you think you’d do?” she asked.
“Honestly I figured I’d just quit. I mean, nothing was going to get me back with my unit. Hell, my knee was shot. They had to rebuild the whole damn thing.”
“Is that when you first started rowing?” she asked.
“Yeah. At the rehab wing at Walter Reed,” he said, naming the famous military hospital. “I couldn’t run, especially at first. One of the grunts—I mean, one of the privates—was trying to learn to walk after losing both his legs in an IED attack in Fallujah and he challenged me to try it. He was a fucking—I mean, a freaking—workout animal.”
Annalisa bit her lip to keep from asking what had happened to the soldier, especially since Robert had said “was”.
“Everybody called him ‘Stumpy’. I thought it was because of what had happened in Iraq, but later I learned he’d been called that since he was a kid because he was just a little fella. Of course, the guys at Walter Reed ragged the shit out of him. Anyway, this little runt of guy was working out all the time. I would see him use the rowing machine then crawl his way over to the pool and do fifty laps then come back and hit the rower again.”
“So he challenged you?” Annalisa prompted, wanting to hear how he’d gone from rebuilding his knee to getting on the Olympic team.
“Yeah. And soon all the other guys were in my face too,” Robert said. “Before my injury, I just put in the PT time because it was required. Frankly doing all the things Rangers do just came naturally. I played a lot of ball in school but I didn’t have to work at it, you know? After my knee got blown up it was different. I’d never known that kind of pain. I’m sad to say, if they hadn’t been on me, I probably wouldn’t be able to walk today.”
He took a breath and Annalisa kept her face against his chest. She couldn’t imagine the pain he’d been in and her heart was breaking at the thought of what he’d lived through. He picked up his story and though she was about to cry, he seemed calm about the events he related next.
“They were right to ride me. You should have heard what Stumpy said to me. ‘Wimp’ was the nicest name he called me. He said if he could do it with zero legs, I ought to be able to row myself to China and back. One of my flaws is being unable to resist a challenge, and Stumpy was right on. The rowing machine was a great workout. My legs got strong. Then one of the physical therapists, who was really into the local rowing scene, told me about tryouts they were having for an eights team.”
She wasn’t sure how she knew, maybe it was the tone of his voice, or perhaps the easy way he was breathing, but Annalisa felt certain he was smiling now. The thought made her heart feel full that at least part of this memory was a happy one for him.
“Stumpy and the guys said I should go for it. My doc said it was okay. He gave me the all clear for anything I wanted to do except rejoin my unit. So I figured it might be fun. No one was more surprised than me when I made the damn team. From there it snowballed. I never dreamed I’d be here at the trials and have a chance at the Olympics. But the guys…well, they were all pulling for me, so I didn’t want to let them down. I figured at best maybe I’d get on as a coach or adviser, something like that.”
“And here you are,” Annalisa finished. “One more win and you’ll be in the Olympics.”
“Yes. I want it. It wasn’t something I’d even thought about two years ago. Now…well, I’m not going to be happy if I don’t get it all,” Robert said. “Finishing second is not an option. But, hell, if you believe in luck or mojo or whatever, I’ve probably just screwed any chance of winning.”
“What do you mean?”
Now Robert laughed without humor and sat up. “Haven’t you heard the one that sex takes the edge off? It’s one of the many taboos of athletics.”
Annalisa frowned. “Really? I would have thought great sex
“Honestly I figured I’d just quit. I mean, nothing was going to get me back with my unit. Hell, my knee was shot. They had to rebuild the whole damn thing.”
“Is that when you first started rowing?” she asked.
“Yeah. At the rehab wing at Walter Reed,” he said, naming the famous military hospital. “I couldn’t run, especially at first. One of the grunts—I mean, one of the privates—was trying to learn to walk after losing both his legs in an IED attack in Fallujah and he challenged me to try it. He was a fucking—I mean, a freaking—workout animal.”
Annalisa bit her lip to keep from asking what had happened to the soldier, especially since Robert had said “was”.
“Everybody called him ‘Stumpy’. I thought it was because of what had happened in Iraq, but later I learned he’d been called that since he was a kid because he was just a little fella. Of course, the guys at Walter Reed ragged the shit out of him. Anyway, this little runt of guy was working out all the time. I would see him use the rowing machine then crawl his way over to the pool and do fifty laps then come back and hit the rower again.”
“So he challenged you?” Annalisa prompted, wanting to hear how he’d gone from rebuilding his knee to getting on the Olympic team.
“Yeah. And soon all the other guys were in my face too,” Robert said. “Before my injury, I just put in the PT time because it was required. Frankly doing all the things Rangers do just came naturally. I played a lot of ball in school but I didn’t have to work at it, you know? After my knee got blown up it was different. I’d never known that kind of pain. I’m sad to say, if they hadn’t been on me, I probably wouldn’t be able to walk today.”
He took a breath and Annalisa kept her face against his chest. She couldn’t imagine the pain he’d been in and her heart was breaking at the thought of what he’d lived through. He picked up his story and though she was about to cry, he seemed calm about the events he related next.
“They were right to ride me. You should have heard what Stumpy said to me. ‘Wimp’ was the nicest name he called me. He said if he could do it with zero legs, I ought to be able to row myself to China and back. One of my flaws is being unable to resist a challenge, and Stumpy was right on. The rowing machine was a great workout. My legs got strong. Then one of the physical therapists, who was really into the local rowing scene, told me about tryouts they were having for an eights team.”
She wasn’t sure how she knew, maybe it was the tone of his voice, or perhaps the easy way he was breathing, but Annalisa felt certain he was smiling now. The thought made her heart feel full that at least part of this memory was a happy one for him.
“Stumpy and the guys said I should go for it. My doc said it was okay. He gave me the all clear for anything I wanted to do except rejoin my unit. So I figured it might be fun. No one was more surprised than me when I made the damn team. From there it snowballed. I never dreamed I’d be here at the trials and have a chance at the Olympics. But the guys…well, they were all pulling for me, so I didn’t want to let them down. I figured at best maybe I’d get on as a coach or adviser, something like that.”
“And here you are,” Annalisa finished. “One more win and you’ll be in the Olympics.”
“Yes. I want it. It wasn’t something I’d even thought about two years ago. Now…well, I’m not going to be happy if I don’t get it all,” Robert said. “Finishing second is not an option. But, hell, if you believe in luck or mojo or whatever, I’ve probably just screwed any chance of winning.”
“What do you mean?”
Now Robert laughed without humor and sat up. “Haven’t you heard the one that sex takes the edge off? It’s one of the many taboos of athletics.”
Annalisa frowned. “Really? I would have thought great sex
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