A Life Worth Fighting (10 page)

“Looks like your entourage is here,” I joke.

“I’ll call you when I land. Have fun with the coloring contest for Brooke’s posters.” Today Brooke is coming over to help with the poster-coloring contest. We have a day filled with activities and fun for the kids and their parents. Jo is coming to help as is my mom and Robert’s mom. Gus’ wife, Bethany, is also coming to take pictures.

“Thank you and we will.” I walk him outside so he can get his duffle bag from my car. My dad walks over to me and hugs me. “Take care of him for me,” I say.

“I will, don’t worry.”

“That’s easier said than done.”

“He’s better than he ever was,” my dad says, and I know it’s to put me at ease.

I watch as Robert puts his bag in the back of Gus’ SUV. Robert hugs me and kisses me one last time. “Stop worrying and I love you.”

“I’ll try and I love you, too.”

“Take pictures. I want to see the posters the kids make.”

I smile when I think about the big day we have planned. “I will.” I wave to them as they leave.

Mom, Margie, Bethany, and Brooke all come in early to help set up the tables and the craft items. Emma comes with Raelynn, who is carrying a bag.

“Miss Leah, look what I brought,” an excited Raelynn says.

I kneel down and look in the bag, “Glitter.”

I look at Raelynn and then look up at Emma.

Emma mouths, “Sorry,” before I look back to Raelynn.

“This is perfect. Thank you. I don’t think we have glitter,” I say honestly.

“Everything is better with glitter,” Raelynn says.

“Would you mind putting it on the table for me?”

Raelynn skips off and places the different colors of glitter on the arts and crafts table.

“I’m sorry, she wanted to contribute something and it was glitter,” Emma apologizes.

“That’s fine, it’s the one thing that I didn’t think to get. How are you and the baby?”

Emma beams and says, “Great, the baby is getting so big. It’s hard to believe he’s already two months old.”

“Wow, we need to get together so I can see him.”

“Anytime, we spend a lot of time at home since Jackson’s birth.”

“How’s James?”

“Good, he’s home with Alec and the baby. I asked him to come, but he didn’t want to leave his baby brother.”

“Tell him and Alec I said hi and kiss the baby for me.”

“I will.”

Jo makes finger sandwiches and snacks for the kids. Mom and Margie make gift bags and Bethany and I divide the art supplies evenly among the different tables. Emma and Brooke arrange the plates and cups on the food table. The bell over the door rings and in walks Gus’ wife, Dove, carrying a large
camera. She is the
reporter, and I am excited to see her.

“Hi,” I say as I walk over and greet her warmly.

“I heard about the poster contest you are doing for Brooke Jamison’s books and I thought it would make a great story. I hope it’s okay that I’m here on business.”

“No, it’s fine. Gus told me you would be here,” I say.

“I’m afraid it won’t be much of a story for you
or
the newspaper,” Brooke says as she walks over and I introduce her to Dove.

“What I would like to do is follow the events up to the book signing. Record the progress of an independent author and your success,” Dove says.

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but do you think this is newsworthy?” Brooke asks. “There are so many other stories out there.”

“The success of a hometown author. This is huge news. Everyone wants to see one of our own make it big. I think you’ll be surprised at how big this will be for you. You have tons of people supporting you already. Do you have time for an interview?”

Brooke looks down at her jeans and t-shirt. “I came here to help out. If I had known I would be interviewed, I would have worn something more presentable.”

“This is perfect,” Dove says, “you look like one of us. An ordinary girl, doing extraordinary things. Readers will love it. You are almost like a rock star and you don’t even know it.”

Dove holds up her camera and says, “Let me get a picture of the two of you.”

We pose for a few pictures before people start coming in and the shop fills up with parents and their kids. Raelynn’s mom, Molly, comes and helps out. She also has a camera and a basket of bubbles and sidewalk chalk for the children. Angel and Mason come with their twins, who are now walking. The kids are too young to color, but Mason and Angel are here for moral support. I text Robert throughout the day so he feels like he is still a part of it. Brooke’s husband, Brice, and her two sons, Braden and Briley, also come. Dove mingles with the crowd and snaps tons of pictures. The kids color, paste, glue, add glitter, and paint on the poster boards, trying to make the best one. Some are serious artists and some aren’t. Some try to eat the crayons
.
The food is a huge success as are the gift bags. Some kids are outside, writing on the sidewalk with the chalk, and some are blowing bubbles. Mason has the twins outside on their stroller; Mason is
blowing bubbles at them. I can almost hear their laughter through the picture window. Molly is sitting at the bistro table, watching and monitoring the children.

The food and coffee were free today for the event. I watch as Brooke tries to help out but is frequently stopped by the kids’ mothers. She signs books, t-shirts, purses, and even shopping bags. She laughs and blushes as people talk about her main character, Dante. They want to know if Dante was written after her husband. Brice stands tall and proud as he watches her. Now I wonder whether the character was written with him in mind.
God, I pray there isn’t a sex scene in the book
. I can feel myself blushing.
I need to ask Brooke before I read the book. I don’t need to be imagining… never mind, I don’t even want to think about it.

At the end of the day, we have a winner. Well, we actually have lots of winners. The most creative, the most unique, the most glitter, scariest,
the youngest, and even the oldest. We made sure every child walked away a winner. We have several different age groups with several different talents. We offered store gift cards for the prizes and the kids and the parents were ecstatic. At the end of the event, I am surprised at how many people showed up and I am happy at how many people stayed to help clean up. Mason and Brice stayed and took over storing the tables and bringing in the bistro tables while Molly and Emma took turns running the sweeper. I think they both feel responsible for the glitter being everywhere.

Brice and Mason talk about the fight and I look at my watch. I get that feeling in my belly again. The fight begins in an hour and we still have another hour of cleanup to do. Mom, Margie, and I always watch the fight together. I look on the big screen hanging on the wall that Robert insisted we get.

I say, “We can watch the match here if you guys want to.”

Brice and Mason look at each other. “No, that’s all right,” Mason says. “We were going to watch it at the house when we leave.”

“I still have cleaning up to do, and there are still sandwiches in the refrigerator. The pre-fight is getting ready to start. It’s up to you, but we are going to watch it here anyway.”
Well, it’ll be on, I doubt if I’ll actually watch it.

I tune the television on to the fight and continue with my cleanup. The pre-fight is where they get the crowd ready for the fight. Mason makes a phone call,
to Robert no doubt
, before walking over to me.

“Are you sure, Leah? If it’s upsetting for you…”

I interrupt and say, “It’s fine. We’re going to watch it anyway. Please, stay.”

Robert

I search my phone and look at the pictures Leah sent me throughout the day while “The Eye of the Tiger,” is blaring in my ears through the earbuds. I call Leah just before Gus and Dad wrap my hands and glove me up.

“You had a great day, I see.”

“I did. Dove was there and she’s doing a story on Brooke.”

“That was nice. I’m sure it’ll be a great article.”

“Dove is an excellent reporter.”

“Did you have help with the cleanup?”

“Mason and Brice stayed and did all the heavy lifting.”

“Leave everything else, and I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“It’s done. Emma, Molly, Brooke, my mom, your mom, Jo, and Bethany all helped. We are actually still here at the shop watching the fight.”

“The big screen finally paid off,” I joke. I bought this over a year ago, and it’s probably the first time it has been on. Apparently, TVs and bookstores do not belong together.

“Yeah, great purchase you made there, Ace.”

“I have to go, I’ll call you as soon as I kick this joker’s ass.”

“Be careful. I love you, Robert.”

“I will and I love you both, too.”

I begin to hang up and yell, “Leah?”

“Yeah?”

“This fight’s for the baby,” I say before I disconnect the phone.

I sit down and let the music build my adrenaline as Gus and Dad finish wrapping my hands. Leah’s father, Tim, stands at the door, looking out into the crowd. The music is blaring in my ears, and I can’t hear anything else. This is exactly the way I like it. I close my eyes to block out the activity around me. I focus on the music in my ears and the hatred I have for the man who killed my daughter. This fight is for my unborn baby. Someone hits my arm and I know it’s time to go. Tim and Dad help me with my robe that Leah and Jamie bought me, and I place my phone and earbuds in the pocket of my robe. Gus massages my back and shoulder before leaving the room. I move my head side to side to work out the kinks. When I hear my name, we head to the ring. The lights flash, the fans scream, and my dad, Gus, and Leah’s dad, Tim, surround me, keeping me out of reaching distance from the crowd.

When I see the camera, I kiss my glove and wave. Leah will know this is for her. I don’t smile; I have my killer game face on. The hatred I have for the man who killed Jamie is raw in my head. I get into the ring, they introduce me, and I hold my gloved hand up and slowly turn around, making sure to face all the fans in the entire room. Without them, I wouldn’t be here. I sit down and wait. I replay the song in my head and keep my focus. I’m not cocky and I’m not here for a good time. Leah tells me to get in and get out of the ring. Gus tells me to play for the camera. Give my fans a show. I’m done playing. Leah wants it quick so I’ll finish this fight quickly for her.

I hear the announcer say, “This is an important fight for Bobby ‘The Rock’ Grether. Two years ago, he was a legitimate contender to fight Abel Kennedy for the championship. If he wins tonight, he can move once more into legitimate contender status.”

Gus inserts my mouthpiece and it’s time to dance. My opponent
is Cain “The Snake” Johnson. He is the same height and build as me. I watched him many times over the past two months on YouTube and Break.com. I have his moves down to a science. The bell goes off and I take my stance. He swings and misses. I swing and make contact. He’s stunned but doesn’t fall.
This is for my unborn baby.
I turn and hit him as hard as I can on his left temple. He’s dazed and falls. He doesn’t get up and he’s down for the count. The referee stands in between us and I know to move further away from him. They are afraid I’ll pounce on him when he can’t defend himself. What kind of animal would do that? I wait anxiously for the count of 10 and then I raise my own hand.

Dad, Gus, and Tim congratulate me. I can see the shock and the excitement in their faces. I don’t look at my opponent. I stare straight ahead. The fans hold up signs, and some girls lift their shirts to expose their red bras that match my red and white boxing robe. Some have words that they wrote on their bodies: “The Rock,” “Grether,” “I love you,” and “Will you marry me?” to name a few. I laugh and think,
Hell, no, I’ll never marry you.

I hear the announcer say, “Kennedy can’t ignore The Rock now. The Rock is a legitimate contender to fight Kennedy for the championship. There are other contenders, but The Rock has been mighty and mightily impressive today. This fight took less than one minute.”
Maybe this is what it will take to get Kennedy out of hiding.

I wave to my fans before leaving the ring.

“Book my flight home,” I say before I am even in the room.

“Let’s check you out first,” Gus insists.

“For what? He didn’t even hit me.”

I look at Leah’s dad, Tim, and nod towards him. “Book it, I wanna get back to Leah.”

Gus and Dad start removing my gloves, and Gus wonders what people will say about the fight ending so quickly. “They pay good money to see a fight,” Gus begins.

“And that’s what I’m giving them,” I insist. “A good fight need not last 12 rounds. The best possible fight can be over in five seconds.”

Tim says, “Flights booked for the red eye. We leave in three hours.”

“Thanks, Tim, I appreciate it.”

Once the gloves are off, I stand up and look out into the arena. The paramedics are still in the ring, attending to my opponent. Some of the fans are leaving and some are staying taking pictures. Why anyone would want to take photos of an injured man is beyond me. I close the door. “I’m going to shower and then I’ll be ready to leave for the airport.”