AllFreeNovel
Share Us
In a matter of minutes, I change into a pair of boxing shorts, a T-shirt, and wrap my hands. I don’t bother using gloves. Wraps are all I need.
“Townsend, you’re next,” Buddy says over the yell of the crowd as soon as I exit from the changing room.
I crack my neck on each side before rolling my shoulders back and forth. I can feel the tightness throughout my body as I attempt to loosen up my muscles. Everything inside of me burns to hit something.
“You’ll never amount to anything.”
The words Gabriel Garcia used to say to me when my mother wasn’t around come back to memory.
I never told my mother about the shit he would say to me. Once she married my dad, I thought Garcia was out of my life for good. But words have a lasting impact on a child’s psyche.
“Alright, you both know the rules,” Buddy says as my opponent and I step into the center of the octagon. “Keep it clean. No shots to the balls. And steer clear of the face.” He pauses and looks between us.
“Or don’t. It’s your face not mine.” He shrugs and then lifts his hand. “One, two, three. Fight!” he yells at the same time he jumps out of the ring.
My opponent isn’t new to me. We’ve gone toe-to-toe before.
I watch his midsection as we circle one another. He tests me with his left jab a couple of times.
I dodge each one. When he goes in for a fast takedown, I see it before he makes his move.
I’m able to leap out of the way right before his fist makes contact with my ribs. I give him a shove to the back, which sends him flying.
My heartbeat quickens. This is exactly what I needed. A fight to work out all of the bullshit swimming in my head.
Between the stress of a new team at work that questions my position and the memories of Gabriel Garcia, my irritation rises to a level that I don’t ever want Monique to see again.
So, I bring my rage to this cage. I’ll let it out on my opponent because he signed up for this.
He moves faster than I predicted. A side swipe of his right leg sends me to the ground. In the blink of an eye, I’m on my back. I tuck and tighten up enough to prevent any real damage when he lands an elbow against my ribs.
I let him climb on top of me, seemingly giving him the upper hand. Then I raise my legs to lock him into a triangle chokehold. I can feel the fight leaving his body. Each second that passes his face grows a little more red. But I don’t want this fight to end too quickly.
Releasing him from the triangle, I let him regain his composure. We both rise to our feet. He’s not giving up, yet. Which is just what I wanted. He’s the only person I’ll be fighting tonight since I plan to visit Monique and her gallery as soon as I leave here.
I can’t spend too much time on this.
“Let’s go,” my opponent grunts while slapping his head with his hands.
His added aggression causes the corners of my lips to lift into a smile. He swings, and I duck the right hook that comes close to connecting with my jaw. I let him swing a few more times, though I easily duck and bob out of the way.
I land a few blows to his ribs. Each time I make contact with his body, I can feel the stress and tension ebbing out of my muscles. The words from Gabriel Garcia about not being good enough start to slow until they’re no longer echoing through my mind. His words are replaced by my real father’s words.
“I love you, son.”
“I’m so proud of you.”
I can’t even begin to count the number of times Carter Townsend, the man who raised me, told me those words. Remembering them, reminds me of who the hell I am. A man who can control his temper.
Once that realization comes to mind, I’m done with the need to fight.
It’s my turn to send my opponent to the mat with a leg sweep. He goes down hard. I don’t give him time to recover before I’m on him. Less than ten seconds pass before he taps out.
I immediately stand and start for the cage’s exit. Buddy stops directly in front of me.
His wise hazel eyes meet mine, searching for something. He often does this right when I’m about to leave.
“You got what you needed,” he says. It’s not a question even though he nods. Then he steps out of my way.
