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“Happy first day of work, sucker,” Sean yells excitedly, causing me to laugh so hard my cheeks hurt. Trust Sean to turn everything into a celebration. “You should stop at Evie’s to get a cake and celebrate your first day.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re always so dramatic, Sean.”
“Are you as excited as I am?” Sean asks.
A smile crosses my face. “I am, though I have to keep pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
“It’s not a dream, Liam,” Sean says. “Believe me. It’s the start of a new beginning.”
“Let’s hope,” I can’t help the fluttery feeling in my stomach making me question his certainty. “I’ll update you later on how my day went, okay?”
“Perfect,” Sean cheers. “I can’t wait to hear how it goes. Have a great time.”
“Talk to you later, Sean.”
I slip the phone into my pocket and head out. Tex and I are used to the mountainous terrain, and we arrive at the training facility quickly. When I walk in, the receptionist says hello and points me to Patrick’s office.
My heart is racing, as I knock on his door.
“Good morning, Patrick.”
“Liam!” Patrick rises from his chair and shakes my hand. “Punctuality is a great trait.”
I laugh. “I’m looking to make a good impression.”
“Done.” He gives me an enthusiastic slap on the back.
“Wonderful. Let’s get you started.” Patrick leaves the table and leads us outside. “Let me introduce you to the kids.” The camp is on an extensive stretch of land, and there are groups of kids in different sections doing what looks like warm-up exercises. It’s a beautiful sight to me and better than I imagined.
“This is the beginner’s level,” Patrick stops by the first group of kids who are trying crab walks. I chuckle at their bad form, and their instructor waves at me and Patrick.
“Liam, this is Thomas,” Patrick introduces the tall man, who looks to be a few years older than me. “He helps the kids stretch every morning before their exercise begins.” To Thomas, he says, “This is Liam, one of our new instructors.”
“Nice to meet you.” Thomas and I shake hands before Patrick moves me on to the next group.
“This is the intermediate level.” Patrick points to the next group of kids.
I nod. These kids aren’t doing anything different from the beginners, but their form is much better. You can tell that they are well-practiced. Patrick introduces me to their instructor, Marvin, and we move on. It’s a long walk to the next group of students.
“Why is this next group located far away from the beginner and intermediate groups?” I ask.
“Because their workouts are a little more advanced,” Patrick explains. “We try to protect the beginners and intermediates from seeing it as much as we can.”
“Why?” I question, genuinely curious.
“You know, kids,” Patrick sighs. “They’re a lot more adventurous than we give them credit for. When they see advanced workouts, they want to try what they see the older kids doing. But, it’s not safe for them because their bodies aren’t prepared for it yet.”
“I didn’t think about that. I think it’s amazing that you’ve put that much consideration into it all.”
Patrick smiles at me as we approach another group of kids. “In this camp, we put the safety of all of our participants first.”
I stop by the kids, watching with amazement at the workouts they engage in. It’s all very impressive. “Wow.” I nod at Patrick. “This is great.”
“Thank you.” Patrick says as he looks over the scene in front of us. A small smile on his lips.
“I'm ready to work,” I say. “Where do I start?”
“I’m going to give you the most crucial job,” Patrick smiles, leading me and Tex back to where we started. “The beginner level.”
