The Girl, On The Bike

It was close to the end of the second round when I got the opportunity to get in my trademark body shots. He went for a spinning back fist, which I deflected, and as he went to clinch me I saw the opening and his kidneys paid the price. I landed three ferocious shots, right to the kidneys, and he sagged. That gave me the chance to land the right, then another, and then a couple to the face for good measure. He was done, I sensed it. Two more punches and it would be over.

The bell stole my chance, the ref again diving between us and sending me off to my corner.

Tom screamed, "You fucking beauty. You've got him, bro. He's fucked."

"Maybe, but I'm shattered, as well. Not sure I can make it through another round of this."

"Then don't, get in fast, fuck him up. Look at him, bro, he's done."

Raising my head while I took a gulp of water. I glanced over at Fidman. Yeah, he was feeling it worse than I was.

The bell rang, and there we were again. He moved slowly, his right elbow tucked by his side. I followed Tom's advice and rushed in. He was expecting it, and as I got inside his grip, he swung an uppercut. I saw it coming and evaded most of it, but it caught me with a glancing stinging blow. My mouth filled with blood, which I couldn't get rid of. He moved in, hoping for a combination, but the adrenalin coursed through my body, igniting a fury so strong I felt no pain. I cut him off with a fierce jab, which caught him on the cheek. It felt good, the rage poured through my body into my fists. I followed the jab with a right cross, and then two vicious body shots.

Fuck you," he snarled, as he let loose a shot of his own.

Any pretences of science flew out the window. Like old-time prize fighters, we stood toe to toe, swinging wildly. The rage fuelled my attack, and I landed the better blows. Bam, I hit him flush, and he stumbled. I walked inside, as close as I could get, and hit him again and again. That's when I landed my fiercest blow. Another shot to his kidneys, and he sank to his knees, grabbing his side.

No mercy. I let fly with a brutal haymaker, which sent him to the canvas.

The crowd erupted. There were shocked gasps, a collective sigh of disbelief, as their hero collapsed.

There was no question about the win. Fidman was man enough to come and congratulate me. It was a huge moment as I stood with my arm raised, blood flowing down my cheek, my ears ringing, and my vision blurry.

Strangely, I didn't feel any pain. I knew I would the next morning, but right at that moment, the elation carried me.

After the dressing room door closed, Glover and Roberts both rushed in. "What a fucking fight. Jesus, Rosco, they'll be talking about this for months. We are definitely getting that title shot. Maybe not straight away, but its coming, kiddo."

"It will take me months to recover," I mumbled, my words slurred, my tongue and lips swollen.

"Mate, you'll be okay." Roberts chuckled. "A couple of days and you'll be right as rain. Fuck, I can't believe it. Man that was awesome."

It was off to a soak in an ice bath for me. Try and ease some bruising. There was a huge party, but all I wanted was bed and a chance to recover.

In my hotel room, there were a few messages on my phone from Sarah. I gave her a quick call. I knew she wouldn't relax until she heard from me.

I hit dial, and she picked up on the first ring."Oh my god, are you all right?"

"I'm okay." I murmured. I tried to keep the pain out of my voice.

"Oh god, listen to you. I am so sorry, Ross. This whole thing was stupid. I blame myself."

"Sarah, stop. I'm okay. A bit bruised, but nothings broken. I will be okay. All I want at the moment, is a good night's sleep."

"I'm sorry, Ross. Have you got pain killers?"

"Yeah, I took some panadol. I'm going to bed. I love you; go to bed, and don't panic. I'm fine."

"Fine, do not lie to me, Ross. You sound terrible. I can hardly distinguish your words."

"Good night Sarah. I love you."

I slept in late the next day. When I did wake up, it was straight into the shower for a long soak. Yep, I think I had bruises on my bruises. My mouth was killing me. My breathing was laboured, He got a few good shots in, as well. A couple of ribs ached.

It was after my shower, as I stood in front of the mirror that the shock set in. The laugh started deep down in my stomach, and just got louder and louder. It hurt so much I had to grab the vanity for support. My right eye was so badly swollen it was closed. My lips were cut, my cheek was cut. My left ear was twice its usual size.

Christ, I hoped Fidman really did look worse than I did.

I didn't make breakfast, Lunch, though, was nice. We weren't flying out till Monday morning, so I had all day to just lie in bed and recover.

I spent two of those hours on the phone with Sarah, trying to convince her I was okay.

Glover turned up about four, to see if I wanted to go down to the bar for a drink. I chased him off, explaining I was too sore.

"Rosco, are you still up for carrying my package?"

"Yeah, I said I would, although now I'm nervous. Look at me. I'm going to attract a lot of attention now."

"You're right about that, kiddo. The news has been full of your story. You are going to be hot for the next couple of weeks. You'll get a hero's welcome in New Zealand."

"I hope you're right, Naylor."

"It'll be sweet as, kiddo. I'm telling you. I'll bring it up in the morning. It will look like just a box of chocolates. You're gonna be okay."

He dropped it off at my hotel as I was finishing my packing. "Here ya go kid. Now, the important thing to remember is act natural as you go through customs. You got nothing to declare, and nothing to say."

"Yeah, act natural. It sounds easy, but Christ, Naylor. Look at me, how the hell do I look natural. Bloody customs are going to be staring at this face."

"Yeah, it might be odd, but when they ask what you were in Sydney for, you tell them the truth. They will understand."

"Christ, yeah, all right, but if I get busted, I'm not lying. I will tell them the truth."

His face darkened, and he snarled. "That's not how this works, Rosco. You keep your mouth shut. No, I've been good to you. This is just a small token of your appreciation. Act natural, and you'll waltz through."

All the way to the airport, I freaked out. Naylor showing me the bank transfer of the fight winnings into my account couldn't raise my spirits. I might have been fifty grand richer, but if I went to jail, it wouldn't help.

As we boarded the plane, I couldn't help feeling anxious. Every step, I waited for somebody to tap me on the shoulder. I got plenty of strange looks, but considering my appearance, it should have expected it.

On the plane, Roberts came and sat beside me. "Bro, you gotta relax, it stands out like dogs balls. You're tense as fuck. You gotta chill, bro."

"Mate, easy for you to say. Tell you what, why don't you take the package?"

"I would happily do it; in fact, I've done it a hundred times, but I'm on their radar these days. That's why we asked you."

"Then you better stay well away from me when we land," I grumbled.

"Don't worry, bro, you'll be sweet as. Just remember, act natural and be chill."

"I'm going to try and grab a nap." I sighed as I pulled the pillow out and reclined my seat.

Walking off the plane, my nerves kicked in. It was nice to have the police assurance in writing, but I couldn't clear the uneasy feelings. The lines were long as we fronted the customs windows. By the time I approached the window and slid my passport through the window. I was as nervous as hell.

The woman customs officer stared at me as she flicked through my passport. "What happened to you?" she asked accusingly.

"I was in Australia for a kick-boxing fight."

"Guess there's no point asking who won then," she sneered.

"Yeah, you should see the other guy."

She laughed lightly. "You trying to say you won?"

I nodded, and she said, "Wow, then he must really look really bad."

"You got that right."

She winked at me, a little smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I saw the fight, He probably does look worse."

"God, I hope so." She stamped my passport, and with a nod of her head, motioned me through the gates. I wandered down by myself to the baggage carousel and waited for my bag. Glover sauntered up to stand beside me. "Told ya, kid. No problemo."

"Yeah, what happens now?"

"Now, Rosco me old mate, you collect your bag and go into the loo, get out my little parcel. Then walk down to the bar. When you get there, order us a beer."

"And then what?"

"Drink your beer, leave mine on the bar beside you, along with the parcel. Then walk away and Bob's your Auntie."

"What if somebody else picks it up?"

"You let me worry about that, okay?"

I finished my beer and walked away, leaving the parcel and his bottle of beer on the bar. As I walked away, I saw him quickly take my place and pick up his beer.

That was good enough for me. I went straight to the bus stop and jumped on a bus for home. Whatever happened now was none of my concern.

Sitting in the bus, I turned on my phone. A swag of messages awaited me. All from Sarah. I hit dial. "Oh my god, thank heavens, are you all right, Ross?"

"Yes, honey. All is well. I'm on the bus now, I should be home in about forty minutes, depending on traffic."

"Thank god." She sighed.

She was waiting for me at the bus stop. As I stepped down onto the pavement, she jumped into my arms. "Oh, thank god. I have been so worried. What happened at the airport?"

"Nothing. I left the package where he asked and I walked away. What happened after I left, I have no idea."

"So what do we do?"

"Wait, act normally, and I guess everything will become clear."

She kissed me lightly on the cheek. "Heavens, you must be in terrible pain?"

"Not anymore; having you in my arms is all the medication I need."

"Charmer," she said with a giggle.

She picked up my bag and we walked home, each step hurting just a little more; each step, I felt a little lighter. It was over, the worst of it anyway.

At home, Sarah ran me a hot bath and started dinner. Soaking in the tub, Sarah brought me in a beer and sat on the edge of the bath.

"Ross, the fight was terrible. I watched it with Mum and Dad. It was disgusting, so barbaric." She grimaced as she wiped away some tears. "All that blood. It was like a street fight."

"Disgusting is a bit much. It was a bit grim, but come on. It wasn't that bad."

I sipped my beer, and she continued to wipe her eyes. "Ross, I never want to go through that again. My heart was in my mouth the whole time."

Finishing my beer, I chuckled, trying to make light of it. "It wasn't that bad, Sarah. It was fierce, and it probably looked worse than it was."

"You can see for yourself. Dad recorded it."

"Yeah, what did he think?"

"He scared me. He yelled and screamed at the TV. He was beside himself. I have never seen him that animated before. It was like he was feeling every blow."

I chuckled, the mental imagery of her father yelling at the TV just didn't seem right. He was a pretty mild-mannered bloke. I couldn't imagine him getting upset like that.

She frowned guiltily. "He did ask me to say thanks, so apparently he bet some money on the fight."

"Wow, that was brave. I wouldn't have taken that bet."

"You mean you expected to lose?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Look, Sarah. He was an experienced fighter, somebody who was about to get a title shot. Of course I expected to lose. I had no right to win that fight."

"Then why the hell did you go? God, this is so frustrating. I had to sit and watch you getting beaten up. That's not fair."

"Sarah, I went for us. You know why. Now, if the cops have done their thing, you can get your life back on track. We can move forward."

I wanted to make love, but there was no way. My body ached, so we settled for a cuddle.

The morning was painful, and I rang in sick. There's no way I could go in. Especially looking like I did. The swelling around my eye had gone down a little. The bruising, though, was starting to come out. All around my eye was purple and blue. At least my lips had gone down enough that I could eat.

Sarah and I turned on the TV, to catch the morning news. There it was, the story was everywhere. We made the headlines. There was video of both Glover and Roberts being pushed into a police car, in handcuffs.

Sarah almost jumped for joy, she was that elated. Then it was telephone calls from her parents, and she had to explain the whole story. Up until that point, they knew nothing of the plan. I could hear the elation in her voice as she talked to them.

Thankfully, my name was left out of the story.

In the afternoon, Sarah went out to the patio, and started working out. This was my first chance to watch her for quite a while. "Wow, you have improved," I said admiringly.

She looked at me, with a cheeky grin. "It's a hell of a work out."

Yeah, it sure is. You will feel it next time you're on the bike."

"I know, its been a revelation."

By the time the evening news came on the TV at six, the story had gained a little more momentum. The commissioner of police made the announcement that the investigation stretched back to Sarah's arrest. Their statement also include mention that all charges against Sarah had been dropped. She was no longer a suspect.

Sarah really did jump for joy hearing that declaration.

Work the next day was chaotic. All the guys wanted to pat me on the back and talk about the fight. They definitely had a new respect for me. Even the boss looked at me differently. He didn't say much, aside from, "Go home, Ross. The clients don't want to see your ugly mug. It will scare them all to death."

As I got on my bike to cycle home, I detoured past the gym. There were a couple of the regulars milling around out side as I pulled up. "What's going on?" I asked.

"The fucking place is closed." Manaia muttered angrily. "He did give me a nod of approval. "Great fight the other day, bro. You did us proud."

"Thanks, Manaia. Did anyone say what's happening with the gym?"

"Nah, bro. It's just locked up. There was a note taped to the door saying closed till further notice."

Cody, another regular, threw in his dissatisfied snarl. "it's fucked, bro. This place was our home. It's gotta be cos he got snapped at customs."

I nodded my agreement. "Yeah, I suppose so."

"It fucking sucks, bro, fucking sucks. This place, it's all we had. Where the fuck do we go now?" He complained bitterly as he gave the door a frustrated kick.

My phone rang as I cycled home. I was feeling the pain, so pulled over to answer it. "Hey, Ross speaking."

"Hey, Rosco, it's Tom. I suppose you heard about Glover?"

"Yeah, mate. I heard. How come the gyms closed?"

"The pigs have frozen all his assets, bank accounts, businesses, everything."

"So what's going to happen to it?"

"Dunno, bro. It'll get sold, but not sure anybody will take it on. Fuck, what a dick."

I was pretty confused at that statement. I always thought Tom knew about Glover. "Didn't you know?" I asked.

"I had my suspicions, bro, but that's all. I turned a blind eye. I loved the gym. I figured if that's what he's got to do to make it work, then fuck it."

"What about the steroids, you must have known about that?"

"Look, Rosco, you're new to the game. The truth is, lots of the guys are into it. I just ignore all that shit."

"I'm sorry, mate."

"Ah, it is what it is. I was just ringing to check on you. See you were okay. Sometimes the concussion doesn't show up for a couple of days."

"Yeah, I did my research, mate. I am being careful."

"All right, bro. Look after yourself."

"Will do, mate, same to you aye."

"Chur, bro."

For the rest of the ride home, my mind filled with conflicting emotions. The gym and kickboxing had become part of my life. There was no denying that I loved it. I could always just join another gym. The only problem was my deep sense of guilt. I played a major role in it being closed down. All the regulars would be lost. I wasn't the only one who loved the place.

That was the thing: it wasn't just the place. It was the people; they had all become friends, allies, we supported each other. Every single one of them had been behind me.

Now it was gone, and it was my fault. It wasn't just guilt, it was shame."

Sarah was in a different place. When I got home, her mood was one of euphoria. Cycling New Zealand, had been in touch, offering her congratulations for her acquittal, and talked to her about getting back on the Olympic team.

She would have to work her way back in and prove herself all over again, but at least the door was open.

She was in the mood to party. A huge feast was in preparation, the wine was chilled. The scene was set.

When she saw I wasn't feeling so happy, she asked. "What's the matter, babe? Is the pain getting to you? Should we go down to the hospital?"

"No, I found out today they have closed the gym."

"Thank god." She sighed loudly. "I'm glad."

Annoyed that she didn't care about my feelings, I snarled, "Yeah, well I'm not. That place meant a lot to the people who went there. For some it was their home. What's more, I loved it, as well. Those people are my friends."

"Friends!" she hissed. "They are all thugs and criminals."

"Not all of them. Some are just homeless kids, some needed something they could get into. They are mostly nice guys."

"You cannot be serious. They were happy to see me get locked up."

"Don't be ridiculous. Nobody knew about that. We are talking about normal everyday people."

"Ross, you let the place get to you. They are all bullies, ex cons. They are the dregs of society."

"Stop it, Sarah. You are talking about my friends. They supported me, helped me. Without them, you wouldn't be free."

She frowned, seeing the anger on my face. She went off to finish getting dinner ready as I paced around the house like a bear with a sore head.

I was angry at Sarah. Her attitude to those people was callous.

We ate dinner in a silence, her happy mood gone and my sour mood getting deeper by the minute. Showered and refreshed, we both climbed into bed. I didn't want the night to end badly. As we pulled the blankets up, I said, "I'm sorry if I let my emotions get the better of me, Sarah. I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on you."

She rolled over, snuggling into me. "No, its me who needs to apologise. I don't know why I said those mean things. I don't even know those people. I think I was just glad that you would be away from them."

"Why?"

"Because, the thought of you ending up like this again frightens me. I hated watching that fight. Seeing that guy bashing you. It scared me, and it made me so angry."

"Sarah, I went into that place with no other motive aside from trying to help you. That changed as I got to know the people. I was a bit like you at first. I thought they were all just thugs and bullies. I learnt a lot about myself though, and a lot about them. Some of them are people I am proud to call friends."

"I'm sorry, Ross. I didn't mean to insult you, or them."

"Its all right, Sarah. Most people feel exactly the same way. Its because you don't know them. Some of them have nothing, they work shitty jobs, battle drug and alcohol addictions. They come from broken homes, orphans, and yes, some are ex-prisoners, a lot of them have been in jail."

She snuggled closer; she was starting to see how deeply it affected me.

"Sarah, the gym offered those people a place, somewhere they were treated as equals. Their personal lives are terrible. The gym gave them hope. Gave them something to strive for. Now it's gone, and it's my bloody fault."

"Its not your fault, Ross. You did the right thing. Glover was a terrible person."