The Former Spy

It was a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles, and Kim was out in the yard with her children, taking advantage of a rare moment of free time to relax and play with them. North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm were all in high spirits, running around, alternating between laughing and shouting with excitement. Kim watched each of them with a smile, feeling grateful for these simple, precious moments she shared with them.

As she watched her children play, something caught her eye in the house next door. It was Tom. He was outside, doing a series of intense calisthenics exercises. Shirtless, with well-defined muscles and impeccable posture, he performed movements that seemed simple but clearly required extreme strength and balance. Kim watched as he alternated between pull-ups and acrobatic push-ups, his movements graceful, precise, and full of control.

Saint, who was trying to do a "ninja jump" he had seen in a cartoon, suddenly stopped and stared at Tom with his mouth open. He nudged his younger brother, Psalm, who was also fascinated by the sight.

"Mom! Look what your neighbor is doing!" Saint exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Kim laughed at the sight of the two of them so excited, while Tom, realizing he was the center of attention, looked at them and smiled. He finished the exercise with a one-armed push-up, as if to impress the children even more, and then stood up, walking towards the garden where Kim was with her children.

"Hi, guys!" Tom greeted, waving to the children and Kim. "I see I have an audience today."

"Tom!" Kim replied with a warm smile. "The boys were impressed with your exercises."

Saint immediately ran to him.

"How do you do that? It was like... amazing! I want to learn too!" Tom laughed, crouching down to Saint and Psalm's level.

"Oh, practice and patience, kid!" he replied, winking. "But I can teach you some simpler moves, if your mother doesn't mind."

Kim looked at Tom, surprised and grateful for his kindness.

"Would you do that, Tom? They'd be thrilled, but I don't want them to get hurt."

Tom made a reassuring gesture.

"I promise we'll keep it safe and simple. I'll just teach you the basics."

Saint and Psalm looked at each other excitedly. Kim nodded, giving her approval. Tom then turned to the boys, already beginning to instruct them.

"Okay, boys. Let's start with something easy. First, I want to see how well you can do a push-up. Come on, lie on your stomachs, hands on the floor, shoulder height."

Saint and Psalm complied, laughing and exchanging glances. Kim watched, fascinated by Tom's patience and easygoing manner with the children. He gently adjusted their positions, encouraging each one.

"Okay, now I want you to push your bodies up until your arms are straight. Slowly, okay? Hold on, you can do it!"

The boys struggled to do the push-up, and Tom smiled as he offered words of encouragement. Saint managed to complete a push-up, standing up with a proud smile. Psalm, who was still too small for the full movement, laughed as Tom helped him complete the push-up, gently holding him.

"There you go! Excellent, boys!" Tom praised, clapping his hands.

Kim laughed, excited to see her children's joy. They ran back to her, excited about the experience.

"Mom, Tom is so strong! And he helped me do a push-up!" Psalm said, beaming.

Kim smiled at Tom, grateful.

— I think we now have two new exercise enthusiasts. Thank you, Tom, really.

Tom shrugged, laughing.

— It's a pleasure, Kim. If they're interested, I can show them some more moves whenever they want. It's good for the body and helps burn off energy — he said, winking at Saint and Psalm, who laughed in response.

Chicago and North also approached, curious about all the excitement of their siblings.

— Can we try it too, Tom? — Chicago asked, looking at him with big curious eyes.

Tom nodded, kneeling down to be at her level.

— Of course! Let's do a really fun exercise. How about a "wheelbarrow ride"?

The children got excited, and Kim laughed, realizing that this little interaction was becoming the highlight of the day for them. Tom picked Saint up by the legs, while he rested his hands on the ground, and began walking with him in the "wheelbarrow" position. Saint laughed out loud, delighted with the experience.

"See, Mom! I'm walking like a stroller!"

Kim laughed and took a picture with her cell phone, capturing the moment. Then it was Psalm's turn, who laughed with every step, having the time of his life. Chicago and North also had their turns, and Kim couldn't be more grateful to see her children so happy.

After a while, everyone sat down on the grass to rest, still out of breath from laughing so much. Tom seemed happy and relaxed, enjoying the company of the children.

Kim looked at him, feeling a new wave of admiration. It was rare to find someone her children connected with so quickly. She felt that Tom had a natural instinct for dealing with them.

"You have a way with children, Tom," she said, smiling.

He looked at her, smiling back.

"I think I like their energy. They're so sincere and spontaneous. That's something you appreciate more when… well, when you spend a lot of time seeing the other side of humanity."

Kim looked at him curiously.

"The other side?"

Tom was thoughtful for a moment, as if choosing his words.

"In the work I did, we dealt with very… complicated situations. When you spend a lot of time in the midst of conflict and dealing with the worst of humanity, you start to appreciate the simple things. A laugh, a joke, those little joys," he said, casting a loving glance at Kim's children.

Kim nodded, understanding. Tom's story, which she had only known superficially, seemed increasingly complex and fascinating.

— It's funny — she said, looking at her children playing nearby. — Sometimes I think that, despite all the fame and everything I've achieved, it's moments like these that really matter. We get so lost in everything the world demands of us that we forget what's simple.

Tom looked at her, smiling.

— I agree. Life pushes us in directions we sometimes don't choose. But in the end, we can always choose to value what really matters.

Kim watched him for a moment, feeling an unexpected connection, a silent understanding. She couldn't remember the last time she had had a conversation like this, so frank and sincere.

— Tom, thank you for this today. Really — she said, touching his arm lightly. — The boys loved it, and I think I needed it too. Someone to remind us of what's important.

He smiled at her, his eyes shining with comforting kindness.

— Whenever you need it, Kim. I think this friendship with you guys is something that's doing me good too.

They stood there for a moment in comfortable silence until Saint came running back, excited.

"Mom! When is Tom coming back to play with us?"

Kim laughed and looked at Tom.

"I think he's officially being called in for another workout."

Tom laughed and waved at Saint.

"You got it. Whenever I'm around, we can train together, okay?"

Saint cheered and Kim smiled, feeling grateful to have a neighbor like Tom. She didn't know what the future held, but something in her heart told her that their friendship was just the beginning of something very special.

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