The Art of the Hustle 2 (Complete)

Chapter Thirty-Four

The day after Deon was released from the hospital he was sitting in his therapist's office. Dr. Chang looked at him, but not in a judgmental way. She knew about his underground fight club and figured his injuries were somehow related, nevertheless she had to ask.

"Is it one of those 'you should see what the other guy looks like' scenarios?" she asked.

Deon bowed his head in shame and said no. "I lost the fight, but I had one day notice to prepare."

"Is fighting something you typically do, or was this a one-off situation."

"I've fought before, but I'm more of a fight promoter than a fighter. Believe me, I've learned my lesson."

"Which is?"

"To never fight again."

"Is there anything else you learned?" Dr. Chang asked.

Deon sat with the question a moment and said, "I'm not sure."

"How about any positives?"

"Positives?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "Is there a way to look at this situation from a different perspective?"

"I don't know."

"How about how brave you are for stepping in a fight on one day notice? Did you know you were brave?"

"I never really thought about that before."

"What else? How about you have a friend that you can count on when you're at your lowest. Did you know you had that?"

"No."

"Can you think of anything else?"

There was a long awkward pause, but Dr. Chang let the moment linger. She really wanted to train Deon to think more positively about his situation. His brain churned through a number of scenarios before coming up with a satisfactory answer.

"I guess I learned to stay in my lane," he finally said.

"Good. Can you elaborate further?"

"There are things I'm good at and things I'm not good at. It's important that I know the difference and stick to what I'm good at."

"I think in this case you're right. However, most people aren't good at trying new things, so if you just stick with what you're good at then you will never grow. How about we frame what you said in a different context? Could we say that sometimes when evaluating whether or not we should do something, we weigh the pros against the cons? In other words, ask yourself, is the risk worth the reward?"

"That makes sense."

"How are things going with you and Trevor?"

"Good."

"Did he know about you taking this fight?"

"Yeah."

"What did he say about it? Did he try to talk you out of it?"

"He told me not to fight."

"Did any of your other friends try to talk you out of it?"

"No."

"So perhaps there is a lesson in that. Surround yourself with only those who have your best interest at heart. If you hangout with knuckleheads, then guess what you will become?"

"A knucklehead."

"Do you want to be a knucklehead?"

"No."

"What do you want to be?"

"Successful."

"Who do you know that's successful?"

"Trevor."

"Okay, so wouldn't it make sense to listen to him?"

"I guess so."

"So when Trevor tried to talk you out of fighting, how did you respond?"

"I..." Deon stammered, almost embarrassed by his actions. "I pushed him away."

Dr. Chang let the words hang for a moment before offering insight into his behaviour.

"Often we push people away because we are afraid that if we let them get too close, they may end up leaving and hurting us. That would make it harder to deal with."

Deon listened intently and nodded.

"It's okay that you had that reaction. For some, this is a natural defense mechanism. In a way, you're trying to protect yourself because perhaps you have been abandoned once or twice before. Does that sound right?"

Again Deon didn't answer with words, he just sat there slouched over with his head down and nodded. He felt the emotions coming in and he tried to fight it at first, but was too overwhelmed. Once he started crying, he was no longer in control. It took over and he began to weep as tears poured down his face, even out of his swollen eye.

"It's okay, Deon. Don't hold back. Let it out," Dr. Chang said as she moved from the chair to the couch. She put her arm around his shoulder and embraced him. Deon rested his head on her shoulder and really began to break down. It was likely the first time someone showed him that kind of tenderness.

"It's okay," Dr. Chang said softly. "This is part of the healing process."

Dr. Chang was prepared to sit there for as long as Deon needed. She held him in silence for a little over a minute before he let all his energy out. He then began breathing more regularly. After some deep breaths, he looked up at her and apologized.

"No need to apologize. You're in a safe place. I'm not here to judge you, I'm here to help you."

"Thanks."

Deon straightened out his spine and postured up. He took a series of deep breaths to fully regain control of his emotions.

"How did that feel?" Dr. Chang asked, handing him a couple tissues.

Deon laughed it off. He was likely still a bit embarrassed. I don't know what happened just now. I haven't cried since..." he paused.

"When was the last time you cried?"

"Last night... in the hospital with Trevor."

"And before that?"

"I can't remember. Maybe when my daughter was born."

"It's okay to show emotion, that doesn't make you weak or any less of a man. I think it's good that you show your emotion in front of Trevor. He really cares about you and I can assure you, Trevor isn't going anywhere. He has your back. You're really lucky to have him in your corner. And he's lucky to have you."