Redemption

Ben I watched him walk in, jealous of my best friend. He always had that swagger that made him look masculine and suave. Did he practice it over and over, so he'd look super-cool? Paul was my best friend in the whole world. He radiated the very essence of who we both were, who we'd been, and what we wanted to become. It was all wrapped up in that walk of his. We were going to help people with our camp. Get them fit, help them learn to fight, make them understand that discipline and success go hand in hand. We knew we could do it because that's what Navy SEALs were all about. We'd done it, lived it, and we both knew we could make a difference in my hometown. “Hey man,” he said, giving his usual, pristine smile. “f**k, I need a coffee. I had a rough night.” I laughed. “Did you spend time with a woman? That'll do it every single time.” He smiled. “Nah, Bridget kept stealing the covers. I never realized golden retrievers could be so annoying. She does everything just to piss me off sometimes. I’m sure of it.” My mind was trying not to think about Lucy. She'd run from our marriage, and I still felt sick about it. Paul had been my friend throughout the ordeal, and he’d helped me to decide to leave the SEALs, so we could do something in my hometown in Colorado. Kinda like a new beginning where I could focus my energy on this new scenario of ours. f**k her, anyway. I gave her everything, and she left us. My son and me. I was beginning to wonder what I ever saw in her, and in a way, it put me off women in general. Women who were only friends; fine. But anything that involved a commitment greater than a friendly chat, and they could kiss my ass goodbye. I was amazed at how raw it still felt. Three months without her and I still felt like my insides had been ripped out and my heart stomped on by a stampede of wild cattle. Paul brought the coffees back from the counter. I appreciated him and our new venture right now. A much-needed distraction. My son and I kept each other company, but he asked where mommy was a lot of the time. What kind of woman leaves her own son? I had missed him so much when I'd been away in the Navy. But she left him for good, escaping Colorado for another man. f**k, I hope “Bradley” was worth it. “I've been thinking about the classes a lot,” said Paul, thankfully derailing my train of thought. “Okay, tell me.” “Well, I know it seems a bit unusual, but if we put them in groups after they've learned the technique, I think it will give them room for discussion as well as practice. That will help them to really think about the reason they're doing the camp and get critical feedback from peers.” I had the unpacking of my things whirling around in my mind. Did I need that light to go there? And what about the kitchen, there had to be a better way to organize that. “Hey, Earth to Ben!” “Sorry, I was unpacking boxes in my mind.” “Oh, how is it all going? I can help if you want.” “Nah, Jacob is having fun opening them all up. We're taking the slow road and working out where everything should go. He loves it. Thinks it's like 'moving Christmas' as he described it.” “He seems pretty smart for a four-year-old.” “He is.” I tried to move my mind back to Paul's idea. “Groups, you say? That could be good, and they'll give each other more support that way, too.” “Yes, and we'll be able to walk around and keep an eye on what they're developing in terms of execution. I think their bonds will grow from knowledge sharing.” “Okay, so will that be after the forty-five-minute lesson?” I asked. “Yes. Then we can watch the recruits for half an hour in their groups. It will extend each class by fifteen minutes, but I think we can take fifteen off of the reflection time at the end of the day. They'll automatically do that after the day anyway,” said Paul. I was glad we were doing this camp. My mind needed to fix on something other than Lucy and her untoward, disgusting behavior. I had the rest of my life to realize that she was a cheating, narcissistic, money-hungry b***h. I didn't need to keep filling my soul with the thought of her and her behaviors. She was like a massive bomb in my mind. Full of deadly poison and leaking into my conscious from my subconscious. f**k her and the c**k she rode out on. That was not my fault she decided to cheat. “Ben, I think I'll get another coffee, do you want one?” “Nah, I'm good. I can't believe the camp is next week. What a lucky break that the recreation room is ours for the next five years. I still can't believe how great the facilities are.” “I know, and the fact that there's the well-kept field close by is like a miracle. A meant-to-be factor.” I smiled. I'd always felt more like a brother with Paul. He had this awesome air about him that could make anyone feel at ease. If you were taking your last breath on the battlefield, then he'd be the one you needed to stay by your side and tell you it was going to be alright. “I'm a bit worried about Jacob. He's been asking about Lucy every day.” “There's no easy solution to it. She didn't even realize that she was going to break his heart, did she?” Paul asked, giving a look of concern. “She was too busy working out how much money ‘jerk-off Brad’ was going to give her.” “I think he'll be fine, given time. Is the new preschool any good?” “Yeah, thankfully. That's been the biggest distraction for him which has been great. He has a new friend called Sammy the same age. He’s staying with Grandma Beryl tonight.” “That's great to hear. He'll be better off in the long run without her, anyway.” “Damn straight.” “I think you will find it great. I mean, this whole new venture will keep us both busy. She'll fade away in no time.” “Thanks, man. You always know what to say. I'm actually looking forward to the camp next week.” “I know; we have twenty booked in.” “s**t, really?” “Yep, and it might get to thirty with the promotion codes going out into the land of social media.” “You gotta love social media. I mean, it enables you to get your info out to so many people so quickly. I'm so stoked now.” “I don't know why we didn't think of it earlier than this.” “I know,” I said. “We're so gonna rock people's worlds. I’m really excited to do this.” We sat and talked for a while and Paul got me out of my funk. I laughed at some of his jokes about women, knowing they'd make me see the lighter side of relationships without their explosive damage. He told a few blonde jokes too. Lucy was a blonde who dyed her hair brunette, so I found it funny. I needed funny. My life had always been so damned serious with my job as a Navy SEAL, and my marriage to Lucy. We'd started out as two people who fell madly in love with one another, and then we'd drifted apart. She'd always had a love for the finer things in life. Most of our arguments were money based. She earned zero and looked after our son, which was the way we'd planned it to be. That had been the only thing we'd agreed upon. But then she'd placed him in care and went out and lived it up, somewhat. Which is okay on the weekend, but she got to the point where her looks and her girl's nights out were the most important thing ever. I thought she was depressed. In fact, I got it totally wrong. She had been f*****g Bradley. Yep, he was the guy with way too much money for his own good. He’s a CEO of some weird company, Cluella or some s**t like it. They sell shampoo and conditioner, worldwide. Asshole. I watched as Paul made some notes in his projection book. Then, like some weird, bad dream, a blonde walked over to us and fluttered her eyes at me. Was I in a f*****g movie or something? She stopped next to my side of the booth and smiled a sexy smile. Her lip gloss was that naked color. The kind that made you wonder why they'd even used it at all. “Hey there, handsome, I haven't seen you around these parts before.” I tried to smile, but my heart was like an icicle. Women weren't my favorite topic currently. I knew what they were capable of, and I just couldn't go there again. “Hi,” I said, hoping she'd go away. I looked at Paul who could see I was finding her presence uncomfortable. Paul smiled. He knew I wasn't interested. “You'll have to excuse us. We're having a business meeting,” he said. “Well, sure. Here's my number if you're free later.” She grabbed a pen out of her handbag and scribbled her number on a business card. Justine's Beauty Salon, it said. “Thanks, but I'll be busy,” I said, incapable of caring about dating ever again. The woman walked away and did that weird look thing over her shoulder. She tossed her long hair and walked like a porn star back to her booth. She was hot but no thanks. “Wow, you should call her,” said Paul, now laughing. “Um, no thanks. She'll break my heart, my bank account, and my dick.” I laughed, and Paul chuckled. “I'm swearing off women forever.” “s**t, man. She really did a number on you. You'll change your mind when the right one comes along. Good news is that you've still got it. I'll catch you soon,” said Paul, finishing off his coffee. “I need to run by the rec center and make sure we've got everything we need. Ashley will be organizing the accounts. I told you that, right?” “Yes, I think I remember. These past few days have been crazy. She's with Stucko and Stucko Accounting, right?” “Yes, but she'll also be able to work out the progression of money into timelines. She'll do the budget expectations and the real scenarios each month, as we go. Come tax time, she'll already be well ahead of the ball game with regard to expenditures and what we'll need to pay.” “God, she sounds like a dream.” “She's fifty-six and boring as hell, but she knows numbers. The two brothers who own Stucko and Stucko are even more boring. They play slow lawn bowling.” “What?” I asked, never having heard of the slow version. “Apparently, you need to throw or let go of your ball at half the speed, giving the illusion of a slower game, one that's more intense.” “f**k, that sounds painful.” “Yep, nearly as riveting as senior's bingo.” “I like bingo.” “s**t, Ben. You really need to get a life. I'm so glad you’re back in Colorado. It's been too long.” “Don't I know it! Call me if you need anything.” “I will, but we won't be playing bingo anytime soon, so get your head out of the clouds on that one,” he said, laughing loudly. I rolled my eyes at him and saluted a goodbye. It felt good to be sitting in Leonard's Café. I’d been eating there ever since I was a kid. It was still a great place to hang out, with the Chevy theme and the whole fifties vibe going on. I liked being back in my hometown. The reasons sucked, for sure, but I was going to do everything differently this time around. Better; yes, that was the word I had been looking for.