Page 21 of Give My Everything
The beeping from the bike brings my focus back to the screen, and I allow my legs to spin to a stop.
Twenty miles isn’t far for me, but I really worked up a sweat this time, setting the incline to a higher intensity than I normally hit. I just wanted that burn. I wanted that empty mind, and mile after mile passed without me achieving it.
I sigh, knowing I’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning to try again. A full day at work is ahead, and unfortunately, I won’t be able to turn my brain off at any point.
Slipping off the machine, I grab my towel and water and begin walking to the locker room.
“Hey Ben.”
I turn at the sound of my name, smiling when I see who it is.
“Wow, Logan,” I say, stepping forward and shaking his extended hand. “Good to see you.”
He returns my grin. Logan Becker was my mentor when I was a senior at Roth Prep, a part of the ‘Prep the Prep’ program during college application season.
He graduated quite a while before me but was instrumental in my application to Yale as an undergraduate, and then he came back around to talk things through with me again when I applied to Stanford to get my MBA a few years later.
“Good to see you, too,” he replies.
I tilt my head to the side, assessing what’s different.
“Have you…changed something? You look…I don’t know. Happy? Am I allowed to ask that?”
Logan laughs, something I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen before. He’s always been a friendly guy, but he seems more relaxed.
“Yeah, a lot is different, actually. A few big changes in my life, but most importantly, I’m back in town.”
My eyebrows lift. “On holiday, or permanently?”
“Permanently.” He pauses. “Well, that’s the plan if everything goes smoothly. I’m the new pediatric attending at Roth Memorial.”
I snort and roll my eyes. “Oh you mean you’re in the top position for your specialty?” I say sarcastically. “I’m so surprised.”
He grins but doesn’t address my comment. He’s always been a humble guy about his accomplishments, even considering everything he’s been through in life.
A scholarship student at Roth when he was in middle and high school, he got by on hard work and the assistance of others—the people who saw his value, even if his last name didn’t mean anything.
“So how long have you been back?” I ask, leaning against an open bike to my right and taking a swig from my water.
“Just a few weeks. I’ve only been at work for a few days. I’ve mostly been…getting settled.”
I nod, getting the feeling he’s not sharing everything. “Well, I’m glad you’re back. We should get together soon. I’d love to hear about life.”
He grins, but there’s a pinched quality to it, like I fed him something sour but he doesn’t want me to know he doesn’t like it.
“Definitely. A few beers would be great. Just let me know when.” He takes a step. “But, I’ll let you get back to it.”
I give him a wave as he heads down the path between the bikes, walking toward the juice bar in the corner.
Something inside me pulses, tells me I shouldn’t let too much time pass. Logan is a good guy, and he’s clearly going through something. I rub a hand over my chest, not liking the tight feeling in my muscles.
Touchy-feely isn’t my thing. I try not to get too involved with emotions. It isn’t how I process, so I struggle to empathize with anyone else when that’s howtheyprocess.
I sigh, resigning myself to the idea that today is definitely not going to be a day I get a lot done. Then I follow in Logan’s wake, catching up to where he’s stopped and is staring up at the juice menu.
“The chocolate banana protein thing is pretty good,” I say, grabbing his attention. “It’s a blended one.”
He bobs his head, considering. “Okay. Thanks.”
