Bear Hunting

Chapter 4: King’s Barbells and Boxing

Chapter 4: King’s Barbells and Boxing

David Lee King is a massive bear at two hundred and forty-five pounds. He stands at six-three, is twenty-five years old, and enjoys the company of ladies rather than men. How Toby has become friends with the man is easy to explain. The two boys grew up together in the same neighborhood and eventually turned into men. They went to the same grade school, junior high, and high school. Then they went to Templeton College for four years, rooming together in Marcus S. Sainter Hall. Dave obtained a degree in nutrition and Toby obtained one in English, although he had always seen himself working in a library with a library science degree. Dave dated pretty blonde girls and Toby dated their queer brothers. Dave was married to Teresa Banter for two years while Toby dated a guy by the name of William Williams, but Teresa decided she liked geek c**k instead off Dave’s plump c**k, and the marriage fell apart after she slept with the computer guru who just happened to have the same first name as her husband.

Although King has a place to live (293 Hochner Road, which is a Tudor by the lake that he has paid a quarter million dollars for) he prefers to stay in the efficiency apartment above his gym, King’s Barbells and Boxing. Truth is he thinks about selling his Tudor since he is never really there, but Leonard, his younger brother of nineteen, is staying in the place while he attends Templeton College. There is no reason to kick Lenny out on his ass because King loves him. Besides, Dave thinks that Lenny is a replica of himself, a clone of sorts, except younger, which strokes Dave’s ego a little more than it should. Both have the same light blue eyes and thick black hair. Although King wears his as a crew cut, Lenny prefers a shoulder length do. And both are cute, ladies’ men, and girlfriendless at the moment.

The history of King’s Barbells and Boxing is elementary. After graduating from Templeton, King applied for business loans. He borrowed one hundred thousand dollars from the bank, another twenty from his grandmother, Isabella King, and created his dream place of employment, a gym and boxing ring.

He has owned the business for the last three years, which is paying his bills. The country has gone through some bad times with the economy, which has affected small businesses in western Pennsylvania, but King’s gym has stayed afloat and he manages to pay his bills, fill his stomach with protein, and have just a little extra cash on the side. These days he’s making enough to bank ten grand a month after paying his bills. Frankly, he has it good. Especially since he has Toby Cartwright as a best friend.

Toby arrives at the gym shortly after two in the afternoon. He’s come to work out, King realizes, since he carries a gym bag over his right shoulder. There’s only one person with a free membership and it’s Toby. How can he charge the guy when they’ve known each other for almost all of their lives? But Toby does pay for his fruit drinks and bottles of water.

They meet in King’s office, which is small, cluttered, and smells of protein drinks. King watches Toby slump into a chair next to the door. “What’s going on, pal?”

“I think I’m being stalked, but I’m not sure.”

King rolls his eyes, sometimes being impatient when it comes to Toby, and asks, “You went to see that professor at Templeton College, didn’t you?”

“Blue Danning.”

“And what did he say?”

Toby tells King every detail about his visit with Blue. He adds, “I find him attractive, but yet he kind of frightens me at the same time.”

“Is he sexy?”

Toby nods. “Sexy as hell. A big bear. Beefy. Handsome. Smart. Just my type of guy.”

“So you kind of like him?”

“I do. But he still scares me.”

“Because he contacted you out of the blue?”

“Exactly. Guys don’t usually do that. It’s freaky.”

“What did you tell him about your blogs?”

“I’m not going to let him use them. They’re not teaching tools. They’re for entertainment.”

“Your life, your strife,” King replies, rubbing his chin. Sometimes he thinks that Toby is a little too sensitive, particularly about his Bear Blog.

“What do you mean by that?”

King says, “I’d let him use them. No harm will be done. What could go wrong? Plus, the blogs are great. You could help teach the world, or at least a part of it.”

“That’s the difference between you and me.”

“I know that.”

King’s phone rings. When he reaches for it, Toby rises from his seat and heads out to the locker room to change into his workout gear, spending the next hour in an intense exercise program that King designed exclusively for his body.