Kai slumped down on the wooden bench and unlatched Bella's leash, letting her run free at the dog park while he rested. It had been a week since that day at the beach, and the weekly routine Vira had planned for him was beginning to take shape: exercising three to four hours a week, eating a balanced diet with reduced fat and added protein, cleaning the house every Saturday, not to mention training on his art for most of the time.
He didn't know if he could keep it up much longer. His Sundays off were a great stress relief, but they also served as a reminder of how easygoing his life used to be, and a part of him longed to return to those days.
Vira's magic had shown him his potential, but attaining that potential could take months, maybe even years, and would require a degree of dedication and hard work he wasn't sure was in him. Maybe it was better to give up now, save himself the trouble and the heartache, and accept what he had always known: he would never amount to anything.
"Is Mr. Isaacson okay? I hope he wasn't hurt too bad," a man said, pulling the Oathless's attention. He sat down beside him on the bench, a tall man with short blonde hair, and a tight shirt that emphasized his fit, muscular body.
"Huh?"
"You came with Bella, right?" He gestured at the dog, who was running around beside a fluffy Chihuahua.
"Ah… Yeah. Isaacson broke his leg."
"Damn, I'm sorry to hear that," the tall man frowned. "But he didn't suffer any permanent damage, did he?"
"Probably not."
The man nodded. "That's good to hear. He is one tough old man."
Kai lifted a curious eyebrow but was otherwise content to let the conversation end there.
"Ask him," Vira whispered in his ear.
"Ask him what?"
"It sounds like this man knows how Mr. Isaacson broke his leg. Aren't you curious?"
He shrugged. "Why should I care?"
"Just ask him already!"
He clicked his tongue. "Do you know how he got hurt?"
The man leaned back in surprise. "Sure, didn't he tell you?"
Kai shook his head.
"This one girl's dog got released from its leash and went running into traffic. Normally, I'd like to think I would do something in a situation like that, but I was stunned, couldn't move a muscle. Then, Mr. Isaacson came, completely unfazed, and tackled the dog down, practically saving its life. He was clearly damaged from the tumble—Isaacson, not the dog—but he was too stubborn to accept help and refused to go to the hospital until that lady started yelling.
"It was the strangest thing; one moment she worships him for saving her dog, the next she yells at him for refusing help." He chuckled at the memory. "She was a fine lady, that one, and her dog was fine too, a Retriever—always liked Retrievers."
"That one yours, then?" Kai nodded at a Golden Retriever running in the park.
"Nah, mine's the Chihuahua—my girlfriend's, actually."
The Oathless grimaced. Of course, a guy who looks like that is going to have a girlfriend.
"It's really kind of you to volunteer to walk the old man's dog."
Kai scoffed. "Yeah, like I'd volunteer to help that—" he stopped himself.
Sure, he didn't like the old man, but bad-mouthing him after a story like that would only serve to make him seem like a douchebag… no, not seem; if he bad-mouthed the old man now, he would be a douchebag. The Oathless cleared his throat. "Sorry, what I meant is… well, like you said, Mr. Isaacson doesn't accept help for nothing. He pays me to walk Bella."
"Right, of course, I should have guessed," the tall man smiled to himself, then extended his hand to the Oathless. "I'm Lance, by the way."
"Kai."
They shook hands.
"So, Kai, what do you do for a living? Other than dog-walking."
The Oathless hesitated. The truth embarrassed him; not only was he unemployed, but the job he was going for wasn't exactly prestigious or socially acceptable—at least, not in his mind.
"Just tell him the truth," Vira urged.
He scratched his head. "I'm… in the process of becoming a professional digital artist."
"Sounds cool."
"What about you?"
"I'm a life coach."
"What's that?"
"I help people reach their full potential, deal with their hang-ups, work on their confidence and their motivation—that sort of thing."
"Ah," he scoffed. "And how exactly do you do that?"
"It's complicated," the coach shrugged, taking the implied skepticism in stride. "And it kinda depends on the person I'm working with, but mostly, it is about helping my clients define their ideal self and then strive toward it."
"Yeah, but…" The Oathless frowned. He knew what his ideal self looked like; he had even lived it for one night, but the 'striving toward it' part was driving him mad, and he wasn't sure he could do it. "How do you help them?"
"Like I said, it depends. Some people just need structure, others need someone to push them out of their comfort zone. A lot of it is about internal work, overcoming your fears and insecurities—the things that are holding you back."
"If only it were that easy."
"Yeah, it can be difficult, but… that doesn't really matter, does it?"
Kai stared at him, dumbfounded.
"If you believe in what you are doing, and have confidence that it is important and meaningful… then all that's left is to do it. The difficulty doesn't matter," he shook his head. "More often than not, I find that the problem is in believing, not in doing. If you doubt your ideal self, if you can't properly define it, or don't really believe in it, then every obstacle becomes an excuse instead of a challenge."
"Huh…"
Lance got up and whistled, summoning the Chihuahua back to him, then lifted the small dog into his hands and smiled at the Oathless. "Anyway, I gotta go. Pleasure talking to you, Kai. See you around," he waved and walked away.
***
The Oathless sat there for a long minute, contemplating all that had been said, and pulled out his phone, staring at the photo of his Beautificated self.
Lance is right. He thought. I can't lose hope. If I really believe that this is what life is about, that this is meaningful and important, then there's nothing else to do—only this. I will overcome all the obstacles and hardships in my way and become what I was always meant to be…
A chick magnet.
"Bella!" He got up.
The dog came running, and he bent down to connect her leash, then led her out of the dog park and back home.
No more excuses. He promised himself. This is a challenge I am going to beat, no matter what.