Back in the Day (Story 2 [Part 1])

(W-D-L) 25-3-20

-Des Moines, Iowa, 2000-

Rob held his hands high, to cheers from the crowd. He’d just won his 49th match in a row, equalling the record. He shook hands with his opponent, and walked out of the ring, waving to the fans. He felt amazing, on top of the world, he couldn’t believe he had just actually equalled the record. All those trainings: trading punches with a punching bag, sweating it out in morning and evening runs around the street, all the sport, everything that he’d been doing since he was eight years old was paying off. As he walked out of the ring and down into the locker rooms, and started warming down, Rhett Hudson walked in, smiling at him.

Rhett
Well done man! Fourty-nine in a row ain’t bad!

Rob laughed and stood up, doing their special handshake from ages ago.

Rob
Thanks man, I can’t wait till my next fight. How’ve you been going?

Rhett smiled, and scratched his hair.

Rhett
Yeah well, I’ve won 9 out of my last ten, and uh...

He looked down, as if nervously.

Rob
What is it?

Rhett
Well, they want me to fight you in your next match.

Rob was shocked. He had never had to fight one of his friends seriously before. Like, of course, before any of them got into the Fight Nation, they used to fight all the time-but not seriously. This was going to be a lot different from that.

Rob
Really? They do?

Rhett
Yeah they told me just then...

Rhett had a concerned look on his face, but Rob just grinned, and patted him on the shoulder.

Rob
Alden Rusty and Edmond are gonna love watching us.

Rhett smiled, but he still looked as if he was concerned or worried about something. Rob took off his gloves and looked up at him.

Rob
Look Rhett, your one of my best friends. I’ve know you forever, and we’re going to stay best friends, alright? All I ask you to do for this match is to try your best. I want to fight you and have a great match, give the fans something to remember, and I want to win. I don’t want to see you holding back at all out there man-throw everything you’ve got at me. That’s all I ask bro, nothing more.

He stood up, and Rhett nodded.

Rob
Alright well, if you wouldn’t mind, I gotta go shower.

Rhett
Alright, we’ll see ya later man.

Rhett walked out, and Rob showered and got dressed. On his way home to his apartment that night, he thought about the match with Rhett. Would Rhett hold back? Would he, himself hold back? He tried to convince himself that neither of them would, and that it would be a great fight. He really wanted to win still, he wanted to break the record for most matches won in succession, he wanted to become the best wrestler in the Fight Nation.

Rusty, Alden and Edmond were all still in the Fight Nation, which made him think-why hadn’t he been put in a match with one of them yet, in all the years that he’d been in the Fight Nation? Then he remembered; it was probably because they were all younger than he and Rhett.

Because he was deep in thought, Rob wasn’t watching where he was going-so there was no way he could’ve seen the girl coming around the corner. They collided, and the girl dropped a heap of books on the ground.

Rob
Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going...

Girl
Ah, it’s ok, really...

Rob bent down and helped her pick up her books. He noticed that most of them were about fighting-and he noticed that she, like him, had a exercise bag in her hand. As he handed her the last of the books he asked her about it.

Rob
Hey uh, do you fight?

They stood up and she smiled and tilted her head.

Girl
What gave it away? The trackies? The exercise bag?

She laughed and Rob smiled.

Girl
Yeah, I fight in the Nation. Do you as well?

Rob
Hah, yeah, I fight there too!

Girl
Oh! Uhh, if it wasn’t dark I think I could probably tell who you-

Rob
I’m Rob Langdon.

Rob could see wide eyes in the darkness, and he chuckled.

Girl
Holy shit! You’re the guy who just equalled the record! Man, your an awesome fighter. I love watching you fight!

Rob smiled, and nodded.

Rob
Thanks a lot-what’s your name?

Courtney
My name’s Courtney Miles.

Rob held out his hand and Courtney shook it.

Rob
Nice to meet you Courtney.

Courtney
Great to meet you face to face Rob-who do you fight next week? You gotta win, I mean, if you break the record for biggest winning streak, there’s no telling what’ll stop you!

Rob
Yeah, I really want to win. I’m actually fighting one of my best friends...

Courtney
Oh, is it that guy called Rhett Hudson? I heard you were best friends with him and a couple of others...

Rob laughed.

Rob
You know a lot about me. And yeah, your right, I’m fighting him next week.

Courtney
Wow, fighting your best friend in a match as important as that. Tough.

Rob
Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Courtney
Well I’d love to stay but I have to get home for my Yoga class...

Rob
Oh you do that? I’ve never really thought about it. What’s it like?

Courtney
Oh I really enjoy it. Helps me focus on fighting too, you should try it-I think it would work great on you!

They laughed and Rob shifted his bag on his shoulder.

Rob
Do you have a fight next week?

Courtney
Oh yeah, I have one. It’s before yours, if you wanna drop in and watch...

Rob
Sure, I’d love to.

Courtney smiled gratefully.

Courtney
I’m definetly watching your match after!

Rob
Thanks. Anyway, I’ll see you then Courtney.

Courtney
Ok see ya!

Rob
Bye!

They walked off in different directions. Rob felt great, getting to talk about his match like that with someone else had made everything seem a whole lot more easy. As long as he didn’t hold back, Rhett wouldn’t hold back either. He just had to keep doing what he had been doing before, just keep fighting like he had, and he would win. Rhett was a great fighter, but he had weaknesses that he’d seen before, and he’d know how to exploit them. He went to bed that night feeling very satistfied, and unable to wait for next week.

That week passed quickly, and soon it was time for the fight.

-Day of the Fight-

Rob woke up, and immediately showered, and got dressed. He ate down breakfast faster than he ever had, and quickly checked his phone messages. He’d sent out messages to everyone, inviting them to come watch the match. He didn’t invite his best friends, because he already knew that they were going to be there-but he invited his family. His parents didn’t reply-which was to be expected, because of course they never loved him or his brother (who was coming). In fact, the only person in his family that he really wanted to come, besides his brother, was his uncle. Uncle Tim was the man who had always been there for him, he’d been the guy who’d taken him to first watch his first Iowa Fight Nation event when he was younger. He was the only one who ever supported his fighting career.

He checked to see if he had a message from him. He didn’t-but there was a message from his Aunt Jean, titled ‘URGENT’. His heart skipped a beat as he opened the message. It read:

‘Robert your Uncle Tim suffered from a heart attack earlier today, and unfortunately he passed away’

Rob stopped reading there.

It felt like someone had dug knife into his gut and started turning it.
His uncle, the one who started him on this fighting journey-who used to play fight around the backyard with him-gone. Why? Why the fuck did he deserve this? He slammed his fist down onto the table, tears forming in his eyes. He thought he heard his phone ring, so he just grabbed it and hurled it out the window. And then he just sat, head in his arms, and cried.
And cried.

And cried.

He only stopped when he heard a knock on the apartment’s door. He looked over, at it and was tempted to leave it, but in the end he thought he better answer.

He walked over slowly and opened it.

Alden Sykes stood in front of him.

Alden
Dude, why aren’t you answering your...

He stopped as he saw the tears in Rob’s eyes.

Alden
Man what happened? Are you ok?

Rob shook his head.

Rob
My uncle’s dead.

[colour=red]Alden
Oh man, not your Uncle Tim![/color]

Rob nodded.

Alden
Come on man, come here.

It was sort of ironic that it would take a tragedy as big as this for him to ever hug Alden, but he hugged him anyway. He walked inside, Alden following, and they sat down at the table in the middle of the room.

Alden
How’d you find out?

Rob grabbed a tissue and wiped his cheeks.

Rob
My aunt sent me a text message just then...him and my brother...they were...they were the only ones in my family that I cared about...

Alden looked like he wasn’t sure how to react, and just handed Rob another tissue and patted him on the back.

Alden
Look man, you know I’m not good at this type of stuff, and so do I, but, I just want you to know that I think your uncle would have loved to watch you win today. So do you know what you have to do?

Rob scrunched up the tissue in his hand and looked at his friend.

Rob
What?

Alden
You need to go out there today, and win it for him. Win it in his honour, dedicate the match to him, and show him how far you’ve come man. You’re an amazing fighter Rob, I know you can pull it off. So what do you say, you gonna still fight?

Rob considered the offer. He really didn’t feel like fighting-he didn’t feel like doing anything really, except thinking about his uncle.
He couldn’t care less about the biggest winning streak in Iowa Fight Nation history anymore, now that he was gone...

But he could do what Alden said. Dedicate the fight against Rhett to his uncle, win the match in his honour...it would be a good tribute...

Rob
You know what, he deserves a hell of a tribute...so yeah...I’ll fight.

Alden
Awesome man!

Then Rob remembered his promise to Courtney that he would see her match. He could easily just not go, and tell her he forgot, but he had promise her...and I could do some good to get his mind off his uncle...

Alden
Dude...did you chuck your phone out the window?

Rob let go a little half smile.

Rob
...Yeah...

Alden
Alright well, you ok getting to the fight?

Rob
Yeah yeah, I can drive...

He looked up at the clock-it was quarter to one. Courtney’s match started at one. He sighed, and stood up.

Rob
You wouldn’t mind giving me a lift after all would you?

Alden
Yeah ok...

Rob
I mean now, I need to see one of the women’s matches.

Alden
Really? Why man? Shouldn’t you be preparing-

Rob
I made a promise, I have to be there.

Alden
Alright, I’ll take you. Get your stuff...

Rob gathered up his fighting gear, and packed it all into his bag. Suddenly, he saw a picture of his uncle that he’d had just about forever sitting on. He must have forgotten that he had put it there. He grabbed it, and kissed it softly, before placing it back on the ledge. He slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked with Alden out of the apartment.

Before long they were in his car, heading towards the arena.

Alden
You ok man? You gonna make it through?

Rob
We’ll just have to see....

Back in the Day (Story 2 [Part 1])

Back in the Day (Story 2 [Part 1])

Back in the Day (Story 2 [Part 1]) :: Comments