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“Go sit down. Your food is almost ready, and your father will be here any minute.” His mother shooed him toward the table.
Stephen sat down, finally able to relax. Kane put his face between his legs the way he normally did, hoping for table scraps Stephen sometimes sneaked to him.
“Here you go, sweetheart. Do you want any sauce?” His mother placed a plate loaded with six scrambled eggs and six strips of bacon in front of him. If he was still hungry after his feast for one, a bowl of dried oats was at the ready.
Stephen’s mother didn’t eat meat often, especially bacon, so all the meat usually went to Stephen and his father, and of course Kane if there were any leftovers.
“Go ahead and start eating. Your father should join us soon and you know him—that man is just a vacuum with food. If you finish before he gets here, you might even be able to lie down for a little bit before your training with him.” Stephen’s mother winked lovingly at him.
“Where is Dad by the way? I woke up this morning and his truck was already gone.”
“Your father got a call from one of his buddies at work who needed to jumpstart his car. The drunk fell asleep in his car last night next to the bar and left his lights on. He should be home soon. He only left a few minutes before you got up. He’s probably chit-chatting with his pals, but when his stomach starts talking, he’ll come home. Don’t you worry about him. Eat up and go rest a little before he gets here.”
Stephen answered his mother with a smile and began to inhale his food. He wasn’t too worried about getting rest since he knew that if he rested it would only make it feel worse when he had to get up again..
His father had him work out every morning before breakfast so that it burned more body fat and kept his metabolism sharp. Even at a young age he’d trained every day and had built up his endurance and body to an unbelievable degree for a boy his age. In addition to the daily morning workouts, Stephen’s father would also have him train and do extra exercises with him on the weekends since it was his father’s only time off and a chance to teach his son the tricks he’d learned throughout his athletic career.
Even though Stephen had been eating at a lightning pace, his father pulled into the driveway about four eggs and 2 bacon strips into his meal. His father stepped out of the truck and proceeded to the house. If his stature didn’t intimidate you—at six-foot, four inches—then it was likely the permanent scowl chiseled into his features would. In his fifties, he had “one of the manliest mustaches you’ve ever seen,” as Stephen put it. Even with all his height, he managed to not look too lean. Instead, he gave the impression of being a defensive end retired from the NFL. You could almost feel the ground shake with each step he took, as his steel-toed boots hit the ground. Stephen saw him approaching through the window next to the door and smiled. Although he pushed Stephen constantly, never going easy on him, Stephen still loved his father and liked spending time with him. He knew that all the work he was forced to do made him stronger and prepared him to take on the world. He idolized his father and wished to one day be as much a man as he was.
The door to the kitchen creaked open and Stephen’s father crouched under the frame, stepping through into the kitchen. He walked over to Stephen’s mother, who was already cleaning her plates and other dishes.
“Hello, sweetheart, how are you?” He gave her a quick kiss.
“Mm-hmm. You know you’re late. Your breakfast is on the table.” With a sly smile, she pointed to the plate at the head of the table. It was piled high with eggs and bacon, same as Stephen’s had been.
“I know. I’m sorry but his old thing didn’t want to get going. Took us a whole 30 minutes just to get her revved up and warm enough to drive. Thank you for breakfast, darling.” Stephen’s father kissed her on the cheek.
“HEY, DAD!” Stephen called excitedly
His father gave a slight nod as he turned to join Stephen at the table. “Morning son. How’d your workout go today?”
“It was great! I finally did four full sets! The pushups are getting easier and easier now, and I think I should wear my backpack for the squats because I’m not really feeling as much of a burn anymore when I do them. Crunches are still good, though—they burn plenty. And then I did all 20 pull-ups in each set, but they completely drained me. I could barely stand up afterward.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Take a second to breathe son. You’re talking a mile a minute.” He laughed warmly. “I’m proud of you. Four full sets is a big accomplishment! I think that should be good enough for a while now. No need to push for five. But if you want to wear your backpack to add weight during the workouts, you’re going to have to talk to your mother about that. It took all I had just to convince her to let you do the calisthenics.”
Stephen snapped his head toward his mother. “Pleeeasssseeee Mom!”
She glanced sharply at his father and then looked back at Stephen. “You’re too young to start weight training, sweetie. Starting at such an early age can stunt your growth.”
“But I’ve been working out since I was five years old, and I was already one of the tallest kids in the 8th grade. Plus, I’ve grown four inches this summer! If I do the same next year, I’ll be six feet already and close to dad’s height! I doubt a few extra pounds is going to slow me down that much,” he pleaded.
“He does have a point, you know.” His father shrugged.
Stephen’s mother glared at his father, freezing him with her blue eyes. She turned to Stephen with a softer expression. “You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”
“Nu-uh,” Stephen said gleefully; he knew he’d already won this small battle.
“Fine then. But just your backpack! No secret bricks or logs to make it heavier. I don’t care how easy the workouts get, just your backpack until you’re at least 13,” she said pointing her finger between the two men at the table.
“But that won’t be until next summer!” Stephen exclaimed.
“Ah ah ah. Those are the rules. If you don’t like them, too bad.”
He dropped his head and twisted his mouth as he squeezed out, “Fine.”
“Okay, good. Now finish your breakfast, both of you. I didn’t cook this meal just to let it go to waste, and God knows Kane doesn’t need any more food. That dog already eats more than me.” She turned and walked back to the sink to finish cleaning.
Stephen and his father shared a secretive little fist bump on the side of the table. Finishing up their meals, they cleared the table, thanked Stephen’s mother for the food and her permission.
