Climb
Theo moved awestruck through the luxurious passageway with its polished wood-paneled walls and glimmering crystal light sconces. Everything that could sparkle did sparkle. He took the staircase down a few more flights and followed Paul into an empty gymnasium.
Paul flipped a switch. The lights boomed on, and the room came alive. Polished wooden floors shone like mother of pearl. An enticing assortment of gymnastics equipment tickled Theo’s urge to climb. Parallel bars. A balance beam. Hanging rings suspended from a metal frame.
Paul walked over to one of the ropes hanging from the ceiling. “Try climbing this for me.”
“I really should be leaving…” Theo said, but he found himself stepping towards the rope all the same.
“Go ahead,” Paul encouraged.
No sooner had Theo touched the rope than he was scrambling upward. Zip, zip, zip, zip, zip. And there he was, up at the top, looking down on this lavish gymnasium.
“Wowie,” came the voice from below. “Wowie zowie. Yep, you’re a natural.”
Theo shimmied back down to the floor, and then just looked awkwardly around. “Gee, thanks for showing me around. Well, I guess I should be on my way then.”
Paul rubbed his neck as if he were thinking. “I’m practicing with the team tomorrow at four o’clock. Coach Price will be here, and I think he’d be very interested in seeing your skills. He might even be able to teach you a thing or two.”
Theo glanced toward the door and then back at Paul. “Oh, I wouldn’t belong at your practice.”
Paul looked him in the eye. His happy-go-lucky nature gave way to a more serious expression. “Rope climbing doesn’t have to get you into trouble, you know. It can actually get you somewhere good. I’m giving you another chance here.”
Theo dug a toe into the floor. “If I can’t make it, are you going to call the police on me?”
Paul shook his head. “No. I won’t. We had a deal, and you kept up your end. Listen, you seem like a good egg. Times are tough, but you can still make something of yourself. I really think there’s a future in store for you.”
“Oh,” Theo muttered.
Together, they left the gymnasium. Paul flicked the light switch, and the gym went dark. The two walked in silence down to the first floor. Right as they reached the front door, Theo wasn’t sure what made him do it, but he blurted out, “I’m not a criminal, sir. My brother and I—we’ve fallen on hard times. We’re just doing this to get by. We don’t have folks, you see. So this is something we do to pay the rent. We haven’t got a choice.”
So much for everything Otis had taught him about keeping his distance, about being careful not to give away too much. Why had those words slipped out so easily?
“Quite the opposite. You do have a choice.” Paul handed him his rope and hook.
All Theo could manage was a nod. He turned and quickly slipped out through the grand marble entryway. He was out on the street again, dumbfounded.
He looked around for Otis but couldn’t find him anywhere. Not knowing what else to do, he crossed the street towards home.
I really think there’s a future in store for you.
Shame zinged through Theo’s face hotter than an oven. He hadn’t deserved any of that kind treatment. He should have been thrown in jail for a month. It would have been better if Paul had just yelled at him and called him a dirty rotten crook. But he hadn’t. He had seen something in him. He’d been nice to him… and that’s what made it all the more humiliating. Paul must be confused. Clearly if he knew Theo better, he’d know he had no future at all.
Theo chanced a peek over his shoulder. There was Paul, still on the front steps. He held up four fingers as if to say four o’clock.
A real athlete wanted Theo to meet his coach. An athlete he’d tried to steal from. An athlete who hadn’t turned him in. Theo made his way past the movie palaces towards 9th Street. Nothing about this night made sense. An athlete from the Olympics. Even if they were bound to be a flop… the Olympics.
Thirteen-year-old Theo used to steal jokes from the newspaper funnies—now he’s stealing jewelry to survive. It’s not that he likes being a thief. It’s just that in 1932, Los Angeles has more breadlines than bread. His older brother Otis says crime is the only way to make a living anymore. If climbing into open windows and robbing the rich will earn rent money—and his brother’s approval—Theo will just have to oblige.
But when Theo gets caught climbing into the twelfth-story window of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, a wise gymnast named Paul doesn’t turn him in. Remarkably, he recruits Theo to train for the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. Paul and his coach see potential in Theo that he struggles to see in himself. Theo could turn his life around before it’s too late—if he works hard enough to make the final cut.
When Otis discovers Theo has been training in secret, he forbids it outright. Now, Theo must choose—stick with a life of crime that at least keeps a roof over his head, or risk everything for a shot at glory. The stakes are high. He could lose this opportunity at any given moment. But if Theo succeeds, there’s a new life waiting for him, with a new type of brotherhood he hasn’t known at home. Maybe even an Olympic medal.
Complete at 72,000 words
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