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“Not for a long, long time,” she laughed. “Now how’s it going with your lady? Any progress? Have you two talked about keeping your pants on till the semester’s over?”
“I didn’t share that plan or mention pants to her at all, thanks. But I’ve been thinking about what you said, and as much as it pains me to say it,” I gave a big sigh, “I think you’re right.”
“Yes!” she did a victorious fist pump and kicked her feet and generally acted silly. “I knew I was right. I am so good at relationship stuff. I should have a podcast!” she laughed.
“Maybe wait till it’s been a minute in your new relationship before you hang out a shingle and start taking patients, doc,” I said wryly.
“Yeah, yeah, try to rain on my parade. I’m giving you good relationship advice. That’s right!”
“Not to ruin your big ego moment here, but I’m going to wait till the semester is over and see how things go with her.”
“And when do I get to meet her?” she asked. slyly.
“Not for a long, long time,” I returned. “Now where do you want to put the bowls in this place?”
CHAPTER27
LEANNE
Maybe my dad was partly right. I did stay at the gym way longer than I had to on most days. The internship itself was designed to accommodate my class schedule, so it was only three or four hours a day, three days a week. The fact that I was at the gym almost every day, and that I signed up to cover people’s shifts when they needed to take off work, and that I went there to work out in addition to the yoga class I attended with Rina across town—that was maybe a little much.
I liked being in his gym, learning all about it, spending time there. Not just because it was Aaron’s. I spent extra time there because it was my favorite place in the world. I felt good when I was there, useful and happy and surrounded by like-minded people who shared the same goals and energy I did.
My plan had always been to get a job in personal training once I graduated, to work for someone else. Ideally, I’d find a place at a gym with values like A+ Fitness boasted, inclusivity and accommodations for those with disabilities as well as mental health struggles like eating disorder recovery. Those gyms were becoming more common, and I had hopes of working in one.
After a couple of months at A+, though, my ambitions had started to shift. I wanted to do those things still, but I wanted to own a gym of my own one day. After gaining experience in personal training with a diverse population, I’d move into gym management and eventually start a facility of my own that matched my vision for inclusive fitness.
I’d thought about it for a week before I finally approached Aaron. He had an open-door policy where any of the staff could come talk to him about anything without an appointment. I just didn’t want to take advantage of that when I had a time-consuming ask. After rehearsing what I’d say for an embarrassingly long time that morning, I’d found Aaron out on the floor in the weight room advising some members on how to up their stamina with resistance training. I hung back near his elbow until they were finished and then cleared my throat.
“Aaron, do you have a minute?”
“Sure, what can I do for you?” he said affably, fully the good natured and approachable boss I’d come to count on.
“I wondered if you had time later to go over some things with me. My experience here has shifted my career goals a little, and it would help if you went over the main points of owning and running your own gym.”
“You want to open a gym?” he asked. He didn’t sound dubious, or like I was out of my league. In fact, he sounded pleased at the prospect.
“It’s not something I ever considered before I spent time here. But it’s been on my mind more and more, that operating a facility of my own would be a good fit for me down the road. I know it’s asking a lot for you to give me an overview of everything that goes into starting a gym and making a success of it in the day-to-day operations…and if you don’t have time to—”
“I’d love to. If you haven’t noticed, I like talking about myself and I’m really proud of what I’ve built here. How’s tonight after work?”
“I don’t want you to have to stay late,” I said.
“I’m offering to stay late. It’s our early night, so I’ll close up around nine-thirty. Think that’ll work for you?”
“That’s perfect, thank you,” I replied.
I couldn’t help bouncing a little on my toes as I went back to work. It was all I could think about the rest of the day—that I was going to get a one-on-one mentoring session with fitness titan and philanthropist Aaron Parks, complete with Q&A. I’d have to remember to ask him if I could record, because it would really help to have an audio track to go over later when I wanted to set up my long-term business plan. Even with taking notes as much as I knew I would, I didn’t want to miss a single detail. His in-the-trenches wisdom on starting a gym and launching a brand would be such a boost for me when I reached the point in my career, say five years down the road, to go all-in on my dream.
At nine-fifteen, my phone chimed with a text from Aaron.
DoorDash Chinese 9:30 my office.
I grinned, my heart pounding with excitement. It was a great opportunity for me professionally. I just had to enjoy my good fortune and resist the urge to do or say anything off limits. My outline was only five questions, and I was hoping to keep the discussion to an hour or less out of respect for his time. I drew a star at the top of the page in my notebook and wrote: “Permission to record!” and then I went over the star again and again with my red ink pen, just counting the minutes.
The delivery person arrived right before we finished closing. When I tried to pay her, she said it was already taken care of, tip and all. I took the bags from her and set them on the reception desk. The last couple of staff walked out together, and I headed to Aaron’s office with the food while he finished closing procedures himself. I unloaded delicious-smelling, steamy cartons of food, inhaling that salty, garlicky scent. I was sniffing an open container of chop suey when Aaron came to the door of the office.
“Are you trying to snort the MSG or what?” he teased.
