Strength

The gym cheered as Tony successfully put the bell bar back on the squat rack. He had successfully set a new max, and everyone in the room knew it. He was one of the few people in that room that had ever squatted four hundred and fifty pounds. Without saying a word to anyone he walked out of the weight room.

The gym was still excitedly talking when he left.

“That was incredible,” Jim, a frequent visitor of the gym said.

“That has to be a different experience to have all that weight on you,” Tyler, another gym visitor said.

“It’s weird that he just left,” Jim said. “It seemed like he should have been giving a speech or something like that.”

“You squat that much you can do whatever you want,” Tyler said. “Besides, it might be an emotional moment. We knew how much he was working for that.”

“I guess so,” Jim said. “I’ve never pushed myself that hard. Maybe the need to be alone is a part of it.”

“It’s got to be some me against the world stuff,” Tyler said. “How else do you work that hard for something?”

“All I know is that was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” Jim said. “I have nothing but respect and admiration for the man.”

“Agreed,” Tyler said.

In the locker room, Tony was panicking. He had shit himself while squatting, and could not figure out how to get the stains out. He hadn’t brought another pair of shorts, and the soap from the sink was not helping. In a panic, he put his shorts back on, and moved quickly out the door hoping to get to the exit without someone talking to him.

Jim and Tyler saw Tony leaving.

“Tony,” Jim said, approaching him. “I just wanted to say congratulations.”

“Don’t get close to me,” Tony said. Jim looked confused. “Uh, I just have so much adrenaline right now. I don’t want people near me.”

“I understand,” Jim said.

“Great stuff,” Tyler said. “See you later.”

“Yeah,” Tony said.

Tony walked out the door, and it wasn’t that he got to his car that he could feel proud of what he had done.