant asshole celebrities were, but jotted that down as a future follow-up question, and instead asked, “Who was your favorite celebrity?”
Without having to think, he answered, “Justice Lonesome is the shit. Totally down to earth. Even been to her place in the mountains of Colorado where she and her husband Deke and their kids live. Not for work, for a cookout. She’s serious good people.”
I had to take a moment to process the fact that Cap had hung out with another “Oh my God!” celebrity, the insanely talented singer-songwriter, who I was a massive fan of, Justice Lonesome.
“Are you breathing?” Cap teased.
I kinda wasn’t.
I went about doing that.
Then I queried. “Okay. What else do you do?”
