The Companion (Part XI)

What for some could be onerous routines, for Facundo was the required order, the perfect sequence of his days. He knew what he had to do at every moment, and each day had a specific goal. Nothing in his daily life was left to improvisation.

If to the untrained eye it seemed like a control that suffocated, that limited freedom excessively, for Facundo it was a full and satisfying life. Now he knew: it was what he had been searching for.

He feared the doubts and anxieties and was willing to give up even more freedom if it gave him more certainty and absolute fidelity to a delineated and absolute life program.

He was becoming more and more devoted to serving and pleasing, even at the cost of total control. He was not remorseful, truly he was not. And he thought about it deeply.

The boss, meanwhile, was convinced that he had to take things even further beyond the current limits. He was sure that he could expect even more from his assistant.

Facundo realized that so much routine, constant and intense training, and demanding supervision yielded results. He became fully aware of this when he was exercising one morning and started posing in front of a large mirror: his back and legs were very developed, but the most notable thing was his chest and arms: marked and strong. His nipples were raised and hard. A delight.

On Saturdays and Sundays, in Juan Bernardo's absence, he dedicated himself to training in the gym, swimming in the pool, studying, and reading. He didn't do anything extraordinary and followed his strict routine, with the only exception being that the boss was not there to serve and report to.

Juan Bernardo usually left early on Saturdays because he had custody of his children. He didn't talk about it and didn't make comments or ask for programming.

He would take them to their mother's house and spend Saturday from 10:00 AM with them, and return them to their mother before 6:00 PM on Sunday. That's why he usually left before 8:00 AM to have breakfast with his mother and then go to his ex-wife's house to pick up the children.

But this Saturday, he avoided going to his mother's house first to worry about new instructions and routines for Facundo. He called him early, after 6:00 AM, to say:

- I want you to take a test to see your resistance.

- Tell me, Sir, what you want me to do.

- There's a tub behind the house, come with me.

And they went to a tub that Facundo had never seen before, despite having lived in the house for several weeks. It was behind the house, on a terrace that led to the pool. It was one meter high and had a diameter of about 80 cm, with a capacity of 1,000 liters, approximately. Right next to it, there was a refrigerator, which Facundo had seen, but thought was part of a bar located nearby. Juan Bernardo told him:

- That refrigerator has ice in bags, take them out of there and throw them into the tub....