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Twenty-Two
BROOKE
“And that episode where you found the third hidden key?” the man marveled. “In the back of that really old bookstore?”
“Oh yeah,” his partner cut in, shaking his head. “That was something else.”
The two guys sitting across from us at breakfast were gigantic, and with good reason. They made up the male half of No Pain No Gain, the married-couples bodybuilding team that had dominated most of season five.
“Meghan and Carmen found the majority of the hints on that one,” I admitted. “I only put two and two together.”
“Yeah, well my wife and I cheered when you pulled that key out of that old hollow book,” said the first guy. “We could tell you were the Sorority Sisters, the way you all stuck together.”
“Actually,” I corrected him, “we weren’t sorority sisters at all.”
Flexing one ridiculously-oversized bicep, the second man scratched his head. “No?”
“Not even close,” I laughed. “Only Meghan was in a sorority, back in college. She talked about it constantly, so the producers just went with it.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah,” I said, pushing my eggs around my plate. “They thought it was catchy. Or someone did a feasibility study on the name, and determined it might attract more male viewers.”
The second bodybuilder — Darren, I think his name was — let out a deep, booming laugh. “It’s almost like we’re just performance animals in their great big circus, huh? Dressed up and made to jump through hoops?”
I pointed my fork at him. “Now that’s not a bad analogy.”
The team breakfasts were probably my favorite part of the Insane World Race. It was there that everyone let most of their guard down, and actually got to know each other. Because although we traveled together all over the world together, we usually knew very little of the people we raced against. It was impossible to get to know anyone while running full tilt through underground caverns, or trying to outperform them in some tediously nerve-wracking puzzle challenge.
The bodybuilder’s wives returned to the table, carrying trays loaded with food. They were every bit as ripped and strong as their husbands were. I could imagine they needed a lot of calories to keep up that much muscle mass.
“Get this,” said the first guy to his wife. “The Sorority Sisters aren’t sisters, and they weren’t even in a sorority together.”
“You’re shitting me,” the woman quipped.
“Nope.”
“So the show’s lying again, huh?” the other woman — a deeply tanned brunette named Annie — laughed.
“Apparently.’
A tap on my shoulder turned me around, to where Devin stood holding two Styrofoam cups. He jerked his head toward a doorway that spilled out into the patio area.
“Take a walk with me?”
He’d waited until I’d finished breakfast at least. I’d give him that.
“Is one of those cups a coffee with my name on it?”
“Sure is,” he smiled. “Milk and three sugars.”
“Well alright then.”
I followed him out past the outdoor tables, and into the brilliant, beautiful Hawaii morning. After only a few dozen steps, the sun was already deliciously warm on my skin.
When we were out of earshot of the other teams, he turned and addressed me.
“Listen, I was an asshole last night.”
